Hobby Lobby

2009-01-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

Executive describes company’s legacy of faith

life's only.... 80 years

2008-11-22T18:22:00.000-08:00

Tell me have you heard the news? People say you got the blues.
And it's all over town.

You're sitting here in the dark, thinking that you missed the mark.
Is it all over now?

Oh, you're not the only one.

You never really fit the mold, of walking down the narrow road...
Is it one step, two back?

I hesitate to give advice, have you ever thought of thinking twice?
You are under attack.

Oh, don't run away too far. It doesn't change who you are.
And I hope you lose the world and gain your soul,

I think you might have lost control along your way.

Life's only... 80 years and then it's gone.
How you gonna carry on without your faith?

What was that stole your fire, took away your desires?
And chased away your smile?

I can see it written on your face, you're feelin' like you’re out of place...
that's never been your style.

Oh, you're not the only one. Living is easier said than done.

And I hope you lose the world and gain your soul,
I think you might have lost control along your way.

Life's only... 80 years and then it's gone.
How you gonna carry on without your faith?

You start to fade, but don't be afraid...
'cause you're never alone.

No, you're never alone.

And I hope you lose the world and gain your soul,
I think you might have lost control along your way.

Life's only... 80 years and then it's gone.
How you gonna carry on without your faith?

Eighty years by John Cox Quick listen..

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord

2008-11-16T05:10:00.000-08:00

There a has been alot of media stories lately about Jim Jones and the People's Temple tragedy that ended 30 years ago in a mass suicide and murder.

I really never knew what happened or who was involved. When you read the history and what people did and saw you see some scary parallels to some popular modern day influencers.

Jim Jones was a mixture of bad Scripture interpretation, preying on fears of trends in culture, and extremely influential speaking skills. Jim Jones was a great communicator. Those that followed him never questioned his authority. Questions meant disloyalty. From the testimony of those whose consciences forced them to walk away, they did it queitly, in guilt and fear.

The history lesson with the Jonestown tragedy is that of all the 'movements' or communities one could find to garner their allegiance, anything done in the name of God, especially if it speaks of Christianity (even in the broadest terms), should never go unchecked. It should be completely obvious to align itself with sensible and sound biblical doctrine. Not just in the name of Jesus, but with Jesus Christ as Lord. God is not kept himself a secret, so in faith like Christianity there should never be secrets, always open, always visible, always a verifiable accountability. We have all have heard it so many times, "there are no loner Christians". Agreed, because we are, and live, in community. The New Testament is pretty clear about the local and universal body of Christ being spiritually linked together. Well, likewise, three should be no such things as loner churches, either.

"but test everything; hold fast what is good." 1Thess 5:21

Anyways, one the reasons this story fascinates me is that a peaceful, multi-racial community and cohesiveness was forging.

"It spoke of hope. Of connection. All these races and cultures living and working together, very successfully for the most part."

It is so sad that something with so much potential ended so tragic and horrible... no wonder people are afraid to reach out to each other and trust God. A challenge only the love of Jesus can break through.

Here are some recent stories on the Jonestown tragedy...

A vision of hope, dashed by madness and death
Leader plotted with cyanide
30 years later

Your thoughts?

life can get you down.... really down

2008-10-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

Overheard these recently:

“I feel like I someone trying to survive a shipwreck by clinging onto a dead body.”

“I feel like a headless cat trying to catch its tail.”

drowning

2008-10-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

You don't drown by falling in the water, you drown by staying there."

- Edwin Louis Cole

I cherish Wednesday evenings

2008-10-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

Mondays and Tuesdays are filled with work and school. Noise, rushing, busyness, and traffic from before sunrise to well after sun down.

Wednesday evenings are for peace, rest, slowness. Unwind, decompress, refresh, and re-charge. Perspective.

getting tired?

2008-09-30T04:32:00.000-07:00

Don't serve because God needs you, serve because God has enabled you.
Don't serve in order to establish the Kingdom of God, but serve because God is establishing the Kingdom of God.

--from DTS chapel podcast

Rewards?

2008-09-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

Lots can be said about what a "reward" from God is. The chief end of God is to glorify Himself. The chief end of man, then, should be to glorify God, too.

One of the joys of being a Christian is knowing that God works through us to fulfill His purposes. Christians en"joy" being a part of His loving and eternal plan. The reward is the joy, but the glory goes to Him.

If we glorify Him, how do then get rewards? Because we are co-heirs with Him.

"And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise." Galatians 3:29

God glorifies Himself and rewards Himself, we, as co-heirs, receive the rewards as well.

Just in case you need a laugh:

2008-09-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

(note: this has been around for a long time and the carrier names have been changed many time, but this is still funny. --Mark)

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints s ubmitted by UPS ' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.

By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.

P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.*

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search

P: Aircraft handles funny.
(I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

And the best one for last...

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

Bias?

2008-09-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

Check out this headline from a major news source:

Rove: McCain went 'too far' in ads

However, Karl Rove says that both sides of the campaign have gone one step too far

watch my lawn!

2008-09-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

I have a neighbor across the street that must have used a lawn service for the first time today (never seen them before, and my neighbor wasn’t home). The lawn care team and did a pretty good job of the usual cut, edge, and blowing away of the grass clippings. Not more than 20 minutes after they arrived, they were on their way.

Here is where it gets interesting…

It wasn’t less than 5 seconds after these guys drove away in their truck and the next door neighbor (to where the crew just worked) was tearing out of his garage with a blower cleaning up whatever mess the lawn care team left on his property. He cleaned the sidewalk, and the street in front of his house. He even blew away whatever mess was on his lawn. No kidding!

After he blew away all the grass clippings, he shut the motor off, and with an unlit cigarette dangling out of his mouth, he glared down the street in the direction the truck went. Gladiator!

Now, to this guys credit, he has the nicest lawn on the block. His front yard isn’t extravagant, but, it’s very well kept and it looks really good. And he should be proud.

But, I guess what I thought was interesting, was that it seemed like he was just waiting for these careless culprits to finish so that he could bound out there to get his lawn back to order.

It works out that my home office is upstairs and the windows look out to the street and I can hear and see most of what happens, and when I’m doing Greek homework like today, anything is bound to be distracting!

Friday freedom

2008-09-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

Is there any day of the week like Friday that the feeling of freedom seems to take hold? Besides a few industries, (foodservice, retail, and public services to name a few), most of the working class the world over feels the weight of the work week fading behind them on a Friday. The anticipation of two whole days away from typical responsibilities is such a great feeling. For the all too quick year that I was on staff as a pastor at Fellowship Church and had Fridays off, it was a welcome day of rest as we prepared for the excitement and work of weekend services and activities.

If Fridays can give a sense of release and refreshment, think about these few simple, yet profound words:

"For freedom Christ has set us free." (Gal 5:1)

I find it amazing that so few people I talk with think of Christianity in terms of freedom. Yet, in Galatians Paul’s writing is so emphatic (and clear wouldn’t you say?) about the unchained, unblemished joy of freedom that believers in Christ have. What kind of freedom? Not only freedom from the bondage and tyranny of trying to keep every commandment and law of the Mosaic covenant (which is impossible), but also the freedom that forgiveness of sins brings. One of the main elements of this freedom is the ability to worship God with all that we do. Worship doesn’t happen only when we are in church, or in prayer, or around other Christians, though those things may help focus us, but with all aspects of our life all the time. Faith is not about whether I have long or short hair, or whether I eat one thing and drink another, or what kind of music I listen to. It is about living the life I have been given in authentic expression of loving God and others with all of the heart, mind, soul and strength God gives, according to our spiritual maturity and giftedness. it is a blessing to love God. It is a gift.

"only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, "(Gal 5:13)

The interesting thing is that even though we have freedom, Paul warns us to be careful not to use (abuse) this freedom for evil. I am not sure if you have noticed this, but it is an unfortunate part of the human condition that wherever there is freedom, there too often follows irresponsibility. Humans cherish freedom, but we also tend to take it too far. Christians are not immune to this. We are loosed from “rules” but then the wheels come off because temptation is sometimes stronger than our faith. Thankfully, God is a forgiving God, and when we honestly repent (think turn away from sin, not just feeling bad about it) and ask for forgiveness, He is always there. Always.

I heard a wonderful and inspirational song on the way to work this morning. I didn’t hear the name of the song, or the artist but here are some of the words I remember from the chorus. Read through them and ask yourself if you are enjoying the freedom that Christ gives in a way that lets you:

“See like Isaiah,
fly like Elijah.”
“Sing songs like David,
love like the Savior.”
“Dream dreams like Joseph,
know You (God) like Moses”

For freedom Christ has set us free!

where did you live as a child?

2008-09-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Hamtramck, MI, a two mile square “city within a city” – inside Detroit that is). My childhood home (and where my mom and some family still live) is just shy of three miles from what a lot of people now know as 8 mile.

This was an inner city culture that I knew was rich in diversity, but recent surveys show that Hamtramck is really exceptional.

A recent survey found 26 native languages spoken by Hamtramck schoolchildren.

According to the 2000 United States Census Bureau, Hamtramck has 8,000 households and a population of almost 23,000.

Major ancestry groups reported by Hamtramck residents include:

Polish - 22.9%
Black or African American 15.1%
Yugoslavian Albanians 10.5%
Arab (Excluding Iraqi and Lebanese) 8.2%
Asian Indian - 5.4%
Ukrainian - 3.2%
German - 2.9%
Albanian - 2.8%
Bangladeshi - 2.7%
Irish - 2.2%
Italian - 1.8%
Russian - 1.4%
English - 1.1%
French (except Basque) 0.8%
Lebanese - 0.7%
Scottish - 0.7%
Mexican - 0.6%
Pakistani - 0.6%
Macedonian - 0.5%
Iraqi - 0.5%

I wonder how different census stats looked like in late 1970’s, and early 1980’s, when I was walking the streets as a punk getting into trouble all the time?

Who are you?

2008-08-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

You can't be yourself
until you know who you are.

Be hospitable

2008-08-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

It was the last week in March, 2004, and Tori and I were making plans for our return to the DFW area from Puget Sound (Seattle area of Washington State in the beautiful Pacific Northwest). Our house was already sold and we had until the end of April (one month!) to move out and clear the way for the new homeowners. I was to start at Bell Helicopter immediately, and I needed to secure some living arrangements in Texas as we finalized the sale of our home and Tori finished up her duties with her company. We planned for Tori to stay back in Seattle through the end of April, and then I would come back to WA and together we would make the final move with all of our furniture, animals, and belongings to be back in TX.

"When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, ..." (Mat 25:38)

We shared our prayer requests to our Bible study small group we were members of in WA: "We were going to be apart!", "Were we doing and trusting God’s will to move back to Texas?", "would we find someplace for me to stay in the interim?". It just so happens that our small group leader, Bryan Woodruff, and someone else in our group was in correspondence with professor Bob Deffinbaugh from Dallas Theological Seminary, (Bob also pastors a church in Richardson), discussing the Romans material of Bob's that we were using in our small group study. Unbeknownst to me, my fellow Bible study members mentioned my prayer request to Bob, and within a day or so, I had email confirmation from Bob that if needed be, I had a place to stay with him and his family in Richardson, TX. Wow. Thank you God!

The overseer then must be …, … hospitable, (1Tim 3:2)

Now, I did not even know Bob Deffinbaugh. I knew quite a bit about his work at DTS, and was familiar with his name, but that is literally about it. And, Bob certainly did not know me. We had never talked or emailed, and it is likely the only thing he ever knew about me before he extended the invitation was that I was in a Bible study group in WA (a clear 2200 plus miles North West of DFW!). I am sure I got a character recommendation of sorts from the guys in my Bible study small group, but, Bob didn't know me from Adam (actually, as a Bible scholar, I am sure Bob knows quite a bit about Adam!), :O), but he certainly did not know me. Anyways, as you can imagine, I was blown away by such a quick and ready response of hospitality, generosity, and kindness.

Well, it worked out that I ended up staying with our friends Denny and Sherry, and didn't stay with Bob and his family. Me and Bob never met, and never corresponded with each other. However, the impact of his willingness to extend such a generous invitation, and open up something as precious as his private home to me – a literal stranger - still lingers in our hearts. In fact, it was that experience that has caused me to recently take another of the many steps God has planned for me as I grow in my faith.

“Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Heb 13:2)

We now have an opportunity to do exactly the same thing for someone else. And though we didn't come to the decision immediately, we are now very excited to open our home to a grad student from the University of Colorado while they do their clinical internship at Riata Physical Therapy Specialists, where Tori is office manager.

I would love to tell you that we responded quickly and eagerly. We didn't. It took weeks to come to a decision. At first, we were not so keen on the idea. So we started to pray, and along with our prayer and discussions we pondered the ways our lives have been shaped by the generosity from countless many and from God Himself. And we considered His Word. I already knew the verses I mention above. I already knew that in Hebrews we are told that we may entertain angels in our home. So yes, in a very literal way, we knew that we should do it. But we were holding back, and in all honesty it took a while before we were resolved we could do it.

There were a lot of excuses. I work 50 plus hours a week and taking nine credit hours in school this semester. My wife works lots, too. We both have long days. We are selfish for our quiet home, and like all people, we have our unique and quirky habits. We are just shy of being clean freaks. We have irregular eating habits and patterns. We whistle a lot… all kinds of stuff, ya know.

“be hospitable, devoted to what is good, … .” (Tit 1:8)

But thankfully, God's will came through (if you aren't sure what God's will is, please refer to the above passages), and He has given us a deeper trust and a more generous spirit. I am not sure why we were stubborn and hesitant to decide. Maybe we were afraid to test our marriage. Maybe we were afraid of exposing character flaws. Maybe it is just pure selfishness. Who knows? But we now look forward to sharing our home. We look forward to meeting someone who is on their own quest in life and learn from them as well.

Though we can’t yet fully understand all that God will show us as we practice hospitality, we do know that God opened our hearts a little more and has given us a better understanding of how amazingly generous He has been to us, and will always be.

Practice hospitality.

The gracious hand of his God

2008-08-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

… was on him, because Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel. (Ezra 7:10 HCSB)

Ezra had a living faith.

Ezra was getting God's best because he was diligent, responsible, humble, and single-minded to learn what God had written. And Ezra lived it out. Not just talk, but walk. Then he taught others how to do the same. What value is it to learn somethng as precious as God's very own Words, and not share it?

Living faith: Know. Do. Teach.

What a great and Godly example to follow.

its love. its love. its la, la, la, la, la, la, love.

2008-08-15T04:33:00.000-07:00

When I walk beside her

I am the better man.

Thank You Lord for such a beautiful, life-giving, Godly woman. I love you Tori.

But as for you,

2008-07-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

communicate the behavior that goes with sound teaching. Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. ... Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled, showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss, because he has nothing evil to say about us. ... in order to bring credit to the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke that carries full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.

(Titus 2:1-3, 6-8, 11-14, 15) NET

Wow. As I was reading through the book of Titus today, these verses in chapter 2 really stuck out and challenged me. I pray that these words from God speak into your heart and mind as well.

three books

2008-07-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Over the last two weeks I spent some time reading and wanted to share some thoughts of three book that were, if anything, wildly different from each other:

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. On the order of Freakonomics, an economist has done a good bit of research and experimentation on humans (hey, no animals were hurt!), and our social behaviors. The thesis of this book is the incredulous and frequent irrationality that humans react with, and so much so that it is predictable, and without much logic, or rationale. Many people are aware of this and have used this knowledge for marketing, programming, etc.

An insightful book with a lot of fine lessons and questions brought up by Ariely, but to me the bottom line is: you are not as in control, or as logical, or as sharp, as you may think you are. Don’t be offended. This book should humble you as you become more aware of what you may have thought are your unique and individual preferences and habits. Each of us is wonderfully unique and we all have our personal preferences, but Ariely shows us that we are all very much alike in that we don’t seem to be able to make very rational choices. Enjoy the odd perspectives by which Ariely researches and the variety of his studies to deepen your understanding of yourself and others. This book hints strongly along the lines of Blink, a book I highly recommend about our unconscious habits and gut instincts.

The Shack, by William P. Young. I do not read much fiction to begin with, and I had only heard negative, or at least questionable, things about this book, so it was possibly a book that I would never, ever read. However, a friend challenged me to read it with the caveat that it might be a book that could change my life. Fancy that. Well, it did change my life: I can now add it along with many other books in my growing library. But other that that, I can assure that I will not look back on my time spent reading this as ‘defining’ for shaping my theology or my psychology (two things that could always use challenge and growth). The story is not that remarkable, and other than the radical and eclectic characters of God that Young draws up, it really is not that exciting to read. It was sound enough theologically, and hit a high note in terms of explaining the ways in which one could expect God to have us react as we come to know His love.

One line from the book that will stay with me for along time (probably b/c it rings well with my attitude of wishing authenticity in people) is: “Take the risks of honesty”. Wow. Wonder what it would be like if we could all do that more?

If you like to read great stories and want to learn more about how God is causing people to react with His love, I suggest reading “Same Kind of Different as Me” (its not only a page turner and wonderfully written, but it’s beautiful because it is not fiction!!)

The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God, by D.A Carson. This is a brilliant book and my favorite of the three, likely because it is primarily discussing God from a trusted writer, pastor, and scholar.

It seems that the way that we humans have centralized God’s “major” purposes have changed somewhat over time. There were eras where the focus were the dogmas (doctrines) of our faith, or maybe the humanity of Jesus, or the unity of God’s people, and the universal church (for more about theology and what that really is, I recommend reading “Who Needs Theology?” here is a brief post).

But nowadays it is God and His love that is a more central theme by which we present God. This is great, mind you, because God is love, and He alone gives and shows pure love. That has always been true, and has always been presented by His church.

However, the bend that we seem to be on in our culture is to over-sensualize and, quite frankly, simplify, God’s love to merely human terms, emotions, and understanding. Hey, we are human, and this side of eternity we’re not going to get the fullest understanding of God and His awesome love, but God has revealed His love through Jesus Christ and He has given us His Word (the Bible), by which we can come to a responsible and sound understanding of what real love looks like. It is in this context that Carson explains a sound, doctrinal understanding of the truth of God’s love, and it is more loving and lasting than what is coming across in a lot of teaching and preaching lately.

Bless you,

what is your reason?

2008-07-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

"I have a hope in God... This is the reason I do my best to always have a clear conscience toward God and toward people." Acts 24:15,16

Paul was in court and is continuing his defense of any wrongdoing against the Jewish people, their laws and faith, and against any Roman laws. Paul had been thrown in jail and was being persecuted for standing up for his faith in Jesus Christ. Here he has the leaders of the institutionalized religion that his own faith and heritage stemmed from (Judaism), and Paul has to give testimony that he was speaking the truth and they were wrong. They had no idea how wrong they were.

We can speculate on the reason for their blindness. Maybe it was unwillingness to admit they were wrong about their lives, or bad interpretations of the Scriptures and the prophecies pointing to Jesus as their Messiah, or maybe it was their thirst for power and control of what faith is, and should be. I think it was likely all of these, and though we may never know for sure, we do know that when the Light of the world (Jesus) came, He was not recognized and His own people did not accept Him (see John 1:1 -11).

From his many letters in the New Testament, we do know how Paul intended to live and what he believed. Paul's hope was in Jesus' resurrection, and Paul was willing to stand up for the truth of his faith. In this one verse, Paul gives us plenty to learn from as he tells us that he gives his best to stand on the truth of his fath, and that he does this with a clean conscience because he loved God and people.

Paul did not live a life of testifying and suffering for Jesus so that he could be popular, or for the love of money, for power, or for position. Paul was not a people pleasing glad-hander. He was not in court because of selfish ambition, or vain conceit, to get ahead in society or to boon his career. Paul wasn't in prison because he had made some mistakes in understanding what Jesus did, or because he misinterpreted the Scriptures.

I have been reading and meditating on these verses quite a bit lately, and I believe it just might be starting sink in. As I begin to study it, or as a wonderful Pastor has said recently, let it study me (cf Hebrews 4:12), I am deeply challenged and struggling as God does heart surgery. The struggle is just being honest to evaluate whatever I do, and why I am doing what I do, to find out if I am really doing my best, and giving my all, for the truth of my faith. Which should be, as Paul states above, because I have a hope in God. Stop. Read it once more. Because of hope in God.

And this is where the studying really begins: What is our reason? What is it that we hope in? Is it true (trustworthy)? Do you know the truth of your faith? Do you believe in true things?

With belief comes action, and here is the quick breakdown of how it works:

- What you believe affects how you think,

- What you think affects how you feel,

- How you feel affects how you will live.

So, how is your living working for you? Does faith in Jesus have a real part in your living? How does this faith actually play out? Do you live out faith the way that Jesus taught, and lived? Does our faith look like the same faith that Paul, along with the other biblical writers, wrote, taught and lived? Are the things we do consistent with the whole of Scripture?

Take each moment of the things you are doing and ask if the reason you are doing it is because of the hope you have in God, or is it for something else?

What is your reason?

done twitting

2008-06-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

I was pretty sure I didn't need to twitter anyways, but this seals the deal for sure.

Enjoy your twittering, or waiting to twiiter, folks!

respect is

2008-06-25T08:06:00.000-07:00

"Respect .... is fundamental. Respect leads to trust, integrity, honesty and ultimately success in business and in life. Respect is earned through honest, thoughtful, and open two-way communication. Respect is demonstrated, for example, through giving your undivided attention while someone is talking to you instead of typing on your laptop or blackberry. There are many simple things we can all do that can make a big difference in how the people around us feel."

-- Dick Millman, President and CEO of Bell Helicopter in a recent article

Three great blogs

2008-06-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

So many great blogs out here, but these three I have been visiting for quite awhile. I am thinking they are in my top three (in no particular order) because:

1. scholarly (mostly) content
2. depth of which subjects are approached
3. variety of subjects
4. the humble and sincere dialogue the authors have with their commentors (authenticity is my biggest pet peeve).
5. they are all very different

Denny Burk met Denny during Huricane Katrina relief effort, and then studied under him (and continue to) at Criswell.

Ben Witherington not sure exactly when I came across Ben's blog, but when I saw him speak in person at DTS, I was very impressed.

Scot McKnight first became familiar with Scot as he was an editor of 'Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels', and then came across his blog.

Early Church Fathers

2008-06-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

I think when some people hear of the Early Church Fathers, they may be tempted to think of the dads that show up to children's church early to pick up their kids just before service lets out.

All kidding aside, the Early Church Fathers are a reference to the influential theologians and pastors of Christianity after the Apostles passed on and through the first two to five, maybe six, centuries after Jesus’ death. Guys like Augustine, Origen, Jerome, Basil the Great, Justin Martyr (to name only a very small few - and yes there were quite a few women, too). Some of these were only one friendship away from knowing the writers of the Bible.

Today we have the benefit of 2,000+ years of Christianity to guide us and learn from (and no shortage of influential and gifted modern day pastors and theologians!), so we may not be able to agree with everything these Early Church Fathers thought of in regards to Bible interpretation, doctrine, evangelism, or doing church, but we are still extremely indebted to their diligent effort and theology in these areas (and more), and how God used these gifted people to reveal Jesus and propagate Christianity through some extremely difficult first years.

Anyways, for so many reasons it does us well to become somewhat familiar with the wonderful history of our faith, and just wanted to share this simple quiz I came across to see who you might be as one of the early church fathers (I ended up being Origen): Which Church Father Are You?. The website seems very Catholic, and though you may not be Catholic (I am not except in the meaning of the term universal), I hope this can open up a door to you and see what the past may offer for you as you seek to understand and emulate Jesus in your life today.

Like all human teaching, eat the meat and spit out the bones (learned that from one of the elder saints in my life and always love the way he says it - thanks Hugh!), and read the Bible for yourself and get or stay plugged into a Bible teaching church and fellowship.

While I am in the mood of passing along websites, check out the Early Church Fathers Series on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. It's very Calvin (i.e., pretty much opposite Catholic), but some great church history stuff there.

Philippians 1:9-11

Mark

baby, who do you love?

2008-05-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

from study this morning in John 15

Q: What bothers you the most about these verses?
A: verse 20a, "no servant is greater than his master".

The context is persecution for faith: first of Jesus, then of those that believe in Him.

Not sure if you're aware or not, but Christian persecution worldwide is at an all time high. Incredible suffering for honest, simple, Christ-like faith is going on, yet here in America it seems like a different story.

Seems to me what many American Christians call "persecution for faith" is often nothing more than our let down feelings towards those we expect to agree with us on issues of morality, ethics, faith, etc. Isn't it true that it is impoosibe to do the things of God without Christ? So what are we expecting?

Bravely and honestly reflect on this and ask God: Am I ever truly persecuted for being like Christ? Does persecution happen because I am acting in faith and Christlikeness, or because I am acting in the flesh (self righteoousness; high moral ground)? Do we really try to "make the most of every opportunity"? (cf Galatians 5:13, Gal 6:10).

So, who do you love (cf Mark 12:30, 31)? If we love ourselves more than anything, either persecution will not exist (because we'll avoid it), or it will exiist in a form other than what Jesus means in John 15.

Bless you,

Prayer for Virginia Tech tragedy

2007-04-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

Please pray specifically for the students and the family of those involved in the tragedy at Virgina Tech yesterday.
In varying degrees, we are all affected by this kind of evil. May the Lord's goodness, protection, and mercy be revealed and sought during this time.
Even though it is heartbreaking to witness such pain and suffering, faith in Jesus Christ is the hope beyond the things of this world and our only sure and lasting comfort.

Fools?

2007-04-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks back I fell for an April Fool's day prank. Actually, the prank was on April 2nd, but it still worked and got me hook, line and sinker. I got a kick out of it, thanks Ryan.

Anyways, The Thinking Blog has a post of the Top Ten April Fools Pranks of 2007. Pretty funny stuff, you should check it out. If you do not have time to look at all of them, at least watch the #1 video.

Now, after you watch the #1 video, I would like know if you think it is a fair characterization of Americans and what they know of the world around them. Why or why not?

Also answer this: would a common person in other countries have a correct and ready answer for some of the same info about the different states here in America?

--Mark

Gut check

2007-03-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Mark Batterson is lead pastor of National Community Church in the Washington DC area.

Recently he posted 10 "reminders", i.e., gut checks, for church leaders. Read it here.

HT: MMI

Grace and peace,

Change society?

2007-03-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

Fellow blogger Ryan down in the Houston area had an interesting article about rap and the church's vain attempt to reform a world without true spiritual reform.

You should read his post here. He brought up some great points and in doing so touched on one issue that has had me ask a simple yet complicated question….

Why do Christians get so worked up trying to get our govt. to pass all kinds of morality instead of spending our energies reaching the lost with the Gospel?

Yes, I know it would be better for society to clean up it's act, and yes I certainly do want to see justice for all. However, in the long run, people are still headed into a Christ-less eternity and we focus on how much bad language they listen to, and who they sleep with, among other societal ills?

This is a chasing after the wind. We need an eternal perspective. No matter how clean the outside of the cup gets or seems to be, it is the inside that needs the cleaning.

Convenience

I think most Christian activists would like to see the world be a better place just so we are merely less challenged, and less convicted to get out of our comfort zone and really spread the Word. When society is behaving itself, it becomes a lot easier for Christians to sit back because we have a lot less disturbance in the world around us. We just don't like being distacted by the evil in the world.

I think deep down that is why many Christians want a more just society, not necessarily because they believe a life could really be saved, but so that we can live less disrupted lives and faith.

As Ryan pointed out in his post, above all things we really need to do tell others about God's grace and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Your thoughts?

Grace and peace,

Recently downloaded into the iPod…

2007-03-03T09:21:00.000-08:00

- Pillar, The Reckoning (fave song so far: "Everything")
- Audiobook: John Maxwell: Developing the Leaders Around You

HT Ryan

Cabo!!

2007-02-17T08:37:00.000-08:00

Tori and I head to Cabo San Lucas next week with our best friends Sean and Stacie!!

One week of friends, beach, sun, food, fun and MUCH needed rest and relaxation and a healthy decompressing from full time school and work.

Pictures to follow…...

Grace and peace,

intro to Christ

2007-02-15T08:37:00.000-08:00

Check out this 'Intro to Jesus Christ' video. Don't know too much about Steve Harvey except he is a secular comedian with a show on cable TV.

This should inspire and challenge us because only when we truly live each day like we actually believe what the Bible says (and most of what Steve says here is Biblical) than we couldn't help but exalt Jesus Christ more and see lives really being changed... starting with our own joy and passion in and for Jesus.

You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, (1Peter 1:8)

Grace and peace,

Mark Driscoll, a recent interview

2007-02-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

As I have said may times before, Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, is one of my favorite preachers (I catch his sermons on Podcasts).

He isn’t a slick personality, but he captures your attention. He doesn’t horse around on stage, but he can be humorous. And more than anything, he consistently preaches God honoring Biblical truth with love.

He has caused quite a bit of controversy because of his straightforward approach, and he has learned a lot in recent years about being more humble and graceful. He has been called the 'swearing' pastor, not sure of that is fair or not, but he can be really blunt. He is well known for his in-depth exegesis, and sometime preaches well over an hour. Yet, in one of the most un-churched and liberal cities in the country, God is growing his church.

I am crushed that he is speaking at this years' C3 conference at Fellowship Church and I will not see it live (I will be in Cabo for a much needed vacation). Below is short, recent interview from The Monday Morning Insight with Todd Rhodes ...

Mark Driscoll: Our Goal is More People Worshiping Jesus

I had the opportunity to hear Mark Driscoll speak at the Coast to Coast Multi-site Church Conference yesterday in San Diego. I was really looking forward to hearing Mark speak in person; and it was worth the wait. Whatever you think of Driscoll (and his mouth that sometimes gets him in trouble), you have to admire his passion. He did a great talk on how Mars Hill is doing multi-site; and some of their plans for the future. They are growing wildly fast (they grew a thousand in attendance last month!). But the one big take-away that I got from Mark was his mission statement...

Mark said his goal comes straight out of I Corinthians 9:

“I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
Mark said that his goal is to have ‘as many people worshiping Jesus as possible’.
Now that’s a simple, yet demanding goal.

Mark said that everything he does in ministry answers this question: Will what we are doing allow more people to worship Jesus? If so, they do it.

If it means changing musical styles, they do it. Open another location? Do it. Different speaking style? Sure. Different technology? Yep. Everything revolves around that question… will it help more people worship Jesus.

It seems strikingly simple. But what a powerful concept?

What part of your work today is helping ‘more people worship Jesus’? It’s a good reality check to make sure we’re making a difference.

Thanks, Mark, for your passion. It’s that passion that many times gets you in trouble (with other pastors and Christians), but after seeing you first hand; I find it much harder to condemn.

HT: Monday Morning Insight

Mark Driscoll's blog

I like to think of myself as a person who, though I take God seriously, I don't take myself too seriously. Mark Driscoll's style reminds me of the same, and it is inspiring to see God using him.

Grace and peace,

Superbowl XLI coaches follow Christ

2007-01-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

If you watched the Colts beat the Pats in the AFC Division Championship game last Sunday, then you probably heard Tony Dungy and the ownwer of the Colts, both give thanks to God in the post game interviews.

I knew Tony Dungy was a devoted Christian (I wrote about him here), but to hear the owner of the franchise giving thanks to God for their success really lifted my spirit!

Well it looks like Lovie Smith, long time friend of Dungy, is a Christ follower as well, and both have their priorities in order: faith, their families and football, and they are known for their Christian testimony.

May God get the glory!

Go Colts!!

Thanksgiving to God

2006-11-23T08:07:00.000-08:00

Thank You father God for the brave men and women that preserve our freedom. May we give a thoughtful thanks and remembrance for each of them.

My most sincere prayer today is for God's protection and guidance for our military and those supporting them. May each serve with pride and dignity, knowing they are one of the biggest reasons we can safely celebrate a Thanksgiving to God. We look forward to their safe return from battle.

God we thank you for our Christ and we thank you for your amazing love, mercy and grace. We love You Lord.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

great new music... Bee Guillory

2006-11-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

Bee Guillory is continuing to follow the Lord's lead to use his musical talents, and praising God all the way.

Bee has already won an Underground Idol competition and you can help him win his second by listening and voting for Bee Guillory's music here. His latest video can be found here.

What you'll like about Bee's music is that the lyrics, melodies and beats stay with you, as he blends alot of different musical styles in his songs. Definitely someone to watch out for as he continues to pursue God's calling for his musical ministry.

Not only a strong and encouraging brother in the Lord, but also a very creative songwriter who has been a blessing to be a part of our Hometeam and member of our church, Fellowship Church.

I am praying that the Lord be first in everything Bee does, and may God get all the glory.

Grace and peace,

Trip to MI, June 2006, part I

2006-11-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

Last June, Tori and I went to MI for the first time in a couple years, and it was also the first time I was in MI during warm weather for about a decade. The warm weather was a very nice change of pace, and the weather was perfect.

The picture here is us by the Mackinac Bridge, on the UP side of Lake MI. The water was beautiful, and Tori and I considered the trip to the the edge of the UP one of the highlights of the trip. Big thanks to my brother in law and sister, Kevin and Debbie for letting us stay with them at their home in Vanderbilt. Their home is nestled right in the thick of an incredible MI forest, and it was very refreshing!

More posts and pictures to follow detailing all of the other great times we had during this short trip visiting family and friends.

New Lion QB has The Lion in his heart

2006-09-06T05:13:00.000-07:00

Hey it is hard being a Detroit Lions fan all these years, they really haven't had a any recent success as an NFL team.

But recently the NFL quarterback known in Washington as the "Tacoma Kid" is the new QB there and is pretty optimistic. I watched Jon up close when I was in Seattle for a few years and he is tough and can play pretty good. I really hope he'll help turn the Lions around a bit.

I also just found out that Jon Kitna is a Christian. Now I am even more excited to root for the Lions! No matter how the Lions do, anytime a man with Christ in his heart is involved, good things happen.

Here is a key quote from Kitna in a recent Detroit Free Press interview:

"Kitna, a Christian, quotes a Bible verse -- 1 Corinthians 1:27-28.

" 'God chose the foolish things to shame the wise and the weak things to shame the strong, the things that are not to nullify the things that are,' " Kitna says. "I feel like that's what He's done. He's taken somebody from a small school, undrafted, and just fooled all the experts. …" ":

That is so true and so great to hear Jon. You go man!

Full article here:

New Supporting Troops blog

2006-08-24T05:03:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I shared brief post about Brad Blausser, a friend of mine who has been involved with a variety of ministries while working in Iraq since the war started.

Well great news, Brad has now started his own blog and you should check out the Supporting Troops blog to learn about all the wonderful lives Brad is getting to touch through the support he is getting from back home in the U.S. Truly amazing. Truly a God thing.

Grace and peace,

in my dash - oops!!

2006-07-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

A friend at work sent me this wonderful piece today, so I figured I would share it....

IN MY DASH (removed) ...
I was notified by the conscientious blogger team here at e-blogger that I could be infringing on copyrights for the poem, In My Dash. If you want to know what the poem said, do a google search, I guess. It was an okay poem, and in hindsight, not worth having to edit my blog for, that's for sure. But hey, you learn lessons.....

This part is not copyright infringement, and so the jist of what is being said in the now removed poem, is that you should live your life to make an impact, living life to the fullest, sincerely invest as much as you can into the lives of the people you meet.

It breaks my heart to see that some do not know, or do not care that their "dash" may end up as nothing more than a predictable, short, flat, monochrome line.

It is too easy to live the un-examined life, so it is good to always reflect and take some stock, and also important to be around those that do the same.

Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Philippians 2:3

Grace to you,

1000 Guitars of Praise!!

2006-07-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

The vision picks up steam with 100 GUITAR events at area churches.

It started with several 100-Guitar events spread out over several months culminating with the thousand-plus players in October.

Over 1000 acoustic guitar players will gather at Reunion Arena in Dallas on Sat. Oct 14, 2006 and play a 2-hour concert featuring Contemporary Praise & Worship songs.

Check it out: http://www.1000guitarsofpraise.com/

Upcoming events:

100 Guitars of Praise
Saturday July 29 7:00 PM, Doors open at 6:00 PM
First Baptist - Euless
1000 W. Airport Freeway
Euless, Texas 76039

1,000 Guitars of Praise Reunion Arena
Saturday October 14th, 7:00 PM

Grace and peace,

you must know THIS

2006-07-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

Only the educated are free.

-- Epictetus*, Discourses

'the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus' Romans 6:23

* True education, he believed, consists in recognizing that there is only one thing that belongs to an individual fully—his will, or purpose. God, acting as a good king and father, has given each being a will that cannot be compelled or thwarted by anything external. **

** "Epictetus." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 9 July 2006 .

Inspiration!!

2006-06-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today I am very pleased to share a very inspiring story with you, please click here.

The guy in the story, Brad Blausser, is an old friend of mine from church. Brad actually signed me up at Fellowship Church over 5 years ago, and we have been involved in men's ministry, Billy Graham crusade, and small group Bible studies. Though we haven't seen each other much since he went to Iraq several years ago, we still keep in contact via emails and prayers.

If you ever meet Brad you'll meet a guy who would do anything he could for anybody in need, no questions asked. He is probably the least assuming person I have ever met. No matter what Brad is doing or going through, he always seems to be able to put a smile on his face and others. It makes me proud to watch him impact our world and it encourages me to be a better person in the name of Christ Jesus.

God bless you Brad Blausser.

Ater you read his story, please consider if you would help in the worthy causes Brad is involved in.

Grace and peace,

man of faith

2006-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

The last few years, I have become a big fan of the Colts. I love the way they play, Manning, and see them as only having continued success, and hopefully, winning the Superbowl very soon.

Well I have another reason to appreciate the Colts. It is their awesome caoch, Tony Dungy, who is also a man of great faith.

ESPN has a recent article about Tony, and it is a great read:

Dungy, a devout Christian, believes no matter what happens that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord.

"The Lord has a plan. We always think the plans are A, B, C and D, and everything is going to be perfect for us and it may not be that way, but it's still his plan." -- Tony Dungy

read full article here

A fine line indeed

2006-06-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
- Steven Wright

Isn’t that the truth.

Can we see this in the Christian walk as well?

A Christian has the hope and power of God running through them and instead of casting the line in the water with the potential for catching big fish instead are just standing there, staring at the water.

Why is this so? Is it fear? Is it too risky to cast the line?

Sure we may not have all the answers, and we may not know or ever see the outcome. There might be no catch the first try. Maybe even the second or third try comes up empty. The big one may always seem elusive, and the few catches may be seemingly little fish.

But because God rewards faith, not the outcome, there can be so much joy in trying and letting Him guide you and work through you.

Don't just stand there looking silly. Cast the line.

say what you want... not

2006-06-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

proof texting: take any variety of texts of Scripture and string and sandwich them together as proof for anything you want it to say.

Check out this cleverly done spoof of The Shining. Basically this rendition takes one of the most shocking horror movies of the '70's and clips and snips and adds just a little wee bit to re-create it to a lovely little happily ever after story.

Anyone who knows the original will know what a misrepresentation of the movie it is. This is why it is important to stay grounded in contextual interpretation. Observe and interpret Biblical texts based on the context and overall meaning of the Bible for readers today.

Thanks to Christian Worldview Network for the tip on the movie clip.

Grace and peace,

what a party!

2006-06-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we had a load of friends over to celebrate (commiserate) :O) with me and Tori that I have actually lasted to 40 years of age.

I am so deeply thankful, along with Tori, for everyone that came by, it was too cool to relax and fellowship with such an awesome group!

Besides the great food and birthday cake, another highlight of the party was a presentation of a collage of pictures of me from the past (gulp), and present that Tori put together. There were pictures included that I haven't seen in a couple decades. It turned into a fun sort of roast with the obligatory commentary I received. It was really alot of fun and all I can hope now is that I still maintain some respect from this group after they have seen some of the classic old school photos of my 'way back when' days! :O)

I am really blessed to know each of these people!! May God bless each of you richly.

Heb 10:24,25

Grace and peace,

thankfully, I now wear clothes...

2006-06-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

because 40 years ago this day, I came into this world with nothing.....today is my 40th birthday.

WOW!! There is so much to be thankful for!! There are alot of intangables and little things that come to mind that make life so precious and wonderful. Below I briefly outline some highlights, and good ones indeed:

Faith:
God has given me a true faith and hunger in Christ to live and love Him in a way that grows stronger everyday. I have learned so much in my walk as a Christ follower, but have mostly come to believe and trust that God is never-ending with His love, mercy and grace giving me a focused purpose to live the best life possible.

Marriage:
Tori and I are in the 3rd year of a fun, healthy, uplifting and growing marriage seeking Gods will for the direction and purpose of being together.

Family and friends:
I really have a great loving family and group of friends, new and old, and all are doing really well in their careers, ministry, and with their families. I can't thank each one enough for loving us. Visiting family and some old friends in MI this past weekend really refreshed me and sent me strolling down memory lane in a wonderful way (more of that in another post).

Health:
God has blessed me with great health: rarely catch colds, always have plenty of energy, can still play competitively in any sport I choose.

School:
So blessed and humbled to be able to go to a God glorifying, Biblically sound school studying in pastoral ministry for the next adventure God has called us to, wherever and whatever that is.

Career:
It is just over 11 years in a second career in design engineering (I previously spent over 11 years in foodservice, highlighted by 8 years as a chef). It is truly a God thing to be able to work in a highly technical and complex field with passionate, brilliant engineering and manufacturing people as an integral team member designing the latest and greatest jet fighter to serve our country.

Do I think my life is perfect? Only if perfect means that at I am living the way God intended to the best He has revealed, than yes, thank You Lord, it is a most perfect life.

Am I perfect? No way, not by a long shot, but thankfully God isn't done with me yet.

I firmly and humbly set myself to live faithfully by my favorite verse in the Bible, "But above all pursue His kingdom and righteousness", (Matt 6:33a), and also as Paul said, "I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Phi 3:13,14). I can live with a clean conscience and a strong resolve to better myself and the world I live in.

My life is not better than anyone else's, and there is so much to look forward to....I am still dreaming and setting goals, but so far it has turned out better than any alternate I could have ever imagined or planned.

I truly thank my Father in Heaven, my wife Tori, my family and my friends for being a part of all of it.

Well enough about me... here are some June 7th facts and tid-bits

Some notable historical events:
- Christian history
- Daniel Boone first began to explore Kentucky, 1769
- French post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin was born in Paris, 1848
- Battle of Midway ends
- Japanese invaded Western Aleutians during WWII, 1942
- 1965: Monarchy restored in Morocco
- 1990: Hungary announces plan to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact
- American history

Some notable birthdays:
- 1799: Alexander Pushkin, Russian playwright and poet
- 1848: Paul Gauguin, French artist; lived with Van Gogh for some time
- 1909: Jessica Tandy, American actress; 'Driving Miss Daisy'

Explore the centuries*

2006-06-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

Understanding Christian history can help us pull back from the rush of world events and see how God's purposes unfold across the millennia.

The Christian History Institute's Web site will help you discover the treasures of our Christian heritage and understand how Christians have made the world a better place - from laws and constitutions to music, art, economics, and literature.

*received this tip in the Ministry Toolbox email from Pastors.com

an update...

2006-05-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

(Thanks R for the push bro)!

some short and quick updates:

- We leave tomorrow for MI for the weekend, we'll have some of the best pizza in the world (Buddy's Pizza), we'll see my family, and a couple of my old friends I haven't seen in way too many years....
- Just finsihed an intensive 3 weeks summer class (Systematic Theology III (it was like drinking water from a fire hose!) but an awesome class).

Will post some new blogs next week about our travels (hopefully with some pics from MI), thoughts and questions about recent class work, and am working through some study and commentary about church discipline of all things (which happened to be one of the many issues that came up in Sys. Theo. III)....

Phi 1:9-11

Grace and peace,

Persecution in the Name

2006-04-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

If you're persecuted by everyone, you're obnoxious.
If you're persecuted by no one, you’re a coward.
- Anonymous
(someone told me it was either Ed Young Jr., or Sr., but I am not sure).

“I have told you all these things so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue, yet a time is coming when the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God. They will do these things because they have not known the Father or me. But I have told you these things so that when their time comes, you will remember that I told you about them." - Jesus (John 14:6)

Grace and peace,

Patience

2006-04-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

Scott McKnight on Jerry Johnson Live

2006-04-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

Interview of Scott McKight with Denny Burk

Scott McKinight's blog Jesus Creed

The Emergent Village

Detroit claims home-ice advantage. . .

2006-04-12T04:43:00.000-07:00

but will they make it very far?

The Detroit Red Wings once again find themselves in the top spot in the NHL earning the
Presidents Trophy with the most points earned during the regular season. They have earned this five times in the last twenty years. No other team has won it more than twice in the same time frame (see chart below). Is this team great or what?!?

Does this mean playoff success? Does it guarantee a trip to the Stanley Cup finals? Unfortunately, no. Only a handful of President's Trophy winners have gone on to take it all. But it does give plenty of reason to believe. And believe I do!

Hockey is my favorite sport for so many reasons: athletes with endurance, strength and tenacity; incredible stick handling, puck handling, and skating abilities (combining these three skills is a lot harder than it looks - try doing a slap shot sometime. No, try doing a slap shot on the ice in skates without stopping and while your opponent is shoving you to the ice! And thread a puck through a maze of players. And score! Imagine that.).

My favorite thing about hockey players is that even though they're combined skill set is higher than most any other sport, for the most part they are the most humble and professional athletes of all major sports. Detroit has had plenty of these legendary men in their uniforms, and one of my favorites is Steve Yzerman.

Let's Go Red Wings!!

Presidents' Trophy winners (last 10 years)

2005-06--Detroit Red Wings
2004-05--Lockout
2003-04--Detroit Red Wings
2002-03--Ottawa Senators
2001-02--Detroit Red Wings*
2000-01--Colorado Avalanche*
1999-00--St. Louis Blues
1998-99--Dallas Stars*
1997-98--Dallas Stars
1996-97--Colorado Avalanche
1995-96--Detroit Red Wings
1994-95--Detroit Red Wings
1993-94--New York Rangers*
1992-93--Pittsburgh Penguins
1991-92--New York Rangers
1990-91--Chicago Blackhawks
1989-90--Boston Bruins
1988-89--Calgary Flames*
1987-88--Calgary Flames
1986-87--Edmonton Oilers*
1985-86--Edmonton Oilers

*-Won Stanley Cup

New (?) Gospel of Judas

2006-04-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

Not much I could add to this well done crtique viewed here....... Denny Burk

Grace and peace,

merely group therapy?

2006-04-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

"So what will be the long-term consequences of this Marcionite approach to the Bible?
I think it will push 'the God who is there' back into the realm of the unknowable and make our god a mere projection of our own psychology and our worship simply into group therapy sessions where we all come together to pretend we are feeling great. God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – take that identity away and what do we have left? As the Old Testament is the context for the New Testament, so the neglect of the Old Testament leaves the New as more or less meaningless. As our reading, our sermons, and our times of corporate worship neglect and, sometimes, simply ignore the Old Testament, we can expect a general impoverishment of church life and, finally, a total collapse of evangelical Christendom. . . . We need to grasp once again who God is in his fullness; we need to grasp who we are in relation to him; and we need teaching and worship which gives full-orbed expression to these things – and this will only come when we in the West grow up, ditch the designer gods we build from our pick-'n-mix Bible where consumer, not Creator, is king, and give the whole Bible its proper place in our lives, thinking and worship. Think truncated thoughts about God and you'll get a truncated God; read an expurgated Bible and you get an expurgated theology; sing mindless, superficial rubbish instead of deep, truly emotional praise and you will eventually become what you sing. "

(Carl Trueman, The Wages of Spin: Critical Writings on Historic and Contemporary Evangelicalism (Mentor, 2004), p. 167-68.)

Wow, correct thoughts about God? See my previous post and comments....
Who needs theology?

Grace and peace,

Emergent reviews in latest CTR

2006-04-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

The Criswell College has just published the latest Criswell Theological Review.

If you're interested in the Emergent Church or the church of the future on any level, this review contains some very interesting stuff: from an interview with Brian McLaren to an article from Mark Driscoll on a pastoral perspective on emergent.

A good friend and professor of New Testament at Criswell, Denny Burk, has posted about emergent reviews in the latest CTR, and has several links to other blogs and websites that are posting about the Criswell Theological Review. Check out his blog.

With my calling to go into full time vocational ministry and all my studying and serving leading me to love, learn, and understand God better, this is an utmost important topic. But considering my current work and study obligations, I am having difficulty finding enough time to absorb and digest the whole counsel of thought and opinions on the emergent church.

My introduction to the emergent movement began about 2 years ago with reading Dan Kimball's 'The Emergent Church'. I really ate this book up and was excited to see how much good that can come from understanding the next generation of beleivers / potential believers. Since that first book, I read through popluar books by some of the other emergent writers getting a lot of attention, like Donald Miller's, 'Blue Like Jazz', and Rob Bell's 'Velvet Elvis'. Very interesting and provocative books. I have posted briefly on some of my evolving thoughts, here, and another emergent link here .

From where I stand right now, I would like to see us move forward with unchanging emphasis on Biblical doctrines, and an ever evolving process of being Christ to the world, always increasing our commitment to serve God doing church to reach the lost. The latest tag for the C3 conference at my church, Fellowship Church, sums up some of my sentiment very well: God is. Church Evolves.

Side note: this is a wondrous and excitng time for my Christian spiritual growth. I feel extremely blessed and poised for impact in our culture as I continue to be involved in a church and school that are truly in the flow of moving with God as He continues to draw the world to Himself.

Grace and peace,

just what I needed to hear today.....

2006-03-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

Todays Devotional from DTS's devotional page

Disciplines of Durability
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Hebrews 11

Tucked away in the folds of Hebrews 11 is a two-word biography worth a second glance: “he endured” (11:27). The “he” refers to Moses. Moses was the one who hung tough, who refused to give in or give up, who decided that no amount of odds against him would cause him to surrender. He had staying power. He possessed the disciplines of durability.

He endured, despite the contempt of Pharaoh, the mightiest monarch of that era. He endured, despite the stubbornness of the Hebrews who grumbled, blamed, complained, and rebelled. He endured, despite the criticism of Miriam and Aaron, his own sister and brother. When ten out of twelve spies came back with their nay-sayings, Moses stood fast. When Korah and Dathan and Abiram led a cold, cunning conspiracy against him, Moses remained resolute.

Maybe the great Apostle of Grace had such things in mind when he introduced his classic essay on the armor of God by saying, “and having done everything … stand firm” (Eph. 6:13).

Stand firm when the wicked appear to be winning. Stand firm in times of crisis. Stand firm even when no one will know if you compromised. Stand firm when big people act contemptibly small. Stand firm when people demand authority they don’t deserve. Stand firm … keep your head … stay true … endure!

I have no idea where this finds you. For all I know, you are stronger than ever, pressing on with a full tank of resolve. That’s great. However, you may be getting shaky. Your normally thick hide of moral purity and ethical integrity may be wearing thin. It’s possible you’ve begun to listen too closely to your critics or need others’ approval too much. Maybe you’ve started giving in to the kids in little areas you once resisted because you’re tired, sort of shrugging off your better judgment.

Moses endured—even in his eighties. How? The same verse tells us: by focusing his attention on “Him who is invisible.” He fixed his heart and soul on the One who, alone, judges righteously. He continually reminded himself that his sole purpose in life was to please the Lord … to obey Him … to glorify Him … to gain His approval at all cost.

Whatever it is you’re facing, stand strong. Walk in quiet confidence, not veiled pride. Be sure without being stubborn … firm without being unteachable … enduring but not discourteous … full of truth balanced with grace.

Exacting indeed are the disciplines of durability.

“To be torn unmercifully by external forces, and still to preserve one’s inward integrity, is to know the discipline that endures.” —V. Raymond Edman

Seems that discouragement is never in short supply, but 'forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus' Phi 3:13-14

Grace and peace,

Mark

100 Guitars of Praise!!

2006-03-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

We have been practicing for a couple of weeks, tonight is the final rehearsal, and tomorrow is the big event.

Check it out: 100 Guitars of Praise!!

It is a blessing to be a part of this and I am ready to play! I imagine it is going to be an awesome time worshipping God in song with our fingers of praise.

Grace and peace,

Mark loves Tori

2006-03-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

Happy 3rd anniversary sweetheart!

You are beautiful! You are a gift.

Nothing in this crazy thing called life compares to you and your love in capturing my heart, my imagination, my commitment, my peace, and my hope. I thank God for you everyday.

Our celebration at the French Room this Saturday is going to be wonderful!

I love you with all my heart.

Your devoted husband,

Mark

Who needs theology?

2006-03-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

Everyone!

Everyone is already doing theology. Because everyone has their own thoughts about God.

Theology is 'what we think about God'. It is a basic but apt definition I got from a book I read a few years back, "Who Needs Theology" by Stanley J. Grenz & Roger E. Olson (great book, easy, fun read). The definition stuck with me because it seems that getting into 'theology' is laid aside for being cool, or practical. But good theology is practical and very hip (Biblically speaking, you're down with God).

But it is what you think about God that makes all the difference. A.W. Tozer said "the first thing that comes to mind when you think about God say everything about you".

When you have good theology (correct thoughts about God), then you live the best life possible, as Jesus said, "I have come so that may have life and have it to the full", Jn 10:10.

It isn't enough to merely have thoughts or just any particular understanding about God, but to have the correct thoughts. Because it is your thoughts that shape how you will act, and acting through incorrect thoughts about God will lead you to be grounded with your feet firmly planted in mid-air. In other words, it isn't merely practice that makes perfect, it is practicing the RIGHT things that make perfect, says H. Hendricks.

Grace and peace,

Does your car make you mean?

2006-03-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

We love our cars don't we?

To many, our cars have always been more than merely a means of transportation. Cars are one part of our self expression, our identity. Our cars tell each other alot about ourselves. Some cars tell people we are environmentally friendly; other cars suggest we have alot of money, and so it goes.

We are all aware of the increase in road rage and how it is taking over the safety of driving our vehicles. Drivers nowadays just seem less respectful and courteous, and more self-absorbed and agressive.

I guess there are more than a few reasons:
- we are a rushed, on demand society (we wanted it yesterday!!)
- we are less connected to the communities we live in (do you know your neighbors?)
- it is a me first world (that is enough about you, now let's talk about me) :O)

But now it seems it may be because your car helps you look mean, and is telling other how mean you are too.

Check out the latest design intent for the 'face' of your car in these two articles:
The Glare of the Headlights
Car 'faces' looking meaner for a reason

Don't people think differently when you approach them with a smile, and another when you are frowning?

Grace and peace,

Have you read your Apocrypha today?

2006-03-09T06:41:00.000-08:00

Typically you would hear me say "Have you read your Bible today?"...... :O)

However, yesterday while driving home from work I am came across R.C. Sproul's radio program, Renewing Your Mind on KVTT 91.7 FM. RC was just beginning a series of talks on the Apocrypha, and it's value to understanding the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Surprisingly, RC shed quite a positive light on a subject you usually either hear nothing about, or mostly negative commentary.

Even though I have learned a little about the Apocrypha during my studies at the Center for Biblical Studies at DTS, and now my coursework at Criswell, I have never read it for myself. I guess mostly because it is not included in most English versions of the Bible, but also because I have never heard anything too positive about it.

However, it is included in the online version of the NET Bible, which is the version I am using this year and last year. Some of the Apocrypha is in the Catholic version of the Bible, but not all of it (did I mention that it is a disputed group of texts?)

(NOTE: I only started reading the Bible after accepting Christ as Lord and Savior 5 years ago. My born-again day is March 13, 2001. I will be celebrating my "Bjorn-again" birthday in 4 days! Praise the Lord, thank You Jesus!).

RC was saying that historically the Apocrypha has been highly regarded by the Reformers and was considered by many to be the most important historical document outside of the Bible itself. Most agree that the Apocryphal books are valuable historical documents, but since it wasn't considered canon it was not included in the Protestant Bible and it's 66 books. It could have been included (it was included in the Septuagint), but in thinking that it could be mis-interpreted as equal to the inspired, authoritive Scripture texts, it wasn't (there are many Bible versions that include non-canon texts: commentary, study notes, archaeological notes, poems, etc.). Consequently, since the Reformation, in trying to avoid any misconceptions, it seems the extreme has taken place and the Protestant church has all but done away with associating with any of the Apocryphal books.

I listen to a lot of different preachers: on the radio, at my church, at churches I visit from time to time, and churches I have been a part of in my Christian walk. But, it seems to me that I haven’t heard any preaching that includes any quotes, references or allusions to the Apocrypha. I have heard countless quotes from various Barna polls, Bible commentaries, Newsweek, CNN, Oprah, dictionaries, Lincoln, Einstein; you name it, pretty much from every popular secular frame of reference, but nothing from the Apocrypha. That’s fine and all, but I imagine we can learn something from the Apocrypha as well.

Now the Apocrypha does have some stories that have caused some to create bad church doctrine, so we need to have a discerning Spirit and be careful not to confuse it or go astray by giving it authority over Scripture. I am also not saying we need start preaching from every pulpit using the Apocrypha.

So, despite the Apocrypha not being considered canon, and despite all the differences of who uses it and who doesn't, and why, it seems that the Apocryphal books offer a meaningful, worthwhile and exceptional insight into God's Word in the Bible. Isn’t that great?

That is why I am going to read through the Apocrypha, and I really look forward to it.

Have you read the Apocrypha? If not, are there reasons you haven’t? If you did, what is your impression of it?

Grace and peace,

Liar, liar

2006-03-08T18:16:00.000-08:00

People lie, don't they?

From just trying to be nice, to just trying to gain a slight advantage, or not wanting to look bad or sound they don’t know what they are talking about, people seem to lie quite often. You don't always know when or if someone lies, so you take people at their word, right?

Well, here is a not so surprising survey about people who lie in the workplace:
Survey: 1 in 5 workers lie

Are you surprised? Does this happen in the church? From the research I have seen, whatever ails society, unfortunately seems to ail the church just the same, and sometimes even more.

For the record, I hate liars. Liars hurt people in many ways, and overall I can't see the justification. So why lie?

For example, see the people on American Idol that think they can sing? I am willing to bet somewhere in their life people were not honest to them about their abilities, and now they end up on TV set up to feel foolish or even ashamed. So, even well intended suspension of truth can have a negative impact. That isn't right.

It has been my habit not to lie. Not even about little, or seemingly harmless things. I don't think I have mastered it yet, but I believe there is a way to be completely honest without being hurtful. I have found great comfort in not being regretful to have lied about things, or puff things up, or stroke people's ego, or all the other clever ways we seem to find in straying from the truth.

I think it is possible to try to always be completely honest, in all things, all the time. This doesn't mean being perfect, and when mistaken we can own up to it, but I don’t think there is ever a good reason to be dishonest, or lie.

Your thoughts?

Grace and peace,

I have been to the River Nile!

2006-02-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

The coffee shop that is…..conveniently located on Main St (Hwy 377), in Keller, TX, very near my home. I had a raspberry / pomegranate fruit drink that was really good.

But, the best part of my visit to River Nile was the company I was with.

Today I was blessed to meet face to face with some of the men behind the blogs I read. I am not sure how often or how soon I will get to meet with those I have learned from, respect, and am influenced by in the blogosphere, so it was truly a very special event.

I was encouraged because each one of these guys were ministry focused, very likable, and quite fun to talk with. Thanks guys, it was time very well spent.

3 quick words to describe the most prominent things I saw in each guy from this brief get together (though there was plenty of overlap between them):

JL: soft spoken; humorous; an encourager
JS: lots of ideas; transparent; visionary
TC: energetic; focused; a motivator

I am praying for each of you as you move forward in the calling God has placed in your hearts, minds and hands.

Grace and peace,

Emergent: Fad or Future?

2006-02-20T13:29:00.000-08:00

Emergent Church Movement: Fad or Future?

Grace and peace,

Yes, I said yoga...

2006-02-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

(I was inspired to post this since I just left a short comment on the Monday Morning Insight blog, This Isn't Todd Rhoades, prior to writing this post....)

Tori and I have started doing Bikram yoga to get ourselves back in shape. We have always been involved in some type of athletics, sports, and being health conscious, so being involved in physical fitness is nothing new for us......

But, yoga?

Yes. Bikram Yoga at that (def. A rigorous form of Yoga performed in a room heated to at least 95 (typ. 105) degrees. Each posture in the sequence is designed to safely stretch and open the body, in preparation for the next posture, - for 1.5 hours!).

It is THE hardest workout I have ever done. You go through a series of increasingly difficult postures, practicing your breathing, stretching, and balancing. I guess somewhere in all of this you are supposed to be relaxing, but we are still learning and weak, and the only relaxing we can do yet is after class is finished.

I know that there aren't a lot of Christians too pumped or interested in/about yoga, and I understand that, but there is an amazing amount of health benefit, maybe one of the best and pure forms of physical exercise there is, swimming is up there, too.

I am no expert, (will be looking into it more now), but I think it is Hatha Yoga (def. A branch of Yoga, perhaps the most practiced style of Yoga, emphasizing the physical aspects of the spiritual path, with postures and breath control)., and other types that get into the spiritual mysticism. But (so far) in my experience, I haven't heard any sort of spiritual leanings that has caused me any concern for our theology. Not too mention a very fertile ground for witnessing about the grace of God, and hopefully share the gospel.

So far I like it becasue it is:

- low impact (you work against your own body weight)
- is increasing my flexibility
- burning many calories, up to 600, maybe more
- has improved my balance
- helping get rid of toxins through the sweating and the postures
- it has totally increased my awareness to improve my diet
- giving me additional time to pray and meditate on Scripture during the still moments

Once I get used to the Bikram workouts, I am planning on re-starting my plyometrics workouts for additional agility and strength. I highly recommend it for anyone serious about raising their level of health and fitness.

Grace and peace,

NHL Power rankings- week of Jan 23, 2006

2006-01-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

Latest lists:

Yahoo Sports Power Rankings

ESPN Power Rankings

The Sporting News Power Rankings

Red Wings are still a top team in the NHL. Cool!! Along with my Wings, Ottawa is one of the teams that I think is going to stay strong well into the post-season too.

Grace and peace,

somethings got to give (?)

2006-01-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

Two blogs I enjoy and read regularly have posted reviews of a popular book, 'Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality', by Donald Miller.

Last July I read BLJ through once, and though I enjoyed the read, still do not know exactly where I stand on it, and more importantly, how it will affect my ministry. I liked BLJ because it was steeped in a sort of trench reality, and it seemed like Donald Miller really stuck his neck out to show people the love of Christ. Yet, BLJ also 'seemed' to condone behavior that was un-Christian or irreverent while doing so.

I often think and struggle with, and between, an understanding of these two different sides. So, I share these two different reviews not to pit them against each other to see which side wins, but to show some examples and begin to explore if one side truly is the one to follow, or maybe hopefully, there is some bridge in between the two to learn from and travel.

If you have read BLJ, or have thoughts to share about this subject or these reviews, I would really like to hear them.

BTW I have been alongside both Denny and Chris in ministry and it is my witness that both of these men are very well educated and experienced in their theology and both love Jesus and deeply committed to God and His purposes. I highly respect them and their ministries.

Denny Burk: A blog on Biblical studies, theology, and politics.

Denny Burk BLJ review"

Chris McGregor: Although I am privileged to be an employee of Fellowship Church and a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, the following views are my own and are not necessarily shared by either of these two organizations.

Chris McGregor BLJ review

Grace and peace,

XL blue collar vs. white collar in the Superbowl 40

2006-01-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

Superbowl in my hometown!!

Well it is official, the Steelers take on the Seahawks in the Superbowl being held in Detroit, MI.

ESPN story of matchup

It is going to be a great game, I am looking forward to it. The one thing I really like is this superbwol hosts two very different cities that are identified with two distinctive parts that make up my life.

Blue collar and white collar.

I grew up in Detroit and spent most of my early adult life working blue collar jobs. From the slaughterhouse, to the foundry. After getting my drafting certificates, I left foodservice behind and got into the design / manufacturing disciplines of the autmotive and aerospace worlds. From kitchen and shop floors, I found my way into the world of white collar.

It takes some getting used to the stale air conditioning, the muscle atrophy, and the office politics that rival anything that happens on the shop floor.

Not that I mind being white collar, I love working in engineering, and have done quite well, but there will always be a shop floor kind of guy inside. It just seems like a simpler lifestyle, and I like that part.

Okay, so back to Superbowl XL…..

Despite the differences between these two teams, steel vs. cappucino, Mitch Albom, I have become aware that both quarterbacks might be Christians as well. I know Hasselback is: he was a member of the church Tori and I were members of back in Seattle. Tori even spoke to Matt on the phone before.

And, I have been told that Roethlisberger (what a great name!) is also someone who puts heavy emphasis on the Lord in his life, but I am not sure how deep his faith is.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the game. I am rooting for Seattle, since I have spent time there and generally think they are the better team.

Your New Year

2005-12-31T14:59:00.000-08:00

Positive Practice

You are busy becoming whatever you practice most.

Every moment is it’s own reward and is practice for the moments that are to come.

Practice bitterness and you will become embittered, or practice love and you will become more loving. Practice patience, focus, compassion and commitment and these things will become valuable, powerful aspects of your life.

The negative habits you follow now are destructive not only in the present moment. They also set you on course to be increasingly disappointed with the way your life tuirns out. So instead of practicing to achieve disappointment and despair, decide to practice fulfillment and joy. At every opportunity, replace the negative thought patterns with positive, empowering, productive ones.

Give your best to life in the present moment. Not only will you enjoy the immediate rewards of your positive focus, you’ll also be practicing to make the future even better.

-- Ralph Marston

Grace and peace,

The Christmas Truce

2005-12-18T05:36:00.000-08:00

This story has been told in a variety of ways, but this is the researched version that appeared in newspapers nationwide on December 25, 1994 from the Associated Press, dateline London.

Eighty years ago, on the first Christmas Day of World War I, British and German troops put down their guns and celebrated peacefully together in the no-man’s land between the trenches.

The war, briefly, came to a halt.

In some places, festivities began when German troops lit candles on Christmas trees on their parapets so the British sentries a few hundred yards away could see them.

Elsewhere, the British acted first, starting bonfires and letting off rockets.

Pvt. Oswald Tilley of the London Rifle Brigade wrote to his parents: “Just you think that while you were eating your turkey, etc., I was out talking and shaking hands with the very men I had been trying to kill a few hours before!! It was astounding.”
Both armies had received lots of comforts from home and felt generous and well-disposed toward their enemies in the first winter of the war, before the vast battles of attrition began in 1915, eventually claiming 10 million lives.

All along the line that Christmas Day, soldiers found their enemies were much like them and began asking why they should be trying to kill each other.

The generals were shocked. High Command diaries and statements express anxiety that if that sort of thing spread it could sap the troops’ will to fight.

The soldiers in khaki and gray sang carols to each other, exchanged gifts of tobacco, jam, sausage, chocolate and liquor, traded names and addresses and played soccer between the shell holes and barbed wire. They even paid mutual trench visits.

This day is called “the most famous truce in military history” by British television producer Malcolm Brown and researcher Shirley Seaton in their book “Christmas Truce,” published in 1984.*

Morgan, R. J. 2000. Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) . Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nashville

Grace and peace,

The end is near....

2005-12-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

Awhle back I posted about books, and how much I love reading. In my original post, I said that although I have tried e-books, and spend alot of time on the computer reading news, getting nfo, etc., I think the traditional book is still the best way to read.

Well, Mike Hyatt, President and CEO of Tommy Nelson Publishers has just posted about end times ... for the traditional book, that is.

Mike says:

"While most publishers will admit that reference content is better accessed on the computer, almost all believe that the traditional non-fiction book or novel will never be replaced with a digital equivalent. I say, “baloney.” It's coming. The sooner publishing executives get their collective heads out of the sand and face the future, the better prepared they will be to meet it."

I like Mike's vision, and if technology goes the way Mike imagines it will, I may become a fan of the e-book after all.

Read his post, The Death of Traditional Book Publishing here.

Grace and peace,

Are you bored yet?

2005-12-12T12:23:00.000-08:00

"materialism begets monotony; and boredom is one of the major obstacles to the good life. Life quickly becomes monotonous. Things rapidly bore us. That is why styles have to change periodically. There has to be the long look, the short look, the baggy look, the sacky look, or the bloated look, but there has to be a new look, always. So we have to reupholster, replace, redecorate, or at least rearrange the furniture. Things bore us......because "things" are dead. They do not talk, or laugh, or love. Man was born for fellowship." -- excerpt from "A Boring Life", by Dr. Robert Schuller

Same can be said for a over dependence to technology, nature, animals as substitutes for human relationship. We scour the heavens searching for the next new thing. Always looking for the next high. We can be thrilled, enamored by, and use these things for great purposes, but they can't ever take the place of human relationships.

This also reminds me of a way to understand and appreciate our God. Our God is not a God made by human hands, or a son of man. Those things will all perish. They have an inherent shelf life and can become boring.

A true living God is always and everywhere. He can't reside in a temple, or in certain Holy places. We can't shape, control, or tame Him. Though formless, He is ever before us constantly moving, directing, and guiding, responding within us, and without us.

God causes us to be challenged.

He frustrates us as we try to box Him in, and we don't ever get the whole picture. God isn't some kind of cosmic kill-joy, taking away all the fun out of life. God moves inand through us to do what we were created for, our purpose. Loving and understanding Him takes us into an adventure.

Jesus said, "I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full." John 10:10.

That may be why one can be so filled up in our life 'in' Christ, we have the ultimate, eternal fellowship with the one who is life.

Grace and peace,

Who is like You, O Lord?

2005-11-23T05:56:00.000-08:00

God, it is more than my words can fully express, but I worship and give thanks and serve you cheerfully because You have provided so completely everything that makes each new day, even each new breath a wonder, an adventure and memorable experience.

I am so blown away that you could love so much to have caused Jesus to die on the cross for us sinners and bring us to everlasting life, and have given us the Holy Spirit for increasing in our knowledge and love of you and others. You have given us the freedom and power to come into Your intimate presence through our Savior Jesus Christ.

This Thanksgiving it is humbling, awe-inspiring, and reason for joyful celebration to understand that You saw fit to reveal Yourself and set apart those who seek You to truly find, truly know, truly worship and truly live through You in spirit and in truth.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 100

love = forgiveness

2005-11-14T06:40:00.000-08:00

One forgives as much as one loves. -- Francois Rochefoucauld

This Day's Thought

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)

do you really have influence?

2005-10-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

Just read this a moment ago and it crushed me:

“Who do you think is the most influential Christian the world has ever known?” and he responded, “I’m quite certain no one has ever heard of him… or her.”

So let me ask you: Do you view yourself above or below others? Do you build people up or shoot them down? Do you live for yourself or for others? Are you up here or down here?

please read whole article here

Grace and peace,

All is well in the NHL

2005-10-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

NHL hockey is back in full swing, and once again, my beloved Detroit Red Wings are dominating.

Here is the latest ESPN Power Rankings.

Go Wings!!

God Blogging

2005-10-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

God blogging workshop spreads faith.

CNN has a news story (read full story here) about a three-day conference at Biola University that marked an important benchmark for Christian bloggers, who have worked behind the scenes for years to spread the Gospel and infuse politics with religion.

Grace and peace,

What does the Bible say about .....

2005-10-10T08:41:00.001-07:00

those who lead His church?

Instructions for overseers, elders and deacons of God's church:
(as recorded in 1Timothy 3, Titus 1) (ESV)

Maybe the structure at your church doesn't have titles like elders or deacons. No matter, these commands are applicable to all pastors, executive staff, and lay ministry leaders or teachers.

DON'TS

arrogance,
quick-tempered,
must not be a recent convert,
not quarrelsome,
not a drunkard,
not violent,
not greedy for gain,
not a lover of money,
not double-tongued,
not addicted to much wine,
not greedy for dishonest gain.

DO'S

be blameless,
be dignified,
hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience,
must be tested first,
be well thought of by outsiders,
hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught,
be able to give instruction in sound doctrine,
able to rebuke those who contradict it (sound doctrine),
above reproach,
the husband of one wife,
his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination,
manage his own household (well),
spouses likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things,
hospitable,
gentle (not soft),
respectable,
sober-minded,
faithful in all things,
a lover of good,
self-controlled,
upright,
holy,
disciplined.

Grace and peace,

nu Bible txt 4 cells

2005-10-07T05:28:00.000-07:00

"In da Bginnin God cre8d da heavens & da earth,"

The Australian Bible Society has abbreviated, or modified, all 31,173 verses of the Contemporary English Version Bible to be used in cellular phones for text messaging. You can send a friend the whole Bible in just 30,000 messages!

Read the CNN story here.

The idea for a completely web-based translation for the Bible was also done with the NET Bible (New English Translation). It is a great asset in Bible study, with a very high level of accuracy consistent with the original Bible writings. Check it out, and download it for free here.

shaken

2005-10-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

"We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking only to learn that it is God shaking them."

- Charles West

This Days thought

Common Grounds

2005-10-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

An interesting blog....

Common Grounds has some different Christian flavors and I think some non-Christian input as well. The Common Grounds blog is based off of a new book, Common Ground: Conversations About the Things That Matter Most , by Ben Young and Glenn Locke. Read a review by Chuck Colson.

This type of blog appeals to me because it has genuine, and respectful input from more than one person, even some who might not be of the same faith / theology.

This is similar to a blog that was started between me and some friends of mine (one is atheist, and one prefers Buddhism but also looks at other religious creeds for spiritual discernment). I met these guys a couple years ago in Seattle, and feel really blessed to have been able to get to know them. Mainly because of time constraints, the blog really hasn’t moved forward too much, but previously we had such stirring and revealing email conversations about faith that we thought we would go online with our thoughts and see what became of it.

I am praying to reach their hearts and minds that they will understand and believe God’s will for their life.

Erwin Mcmanus on discipling

2005-10-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

One of the young and very talented pastors at Fellowship Church , Steve Dilla, introduced me to Erwin McManus through his Ardent blog (thanks Steve!!).

I didn’t know too much about Erwin when Steve first posted about him, but I have now read a few of his articles now and I think he shares some great wisdom.

I like what Erwin says about humility in an article he wrote about discipling the broken:

"You can trust the heart of a person who isn't too good for any job."

Read "Broken People Can Become Whole Disciples" here, it is really good.

Chuck Swindoll has commented "a person who is humble would be surprised if you told them they were humble."

I guess this humility thing hits a nerve with me, since as Erwin points out in his article, humility is a key factor in having integrity and being trustworthy. To me, trust is the beginning of any valid relationship, be it a one-time witnessing opportunity, or making lifelong friends and aquaintances.

Also, Erwin is going to be a guest speaker at the Catalyst 2005 conference this coming weekend. I had thought I was going to go to this, but it isn’t going to work out. With guys like Erwin McManus speaking, I am sure it is going to be an awesome conference.

Grace and peace,

humor

2005-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Black holes are where God divided by zero.

- Steven Wright

Why BLOG?

2005-09-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

Mark Morgan has an interesting and very honest (which I totally love!!) post on his blog where he is questioning the validity to continue his blogging.

The comments listed there share the same thoughts and ideas that I have: it does takes time and energy, (sometimes too much time); people do like Mark Morgans blog, and hope he keeps it going. There was great input from everyone.

Yet begs the question: have we gained anything from reading blogs that has casued a major change in the way we live? Other than ths comment from Mark Morgan's blog, I can only add a personal DO and 2 DON'T's about blogging:

DO: blog (use the internet as a log, sort of public diary), for thoughts, ideas, news, creative abilites, etc., that you want to share, to the benefit of others.

DON'T: use your blog simply to self promote, or selfishly draw attention only to yourself, or puff yourself up.

DON'T: spend more time blogging about the things you love to do than simply doing them.

Even though I have benefited from blogs in small, meanigful ways, I don't think it has caused a MAJOR change in my life. I see posting and reading blogs as a way to be entertained, and to share and catch a glimpse of a more personal insight into others, some I know well, others, I may never know well.

Grace and peace,

Watch your life and your doctrine closely

2005-09-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

"set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress.

Keep a CLOSE WATCH on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers."

Paul's 1st letter to Timothy, Chapter 4, verses 12 - 16

Hurricane Katrina relief effort update

2005-09-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

I haven’t had a chance to post about the disaster relief trip I was part of in New Orleans, but . . . .

check out Denny Burk's post for now, and I hope to get some time soon to write more about the experience.

I thank God for our safety, the resources, and to have had the opportunity to serve. Thanks for all the encouraging words, support and prayers.

I think our effort brought refreshment and encouragement to everyone involved in such an odd and disparaging situation. My memories will always embrace the many cheerful smiles we helped create in the midst of a dark moment.

grace and peace,

Headed to New Orleans

2005-09-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Will be leaving Thursday afternoon as part of a Disaster Relief Team to the area in Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina.

I feel blessed to be able to go. Not too sure of exactly what we'll be asked to do, but most likely be helping the Salvation Army handing out supplies and food.

During our training last night, a guy with the SBTC who was there last week gave us a rather grim report, but I am hopeful that things are improving rapidly for all who are involved.

I pray that I am healthy and energetic so that my time there will be spent focusing on the physical and spiritual needs of others.

Also, please continue to pray for all those affected by Hurricane Katrina. To donate see some of the links over at Ardent, Steve has a few helpful links. Be generous.

See CNN Special Report here.

Grace,

My prayer to you is this:

2005-08-26T05:15:00.000-07:00

that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,

so that you may approve what is excellent,

and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ,

to the glory and praise of God. (Phi 1:9-11)

It's been such a long time . . .

2005-08-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

I think I should be bloggin', yeah
And time doesn’t wait for me, it keeps on rollin’
Sail on, on a distant highway
I’ve got to keep on chasin’ a dream
I’ve gotta be on my way
Wish there was something I could say.

That is how I am feeling today. I have so much going on, it has been hard to write anything for the blog, I search for words to say amidst all that is going on.

(the words above sound familiar? I changed a word in the opening verses to Boston's "Foreplay / Long Time" song - a very excellent song!)

Among other tiny details, I am currently in the throws of…

- the process of buying a new home,
- starting a new semester in school,
- designing the JSF / F-35 Jet for our military and working 10 - 20 hours OT / week
- training almost nightly for a sprint triathlon,
- trying to be home enough so that the neglect on my wife and home isn’t too severe.

Praise God my wife is exteremely patient, understanding, supportive and exceptionally loving during this busy season.

My prayer today is simply for conitnued strength and endurance during this season of sowing, and clarity not to lose focus on what is important in the short and long run, my God, my wife, my health, and my friends. In Jesus' name, amen.

Close friend

2005-08-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sean and I at a party celebrating his birthday.

My wife Tori and I met Sean and his wife Stacie about one year ago at E2 at Fellowship Chruch. Later they joined our HT and we have grown as friends since.

Howard Hendricks said the true test of a close friend is someone who
...knows everything about you, yet totally accepts you;
...will listen to your most heretical ideas without rejecting you;
...and knows how to criticize you in a way you'll listen.

I believe Sean has these qualities, and more than that, I think Sean and his wife have been intentional in getting to know Tori and I better. That really makes us feel the love and we look to be the same to them even more as our friendships deepen.

Sean is a solid man and husband and is the coolest and most generous guy I have ever been close to. I am truly blessed to have met Sean and I really look forward to our continued friendship, growing in Christ Jesus our Lord.

May God bless you richly Sean!!!!

'It's a painful process'

2005-08-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

"They are paying a really painful price," Gideon Meir, a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official, said, referring to those who are refusing to leave. "It's a painful process."

About 1,000 demonstrators entered a Neveh Dekalim synagogue and threatened to resist evacuation. But Israeli troops diffused the potential confrontation by entering the synagogue and joining them in song and prayer. Soldiers then escorted rabbis outside, who were followed by the protesters.

I really do not know the whole story. Nevethless, it breaks my heart to see people hurting. In one part of the story, it is reported that soldiers and protestors wept and prayed together. Read full story here

Got a minute?

2005-08-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever realized that the L-O-N-G-E-S-T minute you ever experience is when someone asks you, "Hey, got a minute?" (this may be one of them) ;o)

As I am reading through the chapter "Appropriate Smallness" in The Life You've Always Wanted, by John Ortberg (see sidebar), he mentions the ministry of being interrupted. The whole chapter is about the disicpline of humility in serving others, and I think this section causes us to try and be cheerfully approachable when those (unavoidable, really), times pop up where we are pulled out of our routine to do something, or help someone when you least expect it.

Grace,

Worlds biggest snooze button

2005-08-16T05:14:00.000-07:00

Speaking of being interrupted, (see prior post), our new puppy Zacch is teaching me a serious lesson in interruptions.

He may not look like a snooze button, but rest assured, when Zacch thinks it is time for me to wake up in the morning, he uses all 12.5 lbs of his God-given muscle to jump on me over, and over, and over, every 5 - 10 minutes to wake me (and my wife, and the cats...).

Among the many things I have learned since being blessed that Zacch joined our household, like learning to deal cheerfully with getting interrupted, Zacch is teaching me to get up at the time I set my alarm in the morning, instead of just ignoring the snooze button (he may have to go outside for you know what!). Grace,

New Header

2005-08-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

Take a moment and check out my new header at the top of this page!

I love it.

First, BIG THANKS goes out to Daniel Molina, graphics designer extraordinaire for the artistic vision and the hard work. Daniel has done graphic work for Power FM, and Fellowship Church, among many others, and works full time as a graphic designer. Daniel is a great guy overflowing with passion , as my friend Steve Dilla posted about recently, with the love of Christ.

I also have to extend a BIG THANKS to Steve for helping me figure out how to get my new header to show correctly (it took some of what you suggested Steve, and some things I had to do differently - as you said Steve, trial and error, though much more of the latter).

I am really blessed to know such talented, generous, Godly men.

Thank You Jesus for shining your light into their lives as they bless others!

Books!

2005-08-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

"Whenever I have some money, I buy books. If there is any money left over, I buy food and clothes" -- Erasmus

Well, I can sympathize with Erasmus' dilemna. I love books. Well specifically, I love reading and learning, and getting my information through books is #1 for me.

It is also my preference to read through the 'printed' book. I have tried e-books, and books on CD, but I can only read on a computer screen for a short time, and listening to someone reading for me is not the best. I need to grab hold of the book, take it to all sorts of places (gym, the couch, poolside, etc.), make notes in it, etc. Most books I read look rather mangled even after just the first read (unless I am borrowing yours, then of 'course, that isn't true). :O)

The small stack of books pictured above represents my next set of reading assignments for fall semester at Criswell. Only 2 classes, but 10 books! I have a feeling there is going to be plenty of writing assignments coming....

My classes start 8/23 so I have to finish the books I am still getting through now.

What I need

2005-08-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
(Pro 30:7-9)

Our problem is that we come to a point in our Christian life where we become comfortable and we stop surrendering all things to Christ. Surrender means that I have given God permission to change, mold or to rid my life of anything that hinders me from becoming all that He wants me to be. We need to surrender our anger to God and allow Him to change us. -- Jeff Simms

After coming through some ordeal, or coming to a point of personal growth, it is far too easy for me to forget God's presence and sovereignty over my life, and how much He really pulls me along, and guides my steps. I don't consciously do it, it just happens sometimes that I default to being independent of my own abilities. I forget how dependent God wants me to be of Him. This happened recently without me noticing, and I am glad that I have God's word written in the Proverbs to remind me to seek Him once again.

Through Jesus Christ, I have a personal relationship with the God of the Universe who is pouring out his abundant, over-the-top, gushing love for me, and there are days when I don't appreciate it.

I pray today that I am more sensitive to the Holy Spirits leading and God's will for me and His presence in all things.
In Jesus' name, Amen

Are you a pencil neck?

2005-08-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

As a Christian walking in the life God has willed for you, are you a pencil, and God the author and writer of your life?

As the pencil, you get the honor of being used by God. As the author, God gets the glory of impressing the world even more of His amazing creativity, beauty and sovereignty.

Let go pencil. Rest in God's hand as He holds you firmly, writing, creating, and unfolding your life through His Son, Jesus. Let The Holy Spirit guide you and influence you as you grow in your trust in Him.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matt 11:28 - 30

King, or slave?

2005-08-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

I heard a great song listening to Power FM this morning.

Meaningless Things, by Adam Watts challenges us to think about how we will live our lives. Here are some of the words of the chorus:

But if you can stay in the light / And let flesh be lonely / Cries become praise for the Lord
We can be kings of meaningless things / Or we can be slaves of love.

What meaningless things have become king of your life?