Depraved Indifferance

I found out about an interested law today. It is called Depraved Indifferance. 

"To constitute depraved indifference, the defendant's conduct must be 'so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime. " ~Legal Definition

"DEPRAVED INDIFFERENCE TO HUMAN LIFE refers to a
person’s state of mind in recklessly engaging in conduct which
creates a grave risk of death. A person has a depraved
indifference to human life when that person has an utter disregard
for the value of human life – a willingness to act, not because he
or she means to cause grievous harm [to the person who is
killed], but because he or she simply does not care whether or not
grievous harm will result. In other words, a person who is
depravedly indifferent is not just willing to take a grossly
unreasonable risk to human life - - that person does not care how
the risk turns out. Depraved indifference to human life reflects
a wicked, evil or inhuman state of mind, as manifested by brutal,
heinous and despicable acts. It is evinced by conduct that is
wanton, deficient in a moral sense of concern, devoid of regard for 

the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to justify the
same criminal liability that the law imposes on a person who intentionally kills." 

~New York Courts

I think Eric Ludy sums it up well:

The Mask

Very few see you without it
It’s something you always put on
It has gotten so natural
We fool ourselves into thinking nothing’s wrong

Deception is the true name of the game
We call it putting a good foot forward
All we are doing is the “right thing”
Thats not true and we know it

What is that symbol of we we are thought to be
Got ripped off showing what we truly are
Could we put the pieces back together fast enough
So that nobody would ever notice

or

Would be allow the One
Who so wants us just to be real
To pick up the pieces of a shattered life
Which is filth to begin with

and to

Mold us
Transform us
Renew us
Restore us

would we

Slowly allow Him to shape us
Not into what we think we should be
Be who He has made us to be
A reflection

Of Himself

Its not about who you are
Its not about what you are
Its not about where you are
Its not about why you are
Its not about how you are

It is about who you are in Him
It is about what you are in Him

It is about where you are in Him

It is about why you are in Him

It is about how you are in Him

In Him
All things are made new

So take off the mask

Let God make you who He wants you to be

Foundations

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

So what is your foundation built on? I think we find out what it is really built on when the storms of life hit. Maybe we built on "Money." Or "Success", "Popularity", or the ever popular "Good Deeds." Some of those may be able to handle some rough seas. Maybe even a small storm. But what about the Hurricanes that hit? And trust me, everyone gets a few of those.  Those foundations will NOT stand. 

He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.

There is only ONE foundation that will NEVER move. It can take any storm. Whatever life throws its way, it is always dependable. And the Rock is Jesus Christ. 

But how do you make that your foundation? It's easy. Just use the "Blueprint In Building Life  Excellently" **

Follow that and allow God to do the work and its a foolproof plan for a successful foundation







**Also know as the BIBLE

God's Story

If you had asked me 3 months ago what my summer was going to look like I probably would have told you that I was going to try and get a job with Colorado Parks and Wildlife for the summer. If you asked me 2 months ago I probably would have said that I was going to continue with my job at Mardel and try and get a 2nd job and work as much as I can this summer. Well neither of those things happened. As most of you know I felt God calling me to be a camp counselor at Eagle Lake Camp this summer. So if you asked me a month a ago I would have said that I was going to do that all summer. Well that's not happening either. As most of you know there is this thing happening up in the mountains. We like to call it a "Wildfire." As of me writing this post to the best of my knowledge the camp has only been minorly burned (a few sheds and 1 cabin) but is pretty much fully intact. Praise Jesus! But the decision has been made that we are going to be canceling camp for the rest of the summer. I know that for the ELC leadership staff it was a hard decision to make but I believe that they made the right decision. 

So it has been 5 weeks since I went up to camp. A week and a half of orientation and training. 3 awesome, amazing, and crazy weeks of camp. And a few days waiting to hear what this fire is going to do next. So what does that mean for me? Well there is still some opportunities to do some mobile day camps with ELC (Please be praying that those opportunities open up) So assuming that we can do those I will be helping out with that plus whatever cleanup we can do at camp.

But what is this doing to me on a spiritual level? I would be lying if i said that I have completely been trusting God this whole time. I feel like this is a season that God is taking me and saying "Follow Me" wherever HE is leading me he just wants me to follow. This is not one of my strong suits. I don't mind following other people but I want to know where we are going. How we are going to get there. The route we are taking. What are our contingency plans in case something doesn't work right. I like to have that kind of stuff under control. I feel a little like Abram when God says "Leave you country, your people and your father's household, and go to the land I will show you." That's all the Abram gets. No road map. Just "Follow Me and I will show you the way" So as I am about to be moving on either to something different with ELC or maybe something completely different, my desire is to be following.

And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matt 4:19

The Tale of Three Trees

"Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: " I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I'll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!" The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on it's way to the ocean. " I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I'll be the strongest ship in the world! The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. I don't want to leave the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me they'll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world. 

Years, passed. The rain came, the sun shone and the little trees grew tall. One day three wood cutters climbed the mountain. The first wood cutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the first tree fell. "Now I shall make a beautiful chest, I shall hold wonderful treasure!" the first tree said. The second wood cutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is strong. It's perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the second tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters!" thought the second tree. " I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!" The third tree felt her heart sink when the last wood cutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the wood cutter never even looked up. "Any kind of tree will do for me." He muttered. With a swoop of his shining ax, the third tree fell. 

The first tree rejoiced when the wood cutter brought her to a carpenter's shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, or treasure. She was coated with saw dust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals. The second tree smiled when the wood cutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day. Instead the once strong tree was hammered and awed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river, instead she was taken to a little lake. The third tree was confused when the wood cutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. "What happened?" The once tall tree wondered. " All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God..." Many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. "I wish I could make a cradle for him." Her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and sturdy wood. " This manger is beautiful." She said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world. One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and a thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She new she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and the rain. The tired man awoke. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, "Peace." The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the king of heaven and earth. One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten wood pile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man's hand to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.

The next time you feel down because you didn't get what you wanted, sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you."

~Edited by Angela Hunt.

Sweetly Broken

We sung this song in church today and I was just reminded how much I love this song. It's a pretty simple song but the lyrics are so true.

One of my favorite lines is: For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed. Showed that God is love. And God is just. 
The implication behind that verse is that God loved us SO much that he poured out His full wrath onto his completely blameless, perfect Son so that we can have a relationship with Him.

Listen.
Meditate.
Worship.
Rejoice.
Give Thanks.

Youtube - Sweetly Broken - Jeremy Riddle

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of it's suffering I do drink
Of it's work I do sing


For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just


At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered


What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified


You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled


In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

The Greatest Love

< Attention: This is a spoiler alert for Act of Valor. If you are going to see it please don't read the rest of this post until you do. If you do not plan on seeing it or have already seen it then you may continue >

So I had an interesting afternoon. After class I went with some friends to go see Act of Valor(AOV). Now as far as a movie goes it was quite well done. But normally when I watch a movie that has quite a bit of violence in it, as AOV does, it doesn't bother me too much because I know its just a movie. But with AOV it was a little different. There were still a lot of bad guys that got shot. And for the most part the Navy Seals came out mostly unharmed.

Until close to the end of the movie.

There is a scene where there are 4 Seals "sweeping" out a building. (Aka getting rid of bad guys.) They come into a room where there is a bad guy hiding up in the rafters. The guy drops a grenade right into the middle of the room. If it explodes all four team members will probably be pretty seriously hurt. The Seal on "Point" (in the front) who is also the head of this Seal team jumps on the grenade. He takes the blast saving the other 3 members.

The 1st thought that sprang to my mind was John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

It really got me to thinking. Why did Jesus come to earth? What was his purpose and mission while here. He was on a rescue mission. He came to save us. And the way that had to be done?

He, Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God. The Maker if the heavens and the earth. The Alpha and the Omega. The Begenning and the End. I AM. He jumped on the grenade for us. He took the full blast and fury of God Almighty's Holy and Just Wrath. "He who knew no sin, became sin on our behalf."

But here is the amazing part.

Go back the the verse from John 15.

Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
So not only does Jesus, Son of God, Love us. He considered us friends. Yes. You and me. Dirty, rotten, filty-no-good sinners. Friends of God. 

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us
During worship at the MILL tonight I just kept being reminded of the depth, the heights, and just how great His Love is for us. (Yes we sung that song :D)

Just think about that for a while. The Creator and Supreme Ruler of the Universe loves me. And you.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen

Trevor's Top Ten Quotes!

Ok so there aren't 10 on the list and they probably are not my actual top 10 but I liked the alliteration so I went with the title (Though it prob should have been something like "Trevor 7 quotes that he happens to like at this particular moment)

So here they are (in no particular order)

- True religion and true philosophy must arrive at the same point. ~ S.S. Smith

- A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. ~ C.S. Lewis

- A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. ~ George Bernard Shaw

- “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” ~ C.S. Lewis

-  I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born.  ~Ronald Reagan

- A real Christian is a person who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip. ~ Billy Graham

- A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice. ~ Bill Cosby

Beauty

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. 

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?


When I read this it got me to thinking. How often do we completely blow past the little glimpses of God's glory that he put out for us to see? Whether its a sunrise, a small flower popping up in the middle of a garden at the beginning of spring or maybe something kind someone say to us. A compliment or a word of thanks that might get missed in our ever busy and hectic world. 


It was funny. I actually read this this morning before I went to work but didn't have time to post it. While at work there were two separate occasions when 2 different 1-ish year old girls smiled at me, waved and said "HI". Now most of you know that I love kids. And both of those occasions brought a smile to my face and joy to my heart. 


Now I say that to say this. When you perceive beauty, stop. Smell the roses as the colloquialism goes. Take those moments to worship the one who made you and who made those moments.