Fear of The Unknown
Another excellent title for this post is “But I like my life how it is”
God has been doing a lot of great things in my life recently. I was given an opportunity to have a long term subbing job for a 5th grade class for two and a half months. I have recently been blessed by being given the opportunity to go from serving God by volunteering on our worship production team to leading and organizing the volunteers for the worship production team. God has blessed my finances as I worked and prayed to get out of debt to be better able to serve Him. And he is starting to open my eyes to the need for more spiritual growth and discipleship from me.
This all sounds great, why would I be writing of a fear of the unknown? It all has to do with a book, well two books, and a stirring in my soul. The books are The book of Acts in the Bible, and Radical
First, from the outset you need to commit to believe whatever Jesus says. As a Christian, it would be a grave mistake to come to Jesus and say, Let me hear what you have to say, and then Ill decide whether or not I like it. If you approach Jesus this way, you will never truly hear what he has to say. You have to say yes to the words of Jesus before you even hear them.
Then second, you need to commit to obey what you have heard. The gospel does not prompt you to mere reflection; the gospel requires a response. In the process of hearing Jesus, you are compelled to take an honest look at your life, your family, and your church and not just ask, What is he saying? but also ask, What shall I do?
If I read the book while subscribing to these two preconditions, what might I have to do, what might I have to give up? I know God has given me so much, so I should not fear what he might ask of me, but I am afraid. I plan to go start reading chapter two in Radical shortly after writing this. While I am afraid, I am also excited for what changes God has in store for me, and where my desire to lean in and grow closer to God and the Holy Spirit shall take me.
Am I Unproductive?
Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive.
~ Titus 3:14, NLT
This verse was perfect for today. This was the verse I found in my e-mail inbox when I first woke up today from K-Love. It has set my mind racing again because of a book I began to read last night.
I was at a thank you party for some church volunteers last night, and after most of the guests had left there were a few of us left chatting in a small circle. One of the members of the group asked us all if we had read Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream
Now, I have only read the first chapter of Radical, but it hit me hard. I plan to be writing reflections on it as I continue to read. It has really got me thinking about if I take what the Bible, and Jesus in particular, says and apply it in my life. Or do I rationalize what I am told away and think through it and decide that what it really means is different so I am ok? I am both excited and afraid to continue reading this book, maybe you will join me in reading it, and we can have some interesting discussions about what we read.
Praying for a wife, what do you pray?
As I was driving gear back from our Sewickley Valley campus this past weekend I had an interesting conversation with my friend Brad. Brad was riding in the truck with me and started up a conversation that has had me thinking quite a bit over the past few days. The conversation dealt with the fact that in 2011 Brad is confident that I will meet The One. Being that I have prayed many times about God providing a wife I have no problem believing this statement could very well come true, I hope and pray Brad is right. What Brad said that has given me pause for thought was a little later when he asked me what qualities I was looking for in a future wife.
What qualities was I looking for in a future bride? I don’t know, and I told Brad as much. I remember a time when I had prayed about it when I was at Judson. I am trying to find the word document that was my list, just because I might have a good chuckle about some of the things on it. But, this did get me thinking. I have prayed many times for a wife, but I can not remember the last time I prayed about what a Godly wife for me would be like. I have prayed about how I should treat women, future wife material or not, but not for what God’s ideal wife for me would be like.
I am beginning a serious period of prayer on this, and would ask that all of my friends would join me in praying that God and I have some amazing time together, and that He and I might get to discuss what characteristics I should seek above all else in a Godly bride.
P.S. For anyone who might suggest it, I am already looking at and praying about Proverbs 31:10-31
An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
(Proverbs 31:10-31)
I’m Back
Due to a job that I was working I had no free time to post. Well, that job is over for now, so I am free to work on some new posts.
The Government Can?
Today while thinking about our American Governments many programs and offerings for the populous I was reminded of a video done by comedian Tim Hawkins. I feel his video does a great job of examining many of the Governments offerings while adding a little touch of humor so it doesn’t make me quite as angry.
Term Limits
In talking politics with my family the idea of term limits for our federal representatives came up. In general I like the idea a lot. Sadly there will be members of the House and Senate who work hard and represent their people well who will be phased out if limits are introduced, but the positive aspect of incumbents who are more invested in their own interests (such as passing a health care reform that the people did not want, and last I checked it was supposed to be a government for the people by the people) and padding their pockets being removed from power more than makes up for it. Unfortunately trying to get these limits imposed on the esteemed leadership is a bit of a problem, because they would have to vote on it, and I cannot see them voting to limit their own terms.
One idea I had was that if the American people will get their collective head out of the sand and vote out ALL incumbents in the coming election and continue to do so for the next few years we could turn over the entire representative body (mostly to current politicians toadies and flunkies, but we can hope for better right?) and make it clear that until they are limited in term we will continue to vote them all out. I like this idea, because it doesn’t add any more power to any governed organization, it reminds the politicians that We The People are in charge, and it shows that Americans are paying attention and aware of the political changes happening around and to them.
A second option is state imposed legislation that would limit the term of their federal representatives. This seems like a sound idea, however the Supreme Court has ruled against these limits in the past. In U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 U.S. 779 (1995) the court ruled 5-4 that state could not impose qualifications for prospective members of Congress (later expanded to include the House of Representatives) stricter than those in the constitution. On the positive side Justice Clarence Thomas in dissent argued that “The Constitution is simply silent…And where the Constitution is silent, it raises no bar to action by the States or the people.” (findlaw.com) The unfortunate thing is the Supreme Court is even more liberal today than it was in 1995 so the chance of winning a case about this against the president is not very likely.
A final option can be found when we look to the founding fathers.
God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion.
The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is
wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts
they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions,
it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. …
And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not
warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of
resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as
to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost
in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from
time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
It is its natural manure.Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334 (C.J. Boyd, Ed., 1950)
The final option is to rise up as a people and overthrow the corrupt system of government and establish a new revised government that understands it is to serve the people. To serve the people is to put the interests and desires of the public before their own, and we need to remind the House and Senate of this.
Lesson from Luke
Tonight I was reading some from the Bible when my yearly reading plan lead me to Luke 10. Before I began reading I asked God to open my heart and allow me to grasp something new, to have a fire kindled into flame as I read the passages. While I ask this often enough, I find myself struggling more often than not to believe that something will happen. As I was reading the first moment of my dialog with God started when I read:
Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
(Luke 10:9)
Not a big verse, nothing too unusual about it, right? Yes, that is absolutely true, except I was imagining myself taking Christ’s charge for myself and following through with it. I could see myself packing my favorite bag with my toiletries, my Bible, a journal and not much else. But, when it came time to heal the sick, I didn’t know what to imagine. In one image that flashed in my mind I was laying hands on a hurt child and praying. In the next image, I wasn’t praying but wrapping a wound with gauze. I began to think about it, and how healing was often accomplished through prayer and miracle, until we got too smart for God and turned to our own knowledge for healing, and that is what my mind defaults too. I also thought of videos I have seen of people going into an amusement park and praying for healing for people, and my skeptical mind looks at what happens as I doo the latest David Blaine special where I look to see how it was done, to figure out the “magic”. At this point I feel god helped me a bit with this hang up I have had for a while because in my mind I heard the thought “How is it you can read of Christ’s miracles and accept it, believe that he gave his disciples the power to cast out demons and heal others, but when it comes to people in this day and age doing the same thing you cannot believe it could be God?” (I think this is what it was, it is the right idea if nothing else, but I cannot think of the exact phrasing). With that simple thought, I wanted to be praying for the healing of the child, not just wrapping the wound in gauze, I wanted to be praying over my uncle’s cancer, but more importantly praying with him about Christ, and how he died to save us from our sins. So, I have this revelation then continue reading and come to this:
And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
(Luke 10:18-20)
I am claiming these verses, and will be memorizing them and writing them on my heart. Satan shall fall. Christ has empowered us and nothing shall hurt us. The spirits are subject to us. But all of this means so little when compared to the FACT that God has saved my soul, my name is written in heaven!
Thank you God, I can not earn this no matter how long or hard i try, I will never make myself worthy of what you are giving me. Thank You!
Now I am off to finish my reading, I got so excited I had to stop and write this 🙂
Video from my Epcot DiveQuest
While on vacation at Disney I had the chance to Scuba dive at Epcot’s Living Seas pavilion. It was an amazing experience, and I recommend that anyone who is scuba certified and going to Disney try Epcot’s DiveQuest.
The Shoe bomber
Did you know his trial is over?
Did you know he was sentenced?
Did you see/hear any of the judge’s comments on TV or
Radio?
Didn’t think so.!!!
Everyone should hear what the judge had to say.
Also I have checked and this is true:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/shoebomb.asp
Dave Ramsey said…
I don’t know how many of you have ever heard that phrase uttered, but for me the happy-go-lucky, free-spirited spender those words can be a death-blow to a future purchase. Or so I thought.
I have a few friends who had read Dave Ramsey’s books, and were working a budget and had mentioned it to me a few times. I mostly ignored it, I was doing ok, right? I mean yeah I had a little credit card debt, but so does everyone else, right? God kind of hit me between the eyes a week or two ago and got me to pay attention. Nothing major financially happened, there was no emergency, God just grabbed ahold of me and made me realize that I am not being a good steward of His finances He is blessing me with, and I need to get my act together. I think some might call it growing up a little.
So I borrowed The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
The interesting thing is, now that I have read The total money Makeover, and I am reading through Financial Peace Revisited, I am building up my arsenal of quotes where I find myself telling others “Well, Dave Ramsey said…”
Tedward's Ramblings 