Spring has Sprung !

The weather has gotten nice and that means work is abundant. Everyone and their mother has a landscape project they want done now. Too bad we are booking out 6 weeks. Blog posts will become a bit more scarce as I'm working long hours and sometimes six days a week.

In other news, I saw the movie Expelled last week and would highly recommend it. It is well worth the price of admission if for nothing else then the interview with Richard Dawkins at then end of the film.

If you read this...leave a comment!

Okay all you blog browsers...I'm looking for words that rhyme with "ignite." Any and all words will do such as "sight," "light," and "kite." How many can you come up with?

"Set the World on Fire"

I wanna set the world on fire
Until it`s burning bright for You
It`s everything that I desire
Can I be the one You use?

I, I am small but
You, You are big enough
I, I am weak but
You, You are strong enough to
Take my dreams
Come and give them wings
Lord with You
There`s nothing I can not do
Nothing I cannot do

I wanna feed the hungry children
And reach across the farthest land
And tell the broken there is healing
And mercy in the Father`s hands

My hands my feet
My everything
My life, my love
Lord, use me

I wanna set the world on fire
I wanna set the world on fire, yeah

I`m gonna set the world on fire
Set the world on fire

Interesting signs

Sign in a Realtor's office: "Lots for little."

Sign in a shoe store: "Come in and have a fit."

Sign in a maternity clothes store: "We are open on labor day."

Sign in a non-smoking area: "If we see you smoking we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."

Sign on the door of the maternity ward: "Push Push Push."

Sign in a bookstore: "We treat you write."

Sign in an optometrist's office: "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."

Sign in a podiatrist's window: "Time wounds all heels."

Sign on an electrician's truck: "Let Us Remove Your Shorts."

Sign in a butcher's window: "Let me meat your needs."

Sign in a muffler shop: "No appointment necessary. We'll hear you coming."

Sign at a hotel: "Help! We need inn-experienced people."

Quoteables

Ravi Zacharias powerfully observes, "God’s sovereignty is not tyrannical when it is bounded by goodness. God’s holiness is not tortuous when it is tempered by grace. God’s omniscience is not taunting when it is coupled with mercy, and God’s immutability is far from stifling when it is certain of good will."

Springtime in the Rockies

Ah, the joy of living in Colorado. And running a landscape company in the midst of crazy springtime weather. In the past 48 hours El Paso county has had:

• 70-degree temperatures
• 40 mile-an-hour winds
• 4% relative humidity
  
• Multiple large wildfires
• 20-degree temperatures
• blizzard like conditions
• Slick road conditions
• 5 inches of snow
• oh and beautiful blue sky!

Ignite Saturday Night

More to come...

Your mission...should you choose to accept it

The following is an excerpt from Ordering Your Private World by Gordon McDonald speaking on how our Lord used his time here on earth.

“Jesus clearly understood his mission. He had an overarching task to perform and He measured His use of time against that sense of mission. This is quite apparent during his final walk toward Jerusalem, where He would be crucified. As Jesus approached Jericho, Luke wrote (chapter 18), His ears picked up the shrill voice of a blind man and He stopped much to the consternation of both His friends and critics. They were irritated that Jesus did not appreciate that Jerusalem was still six or seven hours away and that they would like to get there to achieve their purpose, the celebration of Passover.

And indeed they had a point-the purpose of Christ was merely to reach Jerusalem in time for a religious celebration. But as we soon learn, that was not Jesus’ prime mission. Touching broken people like the blind man was a more significant matter, important enough for Jesus to invest His time.

Not long after the first encounter, Jesus stopped once again this time under the branch of a tree to call down Zacchaeus, a well-known tax collector. It was the Lords idea that the two get together for a conversation at Zacchaeus’s house. Once again the crowd surrounding Jesus was incensed first because the trip to Jerusalem was again interrupted and second because of Zacchaeus’s reputation.

From where they were standing, it appeared that Jesus was misusing His time. From where Jesus was standing, however, the time was well spent, for it fit the criteria of His mission.”

What is your mission? Are you spending your time and energies to fulfill that mission? Everything we do ought to fit the criteria of our mission. I would encourage you to take a few minutes and let your mind mull on your mission.

Amazing story

"Make every effort"

Recently, I was celebrating a friend’s 21^st birthday at Old Chicago’s with a large group of people. Some were drinking a beer with their pizza. For some reason, our server was not really checking ID’s of those drinking. No big deal. Or so I thought until a conversation with the 20-year old sitting next to me. He was fighting an inward battle about whether or not to order a drink. Upon conversing with him for several minutes I find out that he has had a problem with alcohol in the past, yet is trying to live a Godly life and not drink (which for him has led to getting drunk.) Additionally, he had come to realize that even if he thought he could handle a drink he shouldn’t because he is underage.

Yet sitting there that night he was being tempted to order a beer because others at the table had a beer with their pizza and it looked good. Very good. Talk about a battle within. As the minutes passed he rationalized more and more about why he should have a beer. He asked my opinion. I turned and asked him what his conscience was telling him…this lead into a great conversation.

The question I have is not whether or not he should have ordered a drink that night. It is clear from the scriptures that we shouldn’t get drunk (Eph 5:18, Rom 13:13, 1 Cor 6:10, Gal 5:21.) It’s also clear from the scriptures that we ought to obey our authority (Rom 13:1-7) which in this case is the government, as they have established 21 as the legal drinking age.

Rather the question that should be asked is: what is the responsibility of those sitting at the table who had ordered beers? Were they causing a brother to stumble? Should they have asked if anyone had a problem with them ordering alcohol before they did? I believe that would have been the proper course of action. The Bible speaks of this in Romans 14:19-21 where Paul writes: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.” By ordering beers those around this young man didn’t cause him any peace or mutual edification. In fact, I witnessed him not at peace much of the night. I’m not judging those who ordered drinks that night and I wonder if they knew what was going on a few chairs down from them.

In the end, by the grace of God, he didn’t order a drink that night and I believe God was pleased. He and I spoke two weeks later and within the first couple of minutes mentioned how glad he was he didn’t have a drink that night. Now in future, he said, it will be much easier for him to say no because he knows what it is like to win a battle.

I had never before seen this type of scenario played out right in front of me. I won’t soon forget this valuable life lesson…

Indoor soccer

Over the past couple of weeks I've had the opportunity to play a couple of indoor soccer games on my brother-in-laws team. It is a great workout and a ton of fun. Here are a few pictures from a game this past weekend





Troy's first game at goalie~nice save!


The Shot


The Save


The Collision


Empty Net!

Quoteables

"Wisdom is not the product of schooling, but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it"

"Not textbook, but storybook"

"When it rains it pours...or in this case when it doesn't rain it gets poured"

"You always reap more than you sowed"

"Don't be deceived by the flutter of your heart"

"Wisdom is: doing the right thing, at the right time, with the right attitude"

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him"

General Reflections

There is a line in the movie Hitch where Will Smith says: "In my head...I didn't see it going that way." In our human perspective we see things going one way in our head, yet they play out completely different in real life. Why? Is it because we are inherently selfish? Or perhaps because we can't truly view how others perceive things? Philippians tells us to look out for the "interests of others." It is frustrating beyond measure when we try to do this and fail. I'm trying to truly look at things from others perspectives but actions and words still get misconstrued. Do you ever get the feeling sometimes people stop listening, stop thinking, and stop reasoning. It doesn't matter what you say they aren't listening. Period. They don't care what you have to say. This is frustrating. When misunderstandings occur with those around me I will try to understand where they are coming from because I've been on the other side.

We are imperfect beings thus we will fail and misunderstandings will happen....yet I'm weary of being misunderstood.

Acts 15: a brief overview

Acts 15 discusses the council at Jerusalem with Paul, Barnabas, Peter and James along with other apostles. There were those who were teaching the brothers “unless you are circumcised according to the custom taught by Moses you cannot be saved (v1.)” Upon hearing this Paul and Barnabas were appointed to go to Jerusalem to explore this question with the elders and apostles. Once they came to Jerusalem they were welcomed by the elders, apostles, and the church (v4.) Before the debate begins in verse five it is interesting to note the unity within the church. In verse five and six we read that that the question was put forth and the elders and apostles met to consider this question. In the church today do we allow for this type of healthy debate and dialogue?

It appears from the context as a whole, and specifically verses 6, 12, and 22, that the unity of the church was never a question. There was an issue raised, the church discussed it, and there was resolution; in this case by a letter sent to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. The question being debated in this passage climaxes in verse 11 which states: No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that we are saved just they [Gentiles] are. This comes after Peter has said that God knows the heart, and He has purified them by giving the Holy Spirit and cleansing their hearts. After Peter finishes speaking Paul and Barnabas tell of the miraculous signs and wonders God has done among the Gentiles through them and the whole assembly listened very intently (v 12.) James now stands up and addresses the assembly referencing the Old Testament. The specific context of the Old Testament quote is James using the Amos passage as support for what Peter said in verses 6-11. This is seen in verse 15 which reads: “The words of the prophets are in agreement with this” [this referring back to what Peter has said; see also verse 14.] After he quotes the Amos passage James suggests a solution to this issue of required circumcision by the Gentiles. He proposes that “we [the assembly] should write to them;” which is exactly what is done in verses 23 and following.

Just pictures...

A Slice of Infinity

RZIM:A Slice of Infinity daily snippet:"The writer of Hebrews described the kingdom as an ongoing gift we must receive: “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us therefore give thanks” (Hebrew 14:28)." For the entire Slice of Infinity click here

Today we ought to give thanks to our Lord and savior as we reflect upon his death and resurrection. Giving thanks because His kingdom can't be shaken, causing me to bow in thanksgiving to Him. What a great hope we have in this truth! May God grant us the strength to continue, hope to persevere, and the faith to be a shining light in this world.

Awareness Test

Check out the new website...

Sow today, reap tomorrow

Sow a thought, Reap an action
Sow an action, Reap a habit
Sow a habit, Reap a character
Sow a character, Reap a destiny

Word of the day

rodomontade \rod-uh-muhn-TADE; roh-duh-; -TAHD\, noun:
Vain boasting; empty bluster; pretentious, bragging speech; rant.

James reminds us in chapter 3:4-6:
"Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

Poll Results

And the winner for the best pickup line is....

"Is it hot in here or is it just you?" 10 (58%)

2nd- Do you have a map? I just keep on getting lost in your eyes. 4 (23%)

3rd- The sun just lost his job because you brighten up my day! 2 (11%)

4th- Am I dead, Angel? Cause this must be heaven! 1 (5%)

Funny commerials

Thanks to Troy for forwarding these to me yesterday. They are hilarious!

Song of the week:

33 miles is the featured artist this week. The lyrics to "Stand Amazed" are below and you can click on the player to the right to listen to it.

They have several other awesome songs including "Thank You" which was the most added song in the CCM world two weeks ago and had the most increased plays last week. Overall "Thank You" is #11 on the CCM chart.


Stand Amazed Lyrics
I don’t really know how long forever is
But that’s how long I’m gonna give my life
Everything I face, it tries to tear me down
No I won’t back away from the sacrifice
I won’t forget what you’re love means to me
You’re always there to light my way

When all the lights go down and the world is quiet
No one is around
I wanna be the same man that will serve you then
Like I serve you now
That my convictions never change
O let my need for you remain
As real as the moment I was saved
I will always stand amazed

Sometimes my heart desires such selfish things
When the moment comes help me to trust
Something better that you have for me
If I could just hold on to you enough
I won’t forget what you’re love means to me
You’re always there to light my way

You will be my strength when I am weak
When I wanna give in and not turn the other cheek
Let this be the prayer that I speak
That I speak

Cool Video

If you have never seen this before its worth your time!

You gotta love hard workers...

These hard working men are installing and setting solid steel pillars in concrete to stop vehicles from parking on the pavement outside a sports bar in downtown Manchester. They are cleaning up at the end of the day. Do you see a problem here?

valley vessels

“All the water in the world can’t sink a ship--unless it gets inside of it.”

Think about it.

We are the ship. Everything surrounding us is the water. The good, bad, and ugly. The fear, anger, bitterness. The hurt, disappointment, frustration. The joy, happiness, amazement. The illation, fascination, beauty.

Are we afraid of the things around us? The psalmist writes: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me.” When we walk through the valley we are surrounded with dangers, but we fear no evil because those dangers aren't in us. God is with us. He guides us in paths of righteousness. He leads us. This should make us praise the Lord almighty with all of our being. Are you in awe of Him today?

Praise the Lord. For He is good. Praise the Lord.

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.