muscle memory.

there is a "routine" to Christianity. we are to pray before we eat and before we go to bed. we are to attend church every Sunday. we are not to curse others. and we are to read the Bible regularly. pretty easy, right? but there is a risk to just doing the same thing, over and over again.

at all the baseball camps i ever went to, i was taught about muscle memory. the idea was if we did it enough and became accustomed to the motions, we wouldn't even have to think about it. "keep you head in", "explode into the ball", "step into the swing". it worked. doing it over and over again made it mindless, which for baseball, was a good thing. when we were playing the game, we didn't want to have to think about why were doing these things, we just knew that we had to do them. we did them by nature. because of routine.

think about the reasons you pray, read the Bible, and go to church. should we be doing these things because we have to, or because we want to? God's Grace and Love is so amazing and we are so undeserving that we should be dying to shout it from the rooftops. but we fall into the routine. week in, week out: pray. Bible. church. pray. Bible. church.

don't get me wrong, prayer, time in the Word, and church are just as important as they have always been. but when we fall into a routine, we forget why we're doing these things. just like in baseball. we knew we had to do them. but after a while, it didn't matter why we had to do them.

therein lies the difference. we cannot forget why we're worshipping God. because the minute we forget, we begin to do it for all the wrong reasons.

Peace and Love,

Andrew

the finish line.

...so let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2

my dad runs marathons. i don't get how he does it. to me, running 26.2 miles raises that same question as to why someone would jump out a perfectly good airplane: "what's the point?" now, if you were to ask him why he does it, i imagine his answer would be along the lines of "because i can." that's Paul Schmidt for you.

he gave a testimony at church last year on his passion for running and how it relates to what our church's pastor calls "God's Big Story." i felt so inspired by his message that i want to share it with you. so to give credit where it's due, many of these ideas originally came from him.

the life of a Christian is filled with highs and lows. there are the spiritual highs: the return from a mission project, or a vacation where you can really connect with God, or the days following an inspirational worship service or concert. but with all the highs come the lows: the loss of a loved one, the stress of day-to-day life, and doubt. but God provides us with everything we need to persevere: Him.

the story of mankind, or "God's Big Story," can be divided into three stages: Creation, Fall, and Redemption.

God created man to live in His image: free from sin. but man fell from God, and was separated from Father. we fell away, into a valley of darkness. without Him we are nothing.

then came Jesus.

our Redemption.

we see Jesus there at the end of the line, and we somehow find the willingness to go on and have faith that He will lead us to a better life. eternal life.

think of a runner at the starting line of a marathon. adrenaline pumping, heart pounding, excitement and anxiety racing through the body. the course of 26.2 miles awaits. energy and morale is at full strength. the gun goes off, and the race begins. creation.

20 miles into the race and the tables have seemed to turn. energy is low, morale is all but gone. many runners refer to this as "the wall." to Christians - the fall.

but somehow that runner makes it through the next few miles, and they see the finish line. redemption.

the Christian life is not a sprint. we cannot walk our entire life saving our energy for a mad dash to the finish line. life doesn't work like that. like a marathon, it is a test of endurance. it is a race that requires faith, hope, and trust that God will be there at the finish line to welcome us home. and it requires patience and perseverance. we must hold steadfast in our faith, trusting that God is with us for every step.

we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. - Romans 5:3-5

Peace and Love,

Andrew

the ocean.

You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.- Psalm 89:9

i dont think there is a more beautiful sound than that of the crashing waves on the shore. its remarkable how powerful and mighty, yet calm and comforting the ocean can be. in other words, its God.

think about it... further out into the ocean, there are mighty storms and raging seas, and unpredictable changes that we dont understand. yet when it comes closer to us, on the beach, it can comfort us. the ocean can heal us, and refresh our bodies and minds in ways the rest of the world cannot. the waves scale down to meet us at a safe and approachable level.



the ocean is a magnificent thing. its uncontainable and unpredictable nature leaves us awestruck at its power. the world has seen unimaginable destruction at the hands of the seas. but then the same body of water can be a nourishment. when the ocean meets the shoreline the impact of its power changes. it is no longer the calamitous, catastrophic force of the high seas, but a cleansing and soothing replenishment.

God, in the same way, is capable of devastation we cannot even begin to fathom. but when God sent His one and only Son to die for us, we were no longer plagued by separation from God. Jesus comes to us, as a calm wave does on the shoreline. and because of this, we are cleansed and washed so that we may have eternal life with God.


Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." - John 4:13-14


mankind has tried for years to try to meet God where He was. we have tried to find God, and catch up with Him. but we cant. when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, the people with Moses refused to go up Mt. Sinai with him, because they were not worthy to see God, and if they did, they would die. it's only when God came to our level, as man, that we can see Him. and its through His Son that we can know Him. we cant travel to Him, just like we cant just keep swimming out into the ocean expecting to reach the other side.

the ocean comes to us.

God comes to us.

we just have to open our eyes and see that He is right there in front of us, wanting us to fall into His arms and cry out for his comfort and Love.

may God's nourishing and cleansing water be with you as you go through your day.

Peace and Love,

Andrew

family.

i remember when my sister Katy went off to college, i started to grow closer to her. it was ironic. right when she left, there was all of the sudden this "brotherly/sisterly" bond that we found. and i started to miss having her around, all the time. this year, the same thing has started to happen between me and my parents. now, we were always close. i looked up to my dad as my role model in my adolescence, and would strive to live a life as full and honorable as he him. both my mom and dad were voices of reason. and they were the people i felt most comfortable talking to about anything. but when i got to school, it seemed as though i grew closer. we didnt talk quite as much during first semester. but i suppose that was part of the process of adjusting to college. but as the year went on, we talked more and more frequently. and its been amazing.

recently i've had time to think about my family. you see, my parents never really forced my faith upon me, but instead gave me a grounding of their morals and values, and i took it from there. and i believe that's why i have such a set foundation now. because i was the one who laid it. when i think about it, i'm left in a state of awe of how well it turned out.

in today's world, i thank God every day for the blessing of the most amazing family. my parents are my confidants and Katy is my best friend. without them i would be nothing, and i would be nowhere. i dont thank them nearly enough.


Peace and Love,

Andrew

why not?

so i had been thinking for a while, i should start expressing my thoughts a little more.

step 1 was writing in a journal. its something i have come to cherish. but then i got to thinking that maybe i should share these thoughts with those around me.

step 2 was twitter. yes i gave in. for some time i vowed to stay away from the addiction that would surely come with it. that also gave me some outlet...in 160 characters or less. so i started to think about the next step. enter blogging.

the main reason behind this is "why not?" after all... if only one person reads this, thats one more than it would have been before. so again, whats the harm? i'm curious as to if anyone will pay attention..but i suppose it doesnt really matter, does it?

so i hope you enjoy this. some thoughts will be random. some will be relevant. expect musings on spirituality and God. but dont be surprised at the occasional political tangent. they will come. i can promise you that.

enjoy!