**Attention**
If you were at The Chill on friday, I want to make sure everyone understands what I meant during the prayer time at the end. I am so thankful for those of you that came to me to thank me for the message (although, all credit belongs to God), I have never had that many people comment positively to anything God decided for me to preach. However, one person sent me an e-mail that I want to address. I asked people to raise their hands if they feel frustrated or helpless to reach their school...I think I said sometimes feel, but I am not sure...because honestly, I don't have much clue what I said at all. So...if any of you were offended by my statement "if you didn't raise your hands then you are either perfect or don't care" I am so sorry! Almost everyone raised their hand and the idea there was that everyone would raise their hands as a sign that they need prayer. I was frustrated that some hands didn't go up, which was clearly a misunderstanding. I will say this, you need prayer...we all do, all the time. I am so tired of sitting in meetings and bible studies were when prayer requests are taken, no one has any prayer requests! Let's be real, life is never perfect, we can always pray for SOMETHING for EVERYONE! So, once again...sorry about any confusion.
I have no scripture to go with what I am going to blog about, I am reading in Job right now and I definitely don't have it that bad!! On my way home from church last night, I followed Perry's advice of turning everything off in my car and asking God to speak. He definitely did. God told me to do several things...first, I have to start journaling again...second, I have to join a home group of men my age that are single...third, I have to lay my frustrations at the feet of Jesus. Here were the things I laid there. The reason I am putting this stuff on the Internet is so that those who read this blog will pray for me. Please, please, please pray for me.
1) Working at a school and actually caring about kids spiritual lives is hard.
I am definitely very sure of God's calling on my life and know I am very blessed to do what I do. However, when you begin to see the things that happen involving students and former students, it weighs on you. Let me make sure everyone understands...I am a sinner, I have to constantly ask God for forgiveness for sins that I struggle with...one of those sins actually stems from my involvement with high school kids. I find myself battling frustrations when it seems that kids aren't getting it. I am so thankful for the handful of Christian kids at TLH that do get it...that really understand how tough the Christian walk is.
God showed me through talking to some incredible people that I have to keep from getting discouraged about things I cannot control.
2) Sometimes I just have to shut up.
This is hard because when you are the adult around lots of students its so easy to be condescending, especially when they show their ingorance about certain things...but lately I have realized that sometimes I have to just keep quiet.
3) I am guilty.
I am guilty. I do the same things that so many students do, just in a different form many times. They neglect telling their friends about Christ, I neglect telling my fellow teachers...what a hypocrite I am. Students refuse to get up early for The Chill, and I sometimes become angry.
Here is the bottom line from my heart to this blog...I have to recognize that I am to love unconditionally. It is so easy to allow kids to affect my attitude towards them. There are some kids in the school that do not like me...I don't know what I have done to them, but I have to get over it...I must continue work in my mission field and must continue to help lead students towards Christ.
4) I am still a little immature.
I just am...I still find myself wanting to argue about stupid stuff. What an idiot.
5) I need to spend more time reading.
I realized through prayer that I need to read my bible more...
In conclusion,
please pray for the following
1) That I will not become frustrated by what I cannot change.
2) I will have discernment on when to speak and when to shut up!
3) That I will work in my mission field
4) That I will continue to mature.
5) READ READ READ...and journal.
I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson
Monday, December 7, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
My Summary of the Book of Esther. "Near Holocaust and a Soverign God"
First of all, King Xerxes was rocking a pretty huge empire at this time...486-465 B.C. Maybe you have heard of it, its called the Persian Empire and Xerxes was one of the most powerful men in the world. If you have seen the movie 300, you know who I am talking about, that movie was based on a battle that took place during Xerxes 6th year as king, 480 B.C.
In chapter 1, we see how rich the King is and how he just does work wherever he goes. His Queen, Queen Vashti refuses to come to the King when he calls for her. So King Xerxes banishes her from the Kings presence and he has a "beauty pageant" to pick his next queen.
In Chapter 2, Esther becomes queen because she is the hottest thing in the empire. Xerxes thinks she is incredible and "she was admired by everyone who saw her" (2:15). Xerxes did not know that she was a Jew, but her decision to keep quiet about it would prove to be one of the most important decisions in the history of the Jewish Nation. Finally, near the end of the chapter, Mordecai (Esther's Cousin/Adopted Father) overhears some men plotting against the King and he quickly told Queen Esther and the men were found to be guilty.
In Chapter 3, Haman becomes the most powerful official in the empire. Haman required that people bow to him when he walked by to show that he was the most important man in the empire, outside of King Xerxes himself. But, Mordecai refused to bow to him, causing great anger. Then, Haman found out the Mordecai was a Jew and decided that all Jews in the empire need to be killed. So they decide that on March 7, 474 B.C. that ALL Jews will be killed. This is a near Holocaust situation, all Jews had been exiled to the Persian Empire, so the entire race would be destroyed!
In Chapter 4, Queen Esther is asked to help. She is hesistant at first, but Mordecai gets here with the sentence from verse 14 "Who knows if perhaps you were made Queen for such a time as this."
In Chapter 5, King Xerxes agrees to do whatever Queen Esther wants because he is completely blown away by her. Meanwhile, Haman is still planning to kill Mordecai, then all of the Jews around a year later.
In Chapter 6, The King finally honors Mordecai for his good deed in Chapter 2! Its kinda funny because the King was struggling to sleep, so he ordered an attendant to read the history of his reign to him. When he did, he was reminded that Mordecai saved his life. At that same time, Haman is in the outer palace planning out how to kill Mordecai! Xerxes calls him in and asks him what he should do to honor Mordecai (without telling Haman that was who was to be honored). Haman says that he should be paraded through the the streets...so Xerxes tells Haman to go and get Mordecai and parade him through the streets!! Haman was obviously humiliated by this turn of events.
In Chapter 7, Queen Esther cleverly calls Haman to the palace for dinner with herself and King Xerxes and eventually Haman is impaled on a pole that he made to impale Mordecai on.
In Chapters 8-10, the Jews are saved from destruction and Mordecai becomes Prime Minister of the Persian Empire.
In Conclusion, God is soverign. God knew that at this exact time in history the Queen had to be a Jew if His chosen people were to be saved. God also let an enemy of the Israelites make his own impaling pole and not know it. Being an enemy of God is like standing on a stool, with a noose around your neck. He can kick the chair or wait for you to fall on your own but either way...the enemies of God will be destroyed. I love this book and the courage of the Jewish Nation during this time of possible annihilation. What a great story of God keeping those he loves.
Chase Culbertson
In chapter 1, we see how rich the King is and how he just does work wherever he goes. His Queen, Queen Vashti refuses to come to the King when he calls for her. So King Xerxes banishes her from the Kings presence and he has a "beauty pageant" to pick his next queen.
In Chapter 2, Esther becomes queen because she is the hottest thing in the empire. Xerxes thinks she is incredible and "she was admired by everyone who saw her" (2:15). Xerxes did not know that she was a Jew, but her decision to keep quiet about it would prove to be one of the most important decisions in the history of the Jewish Nation. Finally, near the end of the chapter, Mordecai (Esther's Cousin/Adopted Father) overhears some men plotting against the King and he quickly told Queen Esther and the men were found to be guilty.
In Chapter 3, Haman becomes the most powerful official in the empire. Haman required that people bow to him when he walked by to show that he was the most important man in the empire, outside of King Xerxes himself. But, Mordecai refused to bow to him, causing great anger. Then, Haman found out the Mordecai was a Jew and decided that all Jews in the empire need to be killed. So they decide that on March 7, 474 B.C. that ALL Jews will be killed. This is a near Holocaust situation, all Jews had been exiled to the Persian Empire, so the entire race would be destroyed!
In Chapter 4, Queen Esther is asked to help. She is hesistant at first, but Mordecai gets here with the sentence from verse 14 "Who knows if perhaps you were made Queen for such a time as this."
In Chapter 5, King Xerxes agrees to do whatever Queen Esther wants because he is completely blown away by her. Meanwhile, Haman is still planning to kill Mordecai, then all of the Jews around a year later.
In Chapter 6, The King finally honors Mordecai for his good deed in Chapter 2! Its kinda funny because the King was struggling to sleep, so he ordered an attendant to read the history of his reign to him. When he did, he was reminded that Mordecai saved his life. At that same time, Haman is in the outer palace planning out how to kill Mordecai! Xerxes calls him in and asks him what he should do to honor Mordecai (without telling Haman that was who was to be honored). Haman says that he should be paraded through the the streets...so Xerxes tells Haman to go and get Mordecai and parade him through the streets!! Haman was obviously humiliated by this turn of events.
In Chapter 7, Queen Esther cleverly calls Haman to the palace for dinner with herself and King Xerxes and eventually Haman is impaled on a pole that he made to impale Mordecai on.
In Chapters 8-10, the Jews are saved from destruction and Mordecai becomes Prime Minister of the Persian Empire.
In Conclusion, God is soverign. God knew that at this exact time in history the Queen had to be a Jew if His chosen people were to be saved. God also let an enemy of the Israelites make his own impaling pole and not know it. Being an enemy of God is like standing on a stool, with a noose around your neck. He can kick the chair or wait for you to fall on your own but either way...the enemies of God will be destroyed. I love this book and the courage of the Jewish Nation during this time of possible annihilation. What a great story of God keeping those he loves.
Chase Culbertson
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