Leap Day

Procrastinators and forgetters unite--tomorrow is leap day! Here are some ideas for you:

-Get married
-Have a kid
-Make a new family tradition
-Go on a first date
-Propose
-Throw an annual leap day party
-Buy a frog

Is leap day just another day or will you treat it more like a holiday and do something extra with your 1440 minutes? Enjoy the day!

New Poll

In case you haven't noticed there is a new poll on the right side of my page. Here are the runner-ups that didn't make it as possible choices =)

-Were you arrested earlier? It's gotta be illegal to look that good.
-You look like my third wife. She: Oh, how many time have you been married? Twice.
-You are so beautiful that you give the sun a reason to shine.
-Stop, drop, and roll, baby. You are on fire.

P.S. I just saw this on the shoebox blog and had to post it!

Seminary Notes: Preterism

Something grabbed my attention last week. Preterism. I had never heard of preterism before last week. A preterist believes that the second coming of Christ has already happened; it took place in 70AD at the destruction of Jerusalem. A preterist would say all the verses speaking of the coming of Christ have already been fulfilled. For more information on what a preterist believes click here.

Apparently Preterism is rapidly growing throughout church. It seems clear however that this view is completely unfounded from scripture. While I don't know exactly how the second coming of Christ will play out, I do know that there are some serious ramifications in believing the second coming of Christ has already occurred. This would mean that we have no future hope; this is all there is and ever will be.

If I were discussing Preterism with a Preterist the first question I would ask comes from 1 Cor 11:26 dealing with the Lords Super. It says: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim the Lords death until He comes." By partaking of communion you are proclaiming the Lords death until He return again. If He has already returned then why do you (Preterists) take the Lords Super?

It is astounding to me the views of Preterists as portrayed on the above mentioned webpage. If one truly studies the Word of God how can he or she come to the conclusion that Christs second coming has already taken place? It almost seems to question the inerrancy of the Scriptures

What question(s) would you ask and what Scriptures would you take a Preterist to?

Of this I'm sure

I stand amazed. Beauty. Snow. Mountains. Never do I grow dull of seeing Pikes Peak. The towering white-capped mountain captivates all of me. It sits, watches, listens. From afar it is nothing. Nothing more then a weak speck on the distant horizon. Yet when one sits in its shadow, it is strong and mighty. From west to east and north to south it truly is majestic. Each time I stop and see its beauty, I know there must be a Creator. One that created all. There is a God--of this I'm sure.

Truth Project Trailer

If you have never heard of the Truth Project it is incredible. It is a worldview study that is extremely well done--probably the best I've ever seen. Watch the trailer below or click on the link to find out more about the Truth Project. If you ever have the opportunity to watch/discuss this DVD video series it is well worth your time.



Click here to find out more about the Truth Project

Apologize like a kid

All of us have probably heard a little kid say “I didn’t mean to hurt them” or “I didn’t know it would hurt their feelings.” But whether that kid intended to hurt someone or not we make them apologize. Why?

Is it possible that kids see a double standard in our lives when we, as adults, don’t offer the same forgiveness to those closest to us? Why are we not willingly to apologize to a spouse, sibling, or close friend when they are hurting because of something, that somehow, we caused even when it was the farthest thing from our mind? At this point it isn’t a matter of right vs. wrong; it is an issue of them feeling hurt or misunderstood. Even though it wasn’t our intent and perhaps we are “right” about the situation, we still need to apologize for the action that led to the hurt. Paul speaks of this in Philippians 2:3b where he states: "but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” This “considering others” applies to word, thought and action. We need to consider how others perceive actions or words and understand what they are feeling. I believe this demonstrates a small slice of humility.

Perhaps we are stepping off of an elevator and bump into a complete stranger. Most would politely apologize and move on even though we didn’t have any intent of bumping into them. If we would apologize to a complete stranger then shouldn’t we offer the same repentant spirit to loved ones around us--even if we didn’t intend to hurt them? I believe we can and we must.

p.s. I include "me" in the "we"...God knows I'm no good at this :-)

Song of the week:

Each week I'll feature a different song for you to check out (now that I've finally figured out how.) This week is Britt Nicole with "Don't Worry Now."

Yeah
Seven years old, you heard me cry
I don't wanna say goodbye
To the only man that I love
My daddy and everything he was
I don't think I can live without you
Dad, I know your breaking in two
With tears running down his face, he says we're gonna make it
We're gonna make it

[CHORUS]
When you feel like you are all alone
Just like your best friend up and gone
Don't worry now
Don't worry now
I've been there yeah, I know how it feels
To wonder if love is even real
Don't worry now
Don't worry now
It's gonna be ok

I've been trying to find a way to understand
When I can't see the picture of God's plan
Why would He let us hurt so bad?
Could anything good come of these feelings that I have?
He loved me more than the sand on beaches
He loved me more than the grass is green
And even though he had to go I always knew his love was part of me

When you feel like you are all alone
Just like your best friend up and gone
Don't worry now
Don't worry now
I've been there yeah, I know how it feels
To wonder if love is even real
Don't worry now
Don't worry now

It's taken so long to let this go
It's taken so long to feel that
Your right here next to me
And I can finally breathe
It's taken so long but now I know
I had to find out on my own
When nothing could convince me
Your love it convinced me
That it's gonna be ok

When you feel like you are all alone
Just like your best friend up and gone
Don't worry now
Don't worry now
I've been there yeah, I know how it feels
To wonder if love is even real
Don't worry now
Don't worry now
It's gonna be
It's gonna be ok

"Its all about relationships"

Every now and then I peruse crosswalk.com; sometimes reading articles, using Bible study tools, or reading commentaries. Tonight, I ran across this article: (by Chip Ingram)

Hollywood Says:

• Find the right person
• Fall in love
• Fix your hopes and dreams on this person for your future fulfillment
• If failure occurs, repeat steps 1, 2, 3.

The premise of this formula is clear: if you fail, you must not have found the right person. Much like a bottle cap sweepstakes game, if you don't win... sorry! Try again.

How well does it work? You and I both know the answer to that. The divorced population is the fastest growing marital category in the US, and the fallout is huge. The impact of fractured relationships on children, the anguish, the hurt, the emotional wounds, not to mention the economic impact on both parties, is painfully obvious. Now let's move to another perspective, and take a look at the model created by the One who thought up relationships in the first place.

God Says
"Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." Eph. 5:1-2

First, there's a command.

Be imitators of God. What does this look like? For a more detailed picture, let's start a few verses back, at chapter 4:31-32. Here we have instructions for putting on a new life in Christ as we relate to others. Get rid of attitudes that tear down and hurt, Paul says. Treat each other as God treated you when He extended His endless supply of grace and forgiveness to you, even at great cost to himself.

Is the focus here on finding the right person? Is it about molding someone else into the person you want them to be? No.

The Key to a Right Relationship is Not Finding the Right Person, But Becoming the Right Person
Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, in their book, Relationships, outline what they call "The Compulsion for Completion."

"If you attempt to build intimacy with another person before you've done the hard work of becoming a whole and healthy person, every relationship will be an attempt to complete the wholeness that you lack and end in disaster." (Relationships, p. 20)

In other words, if our identity is not secure in Christ, if we are still looking to others to make us feel secure, complete or "okay," our relationships will never be healthy and strong. This is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to understand. Contrary to the pop philosophy of Jerry McGuire, the most romantic thing you can say to someone is not "you complete me." If you must be completed by another person, you will find that whatever they have to give you will never be enough. Only God, through His Son and through the Holy Spirit, can provide what each of us need to be complete. When we are whole and secure in Him, then we can approach a relationship in a healthy way.

Next comes the command for how we are to relate to one another.

Walk in love. Notice Paul doesn't say, "fall in love." He's talking about an intentional, sacrificial love that wills and acts what is best for its object.

God's way is very hard, but it's very effective. He tells us to:

• Become the right person (mimic God)
• Walk in love
• Fix your hope on God and seek to please Him through this relationship
• If failure occurs, repeat steps 1, 2 and 3.

Failure will occur. When it does, the question must be: "Am I being who I should be? Am I walking in love?" It's not time to give up; it's time to go back to square one.

Here is a crucial point. The goal of relationships is not fulfillment and self-actualization. It's not about discovering yourself, filling your need, meeting your desire. The goal of relationships is to please God. Right relationship with Him is food for our soul, and wherever else we will search, we will ultimately find that nothing else satisfies. The beautiful byproduct, when we are pleasing him in our horizontal relationships, will be deeper intimacy than you ever imagined.

You don't have to be a statistic. You don't have to be afraid to make a commitment. There is a supernatural way to do relationships that will leave a legacy of faith. The price tag is too high, the risk too great, to do it Hollywood's way.

Copyright 2002 by Chip Ingram. All rights reserved.

just a picture

Haven't had much time for blogging today so here is a cool picture instead (at least for landscapers!) It is actually the background(faded out) for my new business cards.

(Click on comic to make it larger)

Martin Luther once said...

"The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays — not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps but because God loves clean floors. The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship." -Martin Luther

Are you striving to be good at whatever you are doing? I want to be great at everything I set my hands to do; whether it is running a business, worshiping God, serving others, blogging, or cleaning toilets. Work with all your heart.

Work hard. Play hard. Live for Him

Valentines Day Spending

I found this interesting- the average person will spend $123 dollars and total spending will be over $17 billion for Valentines Day! And even more telling: males spend nearly DOUBLE what females spend...hmmm

NEW YORK (AP) -- Unlike housing prices and interest rates, Cupid's costs are expected to go up in 2008.

According to a study issued Monday by the National Retail Federation (NRF), the average consumer plans to spend $122.98 on Valentine's Day, up from $119.67 in 2007. Total retail spending for the Feb. 14 holiday is expected to reach $17.02 billion.

Of the 61 percent of consumers who plan on celebrating Valentine's Day this year, the NRF said nine of ten will spend the most on their significant others or spouses. But other loved ones will not go forgotten: six in ten plan to buy something for their family members, and two in ten said they would send a gift to friends.

This year, over 48% of love birds plan to celebrate the day by taking their significant others for a special night out, up from 45% in 2007, the NRF said.

Men will outspend women this year, spending an average of $163.37 on gifts and cards, compared to an average of $84.72 spent by women, according to the NRF

Life

I feel more relaxed about life today. Life isn't perfect, it never will be, but there is joy in my heart. Its a good day to be alive. I'm thankful for fellowship and friendships. I'm thankful for friends who are willingly to talk and listen. I'm thankful for the blue sky and radiant sunshine. I praise God for the ability to think, feel, and breathe. I'm amazed time and time again of the power of prayer. I'm amazed when believers are honest, sincere, and open with one another. Our God is good...and I really mean that. I'm thankful for the moments that take my breath away.

Seminary class

Last night I attended my second seminary class. I'm taking BT308(The New Testament Use of the Old Testament) through Providence Theological Seminary which meets at FRAC. So far it has been exceptional. One thing we discussed last night I thought was interesting is the linguistic forms of the OT existing during the first century. I had heard of these but really didn't know much about them. They are:

1) The Masoretic Text
-Written in Hebrew
-NASB is mainly related to the MT
-Matthew used often
-Earliest of all three

2) The Septuangint
-Written in Greek
-Most of the NT authors used the Septuangint
-250-275 BC

3) The Targums
-Oral translations of the Hebrew Bible
-Also includes non-biblical notes

Weekend in review...

Congratulations to Collin and Jenna...they are now a married couple! The weekend was crazy busy but a success. Friday was busy with the prayer breakfast, errands, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and the bachelor party. On Saturday the wedding took on an order of its own but at least they remembered to kiss. The reception was eventful and went entirely too fast as we had to be out by 6. Overall, fun was had by all and everything was a success.
Be praying for Collin and Jenna as they enter this new chapter of their lives.

"Mighty to Save"

We sung this song in church this morning, I really like the chorus. Turn up your volume, it should be playing...Sorry about the quality, its the best I could find. Our worship team sounded 10x better

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
A kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is Mighty to save
He is Mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

"What exactly do you mean?"

I stole this from my sisters blog...

Mrs. Smith is a rather old fashioned lady, always quite delicate and elegant, especially in her language. She and her husband were planning a week's vacation in Florida, so she wrote to a campground asking for a reservation.
She wanted to make sure the campground was fully equipped, but didn't know quite how to ask about the toilet facilities. She just couldn't bring herself to write the word "toilet" in her letter. After much deliberation, she finally came up with the old fashioned term "bathroom commode". So she began again, referring to the bathroom commode merely as the "B.C." Her actual query read "Does the campground have its own B.C.?"
Well, the campground owner wasn't at all old fashioned, and he just couldn't figure out what she was talking about. That B.C. business really stumped him.
After worrying about it for awhile, he showed the letter to several campers, but they couldn't imagine what the lady meant. So the campground owner, finally coming to the conclusion that the lady must be asking the location of the local Baptist Church, sat down and wrote the following reply:

LAZ-E-DAYS CAMPGROUND
Dear Madam:
I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take the pleasure of informing you that a B.C. is located 9 miles north of the campground, and is capable of seating 250 at one time. I admit it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along and make a day of it. They usually arrive early and stay late.
The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded that we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that, right now, there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats. They're going to hold it in the basement of the B.C.
I would like to say it pains me very much not to be able to go more regularly, but it surely is no lack of desire on my part. As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, particularly in cold weather. If you do decide to come down to our campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go, sit with you and introduce you to all the other folds.
Remember, this is a friendly community.

Matthew West: "The Difference"

I heard this song driving home tonight and liked it. Cool story behind it. Its brand new, not even on iTunes yet!

Peace of God

What is the one thing you search most for? Is it power, prestige, money or something else? Perhaps we search for peace. A peace with others, a peace in our hearts, a peace in our lives. Peace reminds me of the mountains; a bubbling stream, a chirping bird, and a blue sky. Nature is peaceful.

Why do we search for peace anyway? Within each of us there is an innate desire to worry about things in this world. We worry about the past, present and future. The scriptures tell us not to worry, but rather give our concerns to God. Philippians's 4:5-6 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

When we give our worries to the Father, He gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding. It is interesting to note that it is a peace that guards our heart and mind. Have you ever been a situation where your heart has not been at peace, but your mind has? While the relationship between our hearts and minds is sometimes difficult to comprehend, this verse encourages us to give our concerns to the Lord and He will give a peace that transcends barriers and enters our hearts and minds. This is encouraging.

Are you searching for peace today? Do not be anxious, give everything to our Father and He will give you peace. This verse spoke to me today, will you let it speak to you?

Books: January

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by J.K Rowling







What to do before you say "I do" by Stenneth Powell






More than a Hobby by David Green

Superbowl ratings

The AP NEW YORK- Very preliminary findings from 49 of the nation's biggest markets showed that ratings for this year's Super Bowl, with the New York Giants' thrilling win over the New England Patriots, were up 6 percent over last year's big game, according to Nielsen Media Research on Monday.

Experts say those numbers indicate the game has a strong shot at being the most-watched Super Bowl of all time, and the second most-watched broadcast ever.

The game, broadcast on Fox, had a 44.7 rating and 66 share, Nielsen said. That's up from the 42.0 rating and 63 share in metered markets last year. Nielsen did not immediately have an estimate of how many people watched the game.

The metered market average this year was also missing Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and Dallas due to Nielsen delays.

The most-watched telecast of all time was the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H," seen by 106 million people. The most-watched Super Bowl ever was the 1996 game between Dallas and Pittsburgh, with 94.1 million people.

Last year's game between Indianapolis and Chicago was seen by 93.2 million people, Nielsen said.

Fox is owned by News Corp. The average price of an ad was $2.7 million for 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, a separate survey from TiVo Inc., makers of digital video recorders, found that the E-Trade ad showing a baby talking about stock deals – and spitting up at the end – was the most-watched commercial during the game.

Counting in people who played back material on their DVRs, the commercials were watched by more people than the game, TiVo said.

Weekend in review...

Here are a few things I did this busy, but enjoyable weekend...

• Played football in our annual superbowl before the superbowl. Had a blast but pretty sore today!
• Watched the Giants beat the Patriots in a surprisingly good game to watch
• Attended a couple of different worship services
• Enjoyed a great time of fellowship and discussion about peace and the distinction between the heart and mind
  
• Played two games of pool which I'm terrible at
• Shot an AR-15 assault rifle and a Glock 40 handgun
• Watched my brothers basketball game
  

Transformation

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

“Do not be conformed to this world.” The word conformed here means to literally fashion ones self after another. In other words, Do not fashion yourself according to this world.

“But be transformed.” Transformed comes from the Greek “metamorfoo,” which translated is “Metamorphoo.” Meta means “with, after, behind” and morphoo means “to form.” Being transformed is like metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is to change. I like the illustration of a butterfly. A butterfly is not born beautiful; no it goes through stages before it emerges from its cocoon as a beautiful butterfly. It takes time, energy, and desire for a caterpillar to change into a butterfly. Likewise, as a Christian it takes time, energy, and desire for us to be transformed. This word is only used 4 times in scripture. Twice it refers to Christ being transfigured. The definition of morphoo follows: “being to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure. Christ appearance was changed and was resplendent with divine brightness on the mount of transfiguration.”

The other time transformed is used in the Bible is in 2 Cor 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” Being changed is a process; it takes time.

And how are we going to be transformed? By the renewing of our hearts or bodies? No, by the renewing of our minds. To renew is to completely change for the better. Think in terms of a renovation. When we renovate a house we completely gut it out one room at a time. The same is true with us. When we renew our minds, we completely gut out areas of our thinking and completely change for the better. Renovation also takes weeks, sometimes months to complete. Renewing of our minds does not happen overnight. The word renewing comes from the root meaning “to be changed into a new kind of life as opposed to the former corrupt state.” Before we renew our minds we are corrupt. As we continue the process of renewing our minds we are changed into a new life. So when we renovate, we typically hire a contractor. How does the renewing happen in us? Titus 3:5 has the answer: “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit renews our thinking. This is the only other place in scripture that the word renewing is used.

“Renewing of your mind.” Our mind gives us the capacity to understand, reason, think, and logically process. The mind is defined as “comprising alike the faculties of perceiving and understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining.” The mind is where we think and reason. R.C. Sproul said that the mind is the path to the heart. We can’t renew our heart by first not renewing our minds. Everything we do, say, or act upon first runs through our mind. God has given us incredible minds and I don’t believe we use them enough. Think about it. How often do we truly reason through something? Or truly put all of our thinking power to work? Not very often. Sitting in church, we are thinking about what we are going to have for lunch, what the person in front of us is doing, how nice the new banners look, oh, and of course listening to the sermon. Studies have shown that we only remember 25% of what we heard 24 hrs before. That is pretty sad, that we can only remember ¼ of we hear a day later. God has given us a mind, we should use it! And renew it!

“So that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” This statement tells us WHY we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind. The phrase “so that” informs us of a conclusion. “Prove what” is defined by us being “certain of something.” So by renewing our mind we will be certain to know the will of God. It then further defines what the will of God is…that which is good, acceptable and perfect.

This verse is loaded. It starts with a command not to fashion our lives like the world. However, if it stopped there then the verse wouldn’t be very significant. But it continues…we are called to be transformed by renewing our thinking in all areas of our life. We are given a command about what not to do and then a command about what to do. It is like a little child who is playing with a toy they shouldn’t be. If we just tell them that they can’t play with that particular toy then what will they do? As soon as we turn our back they will be playing with it again! But if we show them a toy they can play with and redirect their attention then the other toy becomes meaningless. The same is true with us. If we are just commanded not to conform to the world then sooner or later we will fail. However, if we redirect our attention to transforming our thinking, then conforming to the world will become meaningless.

In just this one little verse Paul answers several fundamental questions about renewing our minds. He not only commands us to do this but answers how to do it and the benefits of doing it. May our prayer be that we are continually transformed by the renewing of our minds; completed not by us, but by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, hearts, and minds.