Debt

The other night my wife and I were watching some TV and there were all these ads for credit cards. I remember this email I got recently about the ads of the past and how they look so foolish to us now. (See below) so I prophesied from my couch, “some day we as a country are going to look back on these credit card ads and laugh because it is so obvious to us how ridiculous they are”. Then I read this commentary from Merrill Lynch: (emphasis added)

Attitudes about debt are shifting
Barely more than 5% of the banks now are reporting rising demand for consumer credit – at the 2003-05 debt bubble peak, this number had approached an unprecedented 40%. The Fed survey showed that 0% – not one – bank reported positive demand growth for either subprime or nontraditional mortgages, and a mere 2% reported rising demand for prime mortgages!

People’s attitude towards debt is changing – after this parabolic past 5-10 years of credit extension far in excess of underlying personal incomes, debt is now being viewed as a four-letter word at best, a ball and chain at worst. The public wants to climb out of the morass – you see it in the data; you see it in the polls. The economists don’t believe that people can change – but they will. They are, in fact. People do have the capacity to change, and we see that in many areas right now – imagine that miles driven by the average American now are down 0.5% from a year ago and that oil and gas usage in real terms has declined 1.2% as well in the face of punishingly high prices.

To read the rest of the article check out this link:

http://research1.ml.com/CFCR/GetDoc.aspx?q=13TbOfQ%2B2NHltljEpgrEYA%3D%3D

To make this an official “Christian” entry. Here is some scripture:
Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

So if you are a servant to VISA, how can you fully serve God? Ouch, did I say that out loud? Well now that it is out there, I suppose I’ll roll with it.

If you are ruled by the rich, how can God rule in your life? They tell you how much they want, when they want it. So if God tells you to give a 100 to the visiting missionary, you have to say, sorry, my MASTERcard says I have to give them that 100. Ouch. I’m not perfect, I admit I have a balance on my credit card currently, but I tell you it will be gone soon. I encourage you all to enjoy the same freedom as well.

And here are some of those ads:

Peace,
Jon

What I Didn't Deserve

A couple months ago I was listening to some music and the song “And Now My Lifesong Sings” by Casting Crowns came on. I’m pretty easily inspired by music and have always been (but I’ll save details on that for another time). It got me thinking about a major incident in my life that occurred with our youngest son, Conner, when my wife Mandy was pregnant. I created a video using this music and footage that I took back in 2004 and posted it on YouTube.

You can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeeWALm9qTI

In short, in terms outside of God and His healing power, our son Conner should not have lived. But for whatever reason, God chose to grant us a miracle by saving his life. When Mandy was in the hospital, I told God everyday that there was nothing I would not give, even my own life, if He would just save my son. And He did. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for Conner and what He did for him, and for us.

But I’ve often wondered since that time, why? Why did God save Conner’s life? Why did God perform this miracle for us? I’ve been getting on YouTube periodically and checking to see how many views Conner’s video has had. Part of the reason we posted it was in hopes that if there were some people that were going through a similar experience with a child, that maybe they could find some hope and encouragement through Conner’s story. I’ve noticed though that for every video that has a story like Conner’s, there is one that is “in memory of” and doesn’t have the same ending that we had. So why us?

It definitely is not something that I deserve. Like all sinners, I really don’t deserve anything that God has given me, much less a wonderfully miraculous gift of a child. I wonder sometimes what I would be telling people about our experience if Conner hadn’t lived. But then I realize the importance of the fact that he did live and the fact that God showed incredible mercy and love to a couple of sinners.

Although I will never really know the full reason why God chose us to receive this gift (that’s for Him to know and me to find out), I can tell people that it DID happen when man said it should NOT have happened. I can tell people that God is real and that He does have mercy on sinners and does love us more than we can ever understand. Again, I know that there are people who would see the story of Conner and say that I would probably have a very different take on things if it had all turned out badly. Maybe so, but it didn’t turn out badly. The fact that I didn’t deserve it makes it even more awesome! And it is pretty cool to have a beautiful little boy that reminds me of that every time I see him. I will continue to share this story for the rest of my life, whenever I get a chance.

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8

Peace,

Monte

Legacy - A Negative Lesson

The following obituary appeared in the Vallejo [California] Times-Herald on August 16 and 17, 2008.

Dolores Aguilar 1929 - Aug. 7, 2008

Dolores Aguilar, born in 1929 in New Mexico, left us on August 7, 2008. She will be met in the afterlife by her husband, Raymond, her son, Paul Jr., and daughter Ruby. She is survived by her daughters Marietta, Mitzi, Stella, Beatrice, Virginia and Ramona, and son Billy; grandchildren, Donnelle, Joe, Mitzie, Maria, Mario, Marty, Tynette, Tania, Leta, Alexandria, Tommy, Billy, Mathew, Raymond, Kenny, Javier, Lisa, Ashlie and Michael; great-grandchildren, Brendan, Joseph, Karissa, Jacob, Delaney, Shawn, Cienna, Bailey, Christian, Andre Jr., Andrea, Keith, Saeed, Nujaymah, Salma, Merissa, Emily, Jayci, Isabella, Samantha and Emily. I apologize if I missed anyone.

Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing.

Her family will remember Dolores and amongst ourselves we will remember her in our own way, which were mostly sad and troubling times throughout the years. We may have some fond memories of her and perhaps we will think of those times too. But I truly believe at the end of the day ALL of us will really only miss what we never had, a good and kind mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I hope she is finally at peace with herself. As for the rest of us left behind, I hope this is the beginning of a time of healing and learning to be a family again.

These will be no service, no prayers and no closure for the family she spent a lifetime tearing apart. We cannot come together in the end to see to it that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say their goodbyes. So I say here for all of us, GOOD BYE, MOM.

The concept of leaving a legacy is the subject of secular as well as Christian books. These books often encourage us to project what we'd like our obituary to contain.

I've done this exercise a couple of times, but it's never brought home the concept like this real obituary does.

This obituary makes it painfully clear that the question is not whether we will leave a legacy; the question is whether the legacy we leave will bring glory to God or not.

JT

Backwards Thinking

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12.9-10

Last Sunday was my first trip to church since the birth of our daughter. It has been a challenge to get over the hump of taking our daughter to places not knowing when she will want to eat, cry, poop, and sleep. After going to church, both my wife and I realized how much we missed it. It was only about 3 weeks, but we found how absolutely necessary it was to be there.

During the service the verse above came up on the screen and really got me to thinking. I wondered how God does it. How does He completely go counter to the culture yet make so much sense. It is really backwards thinking in every human way. I want to work hard to make a good life for my family. God wants us to boast in our weakness so that Christ’s power will rest upon us. I want to hide my weaknesses so others cannot exploit them. God wants us to boast in our weakness for the sake of Christ.

So often I am taken back by a verse or two that I know I have read and seen many times. There must be something about this whole “Living Word” thing that people use to describe scripture. I am sure that many of you reading this will have had experiences reading the Bible and have something that you are familiar with absolutely jump off the page. It is usually something that causes us to notice how contrary to the norm it is. This is one of the many reasons that I love scripture.

God desires that we live a life that will show His glory not our own. 1 Peter 4.16 says, “If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” God wants the glory in our suffering. God wants the glory in our weakness. Are we willing to allow the world to see our weakness so that the strength and glory of God can be revealed or are we more willing to allow our strengths to hide the glory of God? Backwards thinking I know, but it is this type of thinking that will draw more people to Christ than anything we attempt on our own. Try to remember a time when God used your weakness for His glory.

His,

Jake

Olympic Glory??

My wife and I have really enjoyed watching the Olympics the past two weeks. We try to catch some events in the evenings after the kids are in bed, especially our favorites like swimming, gymnastics, track & field and of course badminton (NOT!!). There have been some truly amazing feats like Michael Phelps winning 8 gold medals, the U.S. women’s gymnasts asserting their dominance even against their underage Chinese counterparts, numerous world records, etc. It has all been very exciting to watch and almost addicting. The skill, fame, glory, adoration, coming lucrative endorsements and on and on.

This got me thinking, “Does it all really matter?” Sure, it will no doubt change the lives of the individual athletes and will give the rest of us something to talk about at the office and reminisce about in years to come. But does it have any real significance in their or our lives.

I can just imagine the victorious athlete coming home after a great Olympic performance and being on the most amazing high of his life, having been acclaimed as one of the world’s greatest athletes and receiving all sorts of notoriety and media attention. After all of the excitement is over and in the quietness of his thoughts, he walks into his bedroom and puts his medals on the dresser, not being sure of where they should go. He sits down on the bed and in the silence thinks, “The emptiness is still there. I thought winning an Olympic medal would change everything and make it go away, but it didn’t. Now what do I do?”

We as Christians know the answer. Jesus Christ is the only one that can take the emptiness away and fill your life with joy. All of the things we do or accomplish on this earth are only temporary and cannot provide true fulfillment as God intended. This can be a good reminder for us to focus on things of eternal significance like maturing in our faith, telling others the Good News to advance Christ’s kingdom and serving others. That is not to say that we should not try to use our God given talents to achieve great things for Christ here on earth. We just need to keep it all in perspective; an eternal one.

Matthew 6:20 - But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Until next time,

The Counselor

The Idea of Freedom is on My Mind

Hello to all,

My wife read my last blog and said I did a great job and that I should write more often. I do admit that it comes some what naturally to me but I find it difficult to actually get started. I could procrastinate all day long. So here we go.

I like the ideas and symbols of your country. The Bald Eagle, the stars and stripes, and the IN GOD WE TRUST printed on our coins all speak volumes to me. Freedom is something that defines our country and is a blessing in our lives. We all have been told of the cost that has been paid for the freedoms we share everyday here in The United States of America. Sometimes it is hard to understand the true cost of these freedoms and how awesome it is that someone would give there life to protect them for you and me. But sometimes I feel that I don’t want to be free.
You say, “What? You don’t want to be free? That makes not sense”. Let me explain.
For that past year God has lead me into an opportunity to start my own business. I began a siding business putting up fiber cement board siding last August with the guidance and help from a friend. We have since worked together up until now.

I was recently offered a job with the school system as an aid in the middle school classroom. I have been affirmed in my gifts in this area and have always toyed with the idea of going back to school to teach. My inward struggle of weather or not to accept this position has been difficult because of other considerations and fears of this new job. I could go into great detail but you will get the picture. During a week or so of wrestling with this in my mind my desire was that God would just come out of the other room and physically speak to me and tell me what I should do. This freedom that I have, the ability to make my own decisions can wear so heavy on the soul at times like this. I did not want the freedom to make the decision I wanted to be told what to do. My thought is not about physical freedom but freedom or free will of the spirit.
So why is it, that God gives us this freedom to make our own decisions?

I hope that you might wrestle with this question during the next few days and I will add a few words in my next entry. Feel free to comment on this question before then.

-Matt

Kid at Heart

I think it will be apparent to anyone that reads my “Musings” entries that I am not and never have been a very good writer. I’ve been really impressed by the spiritual insight and literary skills of all the gentlemen involved here. Honestly, I’m feeling way out of my league. But I guess as with many sources of information and news that we find today, there is always at least one very elementary portion. I think if the other “Musings” contributions are Fox News, Discovery Channel and Wall Street Journal, you will find mine to be The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show (not any current versions, the one from the 70’s, yeah, I’m turning 40 this year), which actually says a lot about my personality if you don’t know me. I think that more often than not, if given the choice between sitting down and watching Hannity and Colmes or Spongebob Squarepants, you will find me quickly singing “Who lives in a pineapple under the sea…”.

I never really watched the news on a regular basis, mainly because it always depressed me. As I’ve gotten older, I realize the importance of being up to date on current national and world events as well as business markets but still, I try to avoid the negative aspects of news reporting which you all know is impossible. I think a lot of it though has to do with my desire to remain a kid at heart and to keep life as simple as I can. Right or wrong, that’s kind of how I’ve always rolled. Sometimes I’ll be playing with my boys (ages 6 and 4) and Star Wars is a pretty common topic for play. We will be in one room flying around (cause we’re spaceships) and I’ll be making the classic Tie Fighter noises (cause I’m usually cast as the bad guy). Just about every time we do this, at some point the two boys will leave the room and leave me there flying around aimlessly in space. With nobody around to see that I’m properly playing my roll, I will continue to fly around making my Tie Fighter noises and catch myself realizing that nobody is here but me. Yet I still continue. What’s up with that?

So, yeah, I’m pretty simple and frequently very child like (wives are now saying “poor Mandy”). Maybe it’s a bit of a stretch but I’ve always sort of felt that God likes it when we are simple. I know that He definitely encouraged us to be “childlike” and “humble” in our faith.

“Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”. Matthew 18:2-4

The faith of a child in his or her father is an amazing thing. Brandon and Conner trust me completely. When Conner was learning to swim this summer, he was never afraid as long as I was right there next to him to save him. His faith and trust in me was simple and complete. If I was there, things were okay. Period.

It’s easy for me to be simple like a child, but is it easy for me to have faith like a child? Not always. There have definitely been times where it’s been really easy to have complete faith in God, even in extreme trials. But I will always be striving to trust Him at all times, in the good and the bad. My encouragement to you is to humble yourself and become childlike in your faith and trust in your Father.
Gotta go, I hear the Spongebob theme starting…

Peace,

Monte

Mercy Instead of Judgement

I live in California. It was never a life long dream of mine to live here, but here I am. California is an interesting state to live in and it has quite the reputation in Christian circles. It seems like everything bad either originates or resides in California. We have San Francisco, Hollywood, same sex marriage, hippies, drugs and all sorts of things that freak people out. We also have lots of natural disasters; fires, earthquakes, and mudslides. It could be just me, but it seems like every time something bad happens I hear we are being judged and paid for our wicked ways among religious circles. Or if some new bad thing comes out that we did then we will be judged for our wicked ways. I admit that once upon a time I was among the ranks of those who would say those things or think those things, but living here has helped change my mind. I’m not saying that there is no judgment from God, all I know is that as a Christian who is in the area, it is no fun to hear those things declared or prophesied over your region; especially since I am dedicated to bringing the kingdom of heaven here to my city and my state. I like to focus on what God’s heart is. I look at how he let Abraham, his friend, try to talk him out of destroying Sodom. Or how he sent Jonah to Nineveh because of his concern, not just for the people there, but also the animals.

That is the old testament. How about in Luke 9 when his disciples wanted to call fire down on a town for dissing Jesus. He said, “Don’t you know what spirit you are of when you ask for that?” Here is what I would like to see. Instead of people proclaiming judgment over my state, I’d like to see somebody’s heart break for us and have them cry out for mercy instead of judgment. I saw something this weekend on GOD TV that was quite amazing. It was a group of leaders and people crying out for mercy and for revival in the streets of San Francisco. Here is an excerpt of the program:

“Father, we join together as one body with those who pour out their lives standing in the gap for California. We ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that your HOLY FIRE your HOLY CONSUMING FIRE and the GLORY of your presence is loosed across the city of San Francisco. Oh Father, WE CRY OUT TO YOU for the release of your HOLY FIRE upon local government, the Supreme court and the legal system, schools, prisons, businesses, bars, clubs upon the streets of San Francisco. RELEASE YOUR GLORY, O Lord – RELEASE YOUR GLORY, YOUR POWER, YOUR FIRE that San Francisco may KNOW THE OVERSHADOWING of Your fire and Your presence, of Your glory, that thousands upon thousands may fall to their knees under conviction and in repentance that MERCY MAY RULE OVER JUDGEMENT in this hour.”

For the full prayer click this link:
http://us.god.tv/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=1000035894

You can also view the recording on demand at God TV as well. It is called the San Francisco Solemn Assembly. I highly recommend it. It happened on 8-8-08. 8 is often the number associated with change in the bible. It is my hope that this event will ignite an attitude of change across the world FOR California as well as IN California.

Peace,
Jon

Radical Devotion to Christ

It was three and a half years ago that, by the grace of God, I became a Christian. Over these few short years, I’ve enjoyed discovering what that really means. In some sense, I'm sure I will never fully comprehend all the implications of the Christian life before this mortal body passes away, but here's what I have so far:

• I have faith that Christ died for my sins;

1 Corinthians 15:3 – “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,”

• By this faith and through Christ’s blood, I have attained righteousness before a just and holy God;

Romans 9:30 – “What shall we say, then? That Gentiles did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith;”

• I have been saved from the wrath of God;

Romans 5:9 – “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”

• I have been given eternal joy;

John 15:11 – “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

John 16:22 – “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

• I am called to be radically devoted to Christ;

Luke 14:33-35 – “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple."

Luke 14:26 – “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 14:27 – “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 9:24 – “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Admittedly, we don’t see the phrase “radically devoted” in the Bible. Yet, we are clearly called to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30), which is a devotion to Him that couldn’t be more radical.

I find this call challenging and exhilarating at the same time. Of course, living in this way is only possible with the Holy Spirit. The call to be radically devoted is a command to deny myself and my fleshly desires. It is a call to love my neighbors when even the thought of talking to them makes me feel uncomfortable.

I am constantly battling my own insecurities, my too-often loose tongue, laziness, distractions… the list of excuses goes on… that hinder me from being radically devoted to Christ. I find that through prayer and meditation on God’s Word, the Holy Spirit brings me close to Christ. This enables me to seek His glory and my joy no matter what obstacles my flesh or the Evil One may put in my path.

Despite the challenges, I know how much I love Christ and desire to demonstrate my love for Him. I long to say with Paul, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Philippians 3:8) and to show the world, as the psalmist said, [His] steadfast love is better than life.” (Psalm 63:3).

As God continues to work in my life, I pray that it will have a flavor of radical devotion that will bring glory to His holy name.

JT

Soli Deo Gloria

Are We Willing??

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 1:2.

The main thrust of my thoughts today comes from the mindset of being “sold-out” for God. I hear that often and really believe that we fail to fully understand what that is and what it requires. What I want to get into is are we willing to be used to the point of laying down it all. I was thinking during church; do I want to lay down everything for God?? Not just money, comfort and physical things, but my family? Am I willing to allow God to use me to the point where I trust Him with the lives of my wife and daughter? And if I am, what the heck does that even look like. (Now I know that God has given me a family and it is my earthly duty to protect them and provide for them, if you are focused on that you are missing the bigger picture.) This is a prayer that I am afraid to pray. I mean, I know I could pray it and then go on doing what I want to do, but why even play the game. If I am willing to pray the prayer to allow God total control, then I am going to allow God to use me in any manner that he sees fit. It is time that we all examine this question, especially men.

God has placed us in a time when things are crazy. High gas prices, wars, housing market slumping, inflation and the list goes on and on. These are just the things that hit close to home. It is in times like this that we need to be even more adamant about the control of God. It is in uncertain times that we need to share with all who will listen that we have certainty in Christ. Men need to take on leadership of their homes, business and communities and stop being pansies with the gospel (Romans 1:16-17). Only one thing will cure all that ales and that is the gospel. We need to lay it out there and not worry about if people think we are Jesus freaks or religious or whatever they might think of us. It is time not to be timid, but time to be bold (1 Cor 9:16). It is time to show the world the love of Christ by telling it about Christ. We need to quit spending all of our time convincing non-Christians why they shouldn’t vote for this guy, or shouldn’t commit adultery, or shouldn’t get high. If you are going to offend, offend with the gospel.

Are we willing to lay it all down for the gospel? For Christ? Are we willing to let others laugh at us, mock us, make fun of us for the sake of the gospel? I am not sure that I know the answers to these questions in my own life. I am willing to allow others to do these things to me, but am I willing to allow others to do these things to my family and trust that the Lord is in control? Christ is in control, right? God has placed Christ at his right hand. Are we willing that Christ should use us?

-Jake

GOOD VS. GREAT

Well, this is my first post for “Musings” and my first post EVER as a blog author. This will be a new thing for me as I have not been that active in the blogosphere to this point, but I am looking forward to the journey. I hope the readers enjoy my posts and maybe even get some useful nuggets from me now and then. And although I am used to writing more formally, I hope my personality comes through in my posts. If you would ask those close to me, I think they would say I am easy to talk to, can be wittingly sarcastic and also egotistical in a fun, self-deprecating sort of way. Which is a good segway to explaining my profile name “The Counselor”. I actually am an attorney, but I gave myself that handle more because I just like hearing people refer to me as “The Counselor”. See, you have to know my personality to get that one!!

Now, on to my post. Listening to the Sermon Jams that JT linked to in his August 4th post made me think about what makes a preacher “great”. We have all heard many good preachers, but at least for me, I know when I am listening to one of those few that are truly great. It gives me that feeling of “Wow, I have never heard it stated that way” or “Wow, keep it coming”. To me it comes down to depth and passion. A great preacher takes things to a deeper level and delivers his message with true passion for Christ. A level that we do not ordinarily think about or even know exists, and a passion that can only come from a true love for God and His kingdom. I don’t know for sure, but this must come from an understanding of scripture and closeness to God that is rare.

My wife and I had the privilege of attending Bethlehem Baptist Church and listening to John Piper’s sermons live each week when we lived in Minneapolis. For those of you who are unfamiliar with John Piper, he is the senior pastor at Bethlehem and a nationally known speaker and author. I can say that he is truly a great preacher, and those of you who have listened to him I am sure would agree. The passion he has for the glorification of Christ is unmatched and the depth of his preaching is amazing. It was so refreshing and invigorating to hear that great preaching each week.

Of course, we as Christians should not glorify John Piper or any other great preacher above Christ. We should however view their messages as blessings and opportunities to grow in our understanding and love for Christ.

Until next time,

The Counselor

Time With God

So my 6 year old son, Brandon, started first grade today. He did half day kindergarten so this is the first time he’s been in school for a full 7 hours. That sounds like and seems like such a long time to me. I’m having some heartache today about it. He’s really shy and I’m always concerned about him being in large groups and how he will interact. Mainly though, I simply will just miss him. Having come off the summer, I was able to see him everyday just about anytime I wanted when I wasn’t out with customers since I work from home, and I think it has spoiled me a bit. I do consider it a blessing to work from home. It’s been great this summer when I go down for lunch or take a break, I can spend time with my wife or with the boys, Brandon and Conner. Now, Brandon is out of the house for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. He’s doing things on his own, eating his lunch on his own, all the things I assume most parents worry about at this age. But again, mostly, I will just miss him.

So I wonder how God feels about the time we do not spend with him? Does He miss us? It is always hard for me to admit it, but I know God loves me a lot more than I love my son (ouch). It has to hurt His heart when He doesn’t get to spend time with me. And basically, that is all my doing. Unlike Brandon being at school where he is physically apart from me and I can’t be with him at all, I can be with God anytime I want to. At home, in the car, at meetings, wherever. But, the reality is that I don’t. And if He has the same amount of the heartache over it that I have right now…probably more actually…I don’t want to put Him through that. I need to spend time with my Father, He needs it to.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

-Monte

Visit to the Doctor

Recently I had the awesome privilege of talking some high school friends to a Young Life camp in Colorado called Crooked Creek. Due to the activities that take place at this camp and the elevation at which these activities take place everyone that goes is required to have a physical before we get there. So I did what any good Young Life leader would do and scheduled an appointment the week before we departed.

Here is a little back ground about the situation. My doctor is one that I have been going to see ever since I was born. He is a family physician, very friendly guy, one who takes his job seriously and is relational. I enjoy this man’s company and so does the rest of my family. My father meets with him socially from time to time.
I on the other hand am a very anxious person when it comes to going to the doctor and things like that. I am able to keep my cool but I do get all worked up inside.
This time was no different. I woke up for my 8:00am appointment. I showered and ate what I could of my breakfast while my mind just started racing with thoughts like, how long am I going to have to wait, am I going to feel any pain(a shot maybe), will I have to do lab work, and oh no I have to cough again. So I proceeded with the morning by making sure I wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom at the clinic by sitting on my own throne at home. Once business was taking care of I had some time so I paced around the house and jumped around all the while my wife stared at me saying, “You’re going to be fine”. It was time to leave. I drove the 14 blocks to the clinic checked in and waited in the lobby. They called my name and took my weight and height as I breathed as deep as I could. Then the nurse put me in a cool room with no windows filled with medical equipment and beautiful paintings, as she left she said, “He will be right in to see you”.

Now this is the part I hope you will get. As I sat in that room I waited knowing full well that this visit was nothing serious and that the doctor would take good care of me if anything was wrong. But still it was quiet, I had all the time in the world to think, and my stomach was churning. These thoughts ran through my mind.
You are going to be ok. This guy is as good as they come. But wait; do I even remember what he looks like? It has been so long since I have seen him. I know his character very well but this face is not so clear in my mind anymore. I know I we will talk and have a good conversation, maybe about what has be going on in my life lately for fun, Or if I had been out to the lake. Ooh, I like the lake. He might ask about Crooked Creek. I always like talking about that. It is so important to me. If am looking forward to seeing him then why am I so nervous?

The door knob slowly began to turn and He entered the room. His face was now so clear. He began to ask me questions. We talked about my uncle and the Lake. Crooked Creek was brought up and the amount of kids we were taking (!! 97, Praise GOD). The noticeable health trouble of my father was asked about and he then proceeded by informing me of some shots that I might consider getting before I leave. There were two of them. One was Hepatitis B and the other was for Meningitis. Meningitis was what I friend of mine got at camp a few years back and ended up in serious condition at the hospital in Denver. I knew he would take care of me. He left me with some recommendations of books to read about the stock market and investing. As I left the office I realized that after I engaged my doctor in talking, and just having that communication or relationship with him, there was a peace that came over me that was so calming and comforting.

Here is the point I am trying to make. How might my visit to the Doctor’s office be comparable to our relationship with God? Do you find any similarities with having fear or anxiety before you go to him to examine your life, to forgive your sins? Do we sometimes forget what his face might look like because we have not spent time with for so long? Or is it just sometimes hard to accept and trust the fact that God is good all the time and that he will take care of our every need? At times Jesus is referred as the master physician. I can make the comparison of me sitting and waiting for the doctor. It is kind of like the lyrics in one of Tom Petty’s songs, “The waiting is the hardest part!” Sometimes I am not sure if I want to know if anything is wrong with me, if I want my sickness or sins to be treated. The part of the doctor visit that is most valuable was when the doctor entered the room and I began to interact and continue a relationship with Him.

I would like to remind and encourage us all, because we do tend to forget (we are human after all), that this God is amazing and that He cares about even the deepest things in our hearts. He is someone we can look forward to spending time with like a best friend.

My prayer for all of us is that our sins would continue to come to the surface of our lives so that they may be forgiven, knowing the entire time that God is good and His love covers them all. And in the midst of our anxiety or fear that we can rest in the fact that when the master physician enters the room there will be peace and comfort knowing that you are in relationship with the God of the universe. He desires us to be in relationship with Him above all else and I know that is what my heart longs for as well.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” JAMES 5:16

-Matt

Faith and Politics - My Journey

photo by CaptSpaulding

As Election Day 2008 draws near, I am increasingly engaged in political conversations with friends. Some of these discussions have been about specific candidates like Obama, McCain, and Ron Paul. Or we debate about significant topics such as abortion, gay marriage, and euthanasia.

I used to care a lot about political issues. I'm that guy who would watch C-SPAN in my free time. Yeah, that guy. Politics was truly my passion.

But then Christ revived my soul, and I lost my passion for politics and gained a passion for God and His righteousness.

Once I became a Christian, I began to recognize what is truly important. Jesus did not leave His church here to make the world Christian or to establish Christian governments. Instead, He left us here to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that [He has] commanded [us]” (Matthew 28:19-20). He did not leave the church here to rule over all nations, but to serve them.

A pastor friend introduced me to Sermon Jams, which are mostly just some interesting sermons mashed with a cool beat. Alistair Begg, Pastor of Parkside Church near Cleveland, makes the point in one of the Sermon Jams that we, as Christians, are not supposed to "reconstruct our society by coercive, legal, and political means." He said that those who do so are "like the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, out with the swords, ready to chop the people’s head off. And Jesus is putting ears back on all around and saying, ‘Guys, have you learned nothin' in two thousand years? Didn’t you read what I wrote in the book, ‘My kingdom is not of this world!’’”

Check out the Sermon Jam here.

I don’t want to overstate my transformation either. I strongly believe that Christians have a responsibility to take part in the political process. We are to be involved in our republic as good citizens by educating ourselves on issues and candidates. We should also be actively engaged in supporting just causes, like defending the lives of unborn babies.

However, we should resist becoming partisan simply for the sake of being partisan. I certainly lean toward the conservative side of the political spectrum, but that doesn’t mean that my first priority is to defend the Republican Party.

In America, the terms "Republican" and "Christian" have become virtually synonymous. While this is not surprising, since at the very least the Republican Party is by-and-large Pro-Life, this perceived connection is dangerous.

I fear the more non-believers associate Christianity with the Republican Party instead of the life of Jesus Christ, the more likely those non-believers will be distracted by the worldly agenda, peccadilloes, and scandals of the GOP. We cannot let the glory of Christ in the Gospel be affected by the machinations of the Republicans, or any man-made political ideology for that matter.

For His sake,
JT

What is Normal

Hey all! Well this is my first official blog and if the bar wasn’t set so low by bloggers everywhere I would be intimidated. Like Robert Wilensky said,

“We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.”

I hope I can come up with some thoughts and ideas that are a better then what a monkey could do. At the least, I do promise to always share my ideas with honor and respect for others and hope that will be reciprocated.

Now to the content; one thing about the title of this blog that really stood out to me was the word “normal”. Normal is a funny word because it is supposed to mean ‘to conform to the standard”. Yet everybody has a different standard or a different ‘normal’. Nothing highlights this like a marriage. Both the man and the woman have different “normals” that usually are highlighted quickly. Say for example the man was raised in a home where women did all of the cooking and cleaning and the woman was raised in a home where men and women shared those responsibilities. Both ways are “normal” to each respective person, but when they come together, a new “normal” is formed by one or both people. I say all of this to frame the question, what is a normal Christian? Is it the standard presented by the Christians in America, or China, or in Africa? Or is it the standard given by Lutherans, Catholics or Charismatics? Any argument for or against any of these examples would only divide the body. No, our only standard can be that of Christ. That is what the name “Christian” is supposed to mean, Christ-like.

I am guessing that most of you are tracking with me so far, but I haven’t said anything that is really going to challenge mindsets or change the world. If I quit here I would fail to do what the author of Hebrews says in chapter 6. That is, “therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us move on towards perfection.”
So here goes, I submit to you that the way Jesus thought AND the things he did have to be our only standard. That means not only do we get people saved, but we heal their infirmities too. Not only do we teach the Word and preach the good news, but we cast out demons and command the wind to be still. He said that he has given us all authority and that he has all authority to give. I believe that this is what the normal Christian life should look like, the standard He gave. He paid the price for this, we need to get what he paid for. I’m not sure where this lands on your grid, if it is old news, new perspective, or a fresh reminder. Whatever the case may be, I hope it challenges you to new levels in Christ.

Peace,
Jon