Fall

By: Brandon Loughridge

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Verse 1

Walking around at the start of each day,

Debating what I want to do.

As thoughts fill my head with the plan I have set

I somehow forget about You.

The shadows of the world they are covering me,

And slowly the fear fills my eye.

As I walk in the streets, I remember Your name

I know that You died crucified.

Chorus

‘Cause You loved me,

You loved me.

You loved me.

Spirit fall.

Verse 2

Distant am I for the mistakes I have made,

I’m longing to rest in Your peace.

No longer do I want to follow my plan,

But the plans that You made out for me.

Open my heart to follow Your will,

Humbly walking Your way.

Make Yourself more, while making me less,

Showing Your love everyday.

Chorus

Bridge x 2

Take my heart and make it Yours.

Take my mind and make it pure.

Show me how to love like You.

Chorus x 2

Jesus.

Well, over the past two months I have really been struggling with finding my purpose in life. Where does God want me to be? Why am I even here in Saipan? Little questions pop up, but I don’t see or hear the answer. I have been focused more on listening to the rhythm than listening to the lyrics. The thythm in this case is the world, and the vocalist speaking the lyrics is God.

Last night (September 26), I had a face to face encounter with Him, and He told me right where I am going in my life. It was rather humbling. It was the face to face encounter that had the answers all the questions I have been asking. The answer he gave me was, ‘golf (my passion) comes second to His purpose’. He sent me here to prepare myself to go out into the world and be able to build new relationships with people I have never encountered in my life. Golf is just an add on that He threw in. I had been struggling previously with whether my call was to Golf, Youth, or Missions, etc.. But it is now in bold letters that I’m called to live for something worth dying for, and golf isn’t in the picture. As much passion as I have for the game, God’s passion for my life is so much bigger. He is calling me toward something that will push me outside of my comfort zone and make me to crucify myself daily. I don’t want to settle for anything less than radical abandonment to that purpose.

A lot of my life, I have been disconnecting God’s blessings from God’s purpose, and now I realize what I have never seen. He has blessed me with the opportunity to come to Saipan to show His love to Tommy and the rest of the youth here on the island. As I was reading through Ephesians 1 today, I finally grasped what my job in life is to do with God’s blessing He confronted the world with.

Ephesians 1:5-14 (NIV) - Paul talking to the Saints

“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

In this, I recognize who I am and what I am called to live for. I am to pick of my cross daily and walk. God saves us so that nations will know Him. He blesses us with His spirit, so that all the Earth will know His name and see his glory.

As I got in my car to leave the beach this afternoon, God had his final word in my quiet time when I put my iTunes on shuffle. The song “Follow You” by Leeland ft. Brandon Heath, was the song that came on. Purpose? I think so! The lyrics were the first thing that my mind read, the beat came second. They where beyond overwhelming to hear, but brought me comfort at the same time. Its a song that challenges Christians to follow His command and show the love of Christ to the poor and the needy of all nations.

I have found His LOVE and will be pursuing a career in ministry, pending my return home.

My plan, His purpose. I am Second.

Jesus.

God is completely good. We are not. He is gracious. All is well.

Your Love

Written and Performed by Brandon Loughridge

(Verse 1) x2
Your Love come and take me over
Your truth reveal to me.
Jesus break me into pieces
So that I may live free.

(Chorus)
Sin has broken my perfection.
Truth be told to the lost and broken.
You are life so walk in me.
Your blood shed to make me clean.

(Verse 2)
From the nails put in your hands
You blood shed for the sin of man
At the cross hangs my King
Who Resurrects and lives in me.

(Chorus)
(Bridge)
Your love is more than enough. (x3)
Your love is more than enough for me.

(Chorus)

Jesus.

The time is currently 1:09am on the island of Saipan, and it just so happens that I can’t sleep. The reasoning behind that is because of abundant excitement, joy, or any other adjective that you can think of that has to do with being giddy. As I sit here and listen to the rain fall fiercely outside the window of my room, I start to ponder everything that I have experience God do within the people I have encountered.

In my last couple blogs I have posted, I have talked a lot about Tommy. Well, Im gonna change it up a little and share what has been going on elsewhere!

Coming to Saipan, I was blessed with the opportunity to work with four AMAZING men and women, that felt the same calling that I did. A man, Mancil Davis, who left his wife and family to chase the calling that he felt God was putting in front of him, and a married couple, Aaron and Kayla Wood, who have grown to be my mentors here in Saipan. Together, we as a team have built an IGA (International Golf Academy) family. The first couple weeks has mostly been about marketing to the surrounding areas, allowing them to see all that IGA has to offer. We have four current students (three are doing full times schooling and the other is doing afternoon lessons)  enrolled with IGA. Although we are a Christian-based golf academy, that doesn’t stop evil from lurking around. Two weeks ago, Mancil had to return home to the states due to a serious infection in his right lung. From the family stand point, losing Mancil was like losing my Dad. With faith and prayer, Mancil won his battle with the infection. He underwent surgery this past week in Houston to remove the golf ball sized infection that had made its home in Mancil’s right lung. Praise be to God that he is expected to make a full recovery, but will continue the rest of his life with half of his lung. It comforts me to know that God isn’t done with this man yet and that there is still work for him to do whether it is in Saipan or back home in the U.S.. I know one thing is for sure, his world record for holes-in-one (51) will be safe for quite some time.

Aaron and Kayla are the couple you look at and say “They will be together forever.”

Aaron has stepped in to play the role of my brother. He is always there to give me advice when I seek it, or answer little questions about the Gospel that I have yet to learn. I have more questions than answers, but don’t we all? Whether it is on the golf course of I’m growing homesick, Aaron is always there to pass along the words of scripture that bring me comfort. I am most excited at the fact that they will be having their first child in the next two weeks!

Over the past 2 months that I have lived on the island, I have really been focusing a lot of my time on building a stronger more radical relationship with God. I have dug deep into the Book of Luke and have realized first-hand that I am jacked up. I have also started building relationships many of the youth and the young adults that often hang out around the resort. Im pumped to see what God has in store for the youth, as we look forward to kicking off a bible study on Wednesday nights.

“When you realize you have been radically loved, the only rational response is to desire to love radically.” – Brian McCormack

Love God. Love People. Nothing Else Matters.

Jesus.

He makes beautiful things.

My Jesus.

Have you ever been witness to the beauty of Gods creation? Well this morning, I caught myself waking up at an ungodly hour with the intent to go see the sun rise on the top of the mountain. I awoke Tommy and we got ready and went. We made it to get top of the mountain and were welcomed by heavy cloud cover. Although we were not able to see the sun rise, we still witnessed the beauty of our Lords creation. The breeze, the view, and everything mother nature had to offer us was sitting there before us. As I took in what I was looking at, I couldn’t help but to think how mighty our God is.

When we arrived back home, Tommy and I jumped into Luke 5. It’s the story of Jesus calling the first disciples, telling them to drop their nets, and go out into the world and catch men. From the Lake of Gennesaret, Jesus then starts city hopping, traveling to Galilee, Jedea, and Jerusalem, healing people of diseases and brokenness. As Tommy and I took in everything that this chapter brought upon us, we came upon one verse in particular that screamed at me.

Luke 5:36 

“No one tears a piece from a new garmet and puts in on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.”

There are numerous reasons that this verse jumped at me.. the first being that it defined who I was for 17 years of my life. So often do we encounter Jesus, he provides us a new garment, and we tend to miss use it or abuse it. Second reason is that all of us in world are guilty of this. We all encounter Jesus then have the tendency to ignore him. Every church event I went to, I would build the relationship with Jesus, feel like I was “changed“, and then return home. It’s the returning home part that I feel Luke 5:36 points at. We become comfortable in our organized bubble again. It not possible to successfully live two separate lives, trust me..I’ve tried.

2 Corinthians 5:17 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

To put these two ideas together is absurd. Its like a hideous outfit that doesn’t go together, and people make fun you because you look like a goon. The new “you” will not fit the hole that the old “you” had.

Be radical. Be real. Be who your Jesus made you out to be.

For my Jesus.

Growing up and attempting to mature as high school went along, I really had no idea where I was being called. Even until the day of graduation on May 31,2011, I still had no idea where my life was headed.

At the beginning of my senior year, I really felt like I personally wanted nothing to do with God. I had to deal with the influences of high school, along with the peer pressure from the people I shouldn’t have been caught up with. The school started in August and it took until December 10th to realize that I was going to be lucky to make it through the next year.

It was the fall retreat that everyone in The Woodlands was talking about, The Big Chill, that made me question myself. I knew what it was from the previous years, but I didn’t plan to register because I felt people would question why I was going. The Woodlands, being the place it is, has become a city of gossip. Everyone is so in tune with what is going on in other peoples lives, and worry very little about their own. As week went on and the weekend came, I finally gave in, and asked God, “Are you happy now?”. Not knowing what God was actually going to do to me that weekend was the best thing that could have happened. As the week went on and the weekend drew near, excitement surprisingly started to build. I don’t know if it was being about to hang out and build old relationships, or being about to escape the bubble that The Woodlands had become.

Friday arrived and I was ecstatic! I continuously started counting hours until I would be on a bus headed to the retreat.

When we arrived, I couldn’t help but pray. I asked God to take me, use me, and captivate my heart again. Make me into the servant that I am called to be. I prayed that God would show me the old and the new, who I was and who I am now through Him. As the weekend went on, I became more and more focused on the change that needed to take place. For almost a year and a half, since one of my childhood friends deaths, I had shut Jesus out of my life. I asked Him on December 11, 2010 to fill the hole in my life, and to put me back together. I realized how broken I was and I wasn’t making it easier ignoring Him.

Graduation day came, and I was clueless about what I was going to do for college. Little did I know, my Father had a different plan.

It was the third week of June, that I received a call from my long time boss, Mark Steinbauer. Mark had an offer that would potentially make the plans I wanted…garbage. As I answered the phone, he introduced himself. I was shocked to see that he would actually be calling me, its typically the other way around. He wanted to get to the point quickly, so he just threw the question out at me, “What are your thoughts about going to live in Saipan?”. Caught off guard, I asked what he meant. He filled me in on what was going on, and then told me he wanted me on his staff at a Christian-based Golf Academy. Humbled at the offer, I told him that I would have to consider it. It didn’t take much considering.

Tuesday came and I met for a one-on-one devotional with Andrew Price. I had the chance to tell him about the offer that was thrown at me. I quickly backed it up with, “My family is here and I can’t leave them. As much as I would like to go, I need to stay here.” He stopped me and pointed me toward Isaiah 30.

Isaiah 30:1 -

 ”Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord, ”to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;”

After reading those words, my mind was set. I was packing up and moving to Saipan. All the selfish thoughts that had set in on my mind when Mr. Mark called were no longer there. Reading that verse made think about my whole entire life and the selfishness I had shown. It was no longer about the plans I had, but the plans He had for me. I was set. I packed up my room, said my good-byes to my friends and family, and headed to Saipan.

So here I am today, sitting in a dorm at a world class golf resort, having the chance to work with kids that want to pursue golf at the next level. So blessed am I. Not only do I have the chance to work on their golf game, but also introduce them to who Jesus is and what he did for us. I have recently picked of the role of mentoring a 13 yr. old man by the name of Tommy Choi. Tommy is just a straight up stud on and off the golf course. He listens and does everything that we as coaches would ask their students to do, and the best thing is that I see Christ through Tommy more than he would ever imagine. Whether its in the game of golf and not giving up, or just seeing him and the relationships with the people he has around him. I am truly blessed to have met him!

Last night, as Tommy was doing his homework, I walked into his room and asked if I could see his bible. As I sat there the question popped in my mind “How much of the Word does he read?”. Out of curiosity, I asked. His response surprised me.. he couldn’t read it. Instantly I thought that he had something against Christianity, he told me he just couldn’t understand what it was saying. This is where I first experience Christ really working in Saipan, because literally the week before I left for Saipan something told me I needed to grab a new bible that I could really study in depth. So I went to my room and had the opportunity to give him the bible I wasn’t using anymore. Well, little did I know God triggered something inside of Tommy. A few minutes later Tommy walks in my room and asks if he can join me in my nightly bible study…HALLELUJAH! So last night I was humbled and blessed with the opportunity to show him how sovereign our Lord was. As we walked through Luke chapter 3 together, questions arose and his mind started thinking. I was filled with immediate joy to sit in a chair and witness what the Lord was doing in this 13 year olds life!

God has been working in and on the island of Saipan, and on top of that the beauty of His creation is just mind-blowing!

I am thankful for all that the Lord has provided me with, and humble that I am worthy enough to serve him. For the Lord brought me to Saipan, and the Lord will sustain me. That is my Jesus.

John 15:13 (NIV)-

”Greater Love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

As I thought about this verse, thoughts shot through my head. How is Love put into words other than Jesus? I settled on the fact that it’s not possible. Love is a feeling shown by humans for the will of God. As I sat at work, I slowly started pulling more and more things together. How do you Love in a relationship? Is Love possible without Jesus? How are we supposed to Love?

As I start to set my mind to find these answers, I still came back to one answer… Jesus. It is through Him that we are called to Love one another. A relationship with out Jesus in the middle is trash. I adamantly believe that Jesus should be the cornerstone of every single relationship, whether it’s dating or a friendship. If He isn’t in the center, it is broken. It’s not possible to Love without Him.

If it’s said that Love brings people closer together, why are there wars? Why is there hatred? Why are there people in this world that are suffering? We are called to Love through actions, to suffer for others.

I work at The Club of Carlton Woods. It’s a top of the chart club with a $125,000 incitation fee. If you paid that kind of money for a golf course, what kind of service do you expect there? I look at my job as this, “what is hard on us (the staff) is made easy for them (the members)”. I’m by no means trying to be boastful at all, what I am getting to is that Love can be hard on us because we are called to sacrifice, but on the flip side you are impacting someone.

Imagine giving money to The Living Water Foundation to build a well for the families of Nairobi, Kenya. Instead of children walking numerous miles to find semi-clean sludge water, you can sacrifice and they can drink pure.  You suffer, they rejoice.

It’s Love. It’s not words. It’s actions.

One Love.

Jesus.

It’s ironic that when times are hard, Its Your name I cry out.

I am Your creation, That has given into sin.

God take my heart, comfort it, and everything within.

Your beauty is astonishing, its sad I couldn’t see.

But now that You have restored my sight, Your everything to me.

God take me as you will, and use me in Your way.

For the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit its Your name that I pray.

Hear my Cry.

-Brandon Loughridge

When he bled, carried, and died on the cross.

Questions were asked, soon answered above.

A Fathers sacrifice to show me his love.

When a friend was killed, I always asked why.

But God pulled through when he heard my cry.

I was blind to it all, to blind to see.

That God sent his son to die for me.

People like I, beat down and broken.

“It is finished” were the words alone spoken.

Forgiving me of my mistakes since I was a kid,

Forgave the people for they know not what they did.

I now have sight, and now can see.

The overwhelming love God has for me.

-Brandon Loughridge