Big-Eyed Fish

New site

2009-02-19T06:53:00.003-06:00

Thanks to the awesomeness of my mac, I put together this website last night in about an hour:
www.ewdavis.com

I'm going to do my blogging there from here on out so check it out!!

a great feeling

2009-02-06T02:44:00.003-06:00

I've worked at the church for over a year now and have grown to love those kids. As any of you who've worked with or parented teenagers knows, you always wonder if you're getting through to them. I tend to find a good statement or phrase and use it over and over again, injecting it into any lesson I teach. My latest statement is, "I can't stand it when people make statements about the Bible or Christianity without being able to back it up."

One of the kids came up to me after church one Sunday and said, "When you said that, it made me want to read the Bible more."

It was amazing!

Our Christmas Video!

2009-02-03T12:34:00.004-06:00

Sorry about the low quality...The best version was too large to put on here. Enjoy!!

Ice Day!

2009-01-28T19:04:00.002-06:00

While Indiana tried to shovel out of a ton of snow, Dallas was hamstrung by a ghastly 1/4" of ice. Everything was shut down, including large portions of vital roadways. I spent the day at julie's, watching Rat Race, catching her up on Lost, and eating some Chik-Fil-A. I went with the #4, no tomatoes.

Now it's time for some reading!!

this wedding song thing

2009-01-20T01:56:00.005-06:00

It's been about 7 hours since my fiancee got the official call about the fate of our wedding song choice. I had to wait this long to write this so I wouldn't concentrate on my feelings about the wedding music committee, but on the song and it's meaning for Julie and I. I'm actually going to write it, save it, email it to Julie, then come back to look at it again to make sure I stay on message.

(as an aside, it seems ridiculous to me to get this upset about a song, or even feel this attached to a song, but it affected us in a great way...hopefully you'll see that in my words)

As our wedding grows closer (53 days away!), I've been reflecting on the circumstances that led us to each other.

Julie is from Mississippi originally and moved to Dallas almost 6 years ago to work while most of her friends and classmates chose Nashville or some other southeastern city. While here, she befriended some DTS students who, to this day, remain her close friends. After I graduated from college, I worked around Indiana politics for a few years, ultimately deciding to pursue a seminary degree here in Dallas. About 6 months after I moved to Dallas, I moved in with some fellow DTS students who were friends with Julie. After some careful scheming by our friends, Julie and I were introduced and started dating about 6 months later.

It's amazing to me how God brought us together. Without boring you all with the details, the whole story seems very unlikely. A job opportunity here, a different living situation there, and we wouldn't be together. That's what makes this song special to us.

The song "Bigger Than Us" is more than just a love song. The songwriter is communicating to his wife the fact that God brought them together. He talks about how God designed the stars from the beginning and set the earth's rotation to precise specifications, just like He did for the couple in the song. He talks about the love God used to design the world, even to the great detail of pairing two people together. When we hear that song, we praise God for putting us together from the beginning and directing our lives with such precision to put us together in the right time and place.

The fact that this song was denied has upset us both, and really saddens me on a few levels. First, our wedding committee contact was not even open to discussing it with us. Their reasoning was that it wasn't worshipful enough. No questions asked. It's not like we're trying to pull the wool over their eyes here. In our opinion, there is no question about the singer's intent--to praise God for His handiwork. But they didn't want to hear that and wouldn't answer our rebuttals. They just said something like "A lot of people get their wedding songs denied. We won't even let Ave Maria be played." (Ave Maria and Bigger Than Us are two completely different theological viewpoints...should be irrelevant) Conversation over.

Second, I'm really disappointed that poetic license has taken a hit in the church. Here is a Christian singer/songwriter who writes amazing lyrics and, just because they aren't in the style of Michael W. Smith, it is deemed to be not worshipful enough. We shouldn't have to apologize for substituting the words "this love is something bigger than us" for "our marriage is God-designed and ordained." It flows better and makes a better, more interesting song. I'm sure if we picked some Darlene Zschech-Hillsong-baby's milk-spoon-fed-follow-the-bouncing-ball song, it would have been approved (an older lady I used to work w/ called them 7-11 songs...7 words repeated 11 times). He's not making the audience stretch to understand that he's talking about God, he's stretching the audience to think about love in the context of God's whole creation. Beautiful!

Third, the way we were designing the service, the song would have gone after the homily, giving our pastor the opportunity to set the song up by talking about how our marriage is designed by God. A wedding isn't just a thing that people should go to, smile, and leave. It should point to God in a way that is poignant, thought-provoking, and emotionally stirring. Placing this song after the homily gives the attendees the chance to reflect on what the pastor just said in a way that is new and fresh...perhaps a way they've never thought about before. A way that could be more accessible without compromising the Truth.

Fourth, it's our wedding! I could understand this decision if we were trying to slip Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" by them (an actual suggestion on a wedding music website). We should be able to choose the music we want at our own wedding.

I know there are more songs out there that can do all of these things that might get past the Iron Curtain, but this is a song that stirs us spiritually and means a lot to us. The fact that a small committee in a large church can make the determination without even talking to us about is extremely disturbing. It also helps me remember that churches aren't perfect (and neither am I, judging by my thoughts immediately after hearing the news).

Pray for Julie and I, our attitudes and conduct in this situation. We love each other, and we know that our marrige is more than a song, but, as you can tell, this is a song and an idea that means a lot to us.

Bigger Than Us

2009-01-19T18:38:00.001-06:00

We wanted this song to be played/sung at our wedding...but it got nixed

Got a feeling
Somebody's up there pulling the strings
We're not on our own
Do you see it?
It's just like watching gravity fall
And you don't know how

Oh, but signs point to a miracle
It's not coincidence
We've gotten into this

Baby, this love is something
Something bigger than us
Bigger than us
Our love is something
Something bigger than us

Look above us
You'll see what I've been trying to say
These stars were arranged
Just like we were
And I thought I found you
All on my own
That's crazy now

Oh, when it's all so unbelievable
I'm not superstitious
Baby, it's just making sense that this

Love is something
Something bigger than us
Bigger than us
Our love is something
Something bigger than us

To say that from the Beginning
To the beginning of this day
The ways the world could be spinning
And it had to be this way

Oh, and love's not just the sum of us
It's so much deeper
Goes so much wider
Love of a sweeter kind
Love with a patient mind
Bigger than my eyes have ever seen
Than my imagination dreams
It's big enough
Bigger than us
Love is patient, love is kind
Love has given us a sign
It's big enough
Bigger than us

And love is something
Something bigger than us
Bigger than us
Our love is something
Something bigger than us

Overheard at the gas station

2009-01-15T12:33:00.003-06:00

Guy buying a lottery ticket:

"I don't have any premonitions about today's [lotto drawing]. Man, I bought $40 worth yesterday and didn't get nothin'! It's like the state is just wantin' to take our money and keep it for thyselves!"

Amazing insight...

A new semester

2009-01-14T00:59:00.002-06:00

Today I started the spring semester at DTS. After taking a little break during the fall, I'm excited to be back on a full time schedule. I'm looking forward to really pursuing my classes full-bore as I also prepare for the wedding. Later this week, I'm going to post my prayer requests for the semester, so please check back. I covet your prayers so much! Thanks for checking in!

PS...check out iamsecond.org

Surprise! I figured out my present!

2008-12-18T00:27:00.002-06:00

I love Christmas. I love the presents too. The most fun about the presents, for me, is figuring out what they are before I open them.

For my entire life, I've always tried to figure out what my presents were at Christmas time and tend to go to great lengths to figure them out. The object was always to figure them out before they were wrapped because it was more fun! My parents always thought they had the best hiding spots, but I always knew where to go first.

Smaller presents were always hidden in the closet among my mom's sweaters. Bigger presents were hidden in my mom's trunk. For the smaller presents, I would alter my after-school schedule in order to get home before my parents. For the bigger presents, I would encourage my parents to take my dad's truck to run errands together. Then I would use the spare set of keys in the kitchen drawer to get into the trunk and check out my loot.

Things got more difficult if I didn't find them all before they were wrapped. I would have to use my delicate touch to undo the tape, unfold the paper, look at the present, refold, and then re-tape the package. I was an incredibly difficult process.

Last night, apparently, I crossed the line. Using my sleuthing skills, I was trying to get clues out of Julie to figure out presents that her parents got me. She didn't cave at all!! Then when I needed to update our website, I used her computer. When I opened it, an unfinished email to my parents was up. I didn't realize what the subject was, so I scanned it and found out one of my presents. The big mistake was that I told her I found it. She got a little upset.

Lesson learned!

What I've been working on

2008-11-26T23:00:00.001-06:00

Sorry it's been 2 months since I last posted, but things have been hectic. Check out ericandjulie.org for all of our wedding information!!

Lawn Darts w/ the Department of Treasury

2008-09-30T14:44:00.003-05:00

If you were alive during the late-80s/early 90s, you probably played the awesome game Lawn Darts. You grab some large, metal-tipped flying objects, throw a target out there, and fire away.

Unfortunately, it sounds like the Department of Treasury is playing Lawn Darts with the bailout. Check out this quote from Forbes.com:

In fact, some of the most basic details, including the $700 billion figure Treasury would use to buy up bad debt, are fuzzy.

"It's not based on any particular data point," a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. "We just wanted to choose a really large number."

That makes me feel really good about this thing getting voted down. It's about time congress stood up to blank checks.

The Boss Fights Back

2008-09-25T12:29:00.002-05:00

What do you do when other ministries are talking trash? Take the high road. Great stuff.

Woefully Inadequate

2008-09-17T22:12:00.003-05:00

I woke up this morning to the news that a sophomore in the community my church is in had taken his own life. All day long I searched for something meaningful to say, only to come up empty.

Tonight there was a community worship service at another church that we all went to. The great part about it was the clear presentation of the Gospel in the coming-together of the body of Christ. The bad part was seeing 500+ kids in the room, most of them in tears, and not knowing what to say.

The first thing that comes to mind is, "How are you?" But as they wipe tears on your shirt and say, "I'm ok," you know they're not. Their eyes are filled with questions, but they don't ask right away. Maybe they see in my eyes that I don't have the answers. All I can say is, "I'm praying for you."

As kid after kid walked by to get a hug for some sense of comfort, I felt more and more inadequate. We don't know why bad things happen. We don't know why God allows death and destruction. We know the end result is to see Him glorified. So the only thing I can think is that these events draw people closer to Him.

Please keep the kids of Highland Park in your prayers. Pray for the churches who minister to these kids. Pray that this will draw people closer to Him and that He will be glorified.

Acts 1:8 - Observe Yourself!

2008-09-10T14:46:00.003-05:00

It's the beginning of another semester here in Dallas. That means another crop of fresh-faced seminary n00bs get to take Howard Hendricks' BE 101 class. In that class, he asks students to read Acts 1:8 and the context to come up with a certain number of observations.

When I did it, I struggled through, but I didn't try to take the easy way out. Unfortunately, I've caught some folks trying to take a shortcut. I was checking my site stats the other day and found a number of referrals from google searches for "Acts 1:8 Observations." The funny thing is, a number of these searches have come from China, where DTS has a new online program.

This has happened w/ every new semester I've been at DTS. Maybe Prof should put a new guideline in the syllabus.

Life's Song

2008-09-08T13:34:00.002-05:00

Matt Larsen, fellow DTS student and my SF leader, celebrated with his wife this summer when they welcomed their first child into the world. Unfortunately, she dealt with some big health problems. Check out their blog to see the amazing way God worked through this situation.

Also, they're going to have to pay major medical bills. A friend of theirs is doing his part by giving you an opportunity to help. Donate online and download Life's Song, written for the Larsen's daughter.

Overland Missions

2008-09-05T11:09:00.004-05:00

Any Alpha Males or Females out there? Anyone interested in a mission opportunity that requires GPS, satellite imagery, and the best all-terrain vehicles out there? Do you have a passion to go deeper into the jungles to find the really unreached (or unreachable) people? Check out Overland Missions.

Started by a former member of the South African military, Overland's mission statement is: Committed to every tribe, tongue, and nation in the uttermost parts of the earth to bring the gospel, humanitarian care and economic opportunities, to save and empower lives.

From what I've heard around the office, Overland is always a hit at our conferences. They roll up in their signature white 4WD ready to find the people willing to go where no one else goes, be it the jungles of South America, the bush of Africa, or the frontier of Southeast Asia. They need rugged types, willing to backpack for miles, sleep in hammocks, and share the Gospel without hesitation.

Overland Missions does more than share the Gospel though. In Africa, they help develop a sustainable infrastructure that combats diseases through The Life Project. They also work in Zambia to develop agriculture and micro-enterprise in order to give more people the opportunity to go to school. This is called The SAM Project.

On their FAQ page, they answer the question, "Is it safe?" Their answer sums up this ministry:

Define safe. We guarantee that while on an Overland Mission you will be out of your usual comfort zone and will experience any number of the following: eating something that doesn’t agree with your body (and the bathroom may be the side of the road), coming into contact with dangerous wild life, strange rashes or bug bites, adrenaline rushes (that could have varying effects on your body) and you will most likely be absolutely ruined for the status quo. However though there are risks involved in this type of adventure travel (see disclaimer), understand that you will be traveling with experts in the field who have the experience and the best technology at their fingertip to deal with unsafe situations, should they arise. If you are the type of person limited by fears, this type of mission may be just the thing you need to help you to realize how big our God is and that the earth truly is the Lord’s and everything in it. We believe that we have been commissioned by God and that with that comes His protection. This of course does not mean that everything will be easy, but we do believe that He is bigger than any other force in this world.

Check them out if you're interested in short-term missions. I don't think you'll be able to come back the same!

Two New Things

2008-09-01T16:54:00.002-05:00

Happy Labor Day! I've got a couple easy-on-the-brain things to tell you about.

Alltop.com - I've linked it on the right. Alltop.com is a collection of links to links to anything you've ever wanted to read. Everything from ADHD to Yoga and Event Planning to Personal Finance. Check out their Christianity page for links to the latest entries in the most influential Christian blogs out there.
With class starting, I've started reading my textbooks. Today I was reading for my Intertestamental History class. One of our textbooks is The Lost Letters of Pergamum by Bruce Longenecker. I've only read the first two chapters so far, but it's pretty cool to read what these civic leaders were writing about post-Jesus. If you like history or early political commentary, check it out.

McCain's Post-Obama Acceptance Ad

2008-08-28T20:46:00.000-05:00

Good Stuff

Pelosi gets slapped for trying to theologize

2008-08-28T08:51:00.002-05:00

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried to defend her position on abortion with theology. Nancy is Catholic. Catholic bishops don't like it when their politicians are pro-choice. Ergo, this is what you get.

A snippet:

Brendan Daly, a spokesman for Pelosi, said in a statement defending her remarks that she "fully appreciates the sanctity of family" and based her views on conception on the "views of Saint Augustine, who said, 'The law does not provide that the act (abortion) pertains to homicide, for there cannot yet be said to be a live soul in a body that lacks sensation.'"

A response:

The Rev. Douglas Milewski, a Seton Hall University theologian who specializes in Augustine, said Pelosi seems to be confusing church teaching on abortion with the theological debate over when a fetus receives a soul.

Big Day in Dallas Churches

2008-08-24T22:45:00.002-05:00

In a Christianity Today article some time ago, Dallas was labeled "The Buckle of the Bible Belt." A Google map search of "dallas church" yields more than 15,000 entries. We have seminaries, televangelists, ministries, and mission organizations. Dallas is home to megachurches like Prestonwood, Potter's House, Fellowship.com, and Watermark. In a city like this, any time a church makes a major change, it's big news.

Today, Irving Bible Church allowed a woman to preach from the pulpit for the first time in its 40-year history. I was unable to attend because of my youth leading duties, but Julie was able to go. Tonight while we were hanging out, she asked my opinion about it. Here's what I said:

I like to keep the main thing the main thing. Salvation is what I'm concerned about. When I look at a church, the first thing I look at is what they believe about salvation and all that goes with it (by grace through faith, eternal security, etc). That is not to say that women in the pulpit isn't an issue to deal with. IBC went to great lengths over the last year to study the Scriptures regarding this issue. Their conclusion is that it is permissable for women to preach from the pulpit, but not to hold the office of elder.

There are many in the evangelical community who are in strong disagreement with IBC's position. Tommy Nelson, DTS graduate and pastor at Denton Bible Church, did a three-part series in June about the subject in direct response to IBC. I have no problem with his view, a view that I've grown up with in my home church.

The answer I have is that I don't know. I've learned a lot from Christian women in my life. I understand the traditional view, but I believe there is some room for questions, as long as the Bible is the authority. I disagree with Tommy Nelson that a woman in the pulpit is a "virus." But I agree with him that opening this box can open up a number of other issues. Why shouldn't Christians be able to ask important questions and disagree? Why can't we disagree in love? Why does this issue spark such anger and controversy?

Let's all just chill out and talk about it in love.

10 Tips for Missional Living

2008-08-17T14:42:00.001-05:00

Taken from the Dallas Morning News Religion Blog

Ten Tips for Missional Living - for the everyday believer
by Philip Nation, co-author of Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living with Dr. Ed Stetzer

1. Understand the Gospel. The mission of God is consumed with the person & work of Christ. As you understand Christ, you can accurately participate in God's work of redemption. So read the Gospels - a lot.

2. Take an eternal view of people. The friends, neighbors, and co-workers around you have an eternity in front of them. We need to see them as God does and care for them accordingly.

3. Be friendly. A Christian should be the most trustworthy confidant that another person has in the world. Believers should be the kind of people that everyone else wants to be around.

4. Watch for a chance to serve. People give away all of their energy on family, work, and menial chores. Look for ways that you can care for your neighbors - even if it is just cooking a simple dinner for them.

5. Be truthful. Missional believers contend for the faith while speaking in a way understandable to the hearer. No matter what - be ready to talk about the truths in scripture.

6. Love like Jesus. He lived a robust life of caring for the lost. In elevating sacrificial love far beyond any previous thinking, he gave an example for us.

7. Be on guard. As you work alongside the King to extend his kingdom, our spiritual enemy will immediately attack. Guard your heart in holiness.

8. Live missionally at home. Family is the first place for the mission of God in your life. When people see the impact it has on your home, they will be more willing to trust its veracity for their own lives.

9. Show patience. People are farther away from understanding the Gospel than in previous generations. Do not hesitate to invite them to submit to Christ, but know that they have plenty of questions that might need answering first.

10. Do it for one reason - the glory of God. The only reason for be missional is to make Christ more widely known. God is worthy of being honored by all of creation and it should be the main reason why we participate in his mission.

Philip Nation is the co-author of Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living (May 2008, New Hope Publishers) with Dr. Ed Stetzer. Nation has authored articles for numerous publications and contributed to Dr. Ed Stetzer's Breaking the Missional Code and Planting Missional Churches. A former church planting missionary for the North American Mission Board, he has pastored in Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia where he leads Lake Ridge Church, a 2005 church plant. Nation holds a B.A. from Samford University, a Master of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.compelledbylove.com.

World Concern

2008-08-15T11:35:00.002-05:00

Once again, we're having some computer issues at work. During this downtime, I thought it would be good to research one of RightNow's partner organizations and share my findings with you!

World Concern is a nonprofit Christian humanitarian organization that conducts disaster aid and community development in the world's poorest places - Africa, Asia, and the Americas. World Concern's mission is to provide life, opportunity and hope to suffering people around the world. Motivated by our love of Christ, we bring hope and reconciliation to those we serve, so they may in turn share with others.

The part that I found most fascinating about World Concern is their programs. They found that the people they work with aren't looking for handouts. They desire meaningful work. World Concern addresses their dignity by providing, among other things, microloans for people to start farms or businesses to sustain their families and contribute to the community.

From the website:

In the world’s poorest, most remote communities, opportunities to create income can be severely limited. World Concern is helping to change that with innovative, environmentally sensitive programs that teach rural men and women how to raise food and income through sustainable agriculture, agro-forestry, dairy farming, animal husbandry, pisciculture (fish farming) and crop development.

Personally, I've always been conflicted about evangelism vs. aid, spiritual needs vs. physical needs. Which is most important? I truly believe that evangelism is the most important thing Christians can be doing, but shouldn't it be coupled with meeting physical needs? As Christians we are called to love even the least of these. Love necessarily involves evangelism, but even Jesus made physical needs a priority (feeding the 5,000, healing the blind man, raising people from the dead).

World Concern has seen the needs in the world's poorest areas and have found a way to share God's love, because He first loved us. Pray for the workers of this organization, it's leadership, and the people whom they serve. If you're interested in serving with World Concern, check out their available opportunities here.

The Next Step

2008-08-13T23:52:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that I proposed to Julie today and she said yes!!! The ring is on her finger!

We'll be getting married in Jackson, MS on March 14, 2009. Save the date!

Blue Like Jazz

2008-08-11T15:47:00.002-05:00

I think I may be one of the last 20-something Christians to read Blue Like Jazz. Since The RightNow Campaign works w/ Donald Miller so much, I figured I should read the book that put him on the map. Since it came out in 2003, over 1 million copies have been sold. Much has been made about this book, both good and bad.

On the "it's bad" side, conservative theologians argue that it isn't biblical at all. They don't like that he has a beer and smokes a pipe. They don't like that he converses with homosexuals and counts his time among pot-smoking hippies as one of the best times of his life. They don't like that he doesn't say nice things about the church.

On the "it's good" side are a bunch of people who are thinking, "Finally, someone wrote a book about Christianity I can identify with!"

Here's the thing...the subtitle is "Non-religious thoughts on Christian Spirituality." That should be a clue that this isn't a super serious theological undertaking. He's writing what he honestly sees and feels about the church, God, Jesus, and Christians. Since when were we supposed to get mad at someone who expresses an opinion?

I think the most challenging part of the book is that he expresses his desire to see Christians get out of their comfort zone and interact with sinners! Heaven forbid!! Whatever happened to showing love to someone and investing in their life? Why aren't we holding hands with people, leading them to the cross? Sure, some times it works to stand on the street corner and confront passers-by, but relationship evangelism works as well. It's just a little more taxing on us spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Whether we like to hear it or not, the church has hurt people. Divorce, homosexuality, and teen pregnancy are the unpardonable sins in may places and we take a hands-off approach when dealing with them. We spend our time and energy trying to elect people to sweep those problems under the rug, when what they really need is to know that they are loved, they are forgiven, and they are redeemed.

Don't take this book as seriously as you would Luther's 95 theses. It's one man being honest about his experience in the church. Constructive criticism never hurts anyone.

Can you get them??

2008-08-09T00:29:00.000-05:00

Guess the 100 most common words in the English language here.

Costa Rica Pics!

2008-08-07T21:18:00.001-05:00

I uploaded all 300+ pictures from my trip to Costa Rica! Check them out here

knee

2008-08-06T21:04:00.001-05:00

So last Friday in Costa Rica I injured my knee...again! My MRI results came back today with the best possible news: dislocated kneecap and a bone bruise.

First-hand accounts

2008-07-22T13:46:00.003-05:00

Piggy-backing on my last post about first-hand accounts...

We hear a lot of people who want to Save Darfur, but for many of us it's difficult to understand exactly what's going on there. Here is a story told by a female doctor who dealt first-hand w/ rebel stories. The account is gruesome, so it's not for the faint of heart. I do, however, encourage you to read it. Here is an excerpt:

I could see heads lolling and beige nyangours, long dresses that are standard girls’ school uniform, flapping in the breeze. As the crowd enveloped me, I realised that the nyangours were ripped and dirtied, and streaked with blood.
The cries were all around me now, confusing and deafening. “Beasts . . . attacked the school . . . monsters . . . the devil himself . . . children . . . raped . . . ruined . . . The Janjaweed! The Janjaweed!”

Interesting Perspectives

2008-07-10T18:02:00.001-05:00

When all we read are American media outlets and western experts on AIDS in Africa, we may not get an accurate picture. This story in the Baptist Press was written by Sam Ruteikara, a pastor in Uganda.

haha

2008-07-07T17:42:00.000-05:00

Julie Says Hello!!

The South

2008-06-30T10:05:00.002-05:00

I just got back from my first trip to the great state of Mississippi. One of Julie's good friends got married over the weekend, so I was able to visit her hometown and meet all of her college friends. And thanks to the groom's bad aim, I caught the garter.

All in all, it was a great time! I think I passed the friend tests!

People want our stuff

2008-06-20T08:57:00.001-05:00

Our office was the victim of two burglaries in two weeks.

Here is the story from CBS 11 news last Friday.

Disney Recap

2008-06-17T13:26:00.002-05:00

Well I've arrived safely back in the Metroplex after a weekend at Disney World. I was corrected on my use of "Disney World" early on. I said, "I'm excited to go to Disney World tomorrow!" I was told that we were already in Disney World and that we were going to the Magic Kingdom on Saturday. Silly me!

For someone who'd only been to a Disney park a few times in my life, I learned a few things:

Ordering a "Mickey Mouse Cocktail" is no laughing matter when you've been enjoying that drink since you were a child (it's a Shirley Temple).
Disney makes a ton of money.
My shoulders are great seats for small children on the parade route.
Take advantage of the Fast Pass
Mickey is an elusive creature (as are Minnie, Goofy, and Donald)
There may be a video of me screaming on the Tower of Terror
Disney doesn't make rides for people with long legs.

Anyway...I had a great time w/ Julie and her family. Now we're just waiting for the Davis clan to visit Dallas to meet her :)

I'm outta here!!

2008-06-13T11:47:00.002-05:00

Well I'm heading off to a magical place in a couple of hours!! Here's a hing:

5 types of men

2008-06-12T15:04:00.001-05:00

Spike TV commissioned a poll to see what today's man is like. They came up w/ 5 types:

Young Carefrees
Above Average Joes
Good Ol' Boys
Mac Daddies
Worry Warriors

Check out the link to read the whole story. It's pretty interesting.

2008-06-11T18:01:00.002-05:00

http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/

Barna Prez Poll

2008-06-09T12:15:00.001-05:00

George Barna strayed from him normal religion surveys to do a political survey...with some great religion questions as well.

Check it out here

KJV Only

2008-06-04T11:44:00.002-05:00

I had an interesting conversation yesterday with a church. I went into my spiel and at the end, the pastor asked what version we use. I explained that in our material, the reference is printed so the church can use their own version. He seemed to take umbrage w/ that statement because obviously the DVDs will be quoting Scripture. He then went into a long dissertation on why the KJV is the only version for him.

I sat and listened to him for no less than 20 minutes. His main premise was that all the other versions have footnotes that have other possible translations for the word and he wanted a version that had perfectly preserved the original text. He went on and on about how there were no footnotes in the KJV because it was perfect and how he believed every single word that was in it.

I really just kept my mouth shut because the one time I opened it to say something, he went on a 5 minute diatribe about why I was wrong.

My question is...did Jesus speak the King's English? What about Moses? From what I've heard through the grapevine, there are no autographs (originals) of the Biblical text left...meaning all we have has been copied by human hands. As painstaking as the copying process was in the early ADs, it was done by humans. There is bound to be a slight error. That's why people like Dan Wallace are combing the earth for earlier and more reliable manuscripts, so we can be sure that what we have is the most accurate.

Does the potential for minute errors weaken my faith? Absolutely not. I believe it's important to question these kinds of things, as long as you search for the answers. The thing that weakens faith is when you leave these doubts out there to fester and never resolve them.

That being said, the KJV is the most impossible-to-understand version and I'd pull my hair out if I had to read it all the time.

I'd love to hear from you all on this. Are you KJV people? Does version matter to you?

another phone update

2008-06-01T22:53:00.000-05:00

computer's still broken! the job is going really well. we're gearing up for our conference in november. click the rightnow campaign link on the sidebar for more info.

my roommate and I have everything moved into the new apt...not organized yet, but definitely all in the door (except the washer & dryer).

hope all is well on your end!

tired

2008-05-26T23:21:00.000-05:00

writing this from my phone because my computer is broken...

moved into the new apt this weekend. sore. new apt is on the 3rd floor and very inconvenient. anyone wishing to donate to the new comp fund can contact me :)

new apt complex will be a great place to minister. definitely different than any place I've lived before!

May Flowers

2008-05-19T23:12:00.002-05:00

I started my job today! For the first few weeks, I'll be selling products from here. It was clear today that the people I work for consider this a ministry, first and foremost. They pray that their products result in lives transformed for Christ. If I know you...and you work for a church...I'll probably be calling you to test out my selling strategy.

Also today, I received a gift in the mail from a friend and co-worker. He knew I was in need and just sent something...no strings attached. It was a beautiful and selfless act on his part. I thanked him for being open to what God had put on his heart. It reminded me of a sermon I helped one of my youth group kids put together for a youth-led service the other day. After talking through his topic, we settled on a closing thought that summed it all up: if you're out there praying for people in need, whether homeless or grief-stricken or just in need of a friend, remember they're probably praying that God would provide a way to meet that need. You could be the answer to that prayer.

New Job

2008-05-14T16:33:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone...just wanted to let you know that I got the job with Rightnow.org. I'll be starting on Monday. This is a wonderful answer to prayer. Thank you so much!

The finances are still pretty thin, but I'm excited to know that I'll be getting another paycheck soon!

Evangelical Manifesto

2008-05-08T00:49:00.002-05:00

http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com/index.php

This website is dedicated to a 20-page document written by a bunch of Evangelical leaders. Mark Bailey, Darrell Bock, Max Lucado, Jim Wallis, etc. have signed it.

I haven't read it yet, but it should be interesting.

The Internet is Amazing!

2008-05-06T17:19:00.003-05:00

So I have two new internet fads you may enjoy:

Twitter - If you're familiar with facebook, twitter is just a facebook status update. You just write down what you're doing. It's that simple! The link goes to my twitter profile.

Tinyurl - One of the most annoying things about posting links is that some are ridiculously long. Tinyurl changes those really long addresses into something that's about 25 characters.

It changes this: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/050708dnmetstudents.d4c0fefa.html

To this: http://tinyurl.com/63t92v

April Showers

2008-04-29T14:07:00.002-05:00

The old adage that it always rains in April has taken on a new meaning for me this year. Three days into the month I had my first car accident ever. It was their fault, but they gave me bad insurance information. Thankfully my insurance company tracked down the owner and got their real insurance info. The only problem is that I already filed the claim through State Farm, so I had to pay everything I normally would through State Farm and I have to sit back as they go after all my money.

The Monday after my accident, I was relieved of my office job. I was already in the process of looking for another job, and they knew that. I just didn't want to leave right then. One of my problems with that job was that they didn't pay my taxes...so as I did my taxes, I learned I owe $403 to the federal government.

For most of the month, I drove around a Chevy Silverado I rented from Enterprise...not the best vehicle for the gas prices. When my car was done, I was ready to get back into the Bonneville. When I picked it up, I noticed my ashtray was empty. When I dropped it off, the ashtray had about $1 in change and my Indiana lapel pin that a good friend gave me a few years ago. Then I checked my checking account last Friday and noticed that Enterprise withdrew the entire $300 deposit one day and returned about $250 of it the next day. The problem is that I didn't have $300 in my account and about 6 transactions tried to clear between their withdraw and deposit. And Bank of America charges through the nose for overdraft.

Let's hope May has some flowers.

Henry Poole is Here

2008-04-25T14:13:00.002-05:00

Hey all...I'm trying to finish up the semester, so things are a little hectic. I just wanted to share this link to a movie trailer for Henry Poole is Here. Looks really interesting

Eric Clapton's Faith

2008-04-11T12:59:00.001-05:00

At Christianity Today, Eric Clapton talks about his faith, losing his faith, and persevering.

Prayer Request

2008-04-08T13:32:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow (Wednesday) I have an interview with The Rightnow Campaign (linked to the right) at 3:30!

My Everyday Reading...

2008-04-02T01:12:00.002-05:00

Some people ask me which websites I read every day. While the websites of some friends and favorite organizations are linked to the right, here is a list of what I read on a daily basis:

Newspapers

Blogs

Websites

That's all I can remember for now...enjoy!

Against the Grain

2008-03-31T00:10:00.002-05:00

Wired Magazine is one of my favorite periodicals. The cover story this month is about Apple and how they buck the corporate culture of Silicon Valley and continue to succeed. In computer land, companies like Google and Sun Microsystems encourage their employees to have public blogs about their work. They have free massages and gourmet cafeteria food. They encourage employees to spend a certain amount of their work time on personal pursuits.

By contrast, Apple is incredibly secretive. Their employees rarely know what is going on in other parts of the company. Steve Jobs will berate his employees, sometimes to the point of tears. Even though Jobs and his company are bucking the trend of openness in the tech world, their success is clear. The iPod has a 70% market share. The iPhone is leaps and bounds ahead of other smart phones. And their computers are gaining more popularity. When the world is telling Apple to go one way, they publicly defy these suggestions and stick to their M.O.

In Juarez I talked about how different the Gospel is from anything that's out there. It's the one thing that separates Christians from everyone else. In Sunday school today I talked about how important it is to find out what is keeping them from being completely sold out to Christ.

I think one of the biggest problems Christians face is general rules of socially accepted behavior. There are certain things people are not supposed to do: tell people they are wrong, say that you are right, and say that there are consequences for their actions. Unfortunately, following the Great Commission and sharing the Gospel requires us to do these things. When the world is saying that we should be open and love each other, Jesus Christ tells us that we have to make people mad. There may be contention at school, work, or home, but Jesus went through those before us. Even His own family didn't believe Him! That didn't stop Him from doing His job, fulfilling His task.

This is something I've been struggling with for a long time. Coming from the political world, where success is directly related to public approval, we learn to choose our words wisely. We avoid buzzwords that evoke negative emotions. We test messages to see what moves people our way. This is direct conflict with what God calls us to do. For Him, there is one message. This message is the truth. Take it or leave it (if you're not Calvinist).

When the world prefers a certain set of social norms, Christians are called to buck those norms. Even when they try to project those norms onto us (like tech-types do to Apple), we must be unflinching. Steve Jobs refuses to bow to public pressure and continues to turn out hits. We need a little less Google and a little more Steve Jobs in all of us.

Juarez Recap

2008-03-28T17:17:00.005-05:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this posted. I've spent the week trying to get back into the swing of things at school.

First, I want to thank everyone for their prayers. We took 9 vans from Dallas to Juarez and back without incident (aside from a couple of drivers getting pulled over...not saying whether I was one of those drivers or whether the driver in question talked his way out of a ticket). While we were in Juarez, there were only a few minor bumps and scrapes...which is amazing considering we had 60 kids and more than a few are prone to injury.

Some really funny things happened. One day some kids were rocking the van back and forth while we were waiting (when my friends and I did this, Mel was usually driving us down the road). One girl touched the window and hit it with her ring, accidentally shattering the window! On our last night in Juarez, 5 guys (including me) decided to test the strength of a kid-size folding chair one of the girls brought. It held us all for a few seconds, but that was it. It was a really fun trip and it allowed me the opportunity to really get to know these kids.

During work hours, we divided the group into two sites and built two houses simultaneously. Thanks to some great site leaders and determined kids, both houses were finished in four days! I was absolutely amazed with the dedication our kids put into the work. Sure, there were some times we played, but the rest of the group only let the "tomfoolery" go on for so long. It was a great thing to see how hard everyone worked.

Each day we started off at our campsite with worship and quiet time and finished each night with worship, teaching, and small groups. Each night's speaker talked about a different thing for the kids to "return" to. I talked about returning to action, specifically caring about eternal needs along with earthly needs. The kids seemed to really respond to the message, which was exciting.

Now the trick is to figure out how to keep this "high" going, or at least how to lead the kids toward consistency in their walk.

Thanks again for all your prayers. It was an exciting trip! Here are some pictures:

2008-03-24T15:52:00.001-05:00

I don't really have time to write a full recap of my trip, but I wanted to let everyone know that we made it home safely. Here's a picture of the entire group in front of one of the two houses we built!

live from el paso

2008-03-20T05:42:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in a denny's in el paso, getting ready to drop someone off at the airport. I've turned into the official driver for the trip. each day someone from the church has flown in or out, so I've crossed the border each day...and each time without incident. thanks for your prayers! please pray today that we can finish our houses. we've still got quite a bit to finish. i'll get a full recap this weekend!

2008-03-15T23:05:00.000-05:00

after 6 hours of driving, the hpumc youth caravan to juarez has stopped for the night in midland, tx. I'm trying to type this from my phone, so forgive the grammatical errors. this time tomorrow, we will have set up camp and (hopefully) be sleeping in anticipation of the week's work. please pray for our safety as we build houses for two deserving families. pray that I don't ruin my witness by losing patience. pray that God will speak to us each in a special way. thanks...eric

Missions @ home & far away

2008-03-14T03:22:00.003-05:00

On Saturday I'm hopping into a van filled with tools and food and heading to Juarez, Mexico with the church youth group for a week of building houses. I'm really looking forward to spending time with the kids, watching them grow, and trying to put some "hands and feet" on the things I'm studying.

As I was packing tonight though, I had a sobering reminder that it doesn't take going to another country to do mission work. I was on the phone when a friend of mine beeped in. I ignored it at first because, well, I was talking to someone I didn't want to stop talking to. Then the other caller sent me a cryptic text message about how they were in their yard with a gun and bullets and they wanted to talk to me.

Needless to say, I hung up and called this person. They'd been in a nasty fight with their spouse, things were thrown around the house, and they were told to leave. I was at a complete loss, praying that God would give me something to say. I was totally unprepared and felt like a complete fool. As I talked to them, they said that sometimes it seems so much easier to just end their life than to deal with their problems. I got them to put the gun down and talk. I reminded them about all the people who loved them and that if they hurt themselves, they would hurt all of us. As the conversation went on, I was able to tell them that we are told to "Cast all our cares on Him, because He cares for us."

After we talked, they went back inside the house, leaving the gun outside, and talked to their spouse. I talked to them once more...they hadn't gotten everything worked out, but they were going to bed. At least that's a start, I guess.

It reminded me that there are people already in my life who are hurting and I have a responsibility to share my faith with them. It's not mine to hoard. It also gave a new meaning to

1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;

We never know when we will be called to action. Be ready.

Sadie!

2008-03-10T11:43:00.002-05:00

Dallas Weather

2008-03-06T18:46:00.002-06:00

In Indiana, we used to say, "If you don't like the weather here in Indiana, wait 30 minutes."

Then I moved to Dallas. Last weekend I was wearing shorts. Since then it has snowed twice, culminating in my flight getting canceled tonight.

I won't arrive in Indiana until tomorrow evening. Ugh.

WOW

2008-03-05T13:55:00.002-06:00

Tonight at WOW, I'm talking about 1 John 1:5-7.....

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Hollywood Christians

2008-03-03T10:13:00.002-06:00

Beliefnet has put together a list of the most influential Christians in Hollywood. #1? Everyone's favorite Jew-hating drunk...Mel Gibson. Anyway...here's the list.

Living at Sea

2008-02-28T13:18:00.004-06:00

One of my most annoying traits that seems to be clear to pretty much everyone is that I can be fairly non-committal. Some of that may be attributed to my political past, but I just don't like being nailed down to certain things. Each new day seems to bring a new excitement in my life, shoving some previous crush (i'm not talking about the fairer sex here, just using that terminology) out the window.

I have learned that God's plans supersede my own, even if my own plans were written in blood on a tablet of Indiana limestone. I used to pray that God would direct my paths, but I would spend too much time sitting around. I never took chances...just stayed safe. Then I heard someone say something like, "If you want God to direct your sails, you have to pull up your anchor."

Just to be clear, I don't live my life like a starving artist. I keep a job and an apartment and some structure. I just don't ever say, "This is where I'm going to be for 10 years." I have been blessed to have many opportunities in my short life, some I have taken, others I have not. But I never take an opportunity off the table without consulting my Lord and Savior, asking that the open or closed door present itself clearly...and that I act in the manner expected when it is clear that the door is open or closed.

I don't know why I'm surprised, but God has never failed to answer that prayer. When He closes a door, it has been clear. When the door is open, I have felt peace when I cross that threshold. Sometimes I wish that I could be like those who can settle down and see the next 10-20 years of their life in that place. There is security in that. God didn't wire me that way. In all honesty, I am perfectly comfortable in my state of controlled flux, waiting for God's direction. Until I hear something different though, I sit pat, doing my best to excel in the situation in which I've been placed.

Religiosity Scales Project

2008-02-26T16:59:00.001-06:00

Help some people do some research and find out what kind of Christian you are. Click here

Pew Research Poll

2008-02-25T22:13:00.003-06:00

A few different sites have been reporting on the new Pew Research religion poll today. The wild thing about this poll is that they surveyed 35,000 people, so the numbers are exponentially more accurate than the traditional political poll.

What is tough is that with all of these people claiming to be affiliated to a certain religion or denomination, we don't know how many actually have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal savior. In America it's easy to sit back and let pastors do the work of an evangelist, when we really are a nation in need of a savior.

Angry White Men

2008-02-20T10:50:00.001-06:00

Here's an interesting article on a forgotten political demographic...

Click here

Here I Raise my Ebenezer

2008-02-19T13:15:00.002-06:00

That line in the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" has always stuck with me. It's unusual, but incredibly meaningful. The line is taken from 1 Samuel 7:12 when Samuel raised a stone, calling it Ebenezer (stone of help), so that the Israelites would remember how God had helped them in that spot.

I've been thinking about what it would mean to raise my own Ebenezer. In the past, when I've been the beneficiary of God's extraordinary providence, I usually thank Him right then, maybe share the story a couple of times, and then forget about it. What would my Ebenezer look like?

I don't want to limit my Ebenezer collection to just times when God has taken care of my physical needs, but also my spiritual needs. For instance, the blog I talked about yesterday is still on my mind. I want to raise an Ebenezer to remember the need that was met while I was at Passion. I'm not sure what it will look like...I'm not a great artist and I tend to lose things. I just want to remember that God met my spiritual needs that day, and I want to remember what was placed on my heart because of that met need.

I don't know if any of you have ever raised an Ebenezer...or something similar with a more normal name, but let me know how you remember how God has met your needs.

Sweating the Small Stuff

2008-02-17T18:40:00.002-06:00

My mom had a poster in her room at school that read, "Don't sweat the small stuff. It's all small stuff." In the realm of eternity, that is absolutely true. I was reminded over the weekend, that in the Christian life, it's not that true.

We took some kids from church to Passion Dallas with Louie Giglio, David Crowder Band, and Christ Tomlin. The event is geared toward college students and high school seniors in order to encourage them to take back their campuses for God. For me, it was a welcome respite from the difficulty of seminary. Giglio and Francis Chan talked about some things that it is easy for us to forget-that the Holy Spirit is at work within us, that Christ died for us, that the world is in dire need of a Savior.

What hit me the most was Chan's talk last night. All weekend, they'd talked about the Passion world tour, and introducing us to some of the modern heroes of the faith-people who'd risked life and limb to spread the Gospel in Iraq or rescue children from brothels in Thailand. I'm sitting there thinking, "Man, I want to do that!" Then Chan said, "I bet if I told you I had a plane ready to go to Thailand to risk your life to rescue kids, I could fill it up." It immediately got my attention.

He reminded us that God doesn't entrust the big things to those who forget to do the little things. Far too often, our daily walk and our prayer life are the first things to go from a busy schedule. So why would God give us a major kingdom-building task if we can't even commit to a daily personal relationship with Him?

I was reminded to sweat the "small" stuff if I really want to be used by God.

Degree Change

2008-02-05T02:23:00.000-06:00

Today my degree change became official. For the first two semesters, I was studying for the Master of Theology. The DTS ThM is the stuff of legends. It is super-intense and unmatched by any other evangelical school in its scope and rigor. I signed up for that degree when I got here because that's what you go for at DTS. I didn't really study the other degrees until I got into my classes and though, "Is this what I need?"

Turns out...I didn't! I started thinking and praying about where my strengths were and what God has gifted me with. That process led me to the Master of Arts in Christian Education. It's much more focused on programming and administration. I'm looking forward to what is in store with this degree...and looking forward to seeing how God will use what I learn after graduation.

Dungy's back!

2008-01-22T01:12:00.000-06:00

This really isn't about sports. As a Colts fan, I am excited that Dungy is coming back. He deserves to coach the team into the stadium that his teams have basically built (with a little help from the donut counties and their sales taxes).

As a Christian, I would love for Dungy to be on the news more often. Too many times we see the crazies...the ones who are constantly seeking confrontation. I know those are the guys who bring ratings, but they don't exemplify what Christianity is all about. Dungy does. His life is a ministry. His work is a ministry. And if you click the title of this blog, you'll see what kind of affect Dungy has had on that reporter.

HA-HA

2008-01-17T23:38:00.000-06:00

I was checking my blog traffic and I saw that some people have found my blog by googling something like "Acts 1:8 observations." I was doing that same assignment a year ago. STOP CHEATING!!

Article VI

2008-01-17T09:47:00.000-06:00

Tonight a group of us are going to see Article VI. It's a documentary about the 6th article of the Constitution. Specifically, it's about the part that says no religious test will be required of someone holding office.

One of the earliest questions asked of any presidential candidate involves faith. Even though the question of faith is not required to run, the voters have made it a requirement. Is that a good thing? I'm hoping this film will shed a little light on the debate.

Books I'm reading

2008-01-15T09:53:00.000-06:00

I'm going to try to do some outside reading this semester. Here are the two books I've started:

Reel Spirituality is about film and theology. There are ways to see God in everything, including movies. I'm trying to fine-tune my eye when it comes to film.

Dethroning Jesus was written by DTS professors Darrell Bock (author of NYT best-seller Breaking the Da Vinci Code) and Dan Wallace (New Testament guru). It tackles the latest attacks on the truth of Christ (i.e. the tomb of Jesus).

Here's an idea!

2008-01-09T14:37:00.001-06:00

If you ever have some spare time and want to stretch your mind a little bit, I've got an exercise for you. For my winter session class on Trinitarianism, I just turned in my personal definition/doctrine of God. Even though Isaiah says "Truly, you are a God who hides Himself," there is a lot of information out there...most of it written by people smarter than me.

Once the definition goes through a few revisions and I turn in my final draft, I'll try to post it up here.

I'm Back

2008-01-03T22:28:00.001-06:00

Finals are over. Christmas break is over. Class has started again! Right now we're in winter term. We can take one class in one week and get 3 hrs of credit. The only catch is that we do a semester's worth of reading & homework in that week...and we're in class from 8 am-5 pm.

This week I'm taking Trinitarianism. It's a study of the Trinity, what each member's roles are, and what the Trinity actually is. It's been one of the most interesting classes I've been in at DTS. Some profs have put together this website about the Trinity. Resources from our class can be found there.

I'll try to do better this semester with the blog! Come back often.

more from class

2008-01-02T15:23:00.001-06:00

7 red flags in Christology (affirmations in orthodox Christology)
1. Christ's pre-existence
2. virgin birth
3. Jesus' consciousness of His own deity.
4. literal performance of miracles
5. foreknowledge of His mission
6. bodily resurrection
7. bodily return

Live blogging from class

2008-01-02T15:23:00.000-06:00

on media's portrayal of fatherhood "If God is a loving father, why wouldn't Satan portray that as a bad thing?"

Sicily

2007-12-10T15:49:00.000-06:00

I know this isn't a normal post, and it's long overdue, but I wanted to share a quote I saw today on espn.com of all places. The ESPN ombudsman keeps track of their reporting methods and critiques or criticizes when the need arises. At the end of her most recent piece, she wrote this:

"While working on this column, I happened upon this passage in a book I was reading, and thought the old world of Sicily sounds a lot like the new world of media:
'Nowhere has truth so short a life as in Sicily; a fact has scarcely happened five minutes before its genuine kernel has vanished, been camouflaged, embellished, disfigured, squashed, annihilated by imagination and self-interest; shame, fear, generosity, malice, opportunism, charity, all the passions, good as well as evil, fling themselves onto the fact and tear it to pieces; very soon it has vanished altogether.' -- from "The Leopard," by Giuseppe di Lampedusa"

Got the Job!

2007-11-27T21:37:00.000-06:00

Today the job became official! Actually, I start tomorrow. On Wednesday nights, they have a high school boys' Bible study. I knew I would have to lead it eventually, but they asked me to start tomorrow night...and they want to go through Acts. The cool thing is that I just did a Sunday School lesson on Acts 1:8 for my church in Indiana. Also, in Evangelism class today, we looked at the 5 different versions of the Great Commission (1 in each Gospel, 1 in Acts). So my plan is to intro the book with a look at the GC. I covet your prayers!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T19:51:00.000-06:00

The family tradition continued for another year as the extended family living in and around southern Indiana got together for another holiday. It was a great time! All of my younger cousins are growing up and having babies and what-not. I kept trying to take a nap, but the screeching of little girls kept me up. When they took off for other festivities, I took my spot in the chair and drifted off to dreamland. It's been a great time being home, but now I have to buckle down and get some work done! I should get off here...

CT Piles On

2007-11-17T20:42:00.000-06:00

I'm back in Southern Indiana for a few days to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family and the family's apparent abundance of new babies. Ugh. Babies frighten me.

But that's beside the point.

A hallmark of Gibson County, Indiana is the plethora of mass public dinners. Churches, community service organizations, and even fire departments host massive meals to raise $$. Tonight I went to the Patoka UMC's dinner. Amazing as usual!

While I was there, someone mentioned to me that Christianity Today had a great blog about some changes being made at Willow Creek. I checked it out...liked what I read. It just seems like the author was really trying not to sound joyful that these leaders realized changes needed to be made.

Citizenship

2007-11-15T13:08:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the difference between American citizenship and Heavenly citizenship. Obviously they require completely different things, but do the compliment one another? Do they hinder one another? It's difficult to sort it all out.

Take illegal immigration, for instance. Say I know about an apartment building where many illegals live in poverty and I know it's against the law (thus the name). Is it my responsibility as an American citizen to contact the authorities (even though they probably wouldn't do anything)? Or do I listen to my Heavenly citizenship and take them food? Can I do both? Sometimes it's tempting to stay away completely and ignore the issue!

At what point do we stop being Rahab and start involving authorities? Murder? Drugs? Theft?

I don't have an answer...I gotta get back to work.

PFR

2007-11-13T13:48:00.001-06:00

There used to be a Christian rock band called Pray for Rain. Then they changed their name to PFR. They broke up in 1997, but have come back for a few benefit shows and even recorded new material together earlier this decade. I wonder if they came back together for Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue's interfaith service where the attendees are actually praying for rain.

Mutemath

2007-11-11T01:00:00.000-06:00

I went to the House of Blues tonight to see the band Mutemath. It was probably the best concert I've ever seen. The cool thing about these guys is that they are believers. The other cool thing is that they are one of the most talented, progressive bands out there today. If you are looking for a band for you or your kids that is clean but amazing, check them out...especially if you're tired of the same old stuff that comes out of the Christian rock market today.

One year later

2007-11-07T13:11:00.000-06:00

The revelation that Rev. Ted Haggard bought meth and had sex with a male prostitute shocked everyone in the evangelical community. Here's a story about how things have gone at the church in the year since.

Quenching the Spirit

2007-11-04T23:19:00.000-06:00

Today in church, I started thinking about the verse "Pray without ceasing." I looked it up to check out the context and started reading through 1 Thessalonians 5 when I came across the verse that says "Don't quench the Spirit." It kinda hit me...do I quench the Spirit? Do I drown it out with my own pride? Rather than letting the Spirit work in my heart, I drown it out with all kinds of things that are much more convenient and easy to handle. I haven't really digested it all yet, but I plan to this week...stay tuned.

Luther

2007-10-27T17:07:00.000-05:00

In the theology class I'm taking this semester (Angelology, Anthropology, and Sin), our professor was going off on one of his trademark rants Friday when he said something that caught my attention:

"There is an insidious pride that creeps into our society that says you have to be as learned as I am to receive the love of Jesus Christ."

Fast forward to today. I'm heading to the library to study and I stop at the Tetco gas station to pick up something caffeinated to drink. When I walk out, a homeless guy asks me for some change. I knew he was there, so I didn't even look at him, but when I heard him say it, I turned around and said, "I'm sorry, what?" (Not in an i'm-deeply-apologizing-for-ignoring-you way, but an i-didn't-hear-you way). He asks me again. I happen to have some change in my pocket, so I give it to him and ask his name. Luther and I shake hands and I ask how his day is going (stupid question I know, but it's hard to tell the professional beggars in Dallas from the really despondent). He can hardly answer, obviously something was wrong. So I said a few more pleasantries, we pounded fists, I said I'd pray for him and I walked away.

Then I re-read that quote from Dr. Burns. How many times am I going to be given the opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ and continue to drop the ball? It's frustrating.

Exciting Saturday Nights

2007-10-22T00:32:00.000-05:00

Saturday night (technically Sunday morning), I was sitting in the living room with the roommates watching some TV. We kept having to turn up the volume because of all the police sirens. When we realized that the sirens were getting out of control, one of my roommates gets the wild idea to drive around and see what's going on. Everyone hops into my car and we drive around for a little bit. All up and down Skillman Street, police are posted, obviously waiting for something big. We pulled into a nearby parking lot to talk to some security guards (who are more like kids with halloween costumes). They told us that a DPD officer arrested a guy, but he took off running...with the handcuffs on...and into a nearby apartment complex. We pulled back into the lot of our complex with the police helicopter circling overhead. When we stopped the car, the helicopter spotlighted us until he realized we weren't the perp in handcuffs. And we went back inside.

And that was our wild Saturday night!

Thanks!

2007-10-18T14:20:00.000-05:00

I really appreciate everyone's prayers this morning. My sermon went really well! I didn't remember everything exactly as I'd written it out, but I was able to keep a pretty constant stream of thought.

I'd appreciate it if you kept a classmate of mine in your prayers. Right before he was supposed to preach this morning, he got a call saying his mother had passed away. Obviously he didn't preach. He is on his way back to Alabama right now.

Sermon Manuscript

2007-10-16T16:41:00.000-05:00

I'm in the middle of writing my sermon manuscript. Before I preach Thursday, I have to write out nearly word-for-word what I'm going to say. It pretty much goes against everything I've been taught in speech classes before........

Busy Week

2007-10-15T10:14:00.000-05:00

On Thursday I give my first sermon...which I have to memorize.
On Friday I turn in an Old Testament timeline.
Also on Friday, I turn in a test on Anthropology.

Concerts

2007-10-11T02:11:00.000-05:00

For me, there is very little that compares to live music. I'm up for pretty much any show, any time. Tonight I got to see Dashboard Confessional with Augustana. Even though it was a little emo, it was an awesome show!

History

2007-10-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

Every now and then, something shows up on our TV screen that you know is history in the making. Whether it was watching the space shuttle blow up while I was in elementary school, seeing the twin towers fall to the ground, or listening to Obama's convention speech in 2004 (not saying I liked it...it was just historical).

Sports offers a little more light-hearted history of its own. While the history made on the field or in the arena won't alter world policy, it's history nonetheless. I can remember watching McGwire his #70 in a Taylor dorm room. I remember watching Lebron hit the last 25 points for Cleveland to beat Detroit. I remember watching Peyton beat Marino's single-season touchdown mark.

This recent Yankees playoff series offered some historic moments of its own. There is no doubt that the Yankees have been the best team for the last 13 years. After this season though, the Bronx Bombers may not be the same come April. Joe Torre, the most successful playoff manager in history may be gone. Roger Clemens probably pitched his last major league pitch ever. Jorge Posada & Mariano Rivera, battery mates for all these years, may have played their last games in pinstripes. And the game's best player, Alex Rodriguez, may be leaving New York (although his playoff stats may say he left a long time ago).

I hope they're not gone. None of them look right without pinstripes. But if this was their last season in the Big Apple, it's been a fun ride. Here's to the end of an era.

Random Things

2007-10-08T10:31:00.000-05:00

My first sermon is Thursday morning on Proverbs 28:13. I'm working on that famous DTS expository preaching model.

Having just finished a paper on the phrase "kingdom of heaven," it was interesting to hear Obama talk about creating a "kingdom on earth."

I just started the membership class at my church down here. It's pretty intense, but it's got a lot of good stuff in it.

The Yankees are killing me...

The Colts are the only undefeated team to beat actual winning teams.

Divorce

2007-10-04T21:25:00.001-05:00

This is another one of those topics where I've had trouble putting together a good post. I'm just overwhelmed when I think about people I know, Christians I know, going through this. The divorce rate among Christians is just as high as it is among non-Christians and I'm not really sure why. You can call me naive if you want...I've never been married...frankly the thought of it freaks me out a bit.

I don't know if people go into marriage thinking that divorce is an easy way out if things get tough. Or maybe they get caught up in other sins (infidelity, lying, anger, etc) that make it seem like divorce is the only way out. The one thing I know is that we serve a God of reconciliation (Col 1:22). If God has the power to reconcile our sinful flesh with heavenly perfection, He can reconcile a marriage gone awry.

Conflict in marriage is inevitable. We are sinful creatures! Where ever you find sinners, you will find sin (a great axiom if you've been hurt by a church). The question is...who are you serving (or where are you finding your joy)? If you're serving anything by God, or finding your joy anywhere but Him, you'll never be satisfied. You'll be constantly looking for something else when God has given you everything you need!

I pray that, if God blesses me with a wife, I will be able to put God in His proper place and live for the rest of my life, one sinner with another.

The Battle with Sin

2007-10-03T00:58:00.000-05:00

Now that I've got some time between homework, I wanted to talk about something that has come up in conversation a few times lately. Books like Wild at Heart give us an image of fighting sin off with a sword while our faces are covered in war paint. How are we supposed to react to sin? Do we grab our war implements and head off to the battlefield? Do we shrink into our closets and wait for it to pass? Do we tear our clothes off in the street crying "Woe is me?"

As Christians strive to grow closer to Christ, and shine that light into the dark corners of our heart, we can be certain that sins will show their ugly face. Many times, it could be things we didn't even realize! Who really notices they have an issue with gossiping? Who would admit they have a problem with trusting God? The problem is, we all sin...and our sins are not limited to the few that are seen easily. They range along a wide spectrum because we are sinful creatures!

The good thing is that these sins are not hidden from Christ. As Christians we already know that these sins are forgiven, but that doesn't mean we stop sinning. Since God knows everything we do, He is going to know the secrets in the deep recesses of our hearts. Like I said, this is a good thing. There is truth in that old adage that God won't give us more than we can handle. We are equipped for everything we encounter. Since that is true, we know we have the tools necessary to deal with the sin we find each new day.

In Ephesians, Paul tells us how to deal with sin...using battlefield imagery. In this wrestling match with sin (6:12), we are called to put on the armor of God (6:13). The defensive part of the armor includes the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, and helmet of salvation. The offensive weapon we have is the sword of the Spirit.

Since we know that sin will be brought to the surface as we grow closer to God, we can take comfort that God has given us the tools to wrestle with it. We can't wait for that battle to come because our sin won't wait for us to suit up. Each day we have to put that armor on and be on the look out for that sin. That doesn't mean that we walk around each day with our "war face" on, screaming our barbaric "Yawp!" We walk around in the peace of Christ knowing that we are prepared for the battle because Christ has blessed us with the tools.

Citizenship Questions

2007-09-28T09:31:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Government is rolling out new questions on the 100-question citizenship test for immigrants. The New York Times has 10 on their site. I got 9 right, so I feel pretty good about myself. How many can you get??

Taylor Dorm wants to attend DTS

2007-09-27T01:15:00.000-05:00

Sammy Morris, running back for the New England Patriots, wants to attend DTS when he finishes his football career. Even though the Pats are basically my least favorite NFL team, it's still cool to hear about players like him. And when I was at Taylor University, my dorm was named Sammy Morris Hall (not after him or his family, but a Liberian Prince).

Read the story here.

#756--The Votes are In

2007-09-26T09:23:00.000-05:00

I know these posts have nothing to do with seminary, but I'm a huge baseball fan and the steroid debate is fascinating to me. In an earlier post I talked about a poll regarding the final resting place of Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run ball. The voting is now closed and the winner is....Brand it with an asterisk and send it to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown! Well America, great minds think alike. That's the one I picked. When it gets there, I think I'll make a special trip to the Hall just to see this thing.

Rich Mullins

2007-09-24T09:24:00.000-05:00

September 19th marked the 10-year anniversary of Rich Mullins' untimely death. I can't do much justice to this man in the way of a eulogy, but I can say that no other musician has brought me closer to the throne of God.

For some reason I'm having some trouble w/ links right now, but in the meantime, read a good eulogy here:
http://relevantmagazine.com/releblog/jason-boyett/remembering-rich-mullins/

Nehemiah

2007-09-23T15:27:00.000-05:00

I spent this week researching and writing a paper on leadership principles in Nehemiah and tried to answer the question of whether or not leadership is the point of the book. I don't think I'd ever read that book all the way through, but it was great. What I found was that, yes leadership is a major part of the book. There is another point of the book though. I felt that the other point was how to follow. Every level of the community worked (except for the nobles who didn't want to get their hands dirty), and they worked hard for a common goal. They all took up arms in order to protect their city, but that doesn't mean the work stopped. They carried their tools and their swords to be ready for any attack. These people weren't just following along like sheep, they took an active interest in the work and wanted it to succeed.

How does that work in our churches? Do we just go in on Sundays, listen, and leave? Or do we take an active role in its success by building up the body and defending it from enemies? Check it out and be inspired by the Word of God.

#756 up for a vote

2007-09-17T14:08:00.000-05:00

The winning bidder of Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run ball is leaving its fate to us. Voters have three choices: 1. Send the ball to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. 2. Brand the ball with an asterisk, then send it to Cooperstown. 3. Put the ball on a space ship and banish it into orbit.

Click the title of this blog to vote.

Personally, I voted to brand it, then send it to Cooperstown. I think it's an artifact that needs to be in the HoF, but there needs to be some recognition of the era in which it was done. I'm not arguing that Bonds was the only person on steroids. A roided up Bonds hit home runs off pitchers who were roided up too. The asterisk, in my opinion, shouldn't be a shot at Bonds alone, but to all of baseball for the last 20 years.

Downtown

2007-09-17T08:59:00.000-05:00

I spent all day Saturday moving out of Irving and into the city. I'd been praying about an opportunity to move closer to school and work and God answered in a great way. I now only live about 10 minutes from work and 15 minutes from school!