Musings.

Back to the basics.

seanbrereton — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:08:28 +0000

Hey everyone.
www.seanbrereton.com is on the way out. I don’t plan on renewing the subscription. So head back to seanbrereton.wordpress.com if you want to read whats going on. updates are planned.

seanbrereton — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:43:51 +0000

i get my joy from having people actually want to be my friend. and being liked is a crappy idol. it really just makes you feel like crap. but besides praying i don’t know how to change it to where i get that from God instead of you guys.

I am impotent.

seanbrereton — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 20:08:17 +0000

I am fine. And I have never been so broken. Though nothing has happened directly to me I look around at my family and I see the effect of sin on those I love and it is killing me. I want to be able to do something. In my head there has got to be a thing that fixes some of these problems.
I know that not every problem has a fix. But that doesn’t stop me from wishing that every problem does. It is probably the pride in me that would have me fix something than trust God to do his will on his timeframe.
This week, truly realizing that only God can do the work that is needed to fix people and situations is something that has been frustrating me entirely I do not want to be impotent. I want to be proactive. But sometimes the situation won’t have a solution I can solve, and other times the person won’t let anyone help.
So now is the time where I have to trust in Christ and his plan to deliver my friends from pain, from disease, from darkness and lies. I can do nothing. He can do everything. With no tangible solution for me to seek there is only one thing left for me to dive in to. Prayer. I will seek the Lord on behalf of my family and my friends. I will ask God to heal some, work out the gospel in others, and give faith that his plan is best to me.
Lord, help me.

Columbia

seanbrereton — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 16:02:06 +0000

There is a good chance that I’ll be in Columbia for another year.

Day One.

seanbrereton — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:15:07 +0000

So today was my first day of trying not to waste my time and money. Here is how it went down… I think I may have spent too much time on just doing stuff for me and not enough doing stuff for others. Basically I had a lot of free time and spent it…. listening to 4 sermons (all from Matt Chandler), reading a chapter in 4 different books, meditating on James 1, and praying.

Now all of those are good things, it’s just that if sermons, the Word, books, mediation, and prayer don’t spur on me loving others more than me what is the point. So tomorrow I’m going to look hardcore at ways to love people more than me and serve them in a personal way. Please let me know of any ideas. I think that I’m going to offer to wash clothes for some dudes this week. I think that it will be good. Also, I don’t ever really plan on mentioning what I’ve done, because that will make me a big headed prideful jerk who wants to look awesome. So here is to keeping that balanced with letting you all know how my time is being spent.

Spending wisely.

seanbrereton — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:10:55 +0000

Two things that God has laid on my heart today (and before, but I have ignored).
1. Spending my money wisely and using it for the Kingdom.
2. Spending my time wisely and using if for the Kingdom.

So far what this looks like in my head is watching what I spend very carefully. No more being bored and going to buy used DVDs all the time. No more buying what I don’t need, and if I do… taking it back. (I’m doing this soon with two Xbox games I bought yesterday).

Also in the money vein I have sponsored a Compassion child in Tanzania. This statistic broke my heart for how I use my money. The average adult there is unemployed, but if they have a job… they get an average of $8 a month.

As far as spending my time wisely, that means me spending less time playing video games and watching TV on DVD. So I think that instead of doing either of those things I’m going to listen to more sermons and read more books that will grow my heart for the Lord.

Apart from that I’m not entirely sure what else to do. I’m going to start looking for places to serve. The hard part about that will be committing, because I don’t like to do that… What if something fun comes up? But certainly serving is better than being selfish with my time.

If you have any ideas for me along that line hit me up with them.

I am a whore I do confess.

seanbrereton — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:13:46 +0000

One of my all time favorite songs; Derek Webb’s “Wedding Dress”:

If you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
Should that be all I’d ever need
or is there more I’m looking for

and should I read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich, and wise
Is that really what you want

I am a whore I do confess
But I put you on just like a wedding dress
and I run down the aisle
and I run down the aisle
I?m a prodigal with no way home
but I put you on just like a ring of gold
and I run down the aisle to you

So could you love this bastard child
Though I don’t trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side

I am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers so less wild
That I would take a little cash
Over your very flesh and blood

Because money cannot buy
a husband’s jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife

Update.

seanbrereton — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:00:30 +0000

Ok. I’ve been gone a while. I don’t really know why, and I don’t really know if I’m back for good at this point, but what I do know is that right now… I feel like blogging some. So in honor of that, here is what has been going on in the life of seanbrereton.com.

- I am graduating in May. I don’t think this could come soon enough. People talk about how I’ll miss college. What I really think they mean is that I’ll miss hanging out at 2 am.
- I recently saw Slumdog Millionaire, and you should too.
- I’m in a LifeGroup with some awesome guys. We are reading Francis Chan’s Crazy Love…. We are on Ch. 3 after about 3 months… zipping through it.
- I’ve come to the realization that even if it hurts more to leave I shouldn’t cut myself off from community before it is time to go.
- On that note going means Greenville, then Seattle, as soon as I save up the $.
- My favorite class this semester is Art House Cinema. What I do is go to the Nickelodeon and watch indie movies. Win.
- Everyone asks me what I am going to do in Seattle. The plan… live there. I don’t know what I’m called to do there. I just feel that I am called to be there.
- I got a new camera. So expect pictures to be taken of you. When I miss you, I’ll look through iPhoto to see your beautiful face.
- I also got a new iPod. Thank you giant storage space.
- I’ve been buying too much stuff. I need to learn to save, and be selfless with my money.
- I’m looking for a copy writing job in a marketing firm.

A Choose Your Own Adventure God.

seanbrereton — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:25:16 +0000

More often than not when I’m seeking God’s will, I’m really asking for approval for a certain action. Rarely do I go with a blank slate, with no set notions in the works, and seek what God wants. I ask for certain things or certain outcomes in situations.
It’s never easy to realize when you are approaching the God of the universe in a totally wrong way. Lately I have been approaching the Lord with selfish intentions, and tagging on “if it is your will”. And I do mean that. I do only want it to happen if it is his will. But if whatever happens I won’t come back and seek the Lord to see if it actually is his will that I should do x or not do x. The fact that I can do it, means that it is his will to me. And that isn’t correct.
I am going to try to approach the throne of Grace and seek his will for me. Not give him options to choose from. It’s like I’ve made my life a Choose Your Own Adventure for God. As fun as that sounds, I’m pretty sure he wants to be the author of what happens in my life instead of the chooser.

Matt Chandler and the Gospel.

seanbrereton — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:15:52 +0000

Listen. The gospel matters. Getting the gospel right matters. If you get the gospel wrong and you don’t distinguish between what the gospel is and what morality is, then what you’ve done at best is restrain the hearts of people, but you won’t see their hearts transformed. If you don’t get the gospel right, you will inoculate your people to Jesus.