New series coming soon!
I promise I will post something worthwhile here soon, I have been trying to work on a series, and actually finish it or get close to finishing it before I start posting them. That way when I say I am going to start a series I actually do it, instead of starting and then not finishing. The series is going to be on The American Dream and my struggles with that idea and the progression of that idea on our society and in our lives. Until then I will re-post some things that I love to read. Hope you enjoy these things!
One of the better posts I have read in a while.
Just like the farmers
In James, the author (James) tells the twelve Jewish-Christian nations to “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (5: 7-8 ESV) (more…)
‘Who am I that you are mindful of me?’
I want to share one of my most recent journal entries with you. I am not doing this to say ‘look at me I get it’ or ‘look at me I am such a good christian’ because If I am honest, I am not and don’t get it all. I am wicked to my core, I want to think, say and do wicked things, and it’s only through the grace of Christ that I don’t sometimes.
This is a look into my life, and the things I am struggling with, because deep down I know that I am not the only one who thinks like this or who struggles with certain things. I want to present this to you in the most humble way as possible. I think that this could be useful to someone, so if you think you know someone point them this way.
Like I say mid way through the entry, these things I talk about struggling with are not new concepts, people have struggled with this since the time that our Lord walked this earth, and people will struggle with this until He returns again. So I hope there is something to learn from this; (more…)
writers block? am i even considered a writer?
Today I attempted to write two blogs, neither of them came to fruition. I am trying too hard I think, I am trying to force myself to write something, when my mind is perfectly content with just thinking about things. I have tried to view this blog as a resource and tool for my ministry and a way to dialogue with people about topics, issues, concerns, and life. I have failed for the past few weeks on even coming up with an idea to spark a whole blog post.
So for now I am going to just accept that, as much as I don’t want to, I am. I want to write some blog posts that make me and others think hard about the things we do in life, but right now that just isn’t going to happen. Maybe this is because I was convicted by my sub-par writing of before, and want to make things better and just can’t satisfy my minds idea of what a good blog post should look like. Until I figure out this little dilemma expect nothing too great. I will at least try and post some good resources and such. I really hope thats not what my blog is coming too.
My qualms with e-readers finally put to words
As most of my friends would testify I haven’t jumped on board with this whole e-reader movement yet. I have been hesitant to say the least. Which is a far turn from the person I was a year ago, I would have bought one without hesitation and probably without the ‘real’ money to buy one. A lot has changed in me over the years, praise God. To illustrate how ‘unmoved’ I have been by the e-reader movement we are currently in I will recap a conversation I had with a really good friend of mine, whom has already purchased a Nook and his fiance.
Me: “Friend, how do you like your Nook?”
Friend: “I love me Nook, it has been a great tool for me, and it works well.”
Fiance: ” He loves it” everyone chuckles
Me: ” I’m just weary of this movement, I’m not sure I will be getting an e-reader anytime soon, I love books too much”
Friend: “Yeah but it’s so great! You’ll get one, I know you” (more…)
Abide in me, and I in you
There are many themes that run through the Bible, and there are many different things that God is calling his children and faithful followers to, but lately one theme has shone brighter to me than all the rest.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15: 4-5 ESV
This is just a brief glimpse into this post. I have really enjoyed reading through, praying about, and learning from God about this section of scripture this past year. It has really helped shape me and my mindset for doing ministry and living my life for Christ amongst many other life circumstances. To read the rest of this post, visit the Veritas blog here, and while there maybe take a peak at some of the other posts my peers have been writing.
I’m back, I won’t leave for that long again…
So it’s been a while since I blogged, life has been busy and trust me I have wanted to blog for the past few weeks just haven’t been able to get around to it. God has been still working in lives none the less and I am super excited about this blog post, it is a re-post of a blog I just read in trying to catch up with my google reader posted on July 20th.
When I was saved about 4 years ago now I really grabbed onto some artists that I thought were doing some great things. My friends never let me hear the end of it! Any time they would ride with me I would blast these songs and they would just laugh it off and tell me to stop listening to it, but I never did, well tell about a few months ago. However after reading this post by Josh Patterson, a pastor at The Village Church in Dallas TX I’m going to put them all back on my playlist. I think what these guys are doing is so important, and until now I haven’t really been able to put it to words in a way that made sense to other people. Josh does that for me here in this post. I hope you enjoy.
“It is interesting how movements begin. I love looking back and seeing how history unfolds. Opportunities arise for people to step up and call their generation to see things differently, to believe accurately and live passionately. Some movements are short-lived while others have a lasting impact. You have micro-movements of subcultures—smaller cultures within the greater culture. You also see macro movements that can change nations or potentially the world. They are led by imperfect people who oftentimes did not necessarily desire to start a movement. God, in His sovereign plan, weaves people into His story to play roles that bring about His purposes. They are bit players in a bigger drama.
I have been thinking about a specific group of guys for a long time. I have watched their lives and considered the impact they are having. I have wondered how far reaching their scope potentially could be and marveled at how God has orchestrated their lives for such a time as this. I have often thought about how powerful the gospel is to transform and redeem as I have considered their ways. In short, this group has been an encouragement to me in a way that has caught me off guard. This group consists of four front-line artists who simply don’t want to waste their lives: Lecrae, Tedashii, Trip Lee and Sho Baraka.
They are Christian rappers who formed ReachRecords and 116 Clique with a passion to reach this generation with the gospel. It’s not gimmickry. It’s not ego. It’s not hype. They are cultural missionaries who use the medium of rap to share the message of Christ. It’s not unlike a medical missionary using the medium of surgery to win the opportunity to share the message of Christ. They are preachers without a pulpit, teachers without a podium. They are slowly infiltrating the hip-hop culture with turntables and microphones, seizing the opportunity to share the gospel by utilizing their gift as a platform.
I found their calling significant for several reasons. First, they are unashamedly preaching the gospel of Christ. Their music is Christocentric and culturally decipherable. Every song and every lyric points to the Savior in some form or fashion. Every event is a crusade. Every medium is an opportunity to preach.
Second, rap and hip-hop is far reaching in scope. Rap music appeals to the inner-city teenager as much as it does to the upper-middle class yuppie. This style of music draws from a diverse group of people. It is hard to profile; therefore, their reach is wide.
Third, they are African-American role models. The fatherless epidemic has plagued the inner-city and contributes to many of the cycles that continue to bind this segment of society. Here is a group of men being faithful husbands and faithful fathers. Here is a group upholding the worth of marriage and esteeming the role of a father. Here is a group deflecting fame and fortune to show that Christ is better. As they live faithful lives, a generation is watching.
Fourth, they are doctrinally solid. On the whole, the African-American church has been strong in faith but weak in doctrine. These men espouse the need for both. They are not watering down lyrics to make them palatable; instead, their lyrics are rich with sound doctrine that teaches the deep truths of God’s worth. They are Christ-centered, not man-centered. They call a generation to forsake worldly pleasures and seek prosperity in Christ alone.
Fifth and finally, their calling reminds me that mine is no different. We certainly have different mediums and spheres of influence, but I am called to unashamedly preach the gospel of Christ. God has placed me in an arena of influence in which I am to be faithful. I am a role model to the next generation. Even if I impact no one else, I will impact my family. I want my wife to marvel at the love of God because of how I love her. I want my children to see a marriage saturated with grace, godliness and goodness. I want to pass on to my little ones the beautiful reality of the Savior and watch them, by God’s grace, pass it along to their own. I want to see chains broken and new branches of a family tree begin. I desire to see our little home play its part well in the drama of God’s unfolding, redemptive story. I want to teach them the rich and deep truths of Scripture. I want our home to be free in the Lord and bound in His love. Regardless of musical taste, we have a lot more in common through Christ. It is stronger than beats or rhythms. It’s a family called the Church and each member is faithfully playing their part.
I hope this is much bigger than a movement. I hope it’s a revolution, a gospel-centered revolution. Rap it. Preach it. Live it. Don’t waste your life.
jp”
Learning from the rest
I read a really terrifying blog post this morning. It requires a little context in order to understand why it is so scary.
As most of you know I feel like God is calling me to work for the Church (notice the big C here), more specifically I feel like God is calling me to teach in the church (notice the little c here), therefore probably becoming a pastor. I understand that I’m still young, I still have decisions to make in my life and lots of hard work ahead of me to get to that point, but I really feel like the Lord is calling me to a life of vocational ministry in the church. I also have some really good friends who fall into two categories, either a) they are already an ordained teaching pastor at a church, or b) they are working towards that as a goal, some closer than others. So the culture and ideology of being a pastor is a very big part of my life, at least in this season of life it is.
So with that context lets get to the story I read about. The blog post I read came from Micheal McKinley, who is a pastor for Guilford Baptist Church in Sterling VA, and a blogger for 9 Marks, a ministry and resource for pastors. Recently Mike posted on a man whom you might have read about in the news recently, Gary Lamb. Gary was a church planter, blogger and the pastor of a huge church in Georgia where he ended up having an affair and divorcing his wife. Since his divorce he has recently remarried and is planting another church, which is another story and post for another day, I’m onto something else here. And just for the record, I don’t agree with what Gary is doing, any of it really.
Mike writes;
“Since his story has broken, Lamb has been receiving emails from many (italics are mine) men in ministry who are cheating on their wives, and so he is uniquely positioned to speak to the question of why pastors have affairs. Even if you don’t agree with him on a lot of things, there’s a lot to be gained from his insights on this matter (as someone once said, wisdom isn’t learning from your mistakes, it’s learning from the mistakes of others). His four observations:
Most pastors struggle with some sort of insecurity.
Most pastors have no accountability.
Most pastors live their lives serving everyone except their wife.
The church has made pastors into rock stars rather than regular men called by God.”
Wow, those four points are really scary to me, especially since I am pursuing a career in pastoral ministry and as statics go, I’m 90% sure I’ll be married at some point (of course if you asked me that percentage is probably a little higher right now) The fact that Mike said, many men in ministry are cheating on their wives has whole heartedly scared me. I want to, in subsequent blog posts, attack these four observations and give some biblical ground as to how some of these can be avoided, how the power of the gospel should be enough for pastors (and everyone else), what Christ has done for us addressing these issues specifically, and if you are a pastor or on your way there that these observations shouldn’t discourage you from wanting to follow that path.
The point is that there is hope, we shouldn’t feel lost or doomed if we are currently on the path of pastoral ministry or in it right now, Christ spilled his blood for instances like this, and we have to remember that we are broken, even the “rock-star” pastors are broken, and if we look into their lives long enough we will find a sin (not that we should always be looking for someone’s sin, just know its there).
The allure of technology and the power of control
I originally submitted this post for another blog, but after a few days it hasn’t been posted so no reason to let it lay to waste, hope you enjoy!
There is no doubt in my mind, and probably none in yours, that our culture and society have been changed, and will continue to change due to technology. Technology, by definition, is simply the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes; and can be found in machinery and equipment like cell phones, computers, cars, video cameras, etc. I think we are all in agreement that technology is something we think we couldn’t live without. Most of us own computers (or have access to one), most of us have cell phones, most of us drive a car, most of us listen to music (with any of the hundreds of music playing devices) and all of us are reading this blog which is communicated through technology (gotcha!). The popularity of technology and its billion-dollar industry in our culture makes me scratch my head and ponder, why are we so interested in technology, and what about technology is so appealing to humans, at the root of it what is it about technology that has got us going nuts over it? I think Mike Pohlman, writer and editor of The Gospel Coalition blog site, sums it up real nicely in his article on technology and its shortcomings when he says “humans don’t do well when not in control”. Technology, amongst many other enticing features, gives humans the mirage of being in control, and we like that.
Now a disclaimer, I love technology, and I suppose I always will. At its fundamental level, technology is like everything else God has gifted us with, great. As fallen beings we are especially inept at taking something that should, in its essence, glorify God and speak of His amazing creativity and beauty in the world, and turn it into its own god. We take something that is only a shadow of the real true thing (which is God) and worship it, instead of looking for what is creating the shadow, God. Technologies, and the various instruments of it, are easily some of the most worshipped items on our planet, besides our selves of course. Why do we love technology so much? Well I would argue, and Pohlman would probably agree, it’s because technology can give us so much control, and we love that!
Technology is just one of many things in our lives that we can manipulate and control however we want. We can’t change the weather, we can’t change politics, we can’t change how fast our vegetables grow, we can’t change the color of the sky and we can’t change the way meat tastes. These things are just out of our hands, and should be, because if we got a hold of the power to do these things, we would screw it up! Oh but technology gives us that power, it gives us that ability to change our background picture, to decide who are friends really are (thanks Facebook), it gives us the ability to tell the whole world what we are doing (though you only have 78 followers!?) and it gives us the ability to take a picture of the sky and then change the color of it to our liking, lets say red.
I was amazed at the pictures and videos I was seeing on June 24th, I couldn’t believe it. I was reading tweets, Facebook messages and statuses, blog posts, newspaper articles and television news pieces all just raving about the big event of the day. For those of you who don’t know what happened that day, it was the illustrious release of the iPhone 4. The ultimate tool to control your life, it does everything you want to do and more! Now most of you know I have an iPhone and I love it, and thank God for Steve Jobs because it has been a great tool in many ways, but I think things have gotten a bit out of control. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets everywhere in America to get their hands on this new gadget, the gadget that will make everything easier and rule our lives. I know there are some people out there, who can wisely use the new iPhone and other great gadgets, but it seems to me like our culture and society has decided to put technology on a pedestal where it doesn’t belong.
I know that this isn’t new to any of you, you know just as much as I do that there are always going to be things that we misuse and that we idolize, but lets not conform to culture. This becomes an issue of the heart, we no longer take technology for what it is, a great gift from God, but we turn it into something that controls our lives and becomes our God. I just look at people who have all these gadgets, iPod’s, iPhone’s, iPads, laptops, desktops, projectors, blue-ray dvd players, 3-D tv’s and wonder if they will ever realize that these gadgets, these plastic and metal devices that were created to aid is in life, not take over our lives, will never fill them up. We have fallen in love with technology because we can control it, but what we aren’t looking at is how much technology and gadgets are actually controlling our lives.
So what then do we put ourselves in, what then do we focus on, what should be controlling our life? I think that Paul here helps us realize what it is we need to be doing, and where we need to be putting our hope and focus.
[3:1] If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. [3] For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. [5] Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
(Colossians 3:1-5; ESV)
And be thankful that we don’t have to control or don’t get to control many things. Just look at what we have done already with that control, and trust me you don’t have to look far to see what it has done to us, BP oil spill is just one example of hundreds. If we were in control, mankind as we know it would be in peril, but God has thought this through and thankfully he is in control.
CRAFT NIGHT AND THE RESULTS!
So to top off a wonderful weekend spent with my girlfriend visiting I was able to make some crafts. I went simple this time seeing as it was the first, of hopefully many craft nights over at Molly’s house this summer! At craft night we drank some wine, had some great snacks, visited and caught up with each others lives and then played some nerts. I was able to squeeze in a little crafts at the beginning and am very happy with the results!
Vinyl record book ends! They are super easy to make, anyone can do it and they are cheap and really cool! I found these records in my parents basement, that would be my first recommended place to look, then next is garage sales this summer, people might even give them to you, then check your local record store, thrift store, or the garbage dump (dont really check that).
Next I just boiled some water, put it in a pyrex dish and then stuck the record in there until the plastic got soft and shaped them to an L, set them out to cool and BOOM! New book ends!
So if you want a really quick craft and an even quicker slash inexpensive fix that looks cool to hold up all your sweet books, here you go!
PS, Molly and Jeff won nerts by only 2 points! We almost had them, well get them next time!
7 Ways to Be a Missionary in College, Veritas blog
I just submitted a blog post for veritasmizzou.wordpress.com. I hope you read it, I feel it is important for college students to know that they don’t have to be on staff or volunteer for a campus ministry to be missional and serve college students. In fact I believe that most college students are going to learn from their peers, and it is important to have other college students being missional. Anyways check out the blog post and let me know what you think. It should be up sometime today or tomorrow.
Don’t Waste Your Cancer
Do you ever come across a story that tears you apart inside? I am an emotional person, which leads me to believe that our God is emotional, and if this video and story doesn’t make you emotional, then I will be left speechless and confused (but still confident in God). The story of Zac Smith is remarkable, but not for the reason you would think. Watch this short clip, I promise its worth it and then stay tuned for some discussion thoughts.
The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.
You might ask, how is this story remarkable, you are sadistic, he still has cancer and might not live till next year! But thats what is remarkable to me, that this man, this mere man is much more with Christ. That he is so confident in his Savior that he can still praise God even though he may never be able to walk his daughter down the aisle, or see his sons turn into men. How strong is your faith? Would you react the same way Zac did when faced with a life changing event such as this? How would you glorify God in your suffering? Do you even have a theology for suffering? This video is so great because it just reminds me of how much we all need Christ and how much He really did for us.
I challenge you to take a moment and pray for Zac, but don’t pray out of pity or some selfish desire to say ‘see God I pray too, I help people’. But pray out of thankfulness for men like Zac, men who help us remember why we truly live day in and day out, to glorify God in all that we do. Pray also for Zac’s family, and that they would know that their comfort comes in Christ just as Zac’s does, that of course things are going to be hard when Zac dies, but that Christ is our foundation and that He is theirs as well. So pray for Zac and his family and pray for yourself, pray that you would know the love of Christ like Zac does.
A change of pace (awful music reference)
Normally when I guest blog for friends I just post the same exact blog post here on my own blog. Well I realized that I’m being selfish and so I am starting a new trend. I’ll give you a little synopsis of what it is I posted but I won’t give you the whole article, only the link. I think we should all venture out and read other blogs, I love blogs and reading so I want to share with you some blogs I love to read and write for.
Our Healthy Desire is the blog I posted for this week. It’s great, really it is. My friend Bethany decided to create this blog about eating and the healthy choices we should be making but usually aren’t. It is a wonderful blog and I am honored to be asked to contribute. Anyways, my post is on our fastfood lives and how we are always wanting things to go because we are so busy. I really hope you enjoy this post! Follow the link below.
I like crafts, my first craft blog
One thing you probably don’t know about me, unless you are one of like four people in my life, I love crafts! This sounds weird I know, I’m still the same guy that loves sports, good beer, food, rock music and video games, but I love a little hands on project. So this week I am going to start a hopefully weekly blog post on cheap craft projects that I have either previously done, or a step by step through one I am doing now. So for our first craft, lets look at a little wall decoration. (more…)
Yes, like the flower… (TULIP pt 2 of 6)
“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no on does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3: 10b-18
(more…)
Yes like the flower… (TULIP pt 1 of 6)
TULIP, does that ring a bell to any of you? It probably isn’t the first thing you think about when you wake up or the last thing you pray about before you go to bed, at least for most of you. This past week it has been for me, weird I know. The idea and belief system behind TULIP has been monumental in my walk with Christ, and how I view christianity in the world around me. Though I will say its been a progressive line of thinking, like all of our christian walks with faith. We take steps, sometimes baby steps, and sometimes steps in the wrong direction, but none the less we take steps. TULIP is no different, it needs to be taken in steps, but taken none the less. (more…)
Waste Land and its lasting impact on my life
Two weekends ago I attended the True/False film festival in Columbia Missouri, I love films so this is a natural treat for me and thousands of others in Columbia. The True/False film festival is comprised of documentary films, some of them advocates for social justice, some of them telling a cute and funny story, others are on everyday life that we just don’t see. Amongst all the great films that I saw, and some that I didn’t but heard were great one stuck out to me more than the rest. If you are one of my friends or saw me at all that weekend, you know which film I am about to mention, Waste Land by Lucy Walker. This film was more than just creatively done, beautifully captured with a well told story, it was convicting.
Give us this day our daily bread
Uncertainty, the unknown, darkness, anxiety, confusion, unpredictability, vagueness, wonder, worry. All words we associate with our future, all words we associate with how we live our daily lives. I don’t know one person in my life who doesn’t think about their future and one of these words pops up in their thoughts or in their situation. I know this is the case for me, just ask some of my closest friends, I get anxious about whether I am in the right line for a film at True/False or whether I am driving too fast on my way to L’abri, sometimes I feel like some of these words never escape me, and I know I’m not alone. (more…)
My time with support raising
Sometimes it’s hard to understand what support raising is and the function that it holds with christian ministries. For those of you who don’t know what support raising is let me explain a little. Support raising is, well, fundraising in some senses, done by lots of christian ministries for certain activities or events. For instance some missionaries who are traveling to another country to help with a christian ministry are asked to raise support before they go, other ministries like those on college campuses, inner city youth programs or other non-profit ministries ask their staff members to raise support. The actual task of raising support goes something like this; (more…)
Ah, the good ole days
Since graduating from the University, and moving on to ‘life’ I have realized that I miss a lot of the things that I did while in college. It seemed like I had more time to do random things, like going on camping trips before the semester starts with two of my good friends. I guess one thing that hinders these wonderful trips is the fact that I am in the City of Kansas and not Columbia where everyone else is that would be able to adventure with me. All my friends, though they are good ones, in KC are in one of the following; a.) Grad school, Law or MBA, b.) Full-time job, c.) too cool for school. Though i probably shouldn’t be able to go on these trips I really want to, and I miss them. This comes up after I found my photos on my camera from my glorious adventure to Minnesota/Canada. Well it would have been Canada if Jeff and I wouldn’t have forgotten our passports and Patrick would go back on his vow never to leave America. I also came across Jeff’s blog about his year in review and it made me think about mine.
Glorious as it is, it feels good to say, I can’t do that now, Im an adult. But am I really? Im not so sure I would classify myself there yet, let me get a few more dollars under my belt and I will classify myself there. Anyways, enjoy the pics of our trip, and the good ole days.
God is in control, and thats a good thing!
This is a post that I have written for today on Veritas Mizzou’s blog. I hope you like it!
God is in control, and that’s a good thing!
If you guys are like me you tend to try and control as many things in your life as possible. This could include finances, grades, work, what people think of your image, how smart you are, what kind of car you drive, if you can eat, what you wear, what you read and watch, who you talk to and what about, to name just a few. Every now and then we are thrown a curve ball; an F on our latest test, a speeding ticket on the way to church, fired from work and no income, some topic or global phenomenon we cant understand, amongst many other ‘inconveniences’ in our days. At this point if you are anything like me you get frustrated, defeated, mad, angry, sad and just plain upset. We like to control our lives, it’s a known fact, we try and do as much as we can to control every aspect of our lives, and sometimes it just doesn’t work out.
The other day I was reading a passage out of Luke that helped me calm some of my anxiety about situations in life. Jesus speaking to his disciples said;
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? … O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead seek his kingdom and these things will be added to you.” Luke 12: 22-26, 29-31 (ESV)
What a wonderful passage, this little section here in Luke helps me remember that I need not worry or be anxious for I have an awesome God! In this little section there are three reasons why we need not be anxious; The first is found in verse 23, “For life is more than…” fill in the blank. I believe that this verse speaks for it self, our life is more important than food and clothes. The second is found in verse 24, “of how much more value are you” Humans are the most valuable of all God’s creation, for humans were the only things created in God’s image (Gen. 1: 27), because God gave the human race dominion over all the earth and its creatures (Gen 1: 28), and because God gave his only Son to die for us (John 3: 16) because he loves us so much! The third is in verse 25; because no one has enough control over his own life even to “add a single hour to his span of life” There is nothing in our power as human beings that allows us to do this!
Do not seek does not mean to give up and neglect to work and support ourselves, it serves as a warning, a warning that we should not continually be seeking what to eat, and what to wear, or what to drive. Jesus gives us the example of the birds in verse 24 and explains to us that if God should care to feed the ravens then he will surely care to feed you also. To be anxious, then, demonstrates a lack of trust in God, who promises that he will graciously care for “all these things”. So what then do we seek, what then do we do if we aren’t to be anxious over these things? Jesus gives us exactly what we are looking for in verse 31; “Instead seek his kingdom and these things will be added to you.” We should be seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness! What a great promise to hold on to! I like the way Matthew ends this little section of passage;
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6: 34 (ESV)
Politically unkind…
If there is one thing that I dislike, besides satan and sin, its a political debate. Not because I don’t like to debate, if you know me you know I like a good debate, no it’s because of the politics part of the debate. It’s not that politics are bad, actually politics can be very good, they can keep us safe, they can provide us with water and food, they can perform many roles that help out the general population. But what really pinches me about political debates, those between friends or collegues or the person sitting at your dinner table is that everyone has their own opinion, and they cannot be swayed. Everybody seems to be a political expert as soon as you begin to debate about something. It’s like a switch goes off inside our heads that turns on the “political expert on any issue especially the ones you dont understand” part of our brain. We seem to think we know more than the person we are debating with. It’s like we become so closed minded that we stop worry about whether what that person is saying could be true, or could be better for us, but I have to be right. I’m especially bad at this, as are some other people that I know.
It’s also amazing to me that we could be so blind to our prejudices and biases. It’s impossible to find a news source that is neutral, I don’t care what you say, or what you listen to, watch or read, they have a bias. Find out what ‘side’ that person who wrote, or is reporting on the political issue at hand and that is their bias. We all have it, but that doesn’t mean we can just write off the other side, let me tell you something… republicans aren’t perfect, nor are democrats. That doesn’t mean if you fit in between, which I also think is impossible or hard to justify and for years I thought thats where I feel, they are also not perfect. Nor will any of the parties ever be perfect, so stop acting like your side is so perfect!
But the one thing that pinches me more than anything else, and it is especially evident after Obama got elected president is when someone says, “he’s not my president, I didn’t vote for him”. How could you be so arrogant?! How could you say that simply because you don’t agree with him or his policies, or who he is, or what side he represents that he is not your president? In an NPR show I was listening to, Democracy Now, a political speaker was talking about this very issue, and is what got me heated about this, amongst other things. He said that forty to fifty years ago this wouldnt be the case, that you wouldn’t find anyone in America that would say “oh, he isn’t my president I didn’t vote for him”. They would recognize that this person was just voted into the office to lead their country and they would support him. What happened? Where have we gone wrong, and why can’t we get out of it? It’s amazing to me the self-centeredness of people and the selfish thinking that goes behind someones decision to say, “he is a democrat, and Im a republican, so therefore I cant support him.” I understand that there are some issues that people dont agree with, fine dont agree with them, no one said you couldn’t, but at least recognize that Obama is our president, and whether you like it or not he is leading our country. Stop being so arrogant and self-centered and realize this, John McCain did, remember what he said when he found out that he lost the presidency?
McCain calls his followers, the people who voted for him, who supported him, who took his side to join him in taking side with the new president. My guess is that no one was listening, at least thats what it seems like.
So all that to say I don’t like political debates because people are politically unkind. We are insensitive to what people think and what they believe. It’s amazing to me that people who ‘love others’ and can do some amazing things in the community one minute, can be de-humanizing others and their beliefs another minute because of politics. If this is you, I hope I offended you, and I hope you think about this the next time you are forcing your ‘right’ political beliefs down someones throat.
Name change
You might have noticed, or maybe you didnt, but I decided to change the title of this blog. You may be asking why, maybe not, but i’ll explain briefly why the sudden name change. Platform 1 was a great name, it meant a lot to me, but took a lot of explaining to people what it meant. The idea behind my blog is the same, however there is a new title. I hope you enjoy, there isn’t much of a change just a new title. If you were wondering what elucidation means, here is a definition from the New Oxford Dictionary (those of you who know me know I love to define things);
elucidate |iˈloōsiˌdāt|
verb [ trans. ]
make (something) clear; explain : work such as theirs will help to elucidate this matter
See note at clarify . : [with clause ] in what follows I shall try to elucidate what I believe the problems to be | [ intrans. ] they would not elucidate further.
DERIVATIVES
elucidation |iˌloōsiˈdā sh ən| |əˈlusəˈdeɪʃən| |iˈlusəˈdeɪʃən| |-ˈdeɪʃ(ə)n| noun
Tis the season…
To be wasteful, really, think about it, how many gifts did you open? Three, four, five? Were each of those gifts wrapped? I bet one of them was “the big one” too, so that is more paper! What about the tissue you used to trick someone into thinking they got a “big one” but really its a gift card in a two foot by four foot box stuffed with that tissue! Now what about the three feet of ribbon you used to tie around that box? I’m not trying to be righteous here, I wrapped a few presents as well, not till after the mayhem of Christmas morning was through did I realize I should of stuck to the Japanese style wrapping I wanted to do. During my daily browsing of the internet I came across an image that frightened me, an image that made me sad to be American, again. There are some instances that just make me sad, make me wish that we could change as a country, I realize that we wont be perfect, but there are somethings that I think we are aware of that we just try and turn a blind eye too. Our consumption, waste of paper and food, and disregard for our planet are three that just pinch me in the shoulder more than any. How many times, including this blog post, do you hear that we need to be a ‘greener’ planet and need to cut down on consumption? Yet almost every year we increase our waste output and increase our material input! It’s getting sickening, and the saddest part is that we don’t care.
This is the image I found. I challenge you to look at it and as you go down to think of how you contributed to this problem. I was super convicted as I went down the list, christian or not a christian, I think we can all understand how these problems are going to affect our world, and challenge our worldview. It hurts me to look at this image too much, I realize that I am a part of this problem and want to change, I need to change. So just look and think about how you have put your two cents in on this problem.
Attempted Elucidation 