Shadows and Substance

Wasted

2008-07-10T23:23:00.002-05:00

Consider the following excerpt from a New York Times article that was composed on July 8, 2008:

The average American spent 127 hours of time with TV in May, up from 121 hours in May 2007; and 26 hours on the Internet, up from 24 hours last year. More than 282 million people watch television in a given month and nearly 162 million use the Internet.

This tells us that the average American spends 4.1 hours a day in front of the television, while over 1 hour per day is spent surfing the internet--a total of 5.1 hours spent staring into a box on a daily basis. Let's throw in a few more numbers to make this even more interesting. If the average American sleeps 8 hours per day and works 8 hours per day, 2.9 hours are left over for meals. If you factor in 1.5 hours for the meals, the average American is left with 1.4 hours a day for activities such as prayer, reading, exercise, family time, and face-to-face social interaction.

We wonder why our marriages are suffering. We wonder what happened to our neighborhood front porch culture. We miss Mayberry. And we, as the American church, wonder why we are not seeing more sinners saved. Where is the joy of our salvation?

Could it be that we are wasting our lives on empty distractions? You can discover a lot about a man by observing how his time is spent. The fact of the matter is that we spend more time fixated upon a box in a zombie-like state than we do pressing into the presence of God and advancing His Kingdom. We have no excuse. We need to change.

A Message From The Womb

2007-05-01T10:09:00.000-05:00

All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!

Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help.
-Psalm 22:7-11

About 7 years ago, God chose Samuel Armas to deliver one of the most powerful messages the world has ever heard. Paradigms were, and continue to be shattered. Lives were, and continue to be changed. It is very rare that a message is used to move souls in such a way; to cause us to HOPE in such a manner that the foundations of hell are shaken; to create a movement.

Who is Samuel Armas? Is he a well-known political figure? No. Is he highly educated? Not so much as a high school diploma. Is he a gifted orator? His vocabulary is small and he can barely read and write. Is he a famous athlete? He struggles to make a layup.

I would be thinking the same thing, if I were you: "How is it possible that a man like Samuel Armas could deliver such a revolutionary message? Shouldn't he be in grade school learning how to speak and write?" Yes, he very well should be. Actually, he is doing just that. Samuel Armas is 7 years old.

Your next objection: "So how could he possibly deliver this message 7 years ago? He was not even born yet!" Exactly.

Sometimes, our actions speak louder than our words. Sometimes, our actions melt hearts. Sometimes, our actions educate others. Sometimes, our actions create hope. Our world is changed in the process.

"Samuel Armas made more of an impact on this world before he was born than most of us make in a lifetime" (Michael Clancy). Please read this article NOW in order to gain further understanding. It is to your great disadvantage if you do not.

It can be easy to lose hope in the midst of darkness. We are surrounded by evil. We are assaulted by nightmarish realities every time we watch, or read the news. War. Rape. Kidnappings. School shootings. Terrorism. The Holocaust. Nuclear weaponry. Aids. Genocide.

Abortion often gets swept under the rug. It is apparently not as serious. It is definitely not a crime. In fact, it is an individual right, isn't it? We are only talking about a fetus, right? "It" isn't alive. "It" cannot speak for itself, can it?

Or, can it?? Hear now the message of Samuel...

"Where there is life, there is hope." This is a fairly common assertion. Yet I am under the conviction that the heroic message of Samuel Armas is much more accurate:

"Where there is Hope, there is life."

Indeed. May we cling to our Hope this day, for He will surely prevail. And there will be no more tears. Please check out this powerful video clip. Note that neither the picture, nor this video clip are of abortions. They are premature births. The picture is real. The video clip was taken from the television series, House.

A Refreshing Message

2007-04-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

This is a message that relates to the previous post on the confirmation of God's love. It was given by Paul Washer. The text is Song of Solomon 4:7-6:2.

God does not just tolerate us in our disobedience. He YEARNS for us. His discipline is filled to the brim with yearning for us. Not because we are worthy, but because of His infinite love.

I pray that this message may minister to those who are weary and to those who feel that God is merely tolerating them because He is bound by His justice. Please listen. Be refreshed. Carve out 1.5 hours. Do nothing but listen, meditate, and pray.

Lesson from Discipline #3: Confirmation

2007-04-24T08:23:00.000-05:00

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me." But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.
Jonah 1:1-4

And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
Jonah 2:10

So Jonah arose and went to Ninevah...
Jonah 3:3a

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
-Proverbs 16:9

Some of us are more like Jonah than others. I would fall into that category. Fear expressing itself in a desire for comfort, correctness, certainty; ultimately the worship of self. This is the core motive of disobedience. We desire what is best for us. What is safe. What is sure. What is prestigious; what brings us the most glory in the eyes of men. We worship the man in the mirror.

We clench our fists and tell King Jesus that we are going to do it our way, often suppressing the truth that He is providing the very physical strength for us to do so. What incredible mercy! Someone once accurately stated, "Everything this side of hell is pure grace." We should be grateful to be alive, offering sacrifices of praise. Yet what do we sometimes offer in the wake of such mercy? Disobedience. What infinite mercy! Just to be alive today!

This infinite love of God does not stop at mercy. He also disciplines us and directs our steps, in spite of us. We receive loving discipline (if we are laying hold of the righteousness of Christ, alone), leading us to repentance and correction. He provides a straight and sure path, in spite of us. Grace! Our plans end where God's sovereignty begins.

Thomas Watson once said, "The providence of God is the Christian's diary." We often look forward to what God will provide. What I love about this quote is that it emphasizes hindsight reflection on what the Lord has already done.

It is in the midst of such reflection, in the wake of loving discipline, that our calling is sured, our paths are straightened, and a Father's jealous love for us is confirmed.

Lesson from Discipline #2: Wisdom

2007-04-19T09:19:00.000-05:00

My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
-Proverbs 3: 12-15

There is a blatant difference between education and wisdom. Education gives facts and theories. Wisdom provides true understanding. I am not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Education is needed; it compliments wisdom; it is a good thing. Yet where education ends at its goodness, wisdom begins with its greatness.

I have personally learned that there is no better classroom in which to learn of the Lord's wisdom than in the classroom of His loving discipline. There is a reason that He "reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights" (Prov. 3:12). It is also of no coincidence to find mention of the Lord's loving discipline within the context of a Proverbial passage on wisdom.

The facts and theories relating to my personal situation that I have learned over the years have been seared into my heart through the fires of discipline. There is now a heartfelt understanding of those facts. They are now more than facts and theories. They have become a part of who I am. In essence, it is wisdom that gives sight and clarity to the soul.

For example, I knew that the Lord disciplines his son in whom He delights. However, I could not possibly have understanding apart from the experience of it. Through this discipline, my soul sees God's love for it more clearly. And as my heart sees, with ever-increasing clarity, it produces fruit (Gal. 5) in ever-increasing measure. Praise God for discipline!

My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.

Lesson from Discipline #1: Pangs

2007-04-09T17:44:00.000-05:00

But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
-1 Timothy 6:8-10

How often do we find ourselves negotiating with King Jesus? It is a dangerous practice. We try to move the Immovable. "If you give me this...If you allow me to go to this place...If you allow me to do this, then I will do..."

You can fill in the blanks with disobedience. We should simply admit to King Jesus, "If you allow me to go here/do this/have this, I will most certainly be disobedient." What weakness! Do you know what the root is? Pride in the form of fear. We are scared, so we negotiate. We try to talk ourselves out of being on the front lines of Kingdom advancement. In most cases, it involves an exchange: Pain/uncertainty/risk, for comfort/financial stability/the American Dream.

It is here that I should speak to the casual reader who stumbles upon this cobwebbed, dust-covered blog. This entry is directed to those who call themselves men of God, MYSELF included. I am guilty. I have fallen into the very thing I speak against. Talk is cheap.

Let this be a challenge to those of you who are negotiating with King Jesus: Think long and hard before you choose to disobey. What you should consider most is the fact that He just might let you do it. Will the pangs be worth it?

The Devil Wears Prada

2006-10-07T21:08:00.000-05:00

For those of you who actually still read this cobwebbed, apathetic blog, my wife and I just watched The Devil Wears Prada at the local discount theater. Those of you who know me realize that a movie that seems to encompass the glorification of steroid-injected vanity and the inescapable presence of man-eating women with a cheezy and predictable romantic subplot would hardly be my top choice of a movie to watch on my Saturday night. However, I found some good in it.

Not all that glitters is gold, yet gold glitters. How, then, are we to know what is truly golden? How are we to know for certain that the life we are living has substance; that it is more than a chasing after meaningless holograms? Answer: A life lived within the will and design of its Creator is a life lived the way it was meant to be lived.

What is the will of God? In a nutshell, the will of God is communicated by the Word of God. Therefore, if we are to truly live, we must live within the bounds He has given us in His Word. I believe that we often make this way too complicated. Feelings should not be the sole authority in our decision-making. The Word of God is the objective standard by which our lives should be lived. In these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son (Hebrews 1:1-10). And what communicates the Son? The Scriptures.

How FREEING this should be! If my life is being lived in light of Scripture, I am in His will. And, because I am living in obedience to Him, I enjoy Him more and glorify Him in the process. Right now, in this moment, I am in the will of God and I am free.

Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.
Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.

All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands.
All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands.

For it's only in Your will that I am free,
For it's only in Your will that I am free,
Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.

-Robin Mark

Madonna Crucifixion On NBC

2006-09-19T14:08:00.000-05:00

Check out the story. Your thoughts?

Spurgeon on Heaven

2006-08-25T15:28:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, God provided the opportunity for me to be at my great aunt's bedside as she passed away. An hour and half before she passed away, God provided the merciful opportunity to share my Jesus with her. On top of that, God granted me the amazing opportunity to share Jesus with my entire family at the graveside service. God is so MERCIFUL, in spite of me!

That said, I have been contemplating the reality of death this week. Death is a certainty for us all. We cannot escape it. Life is a vapor. Yet it does not have to be lived apart from HOPE. Where there is hope, there is life.

Today, I ran across this excerpt from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon on biblebb.com. I highly recommend this site! It made me not only think about the beauty of heaven (aka CHRIST!!), but also how I might go on living. If only I could have the grace to live and die preaching about the beauty of CHRIST. And when my body is placed in the earth, to have my tombstone continue to PREACH! It is only by grace that something like this could happen. In the grande scheme of things, nothing else will hold weight. Our home is in heaven, and we should LIVE LIKE IT today! Why is that so difficult for me to do??

Anyway, here is Spurgeon. He puts it a lot better than I could ever dream of, of course! Enjoy! I would love your comments.

"But, methinks, there are two funerals for every Christian: one, the funeral of the body; and the other, the soul. Funeral did I say of the soul? No I meant not so; I meant not so; it is a marriage of the soul for as soon as it leaves the body the angel reapers stand ready to carry it away. They may not bring a fiery chariot as erst they had for Elijah; but they have their broad spreading wings. I rejoice to believe that angels will come as convoys to the soul across the ethereal plains. Lo! angels at the head support the ascending saint and lovingly they look upon his face as they bear him upwards; and angels at the feet assist in wafting him up yonder through the skies, And as the husbandmen come out from their houses and cry, "A joyous harvest home," so will the angels come forth from the gates of heaven and say, "Harvest home! harvest home! Here is another shock of corn fully ripe gathered in to the garner."

I think the most honourable and glorious thing we shall ever behold, next to Christ's entrance into heaven, and his glory there, is the entrance of one of God's people into heaven. I can suppose it is made a holiday whenever a saint enters, and that is continually, so that they keep perpetual holiday. Oh! methinks there is a shout that cometh from heaven whenever a Christian enters it, louder than the noise of many waters. The thundering acclamations of a universe are drowned, as if they were but a whisper, in that great shout which all the ransomed raise, when they cry "Another, and yet another comes;" and the song is still swelled by increasing voices, as they chant, "Blessed husbandman, blessed husbandman, thy wheat is coming home; shocks of corn fully ripe are gathering into thy garner."

Well, wait a little, beloved. In a few years more you and I shall be carried through the ether on the wings of angels. Methinks I die, and the angels approach. I am on the wings of cherubs. Oh, how they bear me up—how swiftly and yet how softly. I have left mortality with all its pains. Oh, how rapid is my flight! Just now I passed the morning star. Far behind me now the planets shine. Oh, how swiftly do I fly, and how sweetly! Cherubs! what sweet flight is yours, and what kind arms are these I lean upon. And on my way ye kiss me with the kisses of love and affection. Ye call me brother. Cherubs; am I your brother? I who just now was captive in a tenement of clay—am I your brother? "Yes!" they say. Oh, hark! I hear music strangely harmonious! What sweet sounds come to my ears! I am nearing Paradise. þTis e'en so. Do not spirits approach with songs of joy? "Yes!" they say. And ere they can answer, behold they come—a glorious convoy! I catch a sight of them as they are holding a great review at the gates of Paradise.

And, ah! there is the golden gate. I enter in; and I see my blessed Lord. I can tell you no more. All else were things unlawful for flesh to utter. My Lord! I am with thee—plunged into thee—lost in thee just as a drop is swallowed in the ocean—as one single tint is lost in the glorious rainbow! Am I lost in thee, thou glorious Jesus? And is my bliss consummated? Is the wedding-day come at last? Have I really put on the marriage garments? And am I thine? Yes! I am. There is nought else now for me. In vain your harps, ye angels. In vain all else. Leave me a little while. I will know your heaven by-and-bye. Give me some years, yea give me some ages to lean here on this sweet bosom of my Lord; give me half eternity, and let me bask myself in the sunshine of that one smile. Yes; give me this. Didst speak, Jesus?

"Yes, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, and now thou art mine! thou art with me." Is not this heaven? I want nought else. I tell you once again, ye blessed spirits, I will see you by-and-bye. But with my Lord I will now take my feast of loves. Oh, Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Thou art heaven! I want nought else. I am lost in thee!

Beloved, is not this to go to "the grave in full age, like as a shock of corn," fully ripe? The sooner the day shall come, the more we shall rejoice. Oh, tardy wheels of time! speed on your flight. Oh, angels, wherefore come ye on with laggard wings? Oh! fly through the ether and outstrip the lightning's flash! Why may I not die? Why do I tarry here? Impatient heart, be quiet a little while. Thou art not fit for heaven yet, else thou wouldst not be here. Thou hast not done thy work, else thou wouldst have thy rest. Toil on a little longer; there is rest enough in the grave. Thou shalt have it there. On! on!

"With my scrip on my back, and my staff in my hand,
I'll march on in haste thro' an enemy's land.
Though the way may be rough it cannot be long;
So I'll smooth it with hope, and I'll cheer it with song.

Running With Horses

2006-08-16T12:30:00.000-05:00

If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?
-Jeremiah 12:5

While continuing through Jeremiah in prayer and meditation this morning, I was gripped by this verse. In the midst of a busy semester of grad-level classes, work, ministry, and (as of July 1) my wife (God is so FAITHFUL!), I am quite fearful of falling prey to severe weariness. And if I fall prey to weariness, there is a certain wounded lion out there who would love nothing more than to devour me. I do realize that I am not alone. This verse applies to us all.

From another angle, this verse applies very well to the lack of confidence we all have. While at seminary, I have noticed that my confidence has taken quite a hit. I am around some of the most brilliant minds in the world, and I work in quite possibly the hardest-working office in the world (it is such a blessing!). The flip-side of the coin is that my confidence is often drained. I am certain that you can relate this to a number of situations in your own life. I am not smart enough; not quick-tongued enough; not a good speaker; not the most efficient worker for the job; not a good enough writer; not flexible enough; not bold enough; not a good enough husband; not spiritually strong enough; etc..

One of my favorite preachers once said, "I know men who have preached down the barrels of UZI's and you think you are bold because you wear a t-shirt!" If I am lacking in all of the above, how can I possibly expect to run with the horses?? How would I do in the thicket?

The bottom line is this: In my own person, I will grow weary and fail every time. Yet there is a certain Lion that I can ride into battle, expecting victory. In the eyes of men I may be an ant, but in the eyes of my Father I am more than a conquerer while riding Him. Therefore, the only aspect of running that I should constantly be concerned about is how fast I run to Him.

Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
Show Thy face and all is bright.

-Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
Henry Lyte

Paul Washer on Sermon Audio

2006-08-04T14:57:00.000-05:00

I realize it has been a long time since I last posted. I hope this post finds you doing well. This past weekend, I took my new wife to Murray State University (my alma mater) for the first time. It was such a refreshing time; the memories rolled in. We visited all the cool sites, restaraunts, and Hardin Baptist Church. I was baptized at Hardin, and I wanted Jenny to hear some of the preaching and teaching that I was blessed to sit under during my college years. Just listening to Brother Ricky's voice brought encouragement to my soul, as he exposited Galatians 2:20.

During my time at Murray, I was introduced to an array of solid Biblical preachers (God is so gracious!). I am indebted to all of them for being faithful to preach the full counsel of God, holding nothing back. Probably the most powerful expositor of the Word of God I have personally ever listened to is Paul Washer. When this guy speaks, a holy hush comes over the croud; the Spirit moves.

Anyway, back to the point. I was talking with some of my friends over the weekend and they informed me that Paul Washer had the #1 most downloaded sermon at Sermon Audio. I just checked it today, and can now personally confirm it to be true. Though it is not my personal favorite of his, it is still very eye-opening.

One of my friends refers to this sermon simply as, "The Hammer". Enjoy! I would love to read your comments after you hear it.

May We Never Forget

2006-05-12T15:08:00.000-05:00

Many people are questioning the War on Terror these days. It seems that they have forgotten what happened a few years ago in New York City. I have not forgotten.

Check out this link. All gave some; some gave all. Please join me in praying for those on the front lines who are giving their all in defending the lives of our children. Some people argue that this war is foolish. I disagree.

As The World Burns

2006-03-13T00:36:00.000-05:00

If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
--Proverbs 24:10-12

Shannon Stapleton Reuters

"September 11: Under Attack" Rescue workers carry Fire Department Chaplain Father Mychal Judge from the rubble before the second tower of the World Trade Center collapsed. Father Judge was said to have been killed by a jumper while performing the last rites on a victim of the attack.
The photograph to the left was pulled from Pictures of the Year International.

“I am sitting on a park bench reading a “how-to” book on heroism while I watch the firemen run into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Looking to my friend I asked, “Do you catch the tragic irony of this picture?”

“Russ, brother, this is a short season of your life. It, too, shall pass. Don’t be too radical,” (we’ll call him Joe) said.

I replied, “Joe, life is a short season. What part of “Go” are we not understanding here? I guess I don’t have a category for being too radical in my pursuit of souls.”

Joe countered by saying, “You are responding like one of those radical guys who think they are too spiritual for us ordinary Christians. You are falling prey to pride, and you are immature in your thinking.”

“Joe, your accusation of my being a prideful man is more than accurate. However, I sincerely do not want to waste even a fraction of the life that God has given me. If anything, I am not radical enough. I have yet to meet a Christian who I felt was too radical. I guess I don’t have an ‘ordinary Christian’ category in my line of thinking,” I said.

The conversation ended shortly after I responded to Joe’s next question: “So you believe that the ordinary Christian is wasting their life by not being radically active in the mission field because they feel it is God’s will for them to invest this short season in a different way?”

“Yes.”

Yoni Brook Freelance / New York University / Gamma Press /
The Washington Post
"Hydrant" Firefighter Michael Saber drinks and washes his face at a fire hydrant hours after the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11.

The dialogue above is fictional. However, it is based on a few actual conversations that my friends and I have had in the recent past. These conversations have triggered a mixture of emotions within me, ranging from sorrow and loneliness to disbelief and anger. This post will be dedicated to defending my answer to Joe’s final question.

First, I want to make clear the fact of our world being on fire (This may come as a shock to some of you). The world is on fire in much the same way that the World Trade Center was in 2001. Second, and more importantly, I want to make clear the fact of the Church of Jesus Christ being alive and well in the midst of it. Lastly, I want to bring clarity to the fact that the “ordinary Christianity” that Joe mentions above is not the Christianity I read about in the Word of God. This “ordinary Christianity” will lead, most certainly, to a wasted life in light of eternity.

The world is burning. (Rom. 1; Genesis 6:5; Rom. 3:23; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1-5; 2 Cor. 4:4; Matt. 8:12; Matt. 13:42; Mark 9:48; Eph. 6; Zeph. 1:17-18)

We learn from the preceding verses the following: a) All of mankind stands wicked in the sight of God, b) All of mankind is characterized as being “haters of God”, c) All of mankind is “dead” in sin before the holy and just God of creation, d) All of mankind is enslaved to Satan, e) God will consume with fire all those who hate Him, f) All of mankind earns this justice by hating God, g) All of mankind has earned the punishment of being cast into “outer darkness” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”, “where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched”. Jesus Christ mentions this place of eternal torment more than any other Biblical figure by a wide margin.

Please note that the above diagnosis is for all of those who are deniers of the exclusivity of Jesus, the Christ. More so than that, the above diagnosis is reserved for all those who fail to repent (military term meaning “about-face”) and place their faith (meaning all that they have and are as a human being) in the person and care of Jesus Christ. It is reserved for all those who deny Jesus Christ as being the one true God of creation, the Savior of the created universe and everything molecule of it. Their treasure is found elsewhere. And by their fruits you will recognized them (Matt. 7).

The world (myself included), apart from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, is without hope and destined for hell. There is simply no other way out. The world is on fire, and this not only is an urgent matter; it is the purpose and will of God for His sons and daughters (namely His Church) to bring hope to it in the face of Jesus (2 Cor. 4:6). How can we, with a good conscience, sit on a bench and watch a populated building burn when we are their only hope (Rom. 10:14-15)?

The Church is alive and well. (Matt. 28:18-20; 1 Pet. 2:9-10; Rom. 10:14-15; 1 Cor. 9:16; Acts 4:13-23; Acts; 2 Cor. 2:14-17; 2 Cor. 5; Phil. 3:7-14; Jer. 20:9; etc)

Jesus Christ gives what I have heard termed as the “Magna Charta” of the Church in Mathew 28:18-20. We are to go and make disciples of all nations. The Church is God’s chosen mouthpiece to a lost and dying world. We are to proclaim His excellencies to all the nations. There is no off season for this mission. It is a constant going.

“…For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16)!
“For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:23).

The Church is in a cosmic battle brought to earth! You are either in the war, or you are not in the war. I do not see an “ordinary” middle ANYWHERE in Scripture. If you are a part of the Church, you are the aroma and ambassador of Christ in whatever mission field God has called you to (2 Cor. 2:14-17; 2 Cor. 5). You are God’s royal priesthood, whom He has chosen for battle (1 Peter 2:9-10). And you are associated with the same Jesus Christ who choked to death on His own blood because of His radical love for you! This is the Church. This is CHRISTianity.

“Ordinary Christianity” is not Christianity. I see no sugar-coated, “ordinary” Christianity in Scripture. What I do see is the blood, guts, sweat, and tears of the true Church as it led a radical pursuit of Jesus Christ, making the most of every opportunity to make Him known to a world in need of true hope. Jesus was not all they wanted or needed; He was all they had!

I stand on Scripture alone in preaching to all the Joes who may be reading this. The Great Commission that the great cloud of witnesses who came before us spilt their blood over is not a light switch that you can turn on and off with the changing seasons. You are at war! I plead with you (and myself) to not waste your life reading about heroes when Jesus Christ has commissioned you to be that hero running into that burning building. Heroes (namely the Church) run into the burning building while everyone else is running out. Christianity is radical. Christianity is war. Christianity is bloody. And the true Church of Jesus Christ will NOT be found running or sitting on some park bench.
Joe, you can either join the Church, or you can continue to read about Her. Just quit acting as if there is a fluffy, “ordinary Christianity”. Jesus Christ has left no room for such a thing.

When Cancers Come

2006-02-15T15:11:00.000-05:00

I found this article to be very beneficial. It will serve as a great source of encouragement as I undergo the various sufferings that will surely come. Don't waste your cancer!

This is War (Part 1)

2006-02-11T10:44:00.000-05:00

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

In studying for a Systematic Theology test last semester, I became extremely encouraged over the truth of the Holy Spirit dwelling within the church, and what that means for her. Throughout the Old Covenant, we see the presence of the Holy Spirit in creation (Gen. 1:2), and in the annointing of prophets, priests, and kings for rule (1 Samuel 16; Judges 11; Psalm 51; Moses; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Ezekiel; David; etc). In Ezekiel 36, Isaiah 2, Psalm 2, Joel 3, etc., we read of God's promise to usher in a new era of Spirit-annointed authority. That new era has been ushered in by Jesus Christ, and it arrived to the sound of a mighty rushing wind (Acts 2:2). The promised Holy Spirit has come to His church. War has been declared.

I am currently having a dialogue (over facebook; great invention!) with a sister in Christ about the Holy Spirit. It has been a stimulating conversation. She once remarked, accurately, that the majority of the North American church today lacks the power she was meant to have. "Where did it go? Where is the radical, wreckless pursuit of Christ that characterized the early church?"

I have been developing my thinking on my sincere belief that the majority of the church is in a severe identity crisis. True Kingdom preaching and teaching are on the brink of extinction in most local churches. I venture to say that because the doctrines of the Kingdom and the doctrines of the Spirit's role in the life of the church have grown cold in the hearts of our church leaders, the faith of the church has decended to a whisper.

Where are the lions who roar at mountains and they move? They have been held in our man-made cages so long that they have forgotten they are the KINGS of the jungle! There is power in prayer, and prayer is most powerful when we pray in faith claiming who we truly are in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We must approach the throne boldly, claiming Christ's righteousness, lest we trample His work underfoot by saying it was not fully finished. Church, JESUS BOUGHT OUR IDENTITY; why are we so fearful of claiming it before our Father? Faith that is not placed in the FINISHED work of Christ is no faith at all. And without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).

The point I am attempting to drive home here is that our identity in Christ has been SEALED with the the promised Holy Spirit. And this means everything. "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:13-14). What is so vital to see here in this text is that it is not our grasp of God that seals us; it is His grasp of us. It is the Spirit that seals us, guaranteeing us the right to be called the children of God, heirs to the Kingdom (John 1:12-13; Col. 1:12-20; 2 Cor. 5:17). "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:3-4). WE ARE WHO GOD'S WORD SAYS WE ARE.

"The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give" (Is. 62:2).

"...I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:33).

"And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God" (Gal. 4:6-7).

What we see throughout Scripture is that there is a war of the worlds. There is a dominion of darkness and a dominion of light. "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:13-14).

The problem with most preachers and teachers today is that they stop there. We discuss sin, we discuss creation, we discuss atonement, we discuss the attributes of God, we discuss church discipline, we discuss evangelism. We discuss the truth that the church has been redeemed and purchased by the blood of Christ. These are all great things to discuss; they are absolutely vital. However, we so often stop at redemption, failing to continue on to who the church has been redeemed to be. The church has been redeemed to glorify the Father in reigning with Christ as He makes His enemies His footstool, and in glorifying the Father by enjoying Him forever.

The following passages speak of who the church is in Christ:

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10).

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together IN CHRIST--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up WITH HIM and seated us WITH HIM in the heavenly places IN CHRIST JESUS, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us IN CHRIST JESUS" (Ephesians 2:4-7).

What are these verses saying? They are saying that IN CHRIST we have been elevated above the angels (Hebrews 1:14). Hebrews 1:14 depicts angels as serving the church. We have been raised with Christ. We are children of the King.

"What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31)?

“Those who contend with the Lord will be shattered; against them He will thunder in the heavens. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His king, and will exalt the horn of His anointed" (1 Sam 2:10).

“Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet" (1 Corinthians 15:24-25).

“He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son" (Revelation 21:7).

“He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne" (Revelation 3:21).

So what does this mean? How does this apply to the church today? It means that the church should act like the heir of the Kingdom that it is, and quit apologizing for it. The church will, IN CHRIST, judge His enemies. The church will, IN CHRIST, inherit all that God the Father promised; the most amazing inheritance being God Himself. The doctrine of the triumphant Kingdom is not taught enough from our pulpits today. If it were, hell would surely quake in fear at the thought of the church of Jesus Christ truly living in light of the truth that she is more than a conquerer (Romans 8:37) IN CHRIST JESUS.

Heaven and hell are in the balance. The world is on fire. This is war.

Where are the lions?

For further study, please check out this article from John Piper at Desiring God Ministries

Treasure and Street Lamps

2005-11-17T19:57:00.000-05:00

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into the containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
-Matthew 13:44-50

Recently, I attended a missions conference where my former church meets in Hardin, KY. Speaking at this conference were two of my favorite preacher/teachers on the face of the earth: Russell Moore and Paul Washer. I cannot tell you how rejuvinated I was sitting under them for the weekend. Yet the teaching and preaching were not the only highlights of the weekend.

Many of the young adults of the Sunday school class stayed together at the Kentucky Dam Village on Kentucky Lake. It was in the mixture of getting to know each other better through eating together, driving together, worshipping together, "Big Bootie" (If you haven't played it, you simply have not truly lived), and the valiant effort by Moore and Washer to proclaim the true weight of the gospel that I began to experience the JOY of possessing the Pearl of Great Value on this earth as a fellow heir.

One night, while praying, I took notice of something interesting. A cold front was moving in, so the air was crisp, smelling of rain. The moon was full, but seemed unusually bright. Clouds were moving in at a rapid pace, so I could only see the moon and the starts through occasional "windows". I couldn't help but marvel at it without words. It was during this time that I began to take notice of the massive distinction between the nearby street lamp and the moon. Both produced light, but the light was different.

The indirect sunlight produced by the moon totally dominated the dull, pale light of the streetlamp. There was simply no comparison. The light of the moon triumphed over it in such an AWEful way that it literally left me in a speechless state of adoration. I believe it was mostly due to the fact that, throughout this semester, it has been a struggle to see such beauty. Why? It is because I have settled for man-made street lamps rather than pure glory.

Who is our Treasure? It is so easy to get caught up in the building of various earthly "towers of Babel". Why are we here? Is it to get a letter grade, a reputation as a risk-taking missionary, a wife/husband, a title, a NAME for ourselves? Since when did life become about us??

It is in the midst of "doing life" that we find ourselves living by the light of street lamps rather than by the glory of our Treasure. Our minds and our hearts are caught up in earthly things rather than the things above. We get caught up in complaining, in business; so EATEN UP with building and protecting our NAME that we lose our grasp on the Pearl.

We have a Treasure. He is no longer hidden, or is He? Do you see Him, or are you only seeing the man-made "street lamps" of an unfulfilled life? IN HIS JOY, the man sold all he had and bought the field.

Where is the joy? Where is it found? Street lamps or glory?

Truth in Music

2005-10-20T22:59:00.000-05:00

Fernando Ortega is one of my personal favorite artists. I love him because he doesn't settle for surfacy, unrealistic song lyrics. I once heard it said that you can scratch the surface and find loose change, or you can dig deep and find gold. I have personally found his Storm album to dig deep.

I am so grateful that God took delight in creating music; that He sings (Zeph. 3:17). Music is just amazing. Think about it! God has created us in His image, and has designed nature in such a way that we can produce the beautiful combination of sounds we know as music.

We were designed to bear the image of our Creator. Even though we have all been affected by the Fall, there are still traces of beauty. Some of us (namely the church) can recognize beauty for what it truly is, through the lens of Christ (Truth). This provides the church with the ability to express and portray true beauty through creative and artistic means such as music.

Music overflowing from seeing the Truth and creation for what it truly is--this is the most beautiful music to listen to. In this sense, it is obvious from experiencing the music and lyrics of Fernando Ortega that he has been graced with a deeper view of sense of beauty than the vast majority of the musical artists on the airwaves today.

Below are lyrics from one of my favorite Ortega songs. What are your favorite songs, and why are they your favorites?

CRISTINA’S DREAM

Instrumental

Angels

Eternal God, unchanging
Mysterious and unknown
Your boundless love unfailing
In grace and mercy shown
Bright seraphim in ceaseless flight
Around your glorious throne
Their voices raised both day and night
In praise to you alone

Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God
Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God!

Lord, we are weak and frail,
Helpless in the storm
Surround us with your angels
Hold us in your arms
Our cold and ruthless enemy
His pleasure is our harm
Rise up, oh Lord, and he will flee
Before our Sovereign God

Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God!
Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God!

Let every creature in the sea
And every flying bird
Let all the mountains, all the fields
And valleys of the earth
Let all the moons and all the stars
Throughout the universe
Sing praises to the Living God
Who rules them by His word

Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God
Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God!

Where The Streets Have No Name

2005-10-10T18:54:00.000-05:00

I woke up feeling like I had been run over by a logging truck this morning, so I decided to stay home from work and class. Ended up sleeping until...11:30!! I honestly cannot remember sleeping that late since the day after hell week was over with my fraternity in college.

For those of you who may be curious, the toast went great this weekend. I got to share what God has done in my life with three of my old running buddies from high school. On the way home, I could not help but to feel overwhelmed at what God had done in and around my life since I left my home town in 2000. I experienced the grace of God in a deep and powerful way on that drive. Why me? Why would God choose me as opposed to my other friends? I was no better. I had done nothing but lead people away from Christ with my hypocritic behavior in high school and the early part of college.

I now look back on my life in reflection and am humbled. The infinite ocean of peace and joy I now experience with a clean conscience in the righteousness of Christ is unmatched by any mud puddle this world can offer me. I just looked into these men's eyes and I saw and felt the pain and guilt of their slavery. One of them, who is divorced with a kid at age 24, once told me that the only reason he is still alive is his son. I looked at him in the eyes and told him that if he waited until he was clean, he would never come at all. I am NO better, and neither is anyone. We are all FILTHY RAGS who have gone astray. Some will live and die in slavery. Some will die clothed in Christ alone, justified by a faith that was given them by the just and the justifier, God Almighty (Romans 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; Ephesians 2:8-9).

Today, I sat on my couch and watched my room mate's U2: Live from Dublin's Slain Castle DVD. Hundreds of thousands of fans formed an ocean of energy as U2 began to sing their mega hit, "Where The Streets Have No Name". I am so thankful for the common grace that God gave this band to produce such beautiful sound. As the song was sung, I couldn't help but to imagine what it must have been like to be in the middle of that crowd as Bono did his thing. Then I began to ponder what the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ could be like...And, along with that, what heaven will be like.

Attempt to imagine the following:

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
-Revelation 7:9-10

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
--Revelation 19:6-8

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
--Colossians 1:13-14

I just do not believe that U2 can hang with that. This is the Kingdom we proclaim. Should not we live with a greater sense of urgency? Not only should we be motivated by the reality of hell, but we should also be motivated by the reality of redemption in the face of the Christ. The Kingdom of heaven is a proclamation, not an invitation. Why? It is the TRUTH!

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
--Colossians 1:28-29

A Late Night Toast

2005-10-03T13:41:00.000-05:00

So I have 3 midterms this week. I just finished with the first one, and I think I came out on top. Last night, I was studying with a good friend of mine at Starbucks. It was about 9:30 when I bought a Venti Mocha to keep me alert and on top of my game. By 10:00, I had downed the entire thing and came to the conclusion that I needed something with a little more "kick" to it. So I asked the coffee expert at the cash register to give me another Venti of the strongest stuff they had. 5 minutes later, I was sipping on a frech-pressed concoction with a color and texture very similar to black tar. It definitely needed some creamer, but I didn't think anything of it. I just went at the books with renewed vigor.

When Starbucks began closing at 11:00, I determined that I needed to go home and get some sleep so that I could gear up for a tough week. I got to bed around 11:45. Getting to sleep proved to be quite the adventure! For the first hour, I just laid there with my eyes wide open. Then, I began to get ticked. The next hour consisted of tossing and turning, and trying to put into practive literally every possible sleep technique I had ever learned or heard about; all to absolutely ZERO avail.

I didn't want to get out of bed because I was determined to get to sleep. Yet, at the same time, I wanted to be productive with this time. My clock told me that it was 1:45 in the morning. The anger phase had come and gone. Now it was just me, alone with my thoughts. I began thinking about all I had just studied, along with a plethora of other random things. One of them being the Best Man Toast that I have to give at a good friend's wedding reception this coming weekend.

Should I open with quick one-liner? A personal story? Should I talk about how I was a part in them getting together at the beginning? Should I offer a short prayer of praise? What is the main thing I want to get across with this toast? Then I settled on it.

I am going to discuss, briefly, one of the most crucial attributes that I look for in a true friend. Ryan is one of the most LOYAL people I have ever come in contact with. There is so much that goes into that word--LOYALTY. It involves trust, sacrifice, defense, and a genuine concern for the other's well-being.

God created friendship. And God has established His faithfulness and loyalty. Ryan is one of those few guys in my life that has always been there, an unknowingly faithful witness to what God has created us to reflect in friendship--LOYALTY. That is a lot of what it is all about, right? Life is filled with many trials and sufferings. It moves so fast, as I am experiencing as I get older. What would we do without friends whom we can always count on to be there in the midst of the hurricanes that life throws our way?

I realize this is a different type of blog post. The last time I remember seeing on my clock was 3:30. My lack of sleep is bringing out the sentimental side! I just want to take advantage of this opportunity to challenge us all to both cherish friendship as it was created, and to reflect the character of God in portraying it.

Here's to loyalty!

I Belong to Jesus

2005-09-28T10:09:00.000-05:00

These pictures were taken of three of the biggest soccer stars in Italy. Kaka (above) was raised by Christian parents in Brazil. He leads Bible studies and is very active in sharing his faith (as you can tell). This pic was taken after he dribbled through the entire opposing team to score a game-winning goal for international powerhouse, AC Milan.

Adriano (right) is a newborn believer who plays for Inter Milan. He was led to Christ by Ze Maria (below). This picture was taken after he scored 3 GOALS in one game; the day after he gave his life to Christ.

I was told by Jason, one of our IMB missionaries, that the closest equivalent to these gestures would be Terrell Owens doing this after he scored a huge game-winning touchdown in the NFL. Yet it was much more dramatic being that these men have made a much weightier anti-cultural statement than Terrell Owens has ever dreamed of making. In what has been labeled as a post-Christian culture in which only 1% are believed to be Protestant, these actions provide a powerful and radical contrast. He said the media was bedazzled. "Uhh...It looks as if Adriano is referring to the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians here..."

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. --2 Corinthians 5:17

Upon Your Request...

2005-09-26T10:58:00.000-05:00

My testimony of how God changed my heart is as follows:

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
--Luke 18:9-14

I grew up in a town of 1400 people (very much like Mayberry). My awesome sister, Beth Ann, and I were raised in a very moral home by two devoted and loving parents. Every Sunday morning, we would attend the Vienna First United Methodist Church, whether I wanted to go or not. I still love the people of that congregation.

Looking back on my life, I see the hand of God progressively drawing me to Himself through various circumstances, people, and the heartfelt understanding of what He revealed to all of humanity in the face of Jesus Christ as displayed in His Word. In 8th grade, I went through confirmation with the Methodist Church. I was a very moral kid, but it was then that I first began to realize that God was much larger than Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, dress slacks and ties, pot luck dinners, youth group events, children's time, church buildings, Bible drills, a weekly social gathering, etc..

I entered into high school on a quest to become Mr. Everything. I wanted to be the best athlete, the best student, the most popular. I was the world's biggest people pleaser. The summer going into my Sophomore year, I went on a 3-day Christian retreat known as Chysalis. I had never experienced anything like that in my life. I came back from that weekend sharing what I had found there, reading my Bible, praying deeper prayers, journaling, and leading Bible studies. I was soon elected to become vice president of the FCA, and my church elected me as the youth representative on the administrative council. Soon after that, I was elected to serve on the Chrysalis board for the Southern Illinois region. In the midst of all of this, I was still trying to exalt myself in the eyes of others.

By the time I had reached my Junior and Senior years of high school, I found myself surrounded by the "successes" I had set out for as a Freshman. The next few years consisted of a hypocritical double life. To the Christians, I became the best Christian. I became everything else to everyone else. My Freshmen year at Murray State, I joined a fraternity. I was immersed into an environment of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The entire time, I just assumed I was a Christian. I had the cognitive head knowledge. I believed Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again. "I WAS Mr. Christian in high school! I was a leader." That was my sense of security. I was constantly comparing myself to people.

During my freshmen year, someone asked me 3 questions: "Who are you?", "What are you?", and "Where are you going?". These questions forced me to examine myself. I began to ask questions about my purpose. It scared me to death. These questions caused me to begin living like I did the early part of high school. "Christ is counting on you" was my theme. I thought that Jesus could NOT possibly go on without me. I was a key player on His team. Do you see a resemblance between my attitude and the attitude of the Pharisee in the passage above?

The fall semester of my Sophomore year, God took the blinders off. For the first time, I actually GOT IT. During that season, God stripped me of ME. I flunked accounting. A friend of mine lost his fight with cancer at the age of 20. Going to that funeral gave me a true understanding of how short life is. It is a grain of sand in an infinite ocean. I began to realize that I was pouring everything I had into that grain of sand. My life was miserable. I had a void that all the alcohol, pot, and women in the world could not fill. A Christian fraternity brother and I began to discuss theology. I totally disagreed with everything he said. So I set out to disprove him. I was flying through books! The 3 books I read during this season that God used in a dramatic way were as follows: The Holiness of God, The God You Can Know, and Sinners In The Hands of an Angry God. I remember locking myself in my room studying like I had never studied in my life over Thanksgiving Break. My parents were worried about me!

I remember, vividly, one particular night during a fraternity party that I was reading the book of Romans and Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. For the first time, with beer bottles breaking and the bass kicking, I realized that Jesus DID NOT need me, but He wanted me. I realized that I was the Pharisee in that passage! And I realized that every breath, every heartbeat, every blink of my eye, was a GIFT of grace that I did not deserve. I realized, for the first time, that I was at the mercy of God.

From that point on, I have lived a life of gratitude on grace and mercy alone. Everything this side of hell is pure grace. Not only did God show me mercy, but He gave me the entire universe and eternal life in the righteousness that I now possess in Christ.

To God be the glory!

Shadows and Substance

2005-09-21T18:17:00.000-05:00

I have been asked by quite a few of you to explain my blog title. I have hit the threshold! Here is your explanation...

These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
--Colossians 2:17

C.S Lewis once concluded:

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite quotes. The testimony of my life proves this quote to be true. Consider this illustration: it would be foolish to drive my car into the Ohio River, thinking that it would somehow float. Obviously, it was not designed for that! Truthfully speaking, I am not designed to have my eternal thirst quenched by drinking from the "mud puddles" of this fallen cosmos.

I realize that the audience reading this blog is diverse. You consist of Pharisees (self-righteous), tax collectors (filthy sinners), and everything in between (please read Luke 18:9-14). Yet we are all human beings, and we are all a part of an objective design. We know, in our heart of hearts, that the cosmos is not a product of random chance. We are not a coincidence. You can examine something as simple as eye color and come to this conclusion.

The majority of you have heard of the crucifixion of Jesus, the Christ. You have seen the cross jewlery. You have been to a cemetary and have seen the cross etched on tombstones. You have heard sermons in a variety of contexts. If nothing else, you have at least heard the name of Jesus Christ used as a form of profanity, as an expression of anger or disgust. Have you ever thought about why the name of Jesus Christ is profaned and degraded as opposed to every other religious figurehead?

It was about 4 years ago when I began asking myself the tough questions: What is history? Where did it come from? Who am I? What am I? Where am I going with my life? Why do I exist? Why do I believe what I believe? Where did my sense of right and wrong come from? Where do emotions come from? Why do I have emotions? What makes something beautiful?
WHY DO I CALL MYSELF A CHRISTIAN, AS OPPOSED TO ANY OTHER WORLD RELIGION? Why is my life BORING?? Is there a way to LIVE as opposed to merely EXISTING and then dying?

I had read the following verse before, but it never meant anything to me:

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
--John 14:6

Then it dawned on me: Jesus Christ was claiming to be GOD. This meant that, if He was telling the truth, His entire life was a direct revelation of my Creator. He was telling the world that every way of life outside of a life devoted to Him was false idol worship. He claimed to be THE truth. He claimed to be the manifestation of Yahweh in the Old Testament, fulfilling the plethora of prophesies that were made. He was claiming to God, my God.

Using the logic of Lewis, there are only three descriptive words that could be attributed to Jesus in relation to this statement. He was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. In short, God revealed Himself to me in the face of Jesus Christ (please read 2 Corinthians 4:6). He is now the Lord of my life, and I now see reality through His lens. This is not a cute little story; it is REALITY.

All of history, all of creation, is revolving around the work that Jesus, the Christ, did on that bloody cross. The very breath I just took, as well as the physical strength that it is taking to type this sentence is literally from Jesus Christ alone. According to Colossians 1, He is holding my physical body together IN THIS MOMENT. My mindset shifted from the perception that life was made for me, to the perception that EVERYTHING was made from, through, and to Jesus Christ. The name, Christos, literally means "Messiah," or "Annointed One". Christ, for the record, is not Jesus' last name; it is His title. Jesus IS the Christ. He frees the fallen, corrupt humanity from its slavery. He rescued me by giving me eyes to see and ears to hear the Truth of my existance.

With that being said, we come to the text from which my title was derived:

For these are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance is found in Christ.
--Colossians 2:17

This verse, in its context, is a comparison between the Old Testament (Covenant) law and tradition and the New Testament (Covenant) fulfillment of FREEDOM in the revelation of Jesus, the Christ. We have been set free from sin; we have been set free from the guilt, shame, and condemnation that it yields. We have been created for a FULL life lived by dying to ourselves that we might gain more of the joy that is experienced in Him. This is the mirror opposite of the "have it your way" mentality that comes in many ways, shapes, and sizes in this age.

This world consists of many shadows that bring nothing but death and hell. A life lived in and for the shadows is dark and hopeless. It will yield only misery and pain. I lived in them; I know. I was confused and had no answer.

I do now. The substance is found in Christ.

Shall We Dance?

2005-09-18T22:57:00.000-05:00

And David danced before the LORD with all his might...
--2 Samuel 6:14

Today, I heard a spectacular sermon preached from 2 Samuel 6:12-23. My family was in town for my birthday, and it made it that much sweeter. This passage speaks accurately of a man who truly knew God; his actions provide the evidence.

Allow me to mention some of these actions:

Vs. 12-- David brought the ark of God to the city "with rejoicing".
Vs. 13--David offered a special sacrifice of an ox and a fattened animal with every six steps taken.
Vs. 14--"And David danced before the LORD with all his might..."
Vs. 15--"So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn."
Vs. 16--King David was seen "leaping and dancing before the LORD..."
Vs. 21--"...and I will make merry before the LORD."
Vs. 22--"I will make myself yet more contemptible (in other translations, "undignified") than this..."

By the end of the sermon, I was left asking the following question:

How "undignified" am I when it comes to worshiping God in all that I do in life?

When I read through this text, the image of a man dancing in the field sprang to mind. This is so "unnatural"! The rest of the world would deem this behavior to be totally foolish. The sad thing is that 98% of those who attend our local churches every morning would feel the same way. Yet this is the behavior we see out of David, the man after God's own heart. What is more, according to verse 20, David was dancing before the Lord with such tenacity that his clothes began to fall off! Why?

According context, the ark of God was being returned to the city of David's kingship. This was to show that the presence of God Almighty was returning. This was a MAJOR turning of events! If satelite TV existed back then, this story would be on every station!

Yet here we are today, with the presence of God DWELLING WITHIN US! And how do we typically respond? The sad thing is that we often DO NOT RESPOND--AT ALL. We just exist. David danced before the Lord until his clothes ripped at the seams, and I turn my nose up at the Lord despite the fact that He consumes every molecule of my physical body.

David danced HARD in gratitude at the thought of God's ark coming to his city, whereas WE HAVE THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN US NOW. The Christian life is a life that should be danced hard, FOR GOD HAS COME BACK TO HIS CITY! Is it undignied? Yes. Is it foolish to the world? Most certainly.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. --1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Church, shall we dance??

Anxiety

2005-09-15T22:47:00.000-05:00

Is anyone else out there experiencing the pressure that life can sometimes create? Sometimes my life falls right in line with the lyrics of that Alabama song, "I'm In A Hurry And Don't Know Why". Now is one of those times. My first Greek test is tomorrow, and I can assure you that it is going to leave me humbled. I never know what is going to be waiting for me me in my inbox when I walk into my office every day. I am taking on the responsibility of leading a small group Bible study at my church. My trip to Italy in December is requiring a lot of planning. It has just been one of those days where I relied too much on myself, and I felt the weight of anxiety. As a result, my ministry to other people suffered.

Why do we feel anxiety? I suggest that it is due to the fact that we are looking inward rather than Christward. We lose sight of the freedom we have in Jesus. We dwell on our earthly situation rather than our eternal destination. We feel the burden of indebtedness to Christ, when we should know that we have nothing but filthy rags to offer Him. It is a free gift. The only way to glorify God is to accept it and SAVOR IT. "It is finished." may be my favorite verse in the entire Bible.

People, anxiety is NOT from above; it is from below. Paul charges us to "not be anxious about anything" in Philippians 4. In Psalm 94, we see that the consolations of God delight our souls when our anxious thoughts multiply within us. What this means is this:

IF WE ARE LIVING WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF THE WORD OF GOD, WE ARE WITHIN THE WILL OF GOD. AND THIS FREEDOM SHOULD DELIGHT OUR SOULS! It is not rocket science. Yet we are so good at making the simple things that God enjoys a hybrid of complication and anxiety.

It is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not allow yourselves to be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. --Galatians 5:1

Below I have pasted a passage from Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening. I first read this last year in the middle of the woods in Alabama as a camp counselor. It is one of the most refreshing things I have ever read. I believe that Spurgeon does a stellar job of pointing us to the elite cure for anxiety in the face Jesus, the Christ. Enjoy!

“Looking unto Jesus.”

Hebrews 12:2

It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, “Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you have not the joy of his children; you have such a wavering hold of Jesus.”

All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: he tells us that we are nothing, but that “Christ is all in all.” Remember, therefore, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ's blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to thy hand with which thou art grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to thy hope, but to Jesus, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of thy faith. We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.

If we would at once overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by “looking unto Jesus.” Keep thine eye simply on him; let his death, his sufferings, his merits, his glories, his intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look to him; when thou liest down at night look to him. Oh! let not thy hopes or fears come between thee and Jesus; follow hard after him, and he will never fail thee.

“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness:
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”

God and Perfume

2005-09-12T17:26:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine just sent me the interesting pic you see above. It was taken in Italy, and it captures the heart-cry of the culture much better than my words could. FYI:

Dio = God
Dior = The brand name of a popular perfume

These flyers were put up across the University of Salerno advertising an upcoming Campus Crusade event. To point out the obvious, an Italian tacked on the "r" ending. With the addition of one simple letter, the name of God was lowered to perfume. How patient is GOD!?!

9 “For my name’s sake I defer my anger,
for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
that I may not cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for how should my name be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.

--Isaiah 48:9-11

Remember when?

2005-09-06T17:35:00.000-05:00

I was just browsing one of the best sites on the web--ESPN. The main page is dedicated to remembering what Cal Ripken did TEN YEARS ago today. Has it been 10 YEARS??? Good gravy! I remember sitting in my living room watching that game with Dad. What a magical moment in sports history!

In a day and age of the pampered, overpaid, pansy major leaguer, old school men like Cal Ripken are to be that much more appreciated. My grandfather (AKA Gramps) passed away over 3 years ago. He played Triple A ball for the Cubs, and loved the game enough to play for dang near nothing. All of those guys did. Unfortunately, he got hurt and didn't make it to the majors. After he died, his town's local newspaper printed a front-page story entitled "Field of Dreams" in honor of his life.

I am currently looking at a team photo of Gramps' Triple A team running onto the field without a worry. He was 20 years young the day this picture was taken. It is black and white, and it is fading. I keep it on my desk so that I will see it on a daily basis, a reminder of how fleeting this life is.

Baseball is nowhere near what it used to be. Sure, there are glimmers of purity out there. I love guys like Jason Varitek, John Smoltz, Jim Thome, Craig Biggio, John Kruk, etc.. I love those guys that don't give a crap what they look like. They get down and dirty. Santana, the stud pitcher from the Twins, supposedly turned down a great deal of money to stay in Minnesota because he loved the fans. Stories like that still keep me around the game.

I was blessed to have gotten the opportunity to go to Cooperstown with Dad, Gramps, and Grandaddy the year before Gramps died. Walking through those halls and seeing all of those pictures created such a surreal feeling. Those guys were larger than life. I'd give almost anything to go back and see a game played purely out of love for it.

Here's to the Cal Ripkens who will never get noticed! I love watching the Triple A team play here in Louisville, partly out of sentiment, but mostly because it is as close to being as pure as the game once was as I can find today.

Does anybody else out there love pure sport--dirt, grime, sweat, tears, blood, grass fields, blisters, the smell of hot dogs, peanuts, cracker jacks, autographs, heroes, the hit-and-run, plate collisions, diving catches, walk-off dingers, old scoreboards, steel spikes, dugout chants, rally caps, day games, dust, dirty uniforms, playing in the rain, box scores, newspapers, the smell of the glove, the squeeking of shoes on the court, the smell of popcorn in old high school gymns, cheerleading cheers, whistles, charges taken, blocked shots, the smell of a waxed court, the cutting down of the nets, end zone celebrations, etc, etc, etc..... ??

What are some of your favorite sports memories??

We miss you Cal!

Cool Pics

2005-09-05T13:27:00.000-05:00

Click the above thumb nail. This guy has a good eye. Some of these pictures from around the world speak louder than words. Enjoy!

Groanings

2005-09-04T13:34:00.000-05:00

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
--Romans 8:18-25

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
--Romans 5:12-17

Here I am again in Panera Bread, doing all I can to NOT study Greek. I usually do not do anything but have fun and sleep on Sundays. However, I find myself in a boat full of leaks that need plugging. So here I am.

I heard a moving and powerful sermon this morning from my pastor (Shawn Merithew). A lot of the thoughts in this entry have been stemmed from his sermon. My mind and my heart have been far from right in relation to the devastation on the Gulf coast. Stuart Swicegood posted a great blog entry on this a couple of days ago. It is so easy to get caught up in the "theology" of what is taking place in New Orleans. Sure, we have our answers. We know that God is sovereign.

We know that...But try telling that to the mother whose child just died of dehydration. Try telling that to the man who lost EVERYTHING but the clothes on his back. Try telling that to the audience that witnessed a man shoot one of his family members for a bottle of water. Try telling that to New Orleans, which no longer exists.

The question the world is trying to answer in various ways is this: WHOSE FAULT IS IT?

Who caused the evil of hurricane Katrina? Answer: YOU DID. I DID. WE ALL DID.

I posted the above Scripture passages for the purpose of pointing the finger at our individual hearts. My heart and my mind have been so far away from the empathy it should feel towards those people on the coast. As the groanings of nature were made horrifically manifest in the face of Katrina, I am left to place the blame on myself.

I challenge us all during this time to cease the seminary "theological" explanations, and to repent as Job did. This is not an abstract theory. This is REALITY. This is not a good folk tale that describes nature; this is REALITY. It is my fault that these people suffer.

EVEN SO, GRACE REIGNS...

18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
--Romans 5:18-21

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
--Job 1:20-21

John Wayne on the Bayou?

2005-09-03T11:11:00.000-05:00

(CNN) -- New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin calls Lt. Gen. Russel Honore a "John Wayne dude" who can "get some stuff done."

Hey guys...Read this article earlier today. The guy it speaks about is a rather intense individual. At first I cracked a smile. It is like they brought in Rambo to get things done. I mean, how would you like to be on this guy's bad side??

See, these were my first thoughts. Then I began to think about it. This general is referred to as a "John Wayne dude" with an inner chuckle ultimately because he is radical. He is different than the average idiot who sits on his hands and watches the world burn. He puts his money where his mouth is.

The life of a true leader is a lonely one. There will always be critics. You live in a fish bowl. The majority of people in your life will, deep down, feel good when you fail because it makes them feel better about failing to attempt to do the things you have done and failed at 10 times over.

I love the quote (well, I love A LOT of quotes) during the opening of Braveheart: "History was written by those who killed heroes." We need more Christian heroes.

We need more "John Wayne dudes" who are willing to crucify their reputations of normalcy and live the "unnatural" epic that they were created for. CT Studd, a John Wayne dude of his era, provides us with an example of the heart of a hero in one quote:

"Some wish to live within the sound of chapel bell. As for me, I will set up a rescue shop within a yard of hell."

Reputations, fish bowls, comforts, normalcies, appearances, earthly pursuits, lustful passions, plans, the silent chuckles and insecurities of our audiences... BE CRUCIFIED! We need to "get some stuff done." If not now, then when? If not me, then who??

This Far You May Come

2005-08-31T18:14:00.000-05:00

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

"Who is thsi that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed'?

Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?...

Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in teh recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this...

Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass?...

Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?"

--Job 38:1-13; 16-18; 25-27; 34-36

Check out Jonathan's post. In the aftermath of Katrina, I felt that what Jonathan had to say was right on the money. Also, I encourage you to check out Dr. Moore's blog entry on Katrina. Dr. Moore had family in southern Mississippi during the storm.

An event such as this should make us fall on our faces as we realize that we aren't in control of anything. God is responding to us right now as He did to Job. Job questioned God after God stripped away everything Job valued in life. He clenched his fist at God. Paul Washer once preached, "The man who clenches his fist and blasphemes God does so by the very strength that God gives him!" That quote has stuck with me, and will remain with me.

Before I close this post, I would like to direct your attention to Job's response after God questioned him:

Then Job answered the LORD and said:

"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

'Hear and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.'

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
--Job 42:1-6

Should not our reaction to Katrina be the same? I realize that many have lost loved ones. I realize that many have lost everything. Yet what faith it must take to SEE GOD in the midst of such tragedy! If losing EVERYTHING temporary thing on this earth means GAINING ETERNITY, I pray that God would grant me the faith allow God to strip it all away.

Golfing in the Rain and Moving Mountains

2005-08-28T16:40:00.000-05:00

So I was on the front 9 at Seneca Country Club here in Louisville, hacking away with some friends. We saw the cloud off in the distance, but didn't pay much attention. The thunder didn't phase us. To make a long story short, the monsoon hit us while we were at the furthest point from the clubhouse! We were soaked from head to toe. However, no worries, we DID get our rain checks! And it was awesome!

Anyway, I have been meditating and praying Matthew 17:20-21 and lately:

He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

God blesses obedience in trusting Him. As some of you know, I am planning a vision trip to Italy this December. The other 2 guys I have been talking to about going with me are acting doubtful. I have prayed HARD about this. I have determined that it appears to be God's will for me to go, with or without them. I am planning on buying my plane ticket this week, and it scares me a little bit, to be honest. Going to another world that I have never been to by myself has a way of taking me out of your comfort zone! I have only a slight idea of what I might experience over there. So why am I going?

I want the faith that Peter had that allowed him to walk on water (Matt. 14:22-33). The faith that enables a man to step off of the boat to walk on the raging sea is the same faith that will lead that man to the land of miracles. Peter saw the Christ and walked to Him, despite the circumstances, despite what was "natural".

Anytime we have an opportunity to offer God our mustard seed, we should sieze it. This is one of those opportunities. It is "unnatural". People could say I am a lunatic (People probably say that anyway!). It is going to cost a lot of money. It is going to cost a lot of time. There is no certainty that the IMB will allow me to go there in 3 semesters. I don't know any Italian, etc..

Yet it is for these reasons that I believe this to be an opportunity to be the closest to heaven one could be this side of glory. It will be an absolute and total dependance on God unlike any other I have experienced so far in my life. God, me, and the spiritual wasteland of Italy. Does it get any edgier than that??

I am praying that God will take my "mustard seed" and use it to someday plant "oaks of righteousness":

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has annointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion--to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that HE MAY BE GLORIFIED.
-Isaiah 61:1-3

This is an opportunity to take a great risk and go out on faith. I firmly believe that we will move mountains when, and only when, we have the faith to step off of that boat to walk on the stormy seas in our path. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8). The leaving of the "natural" to pursue the "unnatural" gives us unparalleled opportunities to draw near to God. Life is too short to settle for the comfort of the norm. Let's seek those opportunities to take a risk and leave our comfort bubbles.

Where are our mustard seeds? Who wants to settle for ant hills while God is calling us to move mountains? I have so far to go, but I want that! Don't you? Please note that I am NOT talking about success; I am talking about FAITH...

Rat Poison, M & M's, and Pop Culture

2005-08-25T14:21:00.000-05:00

Recently, I spent two hours watching a documentary entitled, Hell's Bells Vol. 2. The main thrust of the documentary centers around the opening of the audience's eyes to the massive impact that music has on our worldview. For me, it accomplished its purpose.

It begins with a live quote from Marilyn Manson and proceeds to expose an intensely vivid, real manifestation of spiritual warfare within the context of music. A gut-wrenching knowledge of lyrical content, sound, art, and video content is established first through hardcore rap, and then through heavy metal/alternative bands. The sheer mockery of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice literally made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. This documentary truly allowed you to take a small glimpse into the mind and heart of Romans 1 depravity on steroids. I had never seen such unbridled blasphemy in all my life.

The video then takes a twist. The following statement was examined: "It is not like I listen to hardcore rap, or Marilyn Manson; I just love the beats." This is the most common reason given as to why people listen to Britney Spears and other pop culture hits. Moms don't have a problem buying their young sons and daughters the latest 89 degrees CD. After all, they could be listening to Godsmack, right?

Various clips were shown from awards ceremonies, Britney Spears videos, Jessica Simpson videos, NSYNC, etc. They put a main focus on the following phrases: "Look within yourself"; "Follow your heart"; "Live like you want"; "My way"; "Listen to your heart"; etc...I was amazed at how many times these phrases were repeated over and over and over and over and over again throughout the songs. It was like a broken record.

Who is having the greatest impact on the pop culture? Spears, or Manson? The documentary provided a great illustration to emphasize its point. They heavily monitored a room full of 6-year-olds, and placed a bowl of rat poison on the table in the middle of the room. As time passed, NOT ONE child even bothered to give it much more than a glance. Rat poison (representing Manson) was just not attractive to them; it was easily rejected. Next, they placed a bowl of M & M's (representing Spears) on the same table. The audience was then asked to imagine the M & M's as being filled with rat poison. I believe you can imagine what the children began to do...

The music we listen to every day in our vehicles has a deceptively huge impact on our lives. It whispers that "have it your way" heart condition so much louder than you might think. Next time you hop in your car to drive from point A to point B, tune in to the most popular station in your area. Listen.

I have my thoughts on so-called "Christian" pop music as well. What are your thoughts?

Hazelnut, Greek, and Radical Prayer

2005-08-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

So here I sit in Panera Bread, sipping coffee, utilizing the free wireless internet, and delaying my daily Greek intake. Every day is Greek day! This is what it's all about, right?

It is one of those days that I don't feel like articulating and organizing my weird thoughts into a blog entry. I am truly growing in my appreciation of the blog though. It is a great way to communicate, stay in touch, provide some edification, evangelize, and it is therapeutic in some ways.

With that being said, here is something else for you all to munch on. Everytime I go before the Lord in prayer, I enter into an intense spiritual battle. Can anybody out there relate? I am so easily distracted. My mind wonders. I battle physical fatigue. It is just a battle. Prayer is war.

I am resolving to pray, and to pray radically. What I mean by that is this:
To do whatever it takes to escape "normalcy", "routine", "SELF" in prayer. I want to do whatever it takes to "set my heart and mind on the things above, and not on earthly things" (Col. 3:1-2). I want to be devoted to godliness, as it is mentioned in 1 Timothy. What is godliness? Godliness is another word for "devotion". Better yet, it describes being intensely devoted to the pursuit a Kingdom mindset and lifestyle. It is being devoted to passionately pursue the "things above" in prayer.

I heard a story about Paul Washer, the founder of Heart Cry Missionary Society. This man is the closest thing to a modern-day Puritan I have ever come in contact with. He is radical in his pursuit of godliness, and that makes him awesome. Anyway, a man from his church called his house and asked to speak to him. His wife told him that he was busy. "Doing what?," the man replied. She answered by telling him plainly that Paul was "outside in the field dancing with God."

The first time I heard that story, I thought that the man needed to lay off the peace pipe. However, as God has continually developed me, I have come to see the beauty of such a godly pursuit of God. Paul Washer pursues God, and he pursues God radically, doing whatever it takes to deny himself in prayer.

OK, I have delayed the inevitable long enough. I would love your thoughts. My challenge to you all, MYSELF INCLUDED, is to never be afraid to dance. Be radical in prayer.

Socks, Pajamas, and the Radical Church

2005-08-22T10:30:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make. On my way to worship yesterday morning, I stopped at a gas station to buy coffee. As I was waiting in line, wearing my light blue button-down, belt, navy slacks, with shiny black dress shoes, I began talking to the Indian cashier about how I needed that coffee to wake me up for the worship service. The room was filled with the haze of cigarette smoke, and apparently served as a gathering place for the low-income people who lived in the delapidated surrounding community.

As I was pulling out my wallet to pay for the coffee, I heard a voice off to my right say, "I haven't been to church in forever. I need to go back." I turned to see a short African American woman whose hair looked like the resulting effect of her sticking her finger in a light socket. Her eyes were glossy, the cherry on her cigarette was down to the filter. Her attire consisted of a sloppy t-shirt with faded pajama bottoms; lose-fitting, worn-out socks were serving the purpose of shoes.

My immediate response was, "You can come with me right now, if you want." She responded by saying, "I need to change clothes and get dressed up." I could tell by looking into her eyes that she could possibly be persuaded to come that morning. And do you know what Mr. Christian's response was? "Why don't you just come next Sunday. I will be looking for you. My name is Russ. What is yours?" She genuinely looked as if she appreciated my kindness and said, "Rita."

On the surface, this may look like a kind gesture on my part. Yet God knows my inner thought process. I COULD have convinced her to come, JUST AS SHE WAS, but I didn't. You know what I didn't? Because I didn't want her to come in and be exposed to the looks she would more than likely receive by the well-dressed people in our church. I didn't want her to come in wearing PJ's and socks, smelling like an ash tray because I thought people would look down on her, and me for bringing her in looking like that. What a people pleaser I am!

What have I become? What has the western church become?? My mentality fell infinitely short of a Kingdom mentality. Who is this Kingdom we are preaching supposed to LOOK like?? Did Jesus Christ come to establish country clubs, or a Kingdom of diversified worshippers? "Every TRIBE, TONGUE, and NATION." "Man looks at outward appearances, but the Spirit judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Do these verses ring true in this particular scenario? I think so!

The Kingdom is not a country club; it is not a fraternity/sorority; it is not a political system; it is not a textbook; it is not a stand-up comedy show; it is not a Fortune 500 company; it is not a cult; it is not a religion; it is not a course requirement; it is not koom-bi-ah (sp?); it is not a beauty pageant; it is not a physical building of stone; IT IS THE REALITY OF THE CHRIST JOYFULLY WORSHIPPED FOR ALL OF ETERNITY BY THE "FILTHY RAGS" HE HAS CALLED OUT AND REDEEMED.

I am praying that I will have the opportunity to meet Rita again. Regardless of whether or not I meet her again, there will be other "Rita's" in my path. I am praying that I may never again fail to do all I possibly can to carry that soul to the cross of Christ, pajamas, socks, and all. That is radical. That is Christianity. What else is there?

My room mate, Jonathan, has also added his own spin on this subject. Check it out! It's a great read.

A Beautiful Terror

2005-08-19T15:42:00.000-05:00

Last night, as I was lying in bed, I read through Isaiah chapter 2. Anyone who has ever read through this chapter in true meditation, would know that this is not exactly the type of text to read before you fall asleep. By the grace of God, I caught a very very small glimpse of the glory of God in meditating on this text; it was literally an AWEsome experience. I was filled with such a sense of awe and fear that I could hardly fall asleep. It was like I wanted to run away and yet never leave all in simultation. Can anyone relate? I would love to hear your experiences.

The terror of the Lord is not preached enough. The eternal weight of the Christ should not, and CANNOT be placed in any man-made box. According to this text, all of our "boxes", indeed ALL THINGS, will be blown away by the coming of the King. Oh the WEIGHT of the glory of Jesus Christ!

Enter into the rock
and hide in the dust
from before the terror of the LORD,
and from the splendor of his majesty.
The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

--Isaiah 2:10

My pastor preached on the 2nd Coming a short time ago. In reading Isaiah, Mark 13:24-27 sprang to mind. I'll go ahead and paste it in here as well so that you all might be able to get a greater view of Jesus, the lamb-like Lion. Imagine the impact the preaching of the Lion would have on our churches today. The Lamb cannot be preached enough; nothing wrong with preaching on the glory of the sacrifice of Christ. However, the LION is often watered down. The wonder and appreciation are lost in the mix.

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth dto the ends of heaven."

The stars will FALL. The powers in the heavens WILL BE SHAKEN. What a BEAUTIFUL TERROR that we must preach! One last image and a challenge to leave you with:

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

This is no kitten that we are called to exalt and uphold in our preaching...

Check out the trailor to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe . It comes out December 9. You will see me there on opening night.

(The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 . Standard Bible Society: Wheaton)

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

2005-08-18T16:44:00.000-05:00

Hey people...This is probably my favorite song of all time. I hope you enjoy the lyrics as much as I do. R.U.F. does 2 versions of this song that I highly recommend. Check it out and enjoy! "All to leave and follow Thee."

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee;
Desitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my All shalt be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I've sought or hoped or known;
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends may shun me;
Show Thy face, and all is bright.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure!
Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!
In Thy service, pain is pleasure;
With Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee Abba, Father!
I have stayed my heart on Thee.
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather,
All must work for good to me.

Man may trouble and distress me,
'Twill but drive me to Thy breast;
Life with trials hard may press me,
Heaven will bring me sweeeter rest.
Oh, 'tis not in joy to charm me
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Take, my soul, thy full salvation;
Rise o'er sin and fear and care;
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
What a Father's smile is thine,
What a Savior died to win thee;
Child of heaven, shouldst thou repine?

Haste, then, on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith and winged by prayer;
Heaven's eternal day's before thee,
God's own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close the earthly mission,
Swift shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

--Henry Francis Lyte, 1824

Cell phones, Palm Pilots, Providence, and a DORK

2005-08-17T09:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my room mate "misplaced" his palm pilot/cell phone/pc/address book that basically does everything but drive his car for him. It has so much important information on it that the financial cost of losing it was drown out. Needless to say, he was pretty stressed (as any owner of such a James Bond-like device would surely be).

Anyway, we searched the apartment high and low. We called the various relevant offices at the seminary to no avail. He personally went and back-tracked his entire day. Nothing. He arrived back at the apartment in a mild state of confusion.

We decided to pray. Jonathan prayed first. Immediately after he prayed his last words, my cell phone began to ring. It was the man at the information desk at the seminary saying that some random guy had just turned in a cell phone/palm pilot. The call literally took place right before I began to pray! We asked the guy at the desk about the timing, and we determined that the random guy turned the cell phone in as Jonathan began to pray. Praise the King!

With that being said, I am reminded of another of my favorite quotes:

"The providence of God is the Christian's diary." (Thomas Watson)

We wait in expectation for the future providence of God, but how often do we take the time to look at the providence of God in hindsite?

Personally, I have seen God do so many miraculous things in and around my life; things beyond all I could have ever asked or imagined. Yet, when I enter into "unknown territory" with my hands tied behind my back, out of control, I so easily doubt. I get "flustered" and my first inclination is to fight. People hurt and deceive; God is forever faithful. "No good thing does he withold from those whose walk is blameless." He will not give me a stone when I ask for bread.

Another of my favorite verses is Psalm 116:7
"Return, O my soul, to your rest. For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you."

Has God ever disappointed us? We get hurt so often in life, but looking back on it all, can we not see the loving hand of God? It is so easy to look at the things we don't have, and try to take personal responsibility to fight for those things. Instead (PREACHING TO MYSELF HERE), we need to relax and trust God to do the miraclous just as He has always been faithful to do, if we would just dare to ask believing.

The past few months, God has been enriching my view of this in unparalleled ways. And He always seems to use imperfect human beings to do it. What would we do without people to keep us humble? People are truly gifted at stripping away our egos to where we are able to see ourselves as the dorks we all truly are. If there is one area that I have become a professional in, it would have to be DORKHOOD! :)

We'll save my thinking on this for another post...

Spaghetti

2005-08-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

Well, I have to give a shout out to all of the amazing people who wouldn't allow me to leave the blogger network. I really do feel more at home here. A lot of my friends do have Xanga, but I have always kinda walked to the beat of a different drummer anyway, ey? On top of that, I am looking forward to getting to know you all better.

Anyway...

I read a pretty awesome quote the other day. It is one of those quotes that almost blow you out of your chair when you really think about it. Here it is:

"Imagination is evidence of the Divine." Wow!! Think about that for a minute.

God spoke the creation into existence. What an imagination! Creation...What a beautiful manifestation of the gloriously perfect imagination of God in design! Stars, insects, fish, oceans, mountains, the sun, the planets, gravity, oxygen, water (2 gases!), the human brain, the senses (how does smell work?), eye color, teeth, ears, birds, grass, trees, music, colors, rain, tornados, fire, THE CHRIST, etc...Today, ask yourself why God chose to make things the way they are. I challenge you to view the creation, and the Creator, as a child viewing it for the first time.

I was eating lunch with 4 friends today, 2 of which I barely know. They made the comment that I was a very passionate person as I was describing to them the vision trip to Italy I have been planning for the past month or so. The friend that knew me better (he is also thinking about going with me in December) joked that I could get passionate about the spaghetti I was eating for lunch. At first, I was kind of offended in that I thought he was trying to, in a way, cheapen my passion to investigate Italy. Then, I began to think about it.

God help me the day I lose passion for spaghetti! God created it out of NOTHING!! How can you not be fascinated and impassioned by such a miracle? Not only that, but think about how you know it tastes so good. Where did taste come from? I am in seminary gaining the best academic theological training in the world. You know what one of my daily longings and prayers is? That I would NEVER lose the faith of a child. A child takes in everything he senses with a beautiful sense of awe and wonder because he is sensing it for the first time. The man who is truly "walking in the light" with his Creator and Father could see something as "normal" as a mud puddle as being an awesome expression of the holy beauty of God, and fall down on his face in worship. The day I lose my passion is the day I need to repent in dust and ashes. We need more idealistic, awe-filled "children" in the church today because we claim to believe in an ideal awe-filled Kingdom.

Think about that the next time you dig into that "simple" plate of spaghetti...

All Moved In

2005-07-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I spent the last weekend moving in to my new pad and swimming. Of course, I was that idiot that forgot to wear sunscreen! So now my shoulders and chest are flamin' red! Oh, and you all know what it is like to be sunburned and in the shower...YOW!!!

Anyway, the move-in went great! And I got to hang out with some buds down on the river to watch the fireworks last night. Slightly bigger show than in my hometown of Vienna, which boasts 1400 people within the city limits. And you have gotta love Kacy and the Sunshine Band leading us all to a patriotic 80's night!

So, I tellya what...I am losing my zeal for this blogging stuff! I am on the edge of leaving the land of blog for greener pastures. It seems that all my friends are on Xanga. And I am new to this stuff, so I may just try to test the waters there, if at all. Who knows...I may not decide to leave at all. All I know is that I am basically having a dialogue (I guess that would be a monologue, right?) with myself on this thing. I don't know...It could be that I am just a novice blogger...I am man enough to accept that...Regardless, I must be pretty bored to continue rambling to myself on this thing! I can't even figure out how to add pictures on here! Goshh!!!

#1

2005-07-02T08:51:00.000-05:00

Going for a run...Then I am going to begin packing stuff up to take to my new place in the Cedar Point apartments. They have two pools, and I plan to take advantage of them later this afternoon! Only been swimming once this year so far, which is not normal for me. I love the water!

Let me see...Normally, it is at this point that I transition into something more thought-provoking. However, today I have decided to prepare a special treat for you all! I recently read Vince Lombardi's "# 1" speech, and let's just say it made me want to run some laps around the seminary after I had finished reading it!

So, without further ado, I present to you Vince Lombardi on what it takes to be #1...

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he's got to play from the ground up — from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization — an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win — to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there — to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules — but to win.

And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the "brute" nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle — victorious.

Paul describes the Christian life as a race and fight, as well:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). The NIV translates, "I discipline my body and I make it my slave."

We have a responsibility, as the people of God, to fight off the powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). We have a responsibility to uphold and defend the Truth (Read 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, etc.). Lombardi urged his team to compete against flesh and blood. The Word commands us to fight against ourselves and hell. And God's grace will be sufficient for us.

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit brings life (2 Corinthians 3:4-6).

This life is not easy. We have a responsibility to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). Yet we have a guaranteed happy ending through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are victorious in Christ. So I challenge us all, myself included, to live like champions today! "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

How great of a football coach was Vince Lombardi?!

Winds of Change

2005-06-30T13:44:00.000-05:00

Well, it seems as if my life as been one huge transition period ever since high school. Kind of hard to get very close to anybody. You know what I mean?

The winds of change are blowing again here in my world. Today is my last day of working with Stuart. He is the senior assistant to the Dean here at the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Church Growth. Over the past year, he has become a good friend and brother of mine. He has been a mentor for me here at work. Stuart, I am very grateful for how patient you were with me. You were a lot more patient with me than I would have been with myself! Gonna missya buddy!

Oh no...the wind hasn't stopped blowing yet. Tonight also happens to be my last night with my room mate, Sam. I have learned so much about hard work and integrity from this man. He is the hardest working 24-year-old in the United States, I am convinced. If you ever need any financial advice of any sort, please let me know and I will ask him for you! Gonna miss him, too!

The winds of change...Don't you remember that great 80's song?? I can still hear that dude whistling in the background...

With all that being said, the transition period continues...Then again, does it ever end in this life? If I ever get to the point to where I feel that I have "made it" or that I am "settled", will that not be the end of truly living? To me, the person that settles for merely existing is not really living life to the fullest. William Wallace said it best in Braveheart: "Every man dies. Not every man really lives."

Change is a good thing. It should not be viewed negatively. It is in the midst of change that we learn more about who we are, and what we are living for. Change is what tells us that we are truly alive and kicking. This life is a grain of sand on an infinite beach. Do we want to invest it in truly living for something greater (where more change is inevitable)? Or do we want to spend it in hiding in the cave of comfort, correctness, and "normalcy"?

Only one life people...Morgan Freeman tells it like it is in "Shawshank Redemption": "Get busy living, or get busy dying..."

Your thoughts?

Pay It Forward

2005-06-22T17:59:00.000-05:00

I have recently been reflecting heavily upon the past providence of God. Thomas Watson once brilliantly stated that "The providence of God is the Christian's diary." As I look back on my life, I must first be thankful for the gift of life itself. God has lavished me with nothing but free grace and mercy.

I believe that nothing can come from nothing. This is an objective law of physics. "In the beginning was God, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). I believe that Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. "'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8).

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross" (Colossians 1:15-20).

If this is all true, that Jesus Christ is the beginning, then it must mean that no one forced Him to create the universe and everything in it. No one held a gun to His head. Therefore, all of creation, myself included, exists because it pleased Jesus Christ to create it all out of nothing!

I believe in a God who stood on something that was not there, held nothing in His hand, threw it nowhere, and created the universe.

In believing this to be the Truth, my only reaction must be humble praise and awe. Jesus Christ created me out of NOTHING! Did He have to? No! Then why did He choose to do it? Because He took pleasure in creating me out of love.

Therefore, I am left with a heartfelt gratitude toward God for freely choosing to create me out of nothing. What do the sun, the moon, the stars, the ocean, the mountains, all of the insects, the animals, the plants, and myself have in common?? All are miracles made from nothing!

God didn't stop there. He sustains me by His mercy. He redeemed me. And He lavishes me with so many gifts that I have not earned. God has freely chosen to give me a great family, amazing friends, a dream job, and great health. I have a roof over my head and clothes on my back, and I have no debt.

I have all I need for the moment at hand. With this I should be more than content. "Return, O my soul, to your rest. For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you" (Psalm 116:7).

Pay it forward...I love because He first loved me. I forgive because He first forgave me. I truly live because He lived my perfect life for me.

God has done so much for all of us. We should honor Him by doing the same for those less fortunate around us. And what is the greatest gift we have to offer? Is it not the same Gift that is responsible for our joy? The Truth is who the hurt and dying need more than diamonds and cars.

We need to pay it forward because He first paid it all for us.

In Christ Alone

2005-01-24T18:26:00.000-05:00

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Where do Emotions Come From???

2005-01-12T20:43:00.000-05:00

Where do emotions come from? Why do we have them? What use do they have?

I believe they allow for the appreciation of true beauty in all its capacities. It allows for a genuine experience of true beauty. I have also heard it put that emotions are the heart speaking. Emotions let us know when a given reality registers within our personhood. Where as the 5 senses give us objective experiences of the world around us, emotions involve our reaction to them. However, beauty cannot be sensed. It can only be felt. Beauty must be experienced within. You can see, touch, taste, hear, and smell the environment and experiences around you. Yet how do you know if they are beautiful to you or not? Answer: the presence of emotions.
I read an interesting quote on a friend's fridge:

"Love is friendship on fire."

A lot more goes into love than a friendship on fire. True love brings the Light to the stained glass window. However, within the realm of romance, this quote does stake a good 1-line definition.

My Allegory of the Cave

2005-01-11T21:10:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to discover a Christian allegory from Plato's "Allegory of the Cave". Currently, I have the slaves as representing mankind enslaved to self-worship. Satan would represent the slave owner on the second tier who is the substance behind the shadows being projected on the wall. The shadows represent the distored worldview and fruits of self-worship: Fear, Doubt, Shame, Guilt, Control, Self-exaltation, Immorality, Hatred of God and self, Impurity, Depravity, Pain, Evil, Lust. Ultimately, the slaves are controlled by what I would label as The Monster. The Bible calls it the "flesh". Satan feeds the monster what it wants. Satan produces the shadows.

The Fire represents the fountainhead of Truth, or the Father. Truth involves seeing reality for what it is, and it is represented by the Light the Fire produces. God has given mankind over to the control of the Monster's (Flesh's) desires according to Romans 1. God allows Satan to rule over the hearts of unbelievers according to the book of Ephesians Chapter 2:1-10:
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

Satan is the ruler of the kingdom of the air. This is objective reality.

The objective Truth is produced by the Fire (The Father). There would be no shadows if the presence of a light did not exist. The shadows are a distortion of the Truth that Satan produces. He is the deceiver, and men are deceived into believing that the shadows are all there is; that the shadows are the Truth.

There is a whole new world outside the cave that objectively exists outside of the knowledge of the slaves. They can't know it exists unless they are set free from their bondage. The entire point of this mental painting is to portray the absolute desparate state that the slaves are in. They have no key to their shackles. They can know nothing of the objective truth of their condition unless the Fire of Truth itself initiates something. The Fire also lights the way to the cave's Exit. "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27).

The Exit represents Jesus Christ. He is the Door: "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture" (John 10:9).

I have twisted Plato's Allegory up in order to depict the absolute depravity of man. Man is absolutely helpless unless a miracle takes place that would seem inconceivable at the time. This Allegory depicts the state of Mankind after the fall and before the revelation of Truth in the face of Jesus Christ. This Allegory also depicts the state of the unregenerated man in the present day. A divine miracle must take place in order for that man to see himself, the shadows, Satan, the Fire, the Light, and the Exit for what they are.

A key to the shackles must be provided. And it has been provided. It is called FAITH. Only by faith can the slave unlock his shackles, rise forth, look around, see things for what they really are, and leave the darkness of the cave to embrace the whole new world awaiting him. This could not be possible apart from the presence of the Fire, or the Truth, or the Father. It is by faith that otherwise blind men see, and by faith they see the Fire in all its glory.

Faith is the key given to unlock the shackles. I could not come up with a logical way of introducing the "key" into the Allegory. Yet this is so appropriate! The gift of salvation by faith alone was logically ridiculus at the time it was introduced. Faith is not something that man produces on his own. It is something that is given by the presence of the Holy Spirit. "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). You can't box the work of the Spirit within any allegory like this. The key comes by pure grace. And it is a miracle. And miracles would cease being miracles if they were the norm.

The slave can do nothing but exist in the world of shadows. And the Slave Owner hates them in charming them. The depraved state of the unregenerate is one of utter desparation for the mercy and grace of God. Whether or not God will have mercy on them and show them grace is His prerogative, not the slave's:

"What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy" (Romans 9:14-16).

Satan does not love; he hates. His charms are his mere shadows. And they are a distortion of the the Truth. Man will be charmed, deservedly so, into its sentence of hell unless God chooses to exalt His mercy and grace in the salvation of the slave by granting him the faith to believe.

The Christian has room for comfort in that our Exit is also our Mediator, or bridge. Once the door is shut, nothing can snatch His sheep away (Romans 8:37-39). He pleads on our behalf. We are sealed in Him. And our faith will not fail:

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded that he might have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail...(Luke 22:31-32)."

"The prayer of a righteous man is affective..." The Son of God would qualify as being fairly righteous, don't you think?

Shadows and Substance

2005-01-06T15:08:00.000-05:00

"These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ" (Colossians 2:17, ESV).

"I believe in Christ as I believe in the sun; not because I can see it, but because by it I can see everything else" (C.S. Lewis).

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV).

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14, ESV).

"as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18, ESV).

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him" (Jesus Christ, John 14:6-7).

"I and the Father are one" (Jesus Christ, John 10:30).

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6).