Sometimes thinking about what Christ did for me brings me to tears. When hearing this song I think of angel's announcing Christ, proclaiming Him a hero.

Watch and listen to this song - Hero by the group Abandon

Whenever I hear a song, especially songs about God and Christ, I create something like a music video in my head. This note is going through some of the things I think about when I hear the song.

One of the first images I get is Jesus sitting at the right hand of God in heaven. They look at each other, God nods, and Jesus stands up. He begins to walk the golden path from His seat towards the gates of Heaven. Along the path are saints and angels singing "There He goes! A hero, the savior to the world". They all know what He is preparing to do. He arrives at the gate and exits heaven.

He enters our world as a baby. I see Him lying in a manger, the nativity scene. I see a host of angels above singing once again, "There He goes, a hero".

I see Him as a boy, at the temple speaking to the adults with a knowledge far beyond His years. The angels are singing.

He is walking down the streets looking like any other man, but something is different, everyone that sees Him feels it. As He walks by people's heads turn. A boy says "there He goes, a hero". Jesus then calls the disciples to follow Him. Soon all that follow Him proclaim "there He goes! A hero!"

He is speaking to children, I see Him giving the Sermon On The Mount. He walks on the water and He calms the storming sea. He goes around healing and performing miracles. The pharisees call Him a hypocrite and turn many against Christ. However, the children and those that received His message shout out "There He goes, a hero!"

He is sentenced to death. As He carries the cross up to the place He will die and the streets are crowded with people watching. While many curse Him, there are a few people who, singing through tears, "There He goes, a hero".

Christ dies. The curtain in the temple is torn. The curtain that symbolizes our separation from God. The torn curtain symbolizes how, because of Christ, those who believe are no longer separated from God because of their faith and sins being forgiven. We were once far off but can now draw near to God. The angels sing that it is because of our hero, the savior to the world.

Mary Magdalene and the other women go to the tomb and find it open. Angels sing "Have no fear! He's not here!" He is risen from the grave and conquered death. Jesus finds the disciples and they don't believe it's Him. "Here He stands with scars in His hands". They see the scars and believe. "There He goes, the hero. The Savior to the world!Here He stands with the scars in His hands! With love He gave His life so we could be free!

Next I see Jesus ascending into heaven. The 500 witnesses and angels all sing "There He goes, the hero, the savior to the world!".

Then I see Jesus arriving at the gates of heaven. He walks up the path with the saints and angels on the sides. They all proclaim, "There He goes, the hero, the savior to the world!" Jesus arrives at the throne of God, looks up and says, "it is finished". Jesus then takes His seat at the right hand of God.

How great and loving is our God!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only son. That whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16

"For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 6:23

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. ” (Luke 13:5)

“… the goodness of God leads you to repentance.” (Romans 2:4) The God that sent His son to die for us.

Spiritual Gifts Part 1: Tongues

*I encourage you to have a bible with you so that you may look at the verses and not just take my word for it*

Spiritual gifts are a very touchy subject for many people. Some people believe that the spiritual gifts seen in the bible are no longer present, some believe they are still in full effect. Others believe that some are still seen and other gifts are dead. Personally, I believe God is capable of anything, and capable of doing anything through anyone. For this reason I believe gifts still exist. However I think that they are sometimes misused.

I believe in tongues and prophesy, healing, and many other spiritual gifts. However these are often very much misused.

On the matter of tongues, in my experience, 90% of the time (or more) it is used in an unbiblical manner. In the bible, typically when someone spoke in tongues, it was in a language that someone understood (See Acts 2:6-8). Tongues refers simply to speaking in another language; one that is known and understood by others but is not native to or previously learned by the speaker. It would be like me going to Brazil and speaking Portuguese which is something I've never done.

One of the only times the Bible mentions speaking in tongues as an incomprehensible language is in 1 Corinthians 14.

14:2 "For the one speaking in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, for no one understands; he is speaking mysteries by the Spirit." To me this is what many call "a heavenly language". I believe that this type of tongues is present today.

14:3-5 "But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, exhortation, and consolation. He who speaks in another language edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the assembly. Now I desire to have you all speak with other languages, but rather that you would prophesy. For he is greater who prophesies than he who speaks with other languages, unless he interprets, that the assembly may be built up."

"13 So then, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret."

To me, when someone speaks in tongues that no one, not even the one speaking it, can understand, it is pointless and possibly wrong. It says that the one who speaks in tongue builds himself up. A spiritual gift should not be used to build oneself up, but to build up others and bring glory to God. There are some people out there that I truly believe aren't really speaking in tongues, but are just speaking jibberish.

I think the following verses sum this up nicely. 1 Corinthians 14:26-28 "What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God."

This makes it clear that an interpreter must be present if speaking to the church in tongues, whether it be in a known or unknown language.

At a church I used to go to there was a guy that would go up by the stage in the middle of worship and start speaking in tongues. People would always say, oh look how filled by the spirit he is. He must be so close to God. All I knew about the man was that he was the guy that went up to the stage and spoke in tongues. I don't think anyone knew what he was saying. All of that did nothing but build him up and make him seem more holy, when he may not have been at all.

Verse 13 says that one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. I do believe that one can speak in tongues, and God can give the speaker insight into it's meaning. This would be prophesy. More or less, God speaking through a person. If one speaks in tongues, and it is interpreted, I have no problem with that. When someone speaks in tongues and no one knows what it is, I have to be skeptical on if it is truly the spiritual gift of tongues.

Verse 14 says "If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive."

There are people I know that will speak in tongues when in personal prayer to the Lord. As the verse says, it is your spirit praying. This to me is what Romans 8:26-27 speaks of. "In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don't know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can't be uttered. He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit's mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God.". In personal prayer, speaking in tongues is the Spirit praying what we cannot (though honestly, and to be fair to those that don't agree with tongues, this verse may also simply mean that God knows what we want to say when we can't find the words). That would be beautiful and I hope that someday I can do so.

Another interesting story. At my gym once, there is a Christian family I coached. We'll call them the Robinsons family (that is not their real name). I found out they were home schooled, and it's usually a safe assumption that home schoolers are Christians so I asked what church the kids went to and let them know what church I went to. I think this is why the kids always found their way into my classes. I made it clear that I was a home schooled Christian as well. On their last day at the gym they brought some friends with them to open gym. I hate to stereotype the family the Robinsons brought, but from a very short conversation with them and you could tell (knowing previously that they are Christians) they are Assemblies of God Christians (don't forget, stereotyping isn't always a negative thing, it just means generalizing or assuming based on characteristics of a group). We'll call this family the Smiths. They were the last ones to leave the gym because the two families were talking to each other for awhile, it being the last day they'd see each other before the move. I told them I didn't mind because it was my job to close the gym and was in no rush. The mom of the Smiths asked me if I would mind if they prayed for the Robinsons. I said of course not. The Mrs. Robinson mentioned that I was one of the adult leaders at my youth group and that I was Christian too. Mrs. Smith then immediately asked me what I thought about speaking/praying in tongues. After some hesitation I said "I believe that it exists, but is often misused". She said she agreed and just wanted to make sure before she prayed.

She went on to pray over each member of the Robinson family. She prayed in English at first, then at the end of each individual prayer she prayed in tongues. I stood on the outside praying with them, but when she started to pray in tongues I opened my eyes. The kids had also opened their eyes and were looking at each other petrified. It is not my place to say whether or not the lady was truly speaking in tongues, but I think this is a case of misusing the gift because there was no one to interpret.If she were praying by herself in tongues for them, I would not object. But the Word says that it is to be used to build up the church. Paul even says "I want to speak five words with my mind to instruct others, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue." (1 Cor 14:19).

Once again I must say that I believe in the spiritual gift of tongues. If you are a person that has this gift, I pray that you would study how the Bible presents it and says it should be used. Use your gift but use it in a way that brings glory to God and builds up the church.

For those that do not believe in the gift of tongues, I pray that you would not look down upon those that do. Instead of telling someone that believes in it that they are wrong, it would best to simply go over what the Bible says about the gift. And DO NOT just say it, show it. Use the Bible and the verses.

Again, this is a touchy subject. Please express your opinions, questions, comments, and concerns in a manner that will not provoke others. Understand that each person may have their own opinion on these topics and that it is not either of our places to judge another.

Giving Back - Part 2: Sharing Your Gifts

For the past 6 years, I have been thinking of ways to raise money and awareness for different causes. I have six years of ideas and nothing to show for it. I'm what many call a dreamer. Sometimes my dreams become so large I get discouraged because they seem so impossible and out of reach. Honestly, for the past six years, they were. I was trying to muster up the strength to do it myself and not relying on anyone else. Though I would say I was, I wasn't relying on God either. With all of the things going on in my life over the years, there was no way I could get anything else done.

And then I got back on track with God. Everything started to make sense. Everything started to become clear. The paths I needed to walk on were set right in front of me. There are many things I can do by myself, but if I want to make a huge difference I need God. There have been other points in my life where I was close to God, but was still relying on myself. God may sometimes send angels to swoop down and help you. Sometimes God sends angels in the form of your family, your friends, and those around you. For the first time I saw that in order to accomplish my dreams and the work God has set out for me I NEEDED other people. As an introverted person who tries to be as self sufficient as possible, this has not been an easy transition. But by turning away the help of others, I started to see I was turning down the help I prayed for. There are so many people that have been God's angels for me and they probably have no idea.

As I said in my last note, I believe God gave us all gifts so that we can use them to give to others and ultimately give back to Him. This has been the center of most of my ideas. How can we use what God has given us to give to others? Over the past few months, the ideas were coming back and the fire in my heart to do something was burning as strong as ever. Some friends were unknowingly fueling that fire with their own urges to make a difference. And then the earthquake in Haiti happened. I don't believe much in chance, I think God was getting me ready to do something.

I started trying to figure out how I was going to help. There are many opportunities for an individual to give in times of crisis, but I wanted something that was going to bring people together to help the people of Haiti. I started to remember a meeting I had a few years ago. At the end of my senior year of high school I spoke with Sammi King from the Daily Herald. She gave me a ton of contacts that I could use if I wanted to set up an event. There was one in particular that she said as the first person I should talk to: Mrs. Britta McKenna.

I felt this is what I had to do, and for the first time in my life I didn't hesitate or think about it. I sent Mrs. McKenna message asking what I have to do to set up an event. She met with me a week later and ever since then the ball has been rolling. First of all, I must say she knows even more than I could imagine about how to do this stuff, and second, she knows everyone I need to talk to to make it happen. Third, and most importantly, she's an awesome lady. While I was meeting with her, the director of BATV and the owner of a local music school just so happened to be there at the same time. She introduced me, let them know I was planning something, and they said to contact them. Mrs. McKenna gave me all the information I need and some great advice. In all honesty, I felt slightly overwhelmed with how much has to happen for this to be what I've been dreaming. But at the same time I felt a peace knowing that it was happening, something was finally happening.

So by now I'm sure you're wondering what the plans are. I want to give the gifted people around town a chance to use what God has given them to make a difference in people's lives. While the main focus of the event will be arts, I think this can open the door for other types of talent to step in as well.

"Batavia for Haiti" is what I hope to call it. It will be a day filled with chances for people to give. As my last note mentioned, money is the primary way of helping people over seas. While people are willing to donate money offhand, I think we can raise more money by them getting something in return. All too often people get caught up in the idea that giving needs to be something like a sacrifice. While it often is, it doesn't have to be this way. People are more likely to give when also getting something in return (though of course the primary incentive is to help). What they will receive is a wonderful day full of gifted individuals. Musicians, dancers, singers, poets, and many others will use their gifts on stage to perform. Other artists, such as painters can include their pieces in silent auctions. Local businesses can provide gift baskets for auctions and raffles, sponsor the event, or offer the services they provide. For instance, the gymnastics facility I work at could have a special fundraising open gym. Not only will this give them a chance to make a difference, it can promote business as well. People also suggested we do a Bake sale at the event too! So if you can bake, you can contribute.

In order for an event like this to happen, a lot of planning is involved. This is where you come in. There is absolutely no way this can be put together by one person. There needs to be a team with people managing things such as, talent, marketing, decorating, graphics, an "E-person", and then people helping. The only way for such a community event to happen is for the community to get involved. As I see who is interested and figure out more details, I will organize a meeting to get this thing done. Please keep in mind that this isn't MY event. This is a chance for everyone to help out others. I can't do it by myself. This is OUR event, this is how WE can make a difference. If you're interested or have ideas, please don't hesitate to share!

I know a lot of people will want to help and some have already let me know that they can. Because of this there will have to be some selection. There can't be 30 people responsible for 5 things! Same goes for the talent that will be featured in the event and in the auctions etc. I want this to primarily be by and for Batavians. Of course this is something that the team will have to decide upon though. Outside talent or just Batavia? This will all be planned out as things move along. But please still let me know if you are interested, even if you aren't from, or currently live in, Batavia.

And if it doesn't work out for you, it's not like this has to be the only event! Batavia for Haiti, Tri-Cities for Haiti, Illinois for Hati, I don't know. If you want help setting up something in your city or even something small with some friends, let me know and I'm sure I can help get the ball rolling and we can find a way to get everyone making a difference. Also, if you are unsure of how you can use your gifts to make a difference, I can try to help you figure that out too!

"Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." - Philippians 2:4

God Bless,
Joshua Boyd

Giving Back - Part 1: Gifts

"Look not only after your own interest, but also the interest of others" (Philippians 2:4). Whether you believe in God or not, life makes it clear that we should help others. We are not meant to sit around and look to improve only our own lives. There are so many different problems in the world that can be prevented, helped, or stopped. All too often people don't help though. For years I pondered as to why that is. Do people not care? Are they too focused and caught up in their own lives to see the lives of others? Would they help if they knew what was happening around them? I am a believer that if presented with a way to help, that most people will unless it has a potential negative effect on themselves. They don't have enough time or money to make a difference. This completely changed the way I looked at raising support for causes.

Though people will sometimes help even if they don't receive any personal gain from it, they are still much more likely to help if it is also helping them. Of course that is often considered against the nature of giving, which is that the "personal gain" should be the joy that you did something for someone else. While this is true, I can't deny how it would increase the amount of help people give if it helps them too. My goal has become to show people how easy it is to help, and provide ways that they can do this that maximizes support.

While I believe things such as AIDS research and support for a cure are very important, my main focus has always been things that are more more easily cured and preventable, especially in kids. Let's look at malaria as an example. Malaria was the 4th leading killer of children under the age of 5 in the world between 2000 and 2003 (http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/impact/index.htm). It was estimated to have killed 853,000 kids under the age of 5. With the typical total of malaria deaths being about one million, 85% of the deaths are kids under the age of 5. At that age, it killed over 530,000 more than AIDS. The craziest thing about these statistics is that malaria is curable and preventable.

It is transmitted by mosquitoes. Most people get bit while they sleep. One of the most popular preventions are insecticide treated bed nets. They cost between $5 and $10 US dollars (http://www.nothingbutnets.net/). And then there is also medication that can be taken to prevent and/or cure malaria. So why is something that is so preventable such a huge problem?

MONEY

Money is the solution to many problems in this world. While it may not be possible to completely eradicate things such as malaria, with enough money, the number of cases and deaths can be greatly diminished. Though the estimates of how much it can be stopped vary, the W.H.O. Malaria Chief said we could decrease it by 90% (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/04mala.html).

So why does malaria still kill approximately one million people a year? Possibly because people don't realize how easy it is to help. Possibly because people don't realize how easy it is to make a positive difference in someone's life. I'm not the type that wants to rag on celebrities saying they are not donating enough of their salaries to things like this. It is the regular, everyday people that have and will change the direction of the world. Yes, some Hollywood star could give a million dollars and that would be wonderful. But how about one million people giving $2, or $5, or $10. Considering there are over 300 million people in the U.S. I'm sure you can see where I'm going.

I realize that we are in hard economic times, and that there are other things in our lives that we need to spend money on. However, don't let that blind you to the fact that you can still do something. Just telling someone else about world problems, raising awareness, is doing something. Taking a minute to go out of your way to genuinely ask how someone is feeling is doing something. There are ways to help all around us, but they are not always clear and evident.

I am a firm believer that God gave each and every person gifts. Some dance, some act, some sing, some write. Others may be gifted with being a good mother, being a great friend, a teacher. Some people can make you smile when all you want to do is cry. Some may be skilled at cooking, problem solving, running, playing video games, playing an instrument. There are so many different types of gifts people have. While some are more openly praised and often considered "better", every gift is important. I don't believe that there is a single gift God has given us that can't be used to give back to others, and ultimately God Himself. Some gifts are more obvious and can clearly be used, but I do believe all gifts can serve a purpose.

What are your gifts? How can you use them to serve others?

My next post will get into some plans on what I hope to do over the next few months to help you help others.

If you would like help figuring out what your gifts are, or how you can use your gifts, please let me know. I would love to help!