The disciple Jesus loved

Could it be me?
http://youtu.be/VU_rTX23V7Q - Who am I - Casting Crowns

Who am I that Jesus would love me?  On my own, I'm nothing.  But the love of Jesus can change even me.  How do I know?
His love changed the coldest heart (Paul), it even lifted the broken woman who was burdened with past sin.  And He took a hothead like John and make his name synonymous with Love. 

Mark 3:16-17  ESV
He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);  James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);

Sons of Thunder
What does that mean?  Commentaries explain that this expression given to James and John reflected a loud, rowdy, quick to fight attitude.  It appears that our apostle John was a "hot head", always ready to overpower anyone who would speak against what he believed. Jesus would show John and James a better way to deal with disagreements.  John was willing to learn.  He sat at Jesus' feet and listened.

Jesus called John
When Jesus chose John and his brother James, they weren't homeless, living on the streets, no where to go men.  Apparently, Zebedee, their father, had a thriving fishing business.  But when Jesus called, John and James both left the security of their family fishing business.  They left their family and followed Jesus.  These two men  - these two "hotheads" - followed without question.  God had called them and they answered.
And they followed Jesus.

Matthew 4:18-22 ESV
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.


It wasn't long before John and James let their "human side" take control.  Jesus and his disciples were traveling to Jerusalem.  They could have taken the long route going around Samaria instead of through it.  Almost every Jew would travel out of the way in order to avoid going through Samaria because they  considered Samaritans to be the scum of the earth. But Jesus sends messengers ahead, right into Samaria, to find lodging for the night.  This was unheard of!  When the Samaritans wouldn't accommodate them, John and James were ready to blast them off the face of the earth!  A bit of an over reaction I'd say.  Jesus rebuked them.  He had a better way.  John trusted Jesus and learned to follow Jesus' directions rather than following his own understanding.Luke 9:51-55 ESV
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them.
"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you!" 
John was not tolerate of others who weren't in his little group.  He tried to stop people from doing a good thing because he didn't recognize them as true Christ followers.  But Jesus told him to leave them alone. Jesus taught John to stand against the real Enemy, not against those who do good. 

Could there be a lesson here for me?  If someone is not speaking against Jesus, maybe I shouldn't spend quite so much time trying to "shut him/her up".  John would learn a different way of dealing with others through Jesus' example and teachings.  

Mark 9:38-40 ESV
John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.  For the one who is not against us is for us."

"Me first!"
Matthew 20:20-22 ESV
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?" They said to him, "We are able."

There's two ways to consider this passage.  As a mother myself, I can understand this mom wanting to secure the best possible position for her sons.  On the other hand, as we read Mark's gospel, we see that Mark
shares the same story but he puts all the blame on James and John, leaving out their mother's part in the request.  Either way, obviously, James and John were focused on themselves, on what Jesus could offer them.  They saw status and power, and they wanted to take the places of honor - right next to the Source of all that power.  But Jesus quickly explains that place of honor and power will come to whomever God decides.  To share in the power requires sharing in the suffering, too.  Would John be willing to suffer?

Mark 10:35-41
³⁵ And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." ³⁶And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" ³⁷And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." ³⁸Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" ³⁹And they said to him, "We are able." And Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, ⁴⁰but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." ⁴¹And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.
After reading about John, I wonder why Jesus would choose such a man to be one of His closest friends.  I'm afraid my first impression of John would have caused me to discount his value for the Kingdom.  He was  selfish, hotheaded, intolerant, quick to intimate, and not afraid to use violence to make others see his point.  Yet this same young man would grow into a man who understood that true power comes from love. 

Several passages in the bible refer to John as the apostle whom Jesus loved.  But Jesus loved them all.  Right?
Notice who is describing John as the one Jesus loved:

John 13:23
One of Jesus' disciples, the one Jesus loved, was sitting next to Jesus at the table.

John 19:26
When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, "Woman, he is your son."

John 20:2
She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, "They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!"


John 21:7
Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and swam ashore.



John 21:20
Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them--the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, "Lord, who among us will betray you?"


It was John himself! John repeatedly described himself as "the one Jesus loved".  I don't think that came from a pompous attitude of his heart.  I think John understood better than most of us how much  he was loved by Jesus.  I don't think John thought that Jesus loved him more than than he loved the others.  He just knew that he was loved.  He knew the incredible blessing of being loved by God.
 
Read John's words and see how this man's heart was changed by Jesus' love.  John wants us to understand the amazing power of love - the love we receive and the love we give away. 

1 John 4
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
This is the way to find out if they have the Spirit of God: If a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ became a human being, that person has the Spirit of God. 
If a prophet does not acknowledge Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist. You have heard that he is going to come into the world, and he is already here.

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won your fight with these false prophets, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
These people belong to this world, so they speak from the world's viewpoint, and the world listens to them.
But we belong to God; that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God--for God is love.
God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us.  And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.
Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world.
Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us.
We love each other as a result of his loving us first.
If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen?
And God himself has commanded that we must love not only him but our Christian brothers and sisters, too.


No More Son of Thunder - John is the Apostle of LOVE
John learned from Jesus what it meant to love others and what it meant to be loved unconditionally by His Savior.  John understood that Jesus knew him - with all his faults and shortcomings, yet Jesus still loved him.  John knew the difference the love of Jesus had made in his life.  He was a changed man.  John was no longer a "son of thunder", he became "the Apostle whom Jesus loved".  Not only is John known for being the apostle Jesus loved, John is now the Apostle of Love.  His books talk about love more than any other book in the New Testament.  The Gospel according to John, 1,2,3 John and the book of Revelation were written by a man who knew he was greatly loved.  His response to that love was to love Jesus with all his heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love others as himself. 

Luke 10:27
And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

When I started to write this devotional, I wanted to make the point that God can use any of us - even a hotheaded, violent, intimidating man like John.  Jesus called John because God had a plan for him.  That plan included transforming his brutishness to make people conform to his thinking, into a man who will be forever known for his love.  That's what love can do for me, too.  It can change my heart and conform me into the likeness of Christ. 
Maybe John called himself "the disciple Jesus loved" as a reminder.  He didn't want to ever forget how much Jesus loved him.  I don't want to ever forget how much Jesus loves me, either. 
 
Holy Father, thank You for loving me.  Thank You for changing my heart with Your love.  Thank You, Jesus, for loving me, proving your love through Your death on the cross.  Thank You for loving me even when I'm not so lovable.  I may not be a hothead like John was, but, like him,  I, too,  can be self-centered and quick to judge others when they don't live up to my expectations. Help me to remember that "I am the disciple Jesus loves".  Help me to share that amazing love with everyone I meet.  Thank You for believing in John.  What a wonderful man he must have been!  I'm so thankful that You used John to write Your inspired words about the importance of love.  Thank You Lord for showing me that You can change anyone with Your great love.
Forgive me when I fail to love others, when I fail to remember how much I'm loved by You.  Today, please help me love like You love, without conditions or reserve.  In the blessed name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
 
http://youtu.be/EdSM3RQhlu8 - Unfailing Love - Chris Tomlin
 
 
 
 
 

Jars of Clay

http://youtu.be/ar8m_m426KA - Inside Out

I found this short little video on YouTube.  It really spoke to my heart.  Many of us were broken just like that clay jar,  and we felt beyond repair, good for nothing.  But our brokeness opened our eyes to how much we need our Savior. 

The broken pot with the light pouring out is beautiful.    
 That's what I want to be. An empty vessel for
Christ to fill with His light. 

from youtube:
Uploaded by communityin1 on Feb 27, 2009



What if God shone most brightly through our broken places - our sins and our wounds? What if we let him pour his grace into us, and out into those around us? What if we were beautifully consumed by Him and transformed into His likeness?

Lyrics "Inside Out" by Hillsong United

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame

My heart, my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out


2 Corinthians 4 NLT

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.


7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.


11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.


13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” 14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.


16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Paul suffered through so many trials and persecutions.  Through it all he trusted Jesus to get him through those times.   "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Paul continues in 2 Corinthians 12:10 - "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong."


We are nothing more than jars of clay - empty vessels with nothing to offer - until He fills us up with His light.  When we come to that place where we know how much we need Jesus, how much we depend on Him for everything, that's when we stop trying to do things on our own.  We get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit take control.  Then His light can shine. 

I am a jar of clay and I need my Savior.

----------
from Power Prayers to Start Your Day - Donna K Maltese

LORD, when I hear what other people say You have done in their lives, their testimonies buoy my own faith.  It give me chills when I hear of the wonders of Your deeds.  Give me the courage to share my testimony with others, knowing this will draw unbelievers to You and strengthen the hearts of those who already know You.  Thank You, LORD, for hearing my prayer. 

http://youtu.be/wrRd-NZjdcg - Dependence - Jamie Slocum

MY Best Friend

FRIEND - a person one knows, likes and trusts.

James 2:23
And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”  He was even called the friend of God.

Exodus 33:11
Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.

http://youtu.be/lcxKRsn-hGc - I am a Friend of God - Phillips Craig and Dean


I love this song.  But honestly, I have always questioned if I have the right to call myself a "friend of God".  After all, I'm no Moses and I'm no Abraham.  But just like both of them, I have faith in God.  I believe in the saving Power of Jesus Christ with all my heart, but is that all it takes for me to be considered a Friend of God?

Friend is defined as a person whom one knows, likes and trusts.  

God knows me, to be sure.  He made me.  He knows everything about me.  He knows my thoughts, and what I'm going to say even before I say it.  He understands me better than I understand myself.  And I know Him through His word and by the amazing things He does in life.

God loves me with a love that goes way beyond my understanding of love.  I believe that His perfect love would also "like" .  So, I believe my Father likes me, too.  I and can truthfully say I like God more than I like anything.

Does He trust me?  I definitely trust Him, but does He trust me? That's a tough one.  I so want to be trustworthy in His eyes.  My heart's desire is to live for Him, but no matter how hard I try, I keep doing things I shouldn't. And I fail to do the things I know I should. Me and Paul, right? 

Romans 7:18-20
I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.  But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

I can so identify with Paul.  And like Paul, I'm so thankful that Jesus redeemed me from my fate as being a slave to the Enemy.  I still stumble, I still fall, but I get back up with His strength and power.  With all my faults, when my Father looks at me, He sees the righteousness of Jesus.  Thank You, LORD, for Your grace and mercy that saved a wretch like me!

God trusts me to lean on Jesus. He knows that I reach for His Hand in all situations.  He knows I fall - often - but He knows the intention of my heart is to do His Will.  I hope to be worthy of His trust.

As I searched for an answer to my question,  "Does God consider me His friend?", I found the answer spoken by Jesus Himself.

John 15:12-15
This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. ¹³ There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

If I do what Jesus commands, I am His friend.  Tall order, right!

When I read through the Gospels and listen to the instructions Jesus gives to His followers, I tend to feel very inadequate - not quite up to the task of obeying all his instructions. 

I have to forgive others as I've been forgiven?

I have to take up my cross daily and follow Him?

I have to seek Him first in all things?

I have to love others as I love myself???

I really want to do those things.  I want to make my Father proud.  But, boy, do I fall short.  Every day!
How can Christ consider me His friend when I can't seem to get these things right?  I desperately need help.
I need someone to stand over me and remind me to choose His way, not my own.  I need guidance.

Great news for me!  Jesus provided His Holy Spirit to give me everything I need to obey His commandments, to follow His decrees and regulations.

John 15:26
 “But I will send you the Advocate (Helper, Comforter, Encourager, Counselor)—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.

Ezekiel 36:26-28
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. “And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God."

I want to be a friend of God, and Jesus made that possible through His death, burial and resurrection.  He created in me a new heart, and He put His Spirit inside of me.  I am sealed by His Spirit who lives me (Thank You, Jesus!) This is the very Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.  The Holy Spirit is powerful and He gives me strength, wisdom, guidance, encouragement, comfort... The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit gives me everything I need to obey, to follow, to be a Friend of God.

2 Corinthians 21-22
Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

Ephesians 1:12-14 NLT - Paul writes...
God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.  And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him.


I belong to Christ.  He has given me His Holy Spirit as a guarantee that everything He promised will be fulfilled.  The Spirit gives me all I need to obey and follow Christ.  The Holy Spirit living in me is more powerful than the spirit in this world. (the Enemy)  I will stumble, more times than I'd like to admit, but because I belong to Christ, the Spirit lifts me up, puts me back on my feet, and says, "Let's try that again."

When I measure my walk with Christ to Abraham's or Moses' walk with God, I feel unworthy.  They were such powerful men of faith. 

Hebrews 11:8
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:24-27
It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.  He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.  It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.

I can't measure up to Abraham or Moses. They are both in the "Faith Hall of Fame".   They trusted God to do what He promised. They stepped out in Faith.  Amazing Faith.  If that's what it takes to be a friend of God, I may be in trouble.

I believe with all my heart that Christ has saved me, and that I will spend Eternity with Him because of what He has done.  He promised me, and God always keeps His promises.  But I falter.  I don't always choose the right path.  I disobey - not because I don't want to the right thing, but because I'm weak and I take eyes of Jesus.  I fail to listen to His Spirit living in me.  Does that mean God doesn't consider me His friend?

I don't think so.  A closer look at Abraham and Moses encourages me.  Abraham was not perfect.  He made his wife, Sarai, lie and say she was his sister.  Sarai was beautiful, and Abraham was afraid that Pharaoh would have him killed so that he could take Sarai (Sarah) for himself.  Abraham lied more than once.

Abraham also made a terrible decision when he slept with Haggar, his wife's handmaiden.  Sarai wanted a son desperately and felt that she was too old for for that to happen.  God promised that He would make Abraham the father of many, and that all nations of the earth would be blessed through his Seed.  But Sarah didn't believe God.  Abraham should have been the spiritual leader of his family.  He should have stood firm and told Sarah that God's promise would happen.  But instead he listened to his wife instead of trusting God.

Moses killed a man.  He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite, and in his efforts to help his people, he killed the Egyptian and then ran away. 

Moses complained.  He told God he couldn't do what God wanted to do. 

Moses had doubts...

Exodus 3:11
But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”


Moses complained ...

Number 11:11
And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people?

Moses failed to give God credit from bring water out of the rock...

Numbers 20:9-11
So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord. ¹⁰ Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?”

I do stupid things just like Abraham and Moses.  But just like Abraham and Moses, I love the Lord with all my heart.  My desire is to honor Him and bring Him glory by the way I live my life here on earth.  I fall short, but God can use me, inspite of my failures as a testimony to His faithfulness.  I fall down, but He's always there to pick me back up.  He's my Friend.


http://youtu.be/b0Hz4OAVfWE - What a Friend we have in Jesus - the Haven Quartet
I mess up every day but my heart belongs to Jesus.  I am a friend of God.  And even better, HE is my Friend.

Father God, because of Your great mercy, my faith, as weak as it is compared to the faith of Abraham and that of Moses, my struggling faith gives me "friend" status with You.  Jesus said that there was no greater man than John the Baptist, yet the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John!  Not because of what we've done, but all because of what Jesus did for us.  I want to be considered Your friend.  I do want to obey Your commands.  I do want to walk according to the instructions Jesus gave us.  But You know very well how easily I get off track.  Thank You for giving me Your Spirit to live in me, to guide me and encouragement me on my earthly journey.  Thank You for providing everything I need to live this life for You.  Thank You most of all for Jesus, my true Friend, who covers me with His precious blood so that I can stand before Your Holy Throne, not with a righteousness of my own, but in His Righeousness.  Give me strength and power over the Enemy today and always,  so that my life will honor You and bring You glory.  In the blessed Name of Jesus I pray. Amen. 

John 11:11
“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!..."



http://youtu.be/TCUO7FAp6J8 - My Savior, My God - Aaron Shust