I put in the effort and created my own official blog!

http://calelivingston.wordpress.com/

I'm moving towards a centralized, publicized location where anyone and everyone can read by blogs and I can just be me in the context of life, not limited to only a niche. I can talk about everything from family to work to games to friends to church, etc. But mostly it's about my passions:Artist, Photographer, Graphic Designer & Dreamer

Ultimately, it builds an online identity for myself and a community of like-minded colleagues. I'll be networking with other artists and photographers; building relationships and exploiting opportunities.

Lastly, the blog is vital for someone like me that's going to be doing so many things online. It's almost as essential as having an office! It's a station for collaboration. (pardon the rhyme)

I've decided that it's just not worth my time investment to sit around and follow everything that's happening in all of the forums and everyone's blogs. So that means I'm scaling back on the amount of time I spend online and also cutting out things like the BBU and CWU.

I guess I'm also saying goodbye to Blackregiment which won't be that hard since I know so little about you. The opportunity is always available though, especially if you want to talk via instant messenger. Don't be so scared of opening up to someone. (PS. you're always welcome to comment directly on my blogs because I won't be able to read anything else you write anywhere else)

If anything, I think I'll focus on my own blogs and maybe some of the good discussions on the CU. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those posts I look back on and just feel silly that it even mattered so much at all.

Note: for those of you who aren't apart of either the Christian Union or the Believer's Union this most likely won't make much sense.

The problem I have with this whole division thing is that everything ultimately seems to boil down to the fact that everything is subjective and possibly circular in reasoning. Would you not agree that this accurately describes the situation on both sides?

Each side has a certain set of beliefs and ideas and is usually convinced that they're correct. Then they establish these elaborate systems of rebuttals that securely protect them behind their impenetrable walls of "the truth." How then, can either side come to a compromise? Does everything come down to one side, or both, choosing to humble themselves and giving up their pride? I mean, seriously, what's the Biblical answer for dealing with these kinds of situations? Do we both just yell at each other until one of us gives up? Or do we just subjectively believe that we're correct and God is on our side and will clearly convict and judge the opposing party?

The only thing I know right now is that I hate the system. Regardless of which side you ally with, I think we can agree that Satan will try his hardest to bring division to the body of Christ. He's effectively dismembering the Bride into a rotting corpse. But we know that Jesus has victory over him and death is defeated. So were do we fall on the spectrum?

I constantly go back and forth between the idea of the church being this great corporate body of believers, but at the same time I don't know how to reconcile that against the fact that everyone is unique and people don't fit the same mold for how they approach church and God. I don't believe everyone has to worship the same way, pray the same way, or go to the same type of church. And yet, I do believe that we all find salvation in the same Jesus, are empowered by the same Holy Spirit, and submit to the same Father.

I'm opposed to this formulaic, systematic approach to God and our interaction with him. Where's the freedom to come to God as we are in that? Conversely, if everyone is doing their own thing and believes it's the only correct way, how can we function in unity?

The New Testament talks a lot about how love covers a multitude of sins. Right now, I'm thinking that love is the solution. Sure, call it cliche, but what's the alternative? How else can Christian's submit to one another? How can there be peace or patience?

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I think most people create these theological/philosophical/psychological bunkers because they're insecure and afraid. We try to set up these pseudo-foundations of stability to stand on. It almost comes to a point where it's easier to just continue the system and isolate ourselves from others than it is to come out and be vulnerable and interact with each other.

I've learned early in life that people are scared of being open and transparent. Well, scared and probably scarred, too. If you ask me, I think there should be more of those "Faith Falls" where someone falls backwards off a ledge into the arms of their peers. There's something about that dynamic that's so counter-cultural to the way we operate in our Western society.

In conclusion: if you have anything you'd like to talk about then feel free to jump in. My one request is that you attempt to be transparent. Try making it personal. We are, after all, persons.

So this thursday is my last day at work. It's crazy because I've been working for my church in some capacity for the last 4 years. I don't even have anything else lined up. I think it'll be great to take some time off and just listen to God. One of the main reasons I quit was burn out. Yeah, apparently even a 21 year old can get burnt out!

The best thing about this whole transition for me right now is I'm going to Hawaii for two weeks vacation time. This coming from someone who has almost never taken a vacation. I have to unlearn my workaholism. Also, church had become something that I worked for rather than attended and experienced. I can't wait to come as a regular person and just be able to sit and participate with nothing else to worry about.

Anyways, I'm just really excited about whatever God has in store for me around the corner. I don't have any classes next semester and currently no jobs lined up either. I wonder if I can handle a life without busy-ness.

Hey guys, I'm finally back in the game now that my Wii is completely fixed.

I'm looking for some good matches on Brawl so throw me your friend code and let's duke it out!

Code: 3437-2725-9538

Name: KALEL

I just wanted to catalog one of those fun events that took place this year for me, Man Camp 08. It was this last weekend and was actually a great, practical retreat. For those of you who don't know, it's just basically a big group of guys from our church up in the mountains at a Christian camp for the weekend.

Every year there's a different speaker and it seems that they only get better as the years go by. We had the privilege to hear Rex w/ an English ascent, a vicar from the UK, for about four different sessions and he was really challenging. I'm always encouraged to hear the testimony of someone who was so against God for the large part of their life and then see how dramatic God broke in and changed them completely. Rex walked us through his own salvation experience, how God called him away from the crutches/habitual sins/lies that kept him in bondage, through his process of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and finally, how he now puts into practical application the call to spread the Good News.

I think one of the most memorable things for me was working through praying with bold faith for God to come and work in miraculous ways. Jesus told his disciples that they would be able to do even more powerful and wonderful things than him. So I guess that means the bar rises higher than raising the dead or walking on water? Why do I have so little faith then?! It was also interesting (in a very God-totally-set-this-up way) that before the retreat I had found this song by Hillsong United entitled "Second Chances" that contained some very choice lyrics:

"So I'll wait upon You now
With my hands released to You
Where a little faith's enough
To see mountains lift and move"

Rex first closed this session about the gifts of the Holy Spirit by asking anyone if they wanted prayer for the gift of healing or prophecy. Once those people responded and had been prayed for he then gave them the immediate opportunity to put their gifts into practice by praying for other people that needed healing or a word from the Lord. I ended up being part of a larger group that was praying for P. Fred and his right shoulder was healed. Talk about building faith, I still struggle so much in this area because of my pessimistic and disagreeable nature.

Finally, Rex closed the last day with an exercise in being a Christian that wanders and listens to other people. There's so many times that people have encountered God's moving but they just don't know his name. The challenge is for us to see what he has done in other people's lives and point them to him. Affirm the work he does and identify how that's consistent with his character in the Bible.

This weekend wasn't one of those mountain top highs that ends up being completely disconnected from my "real" life. Rex really hit home the key points of living with the full empowerment of the Holy Spirit and also being intentional in how we use our time. I was re-convicted of being so time oriented that I don't even allow for random faith encounters or opportunities to stop and talk with strangers. Jesus spent the majority of his ministry time just walking around, wandering. Through this he healed the blind, the deaf, the lepers, the demon possessed. He had time to for wedding parties, lunch with the whores, and dinner with the tax collectors.

I wrote this blog as a reminder to myself but hope it will also serve as an encouragement to others too. As always, feel free to respond.