Go America.

Unbelievable song. Praise be to God.

thanks kenz.

Jim. James. Jimmy T. No matter the name, no matter the day, no matter the student, Mr. Jim Thompson is one heck of a guy to anyone he comes in contact with. And for some ridiculous, dumbfounding reason you cannot see that, go hide in a hole. Only kidding…meet the man. Exchange 5 words with the guy, and it will become so unbelievably clear to you - as clear as a broadhand slap to the ole cheek - that his fellow has the love and the peace and the joy of the Holy Spirit resting inside of him for all to be affected by.

I had the remarkable privilege of being a student of Jim Thompson’s for two years:  10th grade in Redemptive History, and 11th grade in Systematic Theology. Each class had its own perks, each class had its own challenges. But one thing remained constant through it all:  coming to class day after day was a blessing upon my heart. I’ve ne’er found a person like Jim. He is beaming with the glow of Christ. But perhaps more importantly, I’d like to point out a thought about his scriptural focus:  although unsure about what exactly his life verse is [he’s proclaimed to be a fan of the 8th chapter of Romans], Mr. Thompson could be tied to a certain passage from James [not a coincidence, only God’s providence]…

               ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.  —James 1:25

Mr. Thompson is the most intellectual individual in the Scriptures I’ve ever seen. One of my fondest memories would undoubtedly be when we were blessed with free time on Fridays after tireless hours of strenuous note-taking. “Alright kids,” Jim would udder, “try me. Read any passage out of the Good Book and I’ll tell you what the reference is.” About 27 passages later and he was batting .1000! [when he got the answer right, he would proclaim “Thanks for shoppin’!”] His knowledge, but furthermore, his love and devotion for God’s written Word could surpass Wesley, Luther, Huckabee. The words are sweet to his mouth, as so beautifully evident in his actions and his love for his students and peers.

Mr. Thompson has been a major blessing in my life and I fervently thank God for placing him in my path. I could only pray that I become half the man of Christ that he has become.

Here is a message he sent to all the seniors of Southside just this morning that left not a dry eye in the audience…

There. My preaching is done. Now just don’t waste all your graduation money on crap you won’t care about it 10 years. Invest it in something that will last. Take me to lunch or something :) Be good, kids. Come back and visit. Grace and peace to you.

BTW, his book is due for release on Saturday, entitled A King and a Kingdom: A Narrative Theology of Grace and Truth. Buy it for 12 bucks and you won’t be sorry.

Shalom.

Second post of the day as I find myself really getting into the Tumblr concept and network. I really feel like I have the privilege of sharing some inciteful thoughts that innocently rest inside the realm of my cognition without being tapped, so here goes…

Upon typing “f-a-i-t-h” into the ever informative Google browser, I come across, first and foremost, the most common definition one can imagine for the keyword at hand. Thefreedictionary.com defines faith as the confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. Yada, yada, yada. That’s what everyone sticks to, and while I’m not bashing that obviously popular definition of what faith truly is, I feel that it does not do justice to the faith that we are called to have, called to pursue, called to enjoy.

No, faith is much more than a confident belief in the trustworthiness of a being, if our faith ultimately rests in God. Christian faith is not merely recognizing the need for assistance and hoping that a supernatural being will come through for us in our times of peril. It’s so much more than that, and that’s the sheer beauty of it all.

I see faith as knowing, without a shadow of a doubt in your mind, that God will deliver you from the places of fault and into the security and peace that lies in a true firm relationship with Him. It’s not about hoping that X will happen in the midst of a gloomy outlook. It’s about leaving X up to God because He alone has the power to make our lives improve His glory. We as humans can only do so much, but when we find ourselves in times of struggle, the only escape from turbulance is surrender. We surrender all to you Lord. We give you control over our lives, to shape us and lead us in the image of your most Holy Son. I want you to work in me, to further the purpose of your kingdom in this sin-stricken world, so that I may give it all to you in return. I want to be overwhelmed with the faith that leads.

Shalom.

tfinley:

Genesis 3 is where we are going to be at! And instead of me putting the verses on here, I want you to open the Bible and take notes and read it and test it.

I don’t know if you really know this or can grasp the fact that the world has nothing that can make you truly happy. That is going to be key…

No, not domain as in a realm to be explored, a land to be discovered, or a kingdom to be seen, but the domain name of this blog…gopassiton. As a high school senior, with graduation just lying ahead of me on the fringe of tomorrow, I get the chance to look back, to observe where God has put me, what paths He has led me on, and what people He has surrounded me with.

Well, observed is Southside. Paths: too many to depict in this one short post. But people? I look no further than those I eat lunch with first and foremost. The same 10 others guys that I sit with 180 days out of the year in a room that we have assumed to be rulers of. The lunch table. The DZU Crew. Man Law. Yeah, there are those who say we’re way too into each other. There are others who say that we need to branch out and not be so entrenched in one group of peers. And then there are those who admire us. They want to be us. They want to be a dzu. All could be counted in this last group. Whichever way you slice it, our band of 11 has created a bond over the last 5 years, a bond that cannot be broken - no matter how hard we’ve tried. Me and Drew. Drew and Jimmy. Bradley and Ash. Bradley and Jimmy. Jacob and Josh. There have been problems, hiccups here and there, but that’s what keeps things interesting at our table in the back corner of the cafeteria. These skirmishes and disagreements have been paramount to bringing us to the point where we are now. We have developed various catchphrases to define the activities of our table:  KIDS, you like her, points, and my personal favorite [and the namesake of this blog]…pass it on. As in, “Dzu, pass it on.” Short, simple, and succulent. [Calves are our centerpiece].

God has put some incredible people in my life, that don’t sit at my lunch table, that I cannot help but thank Him for. Andy (thanks for the blog idea dzu). Haley. Doug. Kaitlin. Nick. Tory. Allie. Jessie. Matt. Bryn. Taylor. Neus. Nichole. Kenzie. Drew. Jim Thompson.  We have an awesome God, one who loves us unconditionally and protects us relentlessly, and for that I am forever grateful.

Shalom.