BJ's numbers are about the same. The only new thing tonight is that there's been some increased bleeding around the tubes in BJ's body. The doctors have to make them clot slowly, so clots don't form in the machine. It's a complicated process.

Tonight I was reading the last entry BJ made in his online journal, and I wanted you all to see it. It's pretty lengthy, but definitely worth the 5-6 minutes it may take you to read. Prepare to be challenged.

"Ok, so I was reading "Don't Waste Your Life" (an excellent book, I suggest you read it) when I got to one part, and I thought "Man, I should post that on my xanga." So here I am.

Allright, so Piper is talking about the passage from Philippians 1:21 "To live is Christ and to die is gain," and he just finished expounding on how "living is Christ" and how to die for Christ, etc. Then he starts talking about how we can't separate living for Christ and dying for Christ. He sites 1Corinthians 15:31 and Luke 9:23 and then shows us the conclusion from these two (and countless other) passages:

"Daily Christian living is daily Christian dying..."

I was like, "woah, thats profound." Piper goes on:

"...The dying I have in mind is the dying of comfort and security and reputation and health and family and friends and wealth and homeland..."

How often do we live like our own lives are so important, like all of our comforts, friends and circumstances are the greatest things ever, and yet Christ clearly says "Whoever holds on to his life will lose it, but whoever gives up his life for me will gain it back." (Mark 8:35). And then again in John 12:25 He says that he who loves his life will lose it. Then Piper says:

"...These may be taken from us at any time in the path of Christ-exalting obedience..."

So we die to ourselves and lay down our lives daily so that we will be ready when our lives, our comfort, our family, wealth, or friends are taken from us in our walk with Christ.

"...To die daily the way Paul did, and to take up our cross daily the way Jesus commanded, is to embrace this life of loss for Christ's sake and count it gain."

You see, as Christians we are to give our lives up every day, to die to ourselves every day, to let go of all of our attatchments and affections and be willing to let go of life itself everyday because we treasure Christ higher than life.

So often we get preoccupied and distracted with all of the little details and life and all of our wants and dreams and desires, and yet as Paul says in Philippians "To live is Christ." All of the details don't matter, all of our wants and dreams are of no consequence because our lives, as Christians, are to be for Christ and Christ alone.

How often do we really live as Christ? How often do we lay our own dreams and wants down for God? At church camp? On mission trips? Maybe even every Sunday or Wednesday? But Christ says DAILY. Too often do we attempt the whole "Christian living" on Sundays and Wednesdays, and forget the whole "DAILY Christian dying" Christ calls us to die daily.

It's time that we as the professed Christians of America wake up from our sleep of lethargy and hypocrisy and stop only living for Christ on Sundays and Wednesdays and start acting as Christ says all of His disciples must act. (As Luke 14:27 says, "Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me CANNOT be my disciple") We must die to ourselves daily. We must forget our comfort zones, and our cliques of friends and go out and share the love and rescuing truth of Jesus Christ with the lost, empty, suffering, and dying people of the world all around us as Christ commanded!

Our lives are for Christ, not ourselves, so as it instructs in Hebrews 12:1-3, we need to actively, forcefully, and even violently (spiritually speaking) THROW off EVERYthing that hinders glorifying Christ through our lives! Don't want to because you enjoy your life? But Christ says "I have come to give them life and to give it to them abundantly," John 10:10. You see, because we were made to glorify God, it is the one thing that satisfies us most and that we can find the most enjoyment in. We spend our lives seeking satisfaction and enjoyment, but its only to be found in Christ. So what better reason to turn to Him and let go and throw off everything that holds you back?

Also, as the apostles are constantly reminding us in their letters, we have a hope and a certainty for the future that no one else has. We know that at the end of all things that Christ will gather us together and reveal His glory to the world on the day of judgement, and that instead of receiving the judgement and condemnation that we deserve, we will be able to take part in the GLORY of Christ.

So then, let us with His glory and our hope in mind, throw down our own lives and pick up His--that is, pick up our cross, take our life of suffering for Him and His glory. Let us die daily for Christ so that we can follow Him and better obey His call: that we reach the dying people of this world and tell them of Jesus Christ, the saving one.

Whew. So thats what God is teaching me."

My little brother is amazing. He is laying down his life right now. He is eager to suffer for his Father's glory. He GETS it. And I am challenged on a whole new level to understand that ALL is for God's glory.

-Lauren