Care of the Body

Recently, I have begun changing my diet and increasing my exercise. These changes were made mainly in preparation for the military, but has had added benefit. Since changing my diet, I have been able to handle foods that I haven't been able to eat in the past. I have increased the amount of fruits and vegetables and limited the amount of meat and fats in my diet. Since increasing my exercises, I have made my body stronger. I have felt better and been able to do more with my body.

Many people do not take care of their bodies. It is hard to define how one takes care of their body. Take for example me. I say that I do because I eat healthy, and exercise regularly. Someone else might say I do not, because I drink coffee and many consider caffeine to be a drug and bad for the body. However, we can look at some statistics to get an idea of how many people appear to be taking care of their body.

This statistics are from Obesity in America.

• Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.
• Approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million are obese and 9 million are extremely obese.
• Currently, an estimated 65.2 percent of U.S. adults, age 20 years and older, and 15 percent of children and adolescents are overweight and 30.5 percent are obese.
• Approximately 62 percent of female Americans are considered overweight.
• Approximately 67 percent of male Americans are considered overweight.
• An estimated 400,000 deaths per year may be attributable to poor diet and low physical activity.

These numbers do not look very promising.

So why take care of yourself? Well, the most obvious is the prevention of the health risks that come with obesity. By losing weight, a person can help keep off heart disease, type 2 diabetes, joint problems, and a host of other medical conditions.

But taking care of the body is more than just not wanting to having medical problems. There are benefits in being able to do more. Being healthier has allowed me run farther and ride my bike more. It allows me to hike more without being as tired. It allows me to be able to do more than I could have done before. This is a major benefit to me.

There are also psychological benefits to being healthy. A person who is healthy both in diet and exercise is better able to handle stress in their life. They are able to work better under certain conditions than those who are not in shape. They are often more relaxed in life. Endorphins and other chemicals are released by the body when exercising which increase the feeling of pleasure.

In Daniel chapter 1, Daniel becomes a member of the king's court. As a member of the king's court, he is to be given the choicest of food and wine. However, because of his commitment to God, Daniel and three other members chose to not defile their bodies with this food. They instead eat vegetables. After 10 days, the four of them are the healthiest and strongest of the court. This helped him to become more powerful in the court.

In 1 Corinthians, 6:19, 20, Paul writes "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Now when I was a youth growing up, people often pointed at this verse as why tattoos were bad. That isn't what Paul is talking about. Paul is talking about this in reference to sexual immorality. He is saying that since Christians are saved at the cost of Christ's death, they nolonger are the sole-owner of the body. Therefore, they should honor God by their actions. We know he is talking about actions because of his reference to sexual immorality in the previous verses. This is a poor verse to use for advocating against obesity and tattoos as it is taking it out of context.

Ultimately, it is a choice that the person must make. Noone can make someone stay in shape, exercise, or eat healthy. However, the benefits of it greatly outweigh the pleasure of that extra bite of brownie!

What is a friend?

What does it mean to be a friend? The dictionary defines it as

1.	a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

2.	a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter: friends of the Boston Symphony.

3.	a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile: Who goes there? Friend or foe?

4.	a member of the same nation, party, etc.

5.	(initial capital letter) a member of the Religious Society of Friends; a Quaker.

The term we will be looking at is the first definition.
My friends are people I enjoy being around. Some are male, some are female. Some friends I see regularly, some I see rarely. Some I get to see in person, some I only talk to on the phone or over the internet. For my friends, I like to think that I would do anything for them. I like to think that if they needed me day or night, I would be there for them. While this is rarely put to the test, I like to think that I pass when it is. I do not think that I would be the judge of that though.

But what does it mean to be a friend? How should we handle our relationships? Should friends just be people we hang out with and have fun with? Should we invest in our relationships or view them as disposable? How "deep" does a friendship relationship go?

The bible has several verses that deal with friendships.

Proverbs 27:10 has an interesting note about friends. "Your own friend and your father's friend forsake not; but if ruin befalls you, enter not a kinsman's house. Better is a neighbor near at hand than a brother far away." A neighbor who is near is better than family who is far away in time of need. Now the term for neighbor here does mean neighbor, not friend, but the application is important. It is important that we be available for those who are near us. This of course raises the question of "who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered the question with the Parable of the Good Samaritan. To be neighborly is to show mercy. How much better for the certain man who was robbed and beaten was the Samaritan who was near than family who was far away!

So if we our to love our neighbor and to show mercy to them, how much more should we give to our friends?

Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity."

In this verse, the Hebrew uses the term Rea` for friend, which means friend or companion. This term is also used to describe how Moses and God would talk. Exodus 33:11 "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his" For love, it uses the term 'ahab. This is the same word used to describe the love between Abraham and his son Isaac, the love between Jacob and Rachel, the love between God and His people, the love we are to have for our neighbor.

Now I do not consider myself a Bible scholar. I read regularly but all is for not without the understanding provided by the Holy Spirit. God certainly wants us reading and exploring the Bible. So I use Greek and Hebrew dictionaries when appropriate, read commentaries, and other sources to help explain scripture. I did the same for friends.

I turned to the Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology and its write up on friends.As we saw with the English dictionary, friends can mean a lot of different relationships. We will focus on the relationships between friends. The article points to the relationship between Jonathan and David as an example of a relationship having all three qualities of friendship: association, loyalty, and affection. This story is broken into a couple of parts in the book of 1st Samuel. 1st Samuel 18:1-4 & 1st Samuel 20: 14-17. A friend gives in time of need. Luke 11:5-8. A friend consoles. 2nd Samuel 19:31-39. A friend rebukes in love. Proverbs 27:6. A friend provides strength. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. A friend will give their life. John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."

What will you do for your friends?

Lie for my benefit, tell the truth for His

I really like the music of Ross King. I first heard him in high school as his music was often played by others in my youth group. One of the albums of his I had was Sullivan's Flaw. I loved the entire album except song number 10, Up To Me. I tried finding the lyrics online but came up empty. The song talks about how he comes in contact with lost people everyday, people in need of Christ, but doesn't tell them. He instead tells God that He shouldn't leave that up to him because it isn't the best use of his gifts.

I didn't like this song because it seemed to call me out! To me it was saying, "Go tell others about me!" I certainly didn't like the tone of that.

But then I found the answer! The answer was in the words of St. Francis of Assisi. "Always preach the gospel, use words if necessary." That was the answer! I didn't HAVE to tell anyone! After all, I am preaching it without words! Yes! This will save the lost and free the pressure God was putting on me to go and actually tell others about him.

Now granted the words of Francis of Assis required that you were actually living a life of righteousness. I was doing that, after all I went to church every Sunday and often times went to Wednesday night bible study. Sometimes I even wore a Christian shirt to school! Surely this was living the gospel with life! You didn't have to do anything, just look the part, right?

The song finally made sense. It wasn't wrong for the guy to tell God to not leave the task of telling others about Jesus up to him. In fact, it was a prayer! God, you see, I am not good at this. Find someone else. I will just "live it." I am not good with "words."

Well that worked well until the next time I heard the song. So I started programming my CD player to play all the songs on the album except song #10. This worked well until song #9 ended. Unfortunately, I had heard the album in its entirety enough times that my mind would automatically go to song #10 after #9.

Well surely there has to be some Biblical support for my stance. Surely God understood when others said "Hey, I will do anything you want, but I won't do that." Oh here it is, Moses! In Exodus 4:10, Moses speaks to God after God calls him to go and tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go and worship in the desert for 3 days. Moses says "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." Yes! A great example for me to use before God. You see God, I am just not a good talked. Remember when I was a kid, I couldn't even say my R's! How am I suppose to talk about Christ when I use to say "Chwist" as a kid! Well, God responds to Moses' plea in verse 11 and 12. "The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." Well, the only solace I could find was that at least he was talking to Moses and not me. But Moses doesn't give up. Moses begs God again in verse 13, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." Surely God will understand Moses and my's plea! Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth." OK, so God got pretty upset with Moses, but at least he got out of having to talk, right? Well, no. As we read Exodus, we see that both Moses and Aaron have to do quite a bit of talking and a lot of work. That isn't important when I was 16 years old. I had the example I needed. I don't have to preach the Gospel, it's not my gift! Find someone else!

Then in Mexico, I talked. I had gone to Tuxpan, Mexico on a trip with my church to work on building a church and to operate a vacation bible school for the neighborhood. One night, after we had finished our work for the day, I was walking the streets around the hotel with a friend. Two Mexicans walked up asking if we were Americans. We said yes and one of them proceeded to tell us that he worked oil rigs out of Galveston and was back home on leave. He wanted to talk to us to practice his English. We visited with them on the street just outside our hotel for a few minutes before one of the adults on the trip came out to let us know it was time for evening devotion. She saw the men and told them we were Christians. They responded that they understood and oddly enough, I invited them to join us for evening devotion in the hotel. Afterwards, we invited the two men to have cokes in the hotel restaurant. I was visitng with one of the Mexicans while my friend visited with the other. I pulled out a bible track I had in my pocket (afterall, just carrying it is preaching the gospel without having to talk, right?) and shared it with the man. After we talked about, he said he wanted to take it with him so he could check a few words in the dictionary. The next day, while walking the streets, the Mexican and I crossed paths. He thanked me for sharing the gospel with him and that he really appriciated it.

So I did it! I spoke! I did it once I can do it again, right?

Well, that was that for the next 7 or 8 years. Silence returned to my mouth. I continued to skip over track #10. I have just recently begun openly speaking the gospel. I am not sure what caused me to finally start talking all the time. Perhaps God's spirit finally urged me enough to follow God. Perhaps I was tired of never hearing the gospel preached in public and in church that the Spirit used the opportunity to get me to begin talking. I am no longer afraid of opening my mouth and letting the gospel come out.

The words God told Moses still ring true. He will be our words. It is He who speaks. It is He that allows His word to go out to the masses like a sword. It is He who will teach us what we should say at that time. All we must do is trust and open our mouths.

Have you opened your mouth or is it not your gift?

Listening to John Mayer

Continuing with the music theme!

OK, I actually do not listen to John Mayer and can only name one of his songs, No Such Thing. The only part of the song I even know is "I want to run through the halls of my high school, I want to scream at the top of my lungs." I don't even know what the song means. But have you ever wanted to do this?

I really want to just run around outside screaming. I think if I scream loud enough, it will cause all the pieces to fall back into place. I think people will then understand me.

Itching the Scrath

So do you scratch an itch or itch a scratch? Maybe you scratch scratches and itch itches?

This was a question posed to me by a friend of mine. I will defer to the dictionary.

When I was teaching school, anytime my students asked me what a word meant (or I asked them and they didn't know) we got on the computer and looked on the internet. I wanted them to not only learn that they can find this information on their own, but also where to find it. By the end of the 1st six weeks, they knew exactly where on the internet to go.

I think the power of the internet is really neat. It isn't necessarily the power of the internet as it is the access to so much information. Take for example the USS Grunion (SS 216). This information is taken from an article in the Science Daily. The Grunion was reported lost on 16 August 1942 after she failed to return to Dutch Harbor. She had not had contact since 30 July. 60 years later, the submarine had never been found nor the disappearance of the Grunion explained. That is when the sons of the commanding officer of the Grunion, Lt Cmdr Abele, began a search. I will quote directly from the article.

"After discovering information on the internet in 2002 that helped pinpoint USS Grunion's possible location, the sons of Grunion's commanding officer, Bruce, Brad, and John Abele, began working on a plan to find the submarine. In August 2006, a team of side scan sonar experts hired by the brothers located a target near Kiska almost a mile below the ocean's surface. A second expedition in August 2007 using a high definition camera on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) yielded video footage and high resolution photos of the wreckage of a U.S. fleet submarine."

Did you notice where they found some probable spots? "After discovering information on the internet in 2002 that helped pinpoint USS Grunion's possible location," The internet! You can find submarines 60 years after they sank on the internet!

They then compared to wreckage to another submarine of the same class and confirmed it was the Grunion.

The internet is extremely powerful because of the access of information. However, this comes at a consequence. As my high school english teachers use to always say, anyone can put whatever they want on the internet. True they are! I can write anything I want in this blog and post it on the net. Google webcrawlers would then scan my blog, and people searching on the internet can find whatever I write. There are no editors, no teachers, no one confirming my writings before it is published.

Because of that, it is the responsibility of the reader to evaluate the authenticity of the website. The reader must determine if the online news source is a legitamate news source. The reader must decide if the website providing the information has alternative motives they are trying to promote. Before the internet, this background check was often done by the editor of a book or a news editor at the tv station or newspaper. In absence of an editor, the reader must always be mindful of ethics when reading and reporting information from the internet.

Information from around the world can be collected in seconds. Want information on the 1956 Hungarian Revolution? In 0.15 seconds, google found about 185,000 results. Want to know how many people are killed annually by kangaroos? In 0.19 seconds, google found 206,000 results. The answer is 100, by the way. So much information is out there!

So do you scratch or itch scratches or itches? My students would know how to find out. Do you?

Missing the Train

Walt Wilkins and the Mytiqueros have a song called Trains I Missed. Part of the song is:

It's a big old world but I've found my way
And the hell and the hurt lead me straight to it
Here's to the trains I missed

Here's to this place I've found
The love I've known
The earth and the sky
That I call home
Here's to the things I need
Bigger than me
And the moments I find myself right where I'm suppose to be

(You can click here to see the entire lyrics.)

The point of the song is that our lives our guided by our past. We have ended up where we are today because of the path of yesterday. Sometimes we see things in our lives that we desire or think is good for us, but in the end, we do not capture them. We miss them. In looking in our past, we see that missing those things was exactly what we needed and we ended up just where we were suppose to be.

Here's to the trains I've missed. The relationships that didn't work out. The opportunities that didn't occur. The times I didn't take a chance. The times I trusted my gut instead of my desire. The times things went completely wrong.

Here's to the place I've found. The relationships that did work out. The opportunities that did occur. The times I did take a chance. The times my mind was right. The times things went completely right.

I do not understand why somethings in my life do not work out. Perhaps in the future I will toast this moment. Perhaps I will not! One thing is for certain, the train is past and I am on another track.

Things are not as they appear

My grandma tells the true story of an east Texas pastor who is stopped at a check point on the highway while on his way to church. The pastor tells the trooper that he is running late to church. The trooper apologizes and says they will make the stop quick, but he would like to look in the trunk. When the pastor opens the trunk, the trooper notices that it is fully of empty glass beer bottles. The trooper closes the trunk and before sending the pastor on his way says “yall must have a lot of communion.”

Things do not always appear to be what they really are. What looks like an alcoholic pastor was really a pastor who picked up glass bottles for a disabled man who made art out of them. What appeared to be a crazy man in the desert turned out to be the one prophesized about, preparing the way of the Lord. What appeared to be a carpenter turned out to be the Son of God, the messiah.

I would say that I am not normal. Not that everyone else is the same, but that I am different than most people. I view certain things differently, live my life differently, and desire different things. However, because the difference is often not physical or tangible, things do not appear to be what they are. Words are misinterpreted, actions are not understood, intentions presumed incorrectly.

How does one accurately reflect what things really are? How does one explain to a trooper in a convincing way that all of the bottles are not yours? How do you convince someone of what your true intentions are? How do you tell the world what you mean when you do certain things?

I do not have the answer.

Grass is Growing

One of my favorite Tom Petty songs is Time to Move On. The chorus of the song goes:

Its time to move on, time to get going
What lies ahead I have no way of knowing
But under my feet, baby, grass is growing
Its time to move on, its time to get going

For me, it is time to move on. I have spent the past two years teaching in Midland and am ready for something new. I am still waiting on the new thing to happen, but I am at least picking up my feet from where they have been.

Diversity through design, Unity through God

Last night I attended church at Grace Bible Church in College Station. The head pastor, Brian Fisher, gave the message at the Saturday night service. I really enjoy the Saturday service because it is a smaller group in a smaller venue. It is easy to get lost in the hundreds of people there on a Sunday morning, so it is nice to meet with a small group to worship with.

Ross King led worship. Ross was very popular with the youth group I attended in high school, so I was very familiar with him, though I hadn't heard him in several years. He was leading praise music so I didn't hear the songs of his I knew, but still enjoyed his leadership and music.

The message of the sermon was about the Church being one body. This semester, Grace has focused a lot on this topic as they built a new campus this year and are focusing being on one church with two locations. The text was taken from 1st Corinthians chapter 12, and Ephesians chapter 4 along with a few other various verses. This post will be taken from Brian Fisher's sermon.

First, unity in the church is to reflect unity in God. God is made up of three unique individual parts, that are all equally God and all one. The church is to reflect that.

Unity isn't uniformaty. Just becuase we call ourselves Christians doesn't mean that we all dress alike and act alike. We are all different. In 1st Corinthians, Paull writes about the Spirit of God giving each believer receiving gifts from God as the spirit chooses. In the psalms, which Paul quotes from in a different letter on the same subject, God gives gifts to all people, even nonbelievers, as he sees fit. God gives all of us gifts. We are to use those gifts for His kingdom, though we often do not.

Though unity isn't uniformaty, we must have certain similarities. In Christianity, our similarities are what are commonly referred to as essentials. These are the most basic beliefs in Christianity. These are often found in various creeds and belief statements. They define who God is and how we come to a relationship with him. These must be the same for all Christians. God is One, he is not Many. If we have different core beliefs about God, we are making him Many, not the One he is. All of us are following One Way, though we are Different people. One God, One Spirit, One Jesus, One Way.

If we do not have the same shared truth, we will not be united. I think a good example is the USA. In the United States, we are united with the goal of Democracy. By having the same goal, we have been able to overcome huge obstacles, such as the British in the 1770's, slavery in the 1860's, Nazism in the 1940's, discrimination in the 1960's. However, today, our goal is often 'unity and diversity.' This is often met with staunch resistance. I believe that if we as a country maintain our goal of democracy, unity will occur dispite our diversity. When we make divisions our goal though, we will reap what we desire.

Though it is imperative that we have unity and uniformity in essentials, our relationship with God will look different for each person. Some may find certain types of music styles help them worship more than others. Some may prefer wearing specific clothing to church in order to convey a sense of humbleness before God. Some may find it better to stand or sit or kneel throughout worship. This is OK! In non-essentials, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist faith, says that we have freedom. However, with our freedom comes tolerance. Tolerance means to put up with others. Though we may not like certain things about various Christians, we must still get along with them. We cannot let minor things (non essentials) cause division. This has happened and continues to happen, resulting in the hundreds, if not thousands, and denominations in the Christian church. Oh for the day when unity results in all worship the One together!

Why we must tolerate each other is because of the creativity and soverignty of God. God has made each of us unique, in His image, and the way we are to be. He has distributed gifts upon us as he wills. We must use our gifts to His glory. But none of us have all of the gifts necessary in the Body of Christ. Just as a body cannot survive with just a head or just a foot or just a heart, neither can the Body of Christ function with just certain gifts. It takes all of us combined to form the Body. We must respect each other because God made each of us.

This is something that I need to work on. It is easy for me to say, "that person is so annoying, I cannot stand them." This is certainly not respecting the person. Do I need to become best friends with them? Certainly not, there are some people I get along with some people I do not. However, I can at least respect the person for who God made them. I can still see the value that they bring to the Body.

This unity is the result of Love. John Wesley said that we must have unity in essentials, freedom in non-essentials, charity in all things. Paul mentions, after discussing the gifts that the spririt gives, that he will show us yet a greater way, Love. Paul also writes of fath, hope, and love, love will always remain. Our faith will become sight, our hope will become reality, but love will remain for eternity.

So with this knowledge, how is a Christian to respond? First, be content with how God made you. At the beginning of this blog, I wrote about contentment. Be OK with who God made you. However, do not become complacent. Continue to push farther! God made us how he wanted us, but rarely do we use his gifts and abilities to their fullest. Continue to strive for perfection in Christ and the person God made you to be. And most important, learn to live with one another by love.

Worship One, Love All, Together!

Listening to Ziggy Marley

Earlier today, I wrote about Psalm 90, a psalm written by Moses. This evening, we will look at a Ziggy Marley song.

I am quite a fan of reggae. I love music particularly by Bob Marley and his son Ziggy. It is great music to listen to. I like the sound of the music, the feeling of the music, and the relaxing of the music. However, the philosophy is certainly not always in agreement with me!

Reggae music is associated with the Rastafari movement. Therefore, a lot of the music is quite religious. The music was born out of Trenchtown in Jamaica, and deals with topics like spirituality, relationships, love, poverty, injustice, and other social issues. The Rastafari movement has some basic familiarities to Christianity, but is quite different, which explains the difference in philosophy. I am no expert on the Rastafari movement and would recommend that you look for other sources if you are interested in more information.

The song we will look at is Ziggy Marley's True to Myself.

The lyrics:

life has come a long way since yesterday I say
and its not the same old thing over again I say
just do what you feel and don't you fool yourself I say
cause I can't make you happy unless I am I say I say I

got to be true to myself got to be true to myself

day in day out I've asked many questions I say
only to find the truth it never changes I say
if you don't deal with it it keeps killing you a little by little I say
call me selfish if you will my life I alone can live I say I say I

got to be true to myself got to be true to myself

I don't care if it hurts I'm tired of lies and all these games
I've reached a point in life no longer can I be this way
don't come crying to me I too have shed my share of tears
I'm moving on yes I'm grooving on well I'm finally free I've

got to be true to myself got to be true to myself
got to be true to myself got to be true to myself

The message in the song is that you have to be who you really are before you can be a part of the greater society. If you are not who you really are, you will not be happy, and as he says "I can't make you happy unless I am"
I think this is certainly an interesting, important, and partially true statement. If our life isn't in order, how can we be with others or impact others? The difference though, is who are we true to?

We live in a fallen state. We live with wrong doings. We do not do the things we want to do or are suppose to do. I think Paul says it best when he writes in Romans "For I don't do the good I want to do, but instead do the evil that I don't want to do." It is easy to live true to ourselves in our fallen life, it is what our body and mind want to do.
But that is not who we are called to be! Jesus says in John 10:10 "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." This abundant life comes when we trust God and receive His Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us the strength to live the life He desires for us. To do the good we desire to do, instead of the evil.

God gives us plenty of reason to be happy, to want to be with him. Just one example is found in Psalm 92.
4 For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;
I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

5 How great are your works, O LORD,
how profound your thoughts!

6 The senseless man does not know,
fools do not understand,

7 that though the wicked spring up like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be forever destroyed.

8 But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.

God's works are great! The ones that I see some of my greatest joy is in His creation. I love hiking and enjoying the beauty of his world. I am being myself by enjoying something that he gave me. But I am being true to God.

Living for ones self seems to often times be associated with doing whatever you want, no matter what others think or how it harms others. However, we are made for human relationships. We are not made to be by ourselves, though I often enjoy time by myself. The writer of Ecclesiastics tells us,

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

Friends are important in our life. If we do not care about our friends and do what we want without regard for them, who would want to be our friend?

Diversity is certainly important! What a boring world this would be if everyone was like me. I hardly think I do things right and would certainly not want a world full of people like me. The Bible is full of diverse people. God values all people, from the greatest of the kings to the lowest of the sheppards. He loves all of us and wants all of us involved in his kingdom here on earth.

Be true to yourself, but only with the spirits guiding. God has a great plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11 says "'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." Now this is a quote from a letter written by Jeremiah to those in exile. He is reminding them why they are in exile (for following false prophets instead of God) and that after their time in exile, they will return to God. But are we not also following false prophets and false leaders when we are true to ourselves instead of God? By living our life following God and living the life God wants us to live, we are being true to ourselves, the self God desires us to be.

Listening to the words of Moses

In the book of Psalms, there is one psalm that is attributed to Moses, Psalm 90. God spoke to me through this psalm this morning as I contemplated people who come into your life for just a fleeting moment.

You can read Psalm 90 in its entirety at this website, or by googling Psalm 90. We will take a look at a few passages from the psalm.

First, my contemplation on people who are briefly in your life. There have been many people who I have met once or spent a short amount of time with, only to never see or talk to them again. People who you meet and have a short conversation with or do something with. People who you wouldn't mind spending more time with, but never do. For whatever reason, we often come across people like this. We look back at the short time with them and remember it fondly or at least not being a bad time and wish it could have been longer.

3 You turn men back to dust,
saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."

4 For a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.

5 You sweep men away in the sleep of death;
they are like the new grass of the morning-

6 though in the morning it springs up new,
by evening it is dry and withered.

Moses tells us that our lives are fleeting. From dust we came and to dust we shall return.

9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.

10 The length of our days is seventy years—
or eighty, if we have the strength;
yet their span is but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

Moses continues to talk about the shortness of life. 70 years, maybe 80 if we are strong. I find it interesting that this is written thousands of years ago, yet our lives really aren't that much longer. We consider people in their 70s to have lived a long life, if in the 80s or 90s, they have lived a very long life. The few that make it to 100 and considered great people. Thousands of years and all of our knowledge doesn't give us a life too much longer than in Moses' time. Granted he lived 120 years!

How quickly we pass away! One day here on earth, the next dead. Those who know us pass on and all the earth is left with of us is the dirt from our body. Last night at church, the pastor used an illustration of John Lennon. He mentioned that when talking with some of the college students about him, many didn't know who he was or only knew a few songs he wrote. A man as well known as John Lennon, even his memory passes away in only 20-30 years.

12 Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

13 Relent, O LORD! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.

16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendor to their children.

17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.

Moses is constantly reminding us of the wrath of God, rightly being brought on us because of our sins. But at the end of the psalm, he tells us to count our days. Make the best of these days. Be welcoming of the work of the Lord and that he will establish the work of our hands.

We have few years on this earth. Some are given only a few years, some many, but more than 100, very few. Even then , 110 or 115 is the maximum for anyone to live today. We do not have many days. Make the most of them. Make the most of the time you do get to spend with people. That doesn't mean to cram as much into the time as possible, but to make the most of it. When you have to opportunity to spend time with someone who you may never see again, make the most of it. Sprinkle your conversation with grace and mercy. Allow God to work through your time, conversation, and action. Our days may be fleeting, but the work of the Lord echoes through eternity. Don't waste your time!

Make no Mistake About it!

Thomas Edison once said, “I haven't failed, I've found 10000 ways that don't work.” I feel that way about my life. Looking back at my past, I can't say I've done too many things that given a second chance, I would do the same way. But looking toward my future, I know lots of things that I will not do in the future!

Who is Jesus?

Earlier this week, Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee said "I submit to you, Mr. Speaker, that the parties have differences. But if you want change, you want the Democratic Party. Barack Obama was a community organizer like Jesus, who our minister prayed about. Pontius Pilate was a governor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker." We have heard in the news various people said "Jesus was a community organize, Pontius Pilate was a governor." Now I do not exactly know what a community organizer is. I have heard lots of people say the words, but haven't heard anyone define the term. But I do know who Jesus was.

Jesus Christ is God. John 1 tells us that in the beginning was The Word and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus says that he and The Father are one.

Jesus Christ was a man. He was born like all humans are. He was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit.He had flesh and bone like all of us. He died like all of us. He hungered, suffered, was temperted, and lived like us.

Jesus Christ died for our sins. When he died, he was crucified on the cross. Hardly a place for a sacrifice to be made. But a sacrifice was made. Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice, freely gave his life for us. By the spilling of His blood, a sacrifice was made to forgive all sins. Sins that have, are, or will occur.

Jesus Christ is a priest for us. In the Old Testament, the priest was someone who was an go-between for the people and God. Jesus does the same thing for us. He is of the priesthood of Melchizedek, meaning that he isn't a priest because he was born of a certain lineage, but because he was anointed by God to be a priest. He sits in Heaven today, acting as a go-between for us and The Father. We cannot approach God because of our sins, but because of the sacrifice made by Christ, we can.

I do not know what a community organizer is, but I do know who Jesus Christ is, he is God.

Are we teaching what they need to learn?

American schools are failing. That is a fact that cannot be debated. We can debate the causes for it, but our schools are failing. We are turning kids out who cannot read, who cannot use arithmetic, use cannot think abstractly or rationally, who cannot seek out information, who cannot communicate information, who are not prepared for the future. One of the biggest questions we must ask ourselves, are we teaching what we should be teaching?

I believe schools should be teaching three main things. First, how to collect information. Second, how to use information. Third, how to express information. Let's look at these in depth.

How to collect information. The normal way a student collects information is either directly from the teacher or from a book. The book is either a textbook or a book in the library. These are useful ways of finding information, however, in the modern world, what is the main source of finding information? Google.

216 million people in the United States used the internet in 2007. That is 71% of the population. In China, over 220 million people used the internet. An estimated 1.5 billion people use the internet worldwide. Of the searches performed on the internet, over 60% were performed using Google. Are we teaching students how to search on Google? Do students know the difference between .com and .net? Are you teaching them how to use the internet?

In July of 2008,over 69 million people found health information online. This information is extremely important to everyone, not only people in the medical field. Are students in our schools learning how to find this information online? Are they learning how to know if the source they found is trustworthy?

In everyday life, a person does not have access to an expert (which is who a student is asking when they ask a teacher) or a library. How often do you carry a textbook to work or keep one handy when walking through a city? However, we do have access to the internet. Access to the internet is no longer restricted to the home or office. We have immediate access to the internet in restaurants, hotels, and our cell phones. We do not even have to be inside to access the internet. It is imperative that all students know how to use the internet, how to find information, and how to judge the reliability of the information.

Second, how to use information. When students find this information, they need to know how to process it. One of the most important tools we have to process information is math. According to a recent AIR Study, the average US 8th grade student performs at a basic level for math and science. This is unacceptable. Students need to be proficient in algebra. They need to be able to look abstractly at objects. They need to be able to work with numbers and understand what they mean.

It is hard to pick up a newspaper, watch the news, or read the news online without seeing some sort of poll. Most Americans take this at face value without knowing where the numbers come from or how statistics can be manipulated. Students should be taught how to create statistics, how to analyze statistical data, and how statistics can be manipulated.

One of the biggest tools used in the workplace is Microsoft Excel. Most students come in contact with Microsoft Excel in their technology class. However, this is also when they learn about the entire Microsoft Office package. A mere cursory glance is offered at Excel. Students need to be proficient at Excel or other spreadsheet programs. They need to be able to make graphs from it. They need to be able to identify trends and relationships.

In schools, we rarely teach at the higher thinking levels. The reason is "teaching to the test." High stakes testing is heavily tied to how much money a school will get. The better the students do, the better the school looks, and in some cases, the better the paycheck of the teacher. In this scenario, it is better for a teacher to teach what will be on the test. Make sure the student knows certain facts. There is no room for teaching how to analyze or critical thinking skills because money is involved! This is wrong.

Finally, students need to know how to effectively communicate information.

In April of 2008, 11 billion videos were watched online by Americans. Youtube.com alone counts for over 100 million videos per day. There is a lot of information being presented by videos!

As of July 2008, there are over 175 million websites on the internet. There is a lot of information on the web!

In 2005, there was an estimated 4.5 million podcast users. By 2010, it is estimated to be 60 million. There is a lot of information being shared on podcasts!

There is an uncountable number of blogs on the internet. They lost count after 100 million. There is a lot of information being shared on blogs!

Yet what do we continue to teach in schools? How to write a paper. Not just any paper though, the perfect five paragraph hamburger paper. Intro, three body paragraphs (weakest argument in the middle), conclusion. Perfect! Except, how many times do you write five paragraph papers in your job? How often do you read five paragraph papers to find information? How often, outside of school, do you write a five page paragraph to convey an idea?

We must move beyond just writing. Students need to know how to present ideas using multimedia. Not only is the majority of Americans using multimedia to gather information, it also stimulates critical thinking skills. The world is changing. Information must be presented to a changing world. It is not presented by five paragraph papers, but by videos, websites, blogs, Power Point presentations, podcasts, etc...

We must teach students how to find information on their own using the internet, how to analyze information, and how to present it using a variety of medias. If we don't teach them, who will?

I will leave you with this video from youtube. It has already been watched over 2 million times. How many times has your five paragraph paper been read?

Buckle Up!

Spotted this bumper sticker in Montana

Love One Another, Part 2

1st John, chapter 4 verse 7, says “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.” We are called to love one another because God has loved us. 1 John 4:19 reads “We love because he first loved us.” God’s love for us was demonstrated by Christ coming and dying for us. Paul writes in Romans 5:8 “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” Humans have individually and collectively turned their backs on God. Since the time of Adam and Eve, we have distanced ourselves from God by our actions. Yet God, though he had no reason to, has chosen to redeem us by the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ. That by believing in Christ for our salvation, we can join in a relationship with God, which is what we were designed for. Now since God has loved us and redeemed us because of His love, we are to respond in kind. Let’s look at what it means to love one another.

In 1 John 4:7, the author uses the term agape for love. Agape, as we saw last time, means more than just an emotional feeling. It is love for all people. God shows agape by dying for all people, “For God so [agape] the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes shall not parish but have eternal life.” This is given freely to all. God does not give his love with strings attached. He does not require that we give anything back to him in order to receive this love. He gave us a way to be united with him. Because of our sins, there is no reason for God to love us. There is no reason for God to offer us salvation. But because of his love, he has chosen to give.

Paul defines love in chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians. He writes “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

God is our example of how to love. We are to love others unconditionally. We are to help others no matter what we will receive in return. We are to help others no matter who they are. Matthew 25 gives us a good example of how to love. This is the story of the separation of the goats and the sheep. The sheep are entering heaven while the goats are entering hell. The reason the sheep go to heaven is because they welcomed the stranger, fed the hungry, visited the imprisoned, clothed the naked. Jesus says that they did these things for him. When asked when he was hungry or thirsty, naked or in prison, Jesus says “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” We love by serving. By serving others we love God. By serving others we share God’s love.

Love is the highest attribute of God. Without God’s love, it would not be possible for us to be with him. It is the only attribute that is said to be God. 1 John 4:8 says “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” Paul says for us that love is the greatest thing we can do. 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” Love will always last. When our faith becomes sight, love will endure. When our hope is fulfilled, love will endure. Love never ends. In verse 1 of the same chapter, Paul says that without love, he is “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Without love, our faith is without worth.
We must always remember that we love not to receive, but to give. We love because God loves us. In the story of the goats and sheep, the righteous are surprised that they are being rewarded for their love. They did it without selfish ambitions. If we give for selfish reasons, we will receive our selfish reward and not an eternal reward. Jesus tells us that when in the temple observing the priests giving. We love in response to God’s love. His love is so great that we must respond with love. If we do not love, how can we call ourselves Christians?

So love one another! Love your neighbor as yourself! Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might! Love without conditions! Love not to receive, but to give! Love!

Love One Another

Love is a common theme in the Bible. In the Ancient Greek, there are four words for love, Storge, Eros, Phileo, and Agape. In our English language, there is one word, Love. This certainly creates a little confusion when we read. The source of this confusion is our use of the word love. I have noticed that love is typically only used in two ways in relationship with people, love of someone like a family member and love of someone like a significant other. We rarely use love in terms of friendship, so when we read that we are to love our brothers, it may seem slightly confusing.

Let's first look at the three Greek terms. Storge means affection. It is not found in the Bible. Eros means a passionate love. This would be the love between a husband and wife. It is not found in the Bible. Phileo means the love between friends. It is similar to loyalty. Agape is a sacrificial love for all. It would seem that phileo is an emotion while agape is an action.

Phileo and agape are both used in the Bible. Phileo is used in Matthew 10 to tell us that we are to phileo God more than anyone else. There is no specific command to phileo God in the NT, it instead uses the word agape.

Agape is used to describe God's love for mankind in John 3:16, "For God so loved [agape] the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." It is also used to describe what we should do. In John 14:15, Jesus says "If you love [agape] me, you will obey my commands."

In looking online, I found the following chart that contrasted these two types of love.

Philia	Agape
Natural	Learned
Emotional	Volitional
Discriminatory	Non-discriminatory
Conditional	Unconditional
Pleasure	Preciousness
Delight	Esteem
Liking	Prizing
Because of	In spite of
Fails	Never fails

This will be just the start of a look at what it means to love one another.

What do you believe?

I believe in

God the Father, creator of all
• Creator of all things (Genesis 1)
• Father of Jesus (John 1:14)

God the son, Jesus Christ. Who was born of the Spirit and virgin Mary. Who was, is, and will always be. Fully God and fully man. Who died on the cross for the sins of all and rose from the grave three days later, conquering death. He is the only way to salvation.
• Born of the virgin Mary and the Spirit (Matthew 1:18)
• Fully God (John 10: 22-39)
• Fully Man
• Died on the cross for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3)
• Physically rose three days later, conquering death (Luke 23:54 – 24:7) (Luke 24: 36-39)
• Has always been, and always will be (John 1:1,2)

God the Spirit. Who was promised by Jesus and sent from the Father to all believers to teach and remind us. He convicts the world of sin.
• Sent from the Father (John 14:15-17)
• Given to believers (John 14:15)
• Teaches and reminds us (John 14:26)
• Convicts the world of sin (John 16:8-11)
• Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28,29) (Acts 2) (Acts 19:4,5)

I believe

Salvation comes from God, by his grace, through faith.
Salvation can be obtained by all people.
Faith is more than just believing God exists, but is trusting in God and God only for salvation.
True faith will lead to good works and repentance.
Good works are part of our response to God’s love.
We can be assured of our salvation
• Salvation is a gift, not earned (Romans 6:23)
• All who receive Christ are saved (John 1:12,13)
• God has given life. You will know if you have eternal life. If you have Jesus, you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11-13)
• Our salvation is guaranteed (Romans 4:16)
• True faith will lead to works (John 14:23,24) (James 2: 14-26)
• When Abraham was accredited by faith, it wasn’t because he knew God existed. It was because he trusted. He already knew God existed. But he was found to be righteous because he trusted. (Genesis 15:16) (Hebrews 11:8-19)
• We all sin, Christ is our sacrifice (Romans 3:21-31)
• If we are saved by works, then faith is for nothing (Romans 4:14)
• All can be saved (John 3:16) (1 Timothy 2:3,4)

I believe

Communion is ordained by Christ. In it, followers of Christ proclaim his death until his return. This is done by sharing in the same meal of Christ, bread and wine. The elements are not physically body and blood, Christ is symbolically in the elements
• Not symbolic, but spiritual (1 Corinthians 10:16) (1 Corinthians 11:27-29, How can one profane the body if it is only bread and wine?)
• Not physical (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) (Luke 22: 14-19)
• Proclaims Christ’s death (1 Corinthians 11:26)

Water baptism is a symbolic sign of a person’s desire to repent and live a new life in Christ. The action is not required for salvation.
• For repentance (Matthew 3:11) (Acts 2:38)
• Not required for salvation (no record of disciples being baptized) (Luke 23:39-43)

This is still a work in progress.

What do you believe?

Why do we serve?

That was the topic for the sermon today. We had a guest speaker from Frazer UMC in Montgomery, AL. He spoke on the importance of volunteering within the church.

As his message, he started with scripture and gave three reasons. First, the scripture.

14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

-1st Corinthians 12:14-20

Second, the speaker said that we are all gifted. We all have ways that we can serve in the church. This is shown in the scripture. Third, all forms of service are equally important. Each person serving in their own way is important. As he used as an example, the people who clean the sanctuary are equally as important as him giving the sermon. If God calls us to do something, let's do it. Let's not waste time in committees deciding which are the most important. It is meets the requirements for ministry, then do it. Fourth, serving creates excitement. When people are filled and excited in church, they invite others. In closing, volunteer to further your spiritual journey.

While I think his points are correct, it really misses what I feel are the most important reasons to serve.

Before we get further, as you may know I have been recently evaluating the effectiveness of the United Methodist church, particularly in teaching the Gospel. In one post, we looked at some quotes from John Wesley, including one that said in all sermons, the preacher must preach the gospel and invite people to respond to Jesus. I believe that the speaker made an assumption that the people in the pews were Christians. While one would think that this might be a fair assumption for a church, it is far from true. While I am certainly in no position to judge the salvation of another person, I believe that it is fair to say that not all in the church are saved. If they are not Christians, then serving in the church is of no value. Paul tells us in Ephesians that salvation comes from grace, not works. So in terms of salvation, works are of no value. Christ tells us in chapter 7 of Matthew that many will call upon the name of the Lord in the end and say they performed acts in His name. He also says many of those he will cast away as he never knew them. James tells us in chapter 2 that faith without works is dead, and likewise, works without faith is dead. We know that works will not affect your salvation, but it certainly is meant for Christians. It is our response to God's grace and mercy for us. As we see in James, true faith will lead to good works.

So if not all in the church are Christians and good works are for Christians, we have a problem telling all people to do works. I believe that first, we must do what we can to help them know Christ. How do they come to know Christ if it is not preached? Yes we have bible studies and small groups, but not all who attend church participate in these. Christ must be preached in our pulpits, sunday school classroom, and throughout the whole world. Blessed are those who preach the goodness of Christ! That from the beginning of time, God has desired to have a relationship with us. However, he is perfect and we are not. This prevents us from being in relationship with God, both today and in the afterlife. However, in his love for us, God sent Christ Jesus who came to earth. He lived a perfect life to teach us how to live, and died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Our belief in Christ's redeeming power is all that is required from God's grace to cleanse us of our sins by the blood of Christ. Once we are cleansed of our sins, we can enjoy fellowship with God both now and forever. This must be taught in our churches and by those of us who are Christians.

So first, before we can even talk about performing good works in God's name, we first must belong to God. This then brings us to the reason for doing it. The most important reason for doing it is because God tells us to. We saw in James how our faith leads to good works. James uses the example of a Christian seeing a person in need of food and clothing and instead of providing for the person, the Christian says to "Go and I wish you well." This clearly does not help the person. John in 1st John tells us that we love because God loves us first. We are to love each other as a response to God's love for us! By living in love for each other, we will know that God lives in us, and us in Him. Jesus tells us in the story of the goats and lambs that by serving others, we serve God. In the story, Jesus separates the goats from the sheep. The goats are cast into hell while the sheep are brought into heaven. In both, they ask Christ when they saw him hungry or thirsty, naked or in jail. Jesus responds that as you do unto the least of these, you do unto Him. By loving others, we show our love to God and share God's love to others.

Serve in the church! Not as a means of gaining salvation, but as a means of sharing God's love!

Terrorists at the Tea Party

I recently read an article in National Geographic Adventure (August 2008) called Terrorists at the Tea Party. It was about how our body responds to emergency situations and how to improve our reaction.

School fire alarms are a common occurance in schools. These are done regularly as drills, occasionally on accident, sometimes as a prank, and, on the rare occurrence, in an emergency. As a small child, I feared the fire alarm. In preschool, I would often cry when the alarm went off. This same fear was in my body when I met police officers. However, as I grew older, I overcame this fear. When an alarm goes off, I immediately think of where the nearest exit is. When I see a police officer, I do not fear them, though my attention is drawn to them. These changes in my reaction came as a result of conditioning my body. As a child, I was not aware of how to condition my body, this came as a result of repeated interactions with the source of fear. I began to understand what the source of the emergency is in each situation and how to properly respond. This sort of reaction is extremely important in life and death situations.

There have been numerous studies on people in survival situations and what makes some people give up while others persevere. In these studies, the most important characteristic isn't strength but mental ability. When an emergency situation arises, it often times enters our brain and is immediately processed before we have time to think about it. Our brain switches into survival instinct, releasing hormones, changing the chemistry of our blood, restricting our blood vessels, and increase our blood pressure and pulse. These actions help to protect our body and give our muscles extra strength, but at the expense of our rational thinking. As the situation develops, some people often times experience tachpsychia, the changing of our mind's perception of speed. Often times people experience the heightening of some senses and the weakening or tunneling of others. As time progresses, our mind has time to analyze the signals it is receiving and the evaluate what the threat is and how to appropriately respond. The longer we have to respond to the situation, the better. Though in situations such as shootings and wrecks, we have little time to respond. We must find ways to cope with the situation to increase our ability to respond appropriately and to increase our changes of survival.

One way of improving our odds is by experience. The more times we encounter emergency situations and survive, the more self-confidence we have in ourselves, and the more knowledge we have in how to respond and how our bodies respond. By hear the fire alarm and evacuating the building, my body was conditioned in what to do when the alarm sounds. Just like Pavlov's dogs. One of the most powerful ways is by breathing. Soldiers and police officers are often taught breathing techniques to use in hostile situations to calm the body and maintain a level head. This breathing strategy works by bridging the gap between our somatic nervous system and autonoic system, the parts of our body we can consciously control and the parts we can not. By slowing our breathing, we are able to reduce the fear that comes from our primal survival instinct. A common recommended pattern for breathing is inhale four counts, hold four counts, exhale four counts, hold four counts, repeat. Laughter is another activity that reduces our stress and allows us to think clearly.

This may not be such a bad deal!

Defendant trades murder plea for KFC, pizza.

A New York man who pleaded guilty to murder in Oregon in exchange for buckets of fried chicken will get calzones and pizza to go with his life sentence.

Durham agreed to plead guilty to murder -- but only if he could get a break from jail food. The judge agreed and granted Durham a feast of KFC chicken, Popeye's chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, carrot cake and ice cream.

That doesn't sound like too bad of a deal. Life with possible parole in 30 years for a bucket of chicken!

Disturbing News about the UMC

These statistics came from a recent poll by the Pew Forum. The survey was the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. The snapshot below of the United Methodist Church is disturbing.

http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=3829

96 percent are “absolutely” or “fairly certain” that God exists 42 percent say they attend church at least once a week; 14 percent say they seldom or never attend church 59 percent say they pray at least once a day 15 percent say their prayers are answered at least once a week; 28 percent say their prayers are seldom or never answered one-fourth believe the Bible should be taken “literally, word for word;” 21 percent say it’s written by men, not God; 44 percent say it’s the Word of God but probably shouldn’t be taken literally 82 percent believe there is more than one way to interpret their religious teachings 85 percent believe many religions can lead to eternal life 51 percent believe “Homosexuality is a way of life that should be accepted by society” 39 percent disagree 59 percent believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases; 29 percent say it should be illegal in most cases 42 percent believe the U.S. should be active in world affairs; half said we should focus more on problems here at home 29 percent say stricter environmental laws would hurt the economy; 63 percent say it would be worth the cost 47 percent lean toward or are Republican; 42 percent lean toward or are Democratic

There are some good things. Some things that are good are that 96% are positive that God exists. A majority of United Methodists pray daily. A majority feel that taking care of God's creation will be worth the cost.

There are also some disturbing things. A majority of United Methodists do not believe that the Bible is the literal Word of God. A majority of United Methodists believe that abortion should be allowed in all cases. A majority believe that many religions can lead to God. A majority believe that there are multiple interpretations to the Bible.

These trends lead me to the conclusion that the United Methodist Church needs to lead a revival in small group Bible studies. When the Methodist Church was in its infancy, it focused very heavily on small group Bible studies and holy living. Now a days, in most churches, this does not happen. Most United Methodists are not active in small group Bible studies where they are challenged to read and study the Word of God. Where they would be challenged and strengthened in their holy living by others. Instead, they attend church on Sunday morning and call it a week.

By studying the Bible, some things would clearly be found out. One, while there are many applications, there is only one interpretation to the Bible, and that is given to us by the Holy Spirit.

John 14: 16-17a "16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. "

The Spirit is the spirit of truth. He does not lie to us.

John 14: 26 "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

He teaches us and reminds us of things that God has taught us.

1 Corinthians 2: 9-12 "9However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"— 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. "

God has and continues to speak to us. One of the ways God talks to us is through the Bible. He does not contradict Himself and so will not contradict the Bible. He has spoken by the Spirit through man to write the Bible. His word, revealed by the Spirit. The same Spirit continues to illuminate our understanding of the Bible. We cannot understand it outside the Bible.

Ephesians 4:18 "18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts."

It is very dangerous that people believe that there can be many interpretations. By allowing the idea of multiple interpretations, we open the door for false teachers to take hold in our churches.

Another thing that a Bible study would show is that there are not multiple paths to God. Jesus is very clear on this.

John 14:6-7 "6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.""

John 14:11a "11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me"

John 11: 25-27 "25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

27"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.""

I believe that the United Methodist Church must ensure that solid, Biblical sound teaching from every pulpit and that all churches have small group Bible studies. John Wesley would agree.

Let's look at a few quotes from John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement.

"I love plain dealing. Do not you? I will use it now. Bear with me. I hang out no false colors; but show you all I am, all I intend, all I do. I am a member of the Church of England; but I love good men of every Church. My ground is the Bible. Yea, I am a Bible bigot. I follow it in all things, both great and small."

How many United Methodist pastors follow John Wesley's advice for teaching? "1. To invite. 2. To convince. 3. To offer Christ. 4. To build up. And to do this in some measure in every sermon."

How many United Methodists would be able to tell you where the name Methodists comes from? Except for when I was in VBS, I do not ever remember hearing it. It comes from a derogatory term used at Oxford against Wesley's holy living club. He took hold of the name, later explaining it as "one that lives according to the method laid down in the Bible."

We must return to our roots in the United Methodist church of everyone being in small group Bible studies where they study the Bible and are strengthened and held accountable by their fellow group members.

And Subdue It

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day.

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fifth day.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground--everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

1 Praise the Lord. 2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. 4 Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. 6 He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, 9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, 11 kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, 12 young men and maidens, old men and children. 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. 14 He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Psalm 148

I love being outside. I love going hiking, backpacking, bike riding, walking, ..., just being outside. Being outside allows me to see and be in God's creation. I love being in the beauty of nature, seeing wildlife and plants, camping in wilderness, breathing in the clean air.

Being in nature, I often reflect on God. In reading the Genesis 1 account of creation, we see that God gives us the earth, telling us to subdue the earth and to rule over the animals. This declaration does not come without great responsibility! We see in Psalm 148, and indeed through the whole Bible, that God loves his creation, and his creation loves him. In Psalm 148, the earth shouts praises to the Lord right next to man! Together, we praise our creator. We have a great responsibility, given to us by God, to take care of his creation.

He gives us food and shelter by his creation. All that we need to live is given to us by our Creator in his creation! We lack for nothing. Jesus reminds us of this during his sermon on the mount.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6: 25-34

We need nothing else besides what God has given us. Because of that, it is our responsibility to not waste what he has given us or to abuse it. Just because we have an abundance of things does not mean we can waste it! God gave us his creation as our responsibility. Our responsibility to protect it, conserve it, preserve it, and to use it for our needs.

How often I think we take the term subdue to extreme. Subdue according to the dictionary means to bring under one's control. We have subdued the world. We have colonized all 7 continents, sent humans to the moon, grow enough food for almost 7 billion people, and have certainly left our mark on the earth.

But do our building shout praise to God? Do our streets sing his praises?

Bumming around

I am currently bumming around the country. I have applied for a commission with the Navy and am waiting to hear back from the board, which should be in mid-August. Until then, I just wait.

I have spent the past couple of weeks exploring South Dakota and Montana. I spent about a week in South Dakota. I went first to the Badlands National Park. I stayed 3 days, hiking and exploring the formations. I spent 1 night in the park and 1 night in the grasslands right outside the park. I then went to the Black Hills. I saw the Crazy Horse memorial and Mount Rushmore. I also took a cave tour of Jewel Cave. I then spent 3 days hiking in the Black Elk wilderness in the Black Hills. I then proceeded into Montana, stopping at the Little Bighorn battlesite. I spent the past weekend in Glacier National Park and am currently in Bozeman. Next week I will be hiking in the mountains around Bozeman.

If I had a way of getting paid to do what I am doing, I would do it. The only thing I can think of is being a contributing writer to a magazine. If only I had better writting skills!

What is a man...

What is a man without any land?

A person should own land. It doesn't have to be a lot, but just land under their feet that is theirs. You could do what you want with the land. You can turn it into a yard with nice grass, make a garden, grow wildflowers, use it for a hobby, run your business, relax, farm, ranch, whatever you want. Everyone needs land that is theirs.

I own land. I have currently been traveling throughout my land. I have been exploring the badlands of South Dakota, sleeping under the stars on the plains of Colorado, hiking through the timbers of the Black Hills, exploring the peaks of Glacier NP, sliding down the dunes of Padre, and watching the sunrise over the Bridgers. This is my land. My land is where the land is still free. How can someone carve up the earth and call it theirs?

There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;
Sign was painted, it said private property;
But on the back side it didn't say nothing;
That side was made for you and me.

Where is your land?