If you ever consider buying a Ford Freestar, DON'T DO IT! They're about as cool as a Britney Spears haircut and as reliable as an Al Gore documentary.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Car Buyers Tip Of The Week
If you ever consider buying a Ford Freestar, DON'T DO IT! They're about as cool as a Britney Spears haircut and as reliable as an Al Gore documentary.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Nerd Tip Of The Week
If you ever come across a swimming pool filled with rubbing alcohol, DON'T try to swim in the deep end. Rubbing alcohol is much less dense than water which means you won't be nearly so buoyant. In other words, you'll sink like a rock!
Monday, May 28, 2007
The Bonehead Of The Week Award Goes To...
...me!
On Saturday I took my girls to the YMCA to go swimming. The have been begging me for weeks to go, so I finally relented. As we were driving through the parking lot looking for a spot, I noticed a lady backing out. I thought, "Great, I'll take her spot". However as she was backing up I noticed one of her front tires was nearly flat. So I chased her through the parking lot, honking my horn until she stopped. I got out and told her she had a flat tire, to which she replied "I thought something felt strange". I examined her tire and found a nail had punctured it. I explained to her that she could take it to a service station and buy some fix-a-flat which would keep it inflated long enough for her to take it to a tire shop to have it worked on. She thanked me several times and assured me she didn't live far away, and that she would take it slow. As she left and while I was still feeling good about myself, a sickening thought came to my mind. "Why didn't you just tell her to pull over into one of the side lots where it's empty and change the tire yourself? I'm sure she has a spare (even if it's a donut spare) in the trunk." By this point, she was long gone. It never crossed my mind while I was talking to her that I could have (and should have) done something more.
The really sad part is that this example too often illustrates my life. I'm very eager to analyze the situation and find solutions to a problem, but rarely will I get my hands dirty helping out a neighbor. I can say with all sincerity that my inaction was not intentional. Being of a phlegmatic temperament, it's my nature to not get involved. It's just the way I'm wired. But on this day, my inaction was to me, later, like a slap in the face. I'm embarrassed and saddened to admit to you that I sent this lady on in a potentially dangerous situation with a smile on my face and a "God bless you" attitude in my heart, when I should have been rolling up my sleeves, as it were, to do what I'm perfectly capable of doing. Forget about being a good Christian - I don't even feel like a good citizen. But my hope in relaying this story is that we would all be more mindful of the opportunities that pop up around us to be able to help our neighbor. That those of us who tend to be observers would step up to the plate, bat in hand. Even if we miss, at least we went down swinging.
Friday, May 25, 2007
I'm Still Here
I've been away for the last week working on a fishing show for ESPN and haven't had access to a computer. There will be more blogs to come, but for now I just want to say that if you've never listened to Alistair Begg preach, then you're missing out on great Biblical exposition.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Your Calling, Part 2
In Ephesians 3, Paul tells of God's plan to spread the gospel to the Gentiles and how he has been given special grace to accomplish this. We read in verse 3:
"Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ..." (NIV)
I have always read and interpreted this verse in how it applies to my own situation. When Paul says that he is "less than the least of all God's people" I always applied the "worm" mentality to viewing myself in light of this verse. I would kind of imagine Paul weighing his good deeds vs. his bad deeds to see that he indeed was the least deserving of all God's people. But in rereading this passage recently, I began to think that maybe I've missed Paul's intent in this verse. Paul did indeed proclaim that he was "less than the least" or "the least deserving" but maybe it was in reference to and displaying the irony of his new calling from God.
God chose Paul to bring the good news of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Stop right there. Paul was charged with #1) proclaiming the Good News #2) to the Gentiles, the two things he was diametrically opposed to when he was known as Saul. It is generally accepted that Paul was a Pharisee, thoroughly trained in the Jewish laws and customs. He believed that the Pharisees had "the skinny" on who God was, what the message was, and for whom the message was intended. It certainly did not include the Gentiles. The Jews were the ones who were God's chosen people after all. And Jesus, according to the Pharisees, played no part in fulfilling the role of the Messiah. So now, Paul has done a complete 180, and God is using him in a new plan to include the Gentiles in His salvation. Do you now see the irony in Paul's statement "though I am the least deserving Christian there is..." (v.8, NLT) regarding his new assignment. It has much less to do with the "worm" theory.
Personal application time here. When I think of what God has called me to, it has always been to the things that I feel I am most uniquely qualified for or that I show a natural (or supernatural) talent for. Music is an example. I've been on worship teams for 15 years now and I believe that's how God has wanted to use me. But what if God wants to call me into a ministry that was so ironic that I would think, "of all God's more appropriate choices, why me?" - this statement seems to mirror Paul's sentiment much better. Therefore, that's my challenge of late. Is God calling me beyond what I feel I'm most qualified for? How about you? Do you think God may be calling you to something you're sure He has the wrong person for (Exodus 3:11)? Just a thought. I'll let you know what happens here.
"Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ..." (NIV)
I have always read and interpreted this verse in how it applies to my own situation. When Paul says that he is "less than the least of all God's people" I always applied the "worm" mentality to viewing myself in light of this verse. I would kind of imagine Paul weighing his good deeds vs. his bad deeds to see that he indeed was the least deserving of all God's people. But in rereading this passage recently, I began to think that maybe I've missed Paul's intent in this verse. Paul did indeed proclaim that he was "less than the least" or "the least deserving" but maybe it was in reference to and displaying the irony of his new calling from God.
God chose Paul to bring the good news of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Stop right there. Paul was charged with #1) proclaiming the Good News #2) to the Gentiles, the two things he was diametrically opposed to when he was known as Saul. It is generally accepted that Paul was a Pharisee, thoroughly trained in the Jewish laws and customs. He believed that the Pharisees had "the skinny" on who God was, what the message was, and for whom the message was intended. It certainly did not include the Gentiles. The Jews were the ones who were God's chosen people after all. And Jesus, according to the Pharisees, played no part in fulfilling the role of the Messiah. So now, Paul has done a complete 180, and God is using him in a new plan to include the Gentiles in His salvation. Do you now see the irony in Paul's statement "though I am the least deserving Christian there is..." (v.8, NLT) regarding his new assignment. It has much less to do with the "worm" theory.
Personal application time here. When I think of what God has called me to, it has always been to the things that I feel I am most uniquely qualified for or that I show a natural (or supernatural) talent for. Music is an example. I've been on worship teams for 15 years now and I believe that's how God has wanted to use me. But what if God wants to call me into a ministry that was so ironic that I would think, "of all God's more appropriate choices, why me?" - this statement seems to mirror Paul's sentiment much better. Therefore, that's my challenge of late. Is God calling me beyond what I feel I'm most qualified for? How about you? Do you think God may be calling you to something you're sure He has the wrong person for (Exodus 3:11)? Just a thought. I'll let you know what happens here.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Mark Twain said it best
I played golf today for the first time in probably six months or so. I only have one thing to say about it, supposedly from Mark Twain.
Golf is a good walk spoiled.
Golf is a good walk spoiled.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Your Calling
Have you ever felt guilty when you read the words in Matthew 28, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" and realize that you're sitting here in the good ole US of A enjoying your three bedroom home and the challenges of life here in the States? Do you ever wonder if you are being disobedient because you've read the word "Go" and you're still here? My hand is up in the air. But if you will indulge me for a moment, I want to raise a question. This may be very controversial to some of you and possibly offensive to others. I recently took an inductive Bible study course which instructs us to read the Word to see what it says. Investigate into what the passage means, not through tangential interpretations, but rather through the intentions of the original author(s), uncovering the facts that are plainly written in the Scriptures.
My question is this: Is it possible that the great commission wasn't given as a directive to ALL believers? Or possibly that we have misinterpreted it to mean that we must go somewhere to fulfill the commission?
In reading Matthew 28:16-20, we see that Jesus is speaking to the remaining 11 disciples. He had already appeared to the disciples and others, but he directed only the 11 to meet Him on the mountaintop. And he gave them their instructions to go, make, baptize, and instruct. The 11 disciples were the original apostles, the ones charged with the awesome task of spreading the Gospel from the centralized Jewish peoples into all the world. Remember that in those days the gospel was known only to those in that region. Today it has reached most (but certainly not all) of the world. The disciples HAD to go if the gospel would move beyond Jerusalem, Gallilee and the area. The disciples were apostles, who by definition are called to go and plant churches in regions previously unreached and to see those churches grow into maturity. In 1 Cor. 12, we read that God has directed some to be apostles, some prophets, some teachers and so on. Paul then asks, "Are all apostles?..." The answer is implied by the style of writing (rhetoric) - NO. In realizing that God has not called all of us to be apostles, we can then look at Matt. 28 in a different light. That God's command to go was meant #1 for those 11 disciples and #2 those who were subsequently called to be apostles.
Let's say your gift is that of administration. Then your gift is probably best served within the local body. Therefore are you being disobedient because you haven't gone to the ends of the earth to preach the gospel? We already live in the ends of the earth. The West hadn't even been discovered when any part of the Bible had been written.
I no longer want to live being persuaded by guilt to do something that I haven't been called to do or to be. There are evangelists and apostles whom I've met who can't understand why people wouldn't want to leave their homes and go to a strange land to preach the gospel. Using the body analogy, how could a foot possibly tell a lung how to be a lung? Can you imagine a foot saying to a lung "Why wouldn't you want to walk in the dust or get covered with mud or carry the weight of the entire body?" A lung couldn't possibly do any of that. All a foot knows is how to be a foot.
Some of us may not be called to preach to people, or to teach them. But we are all called to live lives that are transparent enough to let people see that through the broken and cracked exterior of ourselves, there is a living God dwelling in our hearts. We do that by loving each other, serving each other and being ready to give a reason, in season and out, for the hope that lies within us.
Maybe I'm wrong concerning the Great Commission and if I am, then I hope that #1 God reveals it to me and #2 those of you who are spiritual would restore me gently. I'm a common man trying to live an uncommon life for God, using the leading of the Spirit and the Word and not the misguided attempts of those trying to guilt (control) someone into a life not meant for them.
Any thoughts?
My question is this: Is it possible that the great commission wasn't given as a directive to ALL believers? Or possibly that we have misinterpreted it to mean that we must go somewhere to fulfill the commission?
In reading Matthew 28:16-20, we see that Jesus is speaking to the remaining 11 disciples. He had already appeared to the disciples and others, but he directed only the 11 to meet Him on the mountaintop. And he gave them their instructions to go, make, baptize, and instruct. The 11 disciples were the original apostles, the ones charged with the awesome task of spreading the Gospel from the centralized Jewish peoples into all the world. Remember that in those days the gospel was known only to those in that region. Today it has reached most (but certainly not all) of the world. The disciples HAD to go if the gospel would move beyond Jerusalem, Gallilee and the area. The disciples were apostles, who by definition are called to go and plant churches in regions previously unreached and to see those churches grow into maturity. In 1 Cor. 12, we read that God has directed some to be apostles, some prophets, some teachers and so on. Paul then asks, "Are all apostles?..." The answer is implied by the style of writing (rhetoric) - NO. In realizing that God has not called all of us to be apostles, we can then look at Matt. 28 in a different light. That God's command to go was meant #1 for those 11 disciples and #2 those who were subsequently called to be apostles.
Let's say your gift is that of administration. Then your gift is probably best served within the local body. Therefore are you being disobedient because you haven't gone to the ends of the earth to preach the gospel? We already live in the ends of the earth. The West hadn't even been discovered when any part of the Bible had been written.
I no longer want to live being persuaded by guilt to do something that I haven't been called to do or to be. There are evangelists and apostles whom I've met who can't understand why people wouldn't want to leave their homes and go to a strange land to preach the gospel. Using the body analogy, how could a foot possibly tell a lung how to be a lung? Can you imagine a foot saying to a lung "Why wouldn't you want to walk in the dust or get covered with mud or carry the weight of the entire body?" A lung couldn't possibly do any of that. All a foot knows is how to be a foot.
Some of us may not be called to preach to people, or to teach them. But we are all called to live lives that are transparent enough to let people see that through the broken and cracked exterior of ourselves, there is a living God dwelling in our hearts. We do that by loving each other, serving each other and being ready to give a reason, in season and out, for the hope that lies within us.
Maybe I'm wrong concerning the Great Commission and if I am, then I hope that #1 God reveals it to me and #2 those of you who are spiritual would restore me gently. I'm a common man trying to live an uncommon life for God, using the leading of the Spirit and the Word and not the misguided attempts of those trying to guilt (control) someone into a life not meant for them.
Any thoughts?
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