Game Addiction

Posted by jblaha On 2 July 2009 ADD COMMENTS

I am not considered a gamer by any means. I never really played video games growing up. I never really had a good enough computer to play them. If and when I did, I did not want to occupy my precious harddrive space on something as pathetic as games. Very rarely has any game ever really grabbed my attention…until now. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t get enough of this one. I find it humorous that billions of dollars have gone into making games with excellent graphics and missions, yet this simple flash game has taken over my mind. So, I am different…oh well! What else is new? Enjoy!

What is a Church?

Posted by jblaha On 12 June 2009 ADD COMMENTS

I have a couple friends who have written posts on the church lately. My friend and co-worker, Nathan Duvall, wrote a recent post titled “What is ‘Church’ to you?” in regards to a sermon that his pastor gave. Likewise, my Spanish teacher at North Greenville University, Burl Walker, often writes about church and church life since he is one of the pastors at 5 Point Fellowship. Josh Harris has even written an excellent book called Stop Dating the Church in reference to the misunderstanding of  the true church. They all do a great job at bringing us back to a correct understanding. However, recent events at my church have made me question a bit further. If the church is the people, what is the church when the people leave?

We have been going through several stages over the past several years. We have gone from having a pastor to no pastor (for about 1.5 yrs – I think…I may be wrong) to a pastor to change. Through all this many have chosen to leave the body for reasons from job transfer and ministry opportunities to family concerns. While they are all understandable, our church has completely changed in the three years that I have been attending. Many of the people who were there in the beginning are not there. The complete make-up of the body has changed. This leads me to ask the following questions:

  • If the church is the people, what am I supposed to commit to if the people come and go?
  • If I stay, am I not just committing only to the teaching elder and the doctrines that have been set up?
  • What is the church now?

I have no intention of leaving at all. I believe that God is doing a wonderful work at Grace Bible Church. Sometimes things like this happen for us to refocus on Him, our true prize. I am very excited about the friends that God has led me to as new members, but the recent events cannot be ignored. I am not as concerned about the reason people are leaving as I am the implications of their leaving. What are we now? Sure, we still have a good body, but those who I committed to when I became a member are gone.

I am sorry that I do not have many answers on this post. Sometimes I write just to clear my head and try to provide fuel for the thoughts of others. I doubt that we are the only church going through such circumstances. I praise God for his work in our lives no matter how misunderstood his actions may be. Nothing that I have seen is wrong with our leadership, teaching, or practice. Just people’s actions leave me to wonder and reconsider the meaning of the church.

Trusting in the wisdom of God, our wonderful gospel

Josh

Collision and Concussion

Posted by jblaha On 2 June 2009 ADD COMMENTS

This is my first time trying to write anything since my concussion on Saturday so forgive me if I seem a bit less coherant than normal. Hopefully, I can get the details out briefly and thoroughly. Hopefully, my memory will serve me well to get the information out well.

As I already mentioned, I got a concussion on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Basically, a bunch of us at the church Memorial Weekend Campout were playing a game of Ultimate Frisbee. Our outnumbered team was not doing well. There was a low throw from someone on the other team. Josh Hurst and I both took a dash and dive for it. Unfortunately, we did not see each other and were both on the same team. From what I understand, I hit the ground with the right side of my face and my right shoulder. I believe Josh landed on me somehow with his left arm stuck underneath me. I ended up with a concussion and he ended up with a broken arm in three places. Josh was rushed off the scene to a gracious doctor who was with our church. He knew that is was broken and tried to brace it as much as possible. I walked back and was in a daze of what just happened. From what I hear from others, my eye looked like a black eye and I had a really bad look on my face. The people decided that I needed to go to the hospital with Josh.

The closest hospital was about 20-30 minutes away. Our doctor came with us and called the hospital ahead to get Josh’s information in. Josh and I were both admitted. They ran some x-rays on him and a CT scan on me. The verdict was a broken arm for him and a minor concussion for me. There was no bleeding in my head for me (Praise the Lord). They said that it would not take too much time before I was healed. For Josh, his arm might have to be reexamined to see if they need surgery for a little triangle piece that was “floating” around in his arm.

I have not heard anything since then about Josh’s arm. As for me, there has been a lot of pain through headaches and a lot of dizziness/dazing out for me. I think this last Friday was the first time since the accident that I have seemed “aware”, as my co-workers say. The headaches also seemed to be mostly gone. I asked my younger brother to come over on Saturday to help me with my yard work since the grass needed to be cut for a long time. In just the time time that it took for me to get the lawn mower going and the weed eater going, my headaches all started coming back. I took a pain killer that the doctors pescribed for me. The pain went away. Not realizing that it was the pain killer that helped my pain go away, I thought that I felt well enough to go help with the weed eating. I helped a bit but soon we had to leave. I could feel my headache coming back slowly. As I went to drop my brother off at a graduation party and go to my brother-in-law’s birthday party, the pain from the headache increased. When I got home that evening, I was in a lot of pain. I didn’t realize how much pain I was going through until the pain killer wore off. So, in the end I am doing well as long as I do not do much. It is a bit frustrating to me, but I know that it is good for me. While I am not normally that active of a guy, I do enjoy walks, working out, and other things like that. All of these start headaches back up for me. So, for now, I am just doing my office work and doing some household chores while I slowly heal.

Please keep the Hursts in your prayers as they deal with the results and bills from the accident.

I think the main thing that God has used in my life from this comes from my reaction and their reaction to the incident. When asked about the first reaction from the accident, Miriam Hurst (Josh’s wife) replied that she prayed. As Josh Hurst got into the vehicle to take him to the hospital, his reply to everyone was “God is sovereign, but you can pray if you want to.” Although humorous, he is right and yet different than my reaction. My reaction was more to the worry of the bills and if I really was going to be alright and what was wrong with me. God was teaching me a lesson of reliance on Him and not to worry. It is a lesson that Hannah and I have been learning since this spring. Read through Matthew 6 for me. That has been the passage that God has used most to teach us.

Well, I must get back to life here. I hope to be able to write some more on here now that I have more free time. We will see though. For now, may our good God bless you with grace and peace.

Josh Blaha

God’s Weakness

Posted by jblaha On 23 April 2009 2 COMMENTS

Hands of the PotterYou may find that life is a stroll through the park. I don’t. To me, it is pain mixed with laughter. It is pain mixed with joy. The struggle through sanctification seems so burdensome at times. At other times, it is so refreshing. Through the hard times, like recently with school, I often wonder why God doesn’t just change me. I have learned from others and through the Bible that God is incredible! His power is beyond life itself. He formed the vast galaxies in a spoken word. The interaction of atoms were spun into existence with the motion of His hand.  To this day, life thrives in the heavens, below the seas, and on earth just as it has from the beginning while they all depend on the strength of God. Yet with one breath it could all change at the will of God. “Why does God not just change me already?” I often say this to myself.

It finally hit me today. The problem is not with God. The problem is with me. I have to understand the goal of God and the material that He is working with – clay. I am but dust, yet He is forming me into the shape of His perfect, holy Son. The weakness is in me – not in Him. I am His weakness. He chose me and is perfecting me. The clay is weak and the goal is precise. “Why doesn’t He change me already?” It is because He is good and does not wish for robots to give Him praise. It is because I am so messed up that to change me that drastically would be to destroy me. It is so that I can taste His goodness and faithfulness. He is winning me with His love. I am now glad to be called His weakness. I am glad that He is delicate with each precise movement and etching that He makes in my feeble life. I look forward to the time that I can worship Him wholly and purely. That will be a great day indeed! For now, I will rejoice in my weaknesses and praise Him for what is has done and is doing.

I leave you with one of my favorite passages in all the Bible.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor 12:9-10

What misconceptions have you had that drew you closer to Him when you finally understood them correctly?

– Josh

Busy Times – Upcoming Posts

Posted by jblaha On 5 April 2009 ADD COMMENTS

Hey guys -

Life has been crazy lately. I guess it gets like this around this time of the semester. I have two 10 page papers due this week. In a couple weeks, I have major project due. That is going to be from 15 – 20 pages. Needless to say I am going to be busy.

Several topics have been swimming around in my head lately though. Here are some of the topics. Maybe you can help me choose which one to write on first.

- Church: The Showcase for Elite
- Denominations: Human Branding of Christ’s Body
- Silence: The “Loving” Kiss of the Enemy
- Life Without Facebook

Well, I had a few more, but they slipped my mind at the moment. Off to do some more research for my psychology paper on addiction.

Drop in a line to let me know that you are there too. haha

BTW: Who is the one from NY that frequents my page?

Pray for me,
Josh

Tell Me About Your Jesus

Posted by jblaha On 26 March 2009 ADD COMMENTS

As I grow in my Christian life I have many valleys. Most of the time I do not understand the meaning of it. I have been going through a deep one recently. It has been a time of emotionless confusion. It is frustrating. I keep asking myself, “How can I just not be affected by the goodness of God?” I do not imagine that this has ever happened to you. I do not imagine that there are times of drought in your life where the ground seems so cracked by the lack of prayer and Scripture in your life. I say this rhetorically. When I go through times like this I find the words of brothers in Christ especially encouraging. They often seem like small ridges that I can catch a glimpse of the glory of Christ. A specific exerpt of a loved preacher of mine comes to mind. I hope it is just as encouraging to you as it is to me.

Oh, Praise Him

Posted by jblaha On 17 March 2009 3 COMMENTS

Another casualty has happened at North Greenville University. The Lord has taken home another worshiper. Tiffany Huff also died in a wreck earlier this semester. From what I have heard, Brandon Scott McDaniel got into a wreck at 3:00 this foggy morning and passed away. I have not heard all of the details yet.

I tried to do a bit of research on Brandon. I found out that he just got back from a missions trip to India. From what I can tell on his blog, his heart for Christ was infectious. (I wish that I could have known him.) His vibrancy for life and excitement for Christ are two characteristics that exude from his writings. I also noticed his faith in Christ for his life. He wrote on his biography for his blog, “I am alive because of Jesus Christ. I am passionate about music and love having the chance to lead worship. I’m not sure what God is going to do with my life, but I know He has a plan.” God’s plan for Brandon’s life has now been revealed to us, but the effects are still to be seen.

I would highly encourage you to give his blog a visit. I know that I have been encouraged by the little that he has written there. Maybe you will find encouragement in it also.

In Daniel’s words, “Our God is glorious and righteous.

Oh, praise Him.”

Josh Blaha

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Update on 18 March 2009

I found a couple articles as a follow up to the accident. One is from the Greenville News and the other is from WSPA.

—–

Update on 23 March 2009

I also just found the obituary for Brandon. Feel free to write a word of encouragement in the guestbook.


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