Pursuing God

I'm still working on that hermeneutics post, but for now I have something a little simpler. For some reason (I'm neither married nor seeing anyone right now), I was pondering this morning how my relationship with Jesus is a lot like marriage. Paul describes it this way in Ephesians, after all. As I understand it, women want a constant stream of intimacy in a relationship. When a man works hard at intimacy with their partner they feel like their relationship is nearly paradise under normal circumstances. When a man or woman becomes distant from their significant other, it takes time to rebuild the intimacy they have neglected to maintain. God is a lot like that. When we neglect to cultivate our intimacy with Him, we become distant from Him, and it takes time to rebuild the intimacy we neglected. Despite a Godly peace that feels like Paradise, we choose to leave it over and over again.

It is our fallen, sinful nature that makes us think we can ignore our God or our loved ones for any period of time. God does the redeeming of salvation, but it is our choice to sin that drives a wedge inbetween us. We have to pursue God like a man pursues a woman. It is one of the many ways women reflect God's image. They both desire to be pursued.

The National Anthem in Beijing

Does anyone else think that the Start Spangled Banner at this Olympics sounds like something from Walt Disney? When they show the flags waving during the anthem I expect to see Tinkerbell fly up and tap the top of the Flag pole.

Thoughts on Church Growth

Not what I promised, but one sentence summaries of what can be learned from reading each chapter of Rodney Stark's The Rise of Christianity. Some points completely serious, some partially humorous. I'm wired from coffee, but it is too late to think seriously.

1. Given enough time, a few hundred people in an Upper Room can multiply into over half the population of any country.
2. Christianity does have something to offer the middle classes and the wealthy.
3. There's proof that St. Peter was a great evangelist while not being a proficient writer.
   
4. If you take care of the contagiously sick, they'll join your faith after they recover from their illness.
5. Encourage marriage and outlaw any form of birth control if you want your faith to grow! (I think the humor in this line is the primary reason I started typing this out.)
   
6. In the midst of a mess, people have always turned to God.
7. You may need to apologize for rubbing up against so many strangers, but when your hometown is exploding with people, it should be easy to evangelize others.
8. Watching someone die for Jesus gives others the courage to live for Him!
   
9. Evangelism is most affected when done by united Chistians.
10. Many people agree Christianity had more attractive morals than other ancient Roman Empire religions.

I think #5 is by far the best line. And what's good for religions is probably good for whole nations too, but that's diving into politics isn't it?

Next

I know I have not been keeping my promise on Facebook to add more cool stuff more often, but my Thurs. night Bible Study group has compelled me to write a blog on Hermeneutics (biblical interpretation) soon. Look for it!

In the Year Two-Thousand!

I love Conan O'Brien. I don't agree with NBC's decision to "force" Jay Leno to retire, but I do have a soft spot for O'Brien's hilarious, sophmoronic stupidity.

It's been a reoccurring thought of mine the past few days that God is only concerned with our present. This very second and the very next after that to be exact. Whenever we think about the future, it seems impossible for most of us most of the time to stay focused on Jesus Christ as our provider for everything we need. The reason I believe this is so is that thinking of the future isn't consistent with having the faith of a child. Children are never concerned with the Big Picture; only the present. Children trust their parents to take care of their present because they love their parents, and that is what God wants of us, I believe. God wants our trust about the future so that we can focus on job #1; becoming more and more intimate with Jesus.

So when life and the Enemy try to get you down remember that ignoring the future and focusing on the present is as important to your success as treating the present like it is the past is to Conan's TV ratings success.

References

1. Matthew 6:31-34 (NIV)
2. My Utmost For His Highest, Aug. 3rd.
3. Matthew 19:13-14
   
4. Table For Two by Caedmon's Call
   

Notes on Vacation

So I'm back from vacation...miss me? I spent 6 days at Virginia Beach with some family. We stayed at a family-owned hotel called the Belvedere Motel next to the Boardwalk and Atlantic Ave. The water was 100 yards away from my room, give or take a little. Great location and quiet at night, too.

I spent a lot of time out on that beach, especially in the morning. Then the sun would rise, dolphins would be near the shore, and the dawn fishermen would be standing on the beach until the sunbathers kicked them out at about 8 am. It was great, as close to a heavenly, peaceful place as I've been for awhile. Besides this, I biked 20 miles on the Boardwalk, saw the Dark Knight in IMax, took a tour of the Oceana Naval Base, and ate at a lot of good places.

I wasn't overly impressed with The Dark Knight in IMAX, but Oceana was really cool. First, there were F-18s taking off and landing when we got there. We got some good pictures of that I can't upload right now. Also, I got to eat in and tour the Officer's Club. Again, no pictures yet. Seeing the jets in "The Petting Zoo," as my retired tour guide called the jet museum, was great as well. You can actually pet any jet between an A-4 and an F-15 Tomcat if you'd like.

I want to take a minute to give a shout out to young lady named Helena and her co-workers at the Sushi Bar and Steakhouse called Mahi-Mah's. The atmosphere, service, and sushi there was excellent. I'd go back to VA Beach just to eat a this place. It's in the Ramada Inn on 7th and Atlantic (I believe that's the address). Sushi starts at $6 and steaks and other entrees range from about $18 to $35. It seemed worth every penny!

Finally, I think I got what I wanted most out of this trip, that being time with Jesus. I have morning devotions and prayer on the beach every morning. In the afternoon I read Tom Oden's Systematic Wesleyan theology. In evening I read even more Scripture. That made the vacation worthwhile! As well, I was really happy about my God supported attitude during the week. Everyone got along really well, actually. I'd recommend Virginia Beach to anyone who wants to have a relaxing time at the beach. As I wrote in my journal on day three, it was one of the best vacations ever.

God DOES work in mysterious ways

So tonight was not the best evening. Not because I was home and alone. That wasn't a bother. I've got plenty planned for the rest of the weekend, and as a Christian what I do on the weekend doesn't decide my happiness anyway. The problem was my Christian contentment virtually vanished around 9:30. Not for any reason I can figured out either.

So I start reading the Christian book I'm into right now. Pray through it at points and after 5-7 pages give up on it. Too tired and my laptop was calling my name. 15 minutes later after reorganizing my bookmarks on Firefox I realize the Joy is back!!! God DOES work in mysterious ways! ;-) Since my Restoration (Micah 7:8-9), I've realized my theology and education in the workings of the Holy Spirit is lacking, but I guess God answered those short prayers I prayed as I was reading.

Now if I could just start doing devotions in the morning instead of only in the evening...Gotta work on that one. As it is right now, I'm most joyful in the evenings and the farthest from God in the mornings. :-( It has nothing to do with work, really! :-)

Family: What God does - July 14, 2008

So just to give everyone an update and to inform anyone about what God can for you if you let him...

I was at a family reunion this weekend. This type of event would usually have the chance to drive me crazy. However I found that the renewed peace I have made it possible for me to always smile, laugh with everyone, laugh at everyone, and generally enjoy the whole weekend event. Even taking a late night swim in the less than perfect motel pool with my sometimes annoying, but lovable uncle. It was great, and God was so there; around me and in me.

It's late...

Xenos Summer Institute

Driscoll was funny, and seemed to know what he was talking about when discussing missiology. A-. More to come if you're lucky. Vacation and the beach calls.

Restoration- July 1, 2008

I'm sorry to some who will read this. I wasn't ready to make a big deal about when it happened, but I've since been retaught Jesus is always a big deal.

So I had been reading When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight For Joy for a few weeks. Still haven't finished it. But the first few chapters hit me pretty hard. It seemed to describe how I had been doing for awhile now; that is OK, but not great. Piper's thesis is basically "most Christians think the remarks about Joy in the Bible are a suggestion, but they are actually commands." I didn't disagree with what he wrote, I just haven't been able to really live it out for awhile now (months, years I don't know?)

Last weekend was my first Anointed Class college reunion in Wilmore. It was a blast, but Sun. morning was a real blessing! 600-700 alums listened to this evangelist from the N. GA Conference of the UMC (what an oxymoron!) talk about the same topic. He spoke on Acts 1:3 and said "you may have lost it since you left, or you may have never had it when you were here, but God told me to preach this to you today! Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and it is a command that all Christians seek after it." He went on to tell a lot of stories from Wesley's Journal, but that's not important. At the end, there was an altar call (Hughes has one of the biggest altars I've ever seen). We sang this through a 4 verse hymn twice and about 100 folks young and old went forward. Seeing that I hate altars calls (something God told me this morning to get over) I stayed put, but about the time the former First Lady and President of the College walked down I said the most theologically incorrect prayer I have ever said and asked God to restore the Joy I once had. I may have already had it back by that point (because God works through Ale8 and Sonny's BBQ all the time), but after saying that prayer many times recently God finally decided that weekend was the time.

Gradually over the next couple of days I learned many things I need to change. Basically, I need to be more serious about things. Normally, I say prayers and passively wait for God to answer. He told me I need to beg and plead; hence, be more serious and show more desperation. There's more I might say to you in person, but generally the past week has felt like I just returned from a first date with a hot babe I'm really interested in and I'm beside myself because I found out tonight she's head over heels for me, too! Generally speaking, life is amazing. Sin has started to reappear (it seemed to completely vanish for a few days), but now its more like an annoyance I want to go away than something I suffer under.

My courage is back, my laughter, and my smile are back. Which means God's version of me is back! A liberal guess at when Jesus and I were this close last would have to be 2004-2005. Conservatively, maybe 2007?

For some reason yesterday I was thinking about this and came up with the line, "Spiritually Homosexual...I love Jesus!" Maybe a good line for a t-shirt, probably not a line to use describing my religious views on Facebook. ;-) -LOL-

So hopefully next time you see me you'll notice I'm a lot happier, but in order for that to happen I have to get back to my spiritual fight. Brad Pitt once said, "how much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?" So far, I'd have to say I'm lazy...that's got to change. :-)

What's wrong with me? - 6/12/2008

So my supervisor at work yesterday offered to give me money for transporting Christmas gifts in Dec. 07. I told her not to bother with it?! I didn't think 20 miles was worth the trouble??? Am I nuts? Do I have an overdeveloped sense of right and wrong?

I miss you, too - 6/10/2008

You have to think through how these kinds of statements will be perceived by everyone who reads them before you write, so to some of you here in OH who will read this, I'm not saying what your probably thinking I am saying.

Well, above my bed hangs my favorite frame and photo. Friends gave it to me two years ago as I was leaving them. A fuzzy digital picture in the middle is obscured by all the writing around it. A mosaic of handwriting, it reads "We will miss you!"

I miss you, too. I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately and that I don't call that often. Truth is I have a job now and I've begun to hate my phone and talking to anyone on it. I don't have much desire to talk to you, but to be near you, I would like that.

I left for a job, I left to transform people into wholehearted followers of Jesus outside of Lexington, I left because I was hurt by a few things. The final reason, I didn't pay much attention to at the time, but I wanted to take Jesus with me and share him with others where I was moving to. I thought that would be easier than it has been (and I knew it'd be hard from the start anyway).

I've met wonderful people here, and seen God do some amazing things, but the energy you have there, the attitude, I've not been able to pass on here yet. Not sure why, maybe I never learned how to pass it on while I was there... maybe I just need to think harder because ideas are coming to mind right now as I type this. But sometimes I feel like people are missing the big picture. I think I know what it is, but I don't know how to get others to see it. I'm trying to create a revolution here, but not having much luck. It occurs to me sometimes maybe I just need to be more like Jesus, but there are times and situations like this where even that thought maybe the Enemy trying to frustrate me.

I work 4 10 hour days now. I'll try to come down soon. I've even discussed moving back down there with my accountability brothers here in OH for a reason or two. I don't know..., but I doubt the Enemy is happy with anything I've written. A lot of good discussion on this side of the OH river will be had after this is published, and that will make him very unhappy.

Work

Today was one of those days I'm glad God physically protected me while I was at work. There was some weird stuff going on there today!

Surviving High Inflation- 6/8/2008

Everyone is talking about how to save money, from hypermiling to simple saving. So I thought I’d try to explain everything that I’ve been doing to try to save money.

First, I save my money first, my expenditures come out second, and if that means I have less money to put towards clothes, entertainment, or even food one month then that is what happens. I am able to save about 25% of my net income right now, and I make sure I save at least that much each month. On top of that, my church is sent a check of 10% of my income automatically through my bank, plus two missionaries I went to college with get $30 a month apiece (recently up from $25 a month). I feel a little ashamed about that, but I’m not made of money after all. All this means I live off of 65% to 60% of my net income. If I spend less than that in a given month, the money goes in the bank. Make budgeting a competitive game for yourself and it can be fun.

Second, I have a Visa card that gives rewards based upon how much I spend. Recently, I’ve been redeeming those rewards for free $25 BP gas cards. It helps to drive a nice, paid-off Honda Civic, but its even $45 a tank to fill up that car now! I try to use this Visa to pay for everything I can and get maximum rewards, the secret is paying it off every month and letting the money sit in a high interest savings account until the bill is due. Some people who are not as meticulous about money as I am may want to avoid this practice.

You might be asking how I do at the end of my pay periods if I pay myself first through savings. Well, it can be kind of tense, but if you know you’re low on available cash you find ways to spend less, plus get overdraft protection if you don’t have it (and you can use that credit card you pay off each month during this time more). During these times, I go to Starbucks less, Ruby Tuesday is eliminated from my lunch possibilities, and I take more leftovers to work for lunch. Unexpected expenses are another issue, and yes I do have them, but that’s what the savings is for that I contribute to each month.

America’s been a nation of people that have forgot to save for the Rainy Day. If anything good happens from this period of high inflation it might be that Americans relearn the value of paying off credit cards and keeping money in the bank. I think inflation’s the chief problem right now, my recent economic studies for my IRA account tells me that. Prices will go down and everything will get better, it’s just a matter of when they go down. This is another good reason to try to save as much as you can right now, because with high inflation we will all have less spending power next month than this month.

Finally, I am trying to learn hypermiling techniques, though some of these are illegal and I don’t use those practices. It’s amazing what you can do with a car as long as you don’t drive like a maniac. I recommend coasting to red lights and avoiding turning your engine off while going downhill. You may lose your power steering depending on the make and model of your car if you turn your car off while going downhill. You don’t want that. :-)

Back!

I found the password to my blog, so I'm back until I forget it, again. I can't edit my bookshelf right now, that will have to wait. I'll post some blogs I've written on Facebook when I get a chance. ;-)

Upset Pony Riders

Wow, I didn't think it had been so long since I had posted. I wanted to take a quick look at Christian spirituality after getting more encouragement from my family to continue writing.

I'm not the kind of Christian who is bubbly most of the time, but I appear to be unique in that I carry a goofy grin and smile most of the time. Normally, I make people laugh with my goofy, immaturity when I am content with myself and with God. This is how I was most of this afternoon. Even alone, driving home from the Clarks', I had this goofy grin on my face. I came upon a four or five year old Mustang, pimped out, silver and black with personalized plates. I looked to see who was driving it and it was this younger guy with a huge frown on his face. I thought, "here I am, a 27 year old, single, hot blooded male driving a gold '01 Honda Civic four-door with a smile on my face, laughing at random and I'm passing a guy in a sweet Mustang who looks like he just lost his swimsuit-model girlfriend." It then occurred to me how many people really receive pleasure from driving their sports cars, Bemmers, and Benzes. Probably not that many. There are likely very many people driving Pony cars and Vettes with frowns on their faces.

So I'll continue to drive my Civic with a smile on my face because God loves me, and sometimes just because it costs less to fill up my tank than the V8 Mustang that 18 year old is driving. ;-)