It's been five weeks or so since D-Now. Wow! What a difference a few weeks can make. Our student ministry is in a place it's never been before and the possibilities are unlimited. I'm reminded of something Heather posted on January 20th:
"D-Now was not our last chance, our greatest accomplishment. It was our first."
Disciple Now was great, no doubt about it. But it was just the start, sort of a trial run of things to come. Since then our group has grown tighter, has taken their walk with God up a notch (or two), and is hungry for more. The really cool thing is that it's not just the adults, JGenners, or high-schoolers. This pursuit of God has overtaken us all.
I could tell countless stories from the past month of how God has moved in lives, changed hearts, and spoken to people. I feel that the Walk With Jesus Weekend will yield even more fruit. Just as we felt with D-Now, something great is coming.
I don't want to get all mystical and spooky with this. The truth is, what's coming is just another level of what has come. It's another step in the process of what God wants to do. D-Now was the first, and this is the second, or third or fourth depending on how you keep score. What's important is that it is part of God's on-going work in us and around us.
Disciple Now was the awakening to how badly we needed something more. The Weekend Walk might just be the something more.
So here's my prayer for the weekend: I pray that every heart is open, truly open to God and what He wants to say to it. I pray that we come with no expectations of what He wants to do, but simply with the expectation that He will do as He pleases, and we will choose to let Him have His way. And, I pray that we come away from the weekend changed; knowing Him more, seeking Him more, surrendered to Him more, and loving Him more.
It's gonna be a great, fun time. I love you all and I'll see you there.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sometimes you just can't think of a good title
First of all, thanks to Sarah and Spenser for a fun visit Tuesday night. It's always good to hang out and play SkipBo, which I won hands down.
Next, I'm convinced Benji Fowler can make anything in life into a spiritual message. Even Jenga.
The scripture reference tonight was Colossians 3:12,13:
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
I don't know about you but I think this passage is about as plain as it gets. There's really no gray area. As Benji said, there are no prerequisites to forgiveness. It is given, not earned. But here is how it relates to the topic of the night.
The virtues listed above are desired in our friends. We look for these, and other things, in the people we choose to be around. The "perfect friend" would show these characteristics pretty much all the time. But we find these only in Christ. Likewise, we can only exhibit these things if we are found in Christ. And just as important as finding these in others is putting them on ourselves for the sake of others. So, it kinda comes down to what kind of friend we are to others, and are we the kind of friend we look for.
I treasure my friends. I feel as though no one has ever been blessed with good, Christian friends like I have. But, wonderful as they are, they don't always look like the kind of person Paul describes here. I'm sure I rarely look that way to them at all. But friends are friends. And true friends are always friends. I know the people who are truthful with me, who I can count on to be there, to lift me up and bear my burdens. They are the ones who share my love for God.
And so it comes down to love. Paul goes on to write, in the next verse:
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Love is the foundation. Love binds all these other virtues together, love binds hearts together. There is no substitute for it, there is nothing that can compensate for its absence, and there is nothing that can motivate us like love.
I think what Paul was trying to get this church to understand is that it is up to those of us who have accepted God's love to join together and be an earthly picture of that love. "Birds of a feather" and stuff. We have to start "flocking together" and reaching out to each other. We have to start loving each other, keeping each other close, reeling each other back in when we drift. Because that's what we do. We support, we encourage, we understand, we comfort, we bear. We walk, crawl, tip-toe, run, jump, hop, or skip through the fire with each other so that we can stand with each other on the other side.
We love. Because we are loved.
Happy Thursday.
Next, I'm convinced Benji Fowler can make anything in life into a spiritual message. Even Jenga.
The scripture reference tonight was Colossians 3:12,13:
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
I don't know about you but I think this passage is about as plain as it gets. There's really no gray area. As Benji said, there are no prerequisites to forgiveness. It is given, not earned. But here is how it relates to the topic of the night.
The virtues listed above are desired in our friends. We look for these, and other things, in the people we choose to be around. The "perfect friend" would show these characteristics pretty much all the time. But we find these only in Christ. Likewise, we can only exhibit these things if we are found in Christ. And just as important as finding these in others is putting them on ourselves for the sake of others. So, it kinda comes down to what kind of friend we are to others, and are we the kind of friend we look for.
I treasure my friends. I feel as though no one has ever been blessed with good, Christian friends like I have. But, wonderful as they are, they don't always look like the kind of person Paul describes here. I'm sure I rarely look that way to them at all. But friends are friends. And true friends are always friends. I know the people who are truthful with me, who I can count on to be there, to lift me up and bear my burdens. They are the ones who share my love for God.
And so it comes down to love. Paul goes on to write, in the next verse:
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Love is the foundation. Love binds all these other virtues together, love binds hearts together. There is no substitute for it, there is nothing that can compensate for its absence, and there is nothing that can motivate us like love.
I think what Paul was trying to get this church to understand is that it is up to those of us who have accepted God's love to join together and be an earthly picture of that love. "Birds of a feather" and stuff. We have to start "flocking together" and reaching out to each other. We have to start loving each other, keeping each other close, reeling each other back in when we drift. Because that's what we do. We support, we encourage, we understand, we comfort, we bear. We walk, crawl, tip-toe, run, jump, hop, or skip through the fire with each other so that we can stand with each other on the other side.
We love. Because we are loved.
Happy Thursday.
Monday, February 23, 2009
It ain't easy bein' me
For all of you who take pleasure in poking fun at my less than perfect eyesight, here is the view from my world. In the six circles of this little test, I see the number 25 in the top left circle. Everything else is just vomit to me. I don't know the proper diagnosis for this condition, but I do know that makes me severely color-blind. Yeah, I'm a blast at traffic lights.This is why I don't go shopping alone. Thanks to Ryan and Juli, and others who have generously given of their time to help me NOT look like an idiot in public; at least no more of an idiot than is natural.
If you've ever seen the inside of a telephone cable, then you are amazed right now that I even have a job. Phone cables are divided by colors. Actually, ten pairs of colors that are recurring depending on the size of the cable. The colors are blue-orange-green-brown-slate, and white-red-black-yellow-violet. They are divided by binders.
Here's how a 100 pair cable would count:
Pairs: 1-25 - blue/white binder
Pairs 26-50 - orange/white binder
Pairs 51-75 - green/white binder
Pairs 76-100 - brown/white binder
The individual pairs count 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, and 21-25. Their corresponding colors are blue/white, orange/white, green/white, brown/white, and slate/white for 1-5. 6-10 would be blue/red, orange/red, green/red, brown/red, and slate/red. You get the picture, all the colors repeat (tip side/ring side) and only the ring and binder color changes. It's not really complicated as evidenced by my understanding of it. But it can get frustrating when the cable size is 2400 pairs instead of 100.
It is especially frustrating for someone with eyes like mine.
Obviously, you probably don't care any more about phone work than I do. It's not exactly my passion. But I do have a point to make. In nine years of placing and splicing these cables, not one splice that I have made has ever been turned back as defective. That means that, even with severe color-blindness, I have somehow managed to get every single pair in the right place, and in the right order. I can't pick out matching clothes but I can splice little, tiny, colored wires. I have overcome a severe handicap to perform my job. And that has to be the work of God.
We are all called to do certain "jobs" for God. With those duties come handicaps that stand in the way of us being effective for God's causes. Moses had a speech impediment, for example. But just as Moses' handicap was overcome, God will also give us ways to overcome our deficiencies. Some people don't like to speak in public, some don't like to pray out loud, and some don't like be seen at all. God is big enough to get us past all those things. He won't lead us to do something without equipping us for the task.
Remember the words Paul heard from God, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." That is still true today for all of us.
His righteousness is made perfect in our un-righteousness; His humility in our pride, and His love in our in-ability to love apart from Him.
Okay, I'm on vacation so there will be no more shop-talk from me this week.
I hope everyone has a good day tomorrow. (At work! Ha!)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Odds and ends
Just a few random things from my weekend.I went hiking with some of the youth yesterday and it was a blast. The weather was warm and sunny, but there was still ice all over the falls.
The kids, myself included, climbed all over the rocks and ended up about half of a mile downstream. Which, of course, meant that we had to hike back upstream to get back to the trail.
What a great bunch of people in our student ministry, students and leaders alike. There really is no shortage of love in the J3Gen group.
Friday night was really cool. We did an exercise to get ourselves thinking about how well we love. In short, we wrote our names down and put them in the shoeboxes of those people that we know love us. It was very eye-opening to find out just who feels loved by us. The exercise has already borne fruit in some conversations and I look forward to hearing more on it in the near future.
The Walk with Jesus Weekend is coming up and will be awesome. There is a big crowd going and we all look forward to hearing world-renowned speaker Dave Cross bring the word. Pray that God falls on us all and changes hearts this weekend.
Finally, I saw this video today and cracked up. It's about a Starbuck's Church. I send it out to someone (you know who you are) that would love to join this church and would probably be sitting on the front row every Sunday.
I will now gloat just a bit. I'm off work all week. Just some time to relax and recharge. I have no plans other than a trip to see Spenarah on Tuesday. If I can do anything for any of you this week, consider me available. I'm easy to reach.
Have a great Monday.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
It's the little things
I usually take Wednesday nights and expound on what Benji preached about but tonight will be different. His sermon was great, pretty self-explanatory and truthful, as always, but I've got something else on my mind.
Today at work the morning was cold and rainy. Miserable working conditions by my standards. But just before lunch, the rain stopped and a warm breeze started blowing. I mean, the air temperature changed instantly. One second the air was cold and the next it felt like spring. I felt my mood change with it. I started thinking about those simple pleasures, like a warm breeze, that put a smile on my face.
Be warned...after reading this you may know more about me than you want to.
Here are a few things on my list, in no certain order:
Freshly laundered bed sheets -- Nothing beats crawling into bed, especially on a cold night, to clean, tight sheets. You have to cram your toes down into the end where they are still a little warm, and tug on them a bit to get them high enough.
Mountain Dew and Fudge Rounds -- Two words: yummy, yummy!
A new toothbrush -- I bought one the other day and it has restored the fun to brushing. Maybe it's because it's new or maybe because it's bristled differently, no matter, I love it 'cause it feels so good.
Toilet paper, the good kind -- Not the nearly-sheer, poke-through kind but thick and quilted. I once heard it said that men demand name-brand quality in only two things, power tools and toilet paper. I would concur.
Potted meat -- The poor man's caviar. I know there are noses turning upward right now but with the Obama administration settling in, four cans for a dollar will push this stuff to T-Bone status.
A good book -- No explanation needed. Few things compare with getting lost in a different world and never having to leave your recliner.
Skits -- The dramas we are doing at church right now are cheesy and corny, but they are fun to do. I think the big draw for me is knowing that months or years down the road, I will be able to walk up to Heather or Virginia or Cody, or whoever, and say, "Remember when we did..." That's cool to me.
Friends, the real kind -- the kind we only have a handful of in life. Benji hit on this tonight. These friends are the ones you can lean on, the ones who can lean on you, the ones you work through the tough issues with, the ones that have to be in your life because you just can't see life any other way, and the ones that inspire you to grow in God.
That's my short list of life's simple pleasures. I realize that these are based on individual tastes, but that's okay, I forgive you for being weird.
Perhaps the greatest and simplest pleasure is simply...love. Love really is a simple thing. Paul defined it perfectly in 1 Corinthians 13. Our imperfect humanity and selfishness are what complicate it.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. --2 Corinthians 11:3
Huh. Devotion to Christ is simple? Doesn't seem like it most of the time, does it? But according to the Bible, yeah, it is. I guess our minds are led astray more often than we think. Believe Him, surrender to Him, follow Him. Pretty simple.
Maybe we get too caught up in the complexity of God, the mystery of the Trinity, and His unfathomable ways. Maybe our desire to control everything leads us to focus on the things we can't figure out when all He asks is for us to simply let Him take control. Maybe if we turn our lives over to Him, once and for all, our needless cares would fall away, the dark clouds over us would part, and His peace would wash over us like the warm breeze that inspired this rant. Now that's simple.
And, as always, I do love simplicity.
Today at work the morning was cold and rainy. Miserable working conditions by my standards. But just before lunch, the rain stopped and a warm breeze started blowing. I mean, the air temperature changed instantly. One second the air was cold and the next it felt like spring. I felt my mood change with it. I started thinking about those simple pleasures, like a warm breeze, that put a smile on my face.
Be warned...after reading this you may know more about me than you want to.
Here are a few things on my list, in no certain order:
Freshly laundered bed sheets -- Nothing beats crawling into bed, especially on a cold night, to clean, tight sheets. You have to cram your toes down into the end where they are still a little warm, and tug on them a bit to get them high enough.
Mountain Dew and Fudge Rounds -- Two words: yummy, yummy!
A new toothbrush -- I bought one the other day and it has restored the fun to brushing. Maybe it's because it's new or maybe because it's bristled differently, no matter, I love it 'cause it feels so good.
Toilet paper, the good kind -- Not the nearly-sheer, poke-through kind but thick and quilted. I once heard it said that men demand name-brand quality in only two things, power tools and toilet paper. I would concur.
Potted meat -- The poor man's caviar. I know there are noses turning upward right now but with the Obama administration settling in, four cans for a dollar will push this stuff to T-Bone status.
A good book -- No explanation needed. Few things compare with getting lost in a different world and never having to leave your recliner.
Skits -- The dramas we are doing at church right now are cheesy and corny, but they are fun to do. I think the big draw for me is knowing that months or years down the road, I will be able to walk up to Heather or Virginia or Cody, or whoever, and say, "Remember when we did..." That's cool to me.
Friends, the real kind -- the kind we only have a handful of in life. Benji hit on this tonight. These friends are the ones you can lean on, the ones who can lean on you, the ones you work through the tough issues with, the ones that have to be in your life because you just can't see life any other way, and the ones that inspire you to grow in God.
That's my short list of life's simple pleasures. I realize that these are based on individual tastes, but that's okay, I forgive you for being weird.
Perhaps the greatest and simplest pleasure is simply...love. Love really is a simple thing. Paul defined it perfectly in 1 Corinthians 13. Our imperfect humanity and selfishness are what complicate it.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. --2 Corinthians 11:3
Huh. Devotion to Christ is simple? Doesn't seem like it most of the time, does it? But according to the Bible, yeah, it is. I guess our minds are led astray more often than we think. Believe Him, surrender to Him, follow Him. Pretty simple.
Maybe we get too caught up in the complexity of God, the mystery of the Trinity, and His unfathomable ways. Maybe our desire to control everything leads us to focus on the things we can't figure out when all He asks is for us to simply let Him take control. Maybe if we turn our lives over to Him, once and for all, our needless cares would fall away, the dark clouds over us would part, and His peace would wash over us like the warm breeze that inspired this rant. Now that's simple.
And, as always, I do love simplicity.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The long, hard road back
I watched this skit called "Everything" by Lifehouse, then I watched it again. If you haven't linked to it from the "Skittles" post on Blessed, you should do so now.
I want to ponder a certain part of the skit but I won't give you the time marker because I want you to watch the whole thing. It really is a powerfully emotional message.
At one point, the main character drifts away, is pulled away, is distracted from God, whichever fits your mindset. After a moment of awareness she realizes what she has become and looks to Jesus for rescue. But there is a problem. Those distractions, sins, stand between her and Jesus. She reaches for Him, calls out to Him, even begs and fights to return, but the things she has invited into her life just fight back.
It doesn't take much for us to leave God behind. Desires, temptations, our own self-righteousness are just a few things that open a chasm between ourselves and God. But when we allow those things into our lives, they take hold. It only takes a moment, one decision, one wrong choice, to set ourselves on a path that takes us away from our walk with God. But the road to repentance and restoration is long and hard. It's a rough road back.
Those choices that seem so wonderful and right at the time will eventually reveal themselves to be destructive. The Bible says, "...even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14) Just as he has done since the dawn of man, Satan uses things that we interpret as blessings to turn us away from God. This is why it is so important to stay in the Word, to abide in Him. Our spiritual eyes can see these things, but they have to be focused on God.
I'm reminded of the kudzu vine. You can plant one small root in minutes, but getting rid of the stuff is nearly impossible. It's the same with sin.
To bring this around to a positive note, the end of the skit shows Jesus seeing and hearing her cries for deliverance. Her repentant heart allows Him to intercede. And it's an amazing thing to see Him jump in and cast away the things that had come between them. He shields her from the evil things and the video ends with their relationship restored. Amen.
God isn't going to let us go. But why should we use that as an excuse to follow our own lead? We go about walking our own path, then call on Him to bail us out when it turns out to be a dead-end. Better to stay on His path from the start.
Have a great day.
I want to ponder a certain part of the skit but I won't give you the time marker because I want you to watch the whole thing. It really is a powerfully emotional message.
At one point, the main character drifts away, is pulled away, is distracted from God, whichever fits your mindset. After a moment of awareness she realizes what she has become and looks to Jesus for rescue. But there is a problem. Those distractions, sins, stand between her and Jesus. She reaches for Him, calls out to Him, even begs and fights to return, but the things she has invited into her life just fight back.
It doesn't take much for us to leave God behind. Desires, temptations, our own self-righteousness are just a few things that open a chasm between ourselves and God. But when we allow those things into our lives, they take hold. It only takes a moment, one decision, one wrong choice, to set ourselves on a path that takes us away from our walk with God. But the road to repentance and restoration is long and hard. It's a rough road back.
Those choices that seem so wonderful and right at the time will eventually reveal themselves to be destructive. The Bible says, "...even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:14) Just as he has done since the dawn of man, Satan uses things that we interpret as blessings to turn us away from God. This is why it is so important to stay in the Word, to abide in Him. Our spiritual eyes can see these things, but they have to be focused on God.
I'm reminded of the kudzu vine. You can plant one small root in minutes, but getting rid of the stuff is nearly impossible. It's the same with sin.
To bring this around to a positive note, the end of the skit shows Jesus seeing and hearing her cries for deliverance. Her repentant heart allows Him to intercede. And it's an amazing thing to see Him jump in and cast away the things that had come between them. He shields her from the evil things and the video ends with their relationship restored. Amen.
God isn't going to let us go. But why should we use that as an excuse to follow our own lead? We go about walking our own path, then call on Him to bail us out when it turns out to be a dead-end. Better to stay on His path from the start.
Have a great day.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Storm story
I apologize if I sound like a Weather Channel correspondent but the storm last night gave me a perspective to share. I would have posted this last night, but by the time my electricity was restored, I was well into Dreamland.
I left work yesterday and drove straight to Farragut. The sky was barely even cloudy in South Knoxville at the time. I was on Pellissippi Parkway at Northshore Drive when it started raining just a bit. When I got to Westland Drive, the situation became grave. I hit a wall of water, literally. It was like I drove off into the lake. Instantly, I couldn't even see the front-end of my truck. And that's no exaggeration. I slowed rather rapidly and pulled over to the shoulder; I think it was the shoulder, it was somewhere to the right of my previous location.
I sat there for only about three minutes then proceeded. By the time I got to Smith Road and Kingston Pike, everything had passed and the weather was normal, just a light shower. But, philosopher that I am, I started thinking about life. Spenser, life is like a category 4 hurricane.
Sometimes we cruise along, all conditions normal, or at least what we think is normal. But it might just be our own personal definition of normal. It may be what we have convinced ourselves is normal. We see no danger or changing conditions on the horizon, just the same normal that we enjoy, and protect. We tell ourselves that we are okay, that we are right where we should be. No worries, we have all the answers, and the skies (future) are cloudless and bright.
Then, darkness. No sight, no vision, no equilibrium, just the storm. Life has instantly been transformed from paradise to hell. Everything we thought we knew has become BS, everything we held confidence in has crumbled, and life is forever different. We look for stability, something of the joy of the past to hold on to, but nothing remains. Nothing, that is, but God. The same God who allowed, or created, the storm.
I don't want to sound like an old geezer (no jokes, please), but I have experienced this more than once in my life. Sometimes because of my decisions and sometimes because of other people's decisions. If you think I'm overstating the suddenness and impact of such an event, I hope you are never proven wrong. Or maybe I hope you are.
The gut-wrenching part is that sometimes the storms foretell their arrival. There are signs, forecasts to warn us of a coming change. If we would pay attention to the forecasts we could change our direction and avoid the bad weather. If we kept our eyes focused above, we might just see the trouble ahead and take steps to prepare. We would have time to seek shelter.
God wants our attention. He wants to grow us closer to Him. He wants to prepare us for the future He has planned out for us. Sometimes that requires drastic measures to get our attention. But the storms we go through for Him are designed to slow us down, focus our attention on Him, make us dependent on Him, and then set us back on the path after having strengthened us.
Life, even the good life, can change in an instant. But the life that is truly good is only found in obedience to God. There is no compromise. And there is no faking it.
I don't usually like the storms because I have to work in them and they usually increase my workload. But when the next one comes along, I'm going to slow down and see God in it. Not just in the storm's fury, but in the bright, clean world it leaves behind.
Have a great Friday, everyone.
I left work yesterday and drove straight to Farragut. The sky was barely even cloudy in South Knoxville at the time. I was on Pellissippi Parkway at Northshore Drive when it started raining just a bit. When I got to Westland Drive, the situation became grave. I hit a wall of water, literally. It was like I drove off into the lake. Instantly, I couldn't even see the front-end of my truck. And that's no exaggeration. I slowed rather rapidly and pulled over to the shoulder; I think it was the shoulder, it was somewhere to the right of my previous location.
I sat there for only about three minutes then proceeded. By the time I got to Smith Road and Kingston Pike, everything had passed and the weather was normal, just a light shower. But, philosopher that I am, I started thinking about life. Spenser, life is like a category 4 hurricane.
Sometimes we cruise along, all conditions normal, or at least what we think is normal. But it might just be our own personal definition of normal. It may be what we have convinced ourselves is normal. We see no danger or changing conditions on the horizon, just the same normal that we enjoy, and protect. We tell ourselves that we are okay, that we are right where we should be. No worries, we have all the answers, and the skies (future) are cloudless and bright.
Then, darkness. No sight, no vision, no equilibrium, just the storm. Life has instantly been transformed from paradise to hell. Everything we thought we knew has become BS, everything we held confidence in has crumbled, and life is forever different. We look for stability, something of the joy of the past to hold on to, but nothing remains. Nothing, that is, but God. The same God who allowed, or created, the storm.
I don't want to sound like an old geezer (no jokes, please), but I have experienced this more than once in my life. Sometimes because of my decisions and sometimes because of other people's decisions. If you think I'm overstating the suddenness and impact of such an event, I hope you are never proven wrong. Or maybe I hope you are.
The gut-wrenching part is that sometimes the storms foretell their arrival. There are signs, forecasts to warn us of a coming change. If we would pay attention to the forecasts we could change our direction and avoid the bad weather. If we kept our eyes focused above, we might just see the trouble ahead and take steps to prepare. We would have time to seek shelter.
God wants our attention. He wants to grow us closer to Him. He wants to prepare us for the future He has planned out for us. Sometimes that requires drastic measures to get our attention. But the storms we go through for Him are designed to slow us down, focus our attention on Him, make us dependent on Him, and then set us back on the path after having strengthened us.
Life, even the good life, can change in an instant. But the life that is truly good is only found in obedience to God. There is no compromise. And there is no faking it.
I don't usually like the storms because I have to work in them and they usually increase my workload. But when the next one comes along, I'm going to slow down and see God in it. Not just in the storm's fury, but in the bright, clean world it leaves behind.
Have a great Friday, everyone.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Hangin' in the 'Burg
I took a little trip tonight with a few friends. Above would be Virginia, Sarah, Hayley (on the bean-bags), Spenser (on the laptop), and The Don just behind Spenser. We had a freakin' blast. More pics here.
But even though this was a just for fun trip to see S & S, I couldn't help but think of the lengths we sometimes go to just to love people. Williamsburg is barely over an hour away, not far, but when the weekdays drag on and your loved ones are somewhere out of reach, distance doesn't matter much. Sometimes you just miss people enough to plan a road trip.
Virginia texted me last week with the idea of driving up to see Spenarah so we secretly planned a group outing to surprise them. They thought it would just be me. I wish you could have seen their faces as they ran across the road and threw open the truck doors. Sarah actually looked scared for a minute.
Anyway, it was alot of fun. I thank God for those two and what it means to me to see them live out their lives for God. This blooming JGen family is something truly unique and the bonds just keep growing stronger. Thanks to Sunny D, Mean Train and Nerdy Hayley for being good co-pilots. Anyone who can put up with an hour of grape belches is a real trooper. That's gotta be a family thing.
He's back!!!
This is Herschel. He started hanging around my house about a year and a half ago. I've never fed him but I guess he just likes the neighborhood.
For a long time I called him Pigwidgeon. I thought he was a girl. When I found out otherwise (his plumage gave it away) I found a name with more masculinity.
He hasn't been around for a while and I thought something had happened to him. But today he returned.
Welcome back, buddy.
Monday, February 9, 2009
This will be my only mention of St. Valentine's Day
Or as I like to call it, St. I'm ignoring it day. But, nonetheless, it is the day that has been set aside for the celebration of wuv and love is a good thing.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. --1 John 4:7-11
God is the source of love. That's pretty plain-and-simple, I think. His love has declared itself to us in our creation, but among us in our redemption. And Jesus tells us that our pattern to follow in loving is the one He set before us:
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. --John 15:13
My Sunday night guys and I had an interesting discussion on this verse. Bear in mind these are middle and high school boys. They were intrigued by the notion that it's not just the laying down of our physical lives that shows this greatest love, but laying down our lives for someone on a daily basis, taking on their burdens, devoting ourselves to meeting their needs, listening, helping, encouraging, and giving. In short, give all you can, then give more.
This is sacrificial love. This is Christ's love. And honestly, it's the only way to go.
My favorite part of John's passage says, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us..." My love for God, or for anyone else, proves nothing. It is simply a response to His love. His love for me, and everyone else, is limitless, all-consuming, awe-inspiring, but it is independent of my love.
His love is there even if mine isn't. That is ____. I can't find a word. That's what unconditional means. He doesn't need to be motivated or obligated to love me based on my actions or righteousness, or the way I treat Him. His love doesn't depend on me loving Him at all. That's how I want to love, with a love that doesn't require.
If we love, we know God. If we know God, we love. If we don't love, we don't know God. If we don't know God, we don't love. Any questions?
I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day in spite of me. If anyone will let me buy them some chocolate, say the word.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. --1 John 4:7-11
God is the source of love. That's pretty plain-and-simple, I think. His love has declared itself to us in our creation, but among us in our redemption. And Jesus tells us that our pattern to follow in loving is the one He set before us:
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. --John 15:13
My Sunday night guys and I had an interesting discussion on this verse. Bear in mind these are middle and high school boys. They were intrigued by the notion that it's not just the laying down of our physical lives that shows this greatest love, but laying down our lives for someone on a daily basis, taking on their burdens, devoting ourselves to meeting their needs, listening, helping, encouraging, and giving. In short, give all you can, then give more.
This is sacrificial love. This is Christ's love. And honestly, it's the only way to go.
My favorite part of John's passage says, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us..." My love for God, or for anyone else, proves nothing. It is simply a response to His love. His love for me, and everyone else, is limitless, all-consuming, awe-inspiring, but it is independent of my love.
His love is there even if mine isn't. That is ____. I can't find a word. That's what unconditional means. He doesn't need to be motivated or obligated to love me based on my actions or righteousness, or the way I treat Him. His love doesn't depend on me loving Him at all. That's how I want to love, with a love that doesn't require.
If we love, we know God. If we know God, we love. If we don't love, we don't know God. If we don't know God, we don't love. Any questions?
I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day in spite of me. If anyone will let me buy them some chocolate, say the word.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
A pretty pic and canned biscuits
First, as promised -- a picture post. That really is an awesome pic of those two.And second, ya wanna know what scares the pee out of me? Canned biscuits.
I fix canned biscuits because it's kinda hard and senseless to make 'em homemade for just one. A batch of four doesn't cut it.
The other night I had, for lack of a better word, a hankering for biscuits. I shuddered immediately at the thought of having to open the little buggers. I hate those cans. It's an evil, wicked person who came up with those stinking, jack-in-the-box cans.
The label says to "peel wrapper in the direction of the arrow until can pops." Pops my rear-end!! It's a thunderous explosion. I always start peeling really slow, with one eye half-opened, waiting for the inevitable but unpredictable blast. I can never guess when it's going to happen. I hold my breath, turn my head, and just when I think it's coming, nothing. So I exhale and then,
BOOOOMMMM!!!
It gets me every time. I stand there waiting for the concussive wave that will blow me off my feet and across the kitchen. But what's worse is when the can doesn't open. Even after the whole label is off, the can remains a ticking time bomb. I beat it on the counter, nothing. I drop it on the floor, nothing. I kick it with my toe, nothing. So I get a knife out of the drawer, gently poke around the seam and wait for the blast wave that will propel the knife deep into my eyeball.
Strangely, this reminds me of habitual sins. Those ones that repeatedly trip us up. We all have them, don't deny it. They may seem small and insignificant, they might not even bother us most of the time, but they are there. And they remain an obstacle between us and the relationship with God that He intends for us to have.
Like canned biscuits, we hold them in our hands, hoping they don't hurt us, but knowing that at any moment they could blow up in our faces, always wondering if this will be the moment when our sin explodes and causes harm to us or our loved ones. We slowly peel away at it, exposing more of it, waiting for the inevitable pop.
Sin and canned biscuits. For Pete's sake, someone could get hurt!!!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
# 100
This is my 100th post!!! I think I'll bake a cake.
I've been thinking, what if we aren't the first JGen?
I know you've heard someone say, "Jesus hung out with lepers, prostitutes and thieves." People usually use this phrase to justify running around with a crowd they shouldn't be hanging with. I probably used it myself "back in the day." We tell ourselves we are trying to influence them, that we are "the light in the darkness." Blah, blah, blah and yaddah, yaddah.
Everytime I hear it I cringe. Because it's just not true and it's certainly not biblical. In preparing for Friday night's Jesus study, I've really been looking at His lifestyle, how He traveled and what He did as a man. He came to earth to reach people, but the Bible tells us to be careful who we associate with. Jesus isn't going to do something that contradicts His instructions to us.
Jesus went to the lost. He crossed paths with them everywhere He went, that's why He went there. But He came to them for purpose. He taught them, healed them and testified to them of Himself. He came to each of us that way, or we would still be lost.
But what about His family? His crew, His boys, His posse, the gang, His bro's, or His "small group?" They are called The Twelve. Kind of ominous sounding, ain't it?
These are the ones Jesus rolled with. He ate with them, traveled with them, called them to follow Him, and commissioned them to carry on after He was gone. These are the ones He prayed with, the ones who saw Him in Gethsemane broken and afraid because of what was to come. He asked them to get His back when He was at His most human. These men, and the other disciples and followers, including women, were His church family. They were the ones who loved Him the most, were willing to follow Him anywhere, even to death. And these are the ones who asked the most of Him, tried His patience, bickered and argued about Him, and sought His favor and blessing.
Whatever it looked like, it's a picture-perfect example of how He wants His church to be, of how He wants us to be. It was family, bound by love and unified in purpose.
Maybe they met on Fridays and had dinner. Maybe they came up with silly skits to do in the temple (Mary and Martha performing "Baklava is the New Deodorant"). Maybe they scroll-blogged during the week (I picture Andrew dressed in a "Blogger.com" toga running all around Judea delivering scrolls) and sent encouraging messages to the young disciples who were away at school and couldn't be there. Maybe Thomas played "Captain Underpants" for everyone's entertainment. Maybe someone wrote a devotion called "Life is Like Un-leavened Bread." I wonder if Jesus planned a Disciple Now and they all looked at each other and said, "Dude, what's a disciple?"
Just like them, we are to be set apart. They were recognized as His own. They eventually came to realize what a privilege it is to be called "His."
Jesus had a JGen of His own. How cool is that?!? I wonder if He called it MyGen?
Happy Friday, everyone.
I've been thinking, what if we aren't the first JGen?
I know you've heard someone say, "Jesus hung out with lepers, prostitutes and thieves." People usually use this phrase to justify running around with a crowd they shouldn't be hanging with. I probably used it myself "back in the day." We tell ourselves we are trying to influence them, that we are "the light in the darkness." Blah, blah, blah and yaddah, yaddah.
Everytime I hear it I cringe. Because it's just not true and it's certainly not biblical. In preparing for Friday night's Jesus study, I've really been looking at His lifestyle, how He traveled and what He did as a man. He came to earth to reach people, but the Bible tells us to be careful who we associate with. Jesus isn't going to do something that contradicts His instructions to us.
Jesus went to the lost. He crossed paths with them everywhere He went, that's why He went there. But He came to them for purpose. He taught them, healed them and testified to them of Himself. He came to each of us that way, or we would still be lost.
But what about His family? His crew, His boys, His posse, the gang, His bro's, or His "small group?" They are called The Twelve. Kind of ominous sounding, ain't it?
These are the ones Jesus rolled with. He ate with them, traveled with them, called them to follow Him, and commissioned them to carry on after He was gone. These are the ones He prayed with, the ones who saw Him in Gethsemane broken and afraid because of what was to come. He asked them to get His back when He was at His most human. These men, and the other disciples and followers, including women, were His church family. They were the ones who loved Him the most, were willing to follow Him anywhere, even to death. And these are the ones who asked the most of Him, tried His patience, bickered and argued about Him, and sought His favor and blessing.
Whatever it looked like, it's a picture-perfect example of how He wants His church to be, of how He wants us to be. It was family, bound by love and unified in purpose.
Maybe they met on Fridays and had dinner. Maybe they came up with silly skits to do in the temple (Mary and Martha performing "Baklava is the New Deodorant"). Maybe they scroll-blogged during the week (I picture Andrew dressed in a "Blogger.com" toga running all around Judea delivering scrolls) and sent encouraging messages to the young disciples who were away at school and couldn't be there. Maybe Thomas played "Captain Underpants" for everyone's entertainment. Maybe someone wrote a devotion called "Life is Like Un-leavened Bread." I wonder if Jesus planned a Disciple Now and they all looked at each other and said, "Dude, what's a disciple?"
Just like them, we are to be set apart. They were recognized as His own. They eventually came to realize what a privilege it is to be called "His."
Jesus had a JGen of His own. How cool is that?!? I wonder if He called it MyGen?
Happy Friday, everyone.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
I've been thinking...
about the parts of God we choose to ignore because they don't jibe with what we want. I mean, we all focus on God's love and His blessings, His grace, mercy, compassion, and His patience with us. And praise to Him for all those attributes, don't get me wrong. Without them, I would be dead, literally and spiritually. But what about our part of the bargain?
I think about the choices we make. We come to crossroads all the time. Some big and some small. There is a right way, which is His way, and there's a wrong way which would be following ourselves. I shamefully confess that I choose me most of the time. But that's what I want to change, to truly die to myself.
God approaches us all the time. He gives us little nudges, little whispers, even strong warnings to alert us to Him and the changes we need to make. All with the purpose of drawing us closer to Him and leading us further down the path that He wants us to go. Events like Disciple Now are usually an opportune time for this, I think, because we are always so open to hearing Him. But how often do we hear God but reason out ways to follow our desires? We ask Him to speak to us, then don't listen to what He says.
Benji got me thinking about this tonight when he talked about accountability. We talk alot about loving each other, but is it real or merely selective? Is it only a love of convenience, there as long as we don't contradict each other?
I can't say for sure how I would react to someone approaching me and telling me I need to make a change. I like to think I would respectfully listen then prayerfully consider their words and walk away loving them the same, or even more for loving me enough to get involved. That's really what Jesus had in mind for His bride. That is true accountability. But would I, could I do that? Could you?
To bring this all around to point, ponder this:
Then the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there He tested them, saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your Healer." --Exodus 15:25, 26
Obedience brings blessings. Obedience also brings averted judgments. Faithfulness to the word of God is the means by which we continue to receive the benefits of the relationship with God. It would be nice to receive favor for nothing, just as Christ died for us while we were sinners. But in order to grow, in order to learn Him and fulfill His plan, we must hear, listen, and be obedient. That's why He sent His Spirit to guide us.
How many blessings have I missed by listening to me? How many nudges and warnings have I ignored, blown off because they didn't fit with my plan? Because I wouldn't let God wreck my life?
How many times have I chosen to not approach someone because I didn't trust in their love for me? And how many people don't trust in my love for them enough to approach me? If we're not loving like that, we are just noisy cymbals. (see 1 Corinthians 13)
It seems poor, old Jonah keeps showing up. God spoke and he listened...to himself. He ignored God's voice because he didn't love. His judgment was not averted.
While we focus on the attributes of God that we like, let's not forget to love Him in return. We do that by following His word and His ways. And blessings will follow.
And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. --Deuteronomy 28:2
I think about the choices we make. We come to crossroads all the time. Some big and some small. There is a right way, which is His way, and there's a wrong way which would be following ourselves. I shamefully confess that I choose me most of the time. But that's what I want to change, to truly die to myself.
God approaches us all the time. He gives us little nudges, little whispers, even strong warnings to alert us to Him and the changes we need to make. All with the purpose of drawing us closer to Him and leading us further down the path that He wants us to go. Events like Disciple Now are usually an opportune time for this, I think, because we are always so open to hearing Him. But how often do we hear God but reason out ways to follow our desires? We ask Him to speak to us, then don't listen to what He says.
Benji got me thinking about this tonight when he talked about accountability. We talk alot about loving each other, but is it real or merely selective? Is it only a love of convenience, there as long as we don't contradict each other?
I can't say for sure how I would react to someone approaching me and telling me I need to make a change. I like to think I would respectfully listen then prayerfully consider their words and walk away loving them the same, or even more for loving me enough to get involved. That's really what Jesus had in mind for His bride. That is true accountability. But would I, could I do that? Could you?
To bring this all around to point, ponder this:
Then the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there He tested them, saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your Healer." --Exodus 15:25, 26
Obedience brings blessings. Obedience also brings averted judgments. Faithfulness to the word of God is the means by which we continue to receive the benefits of the relationship with God. It would be nice to receive favor for nothing, just as Christ died for us while we were sinners. But in order to grow, in order to learn Him and fulfill His plan, we must hear, listen, and be obedient. That's why He sent His Spirit to guide us.
How many blessings have I missed by listening to me? How many nudges and warnings have I ignored, blown off because they didn't fit with my plan? Because I wouldn't let God wreck my life?
How many times have I chosen to not approach someone because I didn't trust in their love for me? And how many people don't trust in my love for them enough to approach me? If we're not loving like that, we are just noisy cymbals. (see 1 Corinthians 13)
It seems poor, old Jonah keeps showing up. God spoke and he listened...to himself. He ignored God's voice because he didn't love. His judgment was not averted.
While we focus on the attributes of God that we like, let's not forget to love Him in return. We do that by following His word and His ways. And blessings will follow.
And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. --Deuteronomy 28:2
Monday, February 2, 2009
Job, Snow, and R.O.U.S's
Every time it snows I think about Job. Not getting the connection? Allow me to explain.
Job is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I feel a kind of kinship with him. Not that I've faced anything close to the hardships he suffered, but his story is a real eye-opener to God's glory and majesty, as well as His power and love. You should read it. Right now, even.
The book of Job contains some of the most wonderful descriptions of God in the whole Bible. Here's the one that I think of when it snows:
Keep listening to the thunder of His voice
And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
Under the whole heaven He lets it go,
And His lightning to the corners of the earth.
After it His voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard.
God thunders wondrously with His voice;
He does great things that we cannot comprehend.
For to the snow He says, "Fall on the earth,"
Likewise to the downpour, His mighty downpour. -Job 37:2-6
I have a different perspective on the snow than most of you. While you sit in your cozy, warm offices and living rooms and watch the snow fall and pile up on tree limbs and rooftops, I'm all bundled up, watching it spot up my safety glasses, melt through my coat, and wiping snot off my nose with a cold, wet glove. And I LOVE it. There is one thing about a snowfall that really does it for me...the silence.
Snow has a way of dampening sound. First of all, the traffic is much lighter so there is less car noise. But everything is just quieter. Voices don't carry as far, objects hit the ground with a dull thud, and footsteps are almost undetectable.
Today I was working on a pole during the heaviest snowfall of the day. I could barely see the phone cable in front of me. The wind was blowing, and stinging, and my fingertips were numb, but not numb enough to kill the pain. But it was completely silent. All I could hear was my own breathing, and sometimes singing, and the faint sound of the truck running thirty feet below me. It was just me and all I could think of was this passage from Job.
Job isn't the one speaking here. It's his "friend" Elihu who has come to console Job in his misfortune. It's more of a brow-beating than a consolation but here he is just proclaiming the majesty of God. He asks Job to consider God's majesty in relation to the complaint Job has with God. In the next chapter, God answers Job by questioning if he can explain creation and it's wonders. That pretty much shuts up Job and his complaining.
Of course, God shows His love by restoring Job and everything he lost. But our gracious God doubles everything Job lost, including the years of his life. How blessed we are to be loved by such a love.
So, I guess that's my point. Even a simple snowfall can lead one to regard God's love. Creation itself is an expression of His love.
When I got home late last night, The Princess Bride was on television. The perfect ending to the day.
Have fun storming the castle!
Job is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I feel a kind of kinship with him. Not that I've faced anything close to the hardships he suffered, but his story is a real eye-opener to God's glory and majesty, as well as His power and love. You should read it. Right now, even.
The book of Job contains some of the most wonderful descriptions of God in the whole Bible. Here's the one that I think of when it snows:
Keep listening to the thunder of His voice
And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
Under the whole heaven He lets it go,
And His lightning to the corners of the earth.
After it His voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard.
God thunders wondrously with His voice;
He does great things that we cannot comprehend.
For to the snow He says, "Fall on the earth,"
Likewise to the downpour, His mighty downpour. -Job 37:2-6
I have a different perspective on the snow than most of you. While you sit in your cozy, warm offices and living rooms and watch the snow fall and pile up on tree limbs and rooftops, I'm all bundled up, watching it spot up my safety glasses, melt through my coat, and wiping snot off my nose with a cold, wet glove. And I LOVE it. There is one thing about a snowfall that really does it for me...the silence.
Snow has a way of dampening sound. First of all, the traffic is much lighter so there is less car noise. But everything is just quieter. Voices don't carry as far, objects hit the ground with a dull thud, and footsteps are almost undetectable.
Today I was working on a pole during the heaviest snowfall of the day. I could barely see the phone cable in front of me. The wind was blowing, and stinging, and my fingertips were numb, but not numb enough to kill the pain. But it was completely silent. All I could hear was my own breathing, and sometimes singing, and the faint sound of the truck running thirty feet below me. It was just me and all I could think of was this passage from Job.
Job isn't the one speaking here. It's his "friend" Elihu who has come to console Job in his misfortune. It's more of a brow-beating than a consolation but here he is just proclaiming the majesty of God. He asks Job to consider God's majesty in relation to the complaint Job has with God. In the next chapter, God answers Job by questioning if he can explain creation and it's wonders. That pretty much shuts up Job and his complaining.
Of course, God shows His love by restoring Job and everything he lost. But our gracious God doubles everything Job lost, including the years of his life. How blessed we are to be loved by such a love.
So, I guess that's my point. Even a simple snowfall can lead one to regard God's love. Creation itself is an expression of His love.
When I got home late last night, The Princess Bride was on television. The perfect ending to the day.
Have fun storming the castle!
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