So in the past year, Amy and I have changed quite a bit of things, and we wanted to let everyone know the why's, what's, and huh's of our life. Sooooo backstory.
A few years ago, Berk (our pastor at Grace Community Church at NC State) talked with me about being a part of an eventual church plant at UNC-Charlotte. I prayed about it and basically accepted the vision of going to Charlotte. This was close to 3 years ago, and about a year later, my great friend Daryn committed to working with me for the sake of the Gospel wherever God placed me. So there were the 2 of us. Around that same time, Amy and I started dating with the intention of marriage and she was also wanting to be a part of the church plant in Charlotte. Bam 3. As time went on, we talked with different people about being a part of the team and Bekah Maier threw her lot in with us.
November 2012, I asked Amy to marry me and she said yes, and from there we started planning our future. These plans included finding jobs in Charlotte, NC in order to be a part of the church plant at UNCC, as well as planning for our wedding ;) Around Christmas, my best friend, David, also got engaged to his girlfriend, Renée. Renée was looking into UNCC for grad school, and in February/March, she found out she had gotten in and later accepted. Thus, adding 2 more to the crazy adventure of Charlotte.
Soon after that, I got a job in Charlotte working as a front end web developer for TradeKing, and David's job agreed to allow him to work remotely. At the end of April, David and I moved down to Charlotte! Amy and I planned our wedding to be on June 22nd, and David and Renée planned theirs for August 3rd. This summer would be the summer of weddings while starting the church plant! At this time, I had been living with David, so we needed to find a place for us to live in after we got married. We signed a lease for an apartment near campus, and I began living there. Amy was living with her parents (30 minutes away from UNCC) and soon after, got a job offer from Electrolux! God was doing work!
June 22nd, we got married at Bond park in Cary, NC with our friends and family present. For our honeymoon, we rented a cabin in the mountains of Tennessee, and it was great! We went zip lining, white water rafting, walked trails, went horseback riding and generally had a great time. Amy started work the Monday after we got back, so we got home and BAM life started.
Over the summer, we sporadically spent time on UNCC's campus meeting students and sharing the Gospel with them. A few weeks later, we got a text from Bekah saying she was moving to Charlotte... the next day! We thought it would be a while before Bekah joined us, but God had other plans. Bekah moved down without a job but believing in God for one (she had a few interviews beforehand). Soon after she moved here, God gave her an architecture job!
August 3rd, David and Renée got married and joined us in Charlotte. With our current full team (Daryn will be joining us when he finishes raising support for going on staff with the Church) we have started putting our nose to the grind. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights, we are trying to get out on campus for an hour or two and meet students. Our goal is to introduce people who don't know Jesus to Him and to help believers in Christ to understand their faith. This involves sharing the story of Christ and teaching believers what Christ taught he disciples to do.
As we are seeking to expand the Kingdom of God here in Charlotte, I ask that you would be praying with us for the students of UNCC's campus. Pray that they would be open to God's word and willing to be a part of His Kingdom. We also ask that you would be praying for the other Christian ministries on campus as well. Be praying that God would be allowing them to see victory in reaching out to the people of Charlotte.
Well that is a look into what has been going on in the newly minted Rice family this past year. Please keep us in your prayers in the coming months and years.
Amy, Keegan and the Ricelette!
Oh yeah! Did I mention that we will be having a child?! He/she will be making their appearance in April of 2014!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Christianese
So this is the first of a "series" that I want to do on words and phrases we use as Christians.
One of these phrases is "Following God" or "Seeking after God". Many times it will be in a conversation and it will go something like this "Yeah I am just really trying to seek after God right now, you know all I want to do is follow Christ!" But what does that mean?!? If you were talking to a professional football player about their life and daily schedule and they said "Usually each day I just try and be the best at football and that usually takes up my day" You would be confused and completely unsure of what they do each day.
Same thing goes for following God. It is not ambiguous. It has concrete actions. You could even say it is being legalistic. When a athlete is trying to be the best at what they do they usually have a strict routine, they wake up at a certain time, eat certain foods, do specific workouts etc. They have structure and that structure is there to accomplish a goal. So why do we think that having a relationship with God is any different? The way we follow God is to set a plan and work on it! If I want to be a better husband to Amy I don't just think about it I have to work on it! I have to set reminders to pick up flowers, put notes on my phone to remind me of the gift that God has given me in her. I have to DO THINGS!
For me to grow in my relationship with God I need to put reminders on my phone to pray, to memorize scripture, to be loved by God and to love others. I have to be purposeful about being purposeful to "seek after God".
Why? Because he is doing this for us. He didn't just "happen" to send his son to die for MY SIN. He planned it, he knew I would sin against him and so he prepared from the beginning of time the way in which to repair what I had destroyed. If God plans things for us to better our relationships with him how much more do we need to do the same? -> answer: WAY MORE!
Food for action
One who is not even close to doing this very thing,
Keegan
Sunday, August 11, 2013
I was wrong and I am sorry.
So story time,
A few years ago I lived in the Sullivan Hall while I was going to school at N.C. State. During this time I lived with some awesome guys. One night as we were standing around talking Josh Clemmons and I got to talking about what defines good literature. As you can understand from the seriousness of this topic and the depth at which we are both versed in it (<- Sarcasm) the conversation quickly got out of hand. After a few hours I was making up "facts" to get my point across and sure enough Josh called me out on it. I got defensive, lied some more and we continued the argument which concluded in both of us saying some things we regretted to each other. So we left it at that and went to sleep.
The next day Josh walks into my room somewhat early on in the morning and apologizes to me about what he said to me the night previous. This shocked me! Saying sorry? Saying your wrong? Admitting defeat (this is how I saw it)? This was a foreign concept to me.
What Josh did took him maybe 2 minutes and it not only quickly repaired any damage that had been done to our friendship but it was an amazing example. I learned that day how to say I am sorry/I was wrong and that it is one of the best things you can ever say. The crazy thing is when he told me that I realized what I had said and done and told him I was sorry and that I had lied.
Neither of us yelled at the other or got mad at each other. At this point your thinking "Well duh!" but isn't that how we think? We think that if we "Admit Defeat" by being wrong or saying sorry that we will be made fun of for it, or that by doing so we are giving someone power over us. The beautiful thing is thats not true. From that day on I have tried to say these words more, I haven't been perfect at it and I probably don't do it enough but it has helped my relationships with people so much and it is not as scary as I thought it would be.
My challenge to you today is to say sorry, even if it's a long time coming. Start admitting that you are wrong and you will see how it takes stress away and gives you some freedom. Don't let selfishness control your life today!
Someone who has done many wrongs,
Keegan
A few years ago I lived in the Sullivan Hall while I was going to school at N.C. State. During this time I lived with some awesome guys. One night as we were standing around talking Josh Clemmons and I got to talking about what defines good literature. As you can understand from the seriousness of this topic and the depth at which we are both versed in it (<- Sarcasm) the conversation quickly got out of hand. After a few hours I was making up "facts" to get my point across and sure enough Josh called me out on it. I got defensive, lied some more and we continued the argument which concluded in both of us saying some things we regretted to each other. So we left it at that and went to sleep.
The next day Josh walks into my room somewhat early on in the morning and apologizes to me about what he said to me the night previous. This shocked me! Saying sorry? Saying your wrong? Admitting defeat (this is how I saw it)? This was a foreign concept to me.
What Josh did took him maybe 2 minutes and it not only quickly repaired any damage that had been done to our friendship but it was an amazing example. I learned that day how to say I am sorry/I was wrong and that it is one of the best things you can ever say. The crazy thing is when he told me that I realized what I had said and done and told him I was sorry and that I had lied.
Neither of us yelled at the other or got mad at each other. At this point your thinking "Well duh!" but isn't that how we think? We think that if we "Admit Defeat" by being wrong or saying sorry that we will be made fun of for it, or that by doing so we are giving someone power over us. The beautiful thing is thats not true. From that day on I have tried to say these words more, I haven't been perfect at it and I probably don't do it enough but it has helped my relationships with people so much and it is not as scary as I thought it would be.
My challenge to you today is to say sorry, even if it's a long time coming. Start admitting that you are wrong and you will see how it takes stress away and gives you some freedom. Don't let selfishness control your life today!
Someone who has done many wrongs,
Keegan
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Being Vulcan
So this post is a long time coming, I have talked about this with quite a few people but I realize I need to gather my thoughts and do this. So here goes!
Something that I feel really strongly about is being in control of your body, this covers physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Today I am going to talk about the last one, simply put Being Vulcan.
In our society (this is talking mostly about "christian" society but all society is included) there tends to be a lot of emphasize on our emotions. How we felt in a situation usually determines what we say and how we react to others. We basically let our emotions take charge and follow them blindly, the problem is two fold 1: we don't realize and refuse to realize when we are allowing our emotions to take control 2: we don't really want to change.
Reading through the book Meaning of Marriage they had a quote from Jane Eyre where basically a man who has a mentally ill wife falls "in love" with Jane and asks her to be his mistress:
"... while he spoke my very conscience and reason turned traitors against me, and charged me with crime in resisting him. They spoke almost as loud as Feeling and that clamoured wildly. "Oh, comply!" it said. "Think of his misery; think of his danger --- look at his state when left alone; remember his headlong nature; consider the recklessness following on despair -- soothe him; save him; love him; tell him you love him and will be his. Who in the world cares for YOU? or who will be injured by what you do?"
She recognizes the different facets of her soul crying out and realizes how she could be sucked in by them and she responds:
"Still indomitable was the reply: "I care for myself. The more solitary, the more the friendless, the more the unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad -- as I am now. Laws and principles are not made for the time where there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against rigor; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth -- so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane -- quite insane: with my veins running firse, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot."
I did."
She understood that though she was having these thoughts they were from an insane mindset, one that was tilted by her emotions.
James 1:19
"This you know my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger"
James is saying here that we can control our anger and WE SHOULD.
Proverbs 16:32
"Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."
2 Peter 1:5-9
"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins."
1 John 2:16-17
Eph. 4:1-32
Gal 5:17
The list goes on and on Scripture COMMANDS us to put our thoughts and emotions before God and do what he has asked us to do not what our flesh desires.
Are we putting stock in how we feel or are we being obedient?
John 14:23
"Jesus replied, 'Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.'"
Something that I feel really strongly about is being in control of your body, this covers physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Today I am going to talk about the last one, simply put Being Vulcan.
In our society (this is talking mostly about "christian" society but all society is included) there tends to be a lot of emphasize on our emotions. How we felt in a situation usually determines what we say and how we react to others. We basically let our emotions take charge and follow them blindly, the problem is two fold 1: we don't realize and refuse to realize when we are allowing our emotions to take control 2: we don't really want to change.
Reading through the book Meaning of Marriage they had a quote from Jane Eyre where basically a man who has a mentally ill wife falls "in love" with Jane and asks her to be his mistress:
"... while he spoke my very conscience and reason turned traitors against me, and charged me with crime in resisting him. They spoke almost as loud as Feeling and that clamoured wildly. "Oh, comply!" it said. "Think of his misery; think of his danger --- look at his state when left alone; remember his headlong nature; consider the recklessness following on despair -- soothe him; save him; love him; tell him you love him and will be his. Who in the world cares for YOU? or who will be injured by what you do?"
She recognizes the different facets of her soul crying out and realizes how she could be sucked in by them and she responds:
"Still indomitable was the reply: "I care for myself. The more solitary, the more the friendless, the more the unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad -- as I am now. Laws and principles are not made for the time where there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against rigor; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth -- so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane -- quite insane: with my veins running firse, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot."
I did."
She understood that though she was having these thoughts they were from an insane mindset, one that was tilted by her emotions.
James 1:19
"This you know my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger"
James is saying here that we can control our anger and WE SHOULD.
Proverbs 16:32
"Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."
2 Peter 1:5-9
"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins."
1 John 2:16-17
Eph. 4:1-32
Gal 5:17
The list goes on and on Scripture COMMANDS us to put our thoughts and emotions before God and do what he has asked us to do not what our flesh desires.
Are we putting stock in how we feel or are we being obedient?
John 14:23
"Jesus replied, 'Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.'"
Our view of Quiet Time
So in the past couple of weeks I have come to realize two things:
1. My view of the purpose of quiet times was wrong.
2. How I did my quiet times was also wrong.
So first off let's handle the view, I viewed my quiet time in the morning as my time to hear from God. I didn't actively think in my brain "Ok now is my one time to hear from God for the day" but that is how I acted. When after my quiet time I struggled with something later that day I would think "but I had a quiet time earlier why am I struggling?"
This idea was that I basically only read the Bible at one point in my day and that that was somehow sufficient. That I only NEEDED to read God's word once a day.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV)
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
If we understand who God is and what the bible is we will spend as much of our free time as possible hearing from God's word. When we have a moment and we don't really need to do anything else we will use that moment to hear from God. We will be listening to God 10-20 times a day meditating on his word and relaxing in his presence. We will be reading as we stop for lunch, go to the bathroom, step back from our work for a second, or walk out the door. We will be making excuses to read God's word or to meditate on what he has said.
So second of all the how, I viewed quiet time to = read the Bible and pray some. Is this really what it means to have a quiet time?
Luke 21:1-4
21 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
God wants what we cannot spare not what we can. When we go to spend time with God he wants us in totality not partially. I had found myself reading and praying while thinking about other things not giving God restricted (restricted only to him) time of devotion. God wants our all when I say "well I didn't have time this morning" I am reminded of this Martin Luther quote "If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer." WOW he had a correct view of God and this world. Do we?
Spend some time each day completely focused on God without any distractions and really seek to be in the presence of God. This is my challenge to you and myself.
1. My view of the purpose of quiet times was wrong.
2. How I did my quiet times was also wrong.
So first off let's handle the view, I viewed my quiet time in the morning as my time to hear from God. I didn't actively think in my brain "Ok now is my one time to hear from God for the day" but that is how I acted. When after my quiet time I struggled with something later that day I would think "but I had a quiet time earlier why am I struggling?"
This idea was that I basically only read the Bible at one point in my day and that that was somehow sufficient. That I only NEEDED to read God's word once a day.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV)
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
If we understand who God is and what the bible is we will spend as much of our free time as possible hearing from God's word. When we have a moment and we don't really need to do anything else we will use that moment to hear from God. We will be listening to God 10-20 times a day meditating on his word and relaxing in his presence. We will be reading as we stop for lunch, go to the bathroom, step back from our work for a second, or walk out the door. We will be making excuses to read God's word or to meditate on what he has said.
So second of all the how, I viewed quiet time to = read the Bible and pray some. Is this really what it means to have a quiet time?
Luke 21:1-4
21 As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
God wants what we cannot spare not what we can. When we go to spend time with God he wants us in totality not partially. I had found myself reading and praying while thinking about other things not giving God restricted (restricted only to him) time of devotion. God wants our all when I say "well I didn't have time this morning" I am reminded of this Martin Luther quote "If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer." WOW he had a correct view of God and this world. Do we?
Spend some time each day completely focused on God without any distractions and really seek to be in the presence of God. This is my challenge to you and myself.
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