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.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Things are not as they appear
Grass is Growing
One of my favorite Tom Petty songs is Time to Move On. The chorus of the song goes:
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.
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.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
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!
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!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
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."
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!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
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!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, August 25, 2008
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.
This will be just the start of a look at what it means to love one another.
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.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
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?
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.
-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!
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!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, August 4, 2008
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
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?"
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.
http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=3829
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.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
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?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The only thing to do
I am at the Anchorage airport, waiting for my plane to Houston. My three weeks in Alaska is coming to a close. It has been a great trip. I have gotten to see a lot of new things and try new things, like kayaking. I am really excited about kayaking and want to continue to do it when I return home.
One of my favorite authors is Lawrence Millman. In one of his books, he writes that when you complete a journey the only thing to do is start another one. So when I get home, that is exactly what I will be doing. I will be heading for Montana via the Badlands of South Dakota. Last year, I read several books on Crazy Horse. I became quite interested in him and am wanting to visit the black hills where Crazy Horse lived. I will also be visiting the fort he was killed at and the battle field at Greasy Grass (Little Bighorn). I will then be going to Montana. I will spend time in Glacier National Park as well as the mountains around Bozeman. I am looking forward to my next journey.
Even greater will be the one after that.
One of my favorite authors is Lawrence Millman. In one of his books, he writes that when you complete a journey the only thing to do is start another one. So when I get home, that is exactly what I will be doing. I will be heading for Montana via the Badlands of South Dakota. Last year, I read several books on Crazy Horse. I became quite interested in him and am wanting to visit the black hills where Crazy Horse lived. I will also be visiting the fort he was killed at and the battle field at Greasy Grass (Little Bighorn). I will then be going to Montana. I will spend time in Glacier National Park as well as the mountains around Bozeman. I am looking forward to my next journey.
Even greater will be the one after that.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Get Off the Bus!
On the 17th, I went hiking at Denali National Park. I didn't know any of the places to go hiking, so I picked up a trail guide from a bookstore. I found a hike for a place called Stony Dome. To get anywhere in Denali, you have to take the bus. The bus sytem is great and anytime you want to get off, you just tell the driver. When you want back on, you flag down a passing bus and jump on. i rode the bus out 63 miles to a place called Fish Creek. I then hiked Stony Dome, a 4 mile hike with 1,500 foot elevation gain. It sprinkled part of the time and the temperatures were in the 30's on top with a strong wind.
Summit of Stony Dome
Creek along base of Stony Dome
When I got back on the bus, I was reading the introduction part of the guide book. The author says he wrote the book to help people get off the bus. He wants people to not just see the park from a bus, but to experience the weather, to feel the tundra under their feet, to smell the tundra, and feel the cold wind on their face. It reminded me of Edward Abbey's Desert Solitude. In that book, Abbey wrote that a man can see more in a mile on foot than hundred miles in a car. He is absolutly right. From the bus, I saw moose, caribou, and grizzly, but on the hike, I saw grizzly, felt the cold rain and wind, got my feet cold and wet, and smelled the smells.
Moose
On the bus, a family got off at Polychrome Pass, before we got to Fish Creek. A gentleman asked the driver what they were doing, as if there was nothing else to do in the park besides ride the bus. The driver said they were going hiking and the gentleman responded "wow!"
Being outside is being free. Being on a bus is restricting. Get off the bus!
Summit of Stony Dome
Creek along base of Stony DomeWhen I got back on the bus, I was reading the introduction part of the guide book. The author says he wrote the book to help people get off the bus. He wants people to not just see the park from a bus, but to experience the weather, to feel the tundra under their feet, to smell the tundra, and feel the cold wind on their face. It reminded me of Edward Abbey's Desert Solitude. In that book, Abbey wrote that a man can see more in a mile on foot than hundred miles in a car. He is absolutly right. From the bus, I saw moose, caribou, and grizzly, but on the hike, I saw grizzly, felt the cold rain and wind, got my feet cold and wet, and smelled the smells.
MooseOn the bus, a family got off at Polychrome Pass, before we got to Fish Creek. A gentleman asked the driver what they were doing, as if there was nothing else to do in the park besides ride the bus. The driver said they were going hiking and the gentleman responded "wow!"
Being outside is being free. Being on a bus is restricting. Get off the bus!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Black Bear Wifi
I am on the internet thanks to Black Bear coffee shop in Denali Park. We have been on shore for two days now. My cousin and her husband flew back home yesterday. It was nice for them to be with us when we were on the cruise ship.
This was really the first time I got to meet my cousin. She lived only 4 hours away from me when we were growing up, but our families never did anything together and we haven't seen each other since we were very young. We got to learn about our different families, swap all the family gossip, and just learn about each other.
In previous posts, I wrote that for me, my family is just my direct ancestors. I will add a second cousin to that list of family members. She is the first family member my age that I have had any type of connection with. Any one else in my family even close to my age I have either never met or haven't seen in years. Perhaps for me, family isn't as much the relationship as in family connection, but the relationship in knowing the person who happens to also be family.
This was really the first time I got to meet my cousin. She lived only 4 hours away from me when we were growing up, but our families never did anything together and we haven't seen each other since we were very young. We got to learn about our different families, swap all the family gossip, and just learn about each other.
In previous posts, I wrote that for me, my family is just my direct ancestors. I will add a second cousin to that list of family members. She is the first family member my age that I have had any type of connection with. Any one else in my family even close to my age I have either never met or haven't seen in years. Perhaps for me, family isn't as much the relationship as in family connection, but the relationship in knowing the person who happens to also be family.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
A Violation of the US Constitution
I am pretty sure that one of the bill of rights is that if you are paying for a service from a company, and that company also offers wireless internet, you get the wireless internet for free. Perhaps because we are in Canadian waters right now, the cruise ship has waived that part of the constitution. Last evening, I used my computer to connect to the router for the ship's wireless network, but wasn't able to connect to the internet. This morning I found out why, it is $.50/minute. That is obscene.
A Big Airplane
That is how I feel about this cruise ship, it is just like a big airplane. I see it as a means of transportation from Vancouver to Alaska. I have found refuge in the library. It has plenty of books to read and a big window I can sit by and read. I have also enjoyed the gym. I went this morning for a good workout. That is about all I have liked about the cruise. I feel almost trapped in it and can't wait until tomorrow when we pull into Ketchikan and I can get off. It is like when you sit on an airplane for a few hours and you are stared out the window all you can stare and you just need to stretch your legs!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Weigh Anchor!
We are currently weighing anchor.
We boarded the ship, Coral Princess, a little bit after 12. We got our rooms. I am on the Dolphin Deck, starboard side. We ate lunch at the Horizon Court. It is a buffet that is open 24 hours a day. I had a salad, chicken on rice, salmon salad (salmon, potatoes, and mayonnaises), zucchini, and a slice of bread. After lunch, my aunt took us for a tour of the ship, showing us where the theatre, casino, gym, restaurants, and lounges were. The only thing I plan on using is the gym and restaurants. I may venture into some of the lounges as well, provided they have free wifi!
We depart from Vancouver in a few hours, sailing for our first port, Ketchikan. We arrive in Ketchikan on the 11th at 6AM. I will be hiking Deer Mountain that day in the Tongass National Forest. I read about the Tongass in National Geographic a few months ago and really wanted to see it. This 5 mile out and back hike will be all I can see. I am looking forward to the hike though. It will be much better than the bus tour the rest of my family will be taking.
I am reminded of the writings of Lawrence Millman, one of my favorite authors. In A Journey in the North, he writes that given the choice between a fast boat or a slow boat, he would take the slow boat. Given a choice between walking or driving, he would take walking. I certainly agree with him. I like to ride my bike around Midland, though do not do it as much as I should. Instead of the cruise I am on, I would prefer to take the ferry. Mainly because the ferry goes to every single town along the inner passage. I read on article about using the ferry when hiking. They will let you camp on the deck and you can just disembark at any of the towns to go hiking. I would love to spend a week in each of the towns we visit, instead of the 12 hours they give us.
It is almost time for our safety drill.
We boarded the ship, Coral Princess, a little bit after 12. We got our rooms. I am on the Dolphin Deck, starboard side. We ate lunch at the Horizon Court. It is a buffet that is open 24 hours a day. I had a salad, chicken on rice, salmon salad (salmon, potatoes, and mayonnaises), zucchini, and a slice of bread. After lunch, my aunt took us for a tour of the ship, showing us where the theatre, casino, gym, restaurants, and lounges were. The only thing I plan on using is the gym and restaurants. I may venture into some of the lounges as well, provided they have free wifi!
We depart from Vancouver in a few hours, sailing for our first port, Ketchikan. We arrive in Ketchikan on the 11th at 6AM. I will be hiking Deer Mountain that day in the Tongass National Forest. I read about the Tongass in National Geographic a few months ago and really wanted to see it. This 5 mile out and back hike will be all I can see. I am looking forward to the hike though. It will be much better than the bus tour the rest of my family will be taking.
I am reminded of the writings of Lawrence Millman, one of my favorite authors. In A Journey in the North, he writes that given the choice between a fast boat or a slow boat, he would take the slow boat. Given a choice between walking or driving, he would take walking. I certainly agree with him. I like to ride my bike around Midland, though do not do it as much as I should. Instead of the cruise I am on, I would prefer to take the ferry. Mainly because the ferry goes to every single town along the inner passage. I read on article about using the ferry when hiking. They will let you camp on the deck and you can just disembark at any of the towns to go hiking. I would love to spend a week in each of the towns we visit, instead of the 12 hours they give us.
It is almost time for our safety drill.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Rule #1 of Gambling, I Always Win
I am not the house, but I won BIG today. We went to the River Rock Casino for dinner. The hotel had free coupons. The coupons were amazing, they were for a free $5 bill! I went, got my money, then ate at the restaurant. I had a bowl of chili for $4.50, pocketing the left over $.50. I won!
Papers Please
When passing through immigration, do not answer "I don't know" to their questions. It slows things down and raises suspension. I didn't know the name of the boat I am boarding tomorrow and also didn't know what hotel I was staying at tonight. When he asked how I would know where to go, I told him I was with a group that went ahead of me. Well, none of them claimed me when going through, so he questioned me on why noone said I was in there group. I made it though, but it took a while.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
T - 12 hours
In 12 hours, I will be boarding a plane to Vancouver. I will stay in Vancouver for about a day before boarding ship and sailing to Alaska. I have no idea what I will do in Vancouver during the day.
Today I drove to Kline to stay with my aunt and uncle. I am traveling with them to Alaska. I went to a near-by middle school to work out. They had the gate to the track open. I ran and also did my normal workout. While there, I saw killdeer on the football field. When I ran by, one did the fake broken wing dance. I then noticed three little ones that she was trying to lead me away from. I am sorry I disturbed the birds, but it was neat to see the little ones.
Today I drove to Kline to stay with my aunt and uncle. I am traveling with them to Alaska. I went to a near-by middle school to work out. They had the gate to the track open. I ran and also did my normal workout. While there, I saw killdeer on the football field. When I ran by, one did the fake broken wing dance. I then noticed three little ones that she was trying to lead me away from. I am sorry I disturbed the birds, but it was neat to see the little ones.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
One Bread, One Body
This morning we took communion at church. I wish my church did it every Sunday. I believe it is very important for a Christian to not only participate in it, but to also understand it. These are a few thoughts of mine about communion and the United Methodist understanding of the real presence. First, it is a mystery. Paul mentions several mysteries of the faith, some revealed, some not yet revealed. Many we have some understanding of, but not all understanding. An example of that would be in Ephesians 5 when he speaks about marriage and it representing the Church and Christ. He says it is a profound mystery. We are given the idea, but not the full understanding of it. Communion is the same way. We are given a lot about it, but we are still unable to completely grasp it. But Christ will give us full understanding when we share the meal with him at the heavenly banquet. Part of the mystery is that Christ shares the Last Supper with his disciples before he is dead. He gives them bread, calls it his body, then gives them wine and calls it his blood. The bread being his body and the blood being shed for our sins. He has not died for our sins on the cross yet, but he gives his blood to the disciples. Christ tells them to do it often in remembrance of him. So we do communion as a way of remembering. This is similar to things we have seen in Exodus, where God tells the people to take the bread as a remembrance, or erect stones as a remembrance. God gave specific rules for these remembrances. He does so also for communion. Paul expounds on these, particularly in 1 Corinthians. He tells the people that if we take communion in an unworthy manner, we profane Christ. It would be hard to profane Christ if it was just bread and wine. He tells us that when we take the cup and take the load, we are participating in the blood and body of Christ. Now it is still bread and wine, and we do it to remember Christ's death, but somehow we are also sharing in that supper with Jesus 2,000 years ago. We are sharing in his death. We do not see it has a requirement of saving salvation, but it is certainly something that is good for followers to do. Christ tells us that he is the bread of life, that is being represented in the loaf. We know his blood is sacrificed for our sins, represented in the wine. When we take communion, we take bread and wine to remember Christ, we join with him and all followers in his death, and we partake in his body, the bread of life, and the wine, the blood spilled for our sins. Christ is with us in communion. We take symbolic bread and wine and somehow are sharing a meal with Christ many years ago and remembering what he has done for us.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Ft Davis/Davis Mountains Loop
Today, I went hiking. It was about 7-8 miles. I did a figure 8 loop between Davis Mountains State Park and Ft. Davis NHS. The loop began in the state park and followed the trail north next to the Interpretive Center. (A map can be found here). The trail follows a canyon and makes a quick climb up a ridge.
From the ridge you can see the McDonald Observatory. The picture below shows Limpia Canyon heading west from the park toward Mt. Locke, the home of the observatory.
It then closely follows Skyline Drive to the edge of the state park. Along the way, it swings by a couple of scenic overlooks and even a restroom. At the edge of the park, the trail crosses the fence line into the NHS.
Inside the NHS are several trails that form a loop. When entering the park, I followed the North Ridge Trail to the Tall Grass Loop. Along the trail, you can begin to see the fort.
View of fort from North Ridge Trail Note the parade grounds in the
center and Officers Row to the right.
Post Hospital from ridge trail
Upon reaching the fort, I followed a short trail to an abandoned military cemetery. When the fort was abandoned in 1891, the graves were dugup and moved to Ft Sam Houston in San Antonio. I then went to the visitors center to pay my entrance fee. At the visitors center, they show a short video on the history of the fort narrated by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
I walked the grounds of the fort, seeing the post chapel and some of the officers quarters before heading toward Hospital Canyon. The trail in hospital canyon meets up with the North Ridge Trail just before reaching the state park.
Post Chapel
Officer Houses
Back inside the state park, I finished the figure 8 loop by following the mountain bike trail to Keesey Creek. This trail drops over the ridge and slowly descends into Limpia Canyon before it turns up Keesey Creek and back to the main park road.
During the day, I saw several mule deer, tons of birds including a pair of quail, squirrels, and even a few flies. It was a great day of hiking and a good trail to follow if you are ever in Fort Davis.
From the ridge you can see the McDonald Observatory. The picture below shows Limpia Canyon heading west from the park toward Mt. Locke, the home of the observatory.
It then closely follows Skyline Drive to the edge of the state park. Along the way, it swings by a couple of scenic overlooks and even a restroom. At the edge of the park, the trail crosses the fence line into the NHS.
Inside the NHS are several trails that form a loop. When entering the park, I followed the North Ridge Trail to the Tall Grass Loop. Along the trail, you can begin to see the fort.
View of fort from North Ridge Trail Note the parade grounds in thecenter and Officers Row to the right.
Post Hospital from ridge trailUpon reaching the fort, I followed a short trail to an abandoned military cemetery. When the fort was abandoned in 1891, the graves were dugup and moved to Ft Sam Houston in San Antonio. I then went to the visitors center to pay my entrance fee. At the visitors center, they show a short video on the history of the fort narrated by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
I walked the grounds of the fort, seeing the post chapel and some of the officers quarters before heading toward Hospital Canyon. The trail in hospital canyon meets up with the North Ridge Trail just before reaching the state park.
Post Chapel
Officer HousesBack inside the state park, I finished the figure 8 loop by following the mountain bike trail to Keesey Creek. This trail drops over the ridge and slowly descends into Limpia Canyon before it turns up Keesey Creek and back to the main park road.
During the day, I saw several mule deer, tons of birds including a pair of quail, squirrels, and even a few flies. It was a great day of hiking and a good trail to follow if you are ever in Fort Davis.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
4 Days Left
Only 4 days left in the school year. We have tomorrow off for Memorial Day. When we return on Tuesday, we start our final exams. We have 3.5 days of final exams. Noone knows what is going to happen Friday afternoon as we have a 4 hour period between the last final and the last bell.
Tomorrow I am going to go hiking in the Davis Mountains. I will be hiking between Davis Mountains State Park and Fort Davis. I have been to the state park before, but only when I was a little kid. I was at the fort just about 2 months ago. I do not think I have hiked between the two before though.
Tomorrow I am going to go hiking in the Davis Mountains. I will be hiking between Davis Mountains State Park and Fort Davis. I have been to the state park before, but only when I was a little kid. I was at the fort just about 2 months ago. I do not think I have hiked between the two before though.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
7:00 AM is NOT too early!
Last summer, I went to Nevada. I was in the town of Baker, Nevada eating breakfast at the only restaurant in town. I was ordering breakfast (french toast) and the waitress asked if I wanted a beer with my meal. I opted for the coffee. Turns out that 8:00 AM is not too early to start drinking in Baker. This morning, I was in a coffee shop in Midland and the cashier asked if I would like a piece of cheesecake with my coffee. I politely declined. Turns out 7:00 AM is not too early for dessert in Midland!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Take me out to the ballgame
This past weekend I went to Fort Worth. On Friday, I went to Dallas to take an aptitude test for the Navy. On Saturday, my brother and I went to the Rangers - Astros baseball game at the Ballpark at Arlington.
The starting pitchers were Padilla for the Rangers versus Oswalt for the Astros. The game began with a flag presentation honoring military personnel and their families. It included a speech from a Major General in Iraq.
The game began with the Astros batting first. They got off to a 1-0 start in the top of the 1st. The following picture is of first pitch.
However, the lead didn't last long as the Rangers scored 2 in the bottom of the 1st to take the lead, which they did not give up. The picture below is of Oswalt's first pitch in the bottom of the 1st.
Despite getting the loss, it was fun going to the game and getting to watch the Astros. I have always been a 'stros fan and pulled for them long before they won the pennant. It was, however, my first game to watch in person in which Biggio was not in the lineup.
The final boxscore.
The game did conclude with a concert by Robert Earl Keen. I hadn't seen him in concert in a few years. I think the last time was at a concert in College Station at Wolf Pen Creek.
The starting pitchers were Padilla for the Rangers versus Oswalt for the Astros. The game began with a flag presentation honoring military personnel and their families. It included a speech from a Major General in Iraq.
The game began with the Astros batting first. They got off to a 1-0 start in the top of the 1st. The following picture is of first pitch.
However, the lead didn't last long as the Rangers scored 2 in the bottom of the 1st to take the lead, which they did not give up. The picture below is of Oswalt's first pitch in the bottom of the 1st.
Despite getting the loss, it was fun going to the game and getting to watch the Astros. I have always been a 'stros fan and pulled for them long before they won the pennant. It was, however, my first game to watch in person in which Biggio was not in the lineup.
The final boxscore.
The game did conclude with a concert by Robert Earl Keen. I hadn't seen him in concert in a few years. I think the last time was at a concert in College Station at Wolf Pen Creek.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Wrap it up
I took my ASTB yesterday for the Navy and my scores were good. My application as been sent off and now I will just wait until I hear back, around July 1.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Tying a knot of internet bullies
The boy scouts are well for tying knots, camping, and doing good deeds. They have updated it to now include reporting bullying. Here are the new requirements for Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class.
Tenderfoot: Explain the importance of the buddy system as it relates to your personal safety on outings and in your neighborhood. Describe what a bully is and how you should respond to one.
2nd Class: Explain the three R's of personal safety and protection.
1st Class: Describe the three things you should avoid doing related to the use of the Internet. Describe a cyberbully and how you should respond to one.
In case you are wondering what three things you should avoid on the web, they are: Whenever you go online: (1) Don't respond to inappropriate messages or Web sites. If you stumble across information or images that you don't understand, it's OK to talk about it with your parent or guardian; (2) Don't share information such as your address, telephone number, school name, or your parents' work address or telephone number, and never send any photos via the Internet unless you have permission; (3) Never agree to meet anyone who has contacted you online unless your parent or guardian goes with you.
And I thought it was to never pay for wifi!
The Boy Scouts of America started in 1910. Back then, scouts had to learn important skills like how to pack an animal and how to signal using semaphore. When I was in Scouts, semaphore was long gone, but I still learned it and use it in writing form. I learned nothing about the internet and it has caused much trouble when I am on the trail and I run into an internet bully at 10,000 feet and I am cooking my oatmeal or some rice and beans.
Tenderfoot: Explain the importance of the buddy system as it relates to your personal safety on outings and in your neighborhood. Describe what a bully is and how you should respond to one.
2nd Class: Explain the three R's of personal safety and protection.
1st Class: Describe the three things you should avoid doing related to the use of the Internet. Describe a cyberbully and how you should respond to one.
In case you are wondering what three things you should avoid on the web, they are: Whenever you go online: (1) Don't respond to inappropriate messages or Web sites. If you stumble across information or images that you don't understand, it's OK to talk about it with your parent or guardian; (2) Don't share information such as your address, telephone number, school name, or your parents' work address or telephone number, and never send any photos via the Internet unless you have permission; (3) Never agree to meet anyone who has contacted you online unless your parent or guardian goes with you.
And I thought it was to never pay for wifi!
The Boy Scouts of America started in 1910. Back then, scouts had to learn important skills like how to pack an animal and how to signal using semaphore. When I was in Scouts, semaphore was long gone, but I still learned it and use it in writing form. I learned nothing about the internet and it has caused much trouble when I am on the trail and I run into an internet bully at 10,000 feet and I am cooking my oatmeal or some rice and beans.
Friday, April 25, 2008
One upping Amos Moses
If you don't know who Amos Moses is, he was a character in a Jerry Reed song by the same name. He would hunt for alligators in the Louisiana swamp by hitting them on the head with a stump. Well, this guy does better than that, he wrestles alligators and then drives around with them in his car!
"Texas Highway Patrol officer Steven Stanfield stopped William Johnson, 30, along State Highway 35 after Johnson made a U-turn and almost hit another vehicle. It was then that Stanfield noticed an alligator in the back seat of Johnson’s blue Buick, with no restraints on it."
"they learned Johnson had followed the alligator into a ditch and wrestled it into the back of his car."
"Johnson also is accused of attempting to steal his boss’ large-screen television on the same night. The plot allegedly was foiled when his accomplice saw the alligator in Johnson’s car and dropped the TV, damaging it"
This guy is now a personal hero of mine.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351565,00.html#
"Texas Highway Patrol officer Steven Stanfield stopped William Johnson, 30, along State Highway 35 after Johnson made a U-turn and almost hit another vehicle. It was then that Stanfield noticed an alligator in the back seat of Johnson’s blue Buick, with no restraints on it."
"they learned Johnson had followed the alligator into a ditch and wrestled it into the back of his car."
"Johnson also is accused of attempting to steal his boss’ large-screen television on the same night. The plot allegedly was foiled when his accomplice saw the alligator in Johnson’s car and dropped the TV, damaging it"
This guy is now a personal hero of mine.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351565,00.html#
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease
I think this may be the news story of the year.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3799493.ece
What a crazy story.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3799493.ece
Hopes were fading last night for a Brazilian priest who floated aloft on Sunday tied to 1,000 giant party balloons and has not been seen since, though several of the helium-filled balloons were found floating at sea. Father Adelir de Carli, 41, soared into the sky from the southeastern town of Paranagua, sitting in a harness attached to the white, red, yellow, green and pink balloons, and wearing a thermal outfit and helmet. He was trying to draw attention to his campaign to provide rest stops for long-distance truck drivers, and to enter into Guinness World Records. A known adventurer, he had already made a previous similar flight with 500 balloons in January that reportedly took him as high as 5,000 meters (16,400ft). But bad weather this time pushed his makeshift contraption out to sea off Brazil’s southern coast, and in his last contact with police on Sunday night he said that he was encountering problems. Parishioners in his church were praying for him.
What a crazy story.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Teacher of the Year Award
I got something BETTER than a teacher of the year award, I got the Mr. Woods special at Whatabuger. One of my students from last year is working at Whataburger. Today, he was at the fry station. I ordered a #8 (2 piece chicken strip dinner) and yelled at him "Lupe, take care of my #8!" He nodded and smiled. When my box came out, I opened it and low and behold, 3 strips! He gave me an extra strip! This teaching gig is finally paying out!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Why I remain chaste
I do not write this to judge anyone, but to share my reasons for remaining chaste. I hope to be able to encourage other people who are choosing to remain chaste and deal will the same problems I do.
First, I am a graduate, never married, and am still a virgin. Seems a rarity in society today. Movies and TV shows seem to stigmatize virgins as if something is wrong with them. We hear in daily conversation that "you just need to get laid." As if that is the ultimate solution to our problems!
I remain chaste because God tells us to. I do not use saving myself for marriage as my main reason. The reason I do not is because I may not get married. It seems that if saving myself for marriage was my reason, I might remain chaste for my entire life and never receive "my prize." Saving for marriage is certainly a valid reason, and is one of my reasons, but is not my main reason. On Dave Ramsey's show one day, he was talking about a saying he uses with his children about premarital sex. He tells them to not ruin the great things with the good things. Meaning, yes sex can be a wonderful thing, even outside of marriage, but is even better in marriage. My main reason though is because God tells us to.
We see this idea of remaining pure for God in a lot of verses. First, Jesus tells us to be holy as our father is holy. Paul also tells us in Ephesians 5 to be imitators of God. He explains this as including sexual immorality. This shows that to be holy like God, we are to remain pure. We are to not conform to this world, but to prepare and live for God's kingdom. We are shown in movies and tv shows that having sex outside of marriage is normal. As members of God's people, this is not normal for us. We are called to live a higher lifestyle. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, but he didn't save us so we could remain sinners. God's great love for us demands a response beyond our faith, and that is to live a holy life. Paul tells us that we are no longer slaves to the law but slaves to righteousness. We are a new creation, called to live for God. How can we do this if we live sexually immoral lives?
Another reason is the reason God gave us sex. Obviously an important reason is procreation. Another reason though is to join together a man and woman. In the bible, we see that a man and woman become one flesh in marriage through sex. The old testament repeatedly shows two people becoming joined together through sex. It often uses the phrase of a man knowing his wife. He is knowing her in a way no other man should know. Their flesh is uniting as they become one. Clearly, this should not be done outside of marriage. The law says that if a man sleeps with a woman, that woman has become his wife. I do not want to be married right now, so I will not participate in the act of becoming one with a girl.
This purity does not extend to just our physical actions, but also our hearts and minds. Jesus says that sin is committed not just when a man has an affair with a woman, but when he lusts for her in his heart. This introduces a hardship on people who are trying to remain pure. Our daily life is full of sexual images. Seeing these on a daily basis creates a struggle for me. It is often said that noone is hurt if both people consent to having sex, but this is not a valid reason. While noone may be physically hurt, our spirit and heart is hurt. God commands us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we commit sexual sin, we are not loving God through our strength, our mind, our heart, or our spirit. Our actions reveal our heart. I hope to share some things that help me in times of struggle.
First, fleeing the central. This is a saying I heard at Breakaway many years ago. The speaker was saying that if you cannot be on the internet without looking at sex sites, then stay off the internet! If being with a group of friends causes you to sin, stay away from that group. Flee what is tempting you to sin. Jesus says the same thing by saying that if your right eye causes you to sin, cut it out and cast it into the fire. In high school, I had friends that wanted to go to the strip joints as soon as they turned 18. This never really appealed to me, so I chose to not go when I turned 18, and still haven't been. I choose to not watch movies with a lot of sexual scenes, as I know if could easily lead me to sin. If I feel tempted while on the internet, I try to get off and go for a walk or do something to get away from the temptation. I have some friends who used internet blockers and had someone else setup the password.
Another thing that helps me is to be around like-minded people. Now I certainly have friends who had premarital sex, and being chaste isn't a requirement to be my friend, but my closest friends are people who I am in agreement with. I do not think that I would be able to date someone who does not share in my ideas of being chaste while single. This is not to rule out anyone who had sex before, but it would be important that they are now of the same mindset. This is because of the importance of sex in marriage. We saw the importance God places on sex. How could I potentially marry someone who does not agree with how God binds us together? Most of my friends are of the same mindset as me, which is a great encouragement. It is a great help to be able to share my struggles with a friend who understands and supports my decision.
Finally, prayer. God does not expect us to be able to do this on our own. I must often ask God to give me strength to help from falling into temptation, both with my body and on my heart.
I will also add in the benefit this can have in a marriage. I cannot speak from experience, but have heard many people say that sex is more rewarding when it is reserved for marriage. As Dave Ramsey mentioned, don't ruin the great things with the good things.
I hope that my thoughts are clear and can be of encouragement. I invite anyone who wishes to share their thoughts on this topic. I often think that it isn't fair that I miss out on something enjoyable just because I am single and struggle with remaining pure. It is only because of God that I have been able to remain chaste. I will end with a message of hope that Paul gives us. This will not be an easy task, but will be worth it. Living for God is not without a promise.
First, I am a graduate, never married, and am still a virgin. Seems a rarity in society today. Movies and TV shows seem to stigmatize virgins as if something is wrong with them. We hear in daily conversation that "you just need to get laid." As if that is the ultimate solution to our problems!
I remain chaste because God tells us to. I do not use saving myself for marriage as my main reason. The reason I do not is because I may not get married. It seems that if saving myself for marriage was my reason, I might remain chaste for my entire life and never receive "my prize." Saving for marriage is certainly a valid reason, and is one of my reasons, but is not my main reason. On Dave Ramsey's show one day, he was talking about a saying he uses with his children about premarital sex. He tells them to not ruin the great things with the good things. Meaning, yes sex can be a wonderful thing, even outside of marriage, but is even better in marriage. My main reason though is because God tells us to.
We see this idea of remaining pure for God in a lot of verses. First, Jesus tells us to be holy as our father is holy. Paul also tells us in Ephesians 5 to be imitators of God. He explains this as including sexual immorality. This shows that to be holy like God, we are to remain pure. We are to not conform to this world, but to prepare and live for God's kingdom. We are shown in movies and tv shows that having sex outside of marriage is normal. As members of God's people, this is not normal for us. We are called to live a higher lifestyle. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, but he didn't save us so we could remain sinners. God's great love for us demands a response beyond our faith, and that is to live a holy life. Paul tells us that we are no longer slaves to the law but slaves to righteousness. We are a new creation, called to live for God. How can we do this if we live sexually immoral lives?
Another reason is the reason God gave us sex. Obviously an important reason is procreation. Another reason though is to join together a man and woman. In the bible, we see that a man and woman become one flesh in marriage through sex. The old testament repeatedly shows two people becoming joined together through sex. It often uses the phrase of a man knowing his wife. He is knowing her in a way no other man should know. Their flesh is uniting as they become one. Clearly, this should not be done outside of marriage. The law says that if a man sleeps with a woman, that woman has become his wife. I do not want to be married right now, so I will not participate in the act of becoming one with a girl.
This purity does not extend to just our physical actions, but also our hearts and minds. Jesus says that sin is committed not just when a man has an affair with a woman, but when he lusts for her in his heart. This introduces a hardship on people who are trying to remain pure. Our daily life is full of sexual images. Seeing these on a daily basis creates a struggle for me. It is often said that noone is hurt if both people consent to having sex, but this is not a valid reason. While noone may be physically hurt, our spirit and heart is hurt. God commands us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we commit sexual sin, we are not loving God through our strength, our mind, our heart, or our spirit. Our actions reveal our heart. I hope to share some things that help me in times of struggle.
First, fleeing the central. This is a saying I heard at Breakaway many years ago. The speaker was saying that if you cannot be on the internet without looking at sex sites, then stay off the internet! If being with a group of friends causes you to sin, stay away from that group. Flee what is tempting you to sin. Jesus says the same thing by saying that if your right eye causes you to sin, cut it out and cast it into the fire. In high school, I had friends that wanted to go to the strip joints as soon as they turned 18. This never really appealed to me, so I chose to not go when I turned 18, and still haven't been. I choose to not watch movies with a lot of sexual scenes, as I know if could easily lead me to sin. If I feel tempted while on the internet, I try to get off and go for a walk or do something to get away from the temptation. I have some friends who used internet blockers and had someone else setup the password.
Another thing that helps me is to be around like-minded people. Now I certainly have friends who had premarital sex, and being chaste isn't a requirement to be my friend, but my closest friends are people who I am in agreement with. I do not think that I would be able to date someone who does not share in my ideas of being chaste while single. This is not to rule out anyone who had sex before, but it would be important that they are now of the same mindset. This is because of the importance of sex in marriage. We saw the importance God places on sex. How could I potentially marry someone who does not agree with how God binds us together? Most of my friends are of the same mindset as me, which is a great encouragement. It is a great help to be able to share my struggles with a friend who understands and supports my decision.
Finally, prayer. God does not expect us to be able to do this on our own. I must often ask God to give me strength to help from falling into temptation, both with my body and on my heart.
I will also add in the benefit this can have in a marriage. I cannot speak from experience, but have heard many people say that sex is more rewarding when it is reserved for marriage. As Dave Ramsey mentioned, don't ruin the great things with the good things.
I hope that my thoughts are clear and can be of encouragement. I invite anyone who wishes to share their thoughts on this topic. I often think that it isn't fair that I miss out on something enjoyable just because I am single and struggle with remaining pure. It is only because of God that I have been able to remain chaste. I will end with a message of hope that Paul gives us. This will not be an easy task, but will be worth it. Living for God is not without a promise.
quote:Romans 5:3-5
3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Walking Away
Last month, my principal called me into her office. She wanted to talk about a possible promotion. It turns out that she wanted to offer me the department chair position at the school for next year. It is quite an honor as a second year teacher. I do not even meet the minimum requirements for the position (3 years of experience) and my principal wants me to take the job. Just this past week, the resigning department chair at another school in town said he wanted me to apply for the department chair at that school.
Instead of taking these promotions, what if I just walked away from it all?
Instead of taking these promotions, what if I just walked away from it all?
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Standing on the Promises
This morning, we had a guest speaker at church. The speaker was from a program called Walk Through the Bible. He spoke about their program and walked us through the Bible from creation to the birth of Issac. One of the things he focused on were the promises given to Abraham. God gave Abraham one command, to leave his country. But God promised 7 things. He talked about how we often view the Old Testament as being a bunch of commands. But he said that it is a book of promise. Indeed the Bible is a book of promises. If we follow the commands of God, he will bless us.
Often times, we talk about being saved by faith and that works are not required. This is true for receiving the promise of eternal life. The Bible is very clear that believing in Christ is all that is necessary for salvation. However, if this is all we ever do, we are denying ourselves of the many other promises God wants to give us. By trusting God and following his commands, we will find that God is faithful to us and will fulfill his promises.
Will you follow God and accept his promise?
Often times, we talk about being saved by faith and that works are not required. This is true for receiving the promise of eternal life. The Bible is very clear that believing in Christ is all that is necessary for salvation. However, if this is all we ever do, we are denying ourselves of the many other promises God wants to give us. By trusting God and following his commands, we will find that God is faithful to us and will fulfill his promises.
Will you follow God and accept his promise?
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