It’s about time that someone let someone from the administration have it about the controlled meetings. Good for the White House press corp.
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I’m interested to know what social networking sites people use the most. The only options I have on there right now are Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Give me others and I’ll add them. Related Posts:Have you ever been surprised by what you find in the Bible? Has God ever given you a revelation through the study of His word? Well, that happened to me this week and it was such a wonderful gift from above. This summer our home group has been having a phenomenal study on spiritual gifts. This last week, most of the text that we studied was out of I Corinthians 12. The first few verses of that section of scripture are so rich and full of great insight, but there were three simple verses that really caught me.
Read that several times and really take it in. Each verse describes something different, but they are so similar as well. The first verse states that there are different kinds of gifts, but they are all given by the Holy Spirit. Elsewhere in this passage (I Cor. 12:11) it says that each gift is given as the Spirit wills. The gifts that each of us are given as Christians are under the authority of the Holy Spirit. I Cor 12:5 demonstrates the difference between having gifts and having ministries. The gift is the ability to serve in some way, but a ministry is actually putting that gift into use. We could have many kinds of spiritual gifts, but if we don’t use them what good are they? This verse shows that Jesus is the authority over the ministries. Now for the really good part. The Holy Spirit is in charge of gifting you to be able to serve. Jesus establishes a ministry for you to serve in. What happens after that? I Cor 12:6 tells us that the are a myriad of results, of which God the Father works through all people. Do you see why that is so powerful? If I’m working within the gifts given me by the Spirit, in the ministries that Christ Himself established for me, I don’t have to worry about results. In case that isn’t clear yet, let’s say it one more time. I don’t have to worry about results. Whatever happens through the ministry Christ has given has nothing to do with me. I can rest in the knowledge that by serving Him in the right place, I don’t need to concern myself with the results. As a worship leader this is such a comforting and freeing message. Often I come off the platform after worship wondering if everything was done right in order to produce the results that I expect to see. Did we sing the right songs, did I play all the right chords, did I do everything possible in order to direct people in worship? I don’t have to do that anymore. So long as I continue to be gifted in this by the Spirit and placed in this ministry by Christ, I don’t have to worry about what happens. The results are in God’s hands. Now, I still need to do the best that my talents allow. I can’t just mail it in every week thinking it will be taken care of. I have to spend time alone with God, seeking Him for the guidance to choose the right songs and to make sure that I am in His will. If that is done though, I can leave the rest of it up to Him. Such a wonderful gift of freedom in Him. What do you think? Let me know your thoughts on this. Related Posts:I switched my website to a new hosting plan over the weekend and had trouble getting it working. Finally, it’s back going again. I’ve got a couple articles I’m working on, and one that’s ready to go because I’m waiting for it to be published. Yes, I’ve actually got an article which will be published in a local magazine. More info when it comes out in July. Related Posts:I’ve always been someone who does many different things. I heard someone on the radio this morning call themselves a generalist, and I guess that’s what I am. In high school I played football and basketball, but I was also in scholar’s bowl, math relays, speech, editor of the school paper. On top of that, I was involved in two different youth groups and worked with my Dad on the farm. I wasn’t the best at many things, but I could usually hold my own. As I grew older my interests never really ceased. In fact, they may have become more varied. At times I’ve been obsessed with history, theology, politics, music, meteorology, computers, flying, languages, sports, writing, etc. You name it, I can probably give you some unimportant fact about it that I’ve picked up somewhere. My frustration stems from not having much depth in any subject (save one), but having such a breadth of things I’m interested in. Before I am able to have more than a passing understanding about a topic, I get distracted by something else (ooo, shiny things!) and off I go on another hunt for information. I can’t explain why, it’s just the way that I’m wired. Link diving on Wikipedia could consume gratuitous amounts of time if I allow it to. I’m fairly well versed in the use of technology in business, mainly because that’s what my two degrees are in. I’m more than conversant in programming and web stuff because that’s what I do every day. I don’t know if this satisfies most people, but it doesn’t me. For some reason I have this primal desire to know everything about everything. What prompted this was a couple of things. First, I love (certain types of) music, and I love playing the guitar and singing. I’m blessed right now to be at a church where I’m able to lead worship and do both of these things. However, I know that I’m not the best guitarist or vocalist on the planet, maybe not even in the church. Not that I want to be better than someone else, but I wish I was more skilled in those areas. I see others lead worship in such an effortless and happy way and feel envious. I want to do the same thing, but if I do I know it will look and feel forced. I want to be better than I am, but can’t find the path to get there. I want to know more, to have such a depth of musical ability as to be the best I can be, but it just doesn’t happen. Second, I was reading some of the sites that I have set up in Google Reader and marveling over how well many of them were written. At times I really wish I would write more, but I feel that most of my thoughts are either pointless, or better worded by someone else. Again, I’m better than some, but worse than many as well. As an aside, don’t think I’m fishing for compliments here either. My wife and I were watching a reality show last week (I’m not going to say what it was, but Collette can rat me out if she wants) and there was a contestent on there who constantly said “I did horrible” or “that was the worst I’ve ever done” in order to get compliments. She was called on it by the host of the show, and it kind of convicted me on the same thing. Am I insecure about these things? Probably. In fact, most likely. Regardless of the face I put on, most of the time I’m not the most confident person you’ll ever meet, especially when I’m face to face with you. That’s one of the most frustrating things to me though. I know that I can hold my own in most situations, but so many times I feel like the scared 18 year old kid off to college for the first time, unsure of his place in the world. On the other hand, there are two things that I am continuing to get better at. I’m a much better husband and father than I was even a year ago. Every day I’m more in love with my small tribe. I tell my wife I love her twice as much as I did yesterday and half as much as I will tomorrow. What I pray is that I learn to be content with the way God made me, and not be envious of those who were gifted with skills that I admire. It’s hard. I would love to be a respected theologian who can also make a guitar sound as enticing as the Greek Sirens, an uncanny predictor of the weather who also speaks five languages. However, I’ll be happy with being a father that four(?) children admire, respect, learn from, love, and count as someone who strived to raise them Biblically. I’ll be happy being a husband such that my wife knows from experience what it is to be loved as Christ loves His church. I’ll do my best at everything else. Related Posts:Tonight I watched “The Pentagon Wars“, a movie from 1998 about the development of the Army’s Bradley Fighting Vehicle. During a scene where a general is being grilled about oddities during testing for the vehicle, he finally gives them the cost so far to develop it. He says “14″, one of the senators replies, “million?” The general doesn’t say anything, and the another senator says “billion?” incredulously. Wouldn’t it be nice if $14 billion was still a lot of money to our government, not a pittance to be thrown at every little whim? Related Posts:
Apr
27
2009
 
Critical Mass: The Noticer by Andy Andrews.Posted by clay in Critical Mass, Writing SeriesThe Noticer tells the story of a man named Jones who helps people change their perspective and notice small details around them. While written as fiction, the book leans more toward the self-help genre. Honestly, I didn’t like this book all that much. It seems that the main character, known only as Jones, is just another play on the wizened old sage who knows everything about everything. He goes from situation to situation offering advice to young and old, willing and unwilling. One thing that really bothered me was that in the second chapter of the book, Andrews writes about Jones helping a couple who are thinking about getting a divorce. During the course of his conversation, Jones presents four ways that couples relate to each other. The problem is that those four are a concise presentation of Gary Smalley’s concepts from The Five Love Languages, almost word for word. The Noticer Project, which Andrews is starting to coincide with the release of the book, is actually a good idea. Andrews asks that each person “notices” the five people who are most influential in their life. You can read more about this at the project web site or on the Noticer Project Facebook group. This review was written by a Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger. Related Posts:The last couple of weeks I’ve been listening to different music trying to come up with ideas for worship songs on Sunday mornings. One song that kept jumping out at me was a remake of “I Need Thee Every Hour” by Jars of Clay. The one verse that kept bringing me back to it was:
This is such a powerful thought for me, and so true. When I am actively reading the Bible and making time to pray, the day-to-day temptations that are usually in my path don’t have the effect they might otherwise have. When I don’t have that closeness to God, those temptations seem to have more control over me. One thing that the song doesn’t really say is that it really isn’t God’s job to keep close to us. He is an invited presence in our lives, our homes, our churches, and our world. It is our responsibility to make the effort to seek Him. We make the choice to remain close or to move away. God never moves. I pray that tomorrow everyone at church can take these words to heart during worship and really let them sink in. One of the great things about old hymns is the language used is so elegant and powerful. Related Posts:I attended the Town Hall for Hope with Dave Ramsey tonight at our church. It was different than Dave’s usual things, as it was more of a pep rally than a straight up ‘how-to’ on managing your money. The main topic was the state of the economy in general. What did I bring away from it? Actual hope and change. None of this hope and change promised to us from Washington (from either party for that matter), but hope that we can successfully make changes in our life to combat these kinds of economic issues. Because of the baby we had last year and the one we are about to have, Collette and I have racked up some significant medical bills to the detriment of other debt we had. Being there tonight gave me a shot in the arm that we can actually overcome our bad habits and poor stewardship and turn it around. Thanks to Dave Ramsey for the financial wisdom, and thanks to our church for making this available to everyone here in the community. Related Posts:Driving home the other night, I was listening to one of the talk radio stations in the area while they were discussing the pros and cons of the morning after pill. I disagree with the idea of it, but that’s another post entirely. The conversation drifted to whether abortion should even be legal or not. A man called in to the show and stated that he wasn’t really sure whether he was for or against it. He said that he is a Christian, but considered himself to be pro-choice. When pressed on this, the man remarked that his father and brother are physicians, and that many years ago his father saw countless numbers of young women who had been injured seeking then-illegal abortions. The comment that struck me came next. He said that he would rather see these young women be able to get their abortions legally than see more of them injured through illegal means. I made a post last year on my old site (which you could find here if you want to look) where I laid out my case for why even though I believe abortion is wrong, it’s not in my power to stop someone from doing it. Looking back on that view, I would like to correct it. Abortion is wrong. Deathly wrong. Abortion is an easy way out of taking responsibility for an issue that we created for ourselves. If you are not ready for the responsibility of taking care of a child, don’t engage in a practice which can produce the child. Those young women who were injured getting illegal abortions refused to accept responsibility for the act they engaged in. If I commit murder, should I not face the consequences? If I steal a car, should I not go to jail? If I have sex, should I not be expected to raise the child that might be produced? Holding to my previous view allowed me to remove myself from the problem, as if by giving over the choice to someone else it absolved me of responsibility. What goes on around us, in our community, in our families, in our nation, is our responsibility. Don’t agree with me?
One day we will all be held accountable for how we treated those around us. Who deserves more protection than a child? My wife and I have a seven year old, six year old, 11 month old, and will have another child in less than two months. As their father, it is my responsibility to take care of them, to provide them shelter, food, clothing. I also must teach them they are responsible to those around them, a task given us by no less authority than Jesus Himself! So, no more nuanced, mealy-mouth positions on issues. In my early 20s, I was very black and white in my thinking. In my late 20s and early 30s, I allowed a lot of grey to be introduced into it. No more. We must be fully aware of what the Bible says and be willing to be laughed at by those around us for our views. I read a book not long ago that I’ll post about later that really challenged me on these points. Thoughts? Related Posts: |
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