Friday, December 28, 2007
Belated Christmas Eve
I have been lazy about blogging about Christmas Eve, but Kelly has summed it up quite well. It was an amazing time, it took a ton of work to organize it but it was worth it. I had a great Christmas. Oddly enough, now that the Christmas Eve craziness is calmed down, I find myself nursing a cold. I think its that thing of when your body needs to perform it does, then when you give it a minute to breathe, it sort of lets things like colds happen. Hopefully it won't affect leading worship too much on Sunday!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Paradoxes about Jesus
Tonight my wife and I went with friends to see the candlelight processional at Disney, with the readings being done by Gary Sinese. It was very cool, a great show and performance, Gary's a great narrator. I loved the whole show except for one little paragraph from the script that like watered down everything they had read and sang up to that point about Jesus and Christmas. Except for that part, it was a great show, glorifying Christ and focused on Him.
One part of the script, toward the end of the show, includes an excerpt from a sermon by a guy named James Allan Francis:
"Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself."
As I listened to this, I could think of how the opposite, or parallel (what's the right word?) idea was true of each of the statements:
"He never owned a home."--He is the builder and owner of heaven itself, the universe cannot contain Him.
"He never wrote a book."--His book is the number one best seller of all time, written over centuries, by many authors, but all under direction of his Spirit, his very breath (2 Timothy 3:16).
"He never had an office."--He is our Prophet, Priest, and King all in one. He is our advocate before the Father.
"He never had a family."--We are his children, sons and daughters.
"He never went to college."--At 12 he was teaching the college professors all about the stuff they were experts in.
"He never put his foot inside a big city."--Jerusalem is big in importance in Scripture. Heaven seems like a pretty big city according to Rev. 21.
"He never traveled 200 miles from the place he was born."--Until he ascended to the throne of his Father in heaven.
"He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness."--Hmmmm....how about reading the gospels?
I guess you could say what was not known to be true of him by those who saw Him on earth, we now know by faith and reading of His word. So the last sentence is a fitting end: "He had no credentials but Himself."
One part of the script, toward the end of the show, includes an excerpt from a sermon by a guy named James Allan Francis:
"Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself."
As I listened to this, I could think of how the opposite, or parallel (what's the right word?) idea was true of each of the statements:
"He never owned a home."--He is the builder and owner of heaven itself, the universe cannot contain Him.
"He never wrote a book."--His book is the number one best seller of all time, written over centuries, by many authors, but all under direction of his Spirit, his very breath (2 Timothy 3:16).
"He never had an office."--He is our Prophet, Priest, and King all in one. He is our advocate before the Father.
"He never had a family."--We are his children, sons and daughters.
"He never went to college."--At 12 he was teaching the college professors all about the stuff they were experts in.
"He never put his foot inside a big city."--Jerusalem is big in importance in Scripture. Heaven seems like a pretty big city according to Rev. 21.
"He never traveled 200 miles from the place he was born."--Until he ascended to the throne of his Father in heaven.
"He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness."--Hmmmm....how about reading the gospels?
I guess you could say what was not known to be true of him by those who saw Him on earth, we now know by faith and reading of His word. So the last sentence is a fitting end: "He had no credentials but Himself."
Saturday, December 22, 2007
My Little Project Angel Tree
Over the past month, a couple of people from our church have been organizing Project Angel Tree at Grace. My wife and I were able to participate in it (it was an awesome event that was a big success as far as I know this morning), but still felt like we could do more in terms of giving away, rather than spending money on each other or family who are getting along just fine. A couple of times this month a single woman, we'll call her "J," has come into the office, asking for someone to pray for her. She's not a homeless woman, but she's having a hard go of it this Christmas.
J is in her 40's (by my guess), single, has a daughter who is currently in Prague teaching english, and J loves God. She recently moved to Orlando to go to culinary school, I don't know where. She was promised some hours at a local urban restaurant, I assume as a cook. She's been having trouble getting enough gas money to make the 8 mile trek from her apartment to work. She came into the office this week, and relayed that her total paycheck for the last two weeks is $325. She's driving her car without insurance, and praying, and desperate.
I will have a moment of vulnerability here and say when I first saw her, I was in conversation with someone else and my first instinct was to blow her off. God had other plans, and I found my heart softening. I confess I'm a bit ashamed, and am asking him to work more compassion in me, more willingness to look with love, to have God's eyes, and his heart toward others.
As J talked, she boldly asked if I could look around, or get the word out to people in the church, about some of her needs. I wrote down some of the basic things she needed, and took her address and phone number. I knew of a couple families, who felt like we did, that we could perhaps give a bit more to others this season, so I emailed them about her needs, and people came through.
Fast forward to noon today.
I drive up to this apartment complex located right smack dab next to the entrance to I-4 from 436. It's one of the noisiest, most crowded intersections in Orlando. J lives in a nice but modest one bedroom apartment, was sleeping on one of those chairs you see by a pool, and had only one other small piece of furniture. Enter me, with a 16' rental truck, which I open and pull out a brand new full size bed frame, mattress, and box spring, plus other boxes and gift bags. I helped J set up her bed with the mattress and box spring, then pulled out the sheets and blanket we had bought at Target. I didn't stay and watch her open the rest of what was there, but I know she won't have to pay for gas out of her own pocket for a month, hopefully, and she'll be cooking some decent food on her own stove this Christmas.
J was blown away. While I helped her, I talked about Grace doing this because we wanted to be Jesus' hands and feet. She seemed quite confident through her faith when she said that she hopes that next year this time, she can buy angel tree gifts, and be blessing others through the gift of preparing food. Who knows what other gifts God might have blessed J with. As I finished helping her and praying with her, she was moved to tears of joy, and I nearly was myself as we prayed together, and I prayed for God's blessing on her life, that he would be Emmanuel to her, and Jehovah Jireh, the Provider.
It felt good, for the first time in a long time, it seems like, to really substantially give hope, give life, give tangible evidence of the love of Jesus Christ, and to watch her receive. It hammered home to me that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Is that a Scripture text or just an old cliche? Whatever it is, I got it today.
J is in her 40's (by my guess), single, has a daughter who is currently in Prague teaching english, and J loves God. She recently moved to Orlando to go to culinary school, I don't know where. She was promised some hours at a local urban restaurant, I assume as a cook. She's been having trouble getting enough gas money to make the 8 mile trek from her apartment to work. She came into the office this week, and relayed that her total paycheck for the last two weeks is $325. She's driving her car without insurance, and praying, and desperate.
I will have a moment of vulnerability here and say when I first saw her, I was in conversation with someone else and my first instinct was to blow her off. God had other plans, and I found my heart softening. I confess I'm a bit ashamed, and am asking him to work more compassion in me, more willingness to look with love, to have God's eyes, and his heart toward others.
As J talked, she boldly asked if I could look around, or get the word out to people in the church, about some of her needs. I wrote down some of the basic things she needed, and took her address and phone number. I knew of a couple families, who felt like we did, that we could perhaps give a bit more to others this season, so I emailed them about her needs, and people came through.
Fast forward to noon today.
I drive up to this apartment complex located right smack dab next to the entrance to I-4 from 436. It's one of the noisiest, most crowded intersections in Orlando. J lives in a nice but modest one bedroom apartment, was sleeping on one of those chairs you see by a pool, and had only one other small piece of furniture. Enter me, with a 16' rental truck, which I open and pull out a brand new full size bed frame, mattress, and box spring, plus other boxes and gift bags. I helped J set up her bed with the mattress and box spring, then pulled out the sheets and blanket we had bought at Target. I didn't stay and watch her open the rest of what was there, but I know she won't have to pay for gas out of her own pocket for a month, hopefully, and she'll be cooking some decent food on her own stove this Christmas.
J was blown away. While I helped her, I talked about Grace doing this because we wanted to be Jesus' hands and feet. She seemed quite confident through her faith when she said that she hopes that next year this time, she can buy angel tree gifts, and be blessing others through the gift of preparing food. Who knows what other gifts God might have blessed J with. As I finished helping her and praying with her, she was moved to tears of joy, and I nearly was myself as we prayed together, and I prayed for God's blessing on her life, that he would be Emmanuel to her, and Jehovah Jireh, the Provider.
It felt good, for the first time in a long time, it seems like, to really substantially give hope, give life, give tangible evidence of the love of Jesus Christ, and to watch her receive. It hammered home to me that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Is that a Scripture text or just an old cliche? Whatever it is, I got it today.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
A New Little One for Friends
Last night to wind down the day I went for a trip downtown to the 7th floor of city hall to get an open flame permit so we didn't get in trouble with our Christmas Eve candlelight service. That was a fiasco in itself but I'll spare you the details. Let's just say by the time I finally walked out of there right at 5:00, I was a bit miffed at traffic, bureaucracy, etc. But I took the detour to make the visit I'd been looking forward to all day--to see my Friends Mike and Kelly and their new baby girl, Katy Claire.
It was fun just hanging out with Mike and Kelly on the 9th floor of Winnie Palmer, just catching up on how things had been for them. Of course I spent equally as much time answering their questions about how things were with Grace, arrangements for Christmas Eve, and the few things I needed to run by them. But then Mike took me down to NICU, where Katy Claire is doing well, just placed there as a precaution because she's a premie by a few weeks. She is the cutest, most fragile, precious thing! It made me excited to have one of those some day. She was a bit fussy so I didn't hold her, but Mike did and I put my finger near her hand--that little bugger has a grip! It was fun to see her open her eyes a couple of times, and to watch Mike love on her.
I have pretty much no experience with babies, and what experience I do have, I just get a little wigged out, because I'm so afraid I'll do something wrong. But now with this image in my head of Katy Claire, I think there's something amazing, you can't put it into words, when you look there. My head doesn't yet understand it, but something in my heart connects with profound truth about the creature/Creator relationship. When I look at a little baby like Katy Claire, "Cute" doesn't scratch the surface. Maybe "holy"? I'm sure it's 100 times more powerful a feeling when it's your own kid popping outta there.
It was fun just hanging out with Mike and Kelly on the 9th floor of Winnie Palmer, just catching up on how things had been for them. Of course I spent equally as much time answering their questions about how things were with Grace, arrangements for Christmas Eve, and the few things I needed to run by them. But then Mike took me down to NICU, where Katy Claire is doing well, just placed there as a precaution because she's a premie by a few weeks. She is the cutest, most fragile, precious thing! It made me excited to have one of those some day. She was a bit fussy so I didn't hold her, but Mike did and I put my finger near her hand--that little bugger has a grip! It was fun to see her open her eyes a couple of times, and to watch Mike love on her.
I have pretty much no experience with babies, and what experience I do have, I just get a little wigged out, because I'm so afraid I'll do something wrong. But now with this image in my head of Katy Claire, I think there's something amazing, you can't put it into words, when you look there. My head doesn't yet understand it, but something in my heart connects with profound truth about the creature/Creator relationship. When I look at a little baby like Katy Claire, "Cute" doesn't scratch the surface. Maybe "holy"? I'm sure it's 100 times more powerful a feeling when it's your own kid popping outta there.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Chesterton on Christmas
A friend of mine who is planting a church in Berkeley wrote about many people who do Christmas though they profess themselves atheists and secularists. In that regard, he prayed that for those inside and outside the church, the following would happen while such people were still living, rather than in their death. It fit well with Pastor Mike's sermon this past Sunday about traditions at Christmas. And here is the quote:
"The great majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day suddenly wake up and discover why." – G.K. Chesterton, "On Christmas."
"The great majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day suddenly wake up and discover why." – G.K. Chesterton, "On Christmas."
Monday, December 17, 2007
08 Presidential Campaign and Christ
I found this little blog pretty interesting. I think Christian politicians should exercise extreme caution when referring to Christ in their talks. Don't get me wrong, in no way do I think they should be ashamed; I think they should not be afraid to talk about their faith, but they should be careful about aligning Christ with any specific political view. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world..."
Sunday, December 16, 2007
I Am Legend
IF YOU READ THIS YOU WON'T FIND OUT THE ENDING OF THE MOVIE "I AM LEGEND," BUT YOU WILL FIND OUT SIGINIFICANT PARTS OF THE STORY. Just making sure you know. So I just got back from viewing the movie. Very interesting, there's a bit of everything in it and I think it's extremely well done. The movie really keeps your interest, it doesn't move slow, and it's captivating. Will Smith plays the character extremely well; I'm continuously amazed by his ability to act in these last few years. It also seems like lately his movies have at one point or another showed off how ripped he is. Holy Cow. I don't know if VanDamme had that much muscle tone in his heyday.
The story line is interesting, with some interesting topics and issues that get touched on. Here is a man who has known some of the most brutal heartache I think anyone can imagine. And he spends his days and nights alone except for his dog, who then gets infected, leaving him totally and utterly alone in the world, as far as he knows. He's got stamina though, as he continues his work to try and find a cure, and even his experiments, you can tell, have brought day after day of struggle and pain as he tries to heal the world of such vicious aggression that has totally consumed every infected person. Infected people represent 99% of the world's population in the movie.
After he loses his dog, he pretty much goes mental and stays out driving around in the dark when the rabid mutants come out, and he loses it and starts running them over but they overwhelm his truck and are just about to kill him when some huge lights are all of the sudden flashed on, driving all the mutants away (called dark-seekers because they come out at night). It is then he finds out there are other uninfected survivors. I'll leave it there, with recommendations to go ahead and see it. Its a bit of a roller coaster emotionally, and you will find some moments of being frightened. I would not recommend it to anyone under 15 unless you feel they're not affected by fright and scenes of human aggression, similar to a rabid human on steroids. Also I felt the ending could have been a little different, but that's just personal preference. If you've seen it, let me know your thoughts!
The story line is interesting, with some interesting topics and issues that get touched on. Here is a man who has known some of the most brutal heartache I think anyone can imagine. And he spends his days and nights alone except for his dog, who then gets infected, leaving him totally and utterly alone in the world, as far as he knows. He's got stamina though, as he continues his work to try and find a cure, and even his experiments, you can tell, have brought day after day of struggle and pain as he tries to heal the world of such vicious aggression that has totally consumed every infected person. Infected people represent 99% of the world's population in the movie.
After he loses his dog, he pretty much goes mental and stays out driving around in the dark when the rabid mutants come out, and he loses it and starts running them over but they overwhelm his truck and are just about to kill him when some huge lights are all of the sudden flashed on, driving all the mutants away (called dark-seekers because they come out at night). It is then he finds out there are other uninfected survivors. I'll leave it there, with recommendations to go ahead and see it. Its a bit of a roller coaster emotionally, and you will find some moments of being frightened. I would not recommend it to anyone under 15 unless you feel they're not affected by fright and scenes of human aggression, similar to a rabid human on steroids. Also I felt the ending could have been a little different, but that's just personal preference. If you've seen it, let me know your thoughts!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Peculiar People
You've probably never heard of this husband and wife drama duo, Peculiar People. I saw them about three years ago when they came to RTS to do a chapel service, and then a little "Steve's Front Porch" kind of reflection time with Steve Brown and Buddy Greene. In their dramas and storytelling they do half comedy, half serious, and they're really good at what they do. I remember laughing and crying within five minutes of each other. I won't soon forget when they did a drama based on the 2nd or 3rd chapter of Steve Brown's book, When Being Good Isn't Good Enough. It really touched me. I recently got their newsletter in the mail, which is absolutely hilarious and heartwarming as well. I'm excited about their plans to start a church focused in the arts in South Carolina. Hmmm....yet another couple with a good excuse to move to the Carolinas... Anyway, if anyone from SC is reading this, or even if you're not,
check them out if you have a chance!
check them out if you have a chance!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Looking ahead and behind
This week we did some looking back at 2007 at Grace, and some looking ahead at 2008. We did a TON in 2007! We did a lot of special events, we really amped up our small groups and saw significant life change from it, and we achieved greater effectiveness in all of our different endeavors. Looking back, I think we see God's hand in all of it. Through our work and through connecting others to God and to each other, people's lives have been changed. Many have been challenged to take their next step toward Christ.
We plan to keep up, improve, and amp up things in the next year. Just in the time from now to Easter I think I counted ten significant events/momentum builders on our calendar. The goal in these is that they would challenge our people to take another step toward Christ. My personal hope and prayer for our leaders is the desire I have for myself as we step into the new year--that a spirit of prayer, a spiritual awareness and receptivity would increase in us. I see it happening already among us, and its great. A men's group I'm currently part of has been a catalyst for that in my heart, and I feel like I'm just scratching the surface.
I'm pumped about some of the songs I think we may start playing next year when our worship leader comes on full time. We're definitely going to the next level in that area, as we hopefully get a few simple lights, and we start singing some of Hillsong's recent stuff (It's REALLY good stuff they're coming out with these days!). We have a talented band. A really talented band that it is an awesome privilege to be a part of. I look forward to more times when our congregation catches the passion for God, and connects to Holy Spirit in worship. Those moments are amazing and I cherish them.
We plan to keep up, improve, and amp up things in the next year. Just in the time from now to Easter I think I counted ten significant events/momentum builders on our calendar. The goal in these is that they would challenge our people to take another step toward Christ. My personal hope and prayer for our leaders is the desire I have for myself as we step into the new year--that a spirit of prayer, a spiritual awareness and receptivity would increase in us. I see it happening already among us, and its great. A men's group I'm currently part of has been a catalyst for that in my heart, and I feel like I'm just scratching the surface.
I'm pumped about some of the songs I think we may start playing next year when our worship leader comes on full time. We're definitely going to the next level in that area, as we hopefully get a few simple lights, and we start singing some of Hillsong's recent stuff (It's REALLY good stuff they're coming out with these days!). We have a talented band. A really talented band that it is an awesome privilege to be a part of. I look forward to more times when our congregation catches the passion for God, and connects to Holy Spirit in worship. Those moments are amazing and I cherish them.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Louie Giglio Talk
A friend of mine let me borrow a DVD that I guess was packaged along with the release of a Chris Tomlin CD. The DVD includes a talk from Louie where he talks about the size of the Universe, highlighting some of those big stars that God has created, the biggest one we've discovered so far is Canis Major. It's stuff I've heard before and find I can't get my mind around it. It's like it's so huge I can't even comprehend it, even when Louie tries to give metaphors to help us understand it. As I write I think I posted on something similar last month based on a talk by Francis Chan. Oh well. I recommend getting a hold of the talk, Louie does a great job connecting the power and glory of God with his love and care for us His people. I recommend Chan to you as well. Look up the "Vintage Life" talks podcasted on iTunes. Chan's on there.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Things I've done.
My wife did it, it's a great way to fill up space on here and keep your interest!
What have you done?
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone (they are the best kind!)
8. Said “I love you” and meant it (every day, I do)
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb--DOES A GOAT COUNT? A goat died in my arms once.
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking--at our wedding!
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends - ahem, HAVE amazing friends, thank you.
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love - but I wasn't really in love, in retrospect
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow--yes, and twice daily milked goats
56. Alphabetized your CDs – organized them not A-Z by acc. to genre
57. Pretended to be a superhero!--Bravestar. Does Frank Hardy count?
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
;">62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater--saw Lion King
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken - see #72
69. Toured ancient sites--most notably, the Holy Land including the temple mount and Dome of the Rock.
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music--not just in Garage Band mac OS X program either
87. Eaten shark--caught one once too.
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS ONE--I'll make one up-Repaired a broken water main.
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking--probably singing "Kyrie by Mr. Mister
103. Had plastic surgery--many for CLP
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived--horseback riding accident
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone--#104
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse--OWNED 6 horses.
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi – mmm!
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language--"The response I got was "YOU PAY THOUSAND SHEKEL!!!!"
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair - sort of, with my church
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
What have you done?
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone (they are the best kind!)
8. Said “I love you” and meant it (every day, I do)
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb--DOES A GOAT COUNT? A goat died in my arms once.
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking--at our wedding!
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends - ahem, HAVE amazing friends, thank you.
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love - but I wasn't really in love, in retrospect
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow--yes, and twice daily milked goats
56. Alphabetized your CDs – organized them not A-Z by acc. to genre
57. Pretended to be a superhero!--Bravestar. Does Frank Hardy count?
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
;">62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater--saw Lion King
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken - see #72
69. Toured ancient sites--most notably, the Holy Land including the temple mount and Dome of the Rock.
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music--not just in Garage Band mac OS X program either
87. Eaten shark--caught one once too.
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS ONE--I'll make one up-Repaired a broken water main.
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking--probably singing "Kyrie by Mr. Mister
103. Had plastic surgery--many for CLP
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived--horseback riding accident
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone--#104
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse--OWNED 6 horses.
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi – mmm!
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language--"The response I got was "YOU PAY THOUSAND SHEKEL!!!!"
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair - sort of, with my church
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Blessing and a Pure Heart
A friend of mine from the Orlando Sentinel recently interviewed Joel Osteen. As I read through some of the stories there and heard a couple of the things he said, a couple times he talked about having a heart that is pure before God. I really like that and I appreciate that he points that out. So many people forget that aspect when they focus on the abundance of God and his blessing. I don't like the word "prosperity" in this context, only because of its connotations. The so called "Prosperity Gospel" is focused on this world and on our possessions. Our culture bombards us with prosperity. We need a gospel that talks about blessing.
God repeatedly talks about blessing in the Bible, but it is for those who are totally surrendered humble before Him, pure in heart before Him. They're not following God simply because they want to be blessed. They follow God whether he blesses them or not. It's Matthew 5, the beatitudes. In the OT, God desired to bless Israel so that they could be a testimony for God's glory. They screwed it up by not being pure in heart toward him. So he stopped blessing them. Another good 5 minute read in this context is the book of Haggai. Go to the beginning of the New Testament, then go back three books. When the people neglected building God's house, and built their own houses, he sent drought. When they followed him, he promised blessing.
Kudos to Joel for pointing out, in his warm fuzzy Texan drawl, that following God blesses us when our hearts are pure, when we're in it for Him, and not for his blessing. Look up John Piper on youtube or Godtube about this. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
God repeatedly talks about blessing in the Bible, but it is for those who are totally surrendered humble before Him, pure in heart before Him. They're not following God simply because they want to be blessed. They follow God whether he blesses them or not. It's Matthew 5, the beatitudes. In the OT, God desired to bless Israel so that they could be a testimony for God's glory. They screwed it up by not being pure in heart toward him. So he stopped blessing them. Another good 5 minute read in this context is the book of Haggai. Go to the beginning of the New Testament, then go back three books. When the people neglected building God's house, and built their own houses, he sent drought. When they followed him, he promised blessing.
Kudos to Joel for pointing out, in his warm fuzzy Texan drawl, that following God blesses us when our hearts are pure, when we're in it for Him, and not for his blessing. Look up John Piper on youtube or Godtube about this. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Thoughts from the Weekend
A big sigh... It feels like the last 24 hours has seen a lot of technical gliches in the matrix as we've carried out our work at Grace. It's been an awesome weekend as far as the final product, what people see and hear, the final result. But behind the scenes it's been busy and a little crazy! Last night our worship band played at Holiday on the Drive. When you play outdoors it's not going to be as good of a stage mix as it would indoors, but then the sound crew that the festival organizers had hired wouldn't allow our sound engineer to run the board. On the stage we were all feeling like it wasn't ideal but it went off OK. What we heard from those who watched and listened was that it was absolutely awesome and we sounded great.
So after we had personally lugged half of our sound system back to the church we went out to pizza with our friends, Chad and Hilary. Then I got some fitful sleep and headed to the church this morning. It was one of those mornings, more than I've ever personally felt, where tons of little things aren't going well and it starts to get on your nerves. We kept on getting feedback when we hit G# on the bass, we were minus one monitor that we can't seem to get to work, I forgot the worship guides at the office in all of last night's craziness trying to pack up, etc....
After it all, from what I gather, things came off really well. The first service went really well, we sounded good, the Spirit was there and things really came off well. I believe God did some real movement in people's hearts. The second service I think went pretty well too, it's just that my guitar was accidently muted for about 1 and 1/2 songs. Guess it's just a reminder that what Jesus does on Sunday mornings or any other day of the week will happen even if it's not all right technically. He just wants our hearts in the right place. I think a lot of hearts are in the right place at Grace, and I hope and pray for that to be more and more evident in our church. And in my heart.
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