Love Courageously

Discontent

2011-10-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

She is a wanderer in life, unsettled and unsatisfied everywhere she rests.

She never really rests. She pauses before throwing herself into the next moment.

She wants what she cannot have, but she still reaches.

She did not see that she was being loved.

Notes for the integrity of your word

2011-03-30T01:57:00.000-07:00

Matthew 5:33-37
Don't break your oaths to the lord and Jesus discouraging swearing an oath, just let your yes be yes and no no

2 Cor 1:17-31
Paul explaining that though he has yet to fulfill his word to come to Corinth, he did not commit his word in a worldly way but really meant to fulfill it. circumstances have simply prevented him

Ezekiel 18:21-32
God changes his action based on the response of people to Him. When people repent, he relents from punishing and blesses instead. When people turn from righ the relents from blessing and punishes instead.

Jeremiah 18:1-12
God changes his action based on the response of people to Him even in spite of His word. When people repent, he relents from punishing and blesses instead. When people turn from right the relents from blessing and punishes instead.

My campus ministry nightmare!

2011-03-21T04:57:00.000-07:00

The following is an acutal nightmare that I had a few years ago about our campus ministry:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

We have a few more weeks in the semester. We have planned, but not prepared well. We have nothing confirmed for the next meeting or the big outreach meeting in a few weeks. I call a meeting of student leaders along with our faculty advisor. I announce that the next week have planned to feature Augusta State atheletes teamed up with their moms to form two-person teams which will compete against each other in trivia questions and game show type challenges. With one week to go, we have no athlete contestants lined up and no moms! The athletes should be kind of easy to get, but their moms? While it was a cute idea, getting their moms to our meeting is throwing a curveball in our preparations.

Worse yet, for the big outreach in a few weeks we have promised people elephant rides. Literally, rides on the backs of elephants. Why this sounded like a good idea at the semester planning meeting escapes me, but that is what we planned. I was supposed to arrange to get the time with the elephants donated. Now, I have two weeks to get commitments on these elephants! Oh my God! Where am I supposed to find elephants? But, hey isn't the circus coming to town? If I can just contact Ringling Bros....

Frustrating Singles

2011-02-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

Men who are afraid to pursue
Women who don't know what they want
Men who lack ambition and focus
Women who are afraid to say what they want

Are you expecting?

2011-01-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

Do you remember writing a Christmas list? Mine would be filled with toys, treats, video games and that one special big wish. My big wish would include things like a BMX bike, a video game console, or a brand new Commodore 64 computer with a 5” disk drive with a set of “Where in the world is Carmen San Diego” floppies.
On Christmas morning, when I sat down with my family beside the tree we would open our gifts by taking turns. AS the youngest I would go first hoping that I would get that the first brightly wrapped package that I opened would contain the fulfillment of that one big wish. While unwrapping the box I would wonder, “Is this the one?” However, when I opened the box I would inevitably find something like several jumbo packs of tube socks and one pair of nice black dress socks. I would smile, weakly, and say something polite with a look of thinly veiled disappointment in my eyes. When it was my turn again, I would feel renewed with that same hope and anticipation as the first time, “Is this the one?” Then, I would carefully unwrap and uncover a big beautiful sweater. Another weak smile would creep across my face, except with greater effort this time, and I would force out another polite expression. My brothers would take their turns and then my parents and finally back to me for another round of gift unwrapping. Again and again we would go as I alternated between anticipation and disappointment until that one box was unwrapped to reveal that gift that I had been waiting for. My one big wish come true on display in front of me in all of its glory!
Expectations can take us on a roller coaster like that. We like to get what we want. We want to foresee what should be based on our desires and anticipate the future. When we don’t get what we expect, often feelings of disappointment and even discouragement follow. Something must be wrong. How can reality fail to conform to our rigid preset goals, ideas, and timetables? While searching for the expected we can easily gloss over all of the other gifts that God has given us along the way. We can fail to recognize the care and kindness in His provision for our lives.
Try laying aside your expectations for the next few months. Instead put on an attitude of expectancy. Trust God to do something good without defining what it has to be. Enjoy the wonder of anticipating the unknown, and accept every gift with genuine gratitude. Let it direct your attention to the giver, our good, gracious, and loving Father.

Dick Van Dyke Show theme song lyrics

2011-01-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

On the radio show,"Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!", Dick Van Dyke sang the words to the theme song of the Dick Van Dyke Show. I have copied them below:

"So you think that you've got trouble, well trouble's a bubble, so tell old Mr. Trouble to get lost. Why not hold your head up high and stop crying, start trying, and don't forget to keep your fingers crossed. When you find the joy of living is loving and giving, you'll be there when the winning dice are tossed. A smile is just a frown that's turned upside down, so smile and that frown will defrost. And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed."

The Gates of Hell understood using Bible Dictionaries

2010-08-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

Gates of Hell understood using dictionaries

This post continues my study into the meaning of the phrase “gates of hell” in Matthew 16:18. Previously, I used commentaries to understand the meaning. Here I use bible dictionaries. I chose these specific resources because I was able to find them online using www.crosswalk.com and www.biblegateway.com, or I had them on my bookshelf already.

Smith's Bible Dictionary-did not include a reference to the Gates of Hell

Eerdman's
“The gate is a frequent metaphor for power, as in the …. 'gates of hell.'”

Nave's Topical Bible
Gates refers figuratively in Matthew 16:18 to the powers of hell

Hayford's Bible Handbook
“Jesus in saying that His church would prevail over the “gates of hades” indicates that ….Jesus' purpose in building His church is to break the evil hold on these arenas of life which hell perpetrates to human confusion and destruction.”

Easton's Bible Dictionary
“"The gates of hell" (RSV, "gates of Hades") Matthew 16:18 , are generally interpreted as meaning the power of Satan, but probably they may mean the power of death, denoting that the Church of Christ shall never die. “

Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology
“When Jesus promises that the "gates of Hades" will never overcome the church ( Matt 16:18 ), this phrase parallels Old Testament expressions tied to evil's power and persecution ( Psalm 9:13 ; 107:17-20 ). Jesus' reference to the future in Matthew 16:18 concurs with Revelation's vision of Satan's final attack on God's people (19:19; 20:7-9). Jesus has promised that he will conquer Hades so that it will not defeat the church. Indeed, his resurrection establishes that this evil empire is already broken. Christ now holds the keys, the authority over death and Hades ( Rev 1:18 )!”

Torrey's New Topical Textbook Bible Concordance Online
the phrase “gates of hell” from Matthew 16:18 is illustrative of Satan's power

The other resources that I will explore in the future include:

1) Different English translations of the Bible
2) Strong's
3) An interlinear bible
4) Writings and/or sermons from history regarding this passage, especially from the Church Fathers if they can be found.

The Gates of Hell understood using commentaries

2009-09-14T05:02:00.000-07:00

My pastor referenced matthew 16:18 in a sermon yesterday where he explained the reference to "the gates of hell" as signifying the Church overcoming death. I have heard this phrase explained in a different way in the past. I have been taught that the gates of hell refer to the spiritual forces of evil, namely Satan, demons, and every argument, image, or attraction that is contrary to the rule of Christ.

So, I decided to research the meaning using the resources available to me to learn for myself the best way to understand this passage. The sources I used for my initial research include commentaries by, John Gill's Exposition of the Bible(JG), Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible(MH), and Jameson, Faussett, and Brown's Critical and Explanatory Commentary(JFB). I used crosswalk.com to view the of these commentaries online.

Jameson, Faussett, and Brown

and the gates of hell--"of Hades," or, the unseen world; meaning, the gates of Death: in other words, "It shall never perish." Some explain it of "the assaults of the powers of darkness"; but though that expresses a glorious truth, probably the former is the sense here.

Matthew Henry

The gates of hell shall not prevail against it; neither against this truth, nor against the church which is built upon it. (1.) This implies that the church has enemies that fight against it, and endeavour its ruin overthrow, here represented by the gates of hell, that is, the city of hell; (which is directly opposite to this heavenly city, this city of the living God ), the devil’s interest among the children of men. The gates of hell are the powers and policies of the devil’s kingdom, the dragon’s head and horns, by which he makes war with the Lamb; all that comes out of hell-gates, as being hatched and contrived there. These fight against the church by opposing gospel truths, corrupting gospel ordinances, persecuting good ministers and good Christians; drawing or driving, persuading by craft or forcing by cruelty, to that which is inconsistent with the purity of religion; this is the design of the gates of hell, to root out the name of Christianity (Ps. 83:4), to devour the man-child (Rev. 12:9), to raze this city to the ground. (2.) This assures us that the enemies of the church shall not gain their point. While the world stands, Christ will have a church in it, in which his truths and ordinances shall be owned and kept up, in spite of all the opposition of the powers of darkness;

John Gill's

and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The Jews speak of the gates of hell: sometimes of the gate of hell, in the singular number; and sometimes of the gates of hell, in the plural number. They say, that

``(Mnhygl vy Myxtp hvlv) , "hell has three gates", one in the wilderness, one in the sea, and one in Jerusalem.''

They talk of

``an angel that is appointed (Mnhygd yert le) , "over the gates of hell", whose name is Samriel; who has three keys in his hands, and opens three doors.''

And elsewhere they say, that

``he that is appointed over hell his name is Dumah, and many myriads of destroying angels are with him, and he stands (Mnhygd axtp le) , "at the gate of hell"; and all those that keep the holy covenant in this world, he has no power to bring them in.''

Our Lord may allude to these notions of the Jews, and his sense be, that all the infernal principalities and powers, with all their united cunning and strength, will never be able to extirpate his Gospel, to destroy his interest, to demolish his church in general, or ruin anyone particular soul that is built upon him. Again, the gates of "Hades", or hell, sometimes seem to design no other than the gates of death, and the grave, and persons going into the state of death; see (Job 38:17) (Isaiah 38:10) where the Septuagint use the same phrase as here; and then the sense is, that neither death, nor the grave, shall finally, and totally prevail over the people of God, and members of Christ; but they shall be raised out of such a state, and live gloriously with him for ever. By it here is not meant Peter himself; though it is true of him, that Satan, and his posse of devils that beset him, did not prevail against him, so as to destroy his grace, hurt his estate, and hinder his salvation: nor could death, in all its frightful appearances, deter him from holding, and preaching, and maintaining the doctrine of Christ; and though death, and the grave, have now power over him, yet they shall not always detain him: but rather, it designs the doctrine Peter made a confession of; which, though it may be opposed by hell and earth, by Satan, and his emissaries, by the open force of persecutors, and the secret fraud of heretics, it may be brought into contempt by the scandalous lives of professors; and though the true professors of it may die off, yet truth itself always lives, and defies the power of death, and the grave: or else the church in general is meant, and every true believer. These words do not ascertain the continuance of anyone particular congregated church, but secures the church universal, which will continue as long as the sun and moon endure, and the perseverance of everyone of God's elect; and assure that death, and the grave, shall not always have the dominion over the saints, but that they shall be rescued from them. Once more, this "it" may refer to Christ the rock, who, though he was brought to the dust of death, by the means of Satan, and the powers of darkness, yet to the ruin of him that had the power of death; and though death, and the grave, had power over him for a while, yet could not hold him; he rose victorious over them, and ever lives, having the keys of hell and death, to open the gates thereof, and let his people out when he thinks fit.

I have used these commentaries in the past to great benefit. On this small portion of Scripture JFB and MH disagree while JG presents both understandings and some basis for each. At this point in my search for understanding, it seems that honest disagreement is possible since both interpretations reflect truths that are supported elsewhere in Scripture.

I'll need to look into this further. The sources that I intend to research next include

1) Bible dictionaries
2) Different English translations of the Bible
3) Strong's
4) An interlinear bible
5) Writings and/or sermons from history regarding this passage, especially from the Church Fathers if they can be found.

Lessons I'd like to teach

2009-07-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

I was communicating to a friend of mine two fundamental lessons that I learned while leading a ministering to women for the first time. (These are featured in an earlier post)

(1) Being cared for is more important than being challenged

(2) Being loved is more important than being admired

After explaining these to her, I thought, "Is this any different from what everyone wants? Do men want something different? Do i want anything different?" So, I've been mulling it over. What lessons would I want someone to keep in mind as they try connect to me?

Here is what I came up with:

(1) Recognize and respect what I have to offer, and invite me to contribute.

(2) Believe in me by extending the gift of trust when I lead or when I follow, and I want the benefit of the
doubt that I can handle a challenge.

Is this a typical?

126

2009-06-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

Riding through the township in a small Honda which was so low to the ground that the bumps on the road scratched the bottom of the car as the nursing team rode along the dirt roads with Hillary and Kristin along for the ride. Children in faded, unwashed clothes played in front of their homes in the dirt patches that substitute for front yards in this township. We are looking for a home with the address of 126. This is the address that the man wrote down at the ThembaCare facility where he was treated [how long ago] for HIV.

It is hard to find his address. Looking carefully at the chalk marks on the side of the houses we see in blue the number "120" scribbled on one then the number "134" drawn onto another. Finally, in pink marks we see the number 126. The care giver gets out of the car to deliver the medicines.

The nurse knocks on the door to the small home built from sheets of cardboard and tin. A woman answers the door. it is the wrong address. it is a common mistake. Addresses change often in these shanty towns. These homes are so flimsy that they catch on fire easily. It could be caused by a cooking fire or a heater. Once one home catches flame the fire quickly spreads to other homes nearby. This can change the address system.

The nurse said, "I hope that we find this guy. If we don't find him today, he will be dying in his home."

This is a hard job. You can't help everyone who needs it. There is just so much that needs to be done. She went on to explain how she lost her first patient who, knowing that he needed to take his medicine with food, would eat dirt because he had no food. just so he could have something in his stomach. When, he was found dead his organs were stuffed with dirt.

They look for 126 in the six other townships that they visit that day.

They never find the man. They have to move on.

There are more people who need their medicine today.

The above story was told to me by a young lady who went on a missions trip to South Africa with me. One out of every four adults in South Africa is infected with HIV.

Acts 2-4

2009-05-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

makes so much more sense after this last time that i read acts. In chapters 2-4 Paul is appealing to his Jewish brothers to see that God is not concerned with circumcision or following the law. The funny thing is that he is in prison in Rome. He is there because these same brothers mobbed him and caused him to be put in chains.

He is appealing to his enemies to see the truth about faith in Christ. That there own revered forefather Abraham was not circumcised, did not have the Law to follow, yet was accepted by God because of his faith. Why can't grant that God is doing the same for their Gentile brothers?

It hits me hard that Paul was endangered because of his fellow believers locked into the traditions:

"And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him,

"You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs".

"What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take them and (AR)purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law."

"But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote,having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication."

Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them. When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, crying out,

"Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place "

Acts 21:18-28

In an effort to appeal to his brothers who were married to their customs Paul put himself in harms way. he ran into some enemies who had been out for his blood in Asia and they turned a crowd against him. In Romans, Paul is still appealing to Jewish brothers captive to their customs, despite the injury that these kinds of people have already caused him.

When I read Romans this time, i can hear heart behind the intellectual arguments. i hear love not reasonings, appeal not commands

Confessions

2009-02-24T15:05:00.000-08:00

I was rummaging through an old journal, and came across these statements that I wrote around October of 2007. I'd just accepted the position of Campus Director of ENCM at Augusta State University and was still not sure why God had me here. These statements represent the few things that I knew for certain amidst a lot of uncertainty.

---------------------------------
"I believe that I must obey God by doing my best to build at ASU

I believe that God will give me wisdom to manage well.

I believe that the lives of students will be altered and steered Godward by my service here.

I desire to give my life away.
If God approves that my life is worth giving,
He'll permit it,
and I'll marry my purpose

Jesus is worth everything
I don't deserve anything
I'll always have enough to give something

GO FOR IT!
Love Courageously Hope Fearlessly"

Note to self

2008-12-26T23:17:00.000-08:00

remember to Love and Appreciate more than you Evaluate

Keep your friends

2008-12-04T14:02:00.001-08:00

Keep your friends.
Love them,
how they need it.
Ask God for help.
Say you are sorry.
Say it a lot.
Keep an open heart.
It will be pierced.
Ask God to heal it.
It will grow stronger.
You need to love.

Parallels

2008-11-14T04:40:00.000-08:00

Strong People

2008-10-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

Strong people take care of weak people.

People who think themselves too strong to be bothered with or "held back" by weaker people are really just too weak to handle the responsibility.

People who think themselves so strong that they can prey on weak people are really just too weak to handle taking care of themselves.

Strong People are upholding families, churches, governments, and other institutions.

Strong People guard the weak and defenseless from the spineless and the gutless who would harm them.

Strong People lend strength to others making them strong as well.

No Regrets

2008-09-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

Almost exactly one year ago, i posted about "5 things I've Never regretted." In this post, I list them and I expand how I understand what they mean below.

Loving God

Loving People

Dreaming BIG

Being Diligent

Being Patient

Loving God is essential. It means intentionally directing my affections by making lifestyle choices that diret my thoughts and actions towards things that give God pleasure. It means persistently realigning my passions so that I can pursue the thngs that are on my Father's heart.

Loving People is one of the ways that a genuine love for God is expressed. It means remembering to love others to the same extent that I love myself and treating people as well as I'd like to be treated. It also means holding others in higher regard than I hold myself.

Dreaming BIG is about being hopeful. It's about me continuing to believe that no matter how great I imagine something can be, God's going to top my wildest imagination. It's about meeting disappointment with an even bigger dream.

Being Diligent means translating passion and imagination into consistent effort. Love without action is just emothion. Dreams without implementation are merely fantasies. Diligence turns possibilities into performance and aspirations into achievement.

Being Patient is about knowing that anything I want to happen will probably take awhile. It's about learning to want only things that are worth waiting for.

When I think about decisions that I've made and the way I made them, I'm not always proud. Today, some of them make me wince with pain as I have come to understand how others were affected by my choices. However, I don't regret any decisions that I made loving God, loving people, dreaming big, being diligent, and being patient.

Father Abraham

2008-07-31T05:31:00.000-07:00

Anything that kids do is cute. This is especially true, if they have an african accent. I met these kids on my recent trip to South Africa. They are performed this song for us before we began to work to help improve their education center called Graceland. These kids live on nearby farms and come to Graceland everyday to learn. Without Graceland these kids would not be receiving an adequate education. in the Stelenbosch region of South Africa. They live on nearby farms and

Freedom?

2008-07-14T04:43:00.000-07:00

To protect your freedom, we will read your email.
To protect your freedom, we will listen to your phone calls.
To protect your freedom, we will watch your every move.

To promote freedom, we will hold secret trials.
To promote freedom, we will torture.
To promote freedom, we will imprison as many people as necessary.

To protect and promote freedom, we will remain unaccountable.

Cautionary note on Strengths Finder themes of talent

2008-07-09T01:28:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that there is a tendency to use the results of the strengths finder evaluation in ways that are unnecessarily limiting. I don't believe that your themes should be seen as disqualifying you for things, nor should it be used as a way to cop out of certain responsibilities.

I'll give you an example using my own themes which are Input, Intellection, Responsibility, Context, and Connectedness. you will notice that none of these themes are obviously relational. I don't have Woo, Relator, Includer, Empathy, or some other theme that might mark me as someone who is good at relationships. However, I am pretty good at building and maintaining relationships. How I build and maintain relationships is affected by my themes in the following way.

{Input} I listen to people. I love talking to someone one-on-one and asking them quesitons about their life. I try to figure out someone's personality by observing their reactions in different situations or listening to certain phrases that they repeat like "It's the right thing to do." or "I had a hunch she felt that way."

It's even better if I can get them to take a personal evaluation test like Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, Love Language Test, Gifts Test, or Strengths Finder. If so, then I'll research everything i can find out about them based on their evaluation results.

{Input, Context} I like to find out about where people are from. I love to learn historical information about someone such as how someone came to Christ, how they met their spouse, or how they landed a certain job.

{Intellection} I turn over in my mind all of the things that I've learned about someone by listening, observing, and researching their themes or personality type. I look at things from different angles. I reinterpret situations that I've observed this person in and notice how personality influenced response.

{Intellection,Connectedness}I make connections between different thengs that they have revealed about themselves. How does being raised up in a country church relate to their Belief Theme? Does their spiritual gift of mercy have a parallel in their preferred love language? Is their personality fit their profession? On and on I go.

{Intellection} I try to understand how the person fits in the larger group. I also imagine how this person would fit in other groups and environments.

{Responsibility} Then, I think of ways to use this understanding of a person to tailor my style of communication. I try to encourage them based on who I understand them to be. If I can, I recommend experiences that I thing that they would enjoy and connect them with other people who may be able to help them pursue their goals or fulfill their desires. I'm often asked for advice because people feel like I 'get them' and can help them get a better perspective on situations. I relate Scripture, using my own teaching gift, to them in ways that make God's Word relevant to someone based on what I understand about them and about their situation.

The point is that I am not people-focused because of my themes, but because God commands me to love people. I use my themes to serve people in my own way. Don't let your themes define your mission. Let your themes serve your mission.

Partner Party Video

2008-06-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

My mom gettin' down

2008-06-07T04:34:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Lyrics

2008-05-22T11:08:00.001-07:00

I got these off of the site lyricsdir.com. These lyrics are from a rap by E'Miner and the Pilgrim featured on the album "Human Emergency". It is presented as a prayer and is entitled "Lord"

These lyrics were my prayer for about 1.5yrs.

[The Pilgrim]
Lord Jesus You're the King
And You reign over everything
Nothing is impossible to You not even anything
Forever never perishing
You're beauty never blemishing
You are the song that we sing
when we're worshipping
You're word is nourishing
and You're kingdom ever flourishing
Eternal never finishing, never ever diminishing
I'm relishing my relationship I'm daily cherishing
Through fellowship my thirsty soul You're replenishing
Lord, because You're just sin and lust You'll be punishing
Astonishing, how man rejects the admonishing
But knees will be knocking, hard nuts will be cracking and trembling
All high heels You'll be leveling
Mans long list of short comings
You'll be measuring and threatening
Over drawn accounts You'll be settling
Prodigal sons and lost souls
You'll be beckoning and tethering
And then will welcome them into the bretherin

[E'Miner]
Lord release Your power from on high through our lives
coz when we grip the mic we want to drop this right
we bring our bodies as a living sacrifice
that the deaf ears might be opened
and the blind receive their sight, and recognize
the way that they can identify
with You the Christ who Died
so that we could come into the light
and realise that You took away our sin
the way to You is open we can now freely come within
You're Holy veil
Lord, no more livin stale,
Lord, we can know You for ourselves for real
Lord and be secure in who You are
in everything we do worship
You and know that we is cool
that's why we, want to state plainly
the liberty that You have given us by You sovereignty
gratefully received
Cross Movement and MOD merge together as one like melody and harmony
a Godly symphony
sounding out the ghetto liturgy
globally, we bring encouragement to all You're family
faithfully, we want to serve You side by side with sword and trowel
till before You're throne on both our bended knees we take our bow

[Chorus]
Lord we declare humbly that You are here
We recognize ya
We raise our praise to Your name
Hallelujah
We come to represent You with no shame
because we love ya
There's nobody else who is above ya

[The Pilgrim]
Lord I thank You that to us Gentiles
who sat in the darkness You brought us light
through Christ
no less, sitting in the shadow of death
Lord this world is a mass grave
a tomb headed for doom, give me room
spreading from the left to the right
no depth or no height
holding forth the word of life yo
takin this game to the street, kicking tradition to the kerb
enlightening those who never heard bringing the word
faithfully spittin the truth, we're cuttin them loose
the sceptics providin them proof yo
we aint timid and scared, we're fully prepared
we're ready and keen 1Peter 3:15
me and my team
hit targets and getting annoyed
while The Word of God is accurate it never returns void
and if you're looking for Guns we ain't carryin
but I've got a Bible and some tracks in my hand you understand

[E'Miner]
Lord People wrestle You and try to fling You off like Dr Spock
Instead of gripping You like Jacob
Truly You are in this place and they know it not
like Clarke Gable, Frankly my dear the mans don't give a... what!?!
Do they know not
that they're headed for that hot spot
and when their flesh rots
they will still be burning non-stop?
We try to reason, but they treat us like we're talkin treason
wanning (going on) like they is the cream of the crop
so we use the hip-hop
to preach non-stop
rinse the Bible from bottom to top
Blaze the Word till we drop
because we can't stop makin it clear
that You are here and You truly care
and our burdens You'll truly bare
but beware because we know
You're judgement is drawin near
if we turn from sin, You'll bring us in
out of despair
You made the way clear
yet it does makes You're heart bleed
to see the gals dem bunnin the weed
driven by greed, mans out sowin wild seed
yet more wild flowers a breed
when will the people take heed
tell me when will the people them see
Lord You're here full of Grace and Mercy
us Your keen to receive
Tell me when will the people them see, Lord
You're here and You're wrath is ready if we refuse to believe

lesson learned leading women's ministry

2008-04-28T01:07:00.000-07:00

For a large number of people the following hold true:

(1) Being cared for is more important than being challenged

(2) Being loved is more important than being admired

a subtle deceit

2008-04-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

It was an easy thing to regard that initial commitment that I made to Jesus as a significant moment to be memorialized. Once I became His, I had only to enjoy the benefits of this amazing association. I had learned the new rules.

With this accomplished, I looked to occupy myself with other pursuits. New adventures, achievements, and relationships absorbed my attention and passions. I carefully applied the new rules to the same pursuits that I had before I began to follow Jesus. This, I supposed, was what it meant to believe.

This attitude is subtle and subversive. The truth is that the commitment that I made to Jesus was not about the moment of decision. It was to a lifestyle of seeking and yielding. I am unfaithful to that commitment when I am too concerned with my own desires and ambitions to seek God's pleasure and too tied to my own goals and pursuits to yield to His purpose.

In that moment, obedience becomes an inconvenient obligation to avoid if possible and endure when necessary.

Blackberry addict interviewed

2008-02-03T04:39:00.000-08:00

Blackberry addicts being interviewed on television. They just can't put it down.

Someone just died

2008-02-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

I can hear my mom calling relatives in the next room. I know the drill by now. Calling relatives across the nation means that someone has died. At best, someone is in the hospital.

In the first six months of last year we have had 3 deaths in the family. I am familiar with the routine. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

My dad just came in my room to tell me the news. My cousin, D., her husband was killed in a car accident last night. Our family is very close. I grew up with her being more like a sister than a cousin.

Please pray for D. she now has 2 teenagers, a baby, and a house to care for.

Chuck Norris

2008-01-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

This one is good:

1. Go to Google
2. Type “find Chuck Norris”
3. Click on I’m Feeling Lucky

Confidence vs Arrogance

2008-01-24T10:19:00.000-08:00

Confidence says, "I'm great!"

Arrogance says, "I'm better than you!"

The same answer

2007-12-27T10:51:00.000-08:00

I asked for an answer to solve the conflict in my mind.

How can I believe when I don't understand? When I don't understand the motive behind the action or the intention behind the word, how can I trust?

The answer is the same as always.

Love. Love first. Love persistently.

INVENTORY OF CONVICTIONS THAT GOD HAS BUILT INTO MY LIFE

2007-12-23T01:47:00.000-08:00

Singleness is a gift to be honored, appreciated, capitalized upon. Jesus had it his entire life. Paul, the apostle had it and thought so much of it that he wished everyone had it. It offers unique advantages over being married that unmarried people have a responsibility to utilize to their greatest effect.

Every authority is appointed by God. God uses authorities to protect and provide for me. God requires me to obey and honor every authority in my life, familial, governmental, ecclesiastical, spiritual, and otherwise. I am currently learning that this may also include cultural.

Building and maintaining relationships characterized by love is always the main goal in any endeavor. While it is easier to achieve when all parties concerned share this same goal, my aim to achieve it does not change even if I am the only one in the relationship working towards that goal.

God is my Father more than He is my Master. My Father is good. My Father loves me. He can be trusted.

Don't be afriad to shine

2007-11-16T05:09:00.000-08:00

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

-Nelson Mandela

Yo Momma

2007-09-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Another one from my favorite web comic strip, http://xkcd.com.

Just for a smile

2007-09-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

I read this comic at the Web Parish blog and thought that it was funny enough to share. To enlarge the image, just click it.

5 Things I've never regretted

2007-09-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

Loving God
Loving People
Dreaming BIG
Being Diligent
Being Patient

The Worshipper

2007-08-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

To look long upon your loveliness
And be amazed.
Inspired to eschew lesser things
Not worthy of you.

- The Worshipper

Faith follows focus

2007-07-21T04:36:00.000-07:00

This is a sermon in development. I would appreciate any suggestions on how to make the point clearer, or even if you think I'm making the wrong point entirely.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the father, and i will do whatever you ask in my name, because the Son wants to bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it."

-John 14:12-14

The issue isn't whether or not God is willing, it is whether I am willing to believe him. Now, this isn't a matter of me working myself into a fit of frenzy which will enable me to deny reality so i can have faith. Rather, faith follows focus.

This is most dramatically seen in romantic relationships. Think about a friend of yours. Someone who is hooked up with a guy or girl that doesn't seem right for them. They seem like they get on each others nerves and never agree. Your friend often confides in you how distressed they are about this relationship, but for some reason, they hold on. See, your friend is convinced that this will work. They Just know that if they hold on something will change. They have come to believe in this relationship because they have invested the time and effort imagining how good this can be. They have exalted this person in their minds to the point that they just know that all of the heartache will be worth it just to finally be able to have a good relationship with this person.

So, it is possible to come to believe in something just by keeping your focus on that thing. This thing will become a reality in your own mind and heart even if it is just your imagination or emotions getting the better of you. The difference between faith and believing in something just from your imagination or emotions is that faith is faith in God, his character and his promises as revealed by Scripture. You will grow in faith as you narrow in focus on these things.

This reveals the true danger of doing doubtful and sinful things. They distract us from focusing on God and we focus on our fears, our lusts, our status. When the time comes where we need to believe, then we may find that we can't. We can hope in God, but we can't believe from our heart. Our heart has been meditating elsewhere.

The promise stands that if we will believe, having faith in Jesus, He will accomplish that which we ask for in His name. Are you willing to believe? It will probably take more than a rote repetition of prayer. It will take a lifestyle of ever narrowed focus on living in light of the character and promises of God. This is what means to be a disciple.

So, are you willing to focus on Jesus, His character, His purpose, and His promise to develop the faith that it takes to believe from the heart?

Diminished

2007-07-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

I am less important than I thought that I was. It was surprising and disappointing at first, but it was also calming.

Israel, Balaam and me- Pt4

2007-06-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

It's been months since I started this. In Parts 1-3 I explored incidents where curses were placed on Israel and Balaam by accepting what God had granted them. (Read the previous posts for more info)

In this post I will draw conclusions about how their situation resembles my own at times. In each of these instances both Israel as a nation and Balaam as an individual were discontent with what God had given them. Israel did not like the food God gave them and became resentful and asked for meat. God told Balaam not to go with the king's men in answer to the king's request that he come and curse Israel. After the king offered to pay a much higher fee then Balaam went to God again hoping to receive a different answer.

In each case God permitted the request. Israel was given meat, and He told Balaam he could go with the king's men. Also, in each case there was a curse. Initially, this seemed unfair to me. If God gives permission for something then it is capricious or mean-spirited to punish people for doing that thing. However, it seems that this is the way that God does things. When, we refuse to be content to embrace his provision or his commands, and instead, pursue our lusts then He allows us to have what we want with the curse that attends it.

Below are a couple of other examples:

Divorce

Malachi 2

"16 "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself ^[a] with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD Almighty.
So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith."
Matthew 19:

"3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"

4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'^[a] 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'^[b]? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

7"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"

8Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

Sexual Immorality

Romans 1:

"22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done."

This is frightening to me. I can persist in asking God for somethings and get what I've asked for even though it isn't what He desires for me.

How will I know that I am doing what is right?
I'll stay close enough to know his heart and see it's reflection in my own.
I think that is what Jesus means by remaining in him.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John15:5

Sudoku

2007-05-11T23:13:00.000-07:00

I just finished my first game of sudoku! This game is way more fun on the computer than it is using pencil and paper. Thank you GNOME Sudoku!

Easily Deceived

2007-05-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

About this time every year, I make a concentrated effort to practice gratitude. I minimize the disappointment, regrets, and loses of the past 12 months, and I magnify all of the good things. Here is how I do it:

I remember God's comfort in pain and the lessons learned through trouble. I remember His promises and His character. I rejoice that I am His choice to be adopted into His family and that Jesus is not ashamed to call me brother.

I remember how much I enjoy friends and how precious the relationships in my life are. I decide to believe the best about people's motives. I remember how blessed I am to have so many friends.

I choose to believe the best about myself. I choose to forgive myself. I remember that my future is limited by my faith not by my failures. Then I choose to trust God.

Eventually, I begin to wonder how I could have spent any time being frustrated with myself, bitter at others, or suspicious of God. Then I remember how, I am simple minded and easily deceived.

Silly me

Made up mind

2007-04-29T01:58:00.000-07:00

You could have asked!

You could have listened!

You could have cared!

I should have.
I thought I did.
I was trying to,
but I'd made up my mind before you spoke.

How to Pray-"Our Father"

2007-04-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

Chase Bank had this slogan, "CHASE, where the right relationship is everything."

That slogan resonates because it reveals something we know is true throughout life. There are things that I have gotten because of a relationship that would not have otherwise been accessible to me. A number of years ago, I got a new car from my parents because I needed it to commute to work. Around that time though, my cousin also needed a car. My parents didn't get her one, not even an old beat up one. She wasn't less needy. She wasn't less deserving. She just wasn't their child.

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1-2), the first thing that He teaches them is that God is our Father. This means at least two things. The first and most obvious is that we can approach God with the love and respect that a child has for his father. The second is that God thinks of us with the special love and concern that a father has for his children. Because of that relationship, we should expect to get things that we don't deserve and be grateful for them.

We pray, not in the manner that an employee asks his boss for a raise or the way one appeals to a judge for a favorable ruling. It is more like a child asking his dad for some money to get a new toy or for school supplies. In prayer, the right relationship is everything.

Access: pre-pimped vs. Post-Pimped

2007-04-12T16:48:00.000-07:00

Based on the Pimp My Life theme

Community: pre-pimped vs. Post-Pimped

2007-04-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

Based on the Pimp My Life theme.

The Heart: pre-pimped vs. Post-Pimped

2007-04-10T05:29:00.000-07:00

Based on the Pimp My Life theme.

The Spirit of power from the perspective of physics

2007-04-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

I worked out this illustration a few weeks ago. I thought of preaching it, but was soundly discouraged by my co-worker, Alli, who thought it was too complicated. Tell me if this makes sense to you and if you think it is accurate:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
power = W/s = Fd/s = (ma)d/s

Force is not mass times velocity(mv) but mass times acceleration(ma). (mv) is moving an object at a constant velocity while (ma) means that the velocity or speed is ever increasing throughout the
distance. This is not just the ability to go long but the ability to get faster
and faster throughout the distance.

take gravity for example:
when a penny is dropped from a balcony on someone's head it makes an
impact. It hurts.
However, when a penny is dropped from the Empire State Building on
someone's head then it is lethal because the speed of that penny
increases each second that it is falling.

Now power is the ability to move something from here to there that much
faster. I can push a 100lb box 100yds, the length of a football field. I just
can't do it very quickly. But, I can load that into my car and can go
100yds that much faster because I have more power.

How does that relate to my identity in God
as a warrior? Through the Holy Spirit, you can take someone farther in
less time than would normally be possible on my own. What would
otherwise take years of counseling to help someone cope with, can take
months or even weeks by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ongoing Paradigm Shift

2007-04-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Paradigm shift still in progress from Holiness focus to Loving God and people focus.

Consequences

Applied :
It's better to be confident at the risk of being proud, than to be self-abasing in pursuit of humility. I find that people need my confidence. So, I'm willing to risk pride. God has promised to oppose me if I am proud, and then, I'll know I've gone overboard and can make the correction.

Being Applied:
It's better to love at the risk of lusting than to combat desire at the expense of being seen as cold. Greater harm to others will result from perceived coldness from me than will come to me from occasionally lusting.

Under Consideration:
It is better to make an attractive presentation at the risk of being vain than to make a useful thing obscure and unappealing in an effort to avoid vanity.

The Israelites, Balaam, and me- Pt3

2007-03-18T16:02:00.001-07:00

(You have little hope of comprehending the following if you don't read Pt2)

Considering both of these stories together, a new line of thinking occurs to me. Both the Israelites and Balaam were discontent with God's provision.

The Israelites were troubled by the memory of better conditions in slavery. So much so that they began to focus on how great they ate while being exploited and oppressed by Egyptian rulers instead of how great it was to be free with hope for a future being led by Father God.

Balaam already had an answer from God. The only thing that changed between the initial direction God gave him and his seeking further direction was the increased offer of compensation.

Balaam eventually proved that his motives were suspect. Though God would not alow him to curse Israel. Balaam counselled Balak on how to cause Israel to bring a curse on themselves by intermarrying with the Midianite women. He showed himself creative in technically following the command of God while still pursuing the true desire of his heart which was not to please God, loving what He loves and hating what He hates, but rather to secure the wealth and honor promised to him:

"While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel joine themselves to Baal of Peor, an the Lord was angry against Israel" (Numbers 25:1-3)

"Behold, [the Moabite women] caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord. " (Numbers 31:16)

"And those who died by the plague were 24,000" (Numbers 25:9)

"forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but he received an rebuke for his own transgression: for a dumb onkey, spealking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet." (2Peter 2:15-16)

"Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah." (Jude 11)

"But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teahing of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality." (Revelations 2:14)

Intercession Interruption

2007-03-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

It usually comes on me like a deep sadness and an oncoming hunger. I think first that I should eat or try to relax. Eating is unsatisfying and I can't relax. I am slightly agitated. Neither television, radio, nor the internet can divert my attention from the empty gnawing feeling in my gut, can lighten the heaviness in my heart, or cleanse the stickiness in my throat and mouth which will not easily agree to utter any words unless they are words of prayer.

When I do yield and pray, I feel sorrows and happiness and I see things that were, never were, will be, may never be, and things that are just underneath the apparent. I become content. I feel the indentation in my soul. I know I am being marked for something. I believe that it meant something. I wait actively, trusting, hoping, quietly. I am dependent.

Some times it takes creativity

2007-03-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

from http://xkcd.com/

The Israelites, Balaam, and me- Pt2

2007-02-11T05:07:00.001-08:00

(This is a continuation of the blog entry "The Israelites, Balaam, and me- Pt1. You should read that one first if you hope to understand this one.)

For the past 2-3 years, I've been doing devotionals by just read through the bible fro start to finish. It's a great way to do devotionals for me because I don't lose my place as easily as I would in a devotional guide, and I don't have to worry about misplacing my guide or getting off schedule. While I was reading, I came across a certain passage from the book of Numbers. It is the kind of story that brings up a lot of questions and accusations in my mind about God's character(see Pt1 ). It reminds me of another passage that has puzzled me, the story of the prophet Balaam. For him, God provided direction instead of food. He, like the Israelites, was dissatisfied with what God provided initially.

See, prominent delegates from a nearby kingdom came to him with gifts and a message from the king:

"A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then, I will be able to fight them and drive them away. But God said to Balaam, 'Do not go with them..."(Numbers 22:11-12)

After Balaam refused them they went away for a while, but the king sent a larger contingent of higher level dignitaries back with a better offer. This was obviously very important to his majesty. The king thought enough of Balaam's abilities that he promised that Balaam would be rewarded with honor, wealth, and whatever else he asked for. In essence, he told him he would do whatever it took to get Balaam to render his services. In light of the new offer, Balaam went back to God to see if God would allow him to go:

"That night God came to Balaam and said, 'Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you' "(v. 20)

We see that God told him to go. Yet, two verses later, it seems that God just goes off on the guy:

"Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him." (v. 21-22)

The word "oppose" in this context apparently means to kill, end the life of, execute, or relieve from breathing. I know this because the angel says so:

"And the angel of the Lord said to him, ...Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me...I would surely ave killed you just now..."(v32-33)

Again, this passage has often caused me to wonder, "What the @&#?!" Balaam prayed, heard from God, and obeyed. Then, God gets enraged and orders a hit on him. How am I going to trust a God who abuses people when they obey him?

Investigator

2007-02-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks Penny! This resembles me reasonbly well.

THE INVESTIGATOR:
Intense, Cerebral: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated
In Search of: Mastery, to be capable, competent,

GIFTS: Exquisite sensitivity, and compassionate visionary.
One step beyond the cutting edge.

Sees Purpose in Life as: to know and understand the universe.

Gifts in Practice:
Deep burning laser-like concentration.
Pioneering visionary.
Perspective observer & curious.
Focused innovator - attracted to the exception to the rule.
Generous and discriminating to those who are interested.
Perceptive

Often Seen as:
Intense, cerebral type: focused, original, withdrawn, seen as shy,
eccentric, 'nerds,' 'weirdoes,' intensely pre-occupied.
Experts in specific ('unique' and specialized) areas into which they go deep.
Quirky off-beat sense of humour; very sensitive.
Unperturbed by 'fashion,' collecting.
Studious -in search of mastery.
Intense conceptualizer. Plays the 'what if' game.
Often walk - without the whole foot touching.

Wake-Up Call: moving inside mental world, away from reality

Wrong Turn: to be observant & bring capacity & agency using the mind.

Compulsive Style: Pre-occupied: pre-occupied often with the dark aspects; scornful, cynical, impatient with others. Isolated, secretive.

Emotional Habit Pattern that maintains the Compulsive Style:
Avarice, stinginess; holding out and holding onto.

Fear: being useless, helpless, incapable;
can't make it in the world, being overwhelmed.

Avoids: emptiness

Defense Mechanism:
Compartmentalization: separates thoughts from emotions.
Isolation: separates one moment /event /... from another.

CHALLENGE: to show up in an embodied way: can't know the world from mind alone / through thinking (leads to spaciousness & trust).

E.g.s.: Albert Einstein, F. Nietzche, Stephen Hawking, John Lennon, Vincent Van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, Jodie Foster, Wilhelm Reich, Stephen King, Bill Gates, Emily Dickenson, Georgia O'Keefe, Jean-Paul Sarte, James Joyce, lsaac Newton, Doris Lessing, Bobby Fischer, Glenn Gould, Isaac Asimov, Clive Barker, P.E. Trudeau, Lois Riel, "Ricky" in American Beauty, John Nash (in A Beautiful Mind), August Strindberg.

Thembalitsha Missions Trip

2007-02-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I drove to Atlanta to drop off a missions team from our church at the airport. About 14 of our church members are going to visit with Pastor Frank and Kate Christie and volunteer to serve the Thembalitsha Foundation, a community development organization they founded to serve disadvantaged areas of South Africa. You can track their progress at this photo blog.

The Israelites, Balaam, and me- Pt1

2007-02-04T02:29:00.000-08:00

The Israelites were getting discontent. Their Father God was fulfilling a promise to their ancestor Abraham by freeing them from slavery and making them a nation of their own in a territory he had chosen for them centuries before (Gen 15:2-16). He had freed them in His signature inimitable fashion causing the world superpower, Egypt their former oppressors, to finance the establishment of their nation. After making them wealthy, He was caring for their needs in this interim period before they received their own territory. However, God's provision became to them unsatisfactory. It was too plain and had become too common. They longed for the variety of tasty food they had in Egypt:

"...If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at not cost- also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite: we never see anything but this manna!"(Numbers 11:4-6)

Father God allowed them the thing that they desired, He gave them meat:

"Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a day's walk in any direction." (v. 31)

However, this meat was like poison for them:

"But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consume, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague." (v. 33)

This has been a passage that has always puzzled me. Why would God give them something that He knew would hurt them? Even more than that, He gave them something that he would strike them for receiving. That hardly seems fair, just, or even comprehensible. Why would God be so impulsive and irrational? Frankly, I'm afraid of a God who poisons people.

In Focus

2007-01-18T05:04:00.000-08:00

I have never been a part of a church that modeled a spirit of gentleness. I have had pastors who could be gentle, and I've experienced gentleness in other churches. Never before, have I experienced a consistent theme of gentleness in every communication from the church or church leaders as I have since I became a part of the leadership team here at In Focus church.

It is refreshing and encouraging to never feel mandated, pushed, driven, inspected, evaluated, or pressured aside from the pressure that I put on myself. I haven't known how to react to it so far. For a while I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, not believing that it people could be so genuinely nice. I made demands on myself above what was asked of me thinking that, perhaps, people weren't being straight with me and were holding me to undisclosed standards.

I'm now resolved to try to enjoy it, if I can.

Trusting God for less

2007-01-06T07:10:00.000-08:00

I was trusting my Father for too much. It was careless of me. Because I trusted for too much, I regarded His record of faithfulness a bit tarnished. I am beginning to realize my error, and it isn't the first time I have made it. I was trusting His love to do what He never promised His love had given. In trusting his love for less, I feel I can trust His love more.

How Deep the Father's Love for us
by Stuart Townsend

How deep the Father's love for us,
how vast beyond all measure

That he should give his only son,
to make a wretch his treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
the Father turned his face away

As wounds which mar the chosen one,
bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon a cross,
my sin upon his shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held him there
until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life;
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything:
no gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ:
his death and resurrection

Why should I gain from his reward?
I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart:
his wounds have paid my ransom

Hope Fearlessly Excerpt IV

2007-01-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

This message was a long one, but this is the final installment of this series of posts. It is more of a patchwork than the previous posts, but I think the content is still good. I basically left myself room to wing it so my notes are sketchy.

------------
There are at least 3 interrelated enemies to hope that you will have to face time and again. They are the fear of rejection, the fear of failure, and accusations against God, yourself, and others.

fear of rejection- What if no one supports me? What if I'm misunderstood?

There are two things about the fear of rejection. On the one hand, it is true that you will be rejected in life. I know because Jesus was rejected. Not everyone received his message with joy. Some were offended because of Him. There was a group of religious leaders called the Pharisees who tried to embarrass Him. They tried to silence Him. So, if God in flesh was rejected, what hope have we but the same. John 15:20 tells us the world hated him before it hated you. You will be rejected.

On the other hand, rejection isn't that bad. It is a normal part of life. If you've ever tried to sell candy for a school fundraiser, you know that not everyone wants to support you. Rejection becomes a problem because of insecurity. If who you are is defined by what you think other people think about you, then you will go out of your way to have people like you. Not everyone will like you or will endorse the dreams or desires God has put in your heart. Fear of rejection may also come from a wrong sense of obligation. The only person whose apporval you need is God's.

When God told Peter, a Jew, to go to the house of Cornelius, a gentile, a lot of people had a problem with that. peter had a problem with that. He did it in obedience to God despite the likely prospect of the disapproval of others. This raises an interesting point, you don't even need your own approval. Some things may not agree with your temperament or personality but are required for the success of the desire that God has given you.

fear of failure- What if I mess up? What if I lose? What if it doesn't work? I failed last time I tried; what makes this any different?

Can be a result of pride which honors appearance over obedience
The kindness of God gives us freedom to fail. He is not an impatient abusive taskmaster who will grind you into powder when you mess up. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. When you were God's enemy not even trying to do right, God was for you. How much more now?

accusation- is God really going to honor this promise? Did He really say that?
Are the promises of God true? Did you really hear God? Does anyone really understand? Do they even care?

That's when you have to believe the best. You'll suffer more from blocking something good than from letting in something bad.I'm not talking about when you know it's wrong and do it anyway. but, when you aren't sure. feel free to try. Trust God to guide you. If you take a wrong turn listen to the Holy spirit telling you to stop and turn around.

Since I love God, I will hope in him. Though it takes time, though accusations have come, I will trust God to satisfiy the desires of my heart. I will HOPE FEARLESSLY.

Hope Fearlessly Excerpt III

2006-12-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

Below is a continuation from the previous posts of a message I preached this summer at a local church. I hope you are able to get some benefit from it. Since I endeavor to be a better communicator, critiques are welcome.

--------

I say hope fearlessly because hope is not always easy. Hope is beset by fears all around. So often, our hopes remain nothing but dreams and later bittersweet remembrances of dreams. These dreams may concern a relationship, a calling, your church, the Church, the world, some great and godly thing that you yearn for, or some humble and simple desire to be satisfied. A certain perseverance in hope is required for a dream to become more than a dream.

Without perseverance, the life cycle of many dreams goes something like this:

At the beginning, we may dream easily. We may boldly develop a desire for that dream. We spend time imagining it. We may talk about it. We may even go so far as to write it down. We can see it, touch it, feel it as if it were already come.

However, after thoughts of what we call practicality and sensibility, after considerations of what we like to call reason and realism, and after taking assessments of our resources and the expenses involved as well as measuring our own insufficiencies, we stop imagining. We no longer talk about those hopes of ours. To read the written expression of our dreams is embarrassing and painful.

Later in life, we may regard with a sweet fondness the memory of the dream once held admiring that now lost ability to believe that such dreams will come true.

Later in life, we may remember with bitter regret the memory of the dream for now we wonder what we could have had if only.

Why this frustration except that our fears and doubts stunt our hopes in the early stages of development. Many hopes are aborted soon after conception because our fears are so great.

The truth is that the thing that so often separates hopes fulfilled and hopes unrealized is believing. While one may not always get what one expects, one will always get what one settles for. You may not get what you want but you will get what you are willing to put up with. When you stop believing, you stop trying. When you stop believing, the dream starts dying.

So I say, HOPE FEARLESSLY.

Hope Fearlessly Excerpt II

2006-12-26T05:18:00.001-08:00

I continue posting the text of a message I delivered this summer.

---------
Now, my exhortation to hope fearlessly is not meant to be suggestive, but rather, imperative. This is not merely a preferential state of mind, though it is that. This is not merely a healthy attitude to possess, though it is that. And, it is not merely a positive outlook on life though it certainly is that as well.

No, hope is what love does for love "hopes all things", and to love is commanded. Jesus declares this the greatest and most fundamental of all of the commands:

Mt 22: 35-27
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. "
38 "This is the first and great commandment. "
39 "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. "
40 "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

According to Jesus, the first and second greatest commandments deal with love for God and love for people. Taken together these commandments are called the Law of Love. Therefore, the supreme law of the kingdom of God is love. It is the greatest law and a law in which every other law is contained. If you could keep in mind only one law that God has established, it would not be one of the laws about the appropriate manner of presenting one of the ritualistice sacrifices in the old testament law. It would not be one of the various laws against types of sexual immorality. It would not be one of the Ten Commandments. No, it would be the law of Love that you should always remember.

Remember in 1 Corinthians Paul told us what love looks like. In your life then, it is commanded that your relationships with God and with other people should be characterized by love as described in the verse from 1 Corinthians 13:7.

Regarding God:
"If you love the Lord your God you will be loyal to Him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in Him, always expect the best of Him, and always stand your ground in defending Him."

and regarding other people,

"If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him."

An attitude that always believes in and expects the best of God and other people is an attitude of fearless hope.

Hope Fearlessly Excerpt I

2006-12-26T04:35:00.000-08:00

I will post a series of excerpts from a message I preached a few months ago. It seemed encouraging to some so I thought it might be useful to others.

-------
1Cor 13:4-9

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not
easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall
fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be
knowledge, it shall vanish away.

In the letter that Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, we read of the character of love. This is important because love is often mischaracterized. For example, Lust is often confused with Love, but

Lust consumes while Love contributes,
Lust grabs while Love gives,
Lust ensnares while love empowers.

Feelings are often confused with love, but

Feelings fade while Love never fails,
Feelings are easily offended while Love overlooks an offense,
Feelings may be self-centered while Love is not self-seeking.

So Paul characterizes love that we not be confused. The particular characteristics of love that I want to draw your attention to today are in verse seven:

"Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

The Living Bible paraphrases this verse in these words, "If you love someone you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him."

So because it is commanded of us to love and we know that love believes all things and love hopes all things, I want to encourage you this morning to:

HOPE FEARLESSLY

A pair of defining beliefs

2006-12-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

Pastor Brent made this statement at church today and it struck a nerve.

"Whether or not you agree with the following two statements will determine a lot about how you live as a believer.

God loves me and:

(1) there is nothing I can ever do to make him love me more.

(2) there is nothing I can ever do to make him love me less."

A couple of years ago I don't think that I believed that at all. I thought God loves one category of persons a certain amount and other categories at different amounts. By my obedience, devotion, and faith I can move into higher love categories. Failure to obey, doubt, unbelief, and lapses in devotion would result in my falling into lower love categories. Though everyone does get a guaranteed minimum love allotment.

Relational breakdown

2006-12-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

“It is not enough to insure that people understand you, but to insure that they cannot misunderstand you.”

Halford Luccock, Professor in yale Divinity School from 1928 to 1953

I am convinced that churches split, friends fall out of favor, marriages wither, and relationships in general fail because this bit of advice is rarely consistently observed.

I'll see if I can't make this quote a rule for my communication this coming semester.

Change the world in your spare time!

2006-12-06T04:38:00.000-08:00

Most of us check our email using what a few decades ago would have been considered supercomputers. That laptop or desktop computer is probably being under utilized as you type your newsletter. Some clever people have figured out ways to harness the unused computational power on your machine to help solve some difficult medical research problems. I have discovered 3 such projects you may want to donate some processing power to. They are described below:

1. Folding@home:

Proteins are biology's workhorses -- its "nanomachines." Before proteins can carry out these important functions, they assemble themselves, or "fold." The process of protein folding, while critical and fundamental to virtually all of biology, in many ways remains a mystery.

Moreover, when proteins do not fold correctly (i.e. "misfold"), there can be serious consequences, including many well known diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes.
You can help by simply running a piece of software. Folding@Home is a distributed computing project -- people from through out the world download and run software to band together to make one of the largest supercomputers in the world. Every computer makes the project closer to our goals.
http://folding.stanford.edu

2. Genome@home

Our partner project, Folding@home, is striving to understand how existing proteins attain their specific, functional three-dimensional structures. The goal of Genome@home is to design new genes that can form working proteins in the cell. Genome@home uses a computer algorithm (SPA), based on the physical and biochemical rules by which genes and proteins behave, to design new proteins (and hence new genes) that have not been found in nature. By comparing these "virtual genomes" to those found in nature, we can gain a much better understanding of how natural genomes have evolved and how natural genes and proteins work. Some important applications of the Genome@home virtual genome protein design database:

-Engineering new proteins for medical therapy
-Designing new pharmaceuticals
-Assigning functions to the dozens of new genes being sequenced every day
-Understanding protein evolution

To design these large numbers of protein sequences, we need lots of computers. By running the Genome@home protein sequence design client, you can lend us your computer while you're not using it, for as long or as little as you like. ...A day or two's worth of running Genome@home is enough to design new protein sequences that the world has never seen before. All the sequences get added to the Genome@home database, so every little bit helps.
http://genomeathome.stanford.edu/

3. FightAids@home:

Now more than ever, your help is needed in the fight against AIDS. In the mid 1980's, HIV infections exploded and have continued to rise at alarming rates. Nearly twenty years later, technology has reached a point where you can make a difference by contributing the idle processing time of your computer.
http://fightaidsathome.scripps.edu/help.html

People I admire- Rita Springer

2006-12-02T05:24:00.000-08:00

Last night I was at a Rita Springer (www.ritaspringer.com) concert at my new church. I am not a fan of her music, and last night only served to confirm that. However, her testimony of adopting and raising Justice, her 2yr old Zimbabwean baby boy, as a single woman at the prompting of God made me a fan of the woman in spite of the music.

Really, I just admire people who express a simple faith in the Scriptures and/or the leading of the Holy Spirit. I also admire people who express compassion for people that are not their own, people that they have no reason to care about except they do, people that they have adopt for the purpose of loving them.

On unliking people

2006-11-26T05:10:00.000-08:00

There are a few people who I once liked very much. As I got to know them better, I liked them less but loved them more. They used to be people I wanted to be around because of commonalities. Upon closer inspection, their uniqueness became apparent and distasteful. By then, it was too late. I'd already decided to love them. Now, they're stuck with me.

I think like this

2006-11-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

I saw this comic at http://xkcd.com and i could relate.

multigenerational family and friends

2006-11-25T02:16:00.000-08:00

I'm in NY with my parents, my brother and his fam, and a bunch of cousins and old family friends for the holiday weekend. I know I've posted about this before, but it is great to spend time with people that have known you and a couple of generations of your family all of your life, care about you, and feel like they have some stake in your life.

I don't know exactly how to quantify the benefits of this, but they are huge. It's like an underground kindness/community economy. People trade time spent looking after each others kids in lieu of daycare, laughing with family and friends instead of therapy, and family favors for financial support. You yield a certain measure of control over your time, money, and privacy, but you as long as you don't feel that you're giving more than you get, it works.

I'm sitting in the house I grew up in and I'm sleeping in the same bedroom I had when I was 5. A number of the neighbors have lived here for the past 40 years. Parents have passed away and their kids have taken over the homes. That is amazing to me. I wonder if I'd love it so much if I actually lived here. The tough thing about being together with people for decades is that you may end up having a few decades-long disagreements and contentions. It requires greater relational skill and dexterity to avoid being entangled in other people's offenses than is the case where the neighborhood turns over every 5-10 years.

The funny thing is that I didn't even want to come to NY this holiday. Sometimes, I have the most fun doing things that I didn't want to do.

submission11-17-06

2006-11-18T02:32:00.000-08:00

I don't really know Him well at all. I thought that He exercised power differently. His Way is unlike my own. His manner and methods are not those that I would have chosen. Submission is the model, the method, and the goal. If I had it, I think that I would use power to satisfy immediate desire and remove any impedence. That isn't His Way. Odd, yet refreshing.

-Rev 1:1, John 8:38, 10:25, 10:37, 14:10,

on preparing messages and prayer

2006-11-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

I was told that last week when I spoke at "Pimp My Life", the campus student meeting, I delivered a great message. As a follow up to the complement, she asked "What did you do different to prepare?"

Now my pride was a little injured at that last question. I happen to believe that I gave great messages at our previous meetings as well. Apparently however, this opinion is not as widely held as I had believed.

As I began to prepare next week's message, I thought more about this and came to some conclusion. Maybe this will be useful to someone, or at least the principles behind it will be. When attempting to speak the Truth from the Scripture to others with the intent that it be applied, the preparation of the man is vastly more significant than the preparation of the message. The role of prayer should not be underestimated. The manner of prayer should not be taken for granted. Prayers to seek God's blessings to achieve my goals generate less peace than prayers to seek God's goals and His favor that I might perform them.

When I ask God's blessing, I assume that I know what He is willing to bless. This is unwarranted overconfidence at best. I've misunderstood and misapplied Scripture often enough to provide no basis for such assumptions.

On the other hand, seeking God's goals assumes that I may not be continually aware of what is on God's mind. This is more in accord with the reality of my relationship with my Father. Following that search with asking for His favor to perform, assumes that I may not be in a position where His favor may be received. This could be do to doubt, unbelief, or some other of the many sins to which I am prone. Again, this assumption is safer being more likely to accord with my actual experience.

As true as I've noticed this to be in general with prayer, it is just as true when praying about a message. This stands to reason since the idea behind delivering a message in practical terms is that the message originates with someone other than the messenger. Understanding the intentions, desires, and emotions of the sender will help the messenger to deliver the message as the sender intended. My Father makes these known more often when I ask Him what He wants me to say, what impression He wants to make, and how He feels about the people that I am to speak to.

Hope this will be as useful to you and your hearers as it was to me and mine.

Just for Laughs-"White & Nerdy"

2006-11-09T05:06:00.001-08:00


This is soooo funny! I'm not normally a fan of this guy but this video is great. "Weird Al" Yankovic's music video from his new album "Straight Outta Lynwood" (in stores Sept. 26)

His Name

2006-11-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

I want to walk humbly before God content to bear His Name.

I'm not strong enough to create a lasting name for myself.

There exists no institution, organizaiton, family, nation, or race whose name is worth devoting myself to.

His Name is honorable and everything sacrificed for the sake of His Name is worthwhile. His Name is worthy of unreasonable extravagant expense.

Here are the clues I think I got

2006-10-29T04:16:00.000-08:00

Thanks Mike for reminding me that I failed to mention the clue I got from that 5 hr drive I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. As I said in that post, I'm generally pretty clueless when it comes to the fairer sex. However on that drive, as I sat in the car those two women discussing what it means to be feminine, I think I got one. In fact, maybe I got two. The first is, I think, linked closely with the second. They are attention and approval. What I understand that to mean is described below.

Attention: They need a lot of it. This may includes a lot of talking to, listening to, touching, acts of kindness, etc. Basically, they have a greater desire to have a big fuss made over them. I used to think that was due to vanity, maybe, it's insecurity. Perhaps, it's just by design. If it is by design, then there are probably some good things that result from the need for attention.

Approval: They need it constantly. They want to know they are valued and accepted as is especially with respect to physical features, emotional fluctuations, and personality quirks. It helps them to be assured and reassured of this approval. This is the purpose that the attention serves.

If you are a woman, and/or you have access to one, I'd love to hear your opinion. I could be off here. If I am off and I've angered you, please keep the swearing in your comments to a minimum.

Friends

2006-10-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Until a few months ago, I think I was living the christian version of the sitcom "Friends." I was living within a 10 minute walk of 6-8 of my closest friends. Most of the group had lived together as roomates or neighbors for at least 3yrs and some as long as 5yrs. We had lots of funny stories about each other. We dropped in unannounced and went in each other's refridgerators. Okay, there was never very much in mine, but they were free to go through it anyway. In our version, we also worked/volunteered with each other in the same campus ministry and went to the same church.

We knew each others quirks. We knew how to work with one another. We knew how to work around each other. We knew the strengths and weaknesses of each. We lived together, worked together, celebrated together, laughed together. We didn't always get along; there were fights between us. Okay, they had fights between them. I refereed. How could anyone not get along with a sweet guy like me?

Now I live a more typical American adult life. This means that I live at least barely know the people that I work and go to church with. I live too far away to to drop in on anyone I'd like to be close with. The typical American adult life sucks.

One more thing bounded emotions

2006-10-15T05:11:00.000-07:00

One observation from that car trip was the contrasting ways we seemed to approach managing one's emotions. The women in the vehicle seemed to have as a goal to live with appropriate boundaries around their emotions or at least their emotional responses like the upper and lower bounds on y = sin(x). It has been my practice to try to match my emotions and/or my emotional responses to that which I believe is appropriate in a given situation like the way the limit of y approaches 0 as x goes to infinity in the function y = 1/x. I'm not sure if this observation is characteristic of women and men respectively, but I found that contrast interesting to ponder.

We return home today, and we're adding another woman to the car. It should be interesting

boss and friend

2006-10-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

My big brother and I have an oscillating relationship. He is my boss as well as my friend. I sometimes have trouble seeing him as both friend and boss. Sometimes I treat of him as a boss and desire to do the best work for him that I can. Other times I just want to hang out and get to know him better. He's great at both and I'd hate to lose him in either capacity. Right now I need a friend.

What's this, a clue?

2006-10-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I completed a 5.5 hr drive with two women. Being in a confined space with two women is generally a no no for me. But I made and exception. Once the conversation turned towards the meaning of femininity, I thought that perhaps I'd overestimated my environmental estrogen tolerance level.

It was somewhat enlightening though. If you know me at all, then you know that I am relatively clueless about women. I know I'm clueless because several times I thought that I had some clues, but sisters in my life have been kind enought to correct my misconceptions. More than half the time I just nod knowingly. Honestly, I've just been getting by on some female management techniques I picked up from an old creole friend of mine.

Yesterday, though, I think I may have stumped my foot on a clue.

Tertius

2006-10-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

In the entire bible he is mentioned only once:

I, Tertius, who wrote donw this letter, greet you in the Lord.
-Romans 16:22

Throughout Romans, you get no clue that this guy is writing the letter. Not until the last chapter, four verses from the end do we even know that anyone other than Paul is responsible for writing the letter. Then he inserts his name, "I, Tertius."

He was the guy who took dictation for Paul, and his name is memorialized in the most significant book in the world. Did Tertius know he was helping to write the New Testament which would become the basis of faith and practice for believers for thousands of years? Perhaps, he was simply serving from a humble heart.

As I was finishing this book yesterday, reading his name served to remind me that God recognizes and rewards the little things that we do for Him. I'm so glad that my Father remembers the small details. No good deed goes unrewarded. Nothing we do for Him is ever wasted. It isn't a waste of time, nor of effort, nor of finances to serve my Father or His children, my brothers and sisters.

The worst thing that could happen

2006-09-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

The worst thing that could happen is you never gave it a shot. If you gave it a shot and you missed, at least that's not the worst thing that could have happened.

Expect to Fail

2006-09-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

It's gonna happen. It's okay. Write it off. Enjoy the experience. When you succeed, you will fail. Failures can be sweet if you persevere. Rarely will you build character through success. Success is often more satisfying when preceded by a sereis of failures to attain it.

Scenerio 1) You try. You fail. You learn. You grow. Your appetite increases. Your vision increases. You do it all over. If your vision is big enough, you'll always fail, and along the way inspire others to see the same vision. If the vision is big enough, they will fail as well having inspired others to see the same vision.

Scenario 2) You try. You fail. You question why you ever tried. You can't remember why though it was worth the effort. You feel like a fool. You live with what you have. You wonder what could have been like.

How I want to lead

2006-09-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

I want to follow God and barely notice that people are following me, or I'll notice that I happen to be walking in front of a crowd of people who are following God.

My Default Vision

2006-09-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

In my default vision,
All that I own is a message and the media on whch it is recorded.

In my default vision,
My tongue is on fire with a message that consumes my life.

In my default vision,
I am enveloped by a light emanating from within so only a shadow of self is visible.

In my default vision,
I walk with God until I am not.

Access

2006-08-30T06:15:00.000-07:00

There exist requests which will not be granted on the basis of relationship,but will be granted because my persistence in asking. Though, my relationship may give me access to make the request. This is true in my relationships with other people, and it is true in my relationship with my Father.

Lu 11:
5 And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 'for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him';
7 "and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?
8 "I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

I didn't suck!

2006-08-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

For the past eight years, I have felt like I was a failure in college. I did not do as well as I wanted. I have at times considered that I spent too much time and effort in church and ministry activities distracting me from my academic work.

Now, I realize that I've been tripping for the past eight years. I just looked at my transcript from school, and in fact, I finished with a B-. That isn't outstanding, but it's nothing to be ashamed of. Add to that, I made significant contributions to grow a fledgling church and campus ministry. While I was not a great student or even a very good student, I didn't suck!

Cold

2006-08-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

My brother reminded me last week that I am cold. He has mentioned this before as have some other friends of mine. I always took it as a complement. I thought that they meant cold as in decisive, practical, and resolute.

This time when he called me cold, though, it was more like he meant insensitive, abrasive, and unemotional. After considering this for a few days, I have to admit that he's not all wrong. I must also confess that cold is not a good thing. Jesus, my big brother and role model, was not cold. I'll have to talk to Dad about that one. I'm sure He will help me make the adjustment.

Give it away

2006-08-25T04:17:00.000-07:00

I started to become unreasonable about 8yrs ago. At least I became significantly more unreasonable. Through a series of circumstances and with the influence of people I respected, I got the idea that I should give my life away. I began to talk with Father about what I could do to give it away. I wanted to do it to honor Him . So, I thought to ask what would He be most satisfied with. Some people think it's ridiculous to let your Father have so much control in your life, but what can I say? I'm a Daddy's boy.

Sometimes Dad is a little mysterious about answering these sort of questions. He's pretty good at getting your attention when He wants it. He's started fires, made people crazy, sent messages special delivery by really scary looking guys. I was hoping He would work hard to get my attention focused on the right things. He didn't . I had to keep bugging Him, reflecting on things He'd already told me, and examining my performance and enjoyment with the volunteer activities I was already involved in. Our conversation on this matter resulted in my being convinced that I could best give my life away by becoming a professional recruiter/marketer/promoter for a very famous man.

The position may seem prestigious, and it is, but it is also an unpaid position. After spending 5.5 years in college and becoming the only one in my family to graduate, my decision only brought confusion to my parents. They thought my intentions were honorable, noble, and charitable, but my choice they thought misguided. They've been lovingly supportive while making their opinions clear.

They don't understand what I do. It is pretty countercultural to work for free. It seems to them be poor judgement at best and irresponsible at worst. I think I'm being very responsible. I'm responding to my Father's voice and my Father's heart as best I can understand it. I'm still learning how to give my life away. I might be doing it the wrong way; there may be a better way. I'm not doing the wrong thing.

No regrets.

mark 10:28-31; mark 8:35; matthew 6:33

Security

2006-08-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

I am my Father's son. I did not merit this position. This is not an honor awarded to those found worthy. I am His son. This is based on His initiative involving my response. I am chosen. My relationship as a son is based on my Father not on me. I cannot disgrace my way out of the relationship by bringing my family shame. Lack of productivity may cost me income, benefits, and rewards, but it will never affect my sonship. Failure may hurt my pride. Happenstance may disappoint. Promises I'll break, and promises to me will be broken. I will be then as I am now and as I have been since my birth into forever life, my Father's son.

1peter 1:23; john 3:16-18; 1tim2:11-13;eph1:5;gal4:4-6

Themes for the summer were

2006-08-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

Love Courageously

Hope Fearlessly

Productive Pain

Derived Significance

2006-08-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

His death gives me life
His life gives me hope
His love gives me meaning
His will gives me purpose

How, not What

2006-08-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

I seem to be learning something. It seems like a thing I once knew something about, but then forgot much of. I won't know if I am really learning until I'm tested, but what I seem to be learning is the following:

How I live and how I pursue goals is more important than what I pursue. It is even more important than the success of the pursuit. Also, how I react to situations is significantly more important than the circumstances themselves.

How to Hate

2006-08-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

In order to hate someone, alienation is the key. You must first refer to them as something inhuman. Call someone a rat, cockroach, piece of trash, or other thing you consider worthless. If you do this well enough, you can redefine this person or group or people as worthless in and of themselves and will no longer have to relate them to something else to hate them. In the future, you may enable yourself to hate new persons or groups by thinking of them just like you thought of the previous group you learned to hate. Alienation is essential. Before killing, no one says, "This is my brother no different than myself."

For sustatinable hatred between groups of people apply the above techniques and begin a cycle of violence. This may be very difficult if the group to be hated is very peaceful and meek. Keep trying, eventually someone in the group should crack.

Inactive God

2006-08-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

"Apart from the natural and spiritual laws He established to govern creation, God acts in the realm of human affairs exclusively by proxy. Except by the faith of someone expressed by prayer, pronouncement, action or some other means, God makes no alteration in circumstances no matter how unjust."

I suspect this is true. If I conclude it is, then it will have significant repercussions to my life and of those I minister too as I apply it. It will only take one counterexample from scripture to disprove it, though. Do you know of one?

Coward

2006-08-01T04:13:00.000-07:00

coward

n 1: a person who shows fear or timidity

I notice that when I direct love inward I prioritize self preservation for its own sake. This results in avoiding risky behavior such as acts born of caring deeply for others, and I tend to seek comfort and consider those my enemies who disturb that comfort. In that frame of mind, fear becomes reasonable expectation and timidity caution. Preserving oneself is necessary to be available to serve others , but is futile as an end unto itself.

The following scripture got me started thinking about the consequences of being timid and fearful:
Re 21:8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

So, not only is the coward less useful to others, but he is also subject to severe judgement. Obviously, fearfulness is not a slight sin but a grave offense. When I read that eight years ago it shook me. I thought I needed more hugs and comforting words to push me out of self pity and discouragement. I needed a stern warning.

Nothing More, Nothing Less

2006-07-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

The gospel is nothing more and nothing less than Jesus Christ … who He was, what He did, and the fact that He is alive. He is alive to save and to create a community of faithful people who will proclaim Him, live and act as His presence in the world, and make real, at least in part, the Kingdom that one day He will establish in power and glory. Who Jesus is, what He did and does is absolutely decisive, uniquely authoritative, and universally valid.

In Matthew 28 Jesus announced His desire for all nations to be baptized in the name of the Triune God and to be taught all the teachings of Christ. This was and is His invitation to the Church. Could it be that the Great Commission is no longer a part of the DNA of the church because the church is no longer convinced of the uniqueness of Jesus as the incarnation of God and God's gift of Himself for the salvation of humankind? If we are unconvinced of the uniqueness of Jesus as Son, Savior and Lord, then we have no compulsion to share the gospel with the world. This is our problem in the mainline church in America. We have allowed a distorted understanding of inclusiveness to diminish the exclusive claims of the Christian gospel. We have allowed our commitment to ethnic and social pluralism muddy the water of our response to doctrinal pluralism.

Fifty years ago James Stewart said, “The one thing that can justify the church is a great passion for Christ." He warned that if ever a time should come when Christ and His uniqueness are no longer the central theme of the Christian Church, then the day of the Church will be finished. I'm afraid this has already happened to a marked degree. The church has lost her passion for Christ and is thus losing her identity. By diminishing the authority of Scripture and enthroning doctrinal pluralism, we have diminished, and in some cases, even denigrated the saving incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Lesslie Newbigin was a great apologist in the past century and the Anglican Bishop of the Church of South India. After preaching at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland a student addressed him, "Bishop Newbigin, I didn't expect to hear such a provincial message from you this morning. You've traveled all over the world, you've lived in many different cultures, and yet all you talked about was Jesus Christ. Why didn't you bring some light from Mohammed or some inspiration from Buddha or some insight from the Upanishads?”

Newbigin looked at the young man and courteously asked, "Are you Muslim?" The fellow responded, "No.”

"Well then, are you a Buddhist?”

"No, I'm not.” Newbigin graciously inquired. "If you are not a Muslim or a Buddhist, what are you?”
The young man stammered, "I don't know," he said. “I'm supposed to be a Christian."

I like Newbigin's response. "You know what, young man? If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about Mohammed or Buddha until I had made up my mind about Christ. Depending on what you do with Him, your path in life will then take shape."

So, we are back to where we started. The gospel is nothing more and nothing less than Jesus Christ … who He was, what He did, and the fact that He is alive. Alive to save and create a community of faith, people who will proclaim Him, live and act as His presence in the world, making real, at least in part, the Kingdom that one day He will establish in power and glory.
— Maxie D. Dunnam

Maxie D. Dunnam is internationally known as an author and church visionary. He currently serves as the Chancellor of Asbury Theological Seminary. Maxie and his wife Jerry live in Memphis, TN.

priviledged

2006-07-25T01:31:00.002-07:00

It is the believer's priviledge to draw from an unlimited reservoir of hope and joy in all circumstances whether wealth or poverty, inclusion or isolation, honor or humiliation and to enjoy fellowship with the Holy Spirit, our comforter and teacher.

Illustration

2006-07-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of days I had felt a strong sense of discouragement or depression. I shook it off, and this illustration came to mind:

Depression is like a hand holding your head under water. You need to breathe but can't because you know you'll drown. Then, you realize that there is no water and the hand holding your head is your own.

Hope Fearlessly

2006-07-13T04:43:00.000-07:00

I always thought of myself as a realist. Then I realized I was mainly "real" about the negative aspect of a situation. I guess that makes me a pessimist. I can't justify pessimism though so I setup mental detours, by God's grace, to help me get off of the pessimism track. These are really helpful when I start remembering failures and disappointments I've had because I'll see a detour sign like "Love hopes all things, believes all things...keeps no record of wrongs...."

Then, I usually grit my teeth and grunt as I recalibrate my will to hope despite disappointment in myself, my family, my community, my church, and my God. I continue with a groan and a growl as I renew my resolve to believe in myself and my dreams. At least that's how I did it yesterday.

Love Courageously,
Hope Fearlessly

Family Time

2006-07-12T04:23:00.000-07:00

I spend most of the year at least a thousand miles away from any family, but for the last month I have been living with and near parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins and it's been great! It's hard to believe I can sometimes forget how much I love these guys. Especially, the two most directly responsible for my creation, mom and dad shown in the picture.

Progression of faith

2006-07-09T12:22:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I wished I was.
I wanted to be .
I hoped.
Today I am.
Hope has been substantiated though not yet materialized.

Good, Love

2006-07-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

God is love

Does this mean that God embodies the characteristics of love or is love defined by who God is?

God is good

Does this mean that there is an independent standard of goodness that God lives up to and can therefore be measured by, or rather, is what we experience as good only a consequence of what we perceive of the nature and character of God evident in creation?

I hold the later to be true in each of the above.

"No greater love has a man than this, that he would lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13