Grace

Hey Everyone,

Most of you that read this probably attend Prairie Lakes Church, so you will know what I am talking about. Those of you that don't should definitely check it out! This morning was an incredible service. I am always challenged by services at PLC, but this morning really hit me upside the head. In summary, this morning's service was about grace. Now I don't know about you, but grace is one of those terms that I absolutely suck at comprehending. I, as most of you know, am all about rules. I like to follow step by step instructions, knowing that in the end when I meet all the guidelines I will receive what I was working for. That, unfortunately, is completely missing the point.

Walking with Christ is not about desperately trying to gain his approval, nor is it about trying to earn your salvation. The fact of the matter is, we can't. Yeah, it's a hard pill for me to swallow as well. Everything in life on Earth revolves around success, doing the right thing to win approval. It is human nature to apply these same ideas to Christianity. It is so easy to get stuck in a rhythm and completely forget what truly saves us.

This morning I was woken up by one of the stories Pastor John read. It was the story of the prodigal son found in Luke 15. The funny thing was, I didn't relate to the prodigal son. I related to the prodigal son's brother. It was part of the story I had never really focused on. I've heard that parable numerous times, but I've never really paid much attention to the other brother's part in the story. The story is essentially about two brothers. One brother takes his inheritance from his father and goes and blows it on a bunch of garbage. He soon realizes that he is the stupidest cat alive, and mopes back to his father who gladly takes him in. The other  brother is slaving away in the fields when he hears music coming from his home, and finds out that his dad is throwing a party for his brother. He is pissed. His father comes to comfort him, and he goes off on him. He feels cheated because he never left his father, and has done everything right, but his father never rewarded him. At the end of the story the father says to the son that he is always with him, and that everything he has is his.

I often find myself in the shoes of the other brother, questioning the fairness of life, wondering why I'm not being rewarded for being a faithful steward. Many of you may find yourself in similar situations. The fact of the matter is, it's so easy to lose sight of what really qualifies us to be saved in the first place. This morning Pastor John hit it right on the head. If life were fair, if we were rewarded fairly for what we do in life, we would all be headed to hell. The fact of the matter is we are all sinners, we have all fallen short of the glory of God. Not a single one of us can ever earn our way into heaven. Only one man ever could, and that man died on a cross to  forgive me of sins that only his blood could wipe clean. The beauty of God's grace is far more wonderful than anything I could ever imagine.

This morning really challenged me to step back and take a look at my life. I was forced to take the dreaded step of self analysis. Am I simply going through the motions of what I think it looks like to be a good Christian in order to get to heaven, or is it knowing that because I have been saved by the grace of God that I am inspired to live a life completely devoted to his will? Accepting God's grace has always been a tough one for me, and it is very possible that it always will be. However, I know that I am taking steps in the right direction.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog. I know I am not the most talented writer, but I hope you all enjoy at least a little bit of it. Hope you all have a great week!

Preston Sereg

Blessed

Hey Everyone,

So over the past week I have been under a slightly significant amount of stress, and my mind has been all over the place. A couple of times this week I thought about asking the kids that live across the street to stone me (studying organic chemistry and physics all week will do that to you). Last night I was laying in bed because I couldn't sleep,and I was started going through my text messages and Facebook messages over the past week. That's when it hit me. I am seriously the luckiest kid in the world. I have been blessed with thee best friends and family in the entire world. I will literally argue with anyone that disagrees. When I get extremely stressed I have a tendency to shut myself off from the rest of the world (so if I was a complete turd to any of you this week I apologize). Last night really smacked me in the face. This entire week people have been praying for me, and wishing me luck on my test, but I was so focused on how little time I had left to prepare that I completely missed out on how incredible it all actually was. I was so angry at myself for not taking time to appreciate the support of the people I care most about. I find it funny how I (and most likely we) tend to let   the little joys in life slip away un-noticed. Life is full of treasures that we fail to see.

I don't own anything that I consider to be valuable (other than my grandpa truck, I know you're all jealous), and that is fine because I feel that what I have is the most valuable thing any person could ever possess. I have great friends, and an amazing family. To me, that is all I will ever need. My dad has always told me that a person is lucky if they find one TRUE friend within their lifetime, and as I get older the more truth I find in that statement. However, I truly feel that I have to be the luckiest guy in the world. I have lots of friends that I know would do anything they could to help me out if I really needed it. It is an extremely humbling feeling to know that there are people out there that care for you as much as you care for them. As I look back on my life I have come to realize that without the friendships I've had I never would be in the place I am today. God has placed soooo many wonderful people in my life to help mold me into the man he wants me to be. I can count numerous times that I've messed up and just done some stupid stuff that there has been a friend or family member there waiting to let me know that I'm not alone (and I stinkin mess up all the time). It is so easy to take friendships fore granted, and truly miss out on the beauty of them.

I wish there was a way to fully express to all my friends and family how much they truly mean to me. I am not very good with words, and I know I don't show my appreciation enough. I am extremely grateful for the role all of my friends and family have played in my life throughout the years. I will never be able to express to you all how much you all mean to me, and I owe you all a huge debt of gratitude.

Okay this grizzly bear has been far to touchy feely for one night, and now I am going to go do some manly things like burn down Pella, or plot Justin Beiber's assassination. AKA sleep :)