Collaboration of my biases

Death of Blog

2008-02-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

This blog is now, officially, receiving no more maintenance. I am switching to a self hosted wordpress account at http://www.ethospathoslogosblogos.com where I am entering a new direction with the writing. I look forward to seeing you at the new site!

Double Take?

2007-12-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

In my few years on the One28 leadership team I have heard the occasional accusation of people claiming that I or other staffers where, "Trying to be too much like Sean." Personally - coming close to emulating Sean's faithful perseverance, discipline and love for God's word would be an excellent achievement in my life - but I don't even come close to this guy... glitch in the matrix anyone?

Sinful Pride

2007-11-24T00:29:00.000-08:00

I pray for your destruction. I pray that you fall apart. For those of you who repeatedly choose your sin time and time again – I pray that the Sovereign Lord BREAKS you. There are so many of you who have such complacency with your “apathetic-at-best” spiritual walk that I pray the Lord breaks your sinful legs and teaches you again the basics of how to walk and who to walk to. Be confident that I am praying for physical harm to come to those I care about if that is what it takes for the Lord to get their attention. You and your sinful pride will never be as wounded as the almighty God whom you so blatantly offend.

Introducing the incredible...

2007-09-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Oh so true...

2007-08-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

I just thought some of my "media" friends could really appreciate this.

Dial soap, eat your heart out

2007-08-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

I probably could have stopped right there. No one would have blamed me. Some of you might have even encouraged me not to; but if I have learned one thing from my experiences in life it is this: when a woman like my Grandma stops you on your way to the shower and says, “Here, try this bar of goat soap,” you don’t just say no.

The bar was ominous enough – a dull yellow, a soap-bar shape (it could have had horns or a beard I suppose) and it had that smooth, waxy texture. The fragrance though was something of an herbal/minty/SomethingIDon’tWantOnMyBody type odor about it.

Once in the shower all seemed to be going ok, until the bar slid off its shelf and settled in position a few shuffled steps away. No matter how many times I placed this bar of soap back on its shelf, the moment I turned around it was back on the shower floor - almost in a watchful manner with a mind of its own. This is probably due to the chemical structure of the soap with this x factor of goat’s milk – but all the same, it was somewhat unnerving having a standoff with a giant yellow bar of soap that said “goat” on the top, all while being armed with nothing but my wet rag (potentially deadly in the right hands I assume.)

In summary, the soap turned out to be harmless enough. Other than an herbal odor that I normally wouldn’t choose for my own use – it seemed “normal soap” like in every other aspect.

Note: Presumably having an awkward shower-stall standoff with a cube of goat’s milk and lard is considered not “normal soap” like as well. Other than that it was fine.

The Sovereignty of God

2007-08-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

In my devotions this morning I came across II Peter 3:5. At face value this passage is somewhat confusing,

“For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God…”

However, thanks the handy J-Mac commentary I was directed to Genesis 1:6-7 and Genesis 1:9-10,

“And God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.
And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.”

“And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so.
God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.”

Had that been the end of the story, the simple understanding of the passage in II Peter would simply mean that there was/had been a canopy of water that was above the earth and a mass of water built into the earth – the masses of water that were created from the beginning.
But there is another story in the Bible that really makes this whole picture truly amazing in my mind. That is the story of the flood.
It was in the flood that the body of water inside the earth burst forth and the canopy of water above the earth came crashing down; effectively destroying all of mankind save the eight on the ark and the representation of every kind of animal.
What that means is that from the very beginning, God built into the earth the very means of how he would destroy it the first time. What that also implies is that God knew he would destroy the earth this first time and he knew how he would destroy it. What an awesome display of God’s sovereignty and perfect plan from the very beginning. What an ironic touch was it as well that the very canopy of water that lengthened man’s life would be used as the instrument of man’s destruction.

Another Call to Prayer

2007-05-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

Faith in America launched a campaign this last Sunday that specifically attacks Christianity as the source of bigotry in America today. This is not entirely a new idea but it is a new campaign and it is coming on a national scale. The website literature does a petty job at bundling the gay and lesbian "plight" with that of racial equality and the women's rights movement - claiming that the same "right wing Christians" who denounce homosexuality also attack these "other" civil liberties. This is just another billow's puff on the fire that will one day make it illegal for Christians to preach that homosexuality is a sin and should be treated as such.
In light of this I encourage you all to join with me in prayer for the pastors in the specific cities that this campaign will be attacking and for the congregations to hold strong for the truth. Further, we need to be vigilant in our efforts to make clear the fact that the follower of Christ is opposed to the SIN of homosexuality but is not making attacks against the person. The problem has always been the behavior and not the being.
A final note I would leave with you is to know your history both Biblical and civic. The website supporting this "Campaign for Courage" contained outright lies about the Biblical historic support of homosexuality and our own country's support for homosexuality. The truth is on our side so know it!

A Hope Eternal...

2007-05-04T01:12:00.000-07:00

Reading in Thessalonians 4 this evening I was struck by a thought about our hope in Christ’s return. My nature in hoping in that great hope we have as believers is so quickly defaulted to the hope of justice. I am too quick to be excited by the idea of the wicked getting their “due reward.” This is not what the hope in Christ’s return is to be about. More it is the hope we have in the fulfilled promise that on that day when Christ returns – all the world will be forced to acknowledge that there is one truth and one God – and on THAT day, Jesus will receive all the glory he is due. This is the hope we have in the return of Christ – the hope that the sinful off-balance of man’s natural state will be corrected and God will be seen as the most supreme by all men at one time.

20's

2007-04-19T23:56:00.001-07:00

As I anticipate turning 20 years old in the next few minutes, I wanted to take advantage of such a nice and round number. The following is in no particular order, save maybe the last items in the list, but none-the-less they were the first that came to mind. As you can imagine it was hard to limit these down to only 20, particularly the second list – but here they are in their rawest form:

20 favorite thoughts on God:

1. God chose me beyond the foundation of the world to demonstrate his perfect mercy.
2. God has given us the indwelling Holy Spirit to correct me in my sin and to comfort me in my doubting.
3. God was able to look at the whole world at one point in time and call it “good.” He will again call the world good when he comes to set up his reign.
4. God has given us absolute truth. There is no question and there is no loose interpretation of what it is we are called to do. God is truth.
5. God has given us the ability to see even a part of who he is.
6. God has given us purpose, direction and aim. In Christ we have perfect usefulness.
7. God has cancelled my sin - ALL OF MY SIN. God has looked on me and seen the repeated foolishness I would fall into and has still chosen to demonstrate in me a love that is perfect and forgiving in every way.
8. God is faithful to answer the prayers that are in accordance to his will. When I pray, “Lord, remind me to think of You,” He will honor that prayer and work a mighty change in my heart.
9. God has changed the natural state of sin in my heart to one that has the desire to even desire to seek Christ first.
10. God has blessed me with the family that I am in.
11. God has chosen a path for my life that is perfect in every way and I cannot foil what God has planned.
12. God has said that He will take care of every little detail. He has clothed the flowers of the field and He has given the birds places to call home and He has taken care of all my needs past, present and future.
13. God has said that His strength is made perfect in weakness. My failures and short comings are not only “ok” but they are the crux and key to Christ showing off his infinite strength.
14. God WILL receive all the glory. There is no tie, there is not second place – God is the one who will be the center and the focus in the final days.
15. God promises what pain will come. In the fact that we know the pain will come, we also know that everything is moving according to Christ’s plan.
16. God promises us personal pain the more we grow in Him. Therefore when the pruning sheers come and the trials rage – we take infinite hope that Christ is working directly in our lives. No pain like growing pain can promise such wonderful rewards.
17. God has said that He made me the exact way that he has chosen. I was not put together by factory seconds, I was not a fallen cause – I am the exact and perfect one-of-a-kind production God would have me be.
18. God has promised that as the world gets worse and worse, we are closer and closer to when Christ comes again.
19. God has told us that man is infinitely evil and therefore when men act like sinners, we derive hope from Christ and can look forward to a life incorruptible.
20. God has made me more a man after his own heart today than he did yesterday; tomorrow more than he did today; next week more than this week; next month than this month and next year more than this year – he promises to make me a man after His own heart day by day according to His perfect plan - founded before the world began.

20 favorite works of God in creation:

1. I love Clouds – the perfect transportation device for water. I love a day when the cumulous clouds are massive and crystal clear against a blue sky. I clouds when the clouds in the distance are bright, high and airy and the clouds in front are dark and jagged – promising a storm.
2. I love the sounds of rain falling through trees.
3. I love the look of a setting sun on large boulders – watching the stones catch fire and slowly smolder away.
4. I love rocks! – I love the veins in a rough piece of red stone, like veins of a beating heart - I love the many variances of jade – so green and cool. I love the smooth stones tossed about in tidal pools. I love the hidden properties of pale rocks that come to life when put in water. I love the flat rocks that skip 12 or more times across the water. I love the black rocks. I love the massive cliffs and their falling pieces that I take home. I love the smooth rocks caught in the teeth of the sharp rocks. I really like rocks!
5. I love the smell of fall – I love the smell of the leaves when they are wet and when they are dry. I love the smell of wet birch bark. I love the smell of air without pollen ☺. I love the smell of cold and crisp.
6. I love the sunrise – I love how quick the sunrise is and how powerful it is. I love instant transformation from dim to brilliant.
7. I love a silhouetted tree against a stormy sky.
8. I love the large maples leaves contrasted against the tiny Japanese maples.
9. I love the changing colors of leaves – especially the ones that are red.
10. I love the pattern of grass and ground cover – I love the uniqueness of every blade of grass and the different ways they penetrate the soil.
11. I love the leaves that lose their color in the winter and look like an x-ray on the ground.
12. I love a forest when only one tree catches all the sunlight and burns brightly in the center of dark surroundings.
13. I love the pattern of ash trees and birch trees growing up through dense foliage.
14. I love the fog – blanketing the whole valley and only letting the tallest of trees and houses to poke from the top
15. I love rows of giant poplar trees – standing so strong and then the wide and shallow upturned root systems in the wind.
16. I love life in decay – I love mushrooms poking up from long dead logs.
17. I love trees growing out of other trees – I love the rich redness of the dead tree’s soil and the vibrant color of the growing trees growing up from them. I love seven trees.
18. I love the stars and the Milky Way – I love the brightness of stars and the brightness of the moon on fields of grass.
19. I love the varieties of all the species – especially moss. I love the way moss looks and feels. I love the patterns in the moss and in the lichen. I love the lichen that grows on the rocks and the lichen that grows on the trees.
20. I love the wind – I love the wind that blows through the leaves in fall. I love the wind when standing on a peninsula out in the water. I love the wind out on the vastness of the ocean. I love the wind when it is so strong it can almost hold you up. I love the wind when it blows strong from the left and then the right alternately. I love the wind when it brings fog or sand wisping over hills. I love the wind on a ferry when it keeps you from being able to breathe. I love the wind when it grabs an old dandelion and blows it quickly out of view. I love the wind when blows against my back and I can lean against it. I love the wind when it blows through the trees and calls forth the crackling and groaning of branches.

2007-04-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

6606

God's Law and the Brake Pedal

2007-04-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

I encountered this practical example last Wednesday of how many of us tend to deal with our sin. When I am driving down the road and find myself going too fast, I don’t want to hit the breaks. Hitting the brakes is by far the fastest and most reliable way to again maintain the speed limit – but I don’t want to. I would like to simply let go of the accelerator and gradually coast to the correct speed limit instead of the inconvenience it would be to actually hit the brakes.

Hitting the brakes causes wear and tare on the car, it causes a violent lurch by the passengers and it shows the world that you were going too fast. However hitting the brakes is what we are told to do. If a police officer were to pull me over in the brief moments between 45 mph and 35 mph I would be no less guilty because of my “coasting complicity” to the law.

I think this is how I tend to treat my sin. I don’t want to actually stop what I am doing by violent actions that would very likely cause me discomfort or outright pain. Yet that is what I am called to do – to mortify the flesh. Where I would rather stop “promoting my sin” or “accelerating my sin” and let myself “coast” back to Christ – I am demanded to turn from my sin. When mortifying the flesh there is no “coasting” to death, there is living and not living.

In the car I may prefer to coast to compliance with the speed limit; but if I saw the child that was ready to jump into the street; the patch of ice on the deceptively sharp corner; or any of the other reasons the speed was set to that limit I would be the first to slow down – but I don’t see the reasons and therefore I don’t take the necessary action. If there is a child in the road, a low hanging branch or some other kind of obstruction we would hit the brakes with every fiber of our being.

The same is true with our sin and the law of God. We do not always see the reasons why God has set certain laws in place and therefore we ignore them. However, if we saw the people that would be hurt; the hearts that could be defrauded; or the potential lives that could be lost as a result of our violation of the clear cut law of God, we would certainly react sooner and more violently. The unfortunate part is that our lack of seeing the potential dangers does not render them any less imminent or dangerous. I need to take a more sobering view of my sin and take the drastic actions to turn from the obvious violations of God’s law before I swerve off the road and suffer the necessary and natural consequence.

VM

2007-04-16T01:43:00.000-07:00

The new sidebar foolery is possibly not the most congruent with my blogs color scheme - yet being the latest in what might turn into a series of sidebar decorations... there it sits. I am not at this time listing the posting code for two reasons. The crux of both reasons is that I have not checked with VM ministries if they mind this sort of promotion or that I have redesigned their logo - but if you really want to have this master piece on your blog, I can get it to you privately. In the meantime, do follow the link and be reminded to pray for our fellow brothers and sisters who are put to the test every day because of their faithfulness to Christ.

P.S. I understand the graphics are a little "flashy." I will try and post a more minimalist rendition in the coming weeks.

Nemo's Friends

2007-03-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

No one ever wondered what happened to Nemo's dentist friends; floating in those plastic bags out in that great big blue... where are the friends? We found Gill:

See the SideBar Fun?

2007-03-29T01:31:00.000-07:00

My Blog is officially converted. Yes, my blog is now a 5 point Calvinist (see sidebar)! You can have your blog converted as well! Just copy and paste the following code into your template's sidebar:

<//img src="http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i167/megasarktos/tulip.jpg" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket" border="0" />

You will need to delete the two forward slashes before img src="http........

Enjoy! Spread the Conversion!

The Pedestal - Revised

2007-03-03T01:41:00.000-08:00

The pedestal stands empty!
Bring us the actors, the athletes the artists
Bring us the soldiers, the singers, the studious
Bring us the businessmen, the builders the boats-men
The pedestal stands empty
It needs to be filled.

That pedestal stands empty!
Bring us the heaters, the houses, the homes
Bring us the castle, the kingdom the keep
Bring us the mountains, the moonlight the mist
The pedestal stands empty
It needs to be filled

This pedestal stands empty!
Bring us the adventure, the action, the awesome
Bring us the mystic, the malevolent, the mission
Bring us the secret, the sneaky, the silent
The pedestal stands empty
It needs to be filled.

The pedestal stands empty!
Have you heard what I said?
Niche has told, our old God is dead
The pedestal stands empty
It needs to be filled
It needs something holy
But not the Holy we have killed
The pedestal stands empty!
It needs to be filled.

Scriptural Caveat?

2007-03-03T01:11:00.001-08:00

To the best of my recollection, the Biblical commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with your mind and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:30),” carries no caveat. There is no hidden phrase, “as long as it is safe,” or, “as long as you are healthy.” No, the commandment is to love Him with everything, our all. There seems to be this idea in today’s churches that there is to be a moderation of our zeal for the Lord. People will say things like, “you might get hurt,” “you might be permanently injured,” “you might die.” My question is, could there be any better way to go? Would it not be the best and sweetest way to die knowing that you have spent EVERYTHING you had on the Lord. You had literally run out, dried up and have been spent and all of it went to God’s glory? I would love for that to be my philosophy. Of course, I will say it is, I will ask God to make that my heart’s desire, but how I long for that to truly be how my heart is committed. There can be no better way to leave this earth than to know that you died for the greatest cause of all – serving Christ.

Inspired by "Amazing Grace" the Movie

2007-03-03T00:57:00.000-08:00

Why is it so easy to distance ourselves from the problems of others? Even the mere phraseology of that question; the categorizing of all troubles, challenges, deep sorrows and heinous oppressions, as “problems” seems so euphemistic. Today we look at slavery and the slave-trade market as incomprehensible, an evil only ignorant “racists” could embrace – at one time it was commonplace. The abolishment of slavery took the tireless efforts of a few who were willing to give their all for a problem that was distant from them. At that time people were happy to live their ignorant lives and turn a blind eye to the travesties inflicted upon others. Today we call those people ignorant, blind, foolish and racist – but have we actually changed?

Have we changed as a global community of first world citizens when it comes to the plights of others? I find it hard to say that I have learned from history when I am not regularly appalled at and in prayer for the hideous oppression going on the world today. We have no interest in or reason to concern ourselves with the problems that impact others. The most saddening part is, we have the number one weapon to fight these on going oppressions. As Christians in an arguably over-mediated world we can not only see and research the oppressions going on with a few clicks of the mouse, but we can PRAY for those being killed and tortured and extorted and overpowered and oppressed. Just a few of the ongoing oppressions on the top of my head are:

Children used as soldiers in Africa: In 1999 there were over 120,000 children under 18 fighting as soldiers across Africa – The numbers have only gone up. Check out www.invisiblechildren.com

Abortion: Women even as young as 16 are being mislead and/or deceived about the life they are carrying and are given the option as to whether or not they want to “recognize” their “tissue” as human life or not. Over 3700 babies are aborted every DAY – no ands, buts or ifs, that is MURDER.

Divorce: 1.5 million children will be involved in split homes EVERY YEAR in America alone. An interesting quote from Maggie Gallagher, “Among all possible contributing factors, ‘only divorce rates were consistently associated with suicide and with homicide rates.’”

Child Prostitution: There are over 1.2 million child prostitutes in Asia alone. The market is in the BILLIONS of dollars.

Sudanese Christian Oppression: Over 2.2 million Sudanese Christians have been killed.

These are just a few global issues that come to mind with less than 20 minutes of research. We cannot be so idle as Christians in our ignorance and blindness of the issues going on today. We need to stop distancing ourselves from the problems of others. It would take less than 24 hours to fly to Asia and it would take months for us to be reminded to pray for the oppression happening to others. Let us hold each other accountable to pray for the suffering of others and be open and willing if God is calling us in the direction to be actively involved.

Yes, they went there...

2007-02-26T00:35:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I am beginning a trend of uncovering collections of quarky "Christian" clutter, but these (yes, there is a series) are kind of funny. Enjoy.

Shoes

2007-01-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

I have a difficult time understanding my shoes. I don’t think its because the shoes have some intention to be confusing, but all the same, I struggle to understand their ways. Sure they behave shoe like most of the time, never running off of my foot unless I am in agreance; and in fact they seldom even come untied which cannot be said for my running shoes. No, my only problem with these shoes, brown and tattered as they are, is that they do not stick. Had it been any other year, I might not have even noticed but with the winters we have had, and now this great muddy earth we have, these shoes do not stick.

Unless my shoes are beyond of me in the evolution of transportation, their function should be to lift and move in a forward manner – and do so on my command. These shoes, these shoes that I am wearing, the brown and tattered ones, slide. They come together and the spread in unpredictable fashion and slide this way and that, all without me ever lifting my foot. It is something of a precarious predicament I find myself in when my shoes move on their own. I am none to small and my balance, the balance I assume I should have received in the genetic line up, was given in double share to someone else.

I feel somewhat silly, when battling with my shoes, taking so tiny a step and lifting my foot so terribly high, while all shapes of classmates whiz by me on their wonderfully treaded soles. Even on the sand the shoes will sometimes slide – jerking forward while I convulse in their air, beating my arms wildly as if flying were a more feasible way to transport.

And now we have the mud. Mud generally does not stay around as long as the ice, but then again, the ice didn’t used to stay around so long either. It may be time to retire my shoes to that growing bin in my closet of all shoes past and present and seek out a pair with sticking powers; these shoes have been through a lot with me though, and I’ve grown attached to these shoes, so brown and tattered.

For the LOW cost of only $19.95.....

2007-01-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

I came accross this site a few moments ago, and frankly - just had to to share with all of you. This just goes to prove how easy it is for false teachers to infiltrate the body of Christ.

http://openordination.org/?s=heaven&k=bnr

Pay extra attention to the differen't "packages" offered.

Too bad Remy Zero

2006-11-28T00:32:00.000-08:00

Recent trips the movies and local video stores lately have brought to my attention that the world no longer wants a hero. We’ve done our best to pull superman down by his red cape, batman by his pointy ears and Spiderman by his web. We take the hero’s of yesterday and try to plant evidence of corrupt moral indiscretions so as to point our collective fingers and say, “AHA! You are just like the rest of us.” And by and large it has worked. There are no longer heroes to look up to. In fact, you have a greater chance in today’s pop culture to evolve into a Hero then you have to be saved by one of yore. I bring this to light not to blow some corporate whistle on Hollywood (of whom systematic destruction of the classics is a minor offense in comparison), but it is to serve as a reminder that it is a healthy exercise to observe the change in society. We are not going to wake up one morning and find the world different like an overnight blanketing of snow. The only measure to see how far bent the world is today is to compare it to how straight God’s word says it should be.

Side Note: Remy Zero sings the theme song for Smallville, "Save Me."

Tony Ke-Vinaccio

2006-11-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Beyond a relaxing enviroment and the best Spicy Chai of my tea-sipping career; the "Tony Kevin LIVE at Vinaccio" was perhaps TK's best concert yet. While the audience was small, the music and the heart behind the music was not. Delivering a few of his personal favorites and a mix of his classics, the highlight of the evning was perhaps the debut of the tentatively named, "All I want to be." I will not steal this impacting song's thunder and leave the responsability on you to hear to hunt Tony down for a sampling, but I will say, this is one to hear. Thank you Tony for blessing us all with the talents God has given you.

Top Ten

2006-11-10T23:51:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me, know that I love the rain. I love fall, I love the leaves, I love the clouds, I love the “mood” and I love the aroma. But today I came up with my top ten “un-favorites” for when it’s raining. And here they are:

10. A classroom with no windows.

9. My 85’ Volvo.

8. Bleeding in a ditch.

7. A truck with four large males and an overactive heater.

6. Driving on the freeway with other college students.

5. Picking up paper on the road.

4. California.

3. Pushing-starting Honda Preludes.

2. Carrying uncovered homework assignments.

1. Going to Walmart.

Bob Hope Airport

2006-10-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

I don’t often (ever) give reviews on airports that I have traveled through, but I felt compelled to give a short “yeah & nay” list about the little Bob Hope airport.

Yeah – to having the longest yet fastest security line I have ever been through.

Yeah – to having a number of wifi carriers available at the terminals, as opposed to SeaTac’s AT&T only, though not quite as good as Sacramento’s all-over free wifi.

Yeah – to accommodating personnel.

Nay – to lack of dining options

Nay – to clear signage regarding where to go once in and coming to the airport.

Overall, at first blush that’s 3 Yeahs and 2 Nays equaling 1 Yeah, so overall a positive experience at Burba… I mean Bob Hope airport.

What the @#*@ are you fighting about?!

2006-10-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Now that I have fully arrested your attention, I will attempt to reassure you that I have not lost my “church boy” mind. The title to this blog was the exact phrase I heard while exiting Disney land, the self-proclaimed “happiest place on earth.” In the mother’s defense that screamed these words at her kids, we were technically in the parking lot, and no longer in actual “Disneyland.” Adding to the irony of my “dose of reality” while leaving the park, was the fact that it had been no more than 20 minutes since I had ended my stay with the ride “it’s a small world,” a happy little boat ride with serenading animatronic puppets from all over the word piping out the words to the world’s most famous sing-along. I admit that my shock turned to laughter over this woman’s outburst, but this occasion served to deliver a point – Disneyland, is a band-aid. In the secular world, people will always try and find a “patch” or a “band-aid” to somehow place their angry lives on hold and cover up the fact that they don’t have the first idea of where or how to find true happiness. Coming from their point of view, they have just spent an exorbitant amount of money and waited through hours of lines in an attempt that this would somehow put on hold, mask or numb the fact that they are waking up to the reality - that they have no control and their lives are crumbling at an exponential rate. This is the time for the body of Christ to strike. This is where, as believers, we can step in and show that we have a ruling peace that surpasses understanding – a peace the rest of the world is gasping for. And I mean gasping, not grasping - they are parched, they are weary they are fish who have never been in the water. Be faithful to pray for the families you see at Disneyland, the supermarket, your schools and in your community who bear painful witness to the fact they have no hope. Rise up body of Christ and cease your “laughter” at a hurting world.

Numb America

2006-10-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

I have been angered. I have been startled, uncomfortably barraged by internet pranksters before - but this time I have been angered. While watching some videos tributing the late great Steve Irwin, I was attacked by the viral "screaming face" while attempting to watch one of the videos. How dare people take advantage of an opportunity like that? Are we so numb? Are the tragic death's of people an opportunity to "play a joke?" What cold, blind and distasteful act was this attack. To all who read this - understand, the death of anyone anywhere is always, ALWAYS, a serious matter.

Purity: The miss-labled "Bubble"

2006-09-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

Most everyone has heard complaints regarding “the bubble.” “It’s too strict,” “it’s too cold,” “it’s too ‘unloving;” the list of dissent goes on. You may know the bubble as – “the grace” bubble. That’s right, the notorious, infamous and dreaded grace bubble. It is the bubble that some spend their entire teenage years attempting to escape. The push and strain against the walls of the bubble, fighting to get out at all cost; get to the outside where their “eyes will be opened.” For some, escape is signaled by a tassel flip. For others, penetration is marked by a series of consecutive “absences” which slowly turn into pattern – after all, if you’ve missed one, you’ve missed them all. I’d have to agree that I was one who fought the “bubble” as well. I had my plans for escape; my meager attempts to disguise the tunnel entrance with “church duties” and “kindly smiles,” all masking the 24 hour digging going on beneath my feet – at times, I even had myself buying the ruse. Once on the outside, reality hits. The outside is suddenly the “cold” place, the barren landscape and vast wilderness. One might easily akin escaping the “bubble” to puncturing the fuselage of an airliner, only after do you realize what a horrible doom you’ve arranged. It is from this outside that you realize the “grace bubble” is in all reality, the “purity bubble.” An instant reversal is then activated, and instead of trying to get out, and get “free” – you are trying to get IN, and safe. It’s not that you were blind while in the “bubble” but the air is filtered, the view is selectable, the image is screened. It is the difference between looking at a wild animal through a conservatories glass window, and having the free choice to stay clear of the danger on the other side. It is foolhardy to desire what waits on the outside of the “bubble.” As we come to the start of a new school year, it is all the more necessary and urgent that we pray for the staff and students at Grace in guiding these ill advised students in their pursuit of the world. The shame aught to be those of us who have run this course when we see students striving for such ill gains and we have failed to pray for them. Pray for the students at Grace to embrace the environment they are in and the training they receive and pray for the teachers who champion for their salvation.

Where in the world is... James Isaac Barnts

2006-08-19T15:05:00.001-07:00

For those of you, who like me, heard about the Volcano eruption in Ecuador just this morning, and were RATHER curious as to it's location in relation to our good friend James, I thought I'd post some geography data for you.

Thanks to technology and Google, I was able to use Google Earth and snag these photos via satellite some minutes ago.
James and his parents are staying (or so I was told, ask a Barnts for details) in Quito, Ecuador. The volcano, was just outside Banos, Ecuador. Here's what that looks like:

The distance is some 85 miles apart, the volcano being to their south, the fall out, still southwest of the volcano itself. Here's what THAT looks like:

Meantime James is theoretically in Quito -

- taking as many pictures as his 40 gig hard-drive will hold of lush, green Ecuador -

Hopefully this was of some encouragement to you all, and do be sure to keep James and his family in your prayers as they travel around South America.

Turn, Look, Point...

2006-08-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last night during prayer, I was inspired with this little quip, I thought it might be of some encouragement to you all, as well as a handy reminder.

In all my troubles, I will TURN to Jesus. In all my questions, I will LOOK to Jesus. And in all my successes, I will POINT - only to Jesus.

Where the magic is at...

2006-08-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

I am actually happy in this photo, as doubtful as that may look; I am sitting in the very inner sanctum of the staff retreat meeting room deep in the heart of La Quinta Inn. Hot tubs and "fresh mex" meals were the perfect serenade to long deliberations, times of prayer and edification amongst the one28 staff. This being my first year at staff retreat, I have been refreshed, I leave relaxed and I am ready to go.

The Crop

2006-08-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

It can be a matter of great discouragement, to spend much time and concern sharing the gospel with someone when there is seemingly no acknowledgement that any effect was made. It is neither fun nor preferable to give much of oneself in the pursuit of something with little to no return. However, this though came to me this evening and I thought it might be of some encouragement to those in this position.

When a farmer plants seed in the ground, the dirt, for all intents and purposes, will still look like – dirt. The seed, in the farmer’s case, will never instantly bring forth action on the visible level, and in most cases, the soil will look all the worse being now disheveled and mounded in uneven array. However, though the soil may continue to look dim and unyielding, the growth may still be taking place on a level not yet visible. Were the farmer to neglect this potential crop because of the not yet visible fruit, and fail to water, nourish and tend the grounds, the crop will in most cases die. It is the faithfulness without validity that will bring many of the crops to full harvest.

The Woodsman

2006-08-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

It stands tall; immovable, constant and all around unchanging; this mountain has seen the beginnings and it will see the end. Tended by gentle mist in morning and heralded by flaming clouds by evening. It is the mountain everyone will climb, few will summit and only one knows the way. It is said that all must come through the Woodsman to get to the top of the mountain.

The Woodsman is a man of great mystery, there is great debate by today’s scholars as to who has been around longer, the Woodsman or the mountain, no other man knows the beginning of either just as no man is able to predict either’s end. We aught, however, afford more thought about this Woodsman. The Woodsman is the only one who knows how each person can reach the top of the mountain. It was said that no two paths made by the Woodsman are the same, though some join together before the summit is reached. It is said he knows a man before he arrives to that quaint, lumber home at the foot of the hill. When one arrives, ready to begin the path, the Woodsman looks deep in the traveler’s eyes, and with a few glances up and down; has composed the path best suited to that individual’s needs.

Many have tried taking the path, those who were not ready or were not meant to climb the mountain. For these, the Woodsman derives a special path; a path that quickly leads over brambles and shifting stones with a view of the threatening crags before the summit is obtained. Some will last longer than others, but all these will tire in the end and lose sight of the peak.

Then there are those who were meant to climb. Some will be hesitant. Some will have already tried to climb by another way. Some will be young, some old and some who will be made to watch others climb before they begin themselves. Many have wondered what thoughts brew behind the kindly and level eyes of the Woodsman; what master of navigation and understanding composes such a varied and unique path for all who come?

Standing by the foot of the mountain, one can hear the conversations, joys and pains of those already climbing. The stories drifting down the hills range from the majestic views one’s path has shown to the laughter of some understanding joke the Woodsman planned for a weary heart.

Occasionally one will hear the disdain and groans of one who was not expecting where the path lead. Sometimes they find themselves so far from where they thought the path would be by that point, they call down with frustrations and cries of questioning, wondering how this could possibly be the way? The Woodsman however is swift in rushing up the mountain to ensure the climber of the path he has chosen for him.

There is one sad tone, however, that finds it’s way down the mountain, a tone that is spoken far more often than it aught. It is the tone of one who wandered off the path, one who was distracted by the many pleasures found along the way. These pleasures look enticing and draw climbers off the path, only to turn into dangerous animals and creatures meaning to harm the now lost and scared climber. It is this tone that burdens the Woodsman the most, for he warns all who climb of the many dangers and tells them of the story how he himself fought against these evils to ensure none could ever harm those that climb on the path he has made. His heart becomes heavy that they have chosen their own path and not the one he so carefully and lovingly detailed for them.

It is a long path up the mountain, and there are stories as to how the final ascent begins. They say the path is made special in this way so that no man can get to the top without the Woodsman. It is in these higher altitudes that the last of the climbers run out of energy and come to lay by some tree or rock with a view of the peak. Then the climber falls fast asleep, only to be caught up in the strong arms of the Woodsman and carried to the top where all the voices of the other climbers fade away and there is not but clear skies and climbers before, kneeling in continual awe of the view. Some say it is here the Woodsman has another home, made of gold and fine jewels where one day he will retire when the last of the climbers has made their way up the path to the top of the mountain.

Isaiah 2:3 And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths…

Nails

2006-08-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

Permit me a momentary cliché as I share with you lyric that struck a cord with me this evening. As the words were sung, “You bore so much shame to love me,” I was convicted. The context of the song Nails is placed around the crucifixion. This got me to thinking about how willing I would be to lay my life down for another. These thoughts are connected please bear with me.
I would imagine it an easy thing to lay one’s life down for someone whom you felt was worthy. One might easily lay their life down for the President, a favorite school teacher, sibling or friend, but how many would lay their life down for a the lawless? How quickly would you lay your life down for a prostitute, a murderer or simply the man who cuts you off on the freeway? We tend to adopt this “you deserve what’s coming” attitude much too quickly.
Pursuing this train of thought further I came to self-examination of my what I will call the “burn threshold.” I use the burn threshold. The burn threshold is the limit upon which time “I” will no longer “pursue” someone’s friendship, but wait for “them” to come to “me.” I am a fairly easy going guy and I generally desire to be friends with everyone, but if a person “burns” me enough times by ignoring me, spreading rumors or things of that type, that’s it. I will no longer pursue that person in that scenario; they have reached the burn threshold. The person in question no longer deserves my time and my energy; they no longer deserve for me to try and make something work, they have crossed the line. It was this “philosophy” and examination that will connect the dots.
I tell Christ on a regular basis that I want to serve Him and I want to know Him more, yet I turn around and do these absolutely blatant sins and choose so many other gods before him, that in the jargon of my own philosophy, I have “burned” God. I have sinned against God; I have denied the God that loved me – and the kicker, the God that laid down his life for me. I would readily lay my life down for someone who I thought was worthy, but I admit I would hesitate a long time for someone whom I didn’t feel worthy. I would hesitate a long time to lay my life down for someone who “burned” me, someone who crossed the “burn threshold.” And the reason: pride. I would hesitate because my pride would not let me be shamed so much to be taken one more time by this person- and that is where the issue lies. I would not bear the shame by love or any other motivation to sacrifice for a person who has done so many personal attacks against me. And to the point; God has, is and continues to bear the shame of me sinning in the face of his ultimate sacrifice, his death on the cross - His death for a man who mocks the payment on a regular basis. This is the thought that struck me and convicted me this past Wednesday night.

the eyes of faith

2006-05-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

I am thine, O Lord, I have heard thy voice,
and it told thy love to me;
but I long to rise in the arms of faith
and be closer drawn to thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to thy service, Lord,
by the power of grace divine;
let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
and my will be lost in thine.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to thy precious, bleeding side.

O the pure delight of a single hour
that before thy throne I spend,
when I kneel in prayer, and with thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend!

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to the cross where thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
to thy precious, bleeding side.

In true fashion of the Holy Spirits ever-present work, I was struck profoundly by these lyrics this Monday night at the high school concert. As one who is in the “creative” industry, I can very quickly respect and be awestruck by the vision and thoughts of others. I might have passed this hymn on by, powerful as the lyrics are, had I not happened to see the author.

Frances Jane Crosby wrote this hymn, along with more than 8,000 others, with a very unique perspective. At the age of 6 weeks, and at the hand of an incompetent doctor, Fanny was blinded for life. When I saw who it was who had penned these lyrics, and then reread the lyrics, I was truly amazed.

Being blind, Fanny would not have known “visually” what it meant to “draw near.” She would never have known “visually” what it means to “rise in the arms,” “kneel in prayer” or to “look up with steadfast hope.” She would have never seen what a “bleeding side” looked like, she would never have known what a throne looked like or ever known what the cross looked like. Fanny would never have seen the blond haired, blue eyed Jesus and the towering “gold” flannel-graph visions of heaven that we all grew up with.

I can’t help but wish immensely to know what Fanny “saw.” I would love to have seen the images that this woman of God had seen and conjured up from simply hearing the words of Scripture. I feel that the images she saw, and truly, what inspired her to write so prolifically as to remain the most written hymnist in history, were images that only the purist, undiluted relationship could afford. I have to admit that I long for the “eyes of faith” that this elderly woman had.

A thought...

2006-04-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

If time is the bandit, then sloth leaves the door unlocked.

Only a chair...

2006-04-03T21:27:00.000-07:00

Wondering through the corridors of the famed Alderwood Mall, I found myself once again in Brookstone. It seems my childish delight in toys as well as my interest in technology, design and all things newfangled – attract me to this store in some sort of Star Warsian force. Amongst the glowing clocks, shower radios, back scratchers and whirling flashlights crouch the infamous “massage” chairs. My sister and cousin instantly fell in love with these rattling padded cages, and with enough prodding, I was lured into trying them myself.

Sitting in this chair was a very comfortable (and the only comfortable) experience to be had. These chairs, if you have not seen them, range from micro fiber to leather with large curves and a tiny remote. This very remote would prove to be my undoing. I deciphered the disco-like actions by the illustrated character to means certain actions: Legs up, legs down, lean back, lean forward, knead, roll, vibrate, stick your left foot in, stick your left foot out (these last two were somewhat embellished.)

I began my descent. I have never before seen a chair where the leg rest and the backrest move independent of each other. As my back began to be lowered, and I was not seeing or feeling my legs follow, I began stabbing at the buttons as best I could. The backrest stopped. At this point, I am less then gracefully bent backwards with the blood in my stomach frantically trying to decide if they should rush north to my head or south to my toes.

This is where I tried to get my feet to follow – THIS WAS NOT AN EASY TASK. I was suddenly aware of the chair reaching up and grabbing my ankles, I was pinned. I can honestly say at this point that I have not experienced to many chairs reaching back at you. I am not quite sure what kind of fabric is capable of moving on its own, but for whatever reason, this fabric could. At this point, I am really wanting my legs to move in some degree of relative relief for my now tightening back muscles. Success, sort of. My legs began to move, but not only in an upward direction, they were now moving up and OUT. I have seen this position before I belief, often associated with catch words such as “the rack” and “the roller.”

So, lets catch up. I am now in the middle of the Alderwood mall, lying in a chair with my head nearly touching the floor and my legs stretched in the extreme opposite direction. This is where I begin playing with the “modes” of “message.” At this point, my back being arched backwards and my legs being pulled away from, I am suddenly being pulverized by this mysterious fabric. I do not know what I did to offend this chair, but suddenly I am being punched violently, pushed vigorously and slapped frantically at the seemingly same time.

I had had enough. In a stroke of providential fate, my captor released my legs allowing me to flop to the carpet, and flop to freedom. I do not know what pathetic image I must have portrayed, a 240-pound man gasping for air at the base of a leather chair, but I don’t care. My advice regarding these chairs, a solid wooden spoon and sturdy wall will save you a lot of money and possibly – your life.

Jym Gam

2006-03-18T22:38:00.000-08:00

I felt something like General Patton this Saturday. Standing in a small military hospital on the island of Sicily, just off the coast of Italy. As he made rounds through the hospital, giving moral support to the injured soldiers there, he came across two men who claimed to suffer from shell shock, "A nerves problem." Patton's response was a much more colorful and violent feeling than I had Saturday, but I felt a kin to his disgust for this cowardice on the field.

Entering into the gym, myself being late due to school conferences, the lack of bodies I saw was disheartening. The lack of people might very well be described as my visual of "shell-shocked" patients, hiding from the "war," that we were to call Gym Jam.

Now, let me say that, as Patton was made to make a public apology on behalf of his violent actions and on the behalf that shell-shock can be a legitimate "injury," I to would publicly say that many of the students had legitimate reasons for not being there. In this document, I speak only to the men, or to the lack of men, the bodies ready to become men but as to this point have shown little dedication and resolve.

I would publicly uphold all those who did show at the Gym Jam, their awesome support and hard work again made for a successful campaign on the forces of filth encamped within our beloved gymnasium. But at the same time, I was greatly discouraged on the behalf of those who did not show, those without a legitimate reason for missing out; a scenario I fear to be more common than uncommon.

To coat-tail on this idea and to make my point succinct; I have seen a growing number of one28 guys ducking out early on the tear down, or sitting around idly. This is a sad show on what it is to be men, to work together and to serve others. We are all in a training camp for manhood, but I feel it is necessary to point out the flaws in our regular exercise and training so that we may become complete soldiers, firm in our common bond, that is -our uncommon goal.

(Again, thank you to those who came; a hall pass to those who had reasons to miss; and a hearty exhortation to those who skipped. Learn and grow, that is the process of manhood.)

Spread thin...

2006-02-16T00:06:00.000-08:00

The sins that I struggle with are clever. It would seem that I have my hands in every jar I can find, but have not put my hand so far in as to be called a thief. I have been through so many countries and states, but not been so long as to be called a resident. But just because a fighter jet flies below radar, its strike is not rendered any less eminent, deadly and damaging. No, its lack of being noticed would heighten the destructive power, hitting the soon to be casualties in their weakest place, unprotected and exposed.

I do not claim that I am alone in this struggle, or in the duplicitous hiding of my sin, but I do mention this to encourage and urge you in one direction. Hound your church to find a spiritual brother or sister for accountability. The busy pursuits of our sins, be they presently casual or costly, will be wearing and tiring. The drain of our daily pursuits of sin is not a battle that has to be fought alone. The accountability that Christ has blessed us with is a free gift that for many lies unopened. A general does not charge the enemy by himself, nor does he wait for soldiers to come to him. A general seeks out soldiers, tells them the battle plan, then charges the enemy with a passion. Find someone to hold you accountable, and then get serious about your sin.

Novel...

2006-02-07T23:52:00.000-08:00

I have had two novel thoughts. For those of you who know me, having two thoughts to begin with is cause for celebration, but these thoughts I believe are better than ordinary thoughts, they are -novel- thoughts.
Through my junior high and high school careers, I have come to believe two things are absolute. The first thought, "You can accomplish more when you are away, than when you are asleep." The second thought, "Exercise, makes you stronger."
Those are the thoughts. Those are the two things that I have just now come into understanding. You can accomplish more when you are awake, than when you are asleep, and exercise makes you stronger. I will afford some reasoning behind why I have come to these conclusions or why I call them novel, and perhaps rest your concern for my mental welfare.
I say that you can accomplish more when you are awake, than when you are asleep, because when you are asleep, work is not done at all. I was finding myself to feel overwhelmed a day or so ago. I get this way often when I look at my "to-do" list, or at the paper accusing me of failing to make a "to-do" list. I began to think through why it was, that so many things still needed to be done, and there was simply not enough time for it. Then it hit me, I WAS ASLEEP.
I have been spending the majority of my free time sleeping in to the ever-convicting double digits of the day. It seems that I've been missing out on a good three to four hours of valuable time to get things accomplished because I would wake up at 10:00, get out of bed by 10:30, and be on my way to school at around 1:00 or 5:00, leaving me a meager 2 and a half hours to 7 hours of working time, respectively.
Granted, I would spend most nights, staying up till 2-3 am, but there are a very limited amount of things that can be done at this time that benefit anyone other than one's self. It was this realization that brought me to novel thought number 1.
Novel thought number 2 has been brewing for a while. I have found myself struggling with things pertaining to thought. I have a hard enough time keeping my mind focused on the tasks at hand, but this struggle has been ever growing. I've been finding myself thinking increasingly more and more shallow about truths that ought to be plumbed with a weight a thousand times heavier than what I was using. And then it hit me; I have not been exercising my mind.
The last time that I read a book that didn't fall in the category of manual or text book, had to have dated back to the days of the ubiquitous gold star charts and dollar a piece mystery novels. No disrespect to Dixon and her Hardy Boys or trusty Encyclopedia Brown, but I have long since moved to a level where my repituare should include meatier disciplines. Sure I've dabbled in a book here, learned about Shooting an Elephant there, but it has been a long time since I have journeyed from cover to cover of a good book, and I'd almost say never, through a book of spiritual context.
That is why I am now learning how to fight for joy with John Piper. My mind has been malnourished. I have not been giving it the proper food or training that it requires. The irony of this all, is while I numbed my mind to sleep with feather pillows and 2-bit magazine articles, a slept not 7 feet from a store house of John Piper and John Macarthur, dutifully waiting their turns for this "modern" teenager to wakeup and begin a meal that should last him the rest of his life. It was time for my mind to wakeup and get some exercise, something my body could use a fair dose of well these days. But that will be in the morning.

A prayer...

2006-02-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

This is an unpolished prayer, a prayer, rough with the grit of being tested in battle. This is a prayer for those of you who can relate so that you can glean from the conviction that is there; and for those of you who can testify to the need for this prayer, to hold me accountable.

Lord, break my Sinicism. I am almost as professionally sarcastic as I am expertly critical. Lord, break the calcified (stagnant) stains on my heart, and make me new (gentle spirited.)

More thoughts from a sermon in southern California...

2006-02-07T23:42:00.000-08:00

The more and more I compare and contrast by prayers with my actions, I've come to believe that...
"The only force of my strength stronger than the hatred of my own failure to adhere to the word of God, is my ability to play BLIND to those very resolutions in times of trial."

Resolved...

2006-02-07T23:34:00.000-08:00

After attending the Resolved conference in Pasadena, CA, I was convicted to write a few resolutions of my own. These are by no means a taste of the caliber of sermons I heard during that conference, but I thought I would share them with you none the less.

Resolved to get up - having already heard the wake-up call, and thus far failed to heed it.

Resolved to stand - with the same fervency as the hindsight hatred of my sin.

Resolved to die - as one who has not failed to surrender it all.

Identity Crisis

2005-11-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

People today are in an identity crisis. I do not mean to say that they are believing themselves to be someone other than they really are, or that they are dissatisfied with who they are, but rather they are forgetting with whom they are identified. It seems people give no thought to the fact that their actions do not affect themselves only. Our every action not only benefit or detract from our own effectiveness, but they impact those who we are identified with.
Almost a month ago now, I remember driving to school in my usual way, and happened to notice a man crossing the street. Now, this is a most common occurrence, but what stood out to me was that he was j-walking across Broadway, a four lanes, highly busy street, carrying political campaign signs. I could not help but wish that the candidate named on the sign lost the election. I had no idea who the candidate was, I did not know what party he stood for or what kind of a person he was, all I knew was that if this was the type of man representing him, I would not want to give him my support.

Another way we fail to recognize how our behavior reflects on others, is that of our parents. How many of us look at the parents when we see a child screaming out of control in a grocery store? Rising through the ranks of high school and now college, it seems true still, that a student who is rebellious and out of control are often the products of a lack for solid parenting.

Exceptions do occur in the rebellious child illustration, which brings me to my third scenario, and those are the students like me. I had life peeled, sliced and ready to go with all the solid preparation and careful parenting my parents provided, but some choose to walk their own way, and let their sin run rampant despite all the checks and balances they may be in place. I shudder to think back at how I reflected on my parents, my church and my school. What a duplicity and hypocrisy! It is sad to say, but the caliber of most institutions today is measured by the lowest common denominator. When running a three-legged race, the slowest person tethered does not run at the pace of the faster partner, but it is the faster that must slow to the pace both can achieve.

In an attempt to wrap this thought together, we impact associations we are tied with. A citizen will reflect on his political party of choice, a child will reflect on his parents whether or not they are at fault, and we a Christians, will reflect on the church of Christ. That is the application I would like to draw, we reflect on the church of Christ, and we will be held accountable for that. We may think that we can live to lives or we may think we can act how we want and that it does not reflect on others, but it does. If we do not attempt to conform to those that we would be identified with, we will only mar the surface, and differ others from wanting to join. In closing I will use one last illustration.

I have recently become a staff member with the One28 ministry. As excited as I am about serving in this way, and as hard as I try, I was confronted by a student one a way of my conversation that was apparently causing my reputation to be tarnished. That would be sad if that reflected only on me, but the fact that it reflects on the ministry then becomes atrocious. I may or may not agree with this student, but it caused me to think long and hard about how it is that I come across to others, or even how I think in general. My actions do not affect me alone. I would encourage all of you to examine how it is that you act, and know that it is not just your life, it is your life as has been trained by the coaches God has placed in your life, and as such, it reflects on those coaches in every way.

Destination: Glory

2005-10-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

I was caused these last few weeks to be reflecting on my life currently and all the passions and dreams that drive me. I suppose on a superficial level, every “i” was dotted and every “t” was crossed in regards to my motive, but as every man aught to know, I knew my thoughts more deeply than that.
To my own benefit, this is not always the case, but how tragic it is that the exceptions do occur. I found myself, in eerie coincidence with Pastor Sean’s messages, looking at what my loves are, what path I am on, and it was saddening. I am reminded by the old children’s song, but with my own twist, when I say, “That train, was not bound for glory.”
Truthfully, looking at my own desires and my own plans, they were exactly that, “my own.” I have been busily, not a half-hearted endeavor, but busily been working towards solid education, mastery of my craft and other activities that I knew would so well fill that starch mold of the American dream as to produce the gleaming and glossy life. It is almost humorous, as funny as being guilty of sin can be I suppose, to see how I would even add my Christianity, my “leadership” training to that mold, to try and become that man that “I” wanted to be. I have to say, the deeper and deeper I looked, more and more I realized how vain and temporary-minded I have been.
But hope abounds! How sweet is God’s mercy that he forgives and changes sinful man. In light of this personal study, God has been all the more real and faithful in my life. I have seen more and more His strength and his guidance to turn my natural instincts into passions that I pray are in alignment with His will.
I am making it my prayer to wake up every morning with the ability to say, “this train is bound for Glory.” That is a destination that only God knows the way to and only God can get me there, and that is a train I want to be on. I say these things to you today, in an encouragement to examine your own lives, and see what facades you may be living, or what dream may be stealing your love. Get your boarding pass for Glory, and hope on that train!

A thought on creativity...

2005-09-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

As one who has worked with and been around artists, as well as one who has worked with and been around parents, I've come to wonder. How come an artist will see every single error in his own peice of art he created, yet a parent who has a child, will see none of the problems in that?

Spiritual goggles...

2005-09-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

A wise man once told me to look at scenarios in life in attempt to see the broader picture. I was pondering this the other day, as part of my school year resolution of writing more, and recalled a phenomenon of my earlier years. This phenomenon occurred for the most part in the years leading up to and at the 7th grade in situations surrounding large bodies of water, most notably, the YMCA pool.
When it came time to enter the pool, few possessions were as prized as a good pair of goggles. Goggles were the gadgets to have. Everyone knew the discomfort that would come from the burning chlorine in the eyes, or the water itself blurring ones’ vision, nobody who had to bits of sense would ever try swimming under water without his eyes carefully sealed behind those plastic wonders. In truth, childish games such as Marco Polo freeze tag and underwater tag would have been vain without these wonders. Chasing after a friend while not being able to see clearly would have been as successful as chasing after butterfly fish in the ocean, mere darting shadows of what was once there. Stylish, goggles came in man colors, sizes, shapes and finishes. Some of them had holographic tiger-eyes, cat eyes, lizard eyes and other fantastical creatures. Some were thin, some were fat, some were translucent, others opaque, but no matter what they were, they were vital.
Occasionally, however, one would find himself with a pair of goggles that did not seal around the eyes, and I believe that at that moment in time there was no more ludicrous item than a pair of goggles that trapped the water on the inside! The leaky goggle was the bane of underwater races and foiled many a child from exploring the emerald and veined surface of the pool floor. How many worlds were not known because of the inability to see? In the eyes of a child, willingly taking or not exchanging a faulty pair of goggles, or worse yet, not taking a pair at all to the pool, was as foolish as a one could get when it came time to go into the pool.
Thinking back to this situation, it made me think about entering into the world without God’s word. For us to jump into the world without the “filter” and “protection” of God’s word is almost as foolish as it is sinful. In the same way that we as children knew we needed those goggles to keep the chlorine out of our eyes and to let us see clearly, we also know that God’s word is the only thing that will keep the filth of the world out of our lives and let us see clearly what is truth. As ridiculous as I once saw the lack of “goggles” how much more ridiculous should I see the idea of not knowing God’s word inside and out before submerging myself in this world? As all analogies are, this is by no means perfect, but it did give me reason to think about a very real concept. I will equip myself with my “spiritual goggles” so that I can keep the “chlorine of sin” out of my life.

First day observations...

2005-09-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

The question of sociology is the denial of man's inerrant wickedness. By defenition of sociology, as stated by my professor, Dr. Farb, sociology ignores the fact that man will always seek evil outside of Christ and attempts to explain blatant sin as nothing more than a product of his enviroment. Obviously change will not come about if we do not seek change where it is needed, that is, spreading Christ to a generation that does not know him.

Better Than Ice Tea

2005-09-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

After a fairly hard day of work, relative to those doing the work I am sure, few things have given me refreshment in the past, like a tall glass of ice tea. Coming in from under the sun, with dust running through the cracks in your throat, a tall glass of velvet foam and well brewed tea is about all a sensible man can ask for. There have been times, when lack of better judgement have brought me to the point where I have been aware of very little, save the fact that I needed something to drink, and not much would better satisfy that desire than ice tea.
In light of this analogy, I found my self, some days ago, in a similar state. Through lack of better judgement, I had not been ritualy bathing myself in God's word, an element I know to be crucial to my spiritual life. It was this state that I found myself in, coming to the point of bewilderment, aware of very little but that I needed something to drink, I needed scripture. It was in this moment that I decided to begin with a Psalm. As I am inclined to do with opening Psalms, I generaly pick one at random for the day, it was in this manner that I came accross Psalm 32. I can say very little about this that would enhance it's message, save just how much I found it to be revealing, challenging and all the while, refreshing. Here it reads:

1How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
3When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
4For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
5I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD";
And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
6Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
7You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
8I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

Promote a good thing...

2005-09-13T18:51:00.000-07:00

Pardon me the "geekish" tangent of endorsement, but I believe as at a minimum, a laptop user, let alone a MAC user, I must endorse a good thing. Urban City Coffee, located on 136th st. and State (with a large "Home Town Deli sign outfront), is a little road side Coffee Joint with free Wi-Fi and a decent carmel Italian Soda. I feel that as a student and as a responsability to my fellow Mac Users/One28 staff/EvCC Eleites.... I must shed light on this little spot. As a matter of history, places with generosity like this do not last long. Therefore, I beckon and call to my fellow comrades, support a good thing, and check out Urban City Coffee.

Weekday Blues

2005-09-13T00:08:00.000-07:00

Making my way accross the scuffed and faded surface that is the gym floor, heading to our faithful one28 room, I noticed something. It seems to me that more and more people these days, particularily students, are wearing casual jeans to church. I am by no means, attempting to say that there is some commandment or scriptural support stating the inherant sin of blue jeans on a sunday, I do think we are lacking a sense of formality. I'll admit, in the face of occasional emergencies, wearing blue jeans beats not wearing pants at all, or dare I imagine it, a skirt, to church on sundays, I think we can do better. While blue CAN have a "nice" look about them, a sharp look, any person in the enviroment of business will tell you, that is known as, business CASUAL. I would love to see one28 ministries continue to grow by putting forth the extra effort to dress nice for church. Yes, the strapping young men in our ministry can pull of "nice attire" in most anything, we will do much in the way of showing our sincerity in a physical sense by taking our matter of dress to the next level. In an attempt to sum up, dress to your best, and keep the jeans for the "weekday blues."

Too many chiefs, too few indians... the iPod craze

2005-09-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

Like tattoos of white boxes, iPod owners run the mill from those that are shy of confessing the social retardation bouncing in their pockets, to those best described as 6-year old girls "accessorizing" their new dolls. On a few situations, I have noticed many of these enthusiastic music junkies almost fighting for the chance to play some new "up and coming" band, a classic old tune they "re-discovered" or some other melody, nostalgic or not. And I will confess, I scoffed. To me, people fell into a couple of categories regarding music. First you have those who are musicians, those I believe have rightful claim to amplified waves, those who's music I would actually like to hear. Then you have students and other junkies who's cluttered libraries (largely pirated) would cause the most veteran Sno-Isle staff to, dare I say, want to cuss. A third category, and that is all I will delve into, would be the industrious folk, those content with their few favorite tunes because when they are mowing lawns, grinding granite, preparing sermons or crunching numbers, it's the nostalgic and pounding beats that ultimately get the day done faster.
The perpetrators, in my mind then, tended to fall more into the student category, and I marveled at the dog-eat-dog empire of those squabbling at getting their tunes heard. AND HERE IS WHERE I RECANT. I was zealous after one evening of witnessing this micro chasm of cut throat "pirates" and thought that I would put them all the shame, show them the foolishness of their ways, attempt to prove that music "rights" belonged though those "musically proven." I was tipped off. I was warned, that had I jumped in so carelessly, I would have been ambushed, like, dare I say, a pack of dogs on a three legged cat. I did not want to be put to shame, so I held back, and attempted to search my motive on this issue. Therefore, here I am to say, I RECANT.
Why did I scoff at people who just want to have their music played? Am I really that different? Truly, I can well identify with the experience of hearing a song that so powerfully drives a bass line and has a melody that cuts so crisply straight to the emotions that everything sweet explodes in your veins and everything bitter resolves itself in your mouth, leaving you in a euphoria known as "music." That is what art is about. Art is the essence of having some past emotion ripped from you and displayed in front of you, or a past thought tickled by some play on words. As a fellow artist, can I really become offended by some person wanting to share another's art with the world?
While I believe that some people could do well to learn the finesse of sharing music, the etiquette and reserve that everyone could do well to learn, I no longer hold it against them. I can appreciate the desire to let everyone hear "the best song ever written" no matter how many times or how many different artists it may be, I can appreciate that. For those who still push and shove, fight and argue about who gets to play their favorite tune, you will learn. You will learn that a great song is a great song for the sheer fact that the musician has made it all the way to being on a record and has won someone's undying support. I say, let the music play on.

Believe it or not!!

2005-08-20T00:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have felt that those numerous orange road signs state the painfully obvious, you will appreciate this. Finaly a road sign that states the obvious, and warns of REAL danger.

2005-04-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

It is my prayer that I would not run FROM evil as much as I run TO Christ.
-CC Jesse Martin

2005-04-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

The true artist is not taught HOW to create, he is taught WHY he created.
-CC Jesse Martin

2005-04-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

The name of the Lord, Is like a strong tower....
-To God be the glory

2005-04-07T00:30:00.000-07:00

Glory In the Spin------- Tonight I found myself thinking once more on how badly I wish there was a solution to the world's problems. Have anyone ever looked around and though, "Is there some way to fix these problems?" When we look around ourselves, it's very obvious that world has some very big problems (hunger, poverty, imorality....to name a few.) I often find myself wishing there was some study I could devote my life to, some goal I could work for, some man based effort that I could do, to restore the world. As we watch the news and the enviromental signs around us, the world is slowly "slipping from our fingers" and is falling away to destruction, and I have found myself wishing that I could somehow prevent it's demise. Often I have wished I could help the people that need help. But I cannot. The Bible PROMISES us that the world is getting worse and worse, and that it WILL ultimately be destroyed. We are ultimately helpless in doing anything that will make the world get better, we are failures in this regard. However, this is where my sole encouraging thought comes from. Christ will derive glory from this! My sheer nature is to protect and try to right wrongs, but that is a completely man based desire, satisfying my own selfishness of my desire to see the world be a better place for my future and the future of any generations that might come from me. If I had the ability to solve these problems, then what glory would be given to me? I would be CAPABLE, and Christ would not be the only one to wield that power. And this is where the encouragement comes in. Christ alone can solve the world's problems, and he will, for his glory alone. Christ can use our inablities to maintain this world we have been given, and are own weakness to show how amazing he truly is. It is hard to turn a "blind eye" of sorts to the problems we see around us, and the people digging faster and faster for hell, but Christ will draw glory from this downward SPIN we find ourselves in. We are completely unable to pull the plane of life out of the nose dive we've fallen into the moment we delcared the ("pilot" is dead) (Nietzsche.) Christ will recieve all the glory as the sole saviour of the world, of those whom he has chosen. As I look around at all the problems around me, I can escape the gloom and the despair of the problems in life, by realizing that it is for God's glory, and that he will work all things togather for good. That is my sole refuge from the despair I see around me.------- I would like to briefly add that, by no means, am I saying there is no use getting involved in community outreach programs, feeding the poor and other such acts of public service, I am just saying that to try and fix the problem in our own strength is futile, and we can draw encouragement from it, that God will recieve the glory ultimately.
-To God be the glory

2005-04-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

After a long absence, I am here once again to relay my thoughts to you all. Why you all read these, I do not know, I barely read them myself, though I think I ought to read them more often. None the less, here is the "up to date" blog from NEWECHO. I apologize for the somewhat gloomy overtones this carries, but the heart of the matter is one of great encouragement to myself....
-To God be the glory

2004-12-25T00:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas
-To God be the glory

2004-10-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

This past week I had the privelage to travel down to California on the Master's college preview trip. Good times were had by all, and our van was a testimony to the fact that boredom is only a lack of creativity (A on boredom, B on Boredom..... you get the idea.) One of our past times was listening to a truly varied selection of music. Before I continue, I will confess that I do enjoy my music, secular and Chrisitian, and I do not plan on giving it up, but I was forced to reflect on the lyrical content of what was being placed in my priority slot. I have the blessing/curse of a unique combination of physchoanalysis and stereotyping everything I come in contact with, a condition my oldest brother does not help (good luck in your Rhetoric of Technology class, let me know How We Became Posthuman.)
Ok, all of this to come to the point of my observations on the music we were listening to in the van during our slow processions to and from the Master's College. The world does not have stability. The biproduct of our views on social normatives and liberties have created a default prerequisite that turns every secular cd into an emotional rollercoaster with no saftey belt, causing it's patrons to live in fear of every twist and bend in the rails before them. The constant theme is a first person view of how one can satisfy himself or persuade someone else to satify him. Listen to how many times a secularly produced track includes the word "I". There is a constant search in the unsaved man's life for the one item that will completly satisfy him without reprecussions. However, the true Christian track focuses on God and His power. In every possible means the artist will direct a listeners thoughts to something so much greater than himself. Imagine the irony of a hiker climbing to the top of a mountain, with deep green forests on all sides that vanish in the distance into silver clouds and bold mountain crags frosted in snow surround him in a sea of the deepest shade of blue, and then that hiker focusing a picture on himself with the magnificent surroundings cropped out. Or a man lamenting about getting hit by a car while crossing a busy intersection with his eyes closed. That is, in essence, what the secular artist does. He focuses on a cut, but forgets that he could have lost the whole arm, he boasts about his strength, but forgets how easily he was cut. The process is a continual loop, and just like how an amplified signal loop creates the painful effect of feedback, so the selfish/narrow minded cycle of the unsaved mind creates a manic depression. In a closing contrast of messages, I summerize by saying the Christain artist find satisfaction in "the God of wonders beyond our galaxy," while the secular artist asks "is anybody home, does anybody care, has anybody wasted tears on the lonliness that everyone becomes."
-To God be the glory

2004-10-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

This is about all I have to say about Califor-ni-yay...
-To God be the glory

2004-10-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

sometimes we live our lives expecting there to be a shark underneath our boat, but really our "ocean" is a puddle in the palm of God's hand.
-To God be the glory

2004-10-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

A rattling car ride to the top of a mountain during the early hours of the morning was not within my "comfort zone." But the view could not have been a better reminder of God's self-glorification.
-To God be the glory

2004-07-19T00:59:00.000-07:00

Just an image that my mind saw....
-To God be the glory

2004-07-07T00:10:00.000-07:00

It's the little patriotism that shows you the land that you love.
-To God be the glory

2004-06-29T00:56:00.000-07:00

the author
-To God be the glory

2004-06-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

All for one........
-To God be the glory

2004-06-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

I've passed by these pews for 17 years, and only thought of this composition a few weeks ago.
-To God be the glory

2004-06-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

As the shadows creep along my L shaped desk and the night air is finaly cooling off in the blackness outside, I am starting to grasp that summer is here. I will wake up in the morning, and I won't be going to school. I'll turn in my bed as the sharp rays of morning light attempt to convice me that it is a new day, a day full of time that I can choose to spend, or waste. I would like to present you all with a challenge: Look at everything differently. I've had a few people talk to me about "creativity," and that they could never see something the way certain people can, I encourgingly disagree. Being creative is not something a person is born with, it's a choice to make the most of what you have. The principles in this have spilt over all areas of my life, leaving long stains of color and diference. Choose to see things differently. Sometimes the best way to start is to excercise the mind. Close your eyes, point to a random location, open your eyes and think of five oberservations about that object. Even if you point at a wall, there are more than five oberservations you can pull from a wall. It would be my desire that nobody could say about this summer, that they were bored, there is always something to do, something new to see, strengthen the brain.
-To God be the glory

2004-06-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

It always amazes me to see how much ordinary situations can become canvases for inspiration.

2004-06-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Forward thinking comes from improving what you see when looking back.

2004-06-06T01:16:00.000-07:00

The actual location a picture is taken, is the destination. What the picture becomes, ultimatly what the photographer sees, is the drive there.

2004-06-06T01:13:00.000-07:00

I hereby coin the term: Emotional Theory of Perpetual Motion. These are character traits that only bring about more of that emotion. Traits like worry, fear, sadness and lazyness all fit in the ETPM.

2004-06-06T01:09:00.000-07:00

I find it amusing when people rebel for the sake of fashion. I do not condone rebeling under typical situations. However, I beleive the current issue with teenangers like myself, is not to cure their anger, but to reveal the dilusional mask they attempt to wear when they stereotype themselves into the categories they have been privelaged not to become as a default.

2004-06-06T01:05:00.000-07:00

There is a song for every mood, but every answer is in a verse.

2004-05-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

The sum of all fears is the biproduct of complete faith in self.

2004-05-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Of Oxymorons: This IS subjective

2004-05-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

I am a shade of crazy, a variation of the pure element

insights

2004-05-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

A book speaks thousands of words, but you must read the whole thing to understand it.
A picture speaks a thousand words, but you must know the context for the truth.
A question seeks a thousand words, but often is dissapointed with denial or disatisfactory answers.
A statement is a thousand words and is always concise to the author, but nobody wants to hear it.