I was just thinking....

Africa

2009-08-23T09:47:00.001-05:00

Test Post

2009-08-23T09:45:00.001-05:00

blah blah blah

Show Them Your Wounds, Show Them Your Scars

2008-05-01T20:42:00.006-05:00

We live in a world full of "doubting Thomases", especially in our American culture where the empirical rules the day. If you can't quantify it, validate it, test it, and dissect it, then you don't believe it, you don't put faith in it and it has no value.

As Christians, we make a lot of oustanding claims to the world. "We Serve a Risen Savior!". "I am forgiven of my sins". "We wrestle not against flesh and blood..." "My home is in Heaven". Now, imagine the other side of the fence, whose intellectual requirements include only that which can be taken in by our 5 senses. We make claims that we cannot "prove" to a skeptical world, yet we hold onto them as truth - as dictated by God.

Thomas doubted the risen Christ to the point where he needed empirical evidence. Amazingly, Thomas walked with Christ during his ministry, so its difficult to imagine how he could indeed doubt. Christ simply showed him his wounds. Seeing the pierced flesh, the cuts on his forehead (assuming here), Thomas was convinced by the wounds.

Sometimes all a doubting world needs to see is the wounds, the scars, AND the healed lives that we have to show. We can show the world that we are indeed healed of childhood trauma, of divorce, of abandonment, cynicism, unforgiveness, lust, unbridled anger...the list goes on and on. When we truly show our wounds or scars, we can also show how God has healed us.

Its difficult to understate the importance of relating to a hurting and lost world, because we all have scars, we all have tales of triumph and tragedy. However, the Christian has the unique position to give witness to the One Who Heals. Our wounds and scars can give a testimony that words seldom achieve.

Show them your wounds. Show them your scars.

Blog on.
j

Relationships, Challenge & change.

2008-04-13T09:14:00.002-05:00

I believe that God designed relationships to challenge each of us, to help us recognize our limits and even set limits - all to produce growth. I think the most growth occurs in relationships where we are challenged. Challenge can come in the form of:

Sibling rivalry or conflict
Parent-child conflict
Emotional Responsibility
Material Responsibility
Unrealistic Expectations
Moral Conviction
Lack of Moral Conviction

How we approach this challenge always determines our level of growth, and often the level of stress and/or pain we experience. Sometimes challenge is good, which makes change easier. Sometimes challenge is difficult, which makes change difficult.

Challenge always precedes change.

If you feel challenged, accept it. Resisting challenge always means resisting change. Pray for wisdom, that God will show you what you need to learn. Pray for the courage to be obedient as well. Emotional challenge is often so difficult, because human behavior can be difficult to predict. Don't get caught up in prediction, but learn to be sure of yourself, so you are confident of your reaction to that of others.

Remember to pray for wisdom, its the only attribute that God offers to us "generously".

Blog on.

little blessings

2008-01-20T20:53:00.000-06:00

As a part of my journey, as mentioned in my previous post, my path has taken me through a series of little blessings.

The first one is my little niece, Ava. I know...I said I was going to post pictures, but I don't have any. I'm a guy...cut me some slack :). I visited with my brother, his wife and Ava last Thursday and it was so nice to hold her and watch her try to decide whether she was happy or sad that I was there. Between poking out her little bottom lip (prelude to crying) and smiling, I was filled with a joy that made me forget about everything that usually runs through my mind.

New tires. Traveling back tonight from GCG, I was just south of Georgiana, traveling ever-so-slightly above the speed limit ;), when I saw a deer lounging around the middle of the highway. Seconds away from a call to my insurance agent, I put a deathgrip on my steering wheel, braked and turned the steering wheel so slightly enough to avoid this dumb animal. Traveling at that undisclosed speed, I was thinking that my previous tires would not have performed nearly as well. Thank God for new tires!

Serving. Sometimes we forget the joy in serving. I spent a great weekend at Gulf-Coast-Getaway in PC with a bunch of my friends, praising God, making new friends and creating new memories that will last a lifetime. It truly is more blessed to give, than receive.

God's Patience. This fact is never lost on me, in spite of my impatience with myself and sometimes...others. I give myself more grief than should be allowed, and I end up believing that God feels the same way about me. God's patience has spanned thousands of years, wishing that none would perish, but rather come to a saving knowledge of the Truth.

Friends. I have the best group of friends a guy could ask for. Thanks, y'all...for everything!

Bloggeth On.

How Involved?

2008-01-09T22:17:00.000-06:00

I think we should sometimes challenge our own faith, ask questions, reevaluate, question God. I know that sounds bold, but shouldn't we feel comfortable with such questions?

I suppose not, because I don't; however, a few questions have captivated me for a few weeks, and i really don't have any answers.

Has God really left us to our own devices, to make the best of our lives on Earth, using the Bible as the roadmap..."Good luck, see you if you make it" He might have said. No, this isn't in the Bible, but I wonder, truly wonder, how much God is involved in our daily lives.

There seems to be a shift in evangelical thinking, or maybe a "trend" that I see. This trend essentially states my above point, that God spun the world and has left us to make the best of it.
I see this paradigm in people who are very successful and very talented. They seem to be experiencing success based on their: looks, talents, attitude. Not really sure how they see God in their lives or successes.

I do know from what I've heard...that self-reliance has really infiltrated their theology.

The logic makes sense, these "go getters" seem to get ahead because of their initiative. Not sure where prayer is in their equation of success.

I have to wonder though, how much is God really involved in our (daily) lives.

I sort of think prayer is useless, if we refuse ACT in certain scenarios. Other situations require that we be still, like praying for cancer healing, or peace. Praying for a mate, new job, or something tangible is fine, but should we really expect God to drop these items in our laps?

After we pray for something, how proactive should we be as a followup to the subjects that we prayed about?

For instance, "Lord, please heal me from this pain, but I can't confront the person that hurt me." Or, "Father, I am unhappy about life, but I am unwilling to make small changes that could improve my circumstances."

Is God REALLY going to enable lazy behavior by granting answers to those unwilling to look beyond their circumstances and improve themselves? Should we ask what WE can do about our lives before, or after praying? I know of people who have prayed for years for certain things to happen, but the answer has yet to arrive. I wonder if the answer walks by them every day or stares them in the face as they get ready for work.

Why do we pray for healing, yet go to the doctor's office and take medicine? Or are we to rely on medicine as God's remedy for health problems, notwithstanding the sparse miracles that many have seen.

That freewill thing is a pain, huh?

I believe that God can put opportunities in front of us, but feel that we miss them because we're expecting the Lord to deliver the answered prayers in a limo or a big red box. I think we miss opportunities for Growth because we're a little myopic in our thinking and conception of how God answers prayers.

I'm seeking Him, and I want this greater knowledge of Him than I have ever had before.

I guess sometimes...we have to ask difficult questions before we can really grow and mature. My faith is challenged but I take comfort in that "God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him."

I hope I'm asking the right questions. Please pray for me, or share any wisdom with me.

Great Expectations!

2007-12-27T20:58:00.001-06:00

Aren't you glad that Christmas is over? Well, I am, and with each passing year I dislike Christmas even more. Let me qualify this statement before you form any judgments. Retail America has turned Christmas into this merchandise-grab under the premise that these gifts will be the "best ever". Heck, if you buy a Lexus, you get a big red bow and you live happily ever after (just watch the commercial, and see what they are really selling).

I hate expectations when they are placed upon me without my approval. I know that sounds arrogant, but my employer has expectations of me, but I also expect to continue working there. Its when expectations are out of balance, that conflict (even if its internal) arises.

Christmas is a crap holiday because of what has been made of it.

Nothing we buy was ever meant to fulfill us, yet this is what we are bombarded with each year.

Then comes the expectation that somebody in your family will be "hurt" if you don't buy them some meaningless gift,so you feel obligated to buy them something that they really won't use. Madness, I tell you. Madness.

Now, I love the Christmas trees, the lights, even the music. I love the festive atmosphere that seems to exist during this time of year, so I'm not a complete scrooge, just a realist.

So, how do you handle Christmas & the expectations therein? Do you feel obligated to spend $1500 on family members because "that's just the way we do things"? Or, have you really given something that nobody could repay during this Holiday Season, your time?

Great Expectations, eh?

Blog on,
Jon

I'm an Uncle...Again!

2007-11-17T09:01:00.000-06:00

Not much time this morning, i have study group and need to put in some hours at the office. I have yet to receive any pics, but when I do I will share.

My niece, Ava Rose was born Thursday at 1:15am, weighed 9lbs 2oz and was 20.5 inches long. I am completely smitten! I can only imagine how my brother feels as the father! I wanted to go buy all sorts of oufits for her, but then I remembered that her closet had been well-stocked many months prior.

more to come...

Having a Hard Time with This one...

2007-10-28T22:10:00.001-05:00

I don't talk much about my family, partly because I'm a very private individual and also because it seems that in times past, there's been more bad than good, so why talk about that, eh? I feel that I'm very loyal to my family, probably to my detriment sometimes, but loyal nonetheless. So, I'll share this tidbit of my life in hopes that I can get some good wisdom from my audience of 1 :).

I have a dilemma on my hands and I'm torn about how to handle it.

It's about my father.

He "lives" in Florida, but his work is up here and he has been living with me for about 2.75 years, during the week. He goes home on the weekends. He's my dad, and out of respect and love for him, I put him up and put up with him as well. I'm starting to feel, though, the pinch of having someone in my house every week. Plus, I'm in the final stages of my graduate education and the pressure is enormous. When I have a lot on my mind, I like solitude and quiet. I don't like distractions from what I need to accomplish.

During the course of these few years, its been tough having him up so much. I have lost a sense of having my "own" house because of the consistent company. He's done plenty to help me over the years and in return, he has benefited GREATLY from staying with me while he works. I am closer to him than my other 3 brothers, although Chris has become closer to him in recent years.
I'm going to have a talk with him this week, because I requested that he stay elsewhere for this last month of my schooling, so i can focus on my studies and have the house to myself. He called me tonight and with a contrite tone to his voice, he asked if he could stay this week. How could I say "no"? Well, I'm coming to that point where I will say "no" and maybe a few other things too. I feel it boils down to an issue of respect, because he has other options for "room & board" while he is up here. He could stay with his brother or sister or my other brother (who is happy that he's not putting Dad up at his house). I will always cherish this time I have had with him, but I know what I need right now, and its my house to myself.

For some reason, I don't believe he respects "nice", because anytime we've butted heads on an issue, something positive has come from it; however, asking nicely will get a positive response, but no action in return. I think I'm too nice to my dad. That sounds bad, doesn't it?

The bottom line is this, he has to respect my wishes for this month or else, but he doesn't handle conflict or constructive criticism very well.

So, I'm soliciting advice from any parents out there, how do you handle this situation without doing irreparable damage to a relationship?

blog on.

Well, I'm half-way there

2007-10-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

Gettin a new ride next week. Actually, its not "new", but its newer. I am going put my LR up for sale this weekend and I have a certain amount that I really want to get out of it. I'll get my 4runner next Thursday, so that will be nice!

I ask your prayers that I can get solid value out of it, I've taken good care of it, now its time to move on and let it be somebody else's baby, so-to-speak. If I can get more than I paid for it, that'll be good. Most likely a break even from the extra money I put into it. those sunk costs can be a pain, eh?

School is relentless. Busiest term by far. I need your prayers for mental strength to complete my courses, pass my tests to graduate in Dec.

I can't wait to have my life back. Ever feel that way?

Poll

2007-10-16T18:30:00.000-05:00

Well, as Murphy's law would dictate, I pay off my truck and crap starts to happen. I'm a little concerned that I will be clipped each month for a couple hundred smackers and I'm dealing with a few unexpected expenses this month.

So, I'm considering selling my rig and getting a Toyota, while I can still get some value out of my Rover. I don't want to become a victim to a money pit.

I LOVE my truck. I really do, but I'm coming to a point where I don't want to wrench each month and spend mad cash on it. Defeats the purpose of not having a car payment, eh?

I think I could probably get more for it, than I paid. I would put that money towards a toyota (from an auction) and have that paid off in 2 years (or less), with the more probable assurance that I won't have to deal w/ unreliability.

So, here's where you come in. What would you guys do?

Frustrated in Montgomery

I Can't Believe its Sept 11th

2007-09-11T18:36:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am, gazillions of miles away from the comforts of my own home, at the Squaw Creek Resort. I'm out here on business, but its actually a really good location. Very scenic, not humid at all (40%), and lots of naked mountains (as in there's no snow).

The flight out was uneventful, sat next to some Floridians who were coming out here to look for rocks. Nice folks. I got to see the Grand Canyon from about 30,000 feet and that other geographic oddity, the meteor crater in Arizona. That sucker looks mighty big from so high up...

Honestly, though, on the whole remembrance thing, I remembered it was Sept 11th after seeing a firefighter in the Houston airport, who had a large white sheet with signatures all over it. Some sort of commemoration for those who gave all in the rescue efforts in both towers. I don't feel guilty, but puzzled rather, how time can take the most tragic of events and smooth over their affects.

Maybe that is how God designed us. That the element of time is God's greatest tool in healing a nation, or even a heart.

My sociology professor (undergrad) said that "time heals all wounds". I agree, in partial. Time heals all wounds, only because God is the one using time to do the healing. Time is the tool, actually the commodity (only we can't "touch" time)

I met this hippie girl out here, working at a ski retail center. We talked for about 20 minutes. She was from New Zealand and had some weird spinal disease. It was a telling moment, when it really hit me that I wasn't in the Bible Belt. This young lady hoped to "heal herself" through positive thinking. I don't think you could get more humanistic in your thinking, or maybe that's "new-age". Heck, I don't know...it's just different out here. I felt sorry for her, but then after the fact, I was kicking myself for NOT asking her if she knew Jesus, or had thought of praying to God about it. Lesson lernt...I need to be more proactive with my faith. Time is also the canvas upon which we paint our lives, with God supplying the palette. I need to do a better job at painting.

I know this was a random blog, but I wanted to post a few things.

blog on,
j

wow...

2007-08-25T22:46:00.001-05:00

popcorn tree

2007-08-25T17:26:00.001-05:00

I did yardwork today. Its been a while so junk was growing in places that it shouldn't grow. Right outside my door, I have rocks that sit there and do nothing. Not like rocks ever do anything, but I'll call it a rock bed. Well, the plastic cover underneath the rocks has long deteriorated and occasionally, I will have weeds grow through.

For the past several weeks, I have noticed a budding popcorn tree...in the rock bed. These things multiply faster than rabbits on the little blue pill. I knew the thing (about the popcorn tree) was fast and I needed to take action. It was about 1.5 feet, and I grabbed it with one hand- and pulled, but was unable to uproot it.

...in stepped a spiritual lesson...

As if the Lord told me, "the longer that bad habits go unchecked, the more difficult it is to uproot them."

Overly simplistic? Yes. Irrelevant? No.

My bad habits are more mental than physical, although, I'm not perfect in any area of my life.

Back to the popcorn tree...I was surprised at how strong the roots were, so I hunkered down with 2 hands and pulled that sucker up. Its roots had slithered all over the place, into areas that I wouldn't have expected.

I suppose that's how sin can be, you let it go long enough, and it begins to affect multiple areas of your life; consequently, making the uprooting process more difficult, even painful.

Good thing Jesus has two hands, although one would do.

Give it some thought, do you have any popcorn trees growing in places they shouldn't?

blog on,
j

The End in Sight

2007-08-22T21:47:00.000-05:00

I have found myself more energetic, more excited lately. Grooving around when I hear a good tune. I haven't been this way in years. I think its because I'm at the end of my schooling, actually I'm pretty sure that's it. I'm thinking of all the things I'm going to do (Lord Willing!) when I get done. Go snowboarding, go on a cruise with friends, do nothing in the evenings, start dating around, who knows...whatever it is... I can't wait, because its something other than this drudgery of academia.

I wonder how the Apostle Paul felt when he was "caught up into the third heaven", and witnessed and heard things that he was forbidden to repeat. I imagine that was God's way of saying..."this is your reward, there really is light at the end of this tunnel". What a motivation to Paul...to see Heaven! It was probably all he needed to finish strong, to embrace the reward for his faithfulness to God.

I see the end of my MBA and it gets me excited, more so because of what's after. I wonder how excited I would be if I had a glimpse of Heaven, what a motivation that would be ...

yeah, yeah...."blessed are they that do not see, yet believe". I know and agree. For what is Faith if we see the very thing we hope for?

sometimes I can be a doubting Thomas, but I think we can all be that way. whatever you need to spur yourself on to good works, or to motivate you to live more fully for God, I pray that He will bless you with it.

blog on,
j

vaccination

2007-08-21T22:01:00.000-05:00

How nice would it be if we could get a vaccination when we needed or wanted to change something about ourselves?

I finished up my "twin rix" vaccination today, for hepatitis. I had tentatively planned on a mission trip this summer, but it didn't work out, but I still had to finish my vaccinations anyway.

its interesting how much protection we get from momentary discomfort. Shots are NOT my favorite thing; even to this day, I have to look away from the nurse and my forehead still gets sweaty (big baby, huh?)

How nice would it be...if we could get vaccinations from Jesus, "Lord, I need some self confidence, think you can work me in this week?"

Yes, I am very much conditioned to want things quickly. Living in America will do that to you. If anything, my impatience reminds me that I need to move closer to the One who answers the prayers and cares for my soul.

Sometimes, I'd still take a heavenly shot of wisdom, patience or whatever...just so I could have it more quickly. Only if God took appointments for answered prayer....

nostalgia

2007-08-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

I spent some time w/ my grandmother today. Just recently we moved her to a smaller living area, more of an "assisted living" room. Its one large, elongated room with a separate bathroom, still a little cluttered from the move. I took her walking down the halls, having her show me the place & giving her something to do.

We visited for a while and I couldn't help but to be a little sad or nostalgic. I remember my first year of college, she let me stay with her for a year while I attended Southern Union State Jr. College. It was one of the greatest years of my life. I had a real crazy household in Prattville, so I jumped at the chance to get away. In a lot of ways, I feel that staying with my grandmother for that year, and being exposed to a peaceful house, benefited me more than my previous 18.

God had orchestrated that opportunity for me to get away and it was a great one!

Seeing her in the that single room, sort of waiting for something to happen, saddened me. She's done so much good in her life and deserves something better than this, but its the best montgomery has to offer.

I saw plenty of loneliness as I walked around with her. Elderly women sitting in corners with nobody but themselves for company. I wonder how often family comes to visit them.

Its weird, seeing the progression of life, the older we get, the smaller and more confined spaces we end up in, and the more like children...we become. Its strange seeing her in this small room, possibly the last room she will ever be in. What a reminder on how finite life really is.

I love my grandmother dearly and I'm very grateful for what she has done for me.

As we visited, I found a bookmark with the following irish blessing on it. It sums up very well, how I feel about my grandmother - no matter how goofy it seems

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

I found another irish blessing that was worth sharing,

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

I think this last one is a great way to live our lives, something that maybe Christ would have told his disciples.

blog on,
Jon

addiction

2007-08-06T21:10:00.000-05:00

In this day and age, the word addiction has not lost its meaning, much like other words have. Words like "commitment" and phrases like "trust me". Those have lost significance in our culture, but not addiction.

Sexual Addiction (through perversion) is a strong and mighty foe, pulling men into situations where they end up meeting Chris Hansen from Dateline. (Drug) Addiction robs people of their health, sanity, and resources. It strains family members to the breaking point, or apathy.

Addiction to people (co-dependence) will continue to blind the participants from functional, healthy relationships. Addiction to pornography compromises and eventually destroys the very purity that Christ died to give you.

Addiction to success ruins relationships and distorts true self-worth, and makes a man or woman a shadow of what they could truly become.

Addiction to food leads people diabetes, heart disease, and obesity that will leave its victim helpless in a bed.

Addiction to sweet tea (my precious!) will keep your waist line from returning to its natural position.

Addiction is a very powerful thing. I have had the (mis)fortune of witnessing how addiction ruins lives, complicating relationships and distorts God's design for contentment.

there are countless other things that you could be addicted to. So, I suppose I will challenge you to consider what your addictions are...

..self-pity
..misery
..discontentment
..complaining
..woe-is-me

Whatever they may be, Christ came to set the captive free, he came to break the bonds of sin and shame, even addiction.

If you could be addicted to anything, I pray that its to God's Grace and Love.

blog on,
Jon

model walking trouble

2007-07-21T14:02:00.001-05:00

Bondage to our Dreams

2007-07-12T17:27:00.001-05:00

I had lunch today, like I do everyday, but I was eating with a great friend of mine. We were discussing how debt and sins put us into bondage. He was talking about the different mentalities in the church today, like "name it, claim it" & other wrong ideas about our view of God and the Kingdom. During the course of conversation, we started discussing, in more detail, the types of bondage that people find themselves in...

As if God piped the words into my mind, I mentioned that people can be put into bondage by their dreams. Not the dreams that we have while unconscious, but the dreams of bigger & better things, like a better paying job, new car, marriage, or whatever you feel your dream would be.

I think we all know that desiring (good & Godly) things is not a sin, in and of itself. But we can turn any desire or dream into an idol. The funny part is sometimes God gives us the very thing we think we want, only to teach us a lesson. Often, after getting what we want, we find that we are in bondage to the very thing we wanted so very badly.

Sometimes its a relationship, sometimes its a material possession. For instance, I've seen certain situations where a desperate individual ends up in a relationship, and then finds herself pregnant and alone. The "donor", or guy, ends up in bondage to a dramatic situation and has responsibility thrust upon him w/ the impending birth of his child. The mother-to-be is also in bondage to an unfavorable situation and ends up alone in taking care of the child. Somewhere along the the line, the dream of having a family put at least one person in bondage (the mother) - the walking hormone who did the impregnating can walk away w/o caring for anyone but himself, but ends up walking around with Satan on his toe (the ole' toehold).

Another situation is financial. How many people do you know that live in a house to big, drive a car that's too expensive, have credit card bills they can't pay?? The "American Dream" is mighty expensive isn't it. Most US citizens are in bondage to the American dream...how ironic.

Let me turn the dial just a little, sometimes God gives us big dreams, dreams that seem impossible, but dreams that HE provides for. When we follow God's dreams for our lives and wait on him, we will most certainly not find ourselves in bondage.

Its only when we chase our dreams just a little too fast, or "hurry" the process (see Sarah & Abraham), do we find ourselves enslaved to them in the end.

We think of dreams as a means of freedom or liberation, an improvement or upgrade. Ironically we trade that freedom by chasing a little to hard and therefore become slaves to the very thing that we thought would bring freedom (how's that for a runon sentence)!

Next time you think you need to "hurry" along a dream in your life, consider how your actions will impact the outcome, then consider the outcome of waiting on God.

Paul Potts Semi-Final Performance

2007-06-15T22:38:00.001-05:00

Britain's Got Talent

2007-06-14T19:03:00.001-05:00

Probably the best audition I've heard for any of the "Got Talent" shows, Idol Included.

Weird Dreams

2007-06-13T18:21:00.001-05:00

Not sure if this is a symptom of coming off Lortab, but today, I had a dream that I was a member of the Knights Templar & that we had groups in every major city. Where it gets strange is we were not involved in protecting Christians or being a courier for royal riches, but rather we fought vampires, undead, the dreaded nosferatu!

I remember that we had a home base, sort of like in the game Hide-n-seek. I was safe at home base, the Honeycomb Hideout, whatever you want to call it, actually I think it was a BMX bike shop that doubled as a homebase. Not sure where the weapons cache was, holding the garlic necklaces, luminescent grenades, and holy-water filled water guns. I was sure looking for it though...

Anyway, I woke up to the muffled voices of PTI on ESPN.

tales from the land of winkin' blinkin' & nod

2007-06-09T21:26:00.000-05:00

Even though I never read this story, I feel I lived it this Friday.

I've finally regained my senses, coherence, and discretion. I had a successful surgery, at least to this point. Coming out of the anesthesia, I playfully threatened the doctor by saying that "its going to be me and you when I get out of this bed". I was purely joking and he knew it...when he diagnosed my deviated septum, he asked me if I deserved the punch to my nose when I received it. He's a joker so, I thought I'd joke back. Another physician in the room got a good laugh out of it, so I felt it wasn't inappropriate.

The procedure lasted about 45 minutes and thank God for anesthesia! It was much like taking a nap and waking up in a different room. I've dealt with a little bleeding and discomfort, but that is about the extent of it. I've been laying low, so-t0-speak, taking it easy and trying not to move around too much. I've had friends visit and bring me food. Its been nice to sit back and have the attention, I must admit. I have the best friends.

I purchased a book thursday, No More Christian Nice Guy, to read during my down-time. So far, its quite compelling. I hate, no - loathe the "nice-guy" persona and this book by Paul Coughlin does a good job of explaining my own thoughts as to "why". I'll spare you the details, but essentially its summed up in this quote by R.C. Sproul, who questioned prevalence of Christian male passivity.

"When I became a Christian, I understood that Jesus took my sin away. What I never heard from Him was that He intended to take my backbone away."

While I do not consider myself to be a passive male, I do feel that I have been guilty of being "nice" and therefore avoided conflict. Even before picking up this book, I felt in my heart that I'd rather be a "good" man, than a "nice" guy.

I think sometimes we feel that we as Christians have bought into a very passive approach to living as God would have us. What I mean by this is when it comes to "calling a spade a spade", we often play nice and avoid the issue altogether.

We have not been called to be weak, but to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves". Being a Christian does not mean losing our backbone or to become a doormat to the world.

In his book, Become a Contagious Christian, Bill Hybels notes the following:

I've learned through the years that seekers are not impressed with spinelessness....Most of the time, seekers ....respect and admire Christians who aren't afraid to take a stand....

Let me say it once more: Seekers have little respect for weak Christians. Deep down they're looking for somebody - anybody - to step up and proclaim the truth and then to live it boldly.

Now, I think there is a big difference between having a spine and being intrusive into someone's life, or even controlling. "Speaking the truth in Love" is paramount, but we should respect a person's free will to choose, just as God respects our free will to choose. God still speaks truth to us and isn't concerned about hurting our feelings. :) Remember, being intrusive into someone's life, or even into a friend's life is a quick way to ruin that friendship. There is definitely a balance to it. I think we have all seen this happen, so we know the consequences of losing influence because of intrusion.

I'm curious to know your thoughts, to my 3 readers, what are your thoughts about this subject? do you feel that passivity has infiltrated the church, or even into Christian men? Has the church become emasculated by the worlds' insistence that we not convict them of sin, but rather be "nice" or "tolerant"?

btw...my teeth hurt, apparently the intubation process involves clamping hoses to my mouth/upper jaw/down my throat in order to keep me breathing. Should you ever have surgery where they put you under, get ready for sore teeth :)

best laid plans :: part 2

2007-06-05T21:45:00.000-05:00

looks like I will be in school. Troy called eating crow about how they messed up the process. I will begin classes this thursday.

I suppose I'll be jonesing for some free time in a matter of days.

ob la di, ob la da!

best laid plans

2007-06-03T21:18:00.000-05:00

What's the old saying, "the best laid plans of mice & men often go awry"? Its Sunday evening and I've been contemplating what to do with my summer. I haven't had to think this much about what to do with my time since I don't know when. I sort of feel useless, that my time isn't already planned, and that I have a "sandbox" in front of me.

I had planned to take 2 classes this summer and finish the fall with only 2 classes left. Long story short, they were canceled due to low enrollment which I expected. What I didn't expect was to find that the administration in charge of sending me the correct documents completely failed. . . soooo . . . I now have a full summer to contemplate. So, I suppose I do a few things here and there. I had prayed that things would work out for classes this summer and had done everything in order to "make" it work. So, I guess the Lord felt I needed a break and honestly, I really really struggled to make myself register, but that's just me I guess.

Sometimes God makes of rest, because he knows we'd push ourselves to a breaking point, or miss out on something more important. I push myself pretty hard sometimes. My MBA will be well-deserved, but in light of eternity, it doesn't mean crap. :) So, I'll just have to wait and see how the summer pans out.

Another "best laid plans" moment was when I visited the ENT last week for a stopped up ear. Found out that I have a severely deviated septum and will go under the knife this Friday to correct it.

Earlier in the year, if you had asked me if I expected to have surgery this summer, I'd probably give you a goofy look. But...I was so used to my breathing being the way it is, that I didn't know differently, I couldn't conceive of breathing better. I will benefit from it, in the long run, but I'm not so sure that the immediate aftermath will be fun.

Then...God gave me a moment that I'd like to call "looking through a window into my own life". Sometimes we get so used to living a certain way or embracing a paradigm that we just can't see how differently things can be, how much better they can be. I would have never considered that I could breathe better, unless a higher authority (the doc) advised me so.

So, tonight, I will begin to pray that God would show me any "deviated septums", spiritually speaking, in my own life. Maybe I'm used to certain thought processes (incorrect ones), or believing things about myself that just aren't true, or things about life. Maybe, just maybe, God will break through to me by advising me of such deviations of thought? I know my breathing will be much better after I fully heal. Surely, any surgeries that the Lord performs will bring about a much better outcome? Surely so. . . let us then approach the "Great Physician" and take note of what He tells us.

He always has the perfect diagnosis and remedy, no anesthesia required.

the quest

2007-05-27T17:06:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to think that the chase is what we live for, not the achievement of goals. For when we achieve the very thing that we have been chasing, we find that it wasn't enough to begin with...that we actually had more fulfillment in the chase. That's what we naturally gravitate towards, the chase or quest of fulfillment. I believe we were made to be like this, but that our efforts in a chase should be directed towards God. We were made to hunger, to fill the void in our souls with God & His Son Jesus Christ, or rather submit our lives to Him in order that He may fill that void for us.

Only when we chase the things other than God, do we find that our achievements aren't enough, but for some reason felt that our chase was the very thing we were supposed to be involved in. I think, at least at this time, that our present quests for various things in life seem very noble. Maybe we feel a sense of righteousness in our quests, that we are entitled to the very thing we seek.

Ironically, we are entitled to nothing - not even Christ, but His judgment. Only by God's grace (through Christ) do we have anything Good in this life, only by his mercy do we avoid the punishments of our sins.

I am thankful everyday for His mercies. They are new every morning. As a result of these mercies and His Grace, I should recalibrate my energies of my "questing" into searching for Him instead. I mean, isn't He "a rewarder of those who diligently seek him."? He made us, therefore He knows that our very existence is made up of experiences that hopefully bring some sense of meaning. The Lord knows that our experiences of seeking Him will truly bring meaning and a sense of purpose in life.

Will I search for other goals? Sure, how can we not? I don't believe those are wrong, but they should only exist in the Shadow of the Cross. The Cross shouldn't exist in the shadows of my own goals.

Where Doubt Exists

2007-05-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a well-timed vacation and while I was on the plane(s), I did a little catch up reading. I like Philip Yancey's books. In fact...I have to be in a specific mood just to digest his words and theology-type prose. He's a deep thinker, as I often consider myself to be - to a fault, and I'm humble too :). I've been reading through his book, Reaching for the Invisible God for about 6 years now. Isn't that crazy? I'm quite the "cherry-picker" when it comes to books, I own more than I will ever read, but from time to time I will pick one up and read through a particular section, hoping to get some sort of inspiration or useless fact. Yancey's book just happens to be the one, this time. I'm sure I will wait another 2 years before picking it up again.

The thoughts that raced through my mind as I read through his section on Faith, were well needed. I've been saturated with financial school-type stuff for longer than I can remember and I finally received some encouragement from one of the books that gathers dust in my home. I digress, the thoughts that filled my mind were about something that Yancey said in Reaching for the Invisible God, "Faith only exists where there is doubt". I think that's more of a paraphrase. . .

That thought captivated me, it was so perfectly logical. How would we know Good if Evil did not exist? How would we appreciate wellness if we never got sick? How would we define "faith" if there were no "doubt" to define it. I mean...what is faith, believing in things unseen? That's such an enormous question, so I'm probably oversimplifying it.

I have my doubts about stuff. Some unfounded, others...very founded. However, when my doubts seem so prevalent, I fail to recognize that my faith has the opportunity to flourish in the doubts. To me...it seems as if doubts are the fertilizer in which Faith flourishes. I know, I know...that sounds colloquial and cliche-ish, but I think there is truth to it.

Yancey's words have stirred the "vegetable soup" in my brain, actually God has stirred it through Yancey.

When I have my doubts about life, folks, family & such, I should allow my faith to take root in those doubts, to provide me with peace, through the Holy Spirit, and to PLEASE God. I should realize that my faith can only exist in the presence of doubt, for without doubt...what is there to put our Faith in (that sounds really bad, right?)? Our human nature seeks the empirical, even the most seasoned Christians struggle with having a "relationship" with an invisible God because he doesn't exist in the physical, yet He is everywhere. Our 5 senses help form the base from which we frame, or "define" life as we see it, even our relationship with God. Faith calls us to look beyond our senses, to trust in things unseen and to rely on the one who delights in those who diligently seek Him, the invisible God. As Yancey quotes from Jeremiah, "Am I only a God nearby and not a God far away?" Yancey cites Meister Eckhart in that "God is like a person who clears his throat while hiding and so gives himself away."

I'll leave you with this question that Yancey poses only because it stirs within us the idea of playing hide & seek with someone who can't been "seen", hence an impossibility.

"Does God play hard to get for the sake of discovery?"

I doubt Him sometimes because I cannot see Him. But while I am seeking, maybe I should listen for him to clear his throat. He delights in me when I seek him, diligently seek Him...yet he remains elusive enough to keep that mystery alive, and often frustration!

So, I throw this to the masses (or the 3 or 4 that happen to read my blog), do you feel like God is playing "hard to get" in your life?

Left Outside in the Cold

2007-04-15T16:40:00.000-05:00

This morning I was stirring around during my usual Sunday routine. Starting laundry, thinking about my day & such. My dog was whimpering because he wanted to go outside. Well, being the good dog-parent that I am, I discerned that he really didn't want to go outside to do his bidness. Rather, I think he likes to burden me with his "go outside" requests. Fletch (my dog), likes to stare at me, as if to say "I REALLY want to go outside, but for what...that's a surprise". Being familiar with his modus operandi, I deduce that he has to relieve himself, most of the time.

this morning, though, he had already gone outside and sufficiently relieved himself. So...irritated by his whimper/stare vibe, I let him out and followed him about half-way. then I thought to myself that it was way too cold to fool around outside w/ my dog who didn't really have to go to the bathroom. So...I walk back inside and close the door.

About 25 minutes pass and I called Fletch to see what he was doing....then the pit of my stomach jumped a little. I left that poor old dog outside. Thinking about the potential harm he could be in, as in tangling w/ my neighbors pit bull, I rush to the side door and look out, only to see him staring my door, head cocked to one side with his ears up in that curious manner. I couldn't help but to laugh with relief that he'd probably been sitting there for sometime, waiting for me. I opened the door and started to hug him and reassure him that it was ok. (I really felt bad...I mean, what kind of parent am I to leave my dog outside in the cold - I didn't have a fence or anything).

He was shivering, ears were cold and he must have felt that he was being punished by having to wait in an uncomfortable situation. I really felt terrible for him.

Sometimes we feel like we are left out in the cold by God. Sometimes when things don't quite happen like we want, or old habits refuse to die despite our prayers we feel like we are out in the cold, waiting for the door to open and for deliverance to be ours.

My "God's Point of View" experience helped me to realize that despite circumstances and our "waiting at the door" on Heaven's threshold, that I need to be more like my dog. It strikes me that he wasn't scratching, but had the patient anticipation that I would arrive and let him in. In a way, it made me love him more because he wasn't making a big fuss about being outside. He TRUSTED me that much to quietly wait (amid shivering).

Maybe that's what God wants of us sometimes, to patiently wait for Him to answer the doors at which we wait. He is a good God, and faithful despite our unfaithfulness. Fletch is a good dog, despite his shortcomings. My intention was not to harm him; my intention is to take care of him.
God's intention is the same, to take care of us. If you happen to have been knocking on a particular door for some time, maybe you should patiently wait, and let God open when He is ready. Unlike myself, He will not forget that you are outside.

He Knows Even Before You Ask

2007-03-18T21:52:00.000-05:00

The older I get, the more realistic I become. Some might say cynical, but I suppose its all about life experience - we learn to expect things that tend to not always be positive. Being a man, I'm very logic & fact driven. Given this proclivity, I have felt over the past few years that I have become cynical about God. Buddy Bell has really been giving some good messages to us recently and reverencing the father was a big one the other week.

While I don't feel I fall completely into this category, I think that Christians, in general, can become cynical when they don't get their way (as a reward for righteous living). We feel that our requests are meager, especially when we consider that we are talking to the God that spoke the world into existence. Surely He can answer most any prayer with nothing more than an afterthought. Our requests require no heavy-lifting by our Father.

Back to my original point. I suppose that my schedule and its affects in my life have sort of brought me to more of a self-centered way of thinking. I rationalize that its "survival", "management", "responsible" & such but when I break it down, its how "I" choose to spend my time, not how my time chooses to spend me. We can often act ahead of what God would want for our lives, then we find that when we fail or if things don't go quite right, we get mad or disappointed with Him and Satan begins to work his grand scheme.

The thought occurred to me that God knows our needs before we even ask them. Looking at the progression of my own thoughts, I have fallen into this thought that He doesn't really know what I need/want and I'm somehow delaying what He wants to give. The passage in Matthew 6:2-8 addresses what could be discouragement that Christians felt in the 1st century. Discouragement for doing the right things, yet receiving no reward (in their time) for such good acts.

2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Our righteous living or honorable deeds don't merit us prayer credits, so that we can redeem them for answers to prayers, much like tickets received from scoring some serious points in Skee-ball.

God knows our needs before we even ask and He certainly doesn't give His children more than they can handle. Oft we confuse or misinterpret failure or not getting our prayers answered as a sign of God's silence or unwillingness to answer our prayers. That can be very discouraging if we allow the lies to set in our hearts. We must learn to take every thought captive for Christ (II Cor 10:5), especially when these times come.

Timing is everything when it comes to God's blessing in our lives. Even when it comes to our relationship with Him, He times the seasons in such a manner in order to show us how to Love and Respond to Him during each one.

Whether or not we choose to pay attention is another story.

I suppose I should follow my own advice...

Transition

2007-03-07T21:17:00.000-06:00

Over the years, I've learned that transition is something that takes many forms. Sometimes its transition from one accomplishment to another. Transition from a friendship to another season. Transition is as constant in life as death and taxes.

In my Walk with Christ, I feel like I'm sort of on the fray right now. I've had distractions that I have allowed to carry more weight than they should. Allowed habits to become a little more prominent in my life and let excuses keep me from Wednesday night church. I suppose what I'm getting to is that I feel that I'm in some sort of transition, spiritually speaking.

I have hopes that 2007 will be a year of true spiritual growth for me, something I am truly desiring. I have God's promise that when I draw close to Him, He will draw close to me.
My time and energy have been so taxed over the past 2 years, I feel very worn down at times, even now. I really wish I had the energy to get motivated spiritually. I realize I cannot wait for that energy to arrive before making the effort. I hope that the Discipleship Groups at my church will be a great start.

I suppose I should listen to my own personal motto, "Procrastination is the Cancer of Opportunity". Its the truth...I just need get moving...ridding myself of this "cancer".

Transition is usually stimulating for me, right now its rather mundane and sapping.

Thanks for any prayers you might send my way, or posts.

regards in Christ,
Jon

How Do You Say Goodbye?

2006-06-21T00:07:00.000-05:00

Monday afternoon was just like any other, winding down, thinking of what I had to do that evening in preparation for school. I checked my home email remotely and clicked on the message from Landmark. It was a random assortment of announcements and then one announcement literally took my breath away. "Chris & Leah Walls.....and their children....were killed in a horrific auto accident".

I first met Leah in a Graphic Design Course at AUM. I believe it was 1996. We struck up a friendship and ended up having several classes together and worked on several projects together as well. Myself, Sheila Thurlow, and Leah would stick together in school, helping each other on projects and basically sharing the experience of finishing a tedious program. I had the great pleasure of meeting her husband sometime after we had become friends. Chris Walls had worked at Alltel and was an aspiring musician. He seemed like such a cool guy, they really were a great couple.

After graduation, Leah and I would keep up with each other every now and then and even talked of starting our own graphic design firm. Life took us in different directions as God was transitioning me out of Graphic Arts and transitioning her into a family, she gave birth to Miller Walls, I believe in the year 2000. Eventually, Chris, Leah and Miller moved to Nashville. Leah designed art for T-shirts and sold them, having a business called Visual Taxi. I visited them over the holidays when I took a trip to Nashville with a friend. We had a nice visit; I met Mallory - an adorable little girl who was shy but playful. Miller was running around the house with matchbox car night-shoes. The big thing I remember about the visit was that she had verses of scripture above every light switch, so that when you went to turn on the light, you had the light of God's word at your finger tips. She was creative like that, and dedicated to her Lord and Savior. At the end of the evening, we said the typical "goodbye, it was great seeing you" bit and that was the last I saw of her. I never considered that I would be reading of her demise six years later.

Leah was one of the most Godly women I knew. I'm not embellishing as a way of respecting her life, but she really was different. She stood out in the classroom, was a very diligent student, and wore her faith on her sleeve. She wasn't one of those obnoxious folks who don't know when to pick their times, but she was a genuinely Godly woman and wouldn't flinch to tell you about Jesus Christ. She also had a smile that was completely infectious. You could tell that she had JOY in her heart and it was a pleasure to know her during those years. Seldom would she leave somebody without a smile or laugh.

We lost touch about 6 years ago and I would think of her every now and then, wondering if she finally hit it big with her design business and wondered if Chris had finally began living his dream as a musician.

Fast-forward to the present day. It is a weird feeling, reading of a good friend in news articles available to millions of internet users. To most of them, it was just another tragedy, another headline crowded among other stories of tragedy and triumph, another bad day in the world. To their families, that day will live with them forever. To me, it will be a day that I won't soon forget.

Tragedy is so unfair and never lets us know it will arrive. Life has a way of jarring complacency loose from our hearts and minds. I have a difficult time believing they are gone, but I am so very thankful God put me in their paths.

Chris, Leah, Miller, Mallory, I pray that you are in God's care and I pray that we will meet again one day in Heaven. As life presses on, I will remember the good things, the noble things about your lives and be inspired by them. May God Bless and Keep you in His everlasting care.

In His Care,
Jon

If you would like more information about Chris & Leah Walls, you can visit the following sites:
LeahWalls.com
GraphitoCreative
News about the Crash
More News

Altars

2006-05-21T20:56:00.000-05:00

It was about 4 a.m. this morning and I was rolling around in bed, pretending that I didn't have to go to the bathroom. I was thinking and praying about random stuff and the thought of "Altars" came to mind. I thought of it throughout the day and decided to look up "Altars" and see what significance they really had in the lives of OT Christians. I have a basic concept of what an alter was/is. . . it's a place of remembrance, a place that is built to remind those who built it of a particular work or event that has occured. Namely for the OT Christians, altars were built to help them to not forget what God had done for them. Altars were mainly built for sacrifice though.

From my Bible commentary, altars were built of rough stones and earth and often remained in place for years as continual reminders of God's protection and promises. The commentary also states that Abram built altars for two reasons:

For Prayer and Worship
Reminders of God's promise to bless him.

Continuing the commentary, Abram needed these altars to remember that God was the center of his life. Abram came to worship God at these altars, as a reminder of God's goodness, grace and His Power.

You and I both worship at altars as well. Yes...you do, and if you're honest about it, you will admit it. We all have our altars that we worship at, even offer sacrifices too. Sacrifices? I'll explain in a minute. Before I do, let me list some of the altars that I have seen in my life and in the lives of others:

Money (the love of...)
Lust
Power
Acceptance
Relationships
Vanity (looking good for the wrong reasons
A good job
Health
Protection
Security
Revenge
Justice
Unforgiveness
Self-righteousness
Self-sufficiency
Sex
Pride
Prejudice

You probably noticed that I mentioned good things in that list, security, protection, justice and health? All good things in and of themselves, right? I also listed the obvious ones like sex (both marital & premarital), money and pride. If anything, I hope this list gives you the impression that we can make anything into an altar (another form of idolatry).

I have my own altar of insecurity. I still visit my altar of insecurity where I sacrifice my peace of mind and "worship" my own sense of self-preservation. Keeping things within my grasp is my modus operandi. Nice & safe. Considering the concept of an "altar", I realize that I have them, and even more revealing is that I am no different from my brothers and sisters in Christ. Here is a distinction I would like to point out:

At a man's altar, he sacrifices God's desires for his life, in order to get his own.
At God's altar, man sacrifices himself in order to receive God's blessings.

See the relationship? Each time we visit our own altars of rembrance and sacrifice, be it of past relationships, folks who really make us mad, or even a genuine need/desire ~ we magnify the object more than we magnify God. We desire the gift more than the Gift-giver, the creation more than the creator. We trade in our peace of mind for the bile of disappointement, the salt-water of unforgiveness and the stink of our own failures.

God instructed the OT Christians, at various times to build altars of remembrance to Himself. We "NT" Christians have no physical altars, but we have plenty of emotional/mental ones. Next time you approach your altar of , remember that you are going to sacrifice God's desires for your life today, for your own.

I'll leave you these final thoughts from Deuteronomy regarding altars and obedience.

4 Stay clear of those places—don't let what went on there contaminate the worship of God, your God.

5-7 Instead find the site that God, your God, will choose and mark it with his name as a common center for all the tribes of Israel. Assemble there. Bring to that place your Absolution-Offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and Tribute-Offerings, your Vow-Offerings, your Freewill-Offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. Feast there in the Presence of God, your God. Celebrate everything that you and your families have accomplished under the blessing of God, your God.

Deut 11:18-21

18-21 Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night. Inscribe them on the doorposts and gates of your cities so that you'll live a long time, and your children with you, on the soil that God promised to give your ancestors for as long as there is a sky over the Earth.

In His Care,
Jon

Its Been a While

2006-04-14T18:41:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I know. I'm about as persistent as a kid wants to go to the dentist. I should have been updating long ago, but I haven't. I've been quite busy with work, school, and spare time with Lisa. It doesn't seem like much, but I give what I can.

My very first post was titled "Poverty of Time" and that is what I feel like I have right now. Tonight my brother(s) are coming over to eat steaks and help w/ tiling my kitchen and bathrooms. Not sure when they will arrive and something tells me they will be late. If this is the case, I will be a little mad b/c spending time with Lisa is something I always enjoy!

Speaking of spending time, I know God probably wonders when I will have time for Him. I often feel so rushed in everything, yet I convince myself that the "rush" is temporary and that it will go away. Maybe I'm a "rush" addict ~ the adrenaline that comes from getting tons of stuff done just in time start more stuff. If I am, then shame on me, shame on america.

I really should slow down and take time to Thank God for all the wonderful things He has done for me. This Sunday is Easter at Landmark. No bunnies or costumes, just a service to praise God for the WONDERUL gift of his Son Jesus Christ! My hope and prayer is that I make time to stop and smell the Lily of the Valley and to watch the Bright and Morningstar, then bowing before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That is my prayer for us all.

In His Care,
Jon

The Christian and Money

2005-09-09T16:23:00.000-05:00

Money, I can think of no other subject more appealing and more controversial in the life of the Christian, namely because the LOVE of it stirs up more trouble than we would want. Everyone wants wealth, few people get much of it, and the rest of us do our best to stay above water. Some of us know individuals whose life goal is to be R I C H$$. With such a goal, compromises will generally enter their lives and bring ruin.

"He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him." Proverbs 28:22

Money management is something elluded to often in Proverbs. Solomon, the wisest money manager that ever lived, gave us much to consider in his writings in Proverbs. I would like to know how well he would fare today, if he came back and opened an Investment Advisory firm. Or rather, what would he think of Wall Street? 529 Plans for education, Hedge funds, commodities, penny stocks? I'd buy his book, that's for sure.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33

I have accepted the fact that I'll never be "rich" by the world's standards, but when I get anxious, as we all do, I remind myself that God will take care of me ~ no matter what. While He remembers the sparrows and counts the hairs on your head, we forget who gives us the ability to earn money, in order that we BLESS other people with what we have. Below are a few verses that I hope will inspire and encourage you to set your mind on things above. While we have a Biblical reponsibility to give to God, save for the future and not overwhelm ourselves with debt, we should not let these responsibilities outweight our paramount call to be Christ to the world.

"For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." I Timothy 6:7

"He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity." Ecclesiastes 5:10

"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings;..." Proverbs 22:29

" Prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished." Proverbs 27:12

In light of recent events in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, please make an effort to support the relief work that is going on by donating to your local church relief funds, the Red Cross, or another charitable organization.

Blog on,
Jon

2005-09-08T20:53:00.000-05:00

Unlucky barraduca. . .

2005-09-08T20:51:00.000-05:00

Awesome afternoon in Destin, Florida

End-times Thinking

2005-09-08T20:13:00.000-05:00

Shaking the cobbwebs off of my brain, and using a little mental floss, I decided to blog again. This blog may seem a little strange, even dark, but the questions have meaning for us all, Christians and non. I asked my best friend the other day the following question, "Do you think we will see more satanic activity as the years go on?" You know, we see a few passages in the Word on how the last days will produce all sorts of bad behavior. Then, if you read Revelation, that will really get you confused. Moving on....

We as Christians know that our society is heading down the drain, and it does not surprise us. Why, because God's Word speaks of this trend in a few places, one of which I will highlight 2Tim 3:

¹But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
⁶They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, ⁷always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. ⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected.

Backing up a little, my buddy answered that he tended to think we would not see more satanic activity and that the media just makes it seems that way. We both agreed that our media magnifies all that's wrong and corrupt in our country/world, so it appears that more bad stuff is happening today than it was, say 20 years ago. I tend to think there IS more bad stuff happnin' now, but that is my opinion.

Looking at 2Tim 3, we can pull each behavior out of the first few verses and give a current example of that happening in society.

Now that you have a little primer to get you thinking, do YOU think we will witness more blatant satanic activity, excluding the specific selfish, self-centered behaviors listed above?

What are other passages that speak to how things will be in the end times (yes you can include revelation)?

Will things get much worse??

A few minor changes

2005-01-28T15:57:00.000-06:00

It's been one of those months. One of my best friends had his home broken into, another woman I know ended up doing 360's across the highway median, and countless people across the United States have suffered great tragedies, all in the last 30 days. Oh, I forgot to mention...the passenger front wheel of my car broke off on Sunday. Actually, it was the lower ball joint that broke, but it could have been terrible nonetheless.

During my weekly prayer/accountability time, my friend and I were discussing how fortunate we are to have not suffered greater tragedy than we already had. Even though we have been through great inconveniences, it pales in comparison to other matters in this current time. I could have been driving along (80mph) and the wheel breaks..then Jon visits the ER for a long period of time. I might have taken a dirt nap too. But, the wheel broke in the church parking lot. My buddy could have lost so much more than his TV, guitars, amp & such~he could have walked in on the perps and been shot or something worse. The other woman could have been easily killed while doing automotive acrobatics.

All near misses. All close calls. All events, one step away from tragedy.

A few minor changes have occured recently, I have a greater appreciation for this simple fact:
By God's providential hand, we all have been spared much worse. I am much more aware that life is precious and we should not waste our time on petty arguments and selfishness.

I am very thankful that the things that could have happened, didn't...

Be thankful for the inconveniences in life, for they are often one step away from tragedy.

Blog on.

So, you don't even like me?

2005-01-02T22:30:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, pre-9/11, I had the opportunity to travel to NYC on a "business trip" with my brother and his wife. Given the fact that I've never even traveled that far up the east coast, I figured it would be a great trip. We had an awesome time!! We ate bagels, cannolis, REAL Italian food, pizza, saw lots of historical stuff, went to West Point and even travelled to a quaint little town called Sleepy Hollow (yes, THE sleepy hollow that inspired Washington Irving).

We were down to our final night and were walking around Times Square. I must have really looked like a tourist because my eyes didn't blink one time the entire night. I was amazed at all the affluence of the area, the bright lights, fancy cars. I was Jed all over again.

While walking, I couldn't help but notice all the homeless men (and women) lying on the hard concrete, covering themselves from rummaged cardboard and yesterdays newspaper. I've seen homeless people before and I must say that I'm a little numbed to the sight. I accept it as being "part of life".

Now comes the point of the story, we had just passed by this dude (who opened up his jacket and literally said "wanna buy a watch") and then came upon someone else who started walking by our side. It was obvious that he was homeless. Black raggedy jacket, white toboggan, sweatpants and a styrofoam cup. Hardly the clothes of a productive member of society, especially on a cold night. He began telling stupid jokes, trying to elicit a response (or get some money). We ignored him, but I was honestly a little frightened. I wasn't sure if we were moments away from being robbed or what. I had some money in my pocket and had reached in to actually give him something to make him go away when... I heard the question that still haunts me today.

"So, you don't even like me?"

Even though we were walking at a hurried pace, my conscience was frozen, my thoughts immediately analyzing the question that I didn't want to answer. God then began to stir within me the memory of His Word, Matt: 25:35-For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was homeless, you gave me a welcome

After the homeless man asked the question, nobody answered as we walked...he then turned around unsurprised by our calloused response.

For once, I was ashamed to call myself a Christian to have completely blown an opportunity to show the man Christ. Regrettably, I have since repeated this behavior, but I am becoming more pliable by God's hand.

The older I get, the more I feel for those who are without. While I still struggle with the facts that most of them won't work and will only purchase booze or drugs w/ the money given, I was challenged recently by a good friend. He basically said, "that doesn't matter Jon, you should still give something".

How many times have we passed by an angel who was looking for Christ in our eyes?

How many times have we refused to look at those who are considered poor?

How many times have we thought more of ourselves (safety, comfort, etc...) than of others?

Much like Christ's point on how we treat children (unless you become like these, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven), the way we treat the poor in this world will reflect for eternity.

I can't save them, but I can show them love. Love does not seek its own and even if they choose to mishandle the money, I've still made my effort.

Better yet, even if I buy them dinner, maybe-just maybe they will see Christ in me.

How do you view the poor, the downtrodden, maybe those who don't look like you?

I suggest that your view of these groups of people, directly reflects your view of Christ. The next time you pass by someone in need, they may very well be asking, "so, you don't even like me?"

Christ asks the same everyday.

Blog on.

War, The Death Penalty, & the Christian

2004-12-09T15:29:00.000-06:00

UPDATED See Below
This will probably be one of my more controversial blogs, but I really don't mean to be this way. I'm going to talk more about this later this week, but for now here's a brief preview.

I had another facinating discussion with a good friend of mine, over Mexican cuisine the other night. The following topics came up:

War, any war in light of the N.T. - is it wrong? (given the N.T. examples and texts about being peaceful, i.e. turn the other cheek)
The Death Penalty - same reasoning.

How does "turn the other cheek" apply to these situations?

more to come...

UPDATED
Here is my take on the subject. God-ordained war in the OT served the following purposes:

Cleansing a nation or people from sin
War served as God's wrath upon a heathen nation
Removing a "threat" to the bloodline of Jesus Christ, preserving his heritage

Now, I cannot "prove" the third point, but it's the only one I can think of to justify God wiping out an entire tribe, man-woman-child-beast.

In the NT, we could get into a real tailspin here, but my points thus far:

We are to turn the other cheek, yet not at the expense of losing our lives (note that Christ said in Matthew 5: 39"If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.)
SubPoint to #1: If we openly allow people to kill us, how does that further the gospel? There is a stark contrast between self-defense (from being mortally wounded) and revenge. Christ points that revenge is ungodly and while he does not say that self-defense is wrong, an argument could be made that self-defense is selfish, therefore unChristlike.
We are to Obey the laws of the land only until they supercede the Law of Christ. This one is a little more tricky because we are talking about public policy vs Christ's law.

A few questions to ponder are as follows:

Is man-made war completely altruistic? The war in Iraq??? Vietnam??? WWI & WWII??
Does God neither condone nor condemn such war, yet intercede to accomplish his will? See Napoleon, Stalin, Adolph...insert another dictator at will...

Another fascinating take was this article I found, give it a read. The author makes some great points regarding war and murder; and throws out Proverbs 20:18 which encourages those who engage in war, to be wise in war.

In conversations such as these, it is difficult to fully comprehend a person's point of view without direct dialog. But, being as static as Blogs are...I'd like to hear your thoughts as to God's viewpoint of war, our war w/ Iraq, and our war against terrorism.

"I fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible
resolve". --Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto Empire of Japan December 7th, 1941

Blog on,
Jon

25 Million Dollar Hoax

2004-11-24T21:35:00.000-06:00

The other night, I get in from class and turn on the tv. I catch the season finale of "The 25 Million Dollar Hoax". I had never seen nor heard of it, but it captured my interest. If you are unaware of it, I'll give you an abstract.

Some chic has to fool her family into thinking that she's won $25MM (million), while they are on "vacation" with her. She also has to fool them into thinking that she's become the most selfish, self-centered person in the world as a result of all this money-pushing their patience and willingness to be around her during this time. Well, @ the end of the show, she makes them think that she'll be spinning for more money, up to...$50MM!!! Talk about mad cash! Well, part of the deal is if she can keep her family roped into the trick...everybody wins. If her family bails, then everybody loses.

Ok...now to the finale, she gathers her family for the final spin off. She actually "wins" the $50MM!! The producers were high-5ing each other for sure....moving on now....When she gets the check...she tears it in half. Her family is speechless--who rips up a $50MM check?? Obviously. Now, she springs the deal on them. Like you would expect, everybody-while shocked/upset-showed support.

Well, wrapping up here, they all get plenty of prizes and money too--all for never bailing on Krissy!! It was quite nice to see them be rewarded for their love for her. It was good to see a family showing emotion when they realized that the entire prank was done for them, for their benefit. In spite of the prizes, they realized the true prize was in their daughter and sister. Tears were shed. Hugs were given. Everybody walked away a winner. Nice Hollywood ending, eh?

Well, the show had a nice socially redeeming quality in addition to illustrating some spiritual lessons to me. How often are we duped into thinking that selfishness, greed, lust, you name it, is of more value than holiness? We buy into the lie or "prank of spiritual proportions" thinking we are getting something great; only we find more emptiness and heartache as a result of us believing the lie. Knowattamean? The adversary has produced a grand scheme on us, hoaxing his way into our lives through the means of selfishness and temprorary gain.

However, Christ offers the "$50MM" spin everyday, and it always wins big.

No gimmicks.
No tricks.
No producers.
No commercials.
No lies.
No pranks.

The Devil will promise us "everything that glitters"-just the like the prizes in a game show; contrasting, Christ offers so much more than the shallow shimmer of temporary riches and pleasure.

He's not glamourous, He's our Saviour. All guts, all grit, all loving, all graceful, all powerful, all forgiving, all patient, all just, all merciful, all righteous, Lord of Heaven and Earth, the bright and morning star, the first and the last, and our sufficiency.

Everything the world isn't, He is.

Buy into His message, you'll win everytime.

Happy Thanksgiving
Jon

changing seasons

2004-11-10T15:21:00.000-06:00

It's finally here, and for Montgomery it's right on time albeit late as usual. The cold weather, that is...we had a low pressure front move in which brings rain which in turn brings the cold weather. So does each passing year, it seems, in bringing change into our lives. I like to call change, "a new/different season" for that's all it is in God's eyes. The Word is loaded with agricultural models, i.e. "the vine and the branches; fruit of the spirit; you will know them by their fruit". There are more, obviously, but those are just a few.

Forgive the lack of reference, but do you remember the passage in Ecclesiastes where it talks about how there is a "time for everything"? Well, my season of change is now, or so it appears. And I'm reluctant go along with it. I still have that thing called free will. It's a pain, isn't it..."free will". Well, I just wanted to remark on how we resist change or the differing seasons in our lives. We find comfort in routine, the mundane, and the trivial. We meet paradigm shifts with skepticism, even downright irritation. Pride gets in the way and we get headaches and other maladies from self-inflicted mental pain. Trying to remain introspective, some thoughts came to mind recently....

God's set up for change is a great model of how we should accept the different seasons in our lives, be it career, relationships, friendships, losing a family member, a job, even hearing the words, "you have cancer". His model is this...

Spring: time for growth and renewal
Summer: time for maturing
Fall: time for decline
Winter: time for death

Take any area of your life, and you can probably trace through the years times of growth, maturity, decline, and death. This sequence of changes applies to everything!!

In looking at nature, you never see a bradford pear, or an oak putting up a fight with the Almighty about losing its leaves. Nor do you hear the grass making a case for "warmer" accomodations during the winter. God's design for nature includes flawless transition from one season to the next. Simple, yet profound--if it were just as easy for us.

I believe that we should strive to embrace changes in seasons as nature does...naturally. That's a mighty lofty goal and you're probably laughing by now...which is understandable.

I guess my point is, we cause ourselves a lot of anxiety when we resist changes in our environment, knowing full well that God is still going to take care of us or provide for us along the way, yet we act like babies and have pity parties and whatever else you like to call them.

For me, my season right now is truly a "fall" in the sense of changes in my life--from leisure to doing things such as school and the lack of free time. Other areas too! I'm looking forward to the spring again...soon.

Anyway, please feel free to post your "seasonal position" and expound on how you have learned to accept change in your life.

Blog on and WAR EAGLE!!
Jon

Faith. Works. Grace. What's the deal here?

2004-10-24T16:50:00.000-05:00

I'll try to bring this one home rather quickly~but I warn you...deep waters lie ahead. If you're not into that stuff, stop reading this blog and look at my last one regarding what to do about my neighbor's dog who likes my yard!

I had a facinating discussion recently on works and grace. I've had several before but this one sort of...stuck to me a little. The discussion centered on whether or not Christians really are not living up to their full potential in the church. That Grace could potentially be used as a security blanket when it wasn't (potentially) meant for that. Let me preface that I'm reiterating the conversation-I'll interject my opinions as I see fit and will indicate when I do.

So, here it is...

Do we as Christians feel that we don't give 100% in every area because we know we can get away with it?

Now, let me be more specific. Do we as Christians pass the buck when it comes to evangelism?

I feel that we can categorize our Christian walk into 2 areas
1. Internal (Edification)
2. External (Evangelism)

The point was made that most Christians opt for place them selves in #1, letting #2 be for "other" folks. Therefore, by doing this, they "make" it easier on themselves by not getting their hands dirty w/ telling in the world.

More specifically, does God mandate that we invite a certain number of folks to church each day, week, month?

Does the great commission apply to everyone or just those selected to be missionaries. What about

1 Corinthians 12

27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?

I believe the context of this passage is such that we all can't be all things, now this is my opinion. The rhetorical nature of his writing does imply this to me.

The point was made, and a good one, is that how much effort would it take to invite folks to church everyday? Is that our paramount purpose in life, to invite folks? Is this our version of propagating the Gospel, invitations??

I'm really curious to see what thoughts are out there. This is challenging to me b/c I don't feel evangelism is my "gift". I believe my place is Internal, the 1st group. I back that up by displaying that to the best of my ability, though--to me it's not a cop-out. However, I realize that I'm not exempt from tell others of Christ's gospel. That would be the equivalent of hiding my lamp.

Faith without works is dead, we all agree on that; however, how much "works" keeps our faith alive?

Intrigued...
Jon

I got this problem, see....

2004-10-21T21:18:00.000-05:00

I come home from work the other day and I notice that my yard has something a little extra. Now, chemlawn came by recently and fertilized my yard, but I have to pay for that. If you're quick witted, you've probably figured it out. Well, here's the deal...

My neighbor walks his dog throughout the week and basically lets him go from yard to yard "fertilizing" as he pleases. Now...I'm new to home ownership but something just rubs me the wrong way about my neighbor letting his dog dump in my yard. I know...it's good for the grass...yadda yadda...what's the big deal, right?

Now...that something extra was the remnants of Fido's dog chow, all piled up in my yard. You're laughing now...I'm sure of it, but I'm really torn as to what I should do. So, in keeping with the theme of this Blog....and I'm serious here....

What would Jesus do about this, say if some dog was doing his "bidness" in his yard? I'm really serious here.

I've thought about making some smart alecky sign to leave for Mr. "I let Fido Go Where ever", but I'm not sure if that's going to meet my objective. I haven't caught him, b/c he does it during the day.

So...anyway...any suggestions? I'm really open to them....Thanks!! What would your sign say?

2 down, two to go

2004-10-17T20:06:00.000-05:00

Well, I just finished my first two grad courses, Marketing and Accounting this past week. It felt great to be done with them...I think I actually slept pretty hard over the weekend-catching up for lost time.

I'll begin my new courses this Monday though~no time to rest. I will transition into Managerial Accounting and Management. Same periods, same times which is nice. I guess this brings me to my next point. I get locked into a routine and often expect God to show himself on my schedule. I know what you are thinking and you're right..."it doesn't work that way". But, see...we believe it does until God shows up and busts our paradigm out of the water.

He delights in surprising us...even if it comes at the expense of our "routine". Routine makes me feel safe, comfortable, in control. The last one, I believe, God takes great delight in nuking.

So, before you get too caught up in thinking that you have a good routine going--please expect the Almighty to shift your thinking.

Given the fact that God is the BEST dad, He will absolutely take delight in letting us know who's in charge.

James 4:10 "Humble yourself before the mighty hand of God, and he will lift you up."

Have a surprise filled week, on God's account!

Blog on,
Jon

if patience is a virtue, why does the early bird get the worm?

2004-10-14T22:32:00.000-05:00

Today, I had a pretty good discussion with a buddy of mine who is a youth minister in north Florida. He remarked how patience is something he seldom embraces when the annoyances of life come his way, but admittedly he's getting better at it. To which I replied (in a paraphrased way), "ah, harvesting patience is a difficult thing". It's taken time in coming to a point where it is easier to utilize the patience that God makes available to him. When we have a headache, we consume ibuprofin, motrin, tylenol, bayer, to benefit from it. That is so academic, there is never a question as to where we find the medicine and how to consume it. The Bible is pretty clear that patience is a "fruit" of the spirit; consequently, maybe I'm wrong here, but I don't know if there is much instruction on harvesting the fruit in order to consume it. How do we harvest this fruit in order to consume it??

Apples, peaches, pears, pineapple and other types of fruit are meant to be consumed. You could have the cumulative IQ of a bag of dead squirrels and you'd know what to do with an apple.

Now, transcend the thought. Why is it so difficult to do the same with the fruit of the spirit. Talk about frustration...I mean...it should be simple, right?

All too often we feel that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are unattainable. Impossible to have. Impervious to access. Idealistic, not realistic. Something we point to rather than something we experience. Right? Ok, try this exercise and fill in your most elusive fruit of the spirit:

I have never had________in anything!
I can't feel any________in this tragedy.
I don't have the _________that I should.
__________just isn't available to someone with my temper.

How do we harvest this untouchable fruit, that was meant to be consumed. Maybe we're too busy looking at it, like it's plastic fruit in a tacky bowl that belonged to our great aunt or some other distant relative. Oh how God must think we are nuts! The fruit of the spirit isn't meant to be a decoration of our faith, but a source of nourishment for our souls. It is meant to be harvested, it is meant to be a benefit to us. God gave us the Manna of His Word, and He also gave us the fruit of His spirit.

I personally feel that this (spiritual) type of fruit is evasive, but I haven't figured out exactly how. I just know it's not as easy as it should be to "git-holt" of it. Given our human nature, we complicate matters well beyond what is necessary.

Is it really as simple as picking an orange from a tree or grapes from a vine?

I'm curious...what are your thoughts?

temporarily dazed and confused,
Jon

talking with God

2004-10-04T22:21:00.000-05:00

In lifegroup on Sunday, we had a great discussion regarding whether or not God speaks to us in ways other than the Bible. It stemmed from Sunday a.m.'s lesson of seeing God's Glory: It's not about Me! Anyway, we all remarked how awesome it would have been to live in the OT and witness the cloud guiding God's people, the parting of the Red Sea, heck...even the talking donkey! Having the immediacy of communication with God~a direct response is something we would all welcome. I mean...our Faith sometimes seems stale because we don't have events like those to draw on experientially. But, what is Faith if you had all the evidence?? hmmmm.......

How great would it have been to see all that cool stuff???? Israel did and still disbelieved, disobeyed, disconcerted, and even tried to disenfranchise God of HIS rights as CREATOR (you thought I was gonna say disenfranchised voter, circa Florida-2000)! Amazing...and disappointing b/c it reflects that human nature does not change.

However, human nature aside, I am confident that we all have times when God has communicated with us on very personal levels; furthermore, such experiences do refresh our spirits and give us that needed reminder that God does get personal and He's not too busy to kneel down and gently whisper to us. Now, as to what that "whisper" is to you, I believe that God chooses the method (I mean...He's God, right??), knowattamean? Let's look at an example of such an event:

1 Kings 19: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty....11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD , for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD , but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

How often do we find ourselves asking for God to display his power in some empirical manner?

Earthquakes - God break up this trial, remove it from me!! Swaller up my enemies!!
Powerful Winds - God, please blow away those who make me mad, smote them with your mighty winds :)!
Fire - Lord, please burn up Mr. Annoying Driver for cutting me off this morning!

Ok...that third was was out there, but you get my point. Elijah sought the Lord in a time when he feared for his very life. How ironic that he didn't ask for such displays of power, but he said "I have been very zealous for the Lord God almighty". Elijah experienced God NOT in the displays of His power, but in a most unexpected way.

A whisper is a personal thing; used only when you want ONE person to hear the message. Anyone can see earthquakes, fires, & mighty winds--but not everyone hears the whisper of the Almighty. Imagine the impact of such a gentle whisper from the Creator! Consider what a still small voice from God can do! All to often in life we miss how God speaks to our hearts via the Holy Spirit (being led by the spirit) because we are looking for that "earth, wind, & fire" experience.

We want burning bushes, parting seas, and pillars of fire.

God wants us to be so close to him, that all He has to do...is whisper to get our attention.

Blog On,
Jon

Consumed by Grace or Sin?

2004-10-01T08:57:00.000-05:00

I heard Chuck Swindoll speaking on God's Grace recently and something he said really hit home. He mentioned that Christians are more consumed with their own sin than they are God's grace! It struck me in such a way because it defined how I view myself. We are constantly aware, it seems with our sin. What not to do, where not to go, what thoughts not to think, don't speed, don't cheat, steal, murder, tell white lies and such. We're masters at knowing what sin is and why we shouldn't do them.

I think we fall short, though, by being novices in Grace.

Romans 6:10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

See that bold word, "dead"? Ok...now this may seem strange, but follow me here. Imagine going to a funeral and trying to carry on a conversation with the individual in the casket. No matter what you do, they will not respond~why? Because they are DEAD! The word "dead" in vs 11 basically means that we are to be a corpse to sin, so that when it comes around to tempt us..nothing it does will yield victory. Just in the same way that a dead person won't talk to you, neither should we communicate or bargain with sin.

All to often we are very much alive to sin and dead to God's Grace, sort of a spiritual dyslexia. Check out vs 14 of the same chapter:

14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

If I took poll and asked Christians what they thought of mostly through the day, pertaining to spiritual matters, I think it would look something like this:

50% - I'm not good enough to go to heaven, I'm not sure I'll get in!
25% - I can't seem to quit (insert your sin here) doing this!
10% - I can't seem to avoid this situation (insert your sin here).
10% - I always go back to God and confess the SAME things.
5% - I'm thankful that I cannot save myself and that I am under God's Grace.

If any of those numbers hold true, its a sad commentary on the fact that we as born again Christians are still handing over the reigns to sin and not to Grace.

When our works fail, grace prevails. Be mindful of sin, as to not be taken by it. But be consumed with and by God's Grace.

Embrace God's unmerited favor, do it today, do it now.

Saved by Grace,
Jon

the frustration of commitment

2004-09-27T13:01:00.000-05:00

I love snowboarding. It's probably my favorite outdoor activity; fishing in the gulf is a close second. Being on top of a mountain, bundled up and strapped in...there is no feeling like it. Enjoying God's creation w/ a eurethane molded snowboard and man-made clothing. The rush of plowing through 3 feet of powder is quite remarkable and I have been quite blessed to experience this for the past two years. That sense of adventure in the open terrain is something I have come to appreciate recently.

So what's my point?

I'm doing the unthinkable. I'm cancelling my trip this year to Steamboat Springs, CO. All for the sake of school--just typing that makes me sick!! I had these scenarios played out where I could miss a class and still go on my trip. Deep down, I knew this wasn't going to work but I hoped against these unfavorable odds. I decided to do the right thing and told my good friend that I couldn't go. I felt like I was breaking off a relationship or something, or giving back lottery winnings! He encouraged me to not feel bad and that I was doing the right thing. Little solace in those words, but it still felt good to hear what I knew in my heart was right.

Enter the frustration of my commitment to Christ. Do I have regrets of being a Christian? No way!! I just regret the fact that I'm living in a world that strives and strains to bring a brotha down; conversely, I long for Heaven!! Christ even warned us that we would be persecuted for our commitment to him. We sometimes have experienced external persecution, but for us here in the US of A, our persecution comes internally. The battleground of the majority of temptations occurs in the mind and heart. Lingering doubts, festering insecurities, reminders from our past failures--all tools that the devil uses against us--and much more!!

Enter Christ. Thankfully, the blood of our Savior has covered all of my sin and daily washes me clean. God's mercies are NEW every morning!! Unlike grad school, I get a fresh start every day in Christ. If I make a "C" in my marketing class. I'm stuck with the C. It's on my record, never to go away!! If I make a "C" in temptation 101...all I have to do and approach the thone and humbly ask forgiveness; my record is clean again-I can start over!! "He is faithful and just..." does that ring bell?

Consider the frustrations we have, living in a world that is not our own. Until we get to Heaven, we will experience those challenges to our commitment to Christ. Until I finish school, I will be challenged and frustrated that I'm not knee-deep in powder but rather knee-deep in homework. The sacrifice will be well worth the end. Christ's sacrifice was well worth our devotion to him. I mean...really...our excuses for lack of commitment are quite laughable compared to the horrors that other Christians have endured. When's the last time we attended a crucifixion? Or witnessed Christians being executed by steamroller? When was the last time you were burned at the stake for refusing to recant your commitment to Christ? That's what I thought. By the way...I wasn't making those scenarios up...if you're curious to know more read this book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1577780728/qid=1096308031/sr=8-2/ref=pd_csp_2/002-5273076-3920838?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

So, as you and I consider what commitment is and what ours hasn't been in relation to Christ-be still and thank God for His wonderful Grace which covers that gap between our human-ness and His holiness. Let His GRACE motivate you to go deeper, reach higher, and give more to Him on a daily basis. His sacrifice was worth the effort.

Shouldn't ours?

Happy Blogging,
Jon

Poverty of Time

2004-09-22T07:50:00.000-05:00

Up until a month ago, I had never heard this phrase..."Poverty of time." I have experienced it often in my 29 years but never really gave it a name. "Poverty of time" feels like you can never catch up to everything going on around you. "Poverty of time" means you have very little free time of your own. It sounds rather bleak, doesn't it? Chances are, if you're reading this blog, you are not in poverty. Financial poverty, that is. However, you may be experiencing the poverty of your lack of relationship with God.

In my marketing class, Poverty of time is defined as "a lack of time to do anything but work, commute to work, handle family situations, do housework, shop, sleep, and eat." Sound familiar??! Poverty of time is actually the routine of many. Rarely does a phrase strike me so personally...Poverty of time.

Turning my attention inward, I realize that I am experiencing poverty because my time away from God has become more consistent. My poverty often results from the perception that if I give enough time to all these things, I will be better off for it! While that can be true, it is not the end-all for man!

A Spanish philosopher once said that, "living is a constant process of deciding what you are going to do." Consider Paul on his way to Damascus to do what he wanted to do-quite an enlightening experience! Sudden blindness, hearing the voice of Jesus, and experiencing a level of humility previously unknown. Christ reshuffled Paul's schedule..Permanently. Now consider Jonah. God says-in paraphrased form, "go this way" and Jonah went the direct opposite. God, rather creatively, used a giant fish to get Jonah's attention. As a result of Jonah's poverty of time (doing what he wanted to do), God reshuffled his schedule and the largest revival in history soon occurred in Ninevah. How often does God reshuffle your schedule? As often as necessary. Paul and Jonah each had a poverty of time b/c they were too busy doing what they wanted to do.

For the willing heart, God has a knack for muscling His way back into our lives. So, before you get frustrated with that reality, consider the great things that occur when God gets involved in your daily routine.

All the time we have in the world is right now, so don't live in poverty.

Happy Blogging
JPA

This present journey...

2004-09-21T10:43:00.000-05:00

Ok...this is my introduction into the 21st century. I am now a Blogger. Sounds sort of like a bad thing doesn't it? Can't you just hear in some recovery group, "My name is Jon, and I am a Blogger."? Well, all kidding aside, I have arrived. Actually, I'm probably the 453,238,092 person to set up a site, but that's ok. Better late than never.

Graduate school. Better late than never, eh? I finished my undergrad work back 1998 and vowed I was done! As time wore on and I matured through life experiences, school didn't seem like a bad idea after all. I've always like learning, but never really liked school. It takes too much time, too much committment. Gees, I sound like a good cross-section of our society, don't I? "It's too hard." "I can't commit to that!" "I'll wait for something better." We have been programmed into a mode of "non-commitalism". Yes...that's a strange word and I've been known to make some up too. It's unfortunate that we are afraid to commit. "We" as in society, as in a church body, and as in an individual commiting to another or to an academic venture such as school.

Without getting anymore verbose than I already have, this blogging thing is going to be entertaining. I will change quite a bit in the next 2 years in several ways. I hope to chronicle this present journey and look back one day and have a good laugh.

Happy Blogging.
Jon