the failures and grace in the life of marco paz

Untitled

2010-11-23T14:04:00.001-08:00

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Celebrating Faithfulness Over Independence

2010-07-02T09:13:00.001-07:00

(I wrote this two years ago, but I think the point is still valid. -paz)

I squinted at the clock, it was only 8 am but it felt much earlier due to the lack of sleep I had received the night before. My roommate and I were driving to church and it seemed like the Sunday was like the Sundays that preceded this one. However, we were listening to Christian radio which we have not done before. As someone who was born and raised in the church, I have grown to dislike the Christian culture that is in America. But that's for another topic for another time. My roommate on the other hand, had not been raised in a Christian home and God regenerated his heart two years ago. It's been encouraging to see that he not become cynical or jaded towards the Christian movement like I have. The radio show we were listening to was conducting an interview with an author of a book who was claiming that America was going down in flames and it could be prevented by people falling on their knees and pleading with the Lord for America but also repenting for their sins.

As much as I tried to forget about this author's passionate plea, I think he raised some valid points but overall, I believe he is wrong. And today of all days, illustrates why I believe this author has missed the point. Today, we are going to be celebrating the two hundred and thirty-fourth celebration of America's independence from Great Britain. it is a day filled with watermelon, fireworks but more importantly, expressing our gratefulness to our Creator for allowing us to be free. I think that this last point can be missed in the joy of the holiday. There are many gifts that God has given to our country that we take for granted on a daily basis, we must remember that it is God who has given them to us. However, our country is constantly changing, with this change comes new struggles. I don't think they are new for humanity but I think they are struggles that have always been prevalent in society, the problem is that all men, women and children have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

If we were to look back in history, we can see that history tends to repeat itself. Almost like a record player that is broken and is repeating a section of a song over and over again. Man continues to sin could be this song, but I think there's more to it. Man continues to sin but God is faithful and continues to open the hearts of sinful man. Ultimately, we will never create a depravity void society, because we are all decedents of Adam. We cannot change God's mind or will, because we are not God! One of my favorite quotes by C.S. Lewis is the following, "I don't pray because it changes God, I pray because it changes me." God is not one who is distant or far off, He is active and continues to work in the lives of people across our world, not just in America. I am sad that this author was met with resounding approval from the talk show hosts, because I think this author as well intention he might be, is preaching the wrong message to people following Christ. It was Christ himself who told His first followers, "In this world you will have trials, but take heart, I have overcome the world." Jesus has met our greatest need in this life which wasn't solving world peace, establishing the definition of marriage, stopping unborn children from being murdered, all of these are noble things but He came to save sinners.

It is difficult to recall the faithfulness of God in our daily lives, because we can lose our gaze from off our perfect Savior and onto our sinful selves. I know, because I struggle with it too. However, I think one of the greatest examples of God's faithfulness is a tree. God who created the tree, knows that in order for a tree to be sustained and continued on with life, the tree must have sunlight and rain. In Arizona, we do not have the rain but we have the sunlight. The sun will continue to shine, until God allows the sun to burn no more. Another way is that in the winter months (to us Arizonans, when it's less than seventy degrees outside) the trees must die in order to live. God is the one who knows this and allows it to happen according to His will.

So when we join our friends and family today, let us gather together and instead of filling up our chests with pride of a love for America, let us recount the faithfulness of our Lord. He is the one who worked on the hearts and minds of our forefathers, giving them the ideals for our country, He is the one who protected us from two world wars. But more importantly, He continues to call men and women to repent from their sins and trust Jesus Christ.

Posted via email from marco paz's

when the fields are dry, and the winter is long..

2010-04-11T10:27:00.001-07:00

when the fields are dry, and the winter is long blessed are the meek, the hungry, the poor when my soul is downcast and voice has no song for mercy, for comfort, I will on the Lord
in the harvest feast or fallow ground my certain hope is in Jesus found my lot, my cup, my portion sure whatever comes, we shall endure whatever comes, we shall endure
on a cross of wood, His blood was outpoured He rose from the ground, like a bird to the sky bringing peace to our violence, and crushing death's door our Marker incarnate, our God who provides
come, oh come, Emmanuel come, oh, come, Emmanuel
when the earth beneath me crumbles and quakes, not a sparrow falls, nor a hair from my head, without His hand to guide me, my shield and my strength , in joy or in sorrow, in life or in death

--In Feast or Fallow by Sandra McCracken

Posted via email from marco paz's

hands

2010-04-02T11:45:00.001-07:00

our father looks in love
at his handiwork
your fingers, your tears
formed in the hands of love

hope in the light
repent in the darkness
the sun will rise
oh, the son will rise.

our doubts cannot run past grace
with open arms, he pursues, pursues
he does not grow tired
he will not give up on you

the cross held the stains, not the man
the tomb held the linens, not the promised one
the king will return, all will be well

flee from death
embrace life's open arms
he will hold you
and will never let you go.

Posted via email from marco paz's

goodbye.. and hello.

2010-03-16T11:24:00.001-07:00

(i am taking a week long break from email, facebook, twitter, etc. if you need to get a hold of me, i'll still have my phone on. i wrote this while in the airport yesterday)

i am sitting in the airport, awaiting my flight to seattle for my final spring break as a college student. i felt like a child on christmas eve last night as i continually woke up checking my cell phone to see if it was time to leave or not. i'm very excited about this trip because i'm going to see friends i haven't seen in years but also spend quality time with my older sister who is currently in the midst of wedding planning. i am also excited about this trip because i have been very stressed and discouraged lately which has caused me to be more aware of my need for Jesus but also my battle with depression caused me to enter in a temporary time of darkness.

in the times of dark depression where i struggle to find joy, it is difficult to see how this is an experience that is part of God "working all things together for our good." my struggle with depression took on some new lows over the last month, as i truly felt beat down and downtrodden. slowly and graciously, God pulled me out of this time, it was like in the sky after a storm takes place and the sun is piercing through the storm clouds. a quote by oswald chambers that has been floating around the online communities i read, helped me put this trial into perspective: "Before God can use a man great, he must wound him deeply." this quote has not left my head for a couple of weeks now.

as someone who calls himself a christian, i am saying to the world around me and myself, my life and identity belongs to Jesus and that i am a child of God. one of the difficult and areas i don't fully understand of my new life is being disciplined by my heavenly father. many times recently i have cried aloud to my Father asking him why is this trial taking place, because it hurts like hell. however, what i am finding out more and more is that it is through his discipline, he shows his love for me. he is doing it to show me how deep his love for me, because he had to discipline the One who went through so much more pain and suffering than i will ever receive. i recently re-read this verse in hebrews which really put things into perspective:

Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

--Hebrews 12:5-7 ESV

here's a couple of things that i am planning on doing while i'm on vacation:

-stay offline
confession: i'm online all the time. it is like i have an iv to the internet hooked up to my arm at all hours of the day. since i do not watch a lot of television, the internet is my way of unwinding and letting my mind relax and recharge. in order to truly enjoy my time while i'm gone, i am going to be offline from email and social media. it is going to be hard but i think it will be rewarding. it is only for one week, but i think it is a small step in being able to being able to use my time better. in the times that i will be offline, i hope to accomplish the following things:

rest: the combination of stress and depression has caused me not to sleep well in the evening and be a tense indivdual. i hope to recharge and relax while i'm up there in seattle.

laugh: i try to laugh often and frequently, however i have not lately. it might seem like a trite goal to force myself to laugh, but forcing myself to loosen up and have joy has become difficult, but slowly but surely, God is working inside of me to show its okay to laugh and have fun. i think Nietzsche said it best when he said the following: “Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.”

drink: all good things come from Above, including what we drink. i've been told there alot of good places to get a great cup of tea, coffee and a pint. i am eager to see what seattle has to offer in these categories.

read: i love books, but have not made time to sit down and enjoy a good book. so since i'm going to be offline, i brought three books that i hope to read page to page while i am gone this week.

Jeeves omnibus
pg wodehouse has a way with words that has always made me laugh, no matter what i am experiencing. i picked up this book for $2 at goodwill recently and i think the inscription that someone left in the front of the book that puts it nicely, "...Enjoy, it's okay to laugh outloud."

John Newton: From Disgrace To Amazing Grace
i love reading biographies and i've benefited greatly from mr. newton's writing time and time again, not just his hymns. i know his story, but i have not read this particular biography on him.

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years- Donald Miller
another confession: i have a literary crush on don miller. i love his down to earth writing style and storytelling ability. two areas i wish to grow in my life. i've heard great things about this book and i cannot wait to read it.

think: i know this sounds silly, but in the hussel and bussel of life, it's good to think and reflect where you've been, in order to prepare for where you are going. as an upcoming college graduate, i am going in an unknown world when i graduate. there are many things that God has brought me through and it is to make into the man i am today, but also preparing me for the man i will be.

play: how is it that as adults, we think that only children are allowed to have time to play? i do think there should be time set aside for recreation, but finding the opportunity to do so, is hard. instead of engaging in child-like playing, my sister fiance is a gamer. not video games, but board games. on saturdays, they go to a game store and play board games for most of the evening. i am pumped about this, because play time has been neglected.

dream: i like..er love to dream. dreaming is a good way for me to allow my imagination to unwind and unravel. but also, it helps me put into perspective many things i feel passionate about. many times they are unrealistic, but slowly, i am trying to dream realistic dreams.

jesus time: in my times of stress and depression, my prayer life has grown, my scripture reading life has not. they are to go hand in hand, and as someone who says that i want to be a teacher of God's word, i am to be consistent about my time with Him, not just speaking, but also listening to his word.

please be praying for me as i embark on this week, it's going to be a great week as i gain excitement with each passing moment, pray that i find my rest and joy in Christ, but that also i am a blessing to everyone i'm up here.

grace, peace and love to all,

paz

Posted via email from Marco's posterous

last words

2009-12-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

the semester is almost over. i have one paper that needs to be revised and turned in today, and a presentation tomorrow night. one of the more interesting writing assignments i had this semester was to write my final words, so here's what i'd say if i knew this was my last day and these were my last words:

Last Words
There is more to life than simply living. The more and more you focus on yourself, the more you believe in yourself and listen to your heart, the less happy and fulfilled you will be. You cannot add minutes to the day, once one is gone, you cannot get it back. Beauty is more than an extra hour at the gym or minute in the bathroom, it lies inside the heart and the character of one's soul. Spend more time outside and less time in front of the computer or television. Read more books. Friends come and go. Good music is not on the radio, but comes from searching. Listen more and talk less. See every day and moment as a learning experience. Sleep can be a blessing and curse. Being a gentleman is not old fashioned. Parties are overrated, late night or early morning conversations are not. Try new foods. Always express thanks. Seek to help out others at all possible. Live and speak truthfully. Shoes are stupid. Take time to enjoy sunsets. Simplicity is difficult but rewarding. Never go a day without dreaming and laughing. Love without expecting something in return. Live life in perspective of eternity. Seek wisdom from those older than you. A child's laugh never grows old. No one will ever understand the female mind, so don't use your time trying to decipher their mysterious ways. The meaning of all history is not in our times of war and times of peace, times of abundance and suffering. The central point of all history is through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the greatest gift has been given, God himself. This gift effects everything in this life and the one to come.

Jesus our advocate and our example: 1 John 2: 1-6

2009-10-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

one of the ways i am preparing for pastoral ministry (what i believe God has called me to as my career), is that i am being trained by a former pastor on what it looks like to be a pastor. over the last four weeks i have been working on a sermon and today i gave it. here's the audio from my second time reading it all the way through and the text you are reading below is my manuscript. this is my first ever sermon, but feedback is greatly accepted. thanks.

Jesus our advocate and our example: 1 John 2: 1-6
introduction: heroes
this morning we are going to be in the book of first john, while you are turning there, i have a question for everyone, who is your hero? and what has this person done in order to become a hero in your mind?
when i was a child i had two two heroes. the first one i had was kevin johnson who was the point guard for the phoenix suns. i loved the way, he passed the ball and included all of his teammates in the plays he created for them. i also remember hearing that he was a christian and very vocal about his faith, and would share it without hesitation with his teammates and reporters after the game. the second hero i had was the character peter from the chronicles of narnia. he was a hero to me because he had strong leadership skills in defeating the white witch but also he got to wield a sword which as a small boy i found very cool. even though i had never met these two men, i had admired their lives greatly and tried to be like them by working on my passing game and becoming very protective with the people close to me.

there was one person who did not enter my mind as a hero when i was boy, that was Jesus. it was not because i did not know who He was, but because i did. i heard many times Jesus died on the cross for my sins, i did all the activities that made up for a "good" christian life like going to church, praying, reading my bible, church choir and bible quizzing. i did not do the "bad" things like cussing or being rebellious towards my family. i thought that God certainly must love me because of the great things that i am doing. i had many days of doubting if i was truly saved because i continually felt very empty inside even though on the outside i looked good.

today as we read john's letter, he shares with us what Jesus has done for and what difference it makes to us today. john's main point is that through Jesus's life, death and resurrection have received a way of making amends for our sins and an advocate before the throne of God but also an example of how we as Christians are to live our lives.

who is john and what is the purpose of his letter?
before we get into how this has taken place, i think it is important to have some background information on who John is and why did he write the letter that is in our hands today. John was one of the original twelve disciples that Jesus chose while he was on this earth. if you needed someone to speak about what Jesus was like, John was your man. he was considered of the original twelve, he was one of Jesus' closest friends. he is the only one from the original 12 that did not die a martyr's death. in the NT, there are two different types of books, one is narrative accounts of Jesus's ministry here on earth and the lives of the early church. the second is a letter written to individuals and churches, that are to instruct and encourage believers that are scattered all across the world. john's letter was written as a response to some false teaching that came up in the church that he was a pastor of for many years.

problems with false teachers & summary of chapter 1
the main issue that had come into the church was dualism. this teaching originally came from plato, who taught that everyone has a spirit (which is good in us) and a body (which is the bad in us), so problems arouse when they taught that when God being spirit took on human form, there was a mixture of good and evil living inside of him. this lead to three different groups to come up and try and lead the church astray.

the first group were called the gnostics, they got their name from the greek word which means knowledge. their teaching taught that in order to receive salvation, one must search the deeper meaning or become more enlightened. instead of trusting the literal meaning of what it meant to be gain salvation.

the second group were people who taught doetism, which comes from the greek verb "to seem" or "to appear." the problem with these teachers was that they taught that Jesus only appeared to be like a man, but was not fully God as well.

the third group were teachers of hedonism which one commentator describes as the "unbridled pursuit of pleasure" these are the type of people who are consumed with doing whatever will bring them the biggest pleasure, because ultimately it is all about their pleasure and nothing else.

in many ways, these four areas of problems in John's day has continued on into our day. people speak about becoming more enlightened by searching out the deeper meaning of what Jesus truly said, some say that Jesus was a good moral teacher but not God incarnate, or that life is all about pursuing what makes me happy above anything else.

instead of calling attention to these heresies by name, in the first chapter, John begins by directing attention to Jesus's divinity, humanity, death and his life now in heaven since he is alive. John explains the reason why he is confident of what he is sharing is because he walked with Jesus and knew what Jesus was like while Jesus was on earth. John further explains John explains that God's nature is like light and our character as people is darkness because of sin. anyone who has gone to a movie theater has experienced the difference between light and darkness, when you are in the theater it is practically pitch dark until you get outside and the natural light causes temporary blindness. it is impossible to have light and darkness side by side because they are opposites. so it is impossible to walk with God who is light since we as men and women 100% human are dark with sin in our lives. like a flashlight in a dark day, Jesus is the solution our darkness. John reminds us that Jesus's blood is how we can be forgiven of all of our sin. and every time we ask for his forgiveness, we will gain forgiveness for our sins. that brings us to our passage today in chapter two verses one through six, John is going to explain what Jesus has accomplished and what difference it makes to us today:

1 john chapter 2 verses 1-6:
my little children, i am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
And by this we know we that we have come to know Him, if we keep his commands.
Whoever says, "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in Him.
But whoever keeps his word, in him, truly the love of God perfected. by this we may be sure that we are in him.
whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way he walked. (English Standard Version)

verse one:
my little children, i am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

john's purpose in writing this letter is that we may not sin. instead of immediately saying guys these false teachers are wrong and here's the better way to live or you guys are such dirty vile and wicked sinners repent. he calls them children, he understands as people we all have a fundamental need for love, instruction and provision which is given to us by our parents. he then explains his purpose in writing to them, so they may not sin. he is not saying can not, or will not, or should not, but may not. may implies a choice. remember when we were children, our parents told us things that we may or may not do. we may go to that movie or we may not go spend the night at our friend's house. sin in many ways is a choice, we chose to sin, it's a choice to either glorify God or something or someone else and none of us are free from sin. john shares earlier in verse eight that if we say we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves and truth is not in us. everyone has sin, we all make choices, say or words or do actions that are offensive john shares earlier in verse eight, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. we all have sin, we all make choices, say words or do actions that is offensive to God. and sin separate us from God, God is holy, perfect, righteous, just, and He cannot and will not tolerate sin, because it would go against his character. we read in romans that the wages of sin is death and if death is the opposite of life, what can be done so that we are not separated from God?

but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

so if our sin separates us from God, there has to be a way either through our actions or lifes that will bring us close to God. as a child this is what i thought it meant to be a christian, if i did all these "good" works like reading my bible, prayer, obedience to my parents, going to church and that will give me the ability to be with God. this is not an uncommon experience, as all the other religions in the world are heavy on the duty that one must do in order to receive favor with God. if you do this, then you will get this from God. if you do not eat for this amount of time, pray for these amount of days, give this money or investment into the poor, you'll gain favor with God. Christianity is the only religion that states that it is NOT your work that gives you this favor with God, but it is only Jesus. John uses the word that Jesus is our advocate with the Father. what does that word mean, advocate. imagine yourself that you are going to court because you were sentenced to death because of the crimes that you committed against the country you are apart of. it looks like that there is nothing you can say that will help your case, until someone comes and says i'll take the sentence for him. i'll die so that he may not have to die. in the original greek, this is what advocate means, it's the person who accompanies you to court, who speaks on your behalf and because it is your best friend, this proves your friendship and credibility in front of this judge. so what did Jesus do in order to receive this advocacy status?

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (verse 2)

all through out the OT, there were sacrifices made in order to please God. many times, it was the best animal that one had that was slaughtered in order to gain the forgiveness of God. in the book of isaiah we read about another sacrifice that was going to be made, but this time it was going to a person who would bear our griefs, sorrows, crushed for iniquities,and yet it was the will of God to crush him, because ultimately the chastisement he received gave us peace with God. in short, there would be someone who would bear God's wrath because our sins needed a payment once and for all, John says it's Jesus. He is the propitiation for our sins, that word propitiation comes from the word that means to make amends for another. in essence, it bring two parties together. that is what Jesus acomplished for us on the cross, He bridges the gap between God and man by dying on the cross for our sins. not only for our sins, but the sins of the whole world. this must have shocked the readers of the day, but the message and gift of salvation is a worldwide gift and message. it does not only apply to people living in the first century but has contiuned to be shared and sinners are being saved across the world. we must remember that Christianity is a worldwide religion but not just one in the western speaking world. we have brothers and sisters across the world who are inprisioned because of this meesage, others who are being killed because of their faith in Jesus. think about it, we have people we have never met before that are right now, our brothers and sisters in Christ, yes they may come from a different language or a different concept of what home means, but we have one unifying factor, Jesus Christ's death has paid the penalty for our sin. at this point, things sound great, we have just heard we can receive salvation for our sins, that there is someone right now speaking on our (as christians)'s behalf, but what difference does it make today? how do i know if i am truly saved if i continue to struggle with sins? how does this apply to me if i have a midterm tomorrow, my car is having problems, or that my marriage is heading towards a divorce?

And by this we know we that we have come to know Him, if we keep his commands. (verse 3)
Whoever says, "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in Him. (verse 4)
But whoever keeps his word, in him, truly the love of God perfected. by this we may be sure that we are in him. (verse 5)
whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way he walked. (verse 6)

here's our assurance to know we are in Christ, we know him if we keep his commands. john wants us to understand that knowing Christ means we follow his words to us. knowledge of him precedes our duty, but what does it mean to know Christ? this was one of the biggest problems with the gnostic teachers, they preached, that because we have a more enlightend view of salvation because we hav experienced things you have not experienced. in many ways, this is lived out in our modern day church. i'm sure you've heard these words or maybe said them yourself, because you havent had this experience, therefore you are not saved. it even comes with churches, you aren't coming to my church? you are truly missing out. it's a i'm better than you mentality that is truly dangerous to our faith. instead of recoginizing and clinging to the things that hold us together, we are quick to cause divisions with our brothers and sisters. remember what john shared earlier, christ died not only for our sins but for the sins of everyone, every nation, every tribe, no matter what policial allfiation, educational background, life experience, all who place their hope in Christ for the salvation for their sin is forgiven.

i think another point that john stresses is that knowing Christ and following his commands go hand in hand. it is one thing to know something but it's another thing until you apply that knowledge. here's an illustration that i think points this out, in my life i did not receive my driver's license until i was 23. until that day in June came, i had a lot of knowledge of how a car worked from the reading of my family's car manual or conversations i had with my father on the car, i read the rules and regulations on how to lawfully operate a car in the sate of arizona, was a passenger hundreds of thousands of times, but none of them prepared me for my driver's test like the day i was behind the wheel. i had a lot of information in my head on how parallel parking worked, diagrams drawn by friends and family but it wasn't until i put the car in reverse and began to back up slowly that i knew what it meant to parallel park. likewise, we can know in our head what it looks like to know Christ, either from what we read in scriptures, attending church, or having conversations with other people about what it means to be a Christian, but it's not just an intellectual life, we must also keep his commands. yet, this is a part of the christian life that is neglected and not shared. many people think that can follow Christ and that things will be fine, because they are a follower of Jesus, so they have no need for anything else. i'm sure you encounter these type of people, they acknowledge that they know jesus but do not live their life according to what jesus taught.

in verse four, john has some harsh words for those type of people, he calls them a liar and that the truth is not in him. it goes hand in hand, following Jesus and following his commands. there's a famous quote by ghandi that came to my mind as i was preparing this message, he is credited with saying the following about Christians, "i love your christ (meaning jesus) but hate your christians." as many people who say we acknowledge we know Jesus, my question to many of us today along with my own heart is what parts of Jesus's life here on this earth am i modeling? if we are calling ourselves christians, we are taking the identity of Jesus Christ and saying that our life is found in him, so if he is our example, our savior, then where is the likeness? or a better question, where can we see what it means to look like christ?

a couple of weeks ago, i posted a link on my facebook on twenty ways to enjoy a cigar to the glory of God, most of the response i got was positive but i got one negative comment from an old friend of my family. he reprimanded me and asked me if i was aware of the influence i have with many young people who are looking at my life as one to see what it means to be like christ in this life. i have a confession to make, if you want to see how to live like Christ in this life, don't look at my life, because i'm not Jesus Christ, i'm marco paz galusha-luna. sinner saved by the grace of God. if you want to resemble christ or see what it means to live like christ, read the gospels and see the life that christ lived. now, before everyone goes out and becomes carpenters or gathers 12 friends and casts out demons, modeling christ can come in simpler ways, like showing compassion to all people, teaching others about the scriptures, or even seeking to be a servant, those are just a couple of the many ways we can model christ to each other and our non-believing friends. so simply put, don't only follow Christ in your words but also follow his example in our deeds. we cannot look to our fellow offspring of adam and eve as the image of what it means to look like Christ, because we are all imperfect and sinful people who are in need of a savior.

i'll be the first one to admit that this is not an easy task, Jesus himself says in Matthew 10:38-39, "whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me, whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." what he is saying there is that in order to follow Jesus, we must deny our wishes and desires and place following Him the center of our life. there must be a denial of self interest and wishes and place his before our own. in many ways, this is the gospel, the good news. Jesus left his home in heaven, to take on flesh, to appear as a man, so that one day would come where he would sacrifice it all for the sake of you and me, he would die a bloody and undeserving death, he would be spat upon, his beard would be plucked, he would have the wrath of His father that was reserved for sinners be poured out upon his holy and pefect brow, his final cry was that it was finished, no more duty, no more trying to please God on our own terms but God accepted Jesus's death as the payment for our sins, he bore wrath so we might receive favor with God and three days later after Jesus rose from the dead and is now sitting at the right hand of His father in heaven, being our advocate as christians, we have the assurance that is he is saying, Father. that is my child, He is forgiven. Look at the scars I endured for him, endured for her. it is like the famous song states, Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe, Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. this is what makes him a hero to us who are christians, he came, lived and died for us, so that when we place our trust in him for the forgiveness for our sins, instead of seeing our continual failures, His father sees the scars that Jesus endured for us, he is our faithful advocate because he will continue to do this until He returns for His children. let's look to Jesus as our example of how we are to live our lives but let's remember he is our advocate who continues to intercede for us, when life makes sense and those times it does not.

a new beginning

2009-09-16T12:56:00.001-07:00

writer's confession
for the last six years of my life, i have been a writer.
i went through different phases of what i wrote, poetry, prose, fiction, non-fiction and some songwriting. as my outlet of communicating my thoughts changed, so did my topics. i wrote about my day to day life, politics, angst towards the 4th of july,my time in a behavioral health hospital, doing relief work in new orleans after hurricane katrina and rita girls, humbling and funny experiences, my confusion and dislike of "pop culture" etc and etc.

then i stopped writing. college and work squeezed my creativity out and i was forced to focus on life outside the computer or pen and paper. i still wrote a little but not as active as i used to be. then a couple of weeks ago, i stumbled across a quote that one of my heroes in the faith posted on his twitter that stuck out to me. it came from the brilliant mind of francis bacon, "reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man and writing an exact man." i am currently in my final semester of college at arizona state university, Lord willing in december, i will be my degree in english literature, writing and film and a minor in communication. translation: i love books, writing and talking. if any of you know me outside the walls of the internet, you know that this true.

why should i read this blog?
the obvious question that might be coming up in your head is, great, another blog, another person trying to cram their viewpoints down my throat, why should i care? to be completely honest, i was thinking of continuing my hiatus because i felt for a long time, i had nothing to add to discussion or in the words of derek webb: "i'm just a mockingbird, i've got no new song to sing." then i stumbled across the bacon quote which i have interpreted as not a dismissal of writing but an exhortation to pick up the pen again and write. i'm not quite sure what i will write about, but that's part of the adventure of life. we never quite know what will happen once we wake up from our beds and face the world, we don't even know if we continue to have breath in this life, but we do know one thing. Jesus Christ came to die for sinners. you, me, and every person who has every lived is a sinner who is because of sin, we are all separated from God. well, not every person, one person, Jesus Christ, who was fully God and fully man, came from heaven, to live, die and rise again. He is the only way we can obtain peace and righteousness, He bore wrath deserved for you and me.

what's going on here?
in some ways, this is an outlet for me to share with others this good news, but also share the struggles and joys i daily face. a classmate asked me the other day, "do you love God?" i had to think about it and responded with, not all the time. there are days i love Him and other days i love other idols like sleep, music, friends, myself, but at the end of the day, God loved me before there was an ounce of love in my heart towards Him. may this blog reflect the great love and grace of my Lord.

who are you?
so, for those of you who don't know who i am, read this poem i wrote earlier in the year, it will catch you up to speed of who is marco paz galusha-luna. i'm on twitter/facebook alot, so if you're on twitter or facebook , check out the failures and grace that i encounter, there is a link to the right of this site. please comment, challenge, think, argue, laugh and cry with me.

grace and peace be to you,

marco paz galusha-luna

next blog entry:
joyful sobriety-what does life look like post graduation for me?