Simple Christian

This Infinite Love

2008-10-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, I was an idealist. My ideals were casual postulates begging to be tested by the equation of life. Inside the subsets, behind the decimals, and by exponential force of experience I came to the sum of reality. Many of my ideas were false and some needed to be adjusted slightly.

In high school we had to make a portfolio of what we viewed as an ideal life. I went through and chose a castle for a home, a luxury car, and fictitious neighbors and pets. Those were secondary categories to what was on the first page: my wife.

For me, the equation was simple: high school girlfriend, college fiancé, graduate wife. It was a leisurely romp through the low plains. Instead I find that it is a a complex formula with irrational numbers and infinite variables not a graduated cylinder of exact science.

I do not know why my naivety was so vast, but its hold was euphoric; the feeling that the world would work out for me. I was the Catholic Church pre-Galileo and I was the earth of my dark universe. Perhaps it was the wonderment of adolescence or the rush of hormonal tide that gathered a library of fiction regarding love. More than likely, it was simply my inexperience.

Through my life, the idea of being in love has been at least a peripheral focus. The problem is, I didn't realize that in order to be in love, you first have to love. What I mean is that being in love is a state of being that is predicated by love itself...

Losing the Will

2008-10-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

I haven't completely lost the will to blog, but it is waning.

Our Depth of Perception is Reality

2008-10-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

I park cars on the weekends. Usually imports like Porsche or Lexus, but occasionally the Tijuana bred Ford Escort wagon. Our policy is to back into parking spaces. I am horrible at this. I guess a lot on the distance between the rear bumper and stationary objects. Why do I guess? Because I have a problem with depth perception.

I found out about the problem when I was in high school. It was during baseball season and my batting skills seemed highly diminished from previous seasons. It was not that I could not see the ball, it was that I could not judge its the spin on the ball, or the stitches, or its position in relation to myself.

Once I recieved glasses to help correct this issue, it was much easier to see the ball's spin, stitches, and position. At first, it was difficult to get my physiological responses to sync. I went so long without good eye sight that my coordination was off. As the season progressed, my coordination began to come together and I ended up hitting about sixty points higher with glasses than without them.

What was the difference before and after glasses? It was not sight, I could see without them. It was my perception or depth of perception. We can make all kinds of general assumptions based on basic perception, but if we are not viewing things through the correct lens, we will strikeout every time.

That is why sometimes we need to take a second look. Our initial impression of life is not always the most accurate. Next time you find yourself in a difficult situation, slow down and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Things may not be what they seem. The reason why many of us fail to overcome small circumstances is that we fail to see the real reason behind opposition.

Opposition can be practical or spiritual. That is why we need the Holy Spirit to guide us. If we decide to go to war against assumed spiritual forces and the issue is actually practical we are beating the air and accomplishing nothing. Conversely, if we simply view life naturally we ignore the admonitions of the Bible that we war not against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers.

So how do we determine what's what? We must ask questions. Ask the person who seems to be opposing you, ask yourself if you have addressed all the practical reasons, ask mature Christians, ask mature non-believers, and ask how you got into the confrontation. Once you ask the questions, the answers will fall into place and your response will be better suited for the situation.

Key Verses

I Samuel 16:7, Ephesians 6:12, John 14:26

So, Jesus Talked About Money Part 1

2008-10-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

I've heard it said so many times that Jesus talked about money more than any other subject. Why did He talk about money so much? Most people assume that money is an important issue. This is a simplistic answer that does not even begin to placate my inquisitional palate.

I don't think Jesus was really interested in money for money's sake. He was interested in it because, just like today, people are engrossed in it as a an end instead of a means to an end. What I mean is that people look at money not as a flowing resource, but as an answer to life's problems. This is the thinking Christ was addressing in His ministry. It was not so 2000 years later someone could talk about the prosperity gospel.

Let's get a couple of things straight. Even though Jesus referred to money several times, most of His miracles concerned physical healing. After many of these healing miracles He would address their spiritual state by saying things like "your sins are forgiven" and "go and sin no more."

Very rarely do you see the point of Jesus miracle directly impose on the territory of finance. In fact, only one time does Jesus do a financial miracle. If finances are so important to God, then why only one financial miracle?

Caught Up In History

2008-09-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

Ever notice that old country music, aka hillbilly music, has a distinctly Hawaiian sound coming from the steel guitar? Why? Because Nashville hadn't yet developed the non-Polynesian tuning we know today. Why does that matter to me? It's not the sound that intrigues me, it is the story. Further, do you know where the hillbilly comes from? Hillbilly originally referred to Scottish or Irish settlers who lived in the Appalachians. billie is a synonym for fellow and hill stands for hill. So Hillbilly would be a fellow who lives in the mountains or foothills.

This is how life presents itself to me. I have information coming in through various sources and I process them with the knowledge I already possess on the subject. I fit things together like puzzle pieces, then I stand back and admire the intricate tapestry of time. I am woven into it, my part may be a swift cross stitch or it may be a centerpiece. I do not care. If I spent my time wondering about greatness I would never achieve it.

There is a quote that someone says. I find it ridiculous. It goes something like, "Do something so big, God would be embarrassed to not show up." Really people? Either God has directed you to do something or He has not. We can build large monuments like the Bakkers and Swaggarts and Billy Graham and the Tower of Babel and He will show up.

He shows up every time to thwart the imperialist leanings of men. He shows up every time we think we are so big that we don't need Him. He shows up every time Billy calls the audience to respond to an altar call. Make no mistake, God is there.

The ramifications of the quote by itself are preposterous. It is a dare that screams "I am doing something...so honor it!" But God is no respector of man. And what is the definition of big? Is it the granduer of a stadium and 50,000 people crying out to God in unison? Is it giving change to a bum on fourth and then walking away? What is big? Are we stretching our imagination into the territory of vanity?

Why was Jesus so "big?" It was because He magnified the Father. He was tangible, He alone was righteous, He was God incarnate in flesh. How can we be "big?" By living like Jesus. By being tangible to people; that is to be felt by the needy, to be seen by the poor, to love your neighbor and listen when they need to pour out there troubles. We are big when we are little. When we are humble and lift of Christ, even as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness. He is the answer. There is nothing in us but Christ that can prevail. We can be big by being righteous; by living justly and by loving mercy.

The life that honors God is the life that God shows up in. At the end of our existence will we step back and say, "the crowds were there, but they were fickle. The stadiums were full, but no one responded." Or will we say, "I went into the crowds and gave them what I had in Christ. That is the only answer I know."

Please, look at life and where you are as the story of time. Everything that has happened thus far as led to you like a single stitch and weave from beginning with Adam to the end of Omega. See the tapestry, make the stitch, do your part.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

2008-09-27T13:51:00.001-07:00

This morning was my first class. I came in, received my temporary gi and then headed for the mat. We stretched and learned three different moves. Each one was practical and easy to follow. After fourty minutes of practice we ended by sparring. My limited knowledge of the art caused a lot of exertion with meager results.

I am definitely sore and ready for more on Tuesday.

Wrestling With God

2008-09-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Once, I observed the closed combat art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. During grappling, the first thing I noticed was that the main strategy is to create as much space between you and your opponent as possible. Once that space is established, the next step is to use the opponents pressure on your body to create pressure on his by finding a hook and reversing his hold. If all goes right, the final step is submitting your opponent.

How many times have I tried to wrestle with God about the issues of life? I am a Christian and therefore the Holy Spirit is inside of me and seals me to God as an adopted son. Despite this close relationship it seems, at times, that I like to create as much space as possible between myself and Him while still maintaining my Christianness. After all, God will forgive, right?

So although my being is intimately entangled with Him, I am still trying to push him away. I exert pressure and try to find a hook to reverse the hold and submit diety. Unfortunately, there is a reason He is called Almighty God. No matter how much I rebel in attitude or action, there is nothing that can separate me from His love.

When I am tired of fighting I either give up or get out of his clasp and walk away on my own. When I give up I submit and He lets me go with a reminder, much like Jacob's that He is in control. When I walk away, He lets me wander until I come back and admit my finite nature. Either way, I will submit. I can do so at His hands or at the world's.

When Jacob got off the ground that night, he was not rewarded because he wrestled with God in rebellion, it is because he perservered with God and with man. He did not give up after 14 years of working for a dishonest man, nor did he give up when his hip was dislocated. He continued to persevere.

Read the following verses about perserverance. Then pray that you would persevere with God and not wrestle against Him. Finally, thank God for His promises to you.

1 Timothy 4:16
Hebrews 10:36
Hebrews 12:1
James 1:3-4, 12
James 5:11
2 Peter 1"5-7
Revelation 2:3

Best of Damien Jurado

2008-09-24T08:11:00.001-07:00

This is by far my favorite artist over the years. If I compiled my favorite songs from all of his albums this is the result...

1. Yuma, AZ from Waters Ave. S.
2. Ohio from Rehearsals for Departure
3. Tornado from Rehearsals for Departure
4. Tonight I Will Retire from Ghost of David
5. Parking Lot w/Rosie Thomas from Ghost of David
6. Johnny Go Riding from Ghost of David
7. Omaha from Where Shall You Take Me?
8. Abilene from Where Shall You Take Me?
9. I Am The Mountain from Where Shall You Take Me?
10. I Am The Greatest of All Liars from Holding His Breath
11. East Virginia from Gathered In Song
12. To Those Who Will Burn from Gathered In Song
13. And Now That I'm in Your Shadow from And Now That I'm in Your Shadow
14. Survived By Her Husband from And Now That I'm in Your Shadow
15. Intoxicated Hands from Where Shall You Take Me?

Favorite Indie Songs

2008-09-24T08:03:00.001-07:00

Of Minor Prophets and Their Prostitute Wives by Pedro the Lion
The Perfect Crime #2 by The Decemberists
We Rock Harder Than You've Ever Seen by Fine China
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1 by The Flaming Lips
Snowbirds and Townies by Further Seems Forever
Red & Blue Jeans by The Promise Ring

Favorite Music Videos

2008-09-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Good Life by Kanye West
Headz in the Cloudz by Danielson
Snowbirds and Townies by Further Seems Forever
Wicked Game by Chris Isaak
No New Kinda Story by Starfler 59
Buddy Holly by Weezer

Favorite Country Songs

2008-09-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisley
He Lays in the Reigns by Calexico/Iron and Wine
Concrete Angel by Martina Mcbride
In the Palm of Your Hand by Allison Krauss
There Goes my Life by Kenny Chesney

Favorite Soul/R&B Songs

2008-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

The following ar currently my favorite songs.

1. Love and Happiness by Al Green
2. Pass Me Over by Anthony Hamilton
3. People Get Ready by Aretha Franklin
4. None of Us are Free by Solomon Burke

Tattoo

2008-09-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

You know, that little dude in Fantasy Island...."Luke boz, de plane, de plane..." Yeah, that guy and there is Tattoo Face from 50 First Dates, and then there is me. What do we have in common? No, I'm not changing my name to Tattoo or any such derivative. I should though, I mean George Lucas was clearly thinking of tattoos when he named Luke Skywalker's home planet TATTOOine.

Anyway, I have been debating getting a tattoo for years, but never very seriously. More like, I think one day I should get a tattoo. The problem is I could not never decide on something that I would want to have on my body for the rest of my life. The other problem is that I cannot be buried in Jewish cemetery, be a secret agent (because of identifiable body marks), and my dad may try to dust it off like he did to my sister's.

Tonight I finally decided what tattoo I want...if I ever get one...I have a low pain threshold so leave me alone. It would be on my back and centered between my spine and right shoulder blade and about two and a half inches from the base of my neck. The image is a ring with the inner border of the circle bordering a symmetrical cross. In the ring are block Latin inscriptions, "Credo in Unum Deum" at the top and "Solus Christus" at the bottom. They mean, "I Believe in only one God" and "Only Christ."

Why would I get something engraved on my body that I believed so steadfastly? I think that perhaps it is an overwhelming conviction that cannot be contained inside our beings and so must be manifest on the outside. I'm not just talking about faith here, I am talking about life in general.

In order us to do something, it starts with the thought, "I want to do x." The next step is taking the thought and making it action or manifesting it outwardly. If this is the case, why do I feel the need to get a tattoo about my beliefs? Shouldn't they already be known to those around me?

Listen to 2 Corinthians 3:3, "You show that you are a letter from Christ...written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." Our lives are supposed to be obviously committed to Christ and the glory of God our Father. The author of a letter does not hide their identity, so we should not hide our identity from the world as being sent from God to proclaim His goodness. What good is a letter that is never presented and never read? It is useless.

Let's make sure our lives are not useless. Let's proclaim that today is the day of salvation. That today we refuse to be silenced by circumstance or criticism. We are living testaments of God and we cannot be hidden, we are to be read aloud on every corner, street, and alley. We proclaim that there is one God and He is Christ!

So, what about the tattoo? The tattoo is irrelevant. I may or may not. My love for the Creator is represented in my attitudes and thus my actions. Am I against them? No, but it may be that a tattoo could limit me in future foreign endevours. Who knows, one day I may show up at your doorstep with a bandage and some ink on my right shoulder blade.

Thoughts

2008-09-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

What is love? Baby, don't hurt me...

I was reading through an article about love/relationships and the thought struck me that love is more fleeting than the vapor of life. How is this possible? Isn't love forever? Simply put, if love is contained inside our lives and we are not always in the act of loving, then love is more temporary than our finite existence. When we say, "Until death do us part," we are recognizing the situation of mortal love and that it is affixed upon another being only as long as we ourselves exist.

Then I thought about God. 1 John 4:16 says that He is love. Unlike temporal man, who can only express shades of love, He is its essence. Since God is the progenator of all good things, when it says, "God is love," it refers to His interaction with man. This is obvious since the audience of Scripture is man.

Since God is endless and boundless, His love knows no limitation. He is eternal, with no beginning or end, thus is His love. Romans 5:8 says, "but God demonstrated His love for us while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Also in 1 John 4:19 the author declares, "We love because He first loved us." These two passages act as a bridge in explaining the path of the believer versus the non believer.

In effect, the writers are saying that God's love was demonstrated by Christ's death, which according to Scripture was the very cornerstone of our existence, and that the believer is simply embracing the action of being loved as a receptor to God's omnipresent love. Those who reject the testimony of Christ and therefore the love of God, reject God.

Love is the reason for the relationship. God is love, His love was demonstrated by Christ's death. Those who accept and reciprocate this love are then deemed Abraham's seed and therefore heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29). Love was the physical force that perpetuated our existence. Without existence we would be unable to choose to reciprocate because of our non-existent state.

Part of who I am...

2008-09-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

I hate these sort of introspective jaunts. They are somewhat depressing and self centered by their very nature. I do not have any fixes for life or helpful hints for our spiritual journeys. This is who I am.

I like to schedule things. I hate last minute details that intrude into my life like thorns on the crown Jesus wore during the crucifixion.

I can count the number of impromptu events attended by shuffling my phalanges.

From Dream to Reality-Acts 12:1-9

2008-09-17T01:05:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of this passage we see that Herod arrested Peter because it pleased the Jews. He kept Peter in prison and was surrendered by four squads of eight soldiers each. At night, he slept bound with two chains between two soldiers and the rest were there to guard the prison.
But Peter wasn't alone in his confinement. The church was in constant prayer of petition for him to God.

Listen what happened the night before Herod planned to bring him before the Jews to kill him.
“Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell of his hands. Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.”

Taken in its historical context, this is simply a miraculous narrative. Without changing the meaning of the passage we can make some parallels. Let's go over the cast. We have The Jews, Herod, Peter, the soldiers, and the church.

The Jews can represent the multitude of religious people. Herod is the leader of the Jews, the soldiers are religious people you know, the church is the active, living body of Christ that we are supposed to be, the angel represents God, and imagine that you are Peter.

OK. We have the cast of characters, now let's see the back story. The prequel to this saga is simple; Herod killed John, who was also a disciple of Christ. This move was popular and Herod seized on the opportunity to be the cool kid so he planned to do the same with Peter.
We have a cast, characters, and a back story, now here comes the plot. Are you ready?
Do you know anyone who is holding your dream captive? I have seen people in many churches sit in the sanctuary and never lift a finger outside of it for the name of Christ. Why? Because they have not been released to do it! Ephesians 4:11-12 talks about “the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ...” The word equipping means complete furnishing and implies an enabling.

As church leaders we must enable our congregations, our friends, and our small groups. We cannot let our position dictate how we react to people. We can only react in two ways; God's way and the fleshly way. God's way is to liberate the priesthood of all believers that the Bible talks about from the clergy/laity relationship.

The fleshly way is herd people. This is a hallmark of church sayings like “the pastor and his flock.” How sad that the pastor is given the title of shepherd. Paul made it clear that we do not follow a man, but Christ when he said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” That is not to say that there is no need for pastors, but it does highlight the inequality of spiritual recognition in Christianity.

Let's get specific about the story now. Herod is the leader that says, “You can't do that because you're not qualified.” Whenever someone says that you can't do something because you don't have a title, they are binding you with chains of limitation that you were simply not meant to be in. These people are soldiers that are following the orders and thought patterns of religion. Thankfully, the last time I checked, all the promises in the Bible were for all believers!

Finally, we are like Peter. God is striking us to wake us up. He wants to turn our dreams into a reality. Why does He want us to do that? Because if we are truly seeking Him, then the dreams we have are God given. Peter's disposition is somewhat puzzling to me. He had to be struck to wake up and he still thought it was a dream until after they had passed through the prison gates.
Why is this strange? Because the next day he was going to be martyred! Even so, he slept peacefully knowing that it was not Herod or any other religious person that held the keys to his future, it was God. This is a true picture of meekness; knowing that God is in control.
Everything above must fit into the context of scripture. There are many safeguards that churches have in place to protect people from being led astray and hurt. My intention is not to attack clergy or lay leaders, but to attack a faulty way of thinking that permeates modern Christendom. This thinking elevates the clergy above the laity and improperly puts the focus on figureheads instead of the entire body.

We are the bride of Christ and we are continually being cleansed through the work of sanctification. Since all of us are of the body our value is the same to the bridegroom. Although some of us may stand in front of thousands and testify to God's goodness at a crusade, most of us will simply live “normal” lives as we traipse from job, to errand, to home. The responsibility is the same; we must at all times be aware of the one we represent, bringing Him glory through all we do.

Please do not come away from this feeling validated that you disobeyed authority. Come away from this knowing that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells inside all of us. The Holy Spirit guides and directs us, the Bible says, “...the Lord directs his (our) steps.”

Study Points.
Acts 12:1-9
Hebrews 10:24-26
Ephesians 4:12
Matthew 6:25-34 (Notice the context)
II Corinthians 10, especially verses 7-11

I Swear

2008-09-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

By the moon and the stars in the sky...I swear...I'm working on a great blog. It should be up tomorrow evening.

In the meantime, happy 21st birthday Joanna Varela Lince.

Translation

2008-09-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

I listen to Alejandro Alonso quite often. Every time I listen to the words, I am reminded at how good God is. The song is not full of metaphors and simile, it only has one verse and one chorus, and the accompaniment is sparse.

Every time I hear the words, I feel like I am Moses in the cleft of the rock.

Tu santidad me envuelves
Tu santidad me envuelves
Tu hermosura Oh Dios, sin obscuridad
Tu santidad me envuelves
Tu santidad me envuelves

Y santo eres mi Senor, mi Redentor
Y santo eres mi Senor, mi Salvador

Taking Every Though Captive

2008-09-15T00:43:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article that said we should take every thought captive in the same manner as how we skip a mediocre song on our Ipod. Ingenius! Face it, we never stop thinking and we sometimes get thoughts that just need to be skipped over to get to the good thoughts, the hits of our mind.

Right now, I'm going through my music library and removing songs. In the same way, if we want to think less defectively, we must remove the root issues that cause defective thought. We must define what our moral code requires of us, what our true goals are, and how we will achieve those goals. Once we have assessed ourselves, we can then begin to attack the roots of our dysfunction.

It is through the process of sanctification that we are able to do this through the washing of the Word and the renewing of our minds in the Holy Spirit. Hmmm...I think God had a plan for us from the beginning! According to Phillippians 2:5, He wants everyone to take on the attitude and purpose of Christ! Christ's purpose was to reconcile man to God and bring Him glory in total obedience and surrender. In the same way, as members of Christ's body, we must find how our dream brings glory to God and pursue it madly!

The Surge

2008-09-12T12:07:00.001-07:00

You may be tired of the running analogies, but I am not. Running is a cerebral sport that has as much to do with will as it does ability, strategy as much as strength. Imagine this...

We have been running for 14 minutes. This is not a jog. This is not comfortable. We have run up the terraces twice, our strides breaking simultaneously as we neared the top. My torso shifts forward as we come down the incline, yours stays stiff and straight. I begin to surge ahead, sensing that this is my only chance.

There are less than two minutes and six hundred meters remaining. I can see the finish line around the corner and you out of the corner of my eye. My peripheral vision never loses sight of you. I am gasping for air, reeling in the static finish. There is no room left for error and then I feel it. It's your hand on my shoulder.

Why are you touching me, why are you trying to slow me down? You are trying to pull me to the ground so you can stand and laugh. All this time, since I saw the starter pistol's smoke, I have been pursuing the prize and you have been pursuing me. I am running to outrun you, to overcome you.

Now I see how close I am, the spectators urging me on and I can barely believe that you are still here. Old man, pack it up and go home. But you don't, you are a virus that attacks at the most inopportune times-when I am succeeding, when I am bleeding, when I am fragile. You are the doctor who insists on amputating when I am suffering from the common cold. Your response to everything is death and despair. You are hopelessness.

But I am better than that. I am better than you. I am clothed in Him. Each step of this race has been with purpose. I strive and gasp painfully as I cross the line. I look behind and up, you are gone and the Timex reads "Eternity."

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Keys Verses:

I Corinthians 9:25-27
II Timothy 4:7
Galations 5:7
II Corinthians 5:21
I Peter 5:8
Psalm 37:25

Substance Over Speed

2008-09-11T23:41:00.001-07:00

During my LSD...or Long Slow Distance, I realized that correct form or is more important than speed. In running there is a general understanding that speed work helps with your form. Speed training involves intervals, fartlek, sprints, etc, but is never something you do on a regular basis. Speed training helps the runner become more efficient in stride length, breathing, foot striking, and mentally. Unfortunately, speed workouts will not give you endurance and if done with too much frequency greatly increase the risk of injury.

It is with these thoughts (yes, I do think like that) that I remembered the children's story about slow and steady wins the race. In my younger years I was a great runner. I had the build, the endurance, and the speed. I am not naturally gifted with speed and often times I would become discouraged by this. My coach always had these words to say about speed, "Everyone has enough speed to win, just not the endurance."

It is my goal to run with endurance. Notice that Paul does not mention speed or quickness when talking about running the race nor does he specifically mention endurance. He simply says to run the race to obtain an imperishable crown. Hebrews 12:1 says, "...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." This further emphasizes the need for technique and proper form.

I am not referring to an empty form or some sort of ritual, I am talking about the sharpening of our faith in Christ! When you begin running, your body is inefficient and it is only after training and several miles that your body begins to become efficient. It may not look pretty, but your body is adapting to the challenge of the race and as long as you put one foot in front of the other, you are succeeding.

What I have learned is that when you are running and tire, there is a tendency to quit running with proper form. At the time, it seems like a great idea, but it's not. When your body is tired, it does not perform at it's most efficient and therefore makes you more tired. We must constantly make the decision to control the pace and run with the correct form instead of letting circumstances waste our time.

Remember, we are in this together. We are not lonely distance runners. We have a common goal and the best guidebook around. If you need help, reach out and we will pull you up.

Key verses:

Ecclesiastes 4:12
Proverbs 24:16
Hebrews 12:1
I Corinthians 9:23-25
II Timothy 4:6-8

Random Phrases

2008-09-10T22:36:00.000-07:00

Detours get you to the same place, they just take longer.

The Bucket List

2008-09-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, Jack and Morgan were very inspirational. More so than I thought...I'm not referring to Daniels and Captain, rather Nicklaus and Freeman. I have seen a few bucket lists and I realize that I have a much shorter list than others. This leads me to several conclusions such as; I am boring, I lack vision, I am simple, or I am focused.

Let me begin...

1. See Walker never have to go to the hospital again.
2. Live in Finland
3. Obtain a Phd.
4. See all of the Spanish speaking world.
5. Visit Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopa, South Africa, and Lesotho.
6. Take a photograph of all my childhood musical heroes together. That would be Jeremy Enigk, David Bazan, Damien Jurado, and Poor Old Lu.
7. Start a school.
8. Get married.
9. Adopt.
10. Make my mom and dad grandparents because I know they'll be good at it!
11. Learn Portuegese.
12. Speak Spanish better.
13. Plant a church.
14. Teach my kids.
15. Spend the winter in a beach cabin on the Oregon coast. Where I can write a book, snuggle, and create memories with the one who I love.
16. See my wife and I be like my parents with love that grows and shows more with each day.
17. Watch mine and my sister's children grow up together and say things like, "Remember when we were their age?"

Different Ways.

2008-09-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

Remember the commercials that proclaimed, "There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's." The commercials had people eating the candies whole, from the inside out, from the outside in, and even by sucking the peanut butter out. The point of the commercial was not about the product, it was about how people consumed the product.

Similary, I have a friend who has a great affinity for caramel filled chocolate squares. When I eat these chocolates I simply put them in my mouth and swallow. My friend on the other hand, eats them quite differently. She opens the wrapper like there is a treasure inside, not wanting to waste any chocolate, her fingers deftly manuever the wrapper so that her hands will not touch the morsel, her mouth covers the square and when it is removed the top is gone. She then licks the caramel from the center, savoring the taste until it melts away. The delight is not just in her mouth, the reaction is evident from her lips and eyes.

Both of these instances tell us something about how we read the Bible. Some people feel that there is no wrong way to read the Bible. The problem is that many of us read it with the intent to just consume words like I consume chocolate squares. We read the words with our preconcieved ideas and no regard for the richness of the whole text, acknowledging the love story of Redemptive history, or understanding the context in which the words were scribed.

Instead, we need to handle the Bible like my friend handles her chocolates; with awe and wonder, savoring every morsel and suckling at the sweet honey that is the Word. We cannot live our lives merely consuming The Bible, we must live it. In order to live it, we must understand or savor it. Rick Warren said something like, "The Bible left unapplied is abortion." It is strong language that is rooted in the reality of James 2:26.

Desperately Seeking

2008-09-08T05:02:00.000-07:00

SCM (Single Christian Male) desperately seeking after God and His righteousness. Has assurance that when he boldly knocks that the door will be open, that when he seeks he will find her. She is a priceless, hidden gem. He is a blind man.

He is seeking God’s favor to find her. His knee is bent, his head lowered,, and his voice wavers like wind. Unashamedly he petitions, “Lord, grant me favor, I pray. Open the eyes of this sleepy heart to see the beauty of your horizon. She is the rising sun, providing joy. She is the setting sun, providing rest.

What can I give her? Only my love. Lord, perfect my love for perfect love casts out all fear. Let me be a safe place. Let tenderness reign. Bridal my tongue, that I would not pierce her heart with bitter arrows. Instead, let my mouth release arrows of flame that stoke passion.

As we grow old and watch our days grow shorter, let our love grow wider and when it is over, help me to say that I lived a life of sacrifice. Laying my life down like Christ for the church. Let my bride be pure and spotless. Let her be complete in You.

The Sound of Music

2008-09-07T05:22:00.000-07:00

It is not a movie about a flibbertigibbet named Maria. It is melodies and harmonies moving up and down in sine waves of ecstasy. It reaches my ears and instantly vivid memories are placed in front of me like a picture book.

I can hear the trumpet pulsing along, driving the song with each push of its valves. It is my father. He is playing to scripture songs during a worship service. I am three, perhaps four, but I understand its beauty. I cannot hear the drums nor the guitar, only the piano and the trumpet dueling for supremacy.

I wanted to be like my father. Nothing has changed, inside I still want to be the man I perceive him to be. I wanted to play the trumpet. I received a toy one that broke right away. It said made in Taiwan on its sad plastic brow. I wanted a real one, a brass one, but we could not afford it. His instrument was borrowed and his time of playing was numbered.

Later I found out that he was an accomplished player in high school. He was offered second seat in a fledgling symphony orchestra, but turned it down. He declined because of me and mom, because of responsibility. His true love was not music it was us.

My father is like a spy. When he is questioned about his past he is often elusive and divulges only enough to further intrigue you. There was the time I asked what he did for work and he did not tell me. Later I found out he was protecting my pre-kindergarten ears from tragic and gruesome stories of medical rescues. It is as if he holds every memory as a precious secret and needs to make sure that those with whom he shares them will treasure them the same as he has.
In the world there are two positions we take. We are first listeners and then players. We hear the notes oscillating from their instruments as they reach our ears. Those notes form chords or patterns and those patterns form our lives.

For me, memories hold music. They are bard's tales and symphonies, pop songs and jingles. Some are epic and some I wish I'd never heard.

Next time you sit down and think about your life, think about it in song.

What is the music of your life? I know mine is still unfolding.

Nigeria

2008-09-06T05:20:00.000-07:00

I read an article yesterday about Pentecostal Christians smashing family idols. Some of these idols are hundreds and even thousands of years old. They hold cultural and historical signifigance and the government is upset. They are upset enough to start fining people that are destroying these idols.

Why are these Christians making news? For years Muslims destroyed these idols and without making the AP or Reuters wire. Why were the Muslims destroying the idols? It is because they unequivocally believe in one God and that they must destroy anything that is an idol.
Unfortunately, many colonial attempts at Christianity were founded not on the uncompromising truth of the Christian God, but on syncretism and over eager "missionaries" who sought easy conversion vs. true Christianity.

Now we have these Christians finally standing up and doing like Gideon did and destroying family idols. The government stated that the people could not separate themselves from their past, but I know that Jesus preached, "He whom the Son sets free is free indeed." So even though we cannot rewrite our history, we can separate ourselves spiritually.

The act of destroying these idols is then an outpouring of Christian belief. If taking to the extreme conclusion we can justify the destruction of things like the Buddha statue in Afghanistan. I am decidedly on the side of these Christians. They own the idols and are destroying something that they own because they feel it is a spiritual neccesity.

This is a sensitive subject because it could end in a dark age of ancient religious art which helps us see how religious subjects are depicted throughout history. The key is personal discretion. God gave us free will, but he also put us under authority.

Your thoughts...

Directions

2008-09-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today I undertook the challenge of running 10 miles. About half way through the mini marathon an older woman in a white Ford Windstar stopped me. She was trying to get to Point Loma Seafood. She seemed very excited about getting there and she should've been. Point Loma Seafood is the best place to get a cup of clam chowder and fresh fish in San Diego.

I told her to go back down the street and take a left. I said it with full assurance, selling her on my expertise in directional bearing. Unknown to her is my total dependence on the goodwill of Google maps to find every unknown location I go to.

As I struggled back down Scott Street I saw the wooden sign with reddish lettering announce "Point Loma Seafood." It was then that I realized that I sent her in the opposite direction. It became painfully obvious that I gave directions when I clearly should have either said nothing or something extremely general like, "It's on Scott."

How many times during my life with I give someone wrong directions? For this lady it probably just made her frustrated and late for dinner. For others it could mean a life that was left unexamined or one that was ruined because of the advice I gave.

How do I avoid this? The Bible says study to show yourself approved, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. As a teacher or mentor, we are building the body of Christ. In order to do so, we must correctly interpret Scripture. It is my hope that as I read the text and alway the Holy Spirit to guide me through it, that all preconceptions fall away and I stand with a naked heart waiting to be clothed in the righteousness of God which is in Christ Jesus.

I encourage everyone who reads this to not only read the Bible, but believe the Bible. Study it out, find out the historical and cultural situation, and recognize that the Bible is the inerrant, God breathed story of redemption. If you do this, the word will become alive to you and you will be changed by it.

The Marquee of Life.

2008-09-04T00:11:00.000-07:00

Bunyan, like Paul wrote from prison. They both wrote with the resolve and conviction that the truth must be known. But for what were they thrown into jail? They recognized the supremacy of the gospel and the call of Christ.

Both were beacons of truth in the midst of Pharisaical times. Today it is much the same. Semi-recent failures are Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Faye, Todd Bentley, and Ted Haggard. To the world, these names shine like marquees from the forehead of believers. Regardless of the failure and the aftermath, it is not solely the fault of the person who fell, the guilt lies equally with those whose raised hands held the figurehead up.

This is an old problem. Paul addresses the issue in 1 Corinthians 1:11-13. It is a historical observation to note that the name Christian was given because the followers of The Way Sect talked about Jesus Christ so often. You see, 1 John 4 says that the world looks from the viewpoint of the world, meaning not from the standpoint of faith.

They see us when we talk about the revival or the TV show or the healing and we attach names to them instead of connecting it with the power of God. Acts 5 tells the story of Gamaliel before the Sanhedrin.

Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

From this passage we see that following after man leads to destruction, but following after God leads us to salvation. We must learn to put our lot in with Almighty God and not fallen man. Similarly, we cannot follow church movements, revivals, renewals, and camp meeting. Instead, we must follow Christ.

People that follow these men and events are like those that followed Simon the Magician in Acts 8.

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic.

And like Simon, they have a fundamental misunderstanding of the Holy Spirit.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."

My prayer is that our life is the one that follows Christ not the events on a calendar or the face on television.

Imitation

2008-09-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

Often imitated, never duplicated is a brand slogan. It Indicates that their product is the standard or benchmark upon which all other products are compared. Many things are imitated from brands to people, but why are things imitated? They must be worth imitating. They hold value to the imitator.

Many times lobster, shrimp, and crab are imitated because they are expensive and people simply want a taste of the real thing. The same is true of Vanilla extract. It is a potent ingredient and requires very small amounts to flavor a large batch, but when imitation is used it often takes a larger dose.

And finally, if you have ever walked into a market in another country or down certain streets in our own, you have probably seen the fake Rolex watches, Nike apparel, and whatever other brand you can think of.

Question:

Why do we make the decision to purchase the thirty dollar fake Rolex that will quit working in 30 days?

Answer:

It’s because we have counted the cost and these things are worth the style, but not worth the true price. We want to invest in the appearance, but not the substance. The word “Christian” comes to mind. The Bible talks about people that exchange the truth for an imitation. They practice religion, but deny God’s power. Jesus made it clear to the self-righteous Pharisees that they were like white washed walls, but were rotting on the inside.

This is not a new problem for the church. Since the beginning there have been those who choose to use the name Christian and refuse to invest in their relationship with Christ. Make no mistake. Christ is real. His power is real and lasting. Count the cost.

Is it worth it to be a Christ follower? God thinks it is. He set the universe in motion knowing that one day, you would exist. In His infinite foreknowledge He set the world in motion. He balanced the axis of existence on the sacrifice and triumph of His son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:20 says, “we love because He first loved us.” Everyday we must decide if our faith is worth the price of authenticity. Are we imitating Christ or following the Pharisees? Don’t let your faith be a cheap imitation or counterfeit. Instead let it be deeper than the oceans, higher than every mountain, and its breadth wider than the expanse of sky,

Dressed to Go Out

2008-09-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

One night after watching the Padres, I wandered the streets of downtown San Diego taking photographs. A couple of blocks from the Gaslamp, one of life’s stark contrasts was pointed out to me. It was the disparity between the rich and the poor, those dressed to survive and those dressed to go places.

It amazed me how one north-south street could be lined with men and women going into a club and how the east-west street was lined with homeless men and women lying on the ground sleeping. Out of this observance, the Bible leapt off the page and rhema illuminated my mind.

The people going to the club are like people trying to get into heaven. They are dressed up and waiting at the door. The bouncer is like Jesus who judges people based on what they are wearing. In this illustration, Jesus is also the designer of the clothing. As each person walks towards the door, they hope they are clothed in the righteousness of God that is Christ Jesus.

Some of these people are good people who made their own clothes. Just like Adam and Eve they fashioned their own clothing. They knew they were naked and were ashamed and so they put on the raggedy robe of good works and the insufficient belt of self-reliance.

Some of these people are true believers. They wear the robes of righteousness and the designer tag of God Almighty is tattooed on their foreheads. Like clothes from the most exclusive designers, their robes came with a very high cost; their lives. Some were told they were foolish and others were even killed for their clothes. Regardless, it was not the change affected on the exterior, but the one on their heart that differentiate them from those who are denied entrance to heaven.

Those on the east-west street are those that Jesus came to save. They are the lost and the wicked. They live on a horizontal plane not knowing where they are, not caring what they are. These men are what Bertrand Russell called the instinctive man. They are unable to see past their immediate physical needs and therefore are, except by extreme providence, unable to obtain success even in material things.

The other parallel I drew was that of the religious person waiting to get into church. They dressed correctly and like other actors waited for the director to call them onto the stage of a tragedy. It tells the story of the Pharisee who appears outwardly clean, but whose heart is darker than that of Conrad’s Kurtz. While we wait to get into heaven, we walk by those that are perishing with no regard for their condition.

Either way, we must heed the words of James when he wrote that faith without works is dead. Our proclamation of faith means little without proper application.

Lord, I pray that today I would walk in a manner that is worthy of being called “Christian.” Let my life bring glory to your name and not shame. I thank you for the blood of your Son, Jesus Christ and that I can overcome the world with the word of my testimony and by living selflessly in You. Amen.

Smokers

2008-08-31T05:36:00.000-07:00

Smoking is not a license to litter. Being a smoker does not give you a special "I can litter card." I've seen your devious and defiant glances and I'm on to you. You can't get away with it for much longer.

Running the Race

2008-08-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

One day I was running down the street. I came to an intersection and tripped, but was able to maintain my balance. I continued running. A few days later, I was running the same route and arrived at the same intersection. I tripped again at a different spot, but in the same intersection.
This time I fell and skinned my hands and left knee. I was only a third of the way through my route and was compelled to complete the course. After a block I checked my hands and there was no blood, I checked my knee and it was bloody. A few blocks later I checked my knee again and blood was streaming down my shin and soaking my sock.

I thought about what I must look like to the outsider. I had a bloody knee, snot all over my face, and sweat pouring through my shirt like broth through a strainer. I looked foreign, I looked pained, and I looked insane.

Then I thought about what I looked like to the initiated, to others in my community. The phrase, “the joy is in the journey” came to mind. Other runners understand that the outer demeanor does not matter. The bloodied knee, the labored breathing, and the grimaced face mean excellence to others in my fraternity. It is the sign of someone who is striving for a goal, for a destination known only to the runner.

Life is like the run, there is a destination and sometimes we struggle to reach it. Our breathing grows labored and we stumble over the same thing over and over until some day we are able to run over the obstacle instead of stumbling over it. Even when we stumble over something we
cannot quit or else we will not be able make the destination. Regardless of our goals in life, we must continue on in the race towards greatness.

Greatness is the destination of our lives. Everyone has at least one talent; the journey is finding it and developing it. Therefore, we must learn to invest in ourselves. A company I worked for had an operating principle, “Invest for total return.” We must learn how to invest in ourselves so as to affect total return. In order to do this we must like the runner, focus on our destination or goal and let nothing stop us from reaching it.

Remember, as the runner, you control the pace, the training, and the duration and the course of your run.

You are in control of your own destiny; it comes down to the choices you make. Don’t waste your life, choose wisely.

How to Know You are White...

2008-08-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

I know I'm white because I prefer my social activities to have as few other white people as possible.

Prose

2008-08-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

The loss of years, the loss of tears has left you dry and older. Sitting on a rocking chair, you refuse to be bolder. You are not worried about the weather; hotter or colder. You only want to be left alone. You have no TV, utilities, or phone. Communication in words is not what you are seeking. In fact, at times the anger is leaking, seething out from your pores. Could’ve done more. The thoughts attack, they attract worry. Like a flurry of punches from Mike Tyson in his prime they steal joy. It’s a crime.

For there is one who is higher. He shuts the mouth of the roaring lion, the liar. Listen to the town crier. He makes his rounds with a heavenly sound, he is preaching the good news. The words that he speaks has a short fuse. It’s a bomb that will explode. Taking off that heavy load. Throw your burden down, you were lost now found.

The heavenly hosts rejoice, in one accord, in one voice. You are now a righteous one, accepting of God’s true Son. You are bold as a lion. You are on the road to Zion, the promised land, given to you by the Jew with pierced hands. So don’t shrink back; attack. There is no fear, there is only power, love and a sound mind. It’s amazing what you might find in other earthen vessels. Speak words of life before they jump from suicidal tressels.

He said, “Go therefore.” Understand we are at war where the victor’s blood is already spilt. From the beginning this earth built on the understanding that His plan was flawless to defeat Satan, the lawless man, and the evil prophet.

So believe today that Christ is the way, we are his children. He calls us by name. In our mother’s wombs he constructed our frame. We are running towards the prize. taking heed of truth not lies. Setting our eyes on the glory of the Father. It’s for you. It’s for you.

I Know Nothing!

2008-08-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

That’s right, I’ve said it. I know nothing about her, but I want to. She is light and I am obscurity. She is the unknown variable and I am the constant in my life’s’ equation. Alas, this is not simple algebra. The complex algorithms of unique heart beats splatter across the white board. I am an imperfect number, decimals not rounding, but continuing into the recesses of Pythagoras’ mind. Could she be my counterpart, with her thousandths and millionths colliding with mine to form a whole number of 2? To determine the answer, there may be a theorem, a formula, or postulate, but I simply want to be the Montegue to her Capulet.

The Lean Years Tradition...

2008-08-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Being unemployed, even by choice, is discouraging. Watching money leave your account and not being replenished is like watching the water supply of a major city shrink during a drought with no rain in sight. The worries mount, not because of the lessening supply, but because the thought of not having anything is troubling.
Paul said he learned to be content in all circumstances. He was also very sure to point out that contentment does not equal comfort. He asked God three times to remove a thorn from his side. Now it is not important what the thorn was, but it is important to note that God denied Paul’s request and yet Paul was not discouraged, he was content!
Paul recognized that the God had a supreme plan for him that incidentally included many trials and tribulations, but in the end produced immeasurable fruit. This is the ultimate understanding of life; to know that regardless of circumstance that God’s plan is in action and His purposes will be fulfilled. This understanding is true meekness.
Joseph had extraordinary dreams, was favored above his brothers, and given special privileges and because of this his brothers despised him. One day they decided to kill him, but were persuaded by their eldest brother to sell him into slavery instead. Here were opposing sides; the brothers who never wanted to see their brother again and the brother who wanted to see his family again regardless of the wrong they had done him.
Joseph spent years thinking not about how to get back at his brothers, but how he could succeed in the positions God placed him in. He was favored in Potiphar’s house and then wrongly accused of rape. He was then sent to prison and became assistant to the jailer. By empirical evidence, we gather that he held fast to the dreams he had as a small boy.
Because of this dedication to the dream and his reliance on Yahweh, he was eventually put into the position of assistant to Pharaoh. It was at this point that Joseph encountered another man’s dreams. They were dreams that relayed a future of plenty followed by seven years of famine. It was through God given interpretation that Joseph was able to plan for the lean years.
Just like Joseph, we must learn how to bring the resources of our kingdom into storehouses for the lean years. This has far reaching implications in the modern Christian life. We must fill two storehouses; our tithes must go to God’s storehouse and we must save extra so that we are prepared for everything God has in store for us.
If we do not put money into God’s storehouse we neglect the church and show the world that we are universally poor stewards and if we do not save, we are show the world that we are individually poor stewards. The universal church and the individual believer must be the first place of economic recovery and welfare during hard times. Remember the passage that says, Jehovah Jirah, He provides all my needs according to His riches and glories. If God is the owner of cattle on a thousand hills and we take to heart the parable of the talents, we will begin to look at our economy in a different light.
Our economy is built on the belief that God is our provider and that through us, the spiritual children of Abraham, we will bless the world both spiritually and practically. And so in this economic theory we do not serve a class or landowners, but our authority is God and our Savior Jesus Christ to whom all authority has been given in heaven and in earth. It is by this we can know that true economic freedom can only come from a true following of Christ for it is written, “He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.”

Act 4

2008-08-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

The play of eternity was unfolding rapidly the days after Pentecost as Peter stood up to deliver an inspired speech.

He pleaded, "Now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

As I read this passage today, I began to see something spectacular happening. I began to see threats as a type of challenge to my destiny. I began to open my sleepy eyes and rise out of my precious coma. I called upon God and declared, "I will not let the threats failure or words of unbelief take over, but I will speak the word of the LORD! I will possess the promised land!"

To be certain, there are setbacks. Paul talks about the concept of being content in every circumstance. The reason he could be content in everything was because he understood that God was in control of all things. The secret to living a fulfilling life is recognizing that God has the final say in all things. Shakespeare said something like we are all players and the world is a stage. Let's make sure we know who the director is and play our parts to perfection.

Musician Moment of the Day

2008-08-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

No matter how horrible someone may be at guitar, please look at them with awe when they produce a capo. Capos are for serious musicians only. This has been a public service anouncement. Thank you.

Voices and Old Memories

2008-08-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I went to a Jeremy Enigk show with my sister and a friend. I suffered through the opener and her story of peeing outside and her limited use of vocal range and boring choice of chord arrangement by staring blankly towards the stage the same way a mosquito stares at a bug zapper. I was stuck here, I could not escape.

After her too long set, Enigk stepped onto the stage. There were two accoustic guitars, a keyboard, and his microphone. He started his first song with gusto. This was the Enigk we remembered from SDRE. The one we grew up with and stayed true to from Diary to Rising Tide to Return of The Frog Queen. His voice crashed and crescendo like the waves of an epic typhoon.

Half way through the set, I found myself singing along and remembering. It's been about thirteen years since I started listening to this uniquely inspired voice. The lyrics, the melodies, and the memories inspired me as they swirled in the whirlpool of my mind. It was then that I realized why I came.

It was not the venue, the atmosphere, or the friends. It was the voice of something I loved. As I sang along life began to flow into me. The incredible euphoria of purpose tingled in my spine and my memory soared with the experiences tied to the voice. I felt my sister's eyes and that of our friend follow me as I walked briskly to the front. I hestitated for just moment and then threw the yolk of doubt down. This was my field, this was my promised land. I was returning to one of my first loves.

After a few lines, I realized I had forgotten some of the words, but the emotion was the same as the first time I heard the lines. I was reminded that this mirrored the journey of faith for many including myself. A journey of divine revelation of the savior, walking close to Him, being rocked by the storms of life, seemingly walking on water, denying Him, and reconciling.

Just like Peter we rise and fall, sink and are rescued. In the end it is our choice to return to the God who first loved us. In the end we must push past all our works, all our prophesies and miracles just to touch His heart. We must listen to the voice of the Master and return to our first love.

The Church, The Para church, and the Paraclete. Part 1

2008-08-21T05:46:00.000-07:00

The so called “para-church” is not outside the local church. It is the local church. We say and hear all the time that we are the church; meaning that people are the church. Unfortunately, the veracity of this notion seems to escape the general Christian world.

What do I mean? This is a question that we must ask over the entire church. Let me first state the answers and then we will journey through the questions.

The “para-church” is not apostate, problematic, or somehow “sub church”
The “para-church” is artificially separated from those of us who attend a particular “house of worship.”

To some, these ideas make sense, to some this is a revelation, and to others it is blasphemous. Regardless of where one stands, please listen to the Word of God which we say is infallible and put aside the traditions of men and our fathers.

The church is indeed segregated. Not necessarily by color or denomination, but by those who hold tradition and the maxim “because we always have” closer to their hearts than the call of Jesus that echoes throughout eternity. That call is, “Follow Me.”

Please do not be offended as offense is not the point. The point is that every Christ follower must examine their beliefs and therefore their hearts. We must look past the because and into the why.

How do we do this? We must examine the Scripture so that our lives conform to what we profess in the saying, “Sola Scriptura.” Therefore we must commit ourselves to the word together. We will begin with the Luke-Acts codex and read through the epistles.

Before we begin our study of Scripture, let us first ask the following:

What does the word para mean?
What does the Bible mean when it says church?
Is there a difference between the church and a church?
Has this definition changed over time? If so, how?

The word para is a Greek preposition that, depending on its contextual use, can mean from, of at, by, besides, near, and sometimes contrary. In the context of Christian belief we see it used in the transliterated word paraclete which refers to the Holy Spirit. It means a comforter, a consoler, and an advocate. I am not plowing unknown ground here and will refrain from commenting further on this subject.

How does this relate to the phrase Para church? In this question we will attack several inquiries at once. First we must define the church. The Bible never refers to denominations in the sense of Presbyterian or Methodist, but it does talk about division in the Corinthian church.

Paul addressed it this way,

“One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Peter”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

And later,

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe-as the Lord has assigned to each his task.”

The problem with denominations is that people cling to them for salvation instead of to Jesus. I once met a member of a southern denomination that told me that his “church” worshiped and lived the right way, that his church’s preferred translation of the Bible was inerrant and that anything else was erroneous. Those are controversial statements which I attempted to disprove, but failed. I used Biblical text and the overall theme of Scripture, but his stance did not change. Instead, he clung to his denominational ties instead of to the actual word of God.

The popular Socratic quote that the only life worth living is an examined one is correct. We must examine our lives continually in light of Scripture. Our standard is not that which is set by men and tradition, but by the Word of God. Please understand that this is not an indictment against denominations. Instead, it is a call to find truth.

To further belabor the point let us look at the word for church used in The Bible. The word is ecclesia and denotes a group of people or community. Denominations are large communities that agree on both essential and non essential articles of faith. They function by providing a place for Christians to fellowship, study, and worship. The most important function of a denomination or any church is to further the kingdom of God. If a group ceases to build the spiritual kingdom of God, it directly violates the mandate Jesus gave in the Great Commission.

In essence, many groups that are considered para church are actually churches themselves. Programs like YWAM or Fellowship of Christian Athletes fulfill the Biblical pattern of the church. They are a group of people who seek God together. Unfortunately, in these settings it is often asked, “What church are you from?”

Why is this an unfortunate question? It is because the emphasis of the question is the manmade distinction based upon the practice of non essential doctrines. Although outwardly it seems to be a question to determine what culture someone is from, at its root it is an irreverent and irrelevant question that refuses to acknowledge the life changing power of Christ that unites the ecclesia or called out ones and separates us from the rest of the world.

The bride of Christ cannot live effectively with multiple personalities. We must agree on what it means to be a Christian. To do this we must peel hundreds of years of tradition back to reveal a simple truth. According to Acts 11:26 the name Christian was given to the church in Antioch. This name is the believers’ only true identity. All other attempts to classify my following of Christ are rubbish.

One day, Jesus was asking His disciples who people thought He was. The answers were the recently executed John the Baptist, the fiery prophet Elijah, or the weeping prophet Jeremiah. He then asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then called him blessed! Why? Because human wisdom did not reveal this to him, but it was by the revelation of God that Peter was able to declare this. Peter is now the first recorded convert to Christianity. He has confessed with his mouth and through his actions it is evident he believed in his heart.

What is at stake is the personhood of Christ. We must distinguish the name of Christ from amongst a host of good men and moral teachers. Even if one truly believes that Christ was a good man, the fact that He did not dissuade Peter from calling him the Son of God leads to two conclusions; He is the Son of God or He is a liar. If He is a liar, He cannot be a great moral teacher because his life work was based on people believing in the salvation He offered and in that sense only God can offer that. Either His life was a giant lie or He really was the Son of God, the full revelation of God to man.

The Language of Slaves, Part 5

2008-08-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

Further, it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out or is projected from him that makes him unclean. In other words, you can make more external rules, but if you cannot keep one, you are guilty of breaking them all. How much simpler is it to apply two questions to every situation.
1. Does this show my love for God?
2. Does this show love towards my neighbor?

Here we go again! From the corner I hear someone yelling that love is subjective. I rebut by declaring that Love is only subjective if you don’t really know what love is. God clearly shows us what love is.
Generally, love is described by the passage, “It is kind, patient…
Truthfully our world was framed by love. For if there was no world God could not send Jesus who is the full expression of God’s love. We also know that God is love. This means that love is defined by the progressive revelation of God and not by human experience or feeling. Just as Jesus is the full expression of God’s love the Bible is God’s full explanation of His love.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1
The beautiful thing about God’s love is that it is unconditional. The world was created based on His love and human existence is predicated by it. You see, God is love, which is to say that God defines love, not that love defines God. The Bible says in regards to Christians that we love God because He first loved us. In the simplest form the Christian is the man that responds to God’s love by loving Him back.
There are serious implications to this statement. People will often say things like, “If God really loved me, He would…” or “If God is love, then why is there suffering?” These questions are easily answered, but complicated to explain.
The first is a perverse question that showcases man’s darkened heart. It redefines God’s divine love into a display of selfishness by asking what man can obtain from God aside from unlimited atonement which is given to every man.
Again we revisit the themes of love, faith, and obedience. As Christians we must realize that our salvation is based solely on the gift of God. Also, we must live the Christian life as athletes training and running in such a way as to not be disqualified. We must not live like Judas who was willing to sell Christ for money or Simon the sorcerer who saw the power of God and thought that he could purchase it for what he could obtain with it.
This is the consumerism of life. The world system works on a scale of doing for getting. The motive for doing is getting. That is perhaps, why there are not many who want to become Christians.
Like an athlete who trains for years for one event, the Christian’s reward is obtained only at the end of the race. We run a race of endurance.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12
It is often said that it is not how you start, but how you finish. This is true both in life and endurance sports. You see, we are born dead and must be brought to life. Therefore humanity only has two choices; lie dead in the blocks or run the race of a champion.
No man will truly obtain fulfillment without first knowing Christ who is the Word that formed him. Just as we were created to be in constant communion, or common union with God, the pinnacle of individual existence is salvation. How can this be? Let me ask you this…What is the definition of justification? It means; just as if you’d never sinned. And if Adam was created without sin and through Christ we are justified, then we are truly a new creation.
Over the centuries the battle has waged about who can be saved and therefore justified. The study of Soterology seeks to explain the details of salvation. This study takes us beyond the basics of scripture.
1. Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
2. He who believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth will be saved.
3. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

Let us study the two main views of salvation today along with some views held by influential church fathers.
Below is a chart outlining the main differences between Calvinism and Armenianism.
Let’s gauge these views against the witness of Scripture both by direct quote and pattern and with the views of the church fathers.

Gideon and salvation
The story of Gideon is framed by the iniquity of the Israelites; God chosen people. Just like Joseph, God gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Midian means strife and every mention of him leaves that impression on the reader. Judges 6 tells us that they were so oppressive that Israel, God’s chosen people, made shelters in the mountains and caves and every time the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites and other eastern people invaded their country and camped on the land and ruined the crops. They layed waste to everything-“they invaded the land to ravage it.”
Because of this continual oppression Israel cried out to the LORD. The LORD answered them by bringing to remembrance their deliverance from Egypt and the possession of the enemy’s land. Like every covenant or suzerain treaty, God gave a condition to Israel; Do not worship the gods of the Amorites, But you have not listened to me.
So the Israelites were in the middle of possessing their promise, but because of cultural circumstance and compromise they began to leave the way of God. A friend of mine calls this the distance leads to denial principle. If we distance ourselves from Jesus, eventually we will deny Him just like Peter.
The story suddenly skips to Gideon. If this was a movie it would fade from black into a winepress. The camera would start from far above the recessed area of the winepress until it panned to a side view of Gideon threshing wheat. Then the angel of the LORD appears to him. The voice is thundering and reverberates throughout Gideon’s body. God says, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
Unimpressed, Gideon mumbles, “But if the LORD is with us why is this happening? Where all His wonders…The one are’s our fathers told us about. Gideon flashes back and quickly draws words from the well of his imagination, “Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?” but now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
GOD: Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?
Gideon: How can I save Israel? My family is the weakest in our tribe and I am the least of my family.
GOD: I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”
Gideon: Give me a sign.
Gideon then beseeches the Lord to stay so that he can bring an offering and the LORD waiting for him to return.
Gideon then prepared a young goat and unleavened bread and returned to the spot of the winepress. God commanded Gideon to place the meat and bread on a rock and pour out the broth. Then the angel of the LORD touched them and fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and bread. Then the angel disappeared.
It was then that Gideon realized that he was communing with the Angel of the LORD. He became afraid, but the LORD comforted him and exclaimed, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” So Gideon built an altar and called it the Lord is Peace.
How interesting that the history of Israel was really spurred by Joseph and strife with his brothers and by it was sold into slavery to the Midianites who then transported him to Egypt. Jacob (Israel)
The tribe that Gideon came from was descended from Manasseh which was Joseph’s firstborn. Manasseh means “Causing to forget.” This is the second time that Manasseh saves Israel.
Gideon is commanded to take a seven year old bull, seven signifying the years that they were overrun by the Midianites. He is also commanded to tear down the altar to Baal and the Asherah pole that belonged to his father. Gideon obeyed the LORD. He did what every smart person does, he did it at night because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town would attack him.
In the morning the town found Baal’s altar broken, the Asherah pole cut down and the bull sacrificed on “a proper kind of altar.” They asked each other who could have done this and found that it was Gideon. The people wanted to destroy him because he destroyed what they made and now worshiped.
The altars of false gods are often those simple things like friendships, known and unknown dependencies, and other inanimate objects that make us feel secure. These things are invested in our time and other resources and therefore we are bound to them. Fortunately, Joash stops the people with a voice of reason, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him?...If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.”
How many times in our own lives do we attempt to salvage something because it’s what we want and not what God wants. He wants our undivided attention. He commands His children to take down all the altars that are not setup to worship Him.

The Language of Slaves, Part 4

2008-08-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

When the Hebrews came to the next battle, they were defeated. Logically, Joshua was perplexed. They were in the midst of possessing the promise, but because of one disobedient act they were stopped. Once the secret sin was revealed the offender and his whole family was put to death. What is secret will soon be made known…
This is what Jesus was referring to when He said, “A little leaven leavens the whole loaf.” In other words, a little sin will cause the whole to be sinful. And we know this, that sin’s desire is for us and it wants to consume and kill us. Therefore, sin must not reign in our mortal bodies, but we must subjugate ourselves to the will of the Holy Spirit; the voice of God.
Once the sin was dealt with the assembly was able to move forward and eventually they possessed the promise. YE even after they possessed it they still had to fight for it. The lesson is that we must run the race so as not be disqualified. We may be in the midst of overcoming, with the end in sight, but we must give to God what is His. In the end anything less than our entire life surrendered is worthless. We will never see the fullness of God given dreams without completely yielding to God and His word.
What does it mean to follow God’s word? If we believe that the Bible is the plenary-verbally inspired word of God we must take into account the whole scope of Scripture in every situation. Some call this over spiritualizing life, but only a fool fails to see the spiritual significance in every decision of life.
One area where I failed in the past and many continue to fail is the corporate gathering. Tell me if the below equation looks familiar:
Me + Jesus = All I need
We sing songs like All I Need is You Lord and boil our faith down to Jesus alone. I’m not saying that the song is unscriptural; I’m implying that the application is often used as an excuse. The truth is we cannot live a full Christian life without other Christians. The equation works as the basis for our salvation and sustenance, but the Bible is clear that we need people.
Here’s the equation that I prefer:
You and Me + Jesus = The Church
Ecclesiastes tells us that one may be overcome by an adversary but that two can withstand him. Interestingly it talks about two people being together and then refers to a three fold cord and not a two fold cord. I believe that God placed this wording just so because He is the central cord that we wrap around.
This is the essence of the Church. Alone we are more susceptible to attack. The devil roams around like a lion looking for who he may devour and like a lion, when he sees us together in a flock he is less likely to attack. That is why it says, “Only a fool isolates himself and further warns against forsaking the assembly of the upright as is the custom of some.
Some people think that it’s just them and Jesus. But I tell you the truth, Jesus went away to be seated in glory so that the Paraclete, the helper, the Holy Spirit could come. If Jesus, who was of the same substance of the Father, as the physical manifestation of God, was still here on earth it is possible that it could be just you and Jesus…and eleven other disciples…
And so it is that the church is God’s chosen vehicle today in the age of the Holy Spirit or Paraclete. It is only together that we can withstand Satan, the world, or any obstacle. I believe that the wording of this passage is divine. Ecc. 5:8 may be the first three point sermon.
1. Though one may be overcome by another.
2. Two can withstand him.
3. A threefold cord is not easily broken.
As Christians, we walk what Robert Frost called the road less traveled. The Bible calls it the narrow road of righteousness where few pass. It compares the narrow road with the wide path that leads to destruction.
When we begin to walk the narrow road, the choices of life become narrower. Instead of asking yourself whether you are going to the club, the club does not enter the mental multiple choice list. The Bible says that we are a royal priesthood, a chosen people, a people separated unto God for His own purposes. We need to continually ask ourselves what a son of light has to do with darkness. As Christ followers we cannot entertain the options of the world.
I hear the objections mounting like riders on a thousand warhorses. What about being a witness to the world? Jesus often dined with sinners, why shouldn’t we? Once again the word speaks clearly, “Avoid the very appearance (or perception) of evil.”
Truly, Jesus did dine with prostitutes, tax collectors, and other undesirables of His day. However, if we really want to be like Jesus, then we need to unashamedly proclaim the gospel everywhere we go. In every story of Jesus going to someone’s house He is never mistaken for a sinner himself. In fact, He was never accused of committing sin except for blasphemy when He rightly called God His father and put Himself on the same level as Jehovah.
Jesus did not just hang out or have a good time with these people, He ministered to them.
They realized that His teaching was different from other religious leaders and at the very least that He was a minor celebrity causing controversy. Christ did not add more to the law like the scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus said that He came into the world to save it, not condemn it. This infuriated the religious leaders because the prevailing thought of Biblical history is that no one can live up to the law, so there is a temporary covering for sin. The law only serves to show man that he is condemned and cannot escape the just judgment of God.
You see, the earth was created by God in perfection, but man condemned it through his own disobedience. At the time of the Exodus God gave 10 commandments for the Hebrews to follow, but over time well meaning teachers began to heap the burden of man made law onto the people. At the time of Jesus the Ten Commandments had been toppled by over six hundred rabbinical regulations.
Jesus simplified the law into two commandments; Love the LORD your God with all your heart, your soul, and your strength and love your neighbor as yourself. He made ten into two and man made 10 into hundreds. That is why Jesus shattered the Jewish subconscious when he said to cast your cares upon Him. “For my yoke is easy and my burden light,” He says. He was addressing the very issue of God’s intent and man’s twisted application of it.

The Language of Slaves, Part 3

2008-08-19T00:18:00.000-07:00

Again when confronted with the outrage of the offended Jesus declares, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" (Matthew 9:12). Indeed He is the Great Physician. Isaiah's Messianic prophesy foresaw his healing nature by saying that it is by his wounds that we are healed and that he took up our infirmities.
Fantasy is when we allow our imagination to dwell outside of God's vision, on those things that aren't as though they were. Philippians 4:8 tells us to think upon whatever is true, whatever is noble, and whatever is pure. Undoubtedly fantasy replaces the sovereignty of God with the self determination of man. Jeremiah 17:9 states that mans' heart is deceitful above all things, meaning that its chief operating principle is distortion of the truth. Fantasy is the distortion of truth, the fraudulent cousin of faith.
Faith may seem similar to fantasy, but in the framework of Scripture we see that faith is the substance of things hoped for, but not seen. It is the hope of obtaining the promise(s) of God given to man. In this faith differentiates itself by originating from God and not from the darkened heart of man.
What do faith and obedience combine to produce? Their fruit is purity. Purity is the predecessor of power and power can only be obtained when we spend time in His presence.
How do we stay in His presence? Primarily, we must realize that every sin takes our hearts farther from the static fixture of Omnipotent God. Sin is rebellion against the LORD and why would the LORD dwell where He is not welcome? Rebellion is the opposite of obedience and so with obedience we are inviting God to work through us.
The whole earth is full of His glory, but the world has bought into a different system. Like Daniel we must tell the world we will not bow down and will not consume the same diet they do. The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end leads to death.” There is a world system, a way that the world does things that makes sense to them. And we know that to those who are perishing, the cross is foolishness. So God again proves that the (perceived) foolishness of God confounds the wise.
Benjamin Franklin said that two things are certain; death and taxes. To the natural man this is all that can be expected. But again the Bible supercedes earthly wisdom by declaring that the wages of sin is death. That means that if you are working and living, enveloped in the world system that worships mammon you are working to obtain death. You cannot serve both God and mammon. The alternative to this is to receive the gift of God that is eternal life. This will mystify man forever.
Our heroes are typified by toil and hardship overcome. They are usually resistant to the current or decree of culture. The same is true in the Bible. Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abendigo were thrown into a furnace, and David overcame tremendous odds by slaying a giant.
How do we become heroes? We must follow the pattern. In each case, the world system pitted itself against God. Daniel and the three Hebrews refused to bow to an idol and David would not allow fear to overtake his faith in God. They recognized the temporal plane of existence is much less important than obeying God. Our obedience can cause pain to the natural man, but it is only for a short time. However, our disobedience can cause our natural life to be much easier, but it will end in disrepair.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a leader in the German Lutheran church. He watched as the Nazi’s demonic sway overtook his homeland. For awhile he left the country to minister to expatriates in London, but ended up back in Germany. Why? Because he realized that someone needed to stand up for righteousness. The rest of his life was devoted to restoring the sight of the church in Germany.
During the course of the war he went from being a pacifist to taking part in plots to assassinate Hitler. He realized that the only way to stop evil is by dealing with it. We cannot stand by and make excuses about why we are a certain way, we must not allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies.
Bonhoffer was later executed as a political prisoner just days before his camp was liberated by the Allies. His magnus opus is called The Cost of Discipleship. Appropriately, he counted the cost of following Jesus and that cost was his life. Like Boenhoffer we must take hold of the words Paul spoke.
“To live is Christ,
but to die is gain.”
In Him we live and move and have our being. If we abide in Christ, He will abide in us. How can a young man keep his way pure? By reading the Bible. Our Christian witness can be built on II Timothy 2:15. Study to show yourself approved, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
From this we know that there is power in purity. Before a major move of God in the assembly of Israel they were commanded to purify themselves. However, it is not enough to be pure beforehand. In the story of AI the Israelites were commanded to not take any of the plunder, but one man took some items for himself.

The Language of Slaves, Part 2

2008-08-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

You may say that Jesus dined with sinners and even in the sinner’s house. You are right, but you’re not Jesus. The key difference between Jesus and the believer is that people invited him for the express purpose of hearing Him speak and to see miracles. When was the last time your friend asked you to come down to the bar and share the gospel? We live in a darkened world, and as the light of this world we cannot hide our lights by entering into a den of iniquity.
The ultimate dichotomy in my life experience is the story of the Christian stripper. One day while at work a lady walked in the doorway of my business. She was wearing daisy dukes, a pink Barbie shirt, and matching pink socks with white tennis shoes. It was also evident that she had plastic surgery performed to various strategic locations on her body. I automatically thought, “Stripper.” I was not judging her, but rather using observation to identify her occupation. While we discussed business her phone rang. Her ring tone was a popular worship anthem and I felt confused. Everything on the outside indicated stripper, but the ring tone told me otherwise. She then began to talk with a friend and during her conversation mentioned that she was a lap dancer at a local club. On her way out she saw the fish symbol the business owner put on the window and asked who the Christian was. As she walked out she declared, “That’s what the world needs…more Christians.”
We must walk carefully and circumspect to the LORD. There are those at the judgment who will claim Christ but He will cast them aside. Why? Because although they say they are a Christ follower, their actions cancel their words. We must make sure our actions match our chosen identity of Christian.
Coming back to our subject of slavery, we also must hold our bodies in submission. Our desires should not lead us, but we should banish our desires and give all to God from whom every good gift and every perfect gift is derived. The promises of God are greater than any momentary pleasure. By submitting to God and resisting the devil we overcome the world. It is by the word of our testimony and not loving our lives, both spiritual and physical, even unto death.
A friend of mine recently preached about the pain of carrying the promise of God by telling the story of David. He was anointed king as a young man, but he soon came upon a giant. He was confronted with a choice to either step towards his destiny or to shrink back from it. He decided to slay the giant because he knew it was a step towards his destiny. Even after this great accomplishment he did not become, instead he was forced into hiding by the king he was to succeed. For 17 years he was a fugitive, living in caves and acting like a mad man for the purpose of saving his own life. As we read the Psalms, it is interesting to note that David thought about all this trouble constantly, but he did not let it overtake him. In the words of my friend, “If we follow reason we will never see the season.” David put his trust in God and when the right season came God elevated him to the pre appointed position of king.
During the same sermon the preacher also said that we must seal it, speaking of the promise, before the devil steals it. David took the promise seriously and wrote it on the tablet of his heart. Everything he did was not to promote himself, but to glorify God. He did this by slaying the Goliath who blasphemed the LORD and secondly by making sure that Samuel’s prophecy was fulfilled. He was not haphazard; he was careful to guard the promise and gathered men around him that believed in the same thing.
In our lives we must apply this to both spiritual and natural authority. If we want to be successful we must submit to the vision of the house and help make it a success. In our quest to be noticed we cannot deviate from the house because when we do we cast off authority and mimic the pattern of Lucifer.
How harsh! The pattern of Lucifer? Do you really believe that? Yes I do! Why? Because the place of position is not desirable if your heart is only longing for attention and glory. In fact, the position without the proper preparation is poison.
John the Baptist was the greatest voice of his day, but when Jesus came to him to be baptized he immediately recognized a man that was greater. John knew that he was not the Messiah, but rather the one who prepared humanity for Christ’s appearance according to the scripture.
Jesus tells us in Luke 14 to not take the place of honor lest someone greater come and you are shamed when you are displaced. Instead take the lowest place and let the host come to you and set you in a higher seat. Friends, I pray that God does not allow us to be placed into authority unless our motives are pure. On this subject, I leave you with the story of the paralytic.
Were the motives of these men to gain fame? The Bible does not say, but their names are not recorded and the end result was God being honored. They brought a man to be healed of a physical condition and he walked away with his sins forgiven. He was made whole and pure as Jesus uttered the words, “Go and sin no more.”
As Christians we must come with the same motive. Christ did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save it. Everywhere he traveled the message was the same; be healed and sin no more. Why this message? I think God is telling us something very important about life; once we are touched by Christ we must sin no more. In other words, once the promise of salvation is given, we like Abraham are called to be Holy as He is holy.
God commanded him to do so and although he was given the promise, it could not be obtained without his obedience. God says that without vision that people cast off restraint. Interestingly the definition of fantasy is defined as, "imagination, especially when extravagant and unrestrained."
There is a difference between fantasy and godly revelation.
God inspired vision involves a disciplined following of His commands. In John 15:14-16 Jesus tells His disciples that they are friends if they do what He commands. As Christians we are to be disciplined in the faith, beating our bodies and making it our slave so that our witness is not discounted (I Corinthians 9:27).
This means that we must not be given to the pleasures of the world; that is the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Although we may feel the pull of the world and the love of it (I John 2:15-17), we are not obligated to give in. In fact, I John asks the rhetorical question, "Who is it that overcomes the world, only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
When we are born of God in that second and spiritual birth we are joining our vision to the vision of God. Jesus states it plainly in Luke 19, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." To the people of his day, it offended their spiritual pride. Here is the great teacher saying that it is imperative for him to be the guest of a sinner. The complaints are quickly silenced by Zacchaeus as he declares that Christ is Lord, admits he is a sinner, and declares what his repentance will include.
To the Jews, Zacchaeus is an example of the lost sheep of Israel, but he is much more an example of mankind. After all, what is it that Christ came to do? He is always seeking out our hearts-the hearts of sinners to dwell in. Only when we allow him to dwell in our tabernacle will we be saved. Jesus came to seek a home in our hearts and to save the relationship of intimate communion that was lost in the Garden of Eden when man sinned.God reminds us that it is through the actions of one man (Adam) that sin and therefore death enter the world. Romans says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. And so, it is through the first Adam that death enters the world and the gift of God, the second Adam; Jesus Christ, that brings eternal life.

The Language of Slaves, Part 1

2008-08-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

The Language of Slaves
A majority of Christians have lost the full meaning of the word slave. The history of the world shows us the pattern of the oppressed and oppressor. From the Hebrew and Egyptian to modern day human trafficking, it is a word that only holds a negative connotation.
To the Christian it must hold a different meaning than what the world says. The culture of God is the true culture of the Earth, but because of sin man has allowed this culture to be turned upside down. Coincidently, when the Bible says that 12 men, meaning the disciples, turned the world upside down they actually turned it right side up. They were showing the world what God through Jesus Christ meant for man to experience from the very beginning of creation.
The question is then, “what was meant for man?” From the beginning man was given authority and created to be an overcomer. Due to the dissension of Satan and one-third of the heavenly hosts, hell was created. In the Bible hell is described as an ending place for those spirits. These created, yet eternal beings, which have no physical body, made an eternal decision to rebel against God. Since their substance is fully eternal, every decision they make is eternal. Their predicament is spelled out through the ages in Hebrews 6:4-6.
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
Although the passage is referring to man specifically, I believe that it is a principle of God and therefore applicable to all beings.
The difference in man is the temporary shell in which our eternal spirit/soul dwells. God designed the universe for man to overcome His enemies. Proverbs tells us that haughtiness precedes a fall and this harkens not only to Satan being cast out of heaven, but also to his end.
What does this have to do with slavery? The answer is simple; it has everything to do with it! You see, God set the world on the foundation of Christ. He is the centerpiece of Creation, the Lamb who was slain at the foundation of the world, the capstone the builders rejected; it was this prophet that found no honor in His own city, the king without an earthly crown, the Living Word of God who through his own submission to God freed the world. The Bible says that he who the Son sets free is free indeed and that Christ came to set the captives free.
Before Jesus could complete His earthly duties he had to forsake the world system and submit to God. Paul talks about this type of submission. It is called being a bond slave or more literally a love slave. Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. Our lives must be bridled by the words of the Bible.
As someone who calls themselves a Christian we need to realize that Christian liberty is a myth, or at least the way I observe it in the present day. Growing up I saw people cussing, drinking, and making out with their (in)significant other and defending it because it was in the scope of their Christian liberty. I could systematically argue against all three, but that would belabor the point. The truth is that sin seeks you out and its appetite is never satisfied. In fact, its goal is to consume and kill you. Solomon says that everything is vanity. Relationships, money, and other material wealth will pass away. Paul says that all things are permissible, but not all are profitable. As Christians, we have no rights, only responsibilities.
For we know that the wages of sin is death and anything that feeds humanity’s propensity towards sin is worthless. In other words, if we find ourselves in a situation where we are one step away from sinning we must follow the scripture that screams, “Flee youthful lusts.” At this point many readers will stop and shout that blasphemous word, “legalism.” It is not legalism, it is love. My love for God causes me to keep His commandments and when I fall short Christ covers me.
In the meantime why would I give myself the opportunity to sin? Why would I walk into a bar and order a drink? Why would I go someplace private with a romantic interest? God does not lead us into temptation so why follow fleshly desire which is death and forsake the words of the Spirit which are life?

A Difference Between College and High School

2008-08-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

In college it's ok to say you're on track to finish in five years because you took a year off.
In high school only dummies don't graduate in four years.

Sushi

2008-08-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

It was seventy five degrees and the dewpoint was sixty two. The wind was a gentle south by southwest breeze of six miles per hour and visibility was high. The conditions were perfect for my first daring lunge.

I managed for twenty seven years to avoid this. I said never in Neverland, but unlike Pan I was doing what I said I’d never do. There was no Tinkerbell or Captain Hook, and Wendy had left long ago. This was a crossroads, a quandary, and a burden no one should bare.

I could not ask for help and let her…or them onto my ignorance. This was a game of sly and cunning, one better than Bond ever dreamt of. I scanned for my choices several times. I could not afford to be wrong, but I needed to hurry. The pressure was mounting. This was the bottom of the ninth, it was the last play with time expiring, it was the moment I was waiting for.

Before I arrived at the location, I had visualized the situation. Each time I did, the same problem presented itself. I steeled my mind with one thought; DON’T THROW UP! It was still the only thought I could manage to electronically elicit through my neural synapses.

And so now was the time. I checked all exit paths and angles of attack one last time before I slowly began to pull the trigger. Like the rat tat tat of automatic fire, the words Spicy Tuna stumbled out like spent shell casings. I relaxed my index finger and relinquished my side arm with reckless abandon. They didn’t know my true identity, my cover was safe for now.

It was time for the ultimate showdown. If I could pass this test, no one would ever know. There were only two of us; the Colombian with her impish smile, deep eyes, rich accent, and infinite sushi knowledge and myself, the novice. When our order arrived, it was on one serving dish. I was confused. “Where was my meal,” I wondered aloud. She asks the same-my cover intact I approached the server warily. I asked if my order was on the way and he stared blankly back-the whites of his eyes like a white domino with one small black dot on each side.

It is obvious to me from his posturing that my meal is sitting on the same plate as the Colombian’s. I return to my seat and she is eating. We make small talk and still I am hesitant to take the last step. The weapon of choice is two small, wooden sticks. I unsheathe them carefully and stab the pinkish flesh across from me. As I pull it towards my mouth, I think only one thing: DON’T THROW UP!

I handle the nigiri with little difficulty. Its texture and taste are not familiar, but I easily acquire the taste. I have passed the test and the moment of truth is over. We make small talk for a short while longer and then leave together.

It wasn’t until later that I told her it was my first time. I was nervous and yet I executed flawlessly. She promises it will be better next time and that she will be my sushi guide from this point forward. For the first time since it begin I felt safe knowing there was someone else there with me…

The Language of Slaves

2008-08-07T20:31:00.001-07:00

The rights of Man.

2008-08-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

Man has the right to sin. It is implicit in the basic concept of free will. Although man has the right to do wrong, his obligation is to fulfill and obey the law. Previously I have stated that obedience is faith and vice versa. Therefore, following this reasoning, we find the scripture agreeing when it says that whatever is not of faith is sin.

This concept is tied into who Christ was. If he was truly the God-man, then he had the right to sin in that he had free will. Man has free will and God does what He wills. This is a double positive and cannot be dismissed.

God is the lawgiver and as such, Christ, who Himself was God in human form, gave the law to Moses from whom it was passed for Christ the man to follow. And so when Christ says that His purpose was not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it, it is because of the understanding that He gave the law and to that time no man had been able to keep it. Because He kept the law, he was able to fulfill that list of requirements against us and clothe us in the righteousness of God through Himself.

The ultimate moment of clarity for the doctrine of the God-man is the crucifixion. Jesus on various occasions declared that God was His father and the Bible says that He did not consider it robbery to do so. He also asked the question to His disciples, “Who is it that you say I am?” Peter’s answer was that He was the Messiah and Jesus did not dissuade this thought, but affirmed it by declaring that the Holy Spirit revealed it to Peter.

With this in the background we find Jesus hanging on the cross. During this process He utters two phrases that clue us into what is happening. He says, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” This is something that only God can do and as the Son of God he made intercession for his accusers even as he intercedes for us today.

Secondly he says, “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken me?” This was Jesus speaking from His humanity. You see, God cannot separate from God. This is an impossible paradox that defies scriptural principle that declares that a house divided against itself cannot stand, therefore God cannot forsake God. It was at this moment that God left Christ’s humanity and He died. And so Christ’s spirit did not die, for we believe that the spirit is eternal. But He did shed mortality.

It is this same spirit that went into Abraham’s bosom and ascended into the heavens with the saints. It is the same spirit that was given to the prophets in the Old Testament and the same spirit that dwelt in the Ark of the Covenant. More so, this is the same spirit that dwells inside every believer.

There is no veil into the holy of holies, there is instead our hearts. For God declared that He would write on the hearts of his children instead of tablets of stone. And it is in our hearts and minds that God is interested in.

Be renewed by the washing of the word and the regeneration of the Holy Ghost. Today we come before our God and say thank you. Thank you for your amazing grace, tender mercy, your loving-kindness, and your chastisement.
Lord, let us live worthy to be called Christians. For it is in you that we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.

What do the ends mean?

2008-03-10T21:28:00.001-07:00

The ends do not justify the means,
rather the means validate or nullify the end.

There are only two ends; that which is just and that which is unjust. Therefore if the means are unjust towards a just end, the end cannot be just because the vehicle of injustice cannot arrive at the station of justice. Conversely, the unjust end cannot be reached by a truly just means because that which is unjust runs in opposition to the that which is just. That is to say that if one starts with the aim of doing something that is not just, you cannot employ something that is truly just (that which is mandated by moral/divine law) because that which is truly just will always arrive at at true justice.

Learning Lessons from Others.

2008-02-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Proverbs 27:17

That verse was the last to come to me today as I was dealing with another Christian the other day. The first reference was I Corinthians 13:4-6. I felt justified because the other person was not exhibiting love. In fact, in my eyes, they were doing the opposite; they were being rude!

Watch out for self righteous attitudes because they can create unrighteous actions.

Mary and Martha

2008-02-20T23:21:00.000-08:00

In Matthew 6:34, Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow because each day has enough worries of its own. When Jesus came to Martha's house He said to her, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better..."

Many times in my youth, the sermon was preached that Martha was wrong and Mary was right. That is not what Jesus is saying though. In fact if we follow the right vs. wrong argument, we rob Jesus of His cultural understanding.

You see, it was Martha's house. As the owner, Martha was responsible for the well being of all her guests. She undoubtedly washed Jesus' feet, prepared food, drew water, and prepared a room for the Messiah. Mary on the other hand, sat at the feet of Jesus the entire time. This is the same Mary, the gospel tells us, who poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet.

At the time of Mary's extravagence, the disciples scoffed at her. They thought her offering was a waste, but Jesus saw her heart. Remember, man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. He knew that the real issue was not that the disciples wanted to use the proceeds of the perfume sale to help the poor, but rather they wanted to appear pious in front of men.

Jesus' response regarding the poor was not motivated by indifference to poverty, but rather in response the diciples' heart. Each one of us can relate to the disciples. We spend time with Jesus, we proclaim He is the Son of God, and we pray with Jesus just like them. And just like them we sometimes fail to see the full picture. We cannot allow the duties of life or even of Christianity rob us of truly glorifying God and we must not stop others in their adoration.

From the beginning God has usedpeople because of their heart. I believe it is a challenge where God wants to see if we will follow the cult of personality or the power of His word. Through the constant struggle of religious form versus religious function there is one constant,

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."