To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateFebruary 23, 2018poem, spoken word, how many, christian, christianity, college, campus, tamuu, tamu, texas a&mComment

How Many?

To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateFebruary 23, 2018poem, spoken word, how many, christian, christianity, college, campus, tamuu, tamu, texas a&mComment

Billions of people, all going in different directions to their own destinations.

I look at them.

Some smile at the sight of someone looking their way; others look away as quickly as they can.

Some wear baggy clothes to cover insecure bodies; others wear tight clothes to accentuate the same.

I can see it in their eyes.

How many of them have smiled today – a genuine smile, not the façade of happiness we occasionally wear?

For how many will my smile be the first they see on this dreary day?

I look them in the face, smile, as I pass by…

I see the gleam in their eyes for a fleeting moment, but the comfort fades with that gleam.

They continue onward, heavy feet and hurried stride – moving, moving, moving, but never getting anywhere.

How many of these have considered taking their own life?

How many of these have experienced death?

How many have experienced rejection, or the pangs of despised love, the heartbreak of a shattered relationship, a shattered past?

How many of these have been cheated on?

How many of these have given their bodies away?

How many of these felt obligated, like it was their only option, their last ditch effort for happiness?

How many hated themselves when they realized they were wrong?

How many go to the bars night after night, slaving at school during the week, pining for love on the weekends?

How many drink to have fun – drink to escape – drink to forget – drink to fit in?

How many are lost? Weary? Burdened? Longing for rest?

Some dress to impress – for themselves or others, I do not know.

Some have given up – out of submission or for comfort, I do not know.

They all walk with headphones in, phone in hand, eyes on screen – to take care of business or avoid interaction or to silence the silence, I do not know.

But here we are.

Walking, walking, walking, yet always moving backwards.

Some laugh and make a show of what they say and do – out of genuine joy, or seeking attention, in search of one kindred soul? Who can say?

Many retreat into the background, but their eyes look longingly upon these who are brave enough to speak – oh, to be brave!

All are searching. All are walking. All are passing by. All are going somewhere. All are headed in a direction.

But where are they going?

Why have I never cared?

David Tate

To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateAugust 18, 2017restless, phil wickham, heaven song, christianity, bible studyComment

Restless

“And my soul is getting restless for the place where I belong…”

As the final word of that phrase rang into the nighttime sky, the entire audience drew in a unified breath, chills passing throughout each of their bodies as raw emotion flooded the entire amphitheater all the way up into the open-air lawn at the very perimeter. From my spot upon that lawn, I could do nothing but close my eyes and soak in the moment, a second wave of chills passing over me as the audience suddenly broke into a chorus of applause, myself included. There was but one man standing on the stage before me – with nothing but a guitar in his hands and a microphone before his lips – but his voice as it burst across the arena was like that of church choir singing as one breath:

“—I can’t wait to join the angels and sing my heaven song.” I had never heard truer words in my life.

To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateAugust 18, 2017restless, phil wickham, heaven song, christianity, bible studyComment

To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateSeptember 05, 2017gospel, upside down, bible study, i surrender all, jesus, christianityComment

Our Topsy-Turvy Gospel

Just last night, I read the introduction to John Bevere’s Good or God?, a book that tackles the subject of how “good without God isn’t enough” – in other words, how doing good things does not necessarily mean that you are aligned with God’s will. I’ve been wanting to read this book for quite some time, but only recently did I find myself with the spare time to actually sit down and start reading.

However, as is the case with most books (and all other sources of entertainment, for that matter), I felt the need to go online and start reading reviews of the product prior to beginning it myself – I do this not so much to see whether or not I will enjoy it, but more so to see how well it holds up doctrinally and whether or not it is written to a standard that leaves people actually enveloped in what is being said, rather than bored to death due to lackluster insights and overall lack of passion by the creator of the piece. Good or God? received amazing reviews (4.52/5 stars on Goodreads), but there was a something I noticed: of the two “bad” reviews the book received, they both seem to address a particular touch subject…

To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateSeptember 05, 2017gospel, upside down, bible study, i surrender all, jesus, christianityComment

To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateSeptember 26, 2017responsibility, spiderman, bible, christianity, love, christian, bible studyComment

With Great Power...

“The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

Isn’t it interesting how the first sin is shortly followed by the first excuse? God sees Adam, Adam sees God, God asks Adam what’s going on, Adam says he’s ashamed because he’s naked, God points out that Adam isn’t supposed to know that he’s naked and the only way for him to know that was if he had eaten from the tree he wasn’t supposed to eat from, and then Adam blames Eve, and if that wasn’t good enough, he blames God too. “Well, you see, God, ultimately this is your fault. Things were fine until the woman came along, and didn’t you make her?” Adam is trying to deflect responsibility off of himself at all costs.

But God plays along. He turns to Eve, who proceeds to blame the serpent, which you can imagine ticks Adam off a bit, since it makes a lot more sense to blame the devil for your sin than it does to blame a holy and perfect God. Nevertheless, God continues to play along, and He turns to the serpent, who knows better than to provide an excuse. God reveals that it was in fact all three of them that were to blame, and their shared sin will affect not only them, but the entire world.

How often do we do the same thing as Adam and Eve?

To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateSeptember 26, 2017responsibility, spiderman, bible, christianity, love, christian, bible studyComment

To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateSeptember 18, 2018gospel, christian, now lets be honest, bible, texas a&m, aggie, marriage, freely, spurgeon, christ, churchComment

On a Trip Fully Paid

In one of my classes this morning – amidst talk of morality and revenge and Nietzsche’s [frankly odd] views of justice and punishment – we arrived at the happy tangent of the Gospel promise and what it meant for the Christian life, especially as it pertains to the factor of human choice coupled by divine sovereignty.

“imagine you have been offered the chance at a luxurious trip by which you can skip school without punishment, and that trip is fully paid,” said one student, or something along those lines. “That is the Gospel.”

“If it’s been fully paid, why would you not accept the offer?” asked another.

Precisely, thought many people throughout the room. A few said it out loud.

“But if you get on the plane and go on the trip, what prevents you from doing bad things?” asked another, this in response to the matter we had been discussing, that idea of a true Christian not continuing on in an abundantly sinful life. “What motive do they have to do the will of the one who paid the price? The metaphorical salvation has already been grasped, so why do good things at all?” From this broke out discourse over definitions of mercy and grace and sin, and in no time we had wandered so deeply into the weeds that every Calvinist and Arminian in the room was getting sweaty at their palms.

Then Nietzsche came calling once again, and our tangent came to an abrupt end. Back to what we were actually supposed to be studying.

But this thought stuck with me throughout the day…

To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateSeptember 18, 2018gospel, christian, now lets be honest, bible, texas a&m, aggie, marriage, freely, spurgeon, christ, churchComment

To Infinity and BeyondDavid TateJune 14, 2019psalm 23, 1 samuel 17, david and goliath, david in the psalms, the psalms and the life of david, chronological psalms, psalm 23 1 samuel 17, david and goliath psalm 23, bible study, bible, christianComment

A Boy & His Shepherd (1 Samuel 17/Psalm 23)

The Philistine’s challenge rang across the valley like the drums of war often played before the siege of a city:

“Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us. I defy the ranks of Israel this day.”

The entire valley grew silent at the challenge, which had been offered now for forty days in a row, each day with a similar response from the Israelite camp: nervous mutters from trembling lips, but no champion who would dare fight the giant. They were stationed just opposite the Philistine army, the Valley of Elah lying bare between them as a natural amphitheater that amplified the giant’s voice. He stood nearly ten feet tall – nearly twice the height of most grown men amongst the Israelite rank – and his armor was forged from iron, a durable metal that the Israelites had not yet perfected their use of. He was an intimidating foe, and even Saul, the Israelite king who stood a head taller than any other man in the camp, would not dare fight him. To do so would be certain death. And with the death of the Israelite warrior, the enslavement of the people. And with the enslavement of the people, the end of the nation. They had spent years enslaved in Egypt…they would not be enslaved again.