I am...

"I am the bread of life"
"I am the light of the world"
"I am the gate for the sheep"
"I am the good shepherd"
"I am the way and the truth and the life"

These quotes are all words spoken by Jesus Christ in the gospel of John. A common trend among them is that Christ spoke them during times when he was either being condemned or being questioned. These statements were his responses, his comebacks. This is how Christ spoke on his feet. He was always ready at all times, always prepared to speak truth. Think about that, when was the last time you had a comeback so good that it was recorded in a document to be read by billions?
Then think about the meaning behind each of these statements. When he spoke, there was nothing loose, wavering, or unclear even in the slightest bit, he knew what he was saying and he really meant it. When Jesus says "I am the bread of life," he is promising us that when we come to him we will be fed spiritually. When he says "I am the light of the world," he is saying that he represents everything good in this dark world. When he says "I am the gate for the sheep," he is saying that he is the only entrance to eternal salvation. When he says "I am the good shepherd," he is saying that he knows us and wants us to be with him. And when he says "I am the way and the truth and the life," he is saying quite plainly that if you wish to go to heaven you better get to know him.
When we listen to Jesus Christ we can see that the way he speaks is truly a gift for all of us to experience, and most of us have the luxury of hearing his words whenever we want to by simply opening our bibles. He makes impact with every word he speaks, and he mentors us every moment whether we notice it or not. His words have influenced homes all over the world for thousands of years now. When he speaks, he gives away even more than what was asked. He goes above and beyond what was required.
We can flesh his example out into our own lives by simply thinking more before we speak. Are you going to say something that edifies yourself and your peers, or will it simply waste breath? We can't be perfect, and we naturally can't always say the right words all the time, but under the leadership of Christ, we can train ourselves to be men and women of the word.

Movement

Movement is a theme that shows up throughout the Bible, from the Old Testament through the New Testament. It is clear that God worked through a lot of key people by telling them to simply "go". And the people that did this had a lot of success in carrying out the Lord's work. Leaving town to do work for God is not an easy task, but the rewards are proven through scripture to be awesome and eternal. Movement takes faith, and for that we can begin to understand why God rewards those who move for Him.
There are several illustrations of this, one coming from Genesis 12 when God sends Abraham out to find a land promised for him. Abraham is told little, but obediently follows God's command. God promises Abraham that he will be made into a great nation and will be blessed throughout his journey. The passage is not easy for Abraham, as he travels to far lands, facing famine and war, but Abraham is protected and reassured by God. Eventually, a covenant is made with Abraham and he is given land between Egypt and the Euphrates, as well as the descendants he had prayed for, one of which would much later on be Jesus Christ. God moves through Abraham's movement.
Another illustration is found in Matthew 10 when Jesus sends out his twelve disciples. Jesus urges his disciples to move in order to spread the word that the Kingdom is near. He tells them to not take anything with them, and he blesses them by giving them authority to drive out evil spirits and heal sicknesses. They are given instruction on what to look out for and then sent off. Through the movement they take, Jesus gains many followers, becoming known to the nations. God moves through the disciples' movement.
A final illustration to point out comes from Acts 8. The story picks up with Phillip moving to spread the word of Christ. He preaches the good news and baptizes men and women in the name of Jesus Christ. One such person he baptizes is Simon, a known sorcerer in the land. Simon believes upon seeing the signs and miracles Philip brings. Philip later meets an Ethiopian eunuch trying to understand scripture. Philip explains how Jesus Christ is the answer he is looking for and the eunuch too, is baptized. God moves through Philip's movement.
So as we have found through various stories in the Bible, movement is necessary for the Lord's work to be done. If we want to see God move in our presence, we must start moving ourselves. It doesn't mean we have to travel across the world, it means we must have the boldness to spread the word to the nations and be the catalysts that get fire burning. Home is not here, it is with God and therefore we won't be home until we ascend to heaven to be with Him. But equipped with the tools he provides for us, we can find that peace and sense of home to get us through. God moves with us. Just move.

Welcome

The idea behind this blog came from my student mentor, Tony Sheng. He is a global missions planner, as well as a global catalyst for some nonprofit organizations, and an elder at our church. The purpose of this blog is so that I can record all my updates on new things I am learning or thinking about this year while I intern for him with my buddy John. The blog will basically be like a journal of all my findings this year. Pretty cool right?

So the name. Faith in High Definition is the name I have given to this project. The reason I put this name together is because faith is something we surely get tested on each and every day. If we were to think of our faith like a scale, we may feel our faith is at a 6 or 7 on a scale of 10 for an average day. It takes a spark, some spiritual experience to bump us back up to 10. And even when we do get to 10, how long can we stay pumped up for? This year, I will be taking a journey to figure out some answers about where God is in the world today and how we can do our part to serve His kingdom reverently. In the meantime I will also be taking my faith on a journey as well. Sometimes you learn the most about something when you experience it hands on...precisely what I will be doing this school year, looking at faith hands on...in high definition.