Feels like a monday..

Man, I'm tired. Stayed up late last night. There's an interesting story behind that, though...

I decided to go to bed, but to check to make sure my truck was locked first. So I stepped out onto the balcony outside my apartment so my remote would work, and made sure it was locked. Then I turned around to go in and realized that I had locked the door behind me and I didn't have a key. So here I was, 12:30 or so at night in my boxers and a t-shirt locked out of my apartment and Brooke and Bekah are sound asleep inside. I knocked for a few minutes and then sat in the truck (it was the only place I could open!) and contemplated sleeping in there, but it was WAY too uncomfortable. So I went back upstairs and knocked/banged on the door until my wife let me in. This experience definitely makes the "dumbest stuff I ever did" list.

..On a separate note, what's up with this whole global warming thing? I mean, people on both sides of the issue claim that scientists concur with THEIR point of view. I understand that the scientific community is divided on this issue, but both sides seem to insinuate that the entire scientific community is behind them! Also with the exception of one politician, it seems like all Democrats believe in global warming and all Republicans don't.. Weird stuff. As for me, I don't know what to believe without actually looking into it.

mi declaración oficial

A quien pueda interesar:

No puedo hablar para cualquier persona , sino que no soy un idiota. Toma a persona realmente elegante para hacer para arriba una historia sobre raccoons y lanzadores propulsados cohete del burrito.

¡Haha, usted ganso tonto! ¡Usted puede ningún uso más largo el lenguaje español como arma contra mí!

Su error probará costoso cuando los raccoons asumen el control el mundo.

..To my non-Spanish-speaking friends, please disregard. :D

Effort and Faith..

According to the Bible, we are saved by faith and not of works, and yet according to the book of James, our works prove our faith. Jesus said in John 15 that apart from Him we can do nothing. Paul said in Philippians that he could do "all things through Christ who strengthens me."

It seems to me there is a fine line somewhere between effort and faith in the life of a Christian.

Am I crazy? Don't answer that question. But seriously, where is the middle ground? I know that anything done in our strength does not please God, because we cannot please Him without faith and our works before God are as filthy rags. But to trust God to provide all of our needs (which He said He will) without taking any action whatsoever is to be lazy.

I'm trying to find this balance, and I strongly believe that God is actively teaching me this at this point in my life. I have been at both ends of the spectrum. From what I understand, when we live a life totally surrendered to God and obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we will find that balance. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I grasp this concept with my mind, but it still has not fully come into the realm of personal experience.

I know this- at the end of my life, I want to be able to rest confidently in the fact that I did what God called me to do no matter what, and that peoples' lives were changed because of it.

*To those of you who have posted responses to my previous posts, I just want to let you know I've read them, and I could respond, but this dialogue will never reach an end. I am choosing to move on with a new focus on what it means to live a life that pleases God and brings Him glory. That dialogue might continue on others' pages, but not on mine.*

Why can't the Bible mean what it says?

Acts 17
30"Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,
31because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."

Why would God command everyone everywhere to repent if some were not able to repent?

I'm sure the 16 comments I'm going to get on this one are going to be very interesting.

More Evidence

1 John 2 (New American Standard Bible)
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
1 John 2
Christ Is Our Advocate
1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
2and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

Is this out of context?

"Sound Doctrine"

Seems to me like the more I try to learn about God and the Bible, the more questions I end up with. Truly God's ways are higher than ours. But that's not an excuse to neglect Bible study. Just a statement that we will never fully understand God. Never. We can study the Bible our whole life and many things about God will still be a mystery to us.

God cannot be summarized by five points. God cannot fit in the mental boxes we try to place around Him.

I read a post, and I can't remember whose it was, but I believe it was Mark Batterson talking about sideways energy. Energy spent discussing/arguing over doctrine instead of using it to further God's kingdom. Titus 3:9-11 says it all.

I want to be careful that what is going on in discussions is good in some way and not just a pointless argument. There's going to be a point very soon where Jeff and I have said all we have to say to each other. After that it would be easy to argue. But I won't.

Jeff and I are going to debate his point of view in a couple of weeks in JC's sunday school class. After that, 95% of the discussion will be over. The discussion has been enjoyable because we have both grown because of it.

So my focus should be God's kingdom. Not fighting over doctrine. Why? God has commanded it in the Bible.

THAT is sound doctrine.

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

This is Romans 5:6.

My question is this: Wouldn't this be a good opportunity to interject something about Jesus not dying for all people if that were true? If Christ died for the ungodly, which according to Romans 3:9-18 is everyone, that proves Jesus died for everyone.

Maybe I haven't heard the best explanation of the Calvinist view, but so far it seems as though logic is left out. For example, when someone explains the Calvinist view of irresistable grace to me, it is explained sort of like this: "When God reveals His goodness and all He is to you, you will chose him." Further questioning on my part reveals that there is no free will involved. So here you go-

If people can't say no, is it a choice? NO!

It baffles me, to say the least. I am still continuing to dialogue in the hope of better understanding this point of view.

If Jesus died for everyone (Romans 3) and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10) then a view of Romans 9 that does not fit the chapters surrounding it is incorrect.

Choice

The last two posts on Jeff's blog are about the theological topic of election. The point of view expressed in these two posts is one similar to Calvinism or Reformed Theology. Here are the cliff notes, so to speak:

-God chose who would go to heaven and hell before time began.
-People cannot resist choosing God when He draws them.
-If you are not one of the elect (chosen) you cannot choose God, ever.
-Jesus only died for the elect.

I have a few problems with this line of thinking. I believe it is an attack on God's character and is fatalistic, to say the least. If these statements were truth, then no one is responsible for their own destiny.

Here's some of the evidence to the contrary:

First Timothy Chapter 2 (emphasis mine):
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ[a]and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Deuteronomy 30 19-20 (emphasis mine)
19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Proverbs 1:29
29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD,
[trust me, this is not out of context; read it for yourself.]

Throughout the Bible the relationship between God and His people has been illustrated as a marriage, a binding relationship where both parties involved make a conscious choice. God is seen as the jealous husband of Israel in the Old Testament and as the Bridegroom in the New Testament.

2 Peter
Read this whole book, especially chapter 3. The book speaks of living a life that brings glory to God because God's judgment is coming on this world and all people.

3:9 shows God's patience and His desire:
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

God is longsuffering (patient) with us because He desires everyone to repent and give their lives to Him.

But here's my main point. Romans chapter 9 is used by some to support Calvinism, but I would like to hear the explanation of chapter 10: (emphasis mine again)
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

Confession is a choice. A view of Romans 9 that supports Calvinist theology conflicts with a Biblical view of Romans 10.

God is awesome.

Random Monday Thoughts.

In no particular order, here goes:

-My wife and I have seen at least five movies in the last four nights. That's more than we've seen in the last four months. Most were really good. Click with Adam Sandler was really good- it makes you really think hard about what you're doing with your life. Coulda done without some of the other stuff in it though. Laughed so hard I cried at one part.

-I have GOT to get a Nintendo Wii. Andrew came over Saturday night and it was probably the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. Not to mention the exercise you get doing it. My muscles are still sore from some of the games we played!

-It's really strange that our interim pastor's leaving without us having a full time pastor. The next few weeks should be really interesting.

-This wednesday is going to be my last wednesday playing at H20. Sad times, but I need to focus on the road ahead since I may not be here much longer. The next place I will play at isn't opening until next year. Plenty of time to practice and bring my A game.

-Every day is a spiritual battle. Unfortunately, I've spent too long pretending it doesn't exist. God is really opening my eyes on this. There are plans in place to try to take me out. Spiritually speaking. Gotta be on the offensive always.

-Todd and JR are no longer pastors at Crosspointe. Weird. Seems like they've been there forever. Can't wait to see what Freedom Church looks like.

Hopefully I'll post another excerpt from Velvet Elvis tomorrow.

Trampoline

Here's one of the concepts presented in Velvet Elvis.

The first chapter explains two perspectives on living the Christian life using two everyday objects- springs and bricks. These objects are specifically used to symbolize doctrine. Springs (doctrine) are not the point. They help us understand the point. "They can be examined. They can be probed. They flex and stretch."

Bricks are what they are, take them or leave them. Bricks are "fixed in size. They can't flex or change size or they can't fit into the wall." If you remove one brick, the wall is weaker and may crumble. You have to accept the whole wall or none of it. Sometimes this leads to situations where "Often it appears as though you have to agree with all of the bricks excactly as they are or you can't join."

Making doctrine number one instead of focusing on building God's kingdom is rediculous. Jesus didn't isolate Himself in the temple with His followers, condemning the outside world and making no real effort to make a lasting impact, but that's what you see in many churches.

The Bible can be trusted. The Bible stands up to critical examination.

Instead of condemning this world, we should be all engaging in an ongoing dialogue about God and the Bible. It should be open to everyone, regardless of personality or beliefs.

Doctrine is important. But if it's number one, then chances are there's pride involved and you believe you're earning God's favor (which is impossible by the way!)

The Christian life is like a trampoline. It's fun. It's scary. It's dangerous at times. But it's fun.

Invite people to jump with you, and watch God do awesome things.

Sunday Night...

Yesterdat was a great day. Sunday school was like Royal Rumble 63, but we had some pretty good conversation about God giving us power through the Holy Spirit to live a life we could not live in our own strength.

We (the H20 band) played at the sunday night worship service. It went really well, except for ten seconds of awkward silence that was due to a video that was on the order of worship that got mysteriously left out. But overall, it was awesome. To God be the glory

Bekah got her ears pierced. I fought it as long as I could, but when I got home from church, there she was, and I couldn't be mad because they looked so beautiful on her. That's okay, because I'm going to get my adams apple pierced with a silver bullet.

If you just believed that statement, then look up "gullible" in the dictionary.

Re-reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. Great book. I'll probably post a quote tomorrow.

Taking risks

So here I am, knowing what God has called me to do but not the how. But to be passive would be laziness and a twisted view of God as this slot machine in the sky that just hands stuff to us. So I'm going to take advantage of an opportunity that has come up and pursue the dream/vision/calling God has given me. I have a few weeks to plan this little trip, and then the rubber hits the road. But God's in control. It seems like every once in a while God allows life to get crazy enough that it feels like it's spinning out of control just so He can remind us that He's in control.

Looking back, I get a lot of comfort from that.

Amazing

This guy makes me sick. I should be able to play like that.

This further reinforces my desire to get actual lessons.

Hope you enjoyed the randomness of this post.

My Dad

After what happened to my computer over the weekend, I sent an email to my Dad yesterday and expected wrath to follow, because he and Theresa gave us that computer. What I did not expect was an incredible amount of grace.

I'm going to take this opportunity to tell you about my Dad and where God has taken him over the years, in the hopes that someone reading this will be inspired and encouraged.

My Mom and Dad divorced when I was about a year and a half. Shortly thereafter, my Dad enlisted in the Army. I didn't see him very much growing up- a week or two here and there, every month or so usually unless he was stationed out of the area. But when he was in town, we had a blast, he would spoil me rotten :D and let me stay up late, play video games, etc. I always cried the night he left. What great times we had. During those times, he was more my buddy-Dad than discipline-Dad. I mean, if you had only a short time to spend with your kid, would you be a disciplinarian?

Then at the age of 15 or 16 (1998 or 1999 I think) I left home and went to live with my Dad in Virginia. Things had been going crazy between my Mom and I and it was definitely the best for everyone's sanity. So my Dad and Theresa (his girlfriend at the time) take in this wild and crazy teenager suffering from depression/anxiety and ADHD all at the same time. I drove them crazy! But more often than not, we got along. They were huge supporters of the band I was in at the time (a hardcore metal band, btw :D) and went to 2 out of our 4 shows (gotta love high school bands).

Then my Dad got a job transfer to Tennessee as a Navy contractor. So the day after I graduated highschool we moved out here to the Memphis area. My Dad helped me get a job on base as a data entry person, and my boss invited me to church where I encountered a loving God who wanted a personal relationship with me and forgave all my sins, changing my life forever.

So I came home and told them about what had happened and they were supportive, but not wholeheartedly. They thought I was crazy for giving my money to a church. My Dad in particular supported me but the new faith I had found he said was just not for him. I invited them to church over and over and over again, and my Dad came sometimes and I was so excited because I wanted him to know this God that I know, but time after time he rejected what God wanted to do in his life. He just wasn't ready.

But one day (march 03 I think) he and Theresa both got saved and they literally became a new creation. They couldn't get enough of the Bible and prayer and living for God. They encouraged and inspired me and still do to this day.

My Dad, obeying God's will, moved to Sicily, Italy to a job God wanted him to do. It was an incredibly tough, stretching time (and still is), but amazing benefits are already being made known- when they get back, Theresa will be able to homeschool Bekah, they will be able to get out of debt, and wherever we are, they can move to the nearest Navy base.

My Dad and I have become super close. He is like a best friend to me. He's an incredible example of what it means to follow God with everything you have and everything you are. He shows me what God's grace looks like when he quickly forgives me for doing something stupid (ex: computer!). He shows me so much about God as our Father.

Dads, you make such an impact on your kids. Never forget that. God used me to draw my Dad to Himself. God uses my Dad to draw me closer to Him. Only eternity will show what an impact he has made.

Zeus broke my computer!

Sorry, just wanted to put that in a title. What actually happened was, my computer experienced a power surge during the storm over the weekend. So yesterday I came in and pushed the power button on my computer tower and nothing. Naturally I freaked out. My life is on that pc! Pictures, resumes, games, etc.

I think things are starting to get better, though. Today, Andrew took some readings with his multimeter ( I think those come with one of these) and it looks like it might only have a bad power supply. Basically, I might only have to replace one part instead of hundreds of dollars' worth of parts!

I have a feeling that God's using this time to purify me for serving Him. Not the computer time really, it's more than that. There's a lot of crazy stuff going on that can only be accomplished/resolved by God. Please pray that I would be obedient to His instruction.

Update on Life in General

Had a great time at the Grizzlies game. JR and Todd got to race each other in giant blow-up hamster balls on the court in front of thousands of people. See, I told you I would have something interesting to blog about!

Something God has been dealing with me about is doing things with excellence. So many things around us suffer because of a lack of this. Churches, for example. I see many churches that do a lot of ministries well, but none with excellence. Stuff like that calls for a laser approach rather than a shotgun one. There's a great book about this subject called Simple Church. It's great. It will change the way you look at church, in a good way.

So, back to me. I feel overwhelmed a lot with the responsibilities that I have, and I believe I'm not alone in this. For example, here's my week:

Monday- work, church meeting
Tuesday- work, informal band practice
Wednesday -off (thank God!), band practice, H2O
Thursday- work
Friday - work
Saturday - work
Sunday - church, sunday school

*Keep in mind, I have a wife and a soon-to-be 2 year old daughter at home, so anything can happen! Sleep is a precious commodity! We get a lot more now that Bekah's older, but the poop still hits the fan sometimes.

Should I feel overwhelmed? Probably not. Some might say that my perspective's messed up, and they're right. I mean, we're supposed to look at things from God's point of view, not through our circumstances, right? What about prioritizing time with family? What about prioritizing Bible study?

As a man of 24 I haven't figured all of this out yet. But this I do know- in a rush to "do things for God," I feel like my life has been hijacked. Work feels like such a waste of time to me, and God's showing me how to work for Him in the meantime, while I'm waiting on Him to make a way for the dreams He's given me. The Bible overwhelms me at times, just for the sheer amount of God-given information contained in it and my impatience to learn it all ASAP doesn't help very much.

In the midst of this chaos (my perspective again), God is shaping me into who He wants me to be. I'm a stubborn idiot more than I'd like to admit, but changes are inevitable. I thought the other night, what if this was the moment I made a decision that changed the rest of my life, a huge decision?

I've got more questions than answers. I don't think I've ever needed God to come through so much as right here, right now.

There's a Skillet song that says, "How can I tell you just all that you are?" answer: EVERYTHING. That fact stands, independent of my intellectual assent or my feelings.

I take comfort that in the midst of my struggle, God is right here with me.

The Grizz

Tonight JR, Todd, Andrew and I are going to a Grizzlies game. I'm not a huge sports fan, but I love watching sports/going to games in group settings. Yeah, I'm weird like that. So get ready for an interesting post tomorrow. I can guarantee it.

Just another holiday?

Holidays are interesting. They fill our hardwired desire to celebrate/commemmorate important events. And like anything else, these good desires can be twisted into some messed up stuff. Like St. Patrick's day- who REALLY knows who he was? To many people the holiday's just an excuse to get drunk on green beer. Or here's a big one- Valentine's day. It's a great idea- encourage men to consolidate all of their affection on their wife/girlfriend into one day, and create an expectation for women to receive something expensive. Anyone else see the problems with that one? Every day should be a "valentine's day" in marriage. And that is something that I am one of the biggest idiots about sometimes, but that's for another post.

But what about Easter? People are divided about it. Some choose to give gifts to their kids and say that they were from the Easter bunny and make it a fun holiday for their kids. Some choose not to celebrate Easter at all because of its pagan origins, choosing to split hairs. The third group of people choose to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus and the hope it brings for the world. I could be cliche and say that the best gift to give your kids is the resurrection message. Just did, as a matter of fact.

But seriously, what are we really celebrating? Do we take the resurrection lightly? Are we living each day in light of this? In a world where emotional circumstances are validated above absolute truth and so many things competing for our attention crowd out God's still small voice, it's so important to never get over what Jesus has done for us. His scars PROVE his love for us!

Celebrate Easter tomorrow, but be REAL about it! God forgive those of us who have become complacent, myself included.

I'm so excited about teaching this tomorrow- the message of the Resurrection is one of those things that if it becomes personal, than someone's eternity will be affected for the glory of God!

Vision

I learned a sobering lesson in vision yesterday. Something that I've been praying about for weeks has hit a brick wall. The proverbial door has been slammed in my face. So I had (and have) to step back and see things from God's perspective. I was depressed when I received the bad news in an email yesterday morning, but by the end of the day, God had shown me that He was testing me to see whether I was committed to the vision God has given me or to a job.

Now I'm encouraged. But here's the tough part- I have to totally surrender this whole situation to God and agree to go wherever He wants me. Even if there's no going involved. Because if God's not with me, then it's pointless to go. But this vision consumes me and it's all I can think about sometimes. And really, if we didn't experience any roadblocks or hardships during this time of transition, what would it be other than a handout from God?

God doesn't give handouts!

Every circumstance that takes place is designed to bring us closer to Him, whether it's giving your life to Him for the first time or anywhere else along the journey. Suffering purifies us and makes us more aware of our dependence on God. Like it says in John 15 "Apart from me, you can do nothing."

I thank God for this time of hardship. As I always say, change is better than business as usual.

As a sidenote, I'm so glad God gives us a choice. Insert your own personal application here.

By the way..

Steven Furtick had an awesome post today. It's especially sobering for parents. Read it!