In Pursuit of Him

Final Words

2009-07-28T13:54:00.003-05:00

It's been about a week since I attended a funeral of a college aged young man, a year younger than myself, and here's the thought that keeps disturbing my mind since then:

Why do we wait to say all the things we WANT and NEED to say...until it's too late?

I never knew this young man that over 800 people gathered to say good-bye to; for a final time. I never had a conversation with him - not about sports, girls, school, or faith. In fact, our meeting in heaven will be the first time we will ever see each other.

But apparently, even those that HAD been lucky enough to have a conversation with him at some point in their lives, still had words left to say to him. Even those closest...family, best friends, roommates - still had words for him. Words that for most of them, had remained unspoken, perhaps even un-thought, until the morning of the funeral.

I've been to enough funerals in the past few years to know that this is NOT a unique phenomenon. Even with families who have time to 'say good-bye', there are still words that remain unspoken, until it's far too late.

I miss you.

I love you.

You made me laugh when...

I admired you because...

Truth be told, that's perhaps the main reason we have funeral services anyways. To say good-bye. Come on, logic tells you that. The person is already dead. Their life is over. The heart has quit beating; the mind stopped engaging. But those who remain need a chance to say the things that we never got a chance to say.

Or did we...?

I firmly believe it's not that we never GOT a 'chance', but we never TOOK the 'opportunity'. Stop reading this for a second and breathe. Breathe in and breathe out. What did you just feel? What did you just think about? Whatever it was - wherever you are - it was a moment. A moment that is now past, never again relivable, retrievable, or changeable.

Now, barring the fact that you're a hermit living high atop Mt. Everest, each day you interact with a number and variety of people. You interact with the girl working the cash register at Wal-Mart. You interact with your family/roommates, etc. Our interactions are widely ranged between those we know and those we don't, some we know intimately, others we know only a name and an occupation.

What do we do in those moments? Do we cherish them - making the most of each and every moment - or do we tend to waste them; caught up in our world of electronics, speed, and convenience?

I, far too often, am abundantly guilty of favoring the last. Even my most loved and cherished relationships tend to fall through the cracks. I haven't talked to one of my best-guy friends in easily 3 months. Even then, it's been almost a YEAR since we've REALLY talked. [Sorry Josh.]

Why is it so hard to engage in real, authentic, vulnerable relationships that truly cherish each moment? Because it's that - it requires us to be REAL, AUTHENTIC, and VULNERABLE. We believe the lie that we'll be laughed at for sharing such thoughts.

Perhaps that's why it's so easy at funerals...you can say what you want - and no one will/can laugh at you.

What if we lived (and talked) like we were anticipating attending a funeral - not with a paralyzing fear that we'll never see each other again, but with truth, love, and honesty that can revolutionize our relationships everywhere - and sharing the 'final words' while they can still be lived and built upon.

What if we tell people how much they really DO mean to us?

What if we tell our friends how much we admire them - how they challenge us and shape us?

What if we didn't wait until it was too late to share our 'final words'?

What if?

Ponderings of the Psalms

2009-03-17T16:14:00.003-05:00

I've never read a lot of the Psalms. So today in my 'time with Jesus' I decided to start reading at the beginning of Psalms. I didn't get very far into them (Psalm 6 to be exact) before I had to stop and take notice of the writer's attitude.

In Psalms 6:6 he writes that he is 'weary with his moaning', and continues in verse 7 that his 'eye wastes away because of his grief'. But even in the midst of that, I believe the writer would say that his life was perfect at the time. It's hard to imagine it any other way. He resolves the Psalm in verse 9 to say that 'the LORD has heard his plea' and 'accepts his prayer'. That's the only place to be. That's what makes it perfect.

I can't count the number of times that I've allowed my circumstances to dictate what my opinion of life is in that moment. Rather than maintain a constant opinion that life in Christ is perfect, and THEN process the on-goings and trials I face, I am quick to use those negatives or positives in my life to dictate how I'm doing.

The truth is that, because of the redeeming power of the blood of Jesus Christ, my life is no longer determined in those same labels. It is not dependent upon external factors. It is dependent solely on Christ. And Christ is perfect.

The writer never mentions in Chapter 9 that God has resolved the problems, or vanquished his enemies. In fact, in verse 10 he more or less alludes to the future action of the Lord, knowing that he is still experiencing pressure and anxiety because of his enemies, but he knows that in the end, VICTORY BELONGS TO THE LORD!!

SALVATION and LIFE WITH CHRIST extends far beyond what happens after we are dead. Sure, there is protection from hell and eternal separation from God with Christ, but there is so much more. There is hope for another day. There is hope for this day! There is joy in knowing that today is perfect, in spite of everything else going on. Life is perfect, because the standard of perfection is not set by our perception of our circumstances, but by the PERFECT love and life of Jesus Christ.

Now if I can just remember that for when the next "perfect storm" hits...

2009-03-11T00:52:00.002-05:00

When I was still working for the church in Clay Center I remember reading an article about pastors of every type and their 'emphasis(es)'. The article stated that each person has a 'theme' in their life that comes out in what they preach, the songs they choose for a Sunday morning, etc.

I've realized for a while that my current theme is trust.

My only post in January quoted Psalm 62, which was a very important passage I spent a lot of time trying to absorb this summer. It seems my major life-quakes over the past several years have revolved around this trust-issue. Or perhaps for me, the lack of trust.

I don't trust God fully.

First off, I'm a guy. But Jael doesn't allow me to use that as an excuse, so I won't rest in that alone. But as a guy, I often find myself attempting to be very self-reliant. If I could be my own mechanic, doctor, dentist, pharmacist, insurance agent, minister, realtor, bug-killer-dude, athletic trainer, surgeon, and funeral director; I would consider my life acceptable. But as it is, I have to learn to trust any number of other folks to repair or take care of things I can't do.

In the same way, I keep finding there's a LOT of things in my life that I CAN'T DIRECTLY DEAL WITH, limited often by distance or absence of knowledge. Praise the Lord that He continues to challenge me to grow in this area of trust. Apparently for me, it's a long journey. I don't think the 'You Are Here' sticker has moved lately on the road map of this traveler's voyage.

I feel like Isaiah and I would have had quite a bit to talk about. Certainly the world is resemblant to the exiles Isaiah addressed: hopeless, in need of a trustworthy ally, and awaiting restoration.

Isaiah 41:9-10

"I took you from the ends of the earth,
and called you from its farthest corners,
saying to you,
'You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off';
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you.
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Chronicle of Raw Honesty

2009-03-07T23:50:00.004-06:00

I admit it.

I don't pursue Christ.

It's a tough thing to realize, and it's like trying to to swallow an elephant without water to admit it.

It's a scary place to be.

It's a sad place to be.

It hurts. It's frustrating. It's stupid. It's lonely. It's empty.

Yep.

(I feel ashamed to write all this. But the best part is, I'm not called to be perfect. We shouldn't feel shame when Christ seems distant. We shouldn't feel like we can't be honest. I want to be transparent with others around me, and quit being fake, pretending to have it all together. Praise the Lord for His grace!)

Psalm 62

2009-01-16T07:24:00.002-06:00

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress;
I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in Him at all times, O people,
pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.

Blog Resurrected

2009-01-12T21:24:00.002-06:00

So I think I've neglected this for far too many months. Too many months of failing to put my thoughts into words. Too long of not wanting to sit down and compartmentalize my feelings. So I apologize and repent...at least for now.

Finally iTunes!!

2008-09-23T08:39:00.002-05:00

Well last week was Limewire...this week it's iTunes!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! HE IS SO GOOD!!!

'Surrender' is now available for download on iTunes! I think you should probably click on the link below to open it in your iTunes Store and give the song a listen. But that's just me. If you want to miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime, just stay there, eating your potato chips with peanut butter. That's a pretty cool way to spend your day too, I guess.

'Surrender' on iTunes

Music Online

2008-09-18T21:02:00.004-05:00

So my song 'Surrender' was recently released on an acoustic compilation CD. You can purchase it online at the Limewire Store and, coming soon, on iTunes and various other online sources!!!

Here's the link to the Limewire Store:

http://www.store.limewire.com/store/app/pages/artist/ArtistHome/artistId/101464/

Calling All Guys

2008-05-20T22:45:00.002-05:00

Hello Echo Ranch!

So I arrived at Echo Ranch today, thankfully avoiding the now infamous 'Boeschling Black Hole of Travel' as I and all three of my checked luggage arrived on time at the correct destination! I know crazy, right?

This summer I will be working as the guy's C.A. (Counselor Advisor), and also helping with a variety of other things including speaking a week to 7-9 year olds. However...and to the 4 of you who read this...please be in prayer for the fact that we are in desperate (I REPEAT DESPERATE!!!) need of more male counselors. As of now, we have 4. We would love to have 7, at least. We have plenty of girl counselors, but for whatever reason, the number of guys this year is low. So please be in prayer for this, and please search through your Cerebral Rolodex in search of young college-aged men who would love to come to Alaska for the summer to work with the youth of Southeast Alaska. I know you all know at least 42! God has always provided in the past, and I know He will continue to this year as well. But perhaps He is calling us as a staff at Echo Ranch to fall on our knees and seek Him even more as our Source, our Leader, before He fully provides what we need.

Please be in prayer!!! THANKS!!

Potentially

2008-05-07T10:02:00.003-05:00

So I have two more classes to attend today, and short of my three finals, those will, POTENTIALLY, be the final classes I take at K-State. I still have two more years once I get to Sterling, but it's kind of an odd feeling to realize I'll be walking to class HERE for the last time in a few minutes. Oh well. It's really not hitting me that hard because last spring I wasn't sure whether I was coming back or not, so the thought had potentially crossed my mind last year.
Anyways, I leave for Alaska the early on the 19th...just a few days away. I still have all my stuff in my apartment and in my office at the church, and I'm not sure I'm as prepared to leave the ministry there as I should be. But God ALWAYS provides for His people as they seek Him, so I know that this will not be any different. But please be in prayer for the church as they transition to a time without a worship pastor and as the search committee seeks to find the best candidate for the job. This could potentially be an interesting season...

Hungry for what?

2008-04-25T10:09:00.002-05:00

So, gas is near $120 a barrel. At least I have food. But what happens when I don't.

I have had this reoccurring thought this week that we, as Americans, living comfortably in our warm houses, attending our schools or working at our jobs, and complaining about how we have to pay $3.54 for a gallon of gas, have missed it.

I just finished reading yet another news-story addressing the need for a global address of the world hunger crisis. Now, in the past, I have never been one to bang the drum for social justice, but I think God's beginning to change my heart. My idea has always been that if given a choice between sharing the gospel with someone or giving them food, I would share the gospel. I still think that's ultimately the best idea, because their eternal relationship is far more valuable than a simple meal. Unfortunately, it's sad to me that we've come so far as to believe we would be forced to make a decision between feeding physically or feeding spiritually.

I don't think Jesus thought they should be separate. I think that the call to clothe the naked and feed the hungry is a vital part of 'making disciples of all nations'. We are to recognize the needs of those around us and to care for them, but we can only do that when our 'sight' is reset to the Creator, the God, the one who created each starving and well fed person on this planet.

We are all children of His, and He has given the charge to those of us who have plenty to care for those who have none. So what does that mean?

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

So I think that God should just dump a huge pile of grain in Africa and Indonesia and a hamburger in the lap of every starving, homeless person in America. In my mind, that's the 'easiest' solution, which probably means that's not God's intention. It's totally possible; I mean, come on!! God provided manna and quail for the Israelites nearly every day for 40 years...Nothing is beyond His doing.

But God is calling for us to return to HIM FIRST! Can you imagine the AMAZING stories that could be told if that happened. People would surely be brought to God because of His great love...right? But His great love is already...scratch that...SHOULD BE ALREADY evident in the lives of each of us. But it's not. It's selfishness that is evident. It's pride. It's personal desires and gods that we allow to distract us from the mission and life that God has personally called each and every one of us to.

Rounding Third

2008-04-14T12:05:00.002-05:00

So I'm beginning to realize (for about the 9th time now) exactly HOW hard it is going to be for me to walk away from the church May 18th, and board a plane May 19th bound for Alaska, knowing that no matter what happens, I can't 'just run back to the church' and fix things that may go out of control this summer. Yesterday was back to business as usual with only having to lead the Worship Music at church (no more sermons in the near future), but yesterday meant that it's one more week closer to the end of this leg of the journey. I won't say I'm in the 'homestretch' yet, but I feel like I'm in the process of rounding third base and eying home plate.

I thank God daily for the peace and confidence in His plan that He has given to me, because without it I know that every single day I would be second guessing my decision to spend the summer in Alaska and then off to Sterling. I love my 'job'. My ministry. Sorry, the 'ministry' that God has entrusted to me. For this segment of my life He has only asked me to take care of this 'ministry' for a small period of time, but it is still what I have given a large portion of my time, my energy, and my heart to; and it is going to hurt like crazy to leave.

There are some very incredible 'guys' (and I use that very...loosely) that I have gotten to share time with as their small group leader. I love seeing their enthusiasm when they finally 'get' the point of the lesson, or the depth of their questions they ask in between their spastic sessions of 'get-in-the-wheelchair-and-I'll-push-you-into-the-wall'. When I can get them to all pay attention long enough to actually read a verse, or bait them long enough with the lure of Microwave Popcorn and Cherry Kool-Aid to 'just get through the lesson', they never cease to amaze me. I just wish that they would GET IT. That they would take seriously their relationship with Christ. That they would not be like everyone they see around them who only pursues God by driving to church on a Sunday morning. They remind me so much of myself only a few years ago, and I know how much they'll be tested. I know how tempting the world looks. But I also know how much richer life is with Christ, and how much better life is when it is lived firmly set on a relationship with the Savior of the World, the Infallible One, their potential best friend!!! That they would GET IT! And that I would trust God to provide for them in my absence. That I can't 'just run to the church' and fix it. That I have to trust God to bring someone to lead these boys, these youth, this church. It is HIS plan after all, and HIS plans never fail!!!

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
2 Samuel 22:31-32

Sometimes the Sermons Just Flow

2008-04-10T22:52:00.003-05:00

Here is the audio from my sermon last Sunday at the Covenant Church in Clay Center, KS.

The Questions Abound

2008-04-01T11:24:00.003-05:00

So I have thoroughly neglected my blog over the past 2+ months. So my apologies. However, after flipping through the 9 some blogs that I like to read and being a little agitated that NONE of them had updated lately, I realized that I AM JUST AS GUILTY.

So usually I like to save my blog space for the times when I have big things to say. Or that I feel like I can ramble on forever about. Normally, it's the latter.

Anyways, so lately I've reading, re-reading, and re-re-reading the story of the Israelites as they fled Egypt and the giving of the Ten Commandments, all in preparation for my SERMON this Sunday. YEP, someone was actually crazy enough to give me pulpit time. Crazy.
Anyways, so as we are beginning a series on 'Worship' at church, I wanted to start AT THE BEGINNING...where does this concept of WORSHIP come from? Why do we worship God? Is it something God inherently placed in us, or is it something that comes later? And what is it really that God is calling us to do, as our 'WORSHIP'? Which took me to this point in Exodus when God speaks to HIS people after basically being silent for almost 400 years. It's really a pretty amazing story...

Unexplainable Joy

2008-01-23T13:57:00.000-06:00

I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT!

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!

THIS JOY OVERWHELMS MY SOUL!

I've been talking like Paul. I understand things I once thought were so strange!!

I see God in a whole new way!!!

I HAVE FELT HIS PRESENCE AND ALL I WANT IS MORE!!!!

I was hoping that I'd be able to put into words what I feel; What I experienced; What it is like...But IT'S INDESCRIBABLE!!!

HALLELUJAH, GOD IS AMAZING!!

I've had the constant urge to dance and sing at the top of my lungs, and a few times I've just given in and done it!

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God ALMIGHTY, who was, and is and is to come!!!

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God ALMIGHTY, who was, and is and is to come!!!

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God ALMIGHTY, who was, and is and is to come!!!

Lord, we desire your presence again! We desire this for our family, our friends, our enemies! That they would know the heart of you and feel your presence! Come again!!! Bring revival on this land!!! Touch our hearts again!!

Hallelujah! I sound like a crazy man!! Hallelujah! Nothing on earth matters! For I have found UNEXPLAINABLE JOY! I HAVE MET GOD!!

Deism

2008-01-18T18:21:00.000-06:00

So I discovered "Deism" today, and I've got to say, I'm not happy about it.

I've believed in the past that Post-Modernism is the biggest killer of Christianity right now, and I still believe that, but I now think Deism is playing a close second. Wow.

Deism, in short, (and in the words of Deism) is the belief in 'God' as a "natural belief" and not a "revealed religion" such as (again, in their words) Islam or Christianity. I haven't done a whole lot of scoping into all what is wrong with Deism, but, please, PLEASE, do NOT get sucked into believing this nonsense.

HERE'S MY INITIAL DISAGREEMENTS with DEISM:

1) Deism sounds a lot like the Ancient Egyptian religion which was polytheistic in their worship. Now, Deism is not polytheistic, but the similarity is this: The Ancient Egyptians had multiple gods, one being Anubis, the god of death. Although they believed it was another god that created them, the Egyptians believed that god, Ra, played no part in their lives anymore and had simply stepped back and was 'watching from afar'. Therefore they did not 'worship' Ra or bring offerings to Ra nearly as much as they worshiped and brought offerings to Anubis. Anubis, they believed, was very involved in their lives, and without proper honor and worship, they would die.

This then, is similar to Deism in the shared belief that "God" created them and now has retreated back to watch creation carve it's own way and has no influence over our daily lives.

Obviously, as I speak from the standpoint of a Christ-follower, I know that God plays a very integral part of everyone's daily life.

2) Deist call Christianity (and Islam, for that matter) a "revealed religion", meaning that what we believe has had to be 'revealed' to us, and therefore must not be from God...as if that's an argument. They counter, however, that Deism is a natural 'religion' and that we can see God's creation and nothing must be revealed to us.

Along with this, Deist's allege that Christianity is merely the belief in what other people say, and so it's not REALLY a religion based in God, but in the words of others. But again, this is a weak and odd argument. How do we know anything of what truth is then? How do we know anything about the actuality of anything then, for if we have not seen it with our own eyes, then it has to have been revealed to us...(using their argument). They believe that the Bible, and Jesus, for that matter, are obsolete to reality because it is, for us, belief in hearsay. (More to be explored on that later).

3) The Deist belief could be summed up in a motto such as this: "Live for today, because we don't know whether or not there is life after this, so live it up, baby!" Which is essentially what there 'motto' is... The emphasis is about living for today and making this life the best you can, because, they claim, we don't ACTUALLY know what, if anything, happens after you breathe your last breath of fresh mountain air.

Contrast this to the Christian belief that this life is essentially worth nothing, because it is the time of eternity spent either in the presence or separation from God, the one, the only, creator of you and lover or your soul, your body, your life.

So, here's where it gets interesting. Deists will claim to worship the same God that Christians believe in and worship, yet Christians find foundation in the understanding that Jesus was fully man and fully God. Therefore, if life was all there is worth living, why would Jesus (God as man) come and only live 33 years and die, even though he did nothing to deserve it? This cannot be the same God, or Jesus was a loon and not really God. Yet that's what he was crucified for and died for and then resurrected from death for...but then again that's all 'hearsay' anyways... :o)

By now I'm sure you're confused.

Deism is a farce. It's a claim to worship God, yet giving an out to not actually worship anything but to do anything you want. "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die, and we don't know what comes next. So live for today." This is not true, and please don't buy into it. Even if you don't agree that there is eternity after this, why risk it?

If Only They Believed

2008-01-17T12:05:00.000-06:00

So I began reading in John today in my attempted journey to read through the entire Bible, and in just the first two chapters I'm re-struck with the idea of the disciples' apparent blindness. I catch myself just wanting to yell at them "How could you not see He's the Messiah...He just turned water into wine! What more do you want for proof?!?!" It seems so easy to read the words written two millenniums ago and question whether their eyes were open or not as they spent time with him. I mean, were there other people around turning water into wine or something as well? Was he just like everyone else...were his miracles just...dare I say...average?
I want to gripe at the disciples and those around Jesus, like I would TOTALLY have understood EVERYTHING. But then I get slammed upside the head by reality (and a bit of God's laughter sent my direction) and come to understand that we are EXACTLY the same! How many times A DAY do I question God's authority, power, presence, etc.?

(Conversation in my head [Please read with the intended idiot-ness that I possess]): "Well, let's see. God hasn't done anything spectacular in my life...for the last 2 seconds since I last took a breath, so hmmm, he must not be real. So God, do you really love me or not? I mean, COME ON GOD! Show me something so will believe in you! It's not enough that I can see all the radiant colors of everything your own hands created. I need to see something to really BELIEVE in you!!"

I am almost (ALMOST) ashamed to admit to the fact that conversation plays quite often in the megaplex cinema of my brain. I am so quick to condemn the disciples for their lack of understanding of what Jesus was doing and saying. I like to think that if I had been there I would have believed instantaneously at even the words of John the Baptist saying that Jesus was the Lamb of God. However, I know myself too well, and I would not have believed, let alone understood what was going on. I too often miss everything going on that God is showing me because I'm looking for the "big miracle/sign/wonder" that I miss the "little" things God does for me every second of every day that show exactly who He is and how much He is in love with me. If only I could return a fraction of that type of love. But instead, I hear in my head:

"Hmmm, Jesus turned water into wine...that's not that big of a deal. Now, if he would have turned water into Pepsi...THEN...that would be something. Everybody knows wine is just crushed grapes. Pepsi, on the other hand would require REAL power and be a REAL miracle. After all, Pepsi; It's the Cola!"

Beauty of Silence

2007-12-14T21:15:00.001-06:00

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Over the course of the past couple of years, I've been forced to make dramatic decisions about the course of my life and I've come to appreciate the silence of God on a deeper level. Today I had a unique [forced] opportunity to just simply sit in silence and spend some time in prayer. We often run from silence, but there often comes a point, thankfully, when we run out of words and God asks us simply to be quiet and enjoy his presence. It's in those situations when God tends to speak the loudest.

My decision to change my entire course of college studies, lengthening my time of schooling, and undoubtedly earning a smaller future paycheck was not answered in the manner of a burning bush. That is the response I wanted from God, but that's not what I received. There were often times I questioned, and still continue occasionally to question His response, but the quiet, small answer from God has brought the responsibility to make sure my heart was/is in tune with him.

If the volume on your stereo is cranked to the limit, it's easy to hear the music. But when the volume is low and you have to focus on the music and calibrate the sound, you begin to hear the lost parts you didn't realize were there before. You thought you heard 'music' before, but now you begin to understand what the artists are really feeling and playing through their music.

It's much the same way with God. It's in the quiet reflections of our own lives; the moments that we take to spend in silence with God that we are able to hear His heart and plan for us most clearly.

I love Elijah's experience in the desert in 1st Kings 19. He is fearful for his life and running away with all the strength he has. Finally, he lays down with only the desire to die and be done with it. But God's not finished with him. God sends many powerful and loud actions his way, but it's in the quiet whisper that God uses to speak to Elijah.

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."

It's there in the whisper that God tells Elijah what to do. It was easy to feel the wind and earthquake, and easy to see the effects of the earthquake and see the fire. But unlike Moses in the desert, God did not speak through that visible of signs, but chose to speak through a whisper.

Take time to experience God in silence. Force yourself to spend time with no distractions and allow God to speak in whispers to you. It's in those whispers that He speaks loudly.

What If We Were All Pastors

2007-12-04T11:10:00.000-06:00

I've been contemplating lately the situation of how things are in our Christian churches today, and how life would be strategically different if we followed an Acts 4 template for relating and caring for one another. Mainly, I'm thinking of the pastoral care of one another, and not leaving it all on the hands of one or two individuals. What if we were all pastors; taking time to care for the spiritual, emotional, and often also physical needs of both believers and non-believers around us?
I think the immediate response would be incredible! If all Christians alike, regardless of spiritual depth, regardless of time spent as a Christian, regardless of classroom teaching, began to shoulder the responsibility of caring for one another. It requires no further education to give of yourself to actually LISTEN to a neighbor, friend, or anyone who is hurting. Often we, as humans, don't have outlets to share our pains, our fears, and our needs. We are searching for someone who appears to care and will show an interest in us. As Christians, we are called to be Christ to the world, and without a doubt, Christ loved each one of us; so much as to give his own life for each one of us. That is the perfect example of love. So the question is whether we see everyone through our own eyes, or through the eyes of Christ? Do we have love for the unlovable, just as He has loved us?
That is only a jumping off point for Christians stepping up to the point and serving as "Pastors". If we all recognized the necessity of seeing others through the eyes of Christ with love and compassion we would begin to see a shift in the way that non-Christians view the church and Christianity as a whole, PLUS we would be providing a deeply necessary need in our Christian faith communities. We, as Christians, love to pretend that we have it all together, ALL THE TIME, because we believe that we are supposed to. Christ calls us to a life of relationship with him and a life of honesty, integrity, and transparency. We believe that we are supposed to be perfectly fine because we are Christians and Jesus has died for us...but we are still humans on Earth who suffer physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, etc. When will we recognize that this facade we put on for ourselves is the same facade that everyone else is playing, and what they need, and what we need, is someone to come along side us, encourage us, pray for us, and be real with us? That is what we are called to do as Christians; as Christ-followers; as Christ-copiers.

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
-Ephesians 5:1&2

*May the Lord bless you in your attempt to follow in him; to follow in his ways; to love others the way He loves them and loves you. May you be blessed as you search for the meaning and way of serving in Him, caring for the needs of others around you.*

On the Brighter Side of Life

2007-11-19T07:38:00.000-06:00

I got a cassette tape (for those of you born AFTER hmmmm, 1990, it's what music/stuff used to be on before cds...and after 8 tracks tapes.....I won't even try to explain THOSE) yesterday from my lead pastor of Bill Hybels at a conference many years back. I knew he was going to make me a copy and I almost told him to copy it to a CD, but I never got around to it. Anyways, I went to listen to it this morning, and realized that I don't even have a tape player to play it on in my apartment! No tape player in the car, not one on a stereo...nothing. Such is life. The information we have changes form so quickly and often these days I can't help but wonder what the next 20 years will bring. In the last 20 years we saw the final days of the 8 track...then to cassette tapes...then the media to end all medias (the CD)....which was quickly outdone by digital media players like the iPod and other such players. I can imagine someone sitting in their car jamming to their AM radio and the 8 track player thinking they had finally come to the end height of technology. Could anyone have imagined music inscribed onto a piece of plastic to be read by a laser? I'm sure it would have seemed nut-so at the time, but now that's 'old school'. So what will the next 20 years hold? I don't know but I wouldn't mind if I was the one who reaped the monetary reward for being the one who designs it. No I wouldn't...

Ancient Texts

2007-11-17T09:28:00.000-06:00

So I have come to the conclusion that among my list of 20,000 things to-do, I need to add to that learning how to read/interpret the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts of the Old Testament. I'm tired of working off the ESV or NIV and want to look at the actual words and decipher their meaning myself.
Case in point: When you read the first chapter of Genesis; the creation captured into words, there is the notable flag that is raised when in verse 26 "Then God said, "Let us make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness..."" This three letter word stuck here in the middle of this great revelation of how high of a position we have been given with God has caused people to turn away from the faith of Christianity and sparked heated debates over many past centuries (probably millennium).
How can it be possible to believe in ONE, TRUE God, yet here in English is the word OUR in which we, as humans, are being created in likeness. This is where all the drama has come from.
So as we break it down, again, I don't know the ancient Hebrew language, but times like these, I wish I did.

There are multiple possibilities for an answer here.
- The first is that in translation from Hebrew to English there is a lost meaning. Is it possible that the word that we translate into English is 'our' because there was no word for 'my'? Maybe the ancient Hebrew language didn't account for selfish people who insist on taking credit ALL THE TIME, and so the only word that they had which fits for them is translated as 'our' today?
- Another possibility of mistranslation could occur if the word used in the ancient texts is used to describe 'the father, the son and the holy spirit', a three-in-one combination. This would account for the 'our' while at the same time only mean one real God.
- A third possibility which ties briefly into the other two here is based on the oral tradition of the ancient peoples. Situations did not occur as they do today with reporters ready to write down the situation and have it on newsstands for you to pick up in the morning. The traditions and stories of the day were passed down from generation to generation by spoken tales and stories, and so the lines of scripture from the ancient texts often parallel that more 'storybook' type writing. After all, in the case of Genesis, we know that it was written down by Moses; so it was many years after most of the stories. *I don't mean to say that the information is incorrect, because we know that all scripture is God-breathed and perfect, but at the same time, while the information is still accurate, the delivery style often confuses people concerning such issues.

The Blunders of Islam

2007-11-16T11:53:00.000-06:00

As I sat in my World Civ class this morning discussing the beginning of the Islamic religion, I knew what today's post was going to have to be about. Islam. Here's the brief:
Islam claims to have ties to Judaism and Christianity. In ways, it does. In some many ways, however, it is a horribly misdirected concept of God and how to relate with Him. By its own admission, Islam translates to mean submission to God in order to gain peace within yourself and with God. It's roots can be traced back to Ishmael, the son of Abraham and his wife/maidservant Hagar. Ishmael then settles in western Arabia, where Mecca was and still today stands. Over time, the Arabic civilization begins to incorporate more and more of the Greek and Roman philosophies and religious practices, eventually leading to the common religious practice of the time in which there was one 'main' God and many other 'earth gods' who served as mediators between the people and the one 'main' God.
Enter Mohammad into the equation around 570 A.D. where he was born in Mecca. As Mohammad got older he began to look back at what Abraham and Ishmael believed and had many objections to the religious situation of the day. Mainly: polytheism was not right.

SO HERE'S THE REAL POINT OF THE POST:
There are 5 'Pillars' to Islam. Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, and Hajj.

Pillar #1: Shahadah - "The declaration of Faith". In order to become Muslim (a follower of Islam) you must declare that God is the one true god, and that Mohammad was a prophet of this one true God.
*So here begins the refute of Islam: In Christianity, we believe and know that after Christ came to Earth, there would be no prophets. Christ was the fulfillment of the prophecies. So for Mohammad to be a prophet contradicts what Jesus Christ said.
Pillar #2: Salah - These are the prayers by the followers of Islam, and their purpose is to keep the relationship between themselves and God.
*My issue with these 'prayers' is that it is a recitation of the same thing day after day. The Shiites (minority) observe 3 times of prayer a day while the Sunni (majority) observe 5 times of prayer a day. They are sunrise, noon, afternoon, sunset, and night. These prayers, a mere recitation of words lasts only but a few minutes, and then it is as if it is acceptable to put God back on the shelf until the next prayer is offered. This is different than the teachings of Christianity which offers no set schedule of prayers, but instead emphasizes a life that is constantly in communication and observance of God. This is truly the way to keep 'in relationship' with God.
Pillar #3: Zakah - Giving/Charity - This pillar stresses the importance of giving to your community and others around you.
*While charity by no means is bad, Islam makes the exception that you should take care of yourself, family, and parents first, and then a small portion of whatever is left after everything is all said and done should be given away. This is backwards to Christianity of setting aside your gift/tithe/offerings FIRST, knowing that God has promised He will take care of you. Islam allows the focus to once again be mainly on yourself, and then when required on God, whereas it really should be fully focused on God first and foremost.
Pillar #4: Sawm - Fasting - This is the time during Ramadan where Muslims abstain from eating, drinking and sexual activities during the daylight.
*The key to this is that it is only during the daylight, so during the night, all is free game. I fail to see much of the sacrifice here. According to Islam, the time of fasting is intended to strengthen ties with the spirit. However, the list of exemptions is long and expansive. For example, you are exempt/prohibited from participating in fasting if you: have a medical condition in which you need to eat regularly (diabetes, etc.), are pregnant, doing 'hard manual work', traveling more than 20 miles, or are under the age of 16 years old.
Pillar #5: Hajj - The holy trek to Mecca. Mohammad said that everyone should make the journey once in their life.
*Again the exceptions are present. There are two main factors here. Muslims should make the trip only if they can (#1) physically and (#2) financially make it. If not, that is not a problem, although you should attempt to have someone else go in your place.

Although Islam and Christianity may have ties to the same 'religion', Christianity recognizes that it is only by God's grace and through the death and rising back to life of Jesus Christ for our mistakes that we can 'gain' salvation while Islam stresses that we must, by our own power, attempts, and abilities do these things in order to gain salvation. Here is where the main problem lies. We cannot gain eternal life, no matter how good we are, how hard we try, etc. and it is only by God through Jesus Christ that salvation is offered.

*Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (but Jesus Christ) under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. * Acts 4:12 NIV
*Jesus answered" I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.* John 14:6 ESV

A Thirst for Conversation

2007-11-13T10:08:00.000-06:00

I sometimes marvel at people who tell me they hate reading the Bible and in the very next breath say something about God never talking to them. Maybe I'm just odd and have been blessed with a thirst for God's word in the Bible. True, it's not like sitting down and drinking coffee and carrying on a conversation about life and current events with an old friend, but it's pure and simply "life in words". I think that the thirst for God's word is something that is assimilated into your life over time as you dig into it. For whatever reason, it is often hard at first. Maybe it's the misconception that what you're reading is old words translated from another language and another time period long lost to yours, and that the words now hold no meaning and power. NOT TRUE!!!
The words of the Bible are so refreshing to me and although there are so many times when I don't understand what is going on, and even when I think I do, there's probably so much more to what's being said that I don't actually get, there's a knowledge that it's God's word spoken to me.
It's a personal letter written to me. An email from an old friend. You know how when you get a letter or an email from a friend, it's almost as if you can hear their voice speaking inside your brain as you read. You can hear their words, but you can also see who they are and what they are all about. THAT IS WHAT THE BIBLE IS ABOUT! It's not just words written down. It's God showing us his heart and what HE is all about. SO AWESOME!!
One question that remains is how do we accomplish the feat that we ALWAYS cherish the words of God written to us? I wouldn't be honest if I said that I always desire God. (John Piper has an amazing book: "When I Don't Desire God" which goes along with his other book "Desiring God" --- check it out sometime). I know, however, that God is where my hope is found, my peace, my joy, my....etc. and when I turn from desiring Him, I'm always left empty. And so I have to suck it back up and turn back to Him. Humiliating, yes, but I think it always brings me closer because it is finally becoming more and more ingrained into my brain that I can't live without God. It's like living in poverty, then living in luxury and returning to poverty. Once you have tasted the luxury and majesty of living with God, you hate where you are without him. It is just not as wonderful and amazing when God is not in the picture.

Of Mistaken Proportions

2007-10-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

I had a humbling and eye-opening experience this week. I love those! Anyways, I still shop at the same grocery store where I worked for my first year of college because I feel like I'm still supporting them in that way. That, and I hate Dillon's and Wal-Mart. Well I ended up there 2 days in a row this week and both times that I checked out I had the same lady checker. The first day I only had a few items and while our shared point-in-time was brief, she never said more to me than my total amount due and a prefabricated 'Thanks' as I picked up my groceries and left the store. The next day I was back in the store to do my more regular shopping and therefore had more groceries to ring up. This extended our time together more than the day before, but again, she offered no friendly face or warm greeting. Not a word was spoken until she told me how much I owed, and again offered a lifeless word of thanks as I walked away.
To 97% of the American population, this is a normal situation and this raises no eyebrows. The issue arises because this is the same 'miniature chain' that I worked for the better part of 5 years and I know that the key to it's success has been unrelenting customer service, friendly faces, and jovial conversation with any and all customers at the check-out stand. So I decided my former boss should be aware of what was going on with this, in my opinion, unprofessional woman.
So I sought him out and explained that I didn't think she fit the image that the store has worked to hard to create of excellent customer service. I told him of the two incidents in which not a word was spoken between us.
I was then told how this woman, whom I had been so quick to diagnose as 'unprofessional', had been dealing lately with her husband's battle with cancer. Perhaps the correct word is not 'battle', but rather raging destruction BY cancer. I was told that her husband was to undergo surgery next week in an attempt to remove some more cancerous locations. I was told how this has been a very difficult time for her and how she's had to face mounting bills and fewer hours in which she has not spent caring for him or working. I was told.

How quick we are to cast judgment on those whom we come into contact. Each day we come into contact with multiple "ten-second Tom's" in which we meet for only a matter of seconds or minutes, yet seem fully able to extend our opinion and judgment on. How many did you see today? The older couple driving so slow this morning on the highway? The waitress who brought you your lunch? The guy you shared an elevator ride with? The kids you saw on the playground on your drive home?
All too often it is what we dislike in the people we briefly meet that is what we harbor in ourselves. It is what we'd see in our own mirrors if we truly looked inside of us. I was frustrated because the woman 'didn't talk to me', yet at the very same time I very easily could have initiated the conversation as well. I was waiting for her to take care of me, while she needed someone to care for her. Maybe all she needed was a friendly smile, a brief conversation of encouragement. The last thing she needed was an unfounded judgment from someone who didn't understand what she was dealing with. I guess I screwed up. Lucky for me, I'm sure I'll need groceries again sometime soon.

Come on Keith Olbermann

2007-09-04T23:58:00.000-05:00

Does anyone hate Keith Olbermann as much as I do? Seriously, he talks about President Bush's writers and his speeches leading the American people astray, but look at him. He's reading off of a screen that someone else has written, and he pretends to be so irate about everything Bush. Let's see Keith...you were last elected President when? Oh wait, you aren't. And you served in the military when? Oh wait, you've never served your country other than to gripe about what people do. You call for President Bush's resignation or impeachment but what in the world do you really know? Man you disgust me as you sit there and gripe about things which do nothing practical to help. Maybe Keith you should be more creative about what you should do. I'm thinking that after a while you'd figure out that no matter how hard you hit the square peg with a sledgehammer, it's not going to smash into the round hole. By continuously griping you're not going to solve anything but desensitize the American public to the war in Iraq, which both you and I agree is killing the soldiers valiantly serving their country over there. Maybe you should try some new tactic. Like signing up to be a news anchor for Al-Jazeera and tell the rotten radicals and extremists across the globe to quit. Hand in THEIR resignation. THAT would actually solve more than your trying to accomplish. Honestly, please tell me what the impeachment or resignation of President Bush would do??? Create more turmoil? Do you realize that we're in the middle of a war here? Or Keith, have you become so desensitized by your words resounding in your own head that you have forgotten that and think that President Bush is just out to see if he can go down in history books as 'the President who liked to kill kids in the prime of their life'. I don't like soldiers dying any more than you do, but I'm sure if you ask any of them, they have counted the cost of their service and count it an honor to serve for this country you so loudly speak as to raise to madness. I understand that someone must keep the leadership in check, but Keith Olbermann, you are simply beating the same drum that has been beaten hundreds of times and unfortunately it is in a very public arena and not accomplishing anything but helping to build the confidence of the extremists, terrorists, and radicals.

Creation: Just a Drop in a Bucket

2007-02-26T11:20:00.000-06:00

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." - Genesis 1:1.
In the search for the truth, the beginning seems like the best place to start. But what a way to come out of the gates. Good job, Moses. You waste no time getting to the point, but unfortunately it's a point that is too hard for us as humans to imagine, let alone comprehend. God, out of nothing, created absolutely everything! How does that even functionally work? We can't understand it, because for us, there has always been SOMETHING. Everything we "make" or "create" is really just the modification of something else. A house is built out of logs, which came trees, which came from seeds, etc, and so it continues. But what God created was out of nothing! So for all english majors out there, Genesis 1:1 could be your thesis statement. The whole rest of the Bible speaks of God's wonderful and miraculous power. Incredible.
What I don't understand is exactly how Christians can claim to be just that, Christ-followers, which subsequently also has to mean God-followers, and claim that they believe that we all just happened here by chance. Or that God had very little to do with the creation of everything. By denying the claim that God created us, we are denying that He is the ultimate power in the Universe. Even more, we are claiming that the Bible is a lie from the very beginning. Allow me to play the devil's advocate for a moment. If we hold that Genesis 1:1 is a lie, then surely John 3:16 which is the foundation for many Christians' belief, could also very well be a fabrication of someone's imagination. Not to deviate away from Genesis for too long, but this is often an argument given by non-Christians for why they do not believe in Christ or in the 'Word of God', the Bible. How do we know that any history book is correct? How do we know that any history for that matter is correct? Because non-partial, independent sources agree with or confirm the same information. In the same way, history does not disprove Christianity and the words in the Bible, but it more concretely proves the validity of the Bible. The Bible is God's DIVINE words written through his chosen people. The Bible begins with Genesis, written down by Moses as God, in essence, "told" him what to write. Moses most likely wrote Genesis some time between 1450 - 1410 b.c. Even the most conservative estimates of when "creation" began puts Moses somewhere a good deal after that potential time. Noah is 9 generations after Adam, and from Noah's son Shem to Abraham is another 9 generations. All that to get us to Abraham, who lived around 2000 b.c. And these 'generations' are not your normal 30 year separations we think of today. Prior to the flood, God allowed people to live a considerable longer length of time. Anyways, so already you are to Genesis Chapter 11 with the lineage of people to get to Moses. So we know that he was not an eyewitness to creation, but his writing comes directly from what God had instructed him to write. Now you can either accept his writing or think that he is just a fool and made up all this information. Unfortunately, believing he was a nut-case cannot apply because again, there is independent evidence to back up much of his writing.
So we've gotten considerably off-course from Genesis 1:1, but established the validity of the Bible as not just a nut's scribblings, but the words of God transcribed so that we can understand the character and heart of God. He didn't have to create the earth and universe, and He most definately didn't have to create humans. But He did, and He created us in HIS image. To be like Him. To look, act, feel, interact like the ONE, TRUE GOD. Think about it. We are so valuable in the eyes of God, the creator and CEO of the Universe. Everything we see, smell, taste, feel, hear, GOD CREATED. It is all GOD DESIGNED and perfect. THERE IS NOTHING IMPERFECT. NO PERSON OR THING IS IMPERFECT. WE ARE EXACTLY HOW GOD DESIGNED AND CREATED US. We were all created to serve Him to for a purpose. We may not know now that purpose. We may think that God screwed up when He created us. But He doesn't screw up. Logically, if He can create a perfectly functioning UNIVERSE out of NOTHING, He's not going to screw up when He made you. Like I said, we can't even begin to understand the mind of God, and sometimes we don't get why things happen or what His purpose is for things that happen. But He who created everything will never let you down. HE MADE YOU EXACTLY HOW HE WANTED YOU.

A bit of Rambling

2007-02-18T21:14:00.000-06:00

So I have to ask the question: Does God intentionally make our lives suck at times so he can teach us a lesson? I believe that, Yes, God does. If that's wrong, someone please let me know. I guess I shouldn't really say that God makes our lives suck, because in reality we are so extremely blessed with so much. After all, we have the greatest gift of all. But I'm talking about delving deeper into the walk with Christ. I know that you all know exactly what I'm talking about. Job experienced it. And Christians throughout history have experienced it. With trials and difficulties comes learning and wisdom. I guess it is no different than you and a traditional friend experiencing a mountain top experience or a low point in life together. It brings you closer together and you understand more about the other person because of that. With me, God has been using situations to draw me closer to him lately. I've been learning more and more and he is showing me some amazing things, teaching me some awesome lessons. And I am really thankful for that. However, I often catching myself just wanting a normal life. Which is okay in our minds, but God does not call us to a normal life. He calls us to an extraordinary life in him. If you believed that this was all there was to 'life', with no expectations of an 'afterlife' or any type, an ordinary life would be okay. It'd be okay to focus on keeping up with the Joneses. 3.4 cars with 2.6 kids and 1.4 dogs/cats. But we as Christians are called to a greater purpose. A greater life. He never promises it to be easy, but he promises to be there with us all the time. So I guess if I'm gonna live life, I really don't think I just want ordinary, and I wouldn't want to go through it alone. So I guess after all he has the ultimate game plan worked out. My problem is, that I want some normalacy. The feeling where you can sit back and almost reflect on what God has taught you and be like, "Wow, that was great". But I feel like I'm in a whirlwind nightmare of God's lessons, and I'm longing for a break in the teaching. Is that terrible? I mean really I should be so excited to learn and thankful that He is showing me what He is. I just laugh cause I notice myself telling God, "Okay, I get the point. Time to make things all great for me again and I'll put into practice what I've learned." Like I know what's best. THAT'S HILARIOUS. I don't think I've ever done anything right in my life. Obviously God has a reason for making my life the way it is right now and causing me to search for answers by seeking Him. I guess I just like to take the crash course in learning and want to be done with it: I want the end result without the lessons in the middle. Silly Marty.

Will it pass?

2007-02-18T21:12:00.000-06:00

So, one of the worst things about being sick is that you have a lot of excess downtime, a.k.a. a lot of time do think about those things that normally you can keep your mind distracted enough to not think about. And then you've got time to write about it, so the whole world can read, scoff, laugh, or sympathize with you. Which I don't totally understand, because it's something that I've 'given' to God, but still likes to haunt me. I've told him I wouldn't be worried about it. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God." I don't want to be anxious about anything. I don't want to worry about it. I want to trust God to take care of it in HIS TIMING because, speaking from past experiences, HIS TIMING is incredibly better than mine. So, speaking of the past, I seem to keep complicating the issue by being my same normally dumb self. Man, what is wrong with me?? I'm such an idiot! Why can't I just seem to get it together? Move on? What keeps tying me here to where I keep getting hurt, feeling pained and worthless? WHY? WHY? Because it was perfect. Not perfect, probably. Obviously, not perfect, otherwise it'd be fine. But to me it was. I could have gone on forever the way it was. But perfection is a two-sided mirror in this case, and the otherside didn't see perfection in me. Not that I believe for a moment I am perfect, but how can one side see perfection and the other not. How can one view through the mirror see hope and future, and from the other way look broken. It makes no sense. Another why?
Ah, this is pointless. I KNOW that God will take care of it. Eventually, it will make sense for me. Eventually He'll show me why, when, who, where. I just want t see the whole picture now. Wow, that sounds impatiently similar to a little boy. I'm just tired of pain, uneasiness, and frustration from not knowing. And it just seems like I haven't got anyone to talk it over with besides God. So I guess that's good, because he's the one who cares the most.