How Blessed Am I

I have seen three of the greatest Christian Bands in the last thirteen months - MercyMe, Casting Crowns and now I have heard Third Day live - just the best of the best. Not only do these bands take their talent and job as musicians very serious and lay down some tremendous rock and roll licks with fantastic harmonies and Spirit-filled lyrics, they go over and above donating money from every concert to phenomenally important causes. Anyway, it has been 25 hours since my wife and I left the church and my spirit feels more stoked than after a week at church camp in the majestic mountains of Colorado.

Mac Powell is just incredibly blessed. His voice is so deep and pure, and his power is indescribable. His abilities are immense and the irony is his frame is so small. As a band I have been a fan for years, and finally I saw them live. I have been to many concerts in my lifetime, from Donny and Marie to ZZ Top and the Scorpions, from Up With People to DC Talk. There are just a few bands ever that sound best when they play live. Singers like Amy Grant, Crystal Lewis, the Carpenters, and Neil Diamond are all far better on a recording than live. John Denver, the Eagles, U2, ZZ Top, America, Casting Crowns, and Third Day are the greatest live "shows" I have ever witnessed.

The most important factor that sets MercyMe, Casting Crowns and Third Day apart is their allegiance to the Holy Spirit in their Lyrics as well as their concert. MercyMe and Crowns were the most dynamic worship experiences I ever had, and Third Day was a fantastic worship service not so clandestinely disguised as just an old school rock and roll Praise concert.

Sharing this magnificent time with the Lord, my wife and two dear friends are memories I'll treasure until I sit at Jesus' feet praising God with ALL the saints - the word awesome doesn't even scratch the surface of my being's euphoria. I wish my vocabulary could do justice to how vast and awesome I feel after being blessed. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me such a blessing.

Irony

Today I received an email from our mortgage company about planting a tree by going paperless - online payments, correspondence, etc. This pleased me, considering we have been switching all our bills to the world wide web, thus eliminating the need for paper. The email was a powerful ad until I read some small type in the lower right hand corner. "Click here to Print"

My Character

My squawking all these years on this blog has been about one theme - character! I am so upset at myself when my own character does not fit what I strive for. I want to be the coolest, most patient, loving, and good person - a person who's inner strength is so awesome that it picks up everyone around me, and they ask "What is it about that guy?"

I have spent most of my life worrying about how I was perceived by people. I wanted acceptance of people more than God, and even though I believed and accepted Christ as my Savior, my life was a mess of cataclysmic proportion. I now know that while I have been given gifts and abilities, my allegiance to God as God is far more important than any gratification I receive by men and women. I am also wishing for my children to understand this principle through my example, and they will see Christ living in me, not just 'lip service'.

One thing I tend to do is focus on popular people (generally in the realm of sports) who have little-to-no-character, and make them negative examples. Sometimes, or once in a while, this is good, but it is my experience that the human animal responds best to positive stimulus, example, or encouragement, and so it is my goal to be more like Christ now, in ten minutes, at bedtime, tomorrow, next week, and beyond. The plethora of bad character examples will have to fend for themselves. I will endeavor to no longer give them credence.

I am amazed at how I still am working on traits, quirks, and character issues in my own life - I asked myself, "Self, why did you think/say that?" or "Why don't you tell him/her which way is up?" or a myriad of other selfish, un-Christ-like behaviors, and still want to take back words or actions long since gone and printed on my pages in my book. Luckily, my errors have been erased, or washed away by an act I can not even fathom, Jesus dying for me. But as Paul told the Roman church we should not sin just to receive more grace from God, but we should follow Christ, his teachings and his example of living. It is awesome that Jesus was not a "do as I say, not as I do" leader.

Thank you God, for your grace and forgiveness. Thank you for sticking with me even though I am so not worthy of anything you have done for me. Help me to act grateful, not just give words of thanks.

Old Pottery, New Hope

I truly believe that God has told us what we need to know. Not necessarily the tap-you-on-the-shoulder and audibly directing us as He did with Moses, Isaiah, and Elijah. We have His words in 66 books known as the Bible. His story written by men and women to share His thoughts , His heart, and His plan for us in narrative, poetry, prophetic, and historical about people who believed, who were used for and/or touched by His glory.

I am not unequivocally dismissing direct revelation today, because I am not smart or holy enough to limit God in any way, but there are many things I hear 'that make me go hmm'. When scripture says, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38 NIV), there are very important and simple principles laid out for the human, and yet much is left to further hermeneutics study and interpretation. In short this one cornerstone verse of scripture from the beginning of the church can be viewed, argued, discussed, or taught in a number of ways because of an individual and their personal 'baggage' that filters or directs the head and the heart. This week I was told that my faith and my destiny were in question because I had never personally had a 'Holy Spirit moment' of one of the gifts such as 'tongues, prophecy, or healing' (these were the three he referred to specifically).

The gentleman and I were talking about the church because of a t-shirt I was wearing, and he began to relate to me instances in his life with other pastors who had the audacity to challenge his testimony, yet he then spiritually 'drop-kicked' me due to my lack of manifestations of gifts as laid out by the apostle Paul. His ministry was with a Church that has been very big in the Inland Empire of southern California, and he wasn't contrite for argument's sake, but he truly had me befuddled. He is a friendly and loving man. He just had a very interesting habit of changing meanings or not being able to recall scripture that help defend his feelings or beliefs.

When I would either quote or reference scripture to ask him to think about his defiant stance, he would tell me that the true meaning of my reference was something all-together different. To the point, he told me straight up, "When anyone prays for something like a healing or a tangible thing, and God doesn't answer your prayer by granting the request, the fault lies with the person praying, because God NEVER says no to any request." I asked him about David and the temple, and Paul and his "thorn in the flesh", and he had rationalizations (to me, anyhow) to deny each example.

This rambling is not to seek vengeance or satisfaction, but honestly to seek answers. Since I am the only one reading my writing, maybe in my study I can come across, answers, or this is one of those 'agree to disagree' topics, not important for the gospel message, but just a question for God after judgement.

Why Can't I Be Like Marty McFly?

Thanks to old Doc Brown, Marty went back in the past to escape the terrorists. It was there he was able to improve his future.

Why can't we all have the same opportunity?

The attitudes of yesterday shape my today, and clearly affect my tomorrow. The ability to change those attitudes is not just an electric impulse, in a nanosecond changed wishing to continue anew, like a baseball from a pitcher's hand changes direction immediately when struck by a bat. The Apostle Peter exemplifies that philosophy. While a direct and conscious change time does take place, the human mind must work through it's programming to effectively affect change in behavior. Peter told Jesus that he knew Jesus was God in the flesh, come to save the world. Yet it was Peter who was going to war with the Romans at Jesus' arrest, and it was Peter who denied Christ at the time of the crucifixion.

Interestingly, the ball/bat analogy is what the term repent implies. Turning around from a thought or behavior, a 180 degree 'about face'.

Change is fun, exciting, and sometimes hard.

Changing the layout of the living room - easy, fresh, and fun!

Changing the colors of a bathroom or bedroom, even changing a clothing style is fun and challenging.

Changing behavior patterns is hard - sometimes painstakingly hard - but very, very do-able.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (NIV)

It is not 'science fiction'!

The Freedom to Vote

Bless every one of those volunteers at the polls - no matter what their level of competence, their patience with the throngs of humanity waiting to cast a fundamental cog in the republic of the USA. I spent over two and a half hours total on two occasions waiting for computer problems and just downright long lines to vote for the myriad of things on the ballot here in California (or Kah * lee * fohn * yah if you recognize the Austrian Governator's pronunciation). I stood and watched individuals take advantage of lines, and due to the selfish or stupid behavior of those few, the time in line increased for everyone. I will explain -

The line was a single line until you got to the little room with the volunteers, tables, and computers, when it split to A-L and M-Z for the last name, to acquire signature and verification and the magic card to collect the votes. While waiting, just from the little room, I was three people from the table in the A-L line. At least four people behind me in line went to the M-Z line because there was no wait, only to have a last name in the OTHER category, so they just slid them over instead of making them return to the back of the line. When I finally reached the table, they informed us the computers were down and two different voluteers were trying to get through to tech support, and both were telling everyone the line was busy. The lady in line behind me suggested to the volunteers at the table only one should call, while the other takes care of issues like these people "cutting" in line, the general chaos that prevailed in the room, and anything else on her mind at the time.

After waiting one hour longer for the repair of computers, I had too many obligations to wait, with kids getting out of school, homework, football practice, etc., so I left with intent to return and vote. The process concluded at 8:23 PST, my vote is now cast.

Why is the old "X" the box ballot so bad?

If This Is Being Blessed, Can I Please Be Not-So-Much?

In the NIV translation, James 1 :2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." I hold to that promise with my whole heart. There is however a fleshly part of my being that wants a spiritual hammock, balmy breeze, cold beverage and free time to get out of this pressure cooker called life. Like a timeout or a commercial break to allow important things to get done, as well as rest to be accomplished.

I am all too aware or the reap-what-you-sew part of life (Gal. 6:8). Jesus promised that the burden would not be easy, or the pathway either, for that matter, and my earthly consequences are truly "bummin' me out, dude!" I am not joyful. I am self degrading, unrealistic, and according to my family 'quite the grump', to use "Disney Language".

So, recognition of these awful and destructive attributes has led me to want to change for the better - like, totally." However, I intimately understand when the apostle Paul told said that which he hates doing is the act he does, and vice versa. This is so chopping me up. So I sign off to work on my math. Chow, Adios, Ba-Bye!