Ramdom Thoughts...

Curtis...

2012-02-09T15:14:00.002-05:00

loll this is so curtis...

Curtis: Is valentines coming up?
Joe: yeah
Joe: next week
Curtis: hmm... i wonder if the shooting range will be empty that night then
Joe: loll

Genesis 26 Cov Group

2012-02-03T09:55:00.001-05:00

- Start in prayer || Read Genesis 26 together

- Break up into small groups (led by Wang, Aaron,Joe)

o Get food || eat together || catch up || get toknow one another.

DiscussionQuestions

- When famine came, Isaac’s immediate response wasto look with his eyes and make decisions based on what he saw. (There was foodand water available in Egypt). However, God had different plans. He calls Isaacto trust in Him and follow Him instead.

o Was there a time when you had to go against yourown comfort zone/logic/emotions to trust in God? What was going through yourmind?

o How do you see God intervening in your life?

§ How does He intervene? (through the word,prayer, people, etc)

- Isaac’s obedience was not an act of blind faith.How did God back up His command to trust in Him?

o A: God backed his command with a promise. Godestablished the same promise with Isaac that He made with Abraham.

§ What was God’s promise to Isaac? What is God’spromise to us who trust in Him and obey?

· Romans 8:28-30 || Luke 9:23-25 || Proverbs 3:5-7

· Ultimately God promises Himself to us. That HeHimself will provide and lead us.

- In what ways are you similar to yourparents/siblings? Different?

o How was Isaac similar to his father Abraham?

- Why did Isaac choose to lie to Abimelech?

o What did this show about how he viewed God’spromise/word?

o Who was affected because of Isaac? How?

- Do we see any similarities in our lives? Howdoes this affect us? Those around us?

(Isaac didn’t trust in God, and to not trust in God is to trust inourselves. When we trust ourselves, we protect ourselves above all else, evenputting others in jeopardy.)

- Despite Isaac’s sin, how did God act?

o Have you experienced this kind of grace in yourlife?

§ (God keeps His promise, even when we are weakand sinful)

- How do you tend to deal with conflict? Do yourespond aggressively? Passively?

o How did Isaac respond to his conflict? Why?

o Knowing that we belong to God, how should thataffect the way you deal with conflict?

(The overly-aggressive can become humble and meek because of God. Theoverly-passive can become bold and stand up for truth because of God. In eithercase the focus is not us, but God who is our security)

- Abimelech and Phicol acknowledged God throughIsaac. How can we be people who display God’s blessing/character/gospel/etc. tothe world?

- Share prayer and pray together. Meet up in largegroup to finish.

Genesis 25 Cov Group

2012-02-02T09:17:00.000-05:00

I'll start posting my cov group plans to keep em somewhere...These definitely help me in meditating and applying the sermon to my own life.

Genesis 25 CovGroup

- Start in prayer

- Read Genesis 25 together

- Break up into small groups (led by Wang, Aaron,Joe)

o Get food and eat together

DiscussionQuestions

- What are some of your initial thoughts on thetext? What sticks out to you?

- V1-5: Abraham had many other sons in addition toIsaac and Ishmael, but the way he viewed his sons has changed since Chapter 15.How has he changed in his view of his children? How can we do the same?

o Abraham trusted the word of God that Isaacwould be the fulfillment of his promise

o Abraham didn’t put his hope in his own effort orhis children as he did before.

o As we grow in our relationship with God, we growin our trust in Him and respond accordingly.

- V7-17: Before focusing on the sons of Isaac, thepassage lists the sons of Ishmael. Noting Genesis 17:20, what does this tell usabout who God is, even to the non-elect?

o God remains faithful and keeps His promises,even to the non-elect.

- V19-27: In this passage, we see Isaac andRebekah choosing their favorite sons. Who does Abraham choose and why? Rebekah?Why? If you were in that situation, who might you choose? (Is it true that mostwould prefer someone like Esau?)

- V19-27: God made a choice as well. Read Romans9:6-13. Who did God choose? Why? How was this different from the way Isaac andRebekah chose?

o God doesn’t choose based on lineage (or bothEsau/Jacob would have been chosen), or on ability, or on appearance, or deeds,etc. God chooses us based on His sovereign will and grace.

o The way that God chooses us should be a sourceof comfort. Why?

§ If being chosen (read: saved and brought into arelationship with Him) by God was based on our own doing, there is no way thatwe would be chosen. God unconditionally chooses us by His own sovereign choice.

- V29-34: Here we see a younger brother whodeceives his older brother and steals his birthright, and an older brother whodespises it. However, we have an older brother (Jesus) who freely and willinglygave up His birthright, that we might receive the blessings of God. What are yourthoughts, and how should this truth affect the way we view ourselves/Christ?

o Thankfulness and love for Jesus, who freelygives us the inheritance that is His.

o We have the birthright, making us true childrenof God.

- V29-34: Read Hebrews 12:12-17. What does thispassage warn us of? When do we despise our birthright as children of God asEsau did?

o In our sin, we choose what is far inferior(pleasures of this world, immediate satisfaction: bowl of soup) over what isinfinitely superior (relationship and being heirs with Christ.)

- Share convictions, pray together, and come backto large group to end.

Social Network...

2012-02-01T23:07:00.001-05:00

I don't know if other people are like this, but when I get moody or emotional, somehow my knee-jerk response is to get on facebook. I somehow find release and comfort in posting comments (whether they are related to what im going through or not) and/or by commenting on the statuses of others.

I wonder where this desire comes from? Is it a desire to be heard? to feel that someone cares? To be acknowledged, even by something as silly as a 'thumbs up?' To be part of something? I think all of these are often true for me.

Instead of facebook (and maybe even blog? Except no one reads my blog anyways hehe) I want to find my comfort and acknowledgement in Christ alone. Instead of finding community in like buttons, I want to have deep relationships with the people God has placed in my life (CCC, Brian, Andy).

Hmm... on another note, I've really been noticing patterns in my life... they tell me a lot about who I am...

6 De-churching Trends

2012-01-31T10:47:00.001-05:00

Sent to you by Joe via Google Reader:

6 De-churching Trends

via Paul Tautges by Paul Tautges on 1/30/12

One of the least obvious, and yet most tragic, changes that Christianity has experienced in the past fifty years is the diminishment of the centrality of the local church in the life of many Christians. The Lord's Day, once considered a special day dedicated to the worship and service of God, is now treated like any other day by many Christians. And local church life, once considered the center of indispensable relationships within our spiritual family whom we love, encourage, and to whom we remain accountable, is now treated like an extra-curricular activity rather than an essential ingredient of the Christian life. The signs of the diminishing priority of the church are many. However, I will only mention the six trends that Kent Hughes highlights in his book, Set Apart: Calling a Worldly Church to a Godly Life.

Hitchhiker Christians: "The hitchhiker's thumb says, 'You buy the car, pay for repairs and upkeep and insurance, fill the car with gas—and I'll ride with you. But if you have an accident, you are on your own! And I'll probably sue.' So it is with the credo of many of today's church attenders: 'You go to the meetings and serve on the boards and committees, you grapple with the issues and do the work of the church and pay the bills—and I'll come along for the ride. But if things do not suit me, I'll criticize and complain and probably bail out. My thumb is always out for a better ride.'"
The consumer mentality: Many of today's Christians shop for a church like they build their supper at a cruise ship buffet. "Ecclesiastical shoppers attend one church for the preaching, send their children to a second church for its youth program, and go to a third church's small group. Their motto is to ask, 'What's in it for me?'" This has often been rightly called, Cafeteria Christianity.
Spectator Christianity: "Spectator Christianity feeds on the delusion that virtue can come through viewing, much like the football fan who imagines that he ingests strength and daring while watching his favorite pro team. Spectator sports and spectator Christianity produce the same thing—fans who cheer the players on while they themselves are in desperate need of engagement and meaning."
Drive-through Christians: "The nice thing about drive-through restaurants is that you can get what you want in a minimum of time with no more effort than a turn of your power steering. The tragic result is a drive-through nation of overweight, unfit people with an addiction to fast foods. So it is with drive-through Christians, who get their 'church fix' out of the way by attending a weeknight church service or early service on Sunday morning so the family can save the bulk of Sunday for the all-important soccer game or recreational trip. Of course, there is an unhappy price extracted over time in the habits and the arteries of a flabby soul—a family that is unfit for the battles of life and has no conception of being Christian soldiers in the great spiritual battle."
Relationless Christianity: In light of the New Testament call to believers to be part of the life of a community of people, it is ironic "that there are actually churches that trade in anonymity, going so far as to abolish membership and the registry of guests. Some churches have even replaced a pastor-in-the-flesh for a video-projected preacher on the screen—a 'virtual reality' version of the church."
Churchless 'worshipers': "The current myth is that a life of worship is possible, even better, apart from the church." So, instead of faithfully participating in a church, there are self-professing Christians today who prefer to have their own private worship service at a local coffee shop, or down by the lake, or in their living room—pajamas and all!

Of course, none of this is a surprise to God. The Apostle Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, predicted that in the last days men would be "lovers of self" rather than lovers of God (2 Timothy 3:2).

Hughes exposes two causes of what he calls, "De-churching." First, the popularity of "the invisible church," an unbiblical doctrine. And second, "the historic individualism of evangelical Christianity and the grass-roots American impulse against authority. The natural inclination is to think that you need only an individual relationship with Christ and no other authority. Such thinking produces Christian Lone Rangers who demonstrate their authenticity by riding not to church but out to the badlands, reference Bible in hand, to do battle singlehandedly with the world." Yet the opposite is true. If you adopt this kind of individualistic mindset, you are sure to be one of the casualties of war. A soldier all alone is an open target and Satan knows it. And a lack of commitment will leave you stunted in your relationship with God and other believers. Because, as Hughes says,

The entire Christian life is about commitment—first and above all to Christ, but also to the church, to family, to marriage, to friendship, to ministry. None of these will ever flourish apart from commitment. Marriage, for example, can never produce the security, satisfaction, and growth that it promises unless there is commitment. On the most elementary level, you do not have to go to church to be a Christian. You do not have to go home to be married either. But in both cases if you do not, you will have a very poor relationship. Here is the point: It is my considered belief that those who do not have the local church at the very center of their lives are likely not to make it as Christians through the opening decades of the third millennium.

More than ever before we as believers need to understand the priority and function that God infused into His design of the local church. Let me encourage you to use the following outline of three biblical analogies of the church in your own personal Bible study or small group. Pray for the Holy Spirit to re-ignite your passion for the church.

THE CHURCH IS THE FAMILY OF GOD

1 John 3:11-18 - Four Observations from 1 John 3:11-18

Love for the other members of our spiritual family is commanded by God, not optional.
Love for the other members of our spiritual family is a window into the true state of our heart.
True love is sacrificial.
Love for the other members of our spiritual family results in meeting one another's material needs.

1 John 4:7-12 – Two Observations from 1 John 4:7-12

Love for the other members of our spiritual family is a fruit of the gospel's work in our hearts.
Love for the other members of our spiritual family is an imitation of God.

Key Application Point: As the family of God, we belong to each other and are called to love one another in the truth.

THE CHURCH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST

5 Observations from 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

There is one body with many parts, designed according to the Spirit's will.
Inferiority hinders proper body function.
Superiority hinders proper body function.
The mature response in both cases is this: "I need the other members of the body just as much as they need me."
Humility promotes unity.

Key Application Point: As the body of Christ, each and every one of us is necessary to its proper functioning. We are inter-dependent.

THE CHURCH IS THE TEMPLE OF GOD'S PRIESTS

4 Observations from 1 Peter 2:4-10

Christ is the Living Stone.
We are living stones, each a part of God's building/temple.
We are spiritual priests, each called to offer spiritual sacrifices.
We are the people of God, called to proclaim the excellencies of Him.

Key Application Point: As the temple of God, each and every one of us is a minister carrying out the sacrificial calling of God's priesthood.

Active involvement in the life of the local church is indispensable to healthy spiritual growth. We need the church!

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Eating habits..

2012-01-30T22:57:00.001-05:00

Im in a phase right now where im constantly craving junk foods. Not the cookie and ice cream kind but the fries and burger kind. These phases come every once in awhile and im sure that it gets triggered by some mental or emotional state, but what?? Am I anxious? Restless? I got to get to the bottom of this..

Unanswered Prayer...

2012-01-29T10:46:00.001-05:00

Thanking God that He would refuse our prayer, knowing and trusting that our desires are sinful and that He is good? Interesting... I want to pray like that

My first journal...

2012-01-28T10:44:00.001-05:00

"God created the heavens + the earth and rested on the 7th day..."

This was from like 10 years ago c:

Is Cage Fighting Ethical for Christians?

2012-01-25T13:24:00.001-05:00

very very interesting set of articles written by Christians about their thoughts on Cage Fighting.... As I enjoy Muay Thai more and more i think it's wise to consider both sides. I would disagree with the first guy but hm...

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Is Cage Fighting Ethical for Christians?

via Christianity Today Magazine on 1/25/12

Observers weigh in on participating in or watching sports and violence.

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A New Humanity: The Corporate Church

2012-01-20T15:04:00.001-05:00

Very interesting article... I think our church stresses this idea a lot in viewing ourselves as one of Christ's people and not only as individuals who have been saved by Christ.

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A New Humanity: The Corporate Church

via Mars Hill Church by Mars Hill Blog on 1/20/12

by R.C. Sproul

"Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all." - Colossians 3:11

Because of the emphasis on conversion in evangelicalism, most of us probably tend to think of redemption in individualistic terms. The questions we ask ourselves and others confirm this: Am I saved? Are you saved? Do I have a personal relationship with Jesus? Do you know Christ? Of course, to think of salvation in terms of the individual is not inappropriate. Scripture again and again speaks of the need for individual faith and repentance; in fact, this was the subject of Jesus' first sermon (Mark 1:14–15). John the Baptist condemned the Pharisees and Sadducees for trusting in their familial heritage and not in the gracious Lord (Matthew 3:7–10). Examples could be multiplied, but the point is clear — no one gets into the kingdom of God based on the faith of another person; we are all required to believe.

Still, if we are not careful, we can focus on the individual aspect of redemption too much and lose Scripture's view of corporate salvation. That is to say, God does not merely save isolated individuals but rather saves a specific people. He called Israel out of bondage, not Moses alone (Exodus 3:7–8). Christ died to purchase a church made up of multiple people, not just one person, whether Leah, Alexander, Robin, Joey, Claire, Nathan or anyone else (Ephesians 5:25–27). Thus, the common statement that "Jesus would have died for person X even if person X was the only person ever created," while well intentioned, is not exactly true. Christ died to save his people.

When God purposed to save his people, he also purposed to create a new humanity. We saw in Colossians 3:9–10 how God in Christ takes off the old self (mankind in Adam) from his people and puts on the new self (mankind in Christ). This new self is a humanity that transcends all of the distinctions between human beings without obliterating them. We see this in today's passage, wherein Paul speaks of the new self as a corporate body in which there is no ethnic or class distinctions (Colossians 3:11). Everyone who trusts Jesus alone is indwelled by him through his Spirit — he "is all, and in all." Therefore, no one in the church is closer to him than anyone else. From the poorest slave to the richest free man, from the most cultured Greek to the most uncouth barbarian, from the most observant Jew to the formerly rankest pagan, all are on equal footing in the new humanity God is building in Christ.

Coram Deo

One commentator has aptly said that "no one is joined to Christ except together with a neighbor." We cannot therefore be "lone ranger Christians," and we cannot survive without the local church. It is incumbent upon all believers to become members of a local body wherein the gospel is preached, the sacraments are administered rightly, and discipline is carried out according to the standards of the Word of God.

Passages for Further Study

Genesis 12:1–3 

Isaiah 19:16–25

Galatians 3:28–29 

1 Peter 2:4–10

Devotion adapted from Ligonier Ministries, the teaching fellowship of R.C. Sproul.

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These Are Not Photos: Realism by Steve Mills

2012-01-19T09:19:00.001-05:00

these are insane!!!! I love realism

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These Are Not Photos: Realism by Steve Mills

via WebUrbanist by Steph on 1/14/12

[ By Steph in Graffiti & Drawing. ]

These images appear to be mundane photographs, capturing scenes that we all see in our daily lives. Jumbles of newspapers, peeling paint on a wooden gate, jars full of marbles, glass bottles shining in the sun. Look closer, and you still may not even realize that they're not photographs after all.

Down to unimaginable details like stamped-on 'best-by' dates, tiny snippets of text, drops of dew and wood texture so well realized you can almost feel it, these hyper-realistic paintings by Steve Mills leave no doubt as to the talent they take to produce.

Early in his career, Mills "had collectors literally airing in line outside the gallery before an opening; creating such a frenzy, one show sold out in 10 minutes. However, with the time it takes to paint in the photorealist technique – some paintings taking over 500 hours – it has proven impossible to do more than one gallery opening a year."

At his website, Mills not only displays dozens of these paintings, but offers high-resolution images of them that allow you to get a practically microscopic look. Even then, it's hard to spot brush strokes or any other signs that they've been created with a human hand.

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[ By Steph in Graffiti & Drawing. ]

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Satan's Great Desire

2012-01-19T07:53:00.001-05:00

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Satan's Great Desire

via Challies Dot Com - Informing the Reforming by Tim on 1/16/12

I have been engaged in a study of the second half of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, and, not surprisingly, the themes from that letter have been resonating in my mind over the past few weeks. I have been struck by Paul's emphasis on the importance of love and unity in the local church. On the one hand it's kind of obvious—we need to love the Christians around us—but on the other hand, the personal implications are profound. I've always known that God calls me to love the people I covenant with in my local church, but until now I haven't been quite so aware of the danger of falling out of love.

Paul did not seem to have any particular concern with the unity of this church in Ephesus. As far as we can tell he wasn't writing because the church was splintering apart or because he had heard rumors of their disunity. But perhaps this was even more reason for him to address the issue. Paul knew that Satan is the great enemy of God and his people, and one of his enduring tactics to disrupt the church and to hinder our witness to the world is to bring about disunity. How does he do this? He does it by first eroding the love between brothers and sisters in Christ.

Wherever there is disunity there will first be the absence of love and the presence of pride. Satan's great desire for your church and for mine is to fracture the people in those churches into camps, into groups built along lines that have no business dividing us. We may know this in the abstract, but we need to make it personal. Here is what we need to see: God wants me and commands me to love the other people in my church; Satan wants me to hate them. God wants me to feel a great deal of unity with those people; Satan wants there to be an issue between us—something, anything, to drive us apart.

Have you ever paused to think about this? Do you know that Satan is actively working in your local church right now to drive a wedge between you and the other people there? He wants you to hate that other person—or at least to stop loving that other person—and he is constantly giving you opportunity to do just that. A quick survey of church history, whether on a global or local scale, will show just how successful he has been. He will split churches into factions by first making those Christians find reasons not to love one another, not to bear with one another in love.

Do you feel alienated from someone in your church? Then Satan is already sowing the seeds of disunity, the seeds of what it may take to split your church right up the middle. Do you outright hate someone in your church? Then Satan has already scored a victory and your church is already breaking apart. God then calls you to immediately work to restore the love that needs to exist between you.

There is good news, though. We need to be aware of Satan's tactics, but we don't need to be afraid. When Paul writes to the Ephesian church he does not tell them that they have to build unity from nothing. Instead, he says that the unity they are to have, and the unity we are to have, already exists and we just need to maintain it. Paul uses a metaphor to illustrate this. Twice in the letter he has said that he is a prisoner of the Lord—that he is in prison, in chains, chained to his guard. He returns to that language to say that believers are chained together. You and the other people in your local church, you are bound together. It's like there is a chain that runs from you to the person down the row from you, and to the person beside him, and on throughout the building. You are all chained together in unity through Christ, through what he has done in each one of you.

What he says is that if your local church is to be unified, you need to grab ahold of that existing unity and hang on to it for dear life. No matter what your differences are, you cannot allow yourself to be divided from the Christians around you. How can you do that? How can you maintain that oneness? Well, it turns out that God has already thought about that and that he has already equipped you to do that. You just need to use the tools he has provided. I guess that may be a topic for another day (Hint: Paul goes on to discuss spiritual gifting and speaking truth in love).

For now, though, you may do well to read just the first few verses of Ephesians 4 and to consider the love God calls you to have and to express toward the people in your local church. These are the people God has called you to love, to serve, to minister to. Do you love them? Are you growing in love for them? Wherever that love is diminishing, wherever that love is growing cold, Satan is pushing his way into your church; he may just be using you as his agent for disunity.

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Dogs Go To Heaven?

2012-01-17T09:26:00.003-05:00

A coworker of mine asked me today whether or not I believed dogs to to heaven.
Eventually the conversation reminded us of this pic and we had a good laugh :)

Material Blessings...

2012-01-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

When God gives more to us materially, it is a wonderful blessing! However, the blessing is in the fact that now you have more to give to God! You can experience more of the joy that comes with participating in kingdom work! More of the joy that comes from cheerful giving!Let's not miss out on the true blessing of God's physical blessings by hoarding for ourselves.

2012 Resolutions...

2012-01-13T12:17:00.003-05:00

1. Learn what it means to love the church. Love sacrificially and selflessly even if it means I'm vulnerable and uncomfortable. Meditate more on the love of God that I might be able to love as God does.
2. Be a man of my word.
3. Be a man of prayer.

Help me Lord :)

6 Types Of People In Church Planting

2012-01-12T08:17:00.002-05:00

found this interesting article on the Acts 29 blog. It was especially interesting to me since our church is a new church plant. It really made me reevaluate which of these groups I fall into, as well as which of these groups I want to strive to be in.

http://www.acts29network.org/acts-29-blog/six-types-of-people-you-meet-in-church-planting/

I want to be part of the Christ Covenant Church family. Not just an attender or a fan, but a committed member who takes ownership of the calling that God has given to our church.

I'm going all-in! May God alone be glorified.

Loving...

2012-01-10T07:59:00.002-05:00

Being free to love people no matter how they see you... I want to love people in that way.

Jesus, thank You for showing me love. Im very far away from truly loving like You but thank You for loving me to anyways.

Loneliness...

2012-01-09T14:19:00.003-05:00

Is it God’s will concerning you, that in the midst of friends you should feel friendless; that amid the activities of life your spiritual life should be solitary; and that, like David, you should often feel as a sparrow alone upon the house-top? This is just the discipline your Heavenly Father sees the most needful. You are now treading the path your Master trod; you have closer communion with the isolation of your blessed Lord. And are you really alone in this solitude? Impossible! Isolated you may be from man, you are all the nearer to Christ. The less we have of the creature, the more we have of God.

We do not undervalue, in speaking thus, the sweetness and the solace- for which our intellectual and social being often craves- of human companionship and sympathy. Jesus Himself asked it, and the disciple must not be above his Lord. It were pure pretense to regard ourselves as totally independent of its influence. This were to ignore one of the sweetest, holiest privileges of our Christianity, “the communion of saints.” But, if our Father ordains for our feet a path of much solitude, we may depend upon a deeper teaching of the Spirit, and a more personal experience of the blessings which flow from a closer contact with the Cross.

-The Solitude of the Cross: Octavius Winslow

[from Moses' blog]

Mountain Dew Melts Mice??

2012-01-09T07:17:00.002-05:00

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-drink/mountain-dew-melts-mice

Thai Shorts...

2012-01-04T08:07:00.001-05:00

I want some obnoxiously awesome thai shorts like these!!!

http://www.ndmartialarts.com/muaythaishorts.html

someone buy them for me!

Wilderness University

2011-12-19T07:46:00.001-05:00

Interesting Post...

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Wilderness University

via David Murray - Leadership for Servants | HeadHeartHand Blog by David Murray on 12/15/11

I've been reading through Steve Jobs' biography with considerable disappointment. Not because it's not a good read; it's a superbly written and entertaining book. No, my disappointment, even shock, has been in discovering what a horrible character Jobs was in his early career. How could such an ugly character produce so much beauty? But then I remembered a post I wrote a long while back about the the life- and character-transforming "university" we both attended later in life.

May 1985.

Apple's mountain of unsold inventory was growing along with its debts. Sales were declining and losses were looming. Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs was "relieved of operating responsibilities," and a few months later he resigned from the chairman's post to start a new computer company called NeXT.

What came next for Jobs was the unexpected – 12 years in the corporate wilderness. 12 years of painful, dispiriting, humiliating, stressful failure. His vision was to build a high-powered personal mainframe computer for students. He was advised to keep the price under $2000, but ended up going to market with an underpowered computer carrying a $6500 price tag. For students! The printer alone was another $2000.

When students didn't bite, Jobs started selling to businesses and fared little better. He eventually got out of manufacturing and tried to make NeXT's software profitable. His main customer was Apple R&D, who eventually took over the company when Jobs returned to Apple in 1997.

And what a return it was! Apple's business model was rotten and fermenting. Fruitful it was not. But Jobs' return turned Apple around and the rest, as they say is history (and billions of dollars).

What changed? All who know Jobs agree that the wilderness years transformed him:

"It's hard to see how anything like that would have transpired. The Steve Jobs who returned to Apple was a much more capable leader — precisely because he had been badly banged up. He had spent 12 tumultuous, painful years failing to find a way to make the new company profitable" (Randall Stross, Professor of Business at San Jose University).

"I am convinced that he would not have been as successful after his return at Apple if he hadn't gone through his wilderness experience at Next" (Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies).

"He's the same Steve in his passion for excellence, but a new Steve in his understanding of how to empower a large company to realize his vision" (Kevin Compton, previously senior executive at Businessland).

Among the lessons he learned were:

How to delegate. At NeXT he did everything, from designing the office furnishings to designing the finish on internal computer screws. He once kept Businessland executives waiting 20 minutes as he directed a landscaping crew where to place sprinkler heads.
How to listen to advice. Many had tried to advise and counsel Jobs, but he wouldn't listen. Seven vice-presidents left or were "let go" from NeXT from 1992-1993.
How to retain, not just attract, top talent. Apple Inc. has a remarkably stable executive team.
Stop modeling future technology on past technology. The iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad all abandoned conventional shapes.

The idea of a life-transforming wilderness experience is nothing new to the Christian, of course. Moses, David, and even our Lord Himself went to Wilderness University. Nobody wants to study there, but God sometimes sees fit to send us there.

I spent nine months in Wilderness University in the year 2000. And I learned more there than I ever learned in Seminary. Our church had divided over moral and doctrinal matters. I was sure I had done what was right and had taken a stand for truth. Yet I ended up without a congregation and on the pastoral shelf for nine long months. I was so cast down, I even stopped preaching for a couple of months and withdrew from all church service.

Among the lessons I learned at WU:

No one is indispensible. God may use us for a time and then leave us out of the picture for a while as His picks up other instruments to advance his Kingdom.
God does not owe us anything. At the end of the day we are unprofitable servants, having done only what was required of us.
You can do the right things in the wrong way. Pride, self-confidence, and the desire for victory and vindication are obscene, whatever the rights and wrongs of a situation.
Self-pity is dangerous pity. Feeling sorry for oneself is utterly pointless, totally selfish, and spiritually catastrophic.
God bruises and breaks to prepare for future usefulness and fruitfulness. Without the wilderness I was nowhere near ready to pastor the flock God gave me in November 2000.

No, my return from WU was not as financially profitable for me as it was for Steve Jobs. However, I do believe it produced a huge spiritual return that continues to pay dividends to this day.

If God has you presently enrolled in one of WU's courses, I hope you will be encouraged by the invaluable lessons you can learn there. I'll probably be back for a refresher course some day as well!

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Laundry lessons...

2011-12-18T12:59:00.001-05:00

"When you have both your and your dad's laundry to hang, make sure you always use the plastic hangars for your dad and you can use the rest if there are any left over."

I was doing laundry today and this quote from my mom that randomly popped into my mind. It was funny because it was a passing comment that my mom made to me just once as I was hanging laundry with her back in high school. Even so, I realized that since then I have been subconsciously ranking my clothes to put the better clothes on the better plastic hangars (vs the wire ones that leave clothes in odd shapes.) I would never have made this distinction on my own c:

If you know my dad at all you would know that he's not a chauvinist. He never demands respect from anyone and is the most humble person I know. He would be the last one to care what kind of hangars his clothes hung on, and neither would he notice the difference.

However, from this my mom showed me how much she cared for my dad. She respected him and called for me to do the same. As I interact with my family I am constantly learning more about what it means to put others before yourself, especially those who are older or are in authority. And this is to be done, not only when people are watching, but at all time.

Thanks parents. You are pretty great parents.

Money Matters...

2011-12-14T15:29:00.002-05:00

Here is a set of interesting posts by Tim Challies about money. I have been pondering this topic a lot lately...

http://www.challies.com/christian-living/thinking-wrongly-about-money
http://www.challies.com/christian-living/money-matters-do-i-have-to-give
http://www.challies.com/christian-living/money-matters-how-much-do-i-give

hopefully they will give you food for thought as it has given me.

Serve Your King...

2011-12-13T19:19:00.002-05:00

Serve Your King. from Christ Covenant Church on Vimeo.

Criticism...

2011-12-10T17:53:00.001-05:00

If criticism hurts you, then praise will affect you negatively as well. Both criticism and praise are invitations to find your identity in opinions of people.-Bob Sorge

Maybe Timeliness is Next to Godliness

2011-12-09T10:22:00.001-05:00

very interesting to see how tardiness is not primarily a physical but a spiritual issue.

Sent to you by Joe via Google Reader:

Maybe Timeliness is Next to Godliness

via Gentle Reformation by Jared Olivetti on 12/8/11

Tardiness to worship is like the common cold. Every church deals with it. It's not the most serious malady facing us, yet it distracts us and drains us. And we have yet to find the cure.

I feel safe telling you all that my church family struggles to get to worship on time–because it's like telling you that my children are sinners. No surprise, right? Every church has been there…every Sunday, probably. So here's a shot at examining the problem from a Spiritual, Biblical perspective.

Preliminary #1–I'm not mad. Please know that I'm not writing this article out of frustration or to demean my lovely and committed church family but out of a sincere desire to think through this problem with you.

Preliminary #2–I realize that some will say the importance of being on time is culturally determined and not Biblically determined, that churches in Africa don't worry about this at all. This is somewhat true, but realize this: we live in this Western civilization and can't escape the strictures of our culture just by pointing at them. Being on time is culturally important, so we who live in this culture must value it as well.

Preliminary #3–Life is messy and things happen. This is about patterns of tardiness or promptness, not just that one time you had a flat tire on the way to worship. Or the time I hit my car with my van while backing out of the garage, fifteen minutes from the start of service.

The Problem: Why lateness to worship is a problem serious enough to address

Being on time communicates respect. If you and I have a regular meeting and you are always five or ten minutes late, I will eventually take it personally. Perhaps it won't be the first or second time (everyone has bad hair days) but maybe the third time. Tardiness communicates a lack of sincere interest in the meeting or the person. Can it be any less so with God?

If the heart of worship is exalting God's worth-ship, we've almost lost before we've begun when we show up late, communicating with our lateness the opposite of what we sing with our songs.

Being late to worship can only hurt your worship. Worshiping well is hard work. Rewarding, to be sure, but difficult nonetheless. It requires concentration, willfully opening our ears, minds and hearts to God and His Word, and exercising faith to shake off the cobwebs of worldliness in order to focus on Jesus. Singing Psalms well sometimes means a few different mental processes at the same time!

For most of us, being late causes stress and distraction. If we're with family or in a group, it often causes disunity–even if that disunity is well-masked by years of practice. These are forces that actively work against us doing worship well. As if Satan needed an ally in that battle. Conversely, we can pray and act with John Calvin, who prayed, "My heart I offer you, Lord, sincerely and promptly."

Being late to worship can't help anyone else's worship. A final reason to take this issue seriously is our Biblical call to care deeply for one another (Jn. 13:34-35). If worshiping well is a challenge for you, it is no less so for your brothers and sisters in the church. Many of them purposefully arrive early to have time to collect themselves, gather their children into the pew and take a few minutes of much needed preparation. And although not everyone is distracted or discouraged by latecomers, some are. Keeping yourself from being a speed bump to others' worship is reason enough to tackle the problem.

The Solutions: Spiritual truths and practical help

Realize the issue is a Spiritual one before it is a practical one. Have you ever wondered just why it is that your family has a hard time getting to worship on time but not getting to the school bus on time? Why are Sunday mornings so difficult? Isn't it because we have an enemy, a prowling lion seeking to devour us any way he can, including keeping us from engaging in worship fully?

Make no mistake, Satan has a vested interest in your tardiness to worship. If he can't keep you from worship, he can at least spoil your delight in God. He can do this by tempting you to anger at your family or self-centeredness in your worship. If we admit this is a Spiritual battle, we'll begin in the right place by picking up the right weapons: prayerful reliance on Jesus through His Spirit.

Commit to the conviction. If you haven't committed yourself and your family to valuing corporate worship as the most important part of your week, it has to be the starting point (Ps. 122 is a great place to start). If you haven't wrestled with God's call for you to honor the Lord's Day, it needs to be the second place you go. Without these convictions, any attempts at promptness are likely either based in pride or doomed to fail (or both).

Toward this end, if you do struggle with tardiness and want to build or buttress your convictions, I suggest reading good books and getting counsel from your elders and others who do better than you in this area.

Discern your own (and your family's) stumbling point. Each individual and family is unique. No one is going to have the exact same challenge on Sunday mornings (or Saturday nights). Take the time to figure out the problem before the problem. What causes you to be late? Is it lack of sleep? Is it too much sleeping in on Sunday morning? Is tardiness a problem at other times for you or not? Once you see what the stumbling blocks, begin to go on the offensive! Take steps to overcome the problems.

As an aside, we should realize that the these speed bumps could also point to idols in our life. If your lack of sleep on Saturday nights is due to watching movies or playing video games, consider which god your heart is really worshipping.

Be a team. First, be a team in your household. You're in this together. You'll all get to worship late or on time together. Fathers especially, work to cultivate the mindset of unity toward the goal. It's easy to make it all about us, about not wanting to be embarrassed by tardiness. How can your family or household work together on Sunday mornings to make the whole Sabbath a delight to each person in the home?

Second, be a team in your congregation. Again, you're in this together. Find someone you respect who can hold you accountable, pray for you and encourage you. We're not in a competition to be the earliest or have the best behaved kids. We're a family and, to a large degree, our worship will sink or swim together.

Finally, late is better than not at all. Every single pastor and every single church family I know would much rather worship with you late than not at all!

—–

So that's it. Again, I realize this isn't the most important problem facing Jesus' bride. But it is a problem and one that, for His sake, should be dealt with honestly and lovingly. I would love to hear your thoughts, especially any practical tips you have for being on time to worship.

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Christ Covenant Church: Money...

2011-12-04T21:01:00.000-05:00

Christ Covenant Church: Money...: "Is it ok for a Christian to drive a Benz?" "Is it ok for a Christian to buy designer clothes?" "Is it ok for a Christian to...

Andy...

2011-12-03T23:23:00.001-05:00

A typical conversation between Andy and me :) cracks me up!me: you think one year in abraham time waas one year here? Andy: why would abraham time be different? me: just wonderingwhen God came to abraham and said he'd have a son in a yearthat means then that abraham and sarah had to have sex after that point rigt?i always assumed that she was pregnant at that point' Andy: yeah presumably they must have started trying again (unless they stopped). I dont htink anyting would have changed normal sun circling the earth or pregnancy times(assuming they stopped) me: yeai just think it's a notable act of faithbecause it emphasizes that sarah was past menopause Andy: yeah it was a great act of faiththey didnt even have viagra me: lollll

Test Yourself: Are You Lukewarm?

2011-12-01T14:29:00.001-05:00

convicting

Sent to you by Joe via Google Reader:

Test Yourself: Are You Lukewarm?

via Desiring God Blog by Josh Etter on 11/28/11

Pastor John:

The essence of lukewarmness is the statement, "I need nothing." The lukewarm are spiritually self-satisfied. To find out whether you are among that number, don't look into your head to see if you think that you are needy; rather, look at your prayer life. It doesn't matter what we think in our head, the test of whether we are in bondage to spiritual self-satisfaction is how earnest and frequent and extended our prayers for change are.

Do you seek the Lord earnestly and often in secret for deeper knowledge of Christ, for greater earnestness in prayer, for more boldness in witness, for sweeter joy in the Holy Spirit, for deeper sorrow for sin, for warmer compassion for the lost, for more divine power to love? Or is the coolness and perfunctoriness of your prayer life Exhibit A that you are spiritually self-satisfied and lukewarm?

Excerpted from How to Buy Gold When You're Broke

________

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What I Learned from Being Discipled

2011-11-19T01:08:00.001-05:00

Very interesting article

http://www.gospelcentereddiscipleship.com/what-i-learned-from-being-discipled/

Prayer...

2011-11-15T15:23:00.001-05:00

Me thinks God is trying to teach me about prayer... must not miss out and respond!

God, make me a man...

2011-11-13T11:23:00.001-05:00

God, make me a man with thick skin and a soft heart. Make me a man who is tough and tender. Make me tough so I can handle life. Make me tender so I can love people. God, make me a man.

Church Blog!

2011-11-12T11:15:00.003-05:00

I'm not entirely sure who still reads this blog... probably no one :)

but if you do... I highly recommend that you check out my church blog!

http://christcovchurch.blogspot.com/

We started a blog as a post as a church and I am constantly blessed and challenged by the things that are posted there every week. Check it out!

Yeah boi!

2011-11-11T11:47:00.000-05:00

Me and curtis' guns

Pursuing God...

2011-11-11T08:21:00.001-05:00

"The idea of cultivation and exercise, so dear to the saints of old, has now no place in our religious picture. It is too slow, too common. We now demand glamour and fast flowing dramatic action. A generation of christians reared among push buttons ans automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals. We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our short devotions and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy bt attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar..."

-Tozer

How true this is, especially today... God, I want to seek You in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary.

Insecurities...

2011-10-31T06:38:00.001-04:00

I am constantly being convicted as to how dependent I am on the approval of others. The more time I take to evaluate my motivations for doing things, whether at church, or work, or in my various relationships, the more I find that my motivation for doing things is in gaining the approval and respect of others.

This idol shows up especially when I feel like im not approved. I hate to be misunderstood, or criticized, or when I feel that people have negative impressions of me.

LORD, Im sorry for my idolatry of self. Just like when you called Abram out of Haran, You called me to leave everything else that I find my comfort and identity in and find it all in You. Help me to desire approval only from You. I've made mistakes, and am far too flawed and sinful to be approved by man. Heck, Jesus You were perfect and people STILL rejected You. Remind me that I have been completely accepted and approved by You because of Jesus' perfect life and death. Help me to find joy and confidence in that alone. Thank You, I love You.

"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You o my Rock and my Redeemer..."

Watch "how mothers deliver a baby from little girl point of view" on YouTube

2011-10-24T10:02:00.001-04:00

Lol cute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dggt7PuoG00&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Cofree...

2011-09-30T00:32:00.001-04:00

I can't believe I missed cofree day!!!!

Fishing...

2011-09-30T00:31:00.003-04:00

spent hours talking theology and ministry with parents, and my hands smell like fish guts... best day ever!

Fishing...

2011-09-30T00:31:00.001-04:00

spent hours talking theology and ministry with parents, and my hands smell like fish guts... best day ever!

qwertyuiophil: tomatojuice—: fagology: stravvberryrose: An...

2011-09-28T21:50:00.001-04:00

Hehe

http://butterish.tumblr.com/post/10753610212

Pokemon Evolution of a Coffee Addict

2011-09-27T19:54:00.001-04:00

http://www.dorkly.com/comic/24113/pokemon-evolution-of-a-coffee-addict

Funny people...

2011-09-25T21:01:00.001-04:00

Man, I just had to repost this little blurb from Siwon's blog.
She couldn't have summed up my feelings any better than this.
Just have to remember that Jesus understands. Jesus cares, loves, and accepts me like no one else can. Rather than being frustrated or bitter, I want to cling to Him.

we're funny people

we want people to understand us,
but we're too afraid to open up
we like to be alone,
but we don't like to be lonely
we don't like being judged,
yet we judge others
we think that we're alone in the world,
yet we are all similar

we constantly contradict ourselves

in the end, we all crave the same things
we want genuine love and care no matter what culture, gender, age
we just want to love and be loved

The Computer Dilemma

2011-09-22T06:30:00.001-04:00

Lol my life

http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2011/09/21/the-computer-dilemma/

Being In and Under Authority

2011-09-21T23:38:00.001-04:00

http://feeds.pastormark.tv/~r/pastormark/~3/atqFRwrC6vM/being-in-and-under-authority

The Presence of Christ in Times of Loneliness - Tim Conway

2011-09-15T23:11:00.001-04:00

A message I needed to hear. Jesus I want to know You, and See You in a more intimate way. Help me to pursue You with all my heart and find You as my all-satisfying treasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MTlZZt1doc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Gender Studies: Ikea Tests Out "Manland," a Holding Pen For Bored Male Shoppers

2011-09-15T22:42:00.001-04:00

Lol

http://curbed.com/archives/2011/09/15/ikea-tests-out-manland-a-holding-pen-for-bored-male-shoppers.php

Art Gallery...

2011-09-13T20:54:00.001-04:00

I walk out of the art gallery to the riverwalk, only to see an infinitely greater art gallery before me! The water, air, plants, insects..
even me... what artist is there like You??

Relaxing...

2011-09-10T19:39:00.001-04:00

River is really flooded... still so relaxing to watch the water tho c:

24...

2011-09-07T22:23:00.001-04:00

Not to us O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness for 24 years and always!

Thank You...

2011-09-06T21:50:00.001-04:00

That's all I wanted to say LORD.

Thank You. I love You.

Rambo...

2011-08-31T22:42:00.001-04:00

This was one of my favorite movies growing up!!! I remember I would go to my friend Darren's house every day, go swimming till lunch, come back and order pork fried rice with no onions, and watch this movie. We pretty much watched it every day!

Good times...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n1hKQULa9Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I want...

2011-08-30T15:03:00.001-04:00

To be a man of my word, and a man of His Word...

lol

2011-08-30T08:12:00.001-04:00

I think i'm like this often :)

Manhood...

2011-08-29T23:56:00.001-04:00

I want to be a man who lives out his convictions. To be led by character, wisdom, integrity, and theology rather than emotions or passions.

God, I desperately want it...

Discipline...

2011-08-28T22:38:00.001-04:00

Im really thankful for God's discipline. When I start replacing God for idols in my life, or when I start settling in my comfort zone, God lovingly yet sternly takes those things away. It is uncomfortable and hurts. I even hate it at times. But still I know, that God loves me and will do whatever it takes to give me the greatest joy. Namely, Himself!

Lord, help me to embrace your discipline as an act of love. Give mr the humility to allow You to mold me. I know I am hardheaded and stubborn, but I know You wont quit until I look like Christ.

Thank You. I love You

Question to ponder:
Do you ever go through God's discipline? Where you are forced to lay down whatever is keeping You from God? If not, who is it that you are worshipping? Does this god love you? Is he a god at all? A god that we go to for love and heaven but not sanctification is not God at all, but a made-up idol.

Hebrews 12

Note to self...

2011-08-28T22:27:00.001-04:00

Don't eat peaches then take contacts out. This will cause a painful allergic reaction in your eyes...

In fact, just stop eating peaches you idiot...

But they're soo goooodddd!

Awesomeness in a tube!

2011-08-27T07:08:00.001-04:00

Caffeine & Edibles : SPAM Lip Glaze
http://www.thinkgeek.com/ea1d/

Frustration...

2011-08-25T06:06:00.001-04:00

Sigh... what's wrong with me lately? I keep forgetting and losing things lately. Its six in the morning now and Im sitting on my front step because I locked my keys in my house. I called ChunSung but I needed to be at an office by six thirty...

It's funny how even little things like this can really sap your joy. Actually, there has been many things trying to take away my joy lately. But when you think about it, what are these things compared to Christ? I have a relationship with a God who literally loves me to death. If I have Christ, I think I can let some things go.

Help me to find my joy in You.

Barnabas...

2011-08-24T21:39:00.002-04:00

If there is any person in the bible (other than Christ) I want to imitate, it's Barnabas.

And when he [Paul] had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
(Acts 9:26-31 ESV)

Barnabas was a man who understood the gospel. He understood how God worked in believers to transform them completely from the inside out. He was able to even embrace someone like Paul, knowing that there is no sinner too far from the grace of God. He was truly a 'son of encouragement.'

I want to be a Barnabas :)

Treated like me...

2011-08-24T21:36:00.001-04:00

The scene is the craziest
Jesus being treated as if He is the shadiest atheist
How is it the Messiah is in the fiery pit
As if He was a wicked liar with twisted desires?
The One who’s sinless and just
Punished as if He was promiscuous and mischievous with vicious lust
The source of all godly pleasure
Tormented as if He was a foul investor or child molestor
How could He be bruised like He was a goodie two-shoes
who doesn’t think that she needs the good news?
He’s perfect in love and wisdom
But He’s suffering as if He constructed the corrupt justice system
We should mourn at the backdrop
Jesus torn like He’s on the corner with crack rock with porn on His laptop
What is this, kid? His gifts are infinite
But He’s hit with licks for religious hypocrites
He’s the Light, but being treated like
He’s the seedy type who likes to beat His wife
He’s treated like a rapist, treated like a slanderer
Treated like a racist or maybe a philanderer
Jesus being penalized like He had sin inside
Filled with inner pride while committing genocide
I could write for a billion years and still can’t name
All of the sins placed on the Lamb slain

He was treated like me...

God plus...

2011-08-22T22:40:00.000-04:00

"So these nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images..."

I forget so often that worshipping God PLUS anything else is still idolatry. I know I love Jesus, but what else do I love? What else do I pursue and seek and desire along with Him? Do those smaller gods keep me from worshipping Him with ALL my heart??

LORD, help me to fear You and serve You only. Nothing else compared to You.

Seeking God...

2011-08-02T20:23:00.001-04:00

"Seeking God is not only a quest for the lost, but is also to characterize the life of the found."

-note to self ; joe thorn

Need Jesus...

2011-08-02T06:36:00.001-04:00

Man... I need Jesus just as much if not more than when I first got saved.

Jesus, I'm wretched, weak, and so so so prideful. I can't change myself, You know how hard I tried. Help me to trust in You. Make me like You.

...

2011-08-01T00:00:00.001-04:00

God, you won't always give me what I want but you promise you'll give me what I need right? I trust in that.

I love my Halmoni!

2011-07-28T18:37:00.001-04:00

.44 Magnum baby!!!!

2011-07-27T18:01:00.000-04:00

The most gangster gun ever!!!! I love it!

Self...

2011-07-23T23:39:00.001-04:00

SO SICK!

2011-07-22T11:19:00.001-04:00

Paul’s Downward Trajectory

2011-07-21T12:32:00.001-04:00

very interesting post...

Sent to you by Joe via Google Reader:

Paul’s Downward Trajectory

via Tullian Tchividjian by Tullian Tchividjian on 7/21/11

Guest Post by Justin Holcomb (read more about Justin here)

Paul refers to himself numerous times as worth "imitating" when it comes to spiritual growth and maturity (1 Cor. 4:16, 11:1; Phil. 3:17, 4:19; 1 Thess. 1:6; and 2 Thess. 3:7, 9). What do we see when we look to Paul as an example? He makes three significant statements about himself throughout his years in ministry that are helpful insights into his view of spiritual growth.

The Least of the Apostles

Early in Paul's ministry, during his three missionary journeys, he wrote six major epistles: Galatians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and Romans. In one of them, Paul makes a very humble statement about himself—"I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15:9). Paul does not put himself on par with the other apostles, as if he were equal to them. Rather, he calls himself "the least of the apostles." That's a decent dose of humility worth noticing.

The Least of all the Saints

Toward the middle of his ministry, during his first Roman imprisonment, Paul wrote Philippians, Colossian, Philemon, and Ephesians. In Ephesians 3:8, his humility deepens—"I am the very least of all the saints." Paul goes from "least of the apostles" to "least of all the saints." What's happening here?

The Foremost Sinner

At the end of his ministry and during his second Roman imprisonment, Paul writes Titus and 1 and 2 Timothy. Early in his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost" (1 Tim 1:15). Some translations say "chief of sinners." Paul sounds like a spiritual failure, like he is regressing spiritually, not making spiritual progress.

Paul's Trajectory

Do you see the trajectory as Paul matures in faith? This is what happens when you boast in Christ alone. Your weakness becomes more evident. You can't help but make much of Christ and little of self. That is maturity according to Paul—boasting in nothing but Christ's grace and our weakness.

True Spiritual Growth

Paul isn't just using self-deprecating hyperbole as a teaching device. Each of the three statements about himself is surrounded by references to the cross (1 Cor. 15:3-4; Eph. 3:7-8; and 1 Tim. 1:15) and grace or mercy (1 Cor. 15:10; Eph. 3:2, 7; and 1 Tim. 1:13-14, 16). For him, spiritual growth is realizing how utterly dependent he is on Jesus' cross and mercy, not arriving at some point where he somehow needs the cross and mercy less. Paul's view of himself diminishes and his dependence on Jesus' cross and grace increases. How do you talk about spiritual maturity? Imitating Paul's example, there should be more talk of the depth and scope of God's mercy, less talk of self-reliance, and an abiding fixation on Jesus' cross that secured God's grace for you.

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Shampoo...

2011-07-18T22:25:00.001-04:00

(Me at giant looking to buy shampoo...)

Me: Omg... look at all these shampoos! Dove, irish spring, old spice, axe... why are there so many types?! This is rediculous...

Ten minutes later...

Me: crap... I've been looking at body washes the whole time.

(-_-)'

Gotta get ready for work tomorrow ...

2011-07-17T23:40:00.001-04:00

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DGBlog/~3/x-lZNTwOsj4/ready-for-work-this-week

Airport...

2011-07-15T01:22:00.001-04:00

I love how people's faces light up when they come through the gate and see someone they love waiting for them C:

Shower...

2011-07-14T19:04:00.001-04:00

Context: after taking a shower at my friend Andrew's house...

Me: dude! You told me that your bathroom would have everything!
Drew: ... what you mean?
Me: you don't even have any shampoo! How im supposed to take a shower fool?!
Drew: dude. Im black. What do I need shampoo for?

Me: ... (-_-) true...

2 is Better

2011-07-13T18:14:00.001-04:00

Just got this album. Loving this song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbGh7ZOV20w&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The truth is I need the church!

My favorite meal!

2011-07-11T22:43:00.001-04:00

... im gonna die early... :( but happy! C:

Piedmont Park...

2011-07-06T11:39:00.001-04:00

I could sit here for hours just watching the bugs fly around over the water... so peaceful...

Habakkuk...

2011-07-06T10:50:00.001-04:00

Who is this God that he would say such words in such circumstances??? Craziness!

Our God is amazing.

Cynicism...

2011-07-06T08:18:00.002-04:00

From 'A Praying Life' by Paul Miller...
"To be cynical is to be distant. While offering a false intimacy of being 'in the know,' cynicism actually destroys intimacy. It leads to a creeping bitterness that can deaden and even destroy the spirit...
...A praying life is just the opposite. It engages evil. It doesn't take no for an answer. The psalmist was in God's face, hoping, dreaming, asking. Prayer is feisty. Cynicism, on the other hand, merely critiques. It is passive, cocooning itself from the passions of the great cosmic battle we are engaged in. It is without hope."

This is an interesting thought. Why do I distance myself from people/things that I have a problem with, particularly in the church? I think the answer is cynicism and pride. Cynicism takes the guise of 'knowing' peoples motivations and intentions but really what it does is remove any chance of restoration or intimacy. I decide to distance myself and ignore others because I do not see things changing. This kind of response is selfish, cowardly, and lazy.

I love how the gospel is so counter to this mindset. It gives hope, it gives motivation, it gives courage to engage the people and issues in our lives. Just as Jesus engaged sin and this world by dying on the cross, we can also die to ourselves and engage this world. The gospel gives hope of restoration, of intimacy, and love.

Lord, help me to remember what You have done. You did not choose to ignore sin. You were not cynical. Rather, You engaged it and overcame the hostility between us through love and the sacrifice of Your Son. Help me to do the same in the relationships that I have.

ATL: Daddy D's BBQ Joynt for dinner

2011-07-05T18:59:00.002-04:00

This place was so frakkin good! I could barely walk I was so full C:

The Gift of Friendship and the Godliness of Good Friends (Part 1)

2011-07-05T09:56:00.002-04:00

This is true. It seems there is a lot of teaching on being a good husband/wife but not so much on being a good, loving, committed friend. Interesting cause PK would tell us that being a good friend is a critical prerequisite to being a good husband. I have a lot to learn in this category.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/07/05/the-gift-of-friendship-and-the-godliness-of-good-friends-part-1/

Shooting range suckas!

2011-07-04T13:57:00.002-04:00

I wanna buy a gun C:

Watch "Freed from Pornography by Being Satisfied in Christ" on YouTube

2011-07-01T23:53:00.001-04:00

Fighting sin by being satisfied in Christ rather than human effort... God, I want that. My idols, even mu idols of ministry and self-righteousness can never replace You Lord.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNSau4jwbKI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Don't Skip That Part

2011-07-01T14:46:00.005-04:00

lols so true

Sent to you by Joe via Google Reader:

Don't Skip That Part

via Joshua Harris by Josh Harris on 7/1/11

I mentioned this comic when I preached on "humble orthodoxy" last Sunday.

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Wrong view of maturity...

2011-06-29T21:47:00.001-04:00

Tennis...

2011-06-29T19:12:00.001-04:00

Me: hey guys! Guess what?! I won my first tennis match yesterday!

Coworkers: Why? Was he an amputee or something?

Me: -____-'

My Biggest Regret

2011-06-29T11:01:00.001-04:00

Interesting and honest article by Tchividjian. I feel the same way. Though I'm not a preacher or pastor, I regret putting so much more emphasis on what we need to do than what Christ has already done.

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My Biggest Regret

via Tullian Tchividjian by Tullian Tchividjian on 6/27/11

Guest Post by Chuck Collins (read more about Chuck here)

I marvel when someone says, "I have no regrets." That's not me; I have plenty. Perhaps my biggest regret, outside of not spending more time with my kids when they were growing up and not discovering Irish whiskey sooner, is that for much of my 30 years of ordained ministry I have not preached "the gospel." By-and-large I have been a nice man standing in front of nice people, telling them that God calls them to be nicer (S. Brown). And just about none of it was life-changing.

I have come to see that there are really just two ways to preach: one is the gospel, the other is get-better messages. The first is based on God's goodness; the second on self-improvement. Gospel preaching presupposes that, even though we deserve punishment for our sins, Jesus Christ suffered the punishment in our place on the cross. Get-better sermons, on the other hand, is moralistic advice in which a preacher mounts a pulpit to scold the people for not doing more or getting better (F Allison).

For more years than I care to think I preached get-better messages. I cringe thinking about my old sermons. I regret the lost opportunities of those messages that pounded home the idea that we just need to be better, try harder, pray and give more, read the Bible every day, attend church every week, and be nicer. It was plain ole Phariseeism, works-righteousness under the guise of preaching – "an easy-listening version of salvation by self-help" (M Horton). Those who came were vaguely entertained, I think, because I am a fairly entertaining personality (so they tell me on their way out of church), but they left mostly feeling beat up and like they don't measure up. Instead of relieving guilt, get-better sermons reinforced guilt and our inadequacies. They didn't touch people where they need most. "Whenever you feel comforted or elated or absolved as 'fresh as a foal in new mowed hay,' then you know you are hearing the gospel" (P Zahl).

My conversion to gospel preaching was gradual. I don't remember what the initial catalyst was, except that people weren't getting better with sermons on discipline and how to improve your marriage. Those moralistic sermons doled out plenty of advice about what to do, but it totally missed what God has done for us in his Son. Christ came, not to help religious people get better, but to help sinners realize that forgiveness and salvation is outside themselves: in Jesus Christ.

St. Paul, in Romans, explains the gospel as God's power and God's righteousness (1:16, 17). This is exactly opposite of repairing your nature by a determined will. It is what God has done for us when we couldn't do it ourselves. He fulfilled the law. He took upon himself our sins. He burst the bonds of death to give us new life. When this message of one-way love – God's love without strings attached – love when we are not lovely – reaches our hearts, it causes our spirits to come alive to God and it fills us with meaning and purpose. The gospel speaks to our heart's deepest need.

When you get to church to find out that the preacher is in the third of a 10-sermon series on "10 steps to cure depression" get up and run out of there as fast as your depressed legs can take you. It's self-help, not the gospel. Chalk it up to a well meaning preacher who hasn't yet realized that our real hope is in God, in the sufficiency of his work on the cross and in the salvation that is not found in get-better sermons.

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Wangdrew...

2011-06-23T22:36:00.001-04:00

This guy... not only does he squeeze my toothpaste from the middle, but he left the top unscrewed... is he to live or die for such a grevious tresspass?!?!

Outside my house C:

2011-06-18T19:24:00.001-04:00

16 Christian Dating Principles: First of 16

2011-06-16T16:27:00.001-04:00

I wanted to repost this post from my good friend Brian. Brian is getting married soon and i really appreciate his wisdom here as he reflects back. The Driscoll articles are a good read as well.

http://i-am-an-asian-gangster.xanga.com/750258499/16-christian-dating-principles-first-of-16/

A good leader...

2011-06-16T16:15:00.001-04:00

"Must be good both in and under authority."

Congrats Youna!

2011-06-14T10:15:00.001-04:00

Im so proud of you!

Wisdom from Mom...

2011-06-13T22:35:00.001-04:00

"Sometimes, when someone is in the rain, you need to be the one calling out to them, leading them out.
Sometimes, you need to be the one to go to them with an umbrella to cover them from the storm.
Sometimes, you even need to be the one to go to them, standing next to them to be wet with them."

"It takes years to learn the words to speak, but a lifetime to learn how to stay silent."

We do not know what to do, but...

2011-06-12T07:51:00.002-04:00

Im loving this verse from 2 Chron 20:12. When the Moabitew and Ammonites were invading Judah, king Jehosaphat proclaims a fast and prays these words.

"We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You."

See what God does in response to the people's dependance and desperation? He comforts them, and fights for them, and promises to be with them.

What more can we need in times of struggle and desperation?

Lord, in times of struggle, confusion, or fear, instead of being in despair or self-reliance help me to set my eyes on You.

Letter...

2011-06-02T15:50:00.001-04:00

Hey brother,

I know a lot of times when we look into our hearts it's so easy to fall into despair. I see my pride and sin, the way I try and cover up my weaknesses, the way that I even hear the know the gospel but am unable to respond to it in comfort/faith/joy/repentance, and it it seems like I am so far away from where I need to be. I see other people doing so well and even remember my former passion for God and wonder if I will ever be like that. I wonder if you might feel the same way?

I just read these couple of pages in a book I'm reading and was very encouraged. Hope you are too.

Excerpt from 'The Life of God in the Soul of Man” -Scougal

I have hitherto considered wherein true religion doth consist, and how desirable a thing it is; but when one sees how infinitely distant the common 76temper and frame of men is from it, he may perhaps be ready to despond, and give over, and think it utterly impossible to be attained. He may sit down in sadness, and bemoan himself, and say, in the anguish and bitterness of his spirit, “They are happy indeed whose souls are awakened unto the divine life, who are thus renewed in the spirit of their minds; but, alas! I am quite of another constitution, and am not able to effect so mighty a change. If outward observances could have done the business, I might have hoped to acquit myself by diligence and care; but since nothing but a new nature can serve the turn, what am I able to do? I could bestow all my goods in oblations to God, or alms to the poor, but cannot command that love and charity, without which this expense would profit me nothing. This gift of God cannot be purchased with money. If a man should give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. I could pine and macerate my body, and undergo many hardships and troubles; but I cannot get all my corruptions starved, nor my affections wholly weaned from earthly things. There are still some worldly desires lurking in my heart, and those vanities that I have shut out of the doors, are always getting in by the windows. I am many times convinced of my own meanness, of the weakness of my body, and the far greater weakness of my soul; but this doth rather beget indignation and discontent, than true humility in my spirit. And though I should come to think meanly of myself, yet I cannot endure that others should think so too. In a word, when I reflect on my highest and most specious attainments, I have reason to suspect, 77that they are all but the effects of nature, the issues of self-love acting under several disguises; and this principle is so powerful, and so deeply rooted in me, that I can never hope to be delivered from the dominion of it. I may toss and turn as a door on the hinges, but can never get clear off, or be quite unhinged of self, which is still the centre of all my motions; so that all the advantage I can draw from the discovery of religion, is but to see, at a huge distance, that felicity which I am not able to reach; like a man in a shipwreck, who discerns the land, and envies the happiness of those who are there, but thinks it impossible for himself to get ashore.”

These, I say, or such like desponding thoughts, may arise in the minds of those persons who begin to conceive somewhat more of the nature and excellency of religion than before. They have spied the land, and seen that it is exceeding good, that it floweth with milk and honey; but they find they have the children of Anak to grapple with, many powerful lusts and corruptions to overcome, and they fear they shall never prevail against them. But why should we give way to such discouraging suggestions? Why should we entertain such unreasonable fears, which damp our spirits and weaken our hands, and augment the difficulties of our way? Let us encourage ourselves, my dear friend, let us encourage ourselves with those mighty aids we are to expect in this spiritual warfare; for greater is he that is for us, than all that rise up against us. “The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Let us be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might,” for he it is that shall “tread 78down our enemies.” God hath a tender regard unto the souls of men, and is infinitely willing to promote their welfare. He hath condescended to our weakness, and declared with an oath, that he hath no pleasure in our destruction. There is no such thing as dispute or envy lodged in the bosom of that ever-blessed Being, whose name and nature is Love. He created us at first in a happy condition; and now, when we are fallen from it, “He hath laid help upon one that is mighty to save,” hath committed the care of our souls to no meaner person than the Eternal Son of his love. It is he that is the Captain of our salvation, and what enemies can be too strong for us when we are fighting under his banners? Did not the Son of God come down from the bosom of his Father, and pitch his tabernacle amongst the sons of men, that he might recover and propagate the divine life, and restore the image of God in their souls? All the mighty works which he performed, all the sad afflictions which he sustained, had this for their scope and design; for this did he labour and toil, for this did he bleed and die. “He was with child, he was in pain, and hath he brought forth nothing but wind; hath he wrought no deliverance in the earth? Shall he not see of the travail of his soul?” Certainly it is impossible that this great contrivance of heaven should prove abortive, that such a mighty undertaking should fail and miscarry. It hath already been effectual for the salvation of many thousands, who were once as far from the kingdom of heaven as we can suppose ourselves to be, and our “High Priest continueth for ever, and is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by 79him.” He is tender and compassionate, he knoweth our infirmities, and had experience of our temptations. “A bruised reed will he not break, and smoking flax will he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.” He hath sent out his Holy Spirit, whose sweet but powerful breathings are still moving up and down in the world, to quicken and revive the souls of men, and awaken them unto the sense and feeling of those divine things for which they were made, and is ready to assist such weak and languishing creatures as we are, in our essays towards holiness and felicity: and when once it hath taken hold of a soul, and kindled in it the smallest spark of divine love, it will be sure to preserve and cherish, and bring it forth into a flame, “which many waters shall not quench, neither shall the floods be able to drown it.” Whenever this day begins to dawn, “and the day-star to arise in the heart,” it will easily dispel the powers of darkness, and make ignorance and folly, and all the corrupt and selfish affections of men, flee away as fast before it as the shades of night, when the sun cometh out of his chambers: “For the path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day. They shall go on from strength to strength, till every one of them appear before God in Zion.”

How amazing our God is?! How certain is His salvation? How powerful His grip on us? How perfect His work in us? The point is not our weaknesses, or our sins, or our laziness, or even how our hearts continually strays from the gospel. It's in the midst of this weakness and even rebellion when God our Father takes us, cleanses us through Christ, and gives us the Holy Spirit who revives us and gives us life.

Let's remember and believe what Christ has already done for us on the cross and have it drive us into the arms of God. Jesus Christ, God Himself, condescended and died for You. He WILL not fail in perfectly conforming you into His own image. Let's find hope and encouragement and motivation in the gospel.

Love you bro

joe

Modesty...

2011-06-02T15:05:00.002-04:00

I've probably posted this video before, but thought I'd post it again, especially as summer is coming in full force. A lot of girls don't realize or don't care about the huge struggle that we (yes, all of us) guys go through in being pure in heart and mind. Help us brothers out sisters!

Joe's Bible Study...

2011-06-02T15:04:00.000-04:00

lols

Don’t Make Your Pastor a Statistic

2011-05-28T20:22:00.000-04:00

I feel these stats are so true in churches today... I really want to be someone who is a strength and encouragement to pastors. What so you guys think? What are some ways we can spport our pastors regardless of our current situation?

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/2011/05/28/dont-make-your-pastor-a-statistic/

Baseball...

2011-05-26T14:44:00.001-04:00

Is such a boring game Xp

It's nice to hang out with friends tho.

I'm Not a Christian, But I'm Coming to Your Church This Sunday

2011-05-26T06:18:00.001-04:00

This post was pretty helpful in adjusting my mindset towards unbelievers. It definitely applies when bringing people to church but I think it also applies generally to any interaction with unbelievers.

http://feeds.theresurgence.com/~r/TheResurgence/~3/NLxhkF10eDI/im-not-a-christian-but-im-coming-to-your-church-this-Sunday

Lord, as I go into work help me to present Christ to my coworkers through genuine love and humility.