a vapor

wow! have you taken a look at the calendar lately? 2008 is almost history. impossible! it just began - i mean, just a few short weeks, er, months ago. and now it's gone - like a vapor. doesn't it make you just want to cry out and ask someone why it goes by so quick? yeah, we spend a few short years wanting to get older, then we spend the rest of our lives living in denial. i'm only 29! oh no, the big four-oh is just around the corner. oh no - is that 60 i'm starying at? know what i mean? could it be that we realize that life is only a vapor, but we're trying to stop it? could it be that we realize that we are but a vapor and we're trying to add significance to our lives by making it last longer? however, as the psalmist put it, at our best we are but vapor. something to think about as we walk out our lives. however, we can be assured of this - the next life will be eternal and the vapor will have a sweet fragrance - if our eternal state is found in Jesus.

CHRISTmas

Jesus was born - born of a virgin - the angels rejoiced - the shepherds quaked - the magi came - the heavenly host gave glory to God - people no longer had to "fear not" for their salvation - and God saw that it was good.

cold

hey, global warming, where are you? it is cold, cold, cold outside. i, for one, am not into single digit temperatures. actually, i'm not into low double digit temperatures. it brings ice. and ice is dangerous. trying walking across it. or driving across it. you slip. you slide. you fall down. you run into things. you slide off of things. and it hurst when you do. and people like this weather. what's wrong with them? what's wrong with me? i have to confess, i am comfortable in the 65-80 degree range. those are my favorite temperatures. and i live in a place where it's in that range well less than half the time during the course of a year. yeah, i know - i know the question you want to ask. why? good question. well, maybe not. maybe it's a bad question because it frustrates me. actually, i love the area where i live. the people. the small town atmosphere. the creation that surrounds me. it's just that the temperature, and yes, let's not forget the humidity we deal with in the summer, can be rather uncomfortable. but, ya know what? i don't think there is anywhere you can live where you are going to absolutely love everything about it. fortunately, though, there is someone you can absolutely love everything about - Jesus.

Jesus was born

i'm sitting here thinking about the weekend and contemplating what i am going to share on sunday at church. we're coming upon the season that this country traditionally celebrates as Christmas. the history of that even is long and interesting. the truth is that ancient authorities are not agreed on the date. some say december 25th, while others say january 6th, April 20th, may 20th, and sometime in the fall. you know, the actual date doesn't matter. yes, i tend to lean towards the fall because the shepherds were in the field - the sheep may have been gleaning the fields and eating the stubble of the crops. but, in the end, who cares. as Christians we should celebrate Christ's birthday 24/7/365. oh yeah, 366 on leap years. Christmas was originally started to offset a pagan holiday, and now the world is attempting to take back the ground - winter holiday, buying presents, etc. don't get me wrong - i do that stuff, put up a tree, decorate, celebrate, etc. it's an opportunity to share Jesus. in the end, that is the important part - Jesus. He was born. He was born of a virgin. God gave His Son to be born, to suffer, to provide eternal life, to be a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace among other functions, titles, and offices. Let's rejoice, for He came and brought new life. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

poison ivy

i live on a piece of property that is surrounded by woods in the back and some on each side and poison ivy. now, the woods is great, especially since my training is in forestry and i love creation. well, at least some of it. up until this past summer i had never had poison ivy, even though i grew up in the country wandering constantly through the woods. but, then it happened - this past summer. i got poison ivy. granted, it was a mild case, but that is really inconsequential to me. i still had it. it didn't look pretty and it itched. up until that point in my life poison ivy and i had a neutral relationship. as long as it left me alone, i let it alone. but, the ivy couldn't resist. when i least expected it, the poison ivy attacked. reached out and struck me while i was innocently riding my lawn tractor mowing my grass. bam! got'cha! it struck and it therefore freed me to strike back. which i did with a fury. the cost didn't matter. the product didn't matter. so i went to my local dealer and bought the "good stuff" and i sprayed and sprayed and sprayed. i can't say i ever had as much joy as i did as i watched the leaves turn brown. well, that's not true. i had much more joy when Jesus came into my life.

snow

o, how beautiful you are as you fall from the sky. slowly wafting back and forth, floating with the breeze, each flake different from the rest i'm told. it's majestic the way each flake approaches the earth and so softly lands upon the ground. how magnificent is your power as you gather together with your brother and sister flakes to form a layer that blankets creation. how mighty and powerful you are as you accumalate and bind together, combining your muscles and bring man and car to a standstill. and then you begin to show your evil side as yoy become merciless, stopping even those that must get from here to there, from home to work, or to help those in distress. and how resistant you can be as people begin to try and remove you as you fight every shovel that is struck into you, every blade that is plunged into your side. and then yes, the final blow, even as you are loosing the battle to be done away with, you strike this person's back in pain, or this child's arm or leg as they plunge down a hill, or how about the novice on the ski slope for the first time. yes, snow is so beautiful and yet so unwelcome; so pleasant to the eyes and yet can be so harmful to those that try and master it. snow is so amazing and powerful in it's many attributes. in fact, it kind of reminds me of it's Creator - God, who can be so awesome when you walk with Him and yet so devastating when you oppose Him. thank You Lord for snow and it's many mysteries and personalities. And thank You Lord for Your many mysteries and mercies and grace.

christian hedonism

what's this - christian hedonism?! aren't those two words that don't fit together. i mean, hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure! christianity is a bunch of rules, regulations, charts, cannots, and hypocrisy. what's that have to do with pleasure? well, nothing! if that is what christianity is, then the two words don't fit together. but, the bigger question is, is that what christianity is all about. well, that's what you see in most places. i remember attending a church service many years ago and this dude had this chart that was a good 15-20 ft long - depicting time from the beginning to the end. it was full of symbols and things - even had a john deere combine on it. it supposedly laid out everything God was up to, all the way to the end. i walked away believing that was what christianity was all about - for many years. then i discovered something, i was wrong. it's not about all of that - it's about how a couple of people use to have such a great relationship with God that they hung out with Him in this fantastic garden - and they were naked. then the relationship was broken - and they got dressed to hide their shame. the rest of the story - God is restoring that relationship through Jesus. why? relationship - not rules, regulations, charts, have-tos, cannots, and hypocrisy. man, is that cool, or what? relationship with the King of kings and the Lord of lords - for eternity.

cobwebs

cobwebs - yech! they're everywhere, everywhere. don't believe me. move a piece of furniture in your house - any piece, it really doesn't matter. now look behind it. cobwebs - guarantee it. or, start looking into corners in rooms where the walls and ceiling come together. you'll find one somewhere. or, how about your brain? if you live with yourself long enough you'll find some cobwebs even there. do you ever wonder, where do they come from. well i did some research and found this at straightdope.com: "Arachnologically speaking, a "cobweb" is a web made up of short irregular strands arranged haphazardly, as opposed to the elegant and elaborate orb webs made by spiders of the family Araneidae. The "cobweb spiders" make up the family Theridiidae. One of the commonest in the U.S. is the common house spider Achaearanea tepidariorum. Because the strands are sticky, they gather dust, producing the long fluffy streamers you see." aren't you glad you read this blog entry? don't you feel more enlightened? but the problem still exists. they're everywhere - i mean everywhere. kind of like Jesus.

flashlight

when you sit down and study a flashlight you can come to only one conclusion - they are an amazing invention and a needed device. you should have one everywhere so that they can be used in a multitude of ways. what if you're driving down a dark road and your car dies - and no flashlight. what if you were camping and it started raining, the lantern died, the fire went out, and no flashlight. what if you were sleeping in your bed and the electricity went out and no flashlight. what if you were spelunking in this magnificent cave and went around a corner and no flashlight. what if you were searching for a lost coin in a dark corner and no flashlight. what if you were hiking in the mountains and you miscalculated the time and it got dark and no flashlight. get the point. we need, i mean, we need flashlights. the world can be a dark place and when we find ourselves in those places we must have a flashlight. on the other hand, even though the world is a dark place, Jesus is the light of the world.

cyber sale monday

yes, the internet strikes back. not to be outdone by black friday, it has produced cyber sale monday. when i turned my computer on this morning i found that i had received a number of emails from various on line companies announcing fantastic sales with various percentages off because it was cyber sale monday. now, this makes sense. no pushing and screaming. nobody getting trampled to death at a store. no waiting in long lines in the cold of night. just a few clicks on the keyboard, answer a few questions, provide a credit card numbers, and then a few more clicks - presto! no gas expenses and parking problems were present to produce further irritations. the product is now winding its way through processing, packaging, shipping, and delivery - and i'll still be in the comfort and peace of my home. i love it. and think of all the extra time you'll have to spend in the presence of Jesus' peace.

black friday

tomorrow is black friday. what a name. it follows thanksgiving day. and it starts early. stores are opening at midnight. others open early in the morning with lines queueing before midnight. i've heard of people who get in line and camp out all night to buy doorbusters. why? so that they can sell the stuff on ebay at a profit - a handsome profit. i've seen pictures of these long lines and near fights in stores over items. one day fattening up on pumpkin pie next to a warm fire, the next spending a cold night outside your favorite store. one day chasing that last piece of turkey, the next fighting for the golden egg. i actually went out one black friday. and i'm here to tell you i survived. i spent my time staying out of people's way. i had to watch where i looked. if i looked at something and took a step towards it, someone would dive in front of me to grab it, thinking it was a great deal. i then began to develop a strategy, just like i was on a football field. i'd look right, and imight even juke right, then i'd dive left to grab the precious item as the others around me would tackle whatever was to the right of me. great sport this day was in the store, but dangerous. i'm just glad that Jesus brings only white fridays and that in Him is no danger.

thanksgiving

it is that time of year that we, as americans, celebrate thanksgiving. ya know, that day that was started along time ago by the pilgrims. the day that we stuff ourselves with turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, mashed potatoes, pumpkin and pecan pie, and whatever else is set before us. that day where we watch the football games and catch up on what's been happening in various parts of the family. the day that was set aside for - oh yeah, to be thankful for the many blessings that we have. yes, we need to be thankful, as we are more blessed than any other country in the world. why? simply, God. God has decided to bless us. the pilgrims knew that and we use to. ouch! but, let us return to our roots and acknowledge the many blessings of God, starting with Jesus and the building of the Kingdom of God and all the other things He has and will add.

commitment

have you ever noticed that there are certain words that are just not popular? they seem to carry a very negative association with them. they conjure up negative feelings. they just don't feel comfortable. they make you squirm. one of those words that seems to be getting more and more negative today is commitment. you see it everywhere. people don't work for the same employer nearly as long - the loyalty just doesn't seem to be there. more and more men and women are simply living together vs. "tying the knot". families no longer live close to each other and are often spread out across the country, or around the world. have you ever asked yourself why? does it have anything to do with commitment? what do we think of the word commitment? what does it mean? the dictionary says that commitment is the act of committing; a giving in charge or entrusting; a pledge; something that requires an obligation. in other words it requires giving of at least part of yourself to someone or something else. wow! scary indeed. if i do that i might get hurt. i mean who or what can i trust? i might get into a situation that is too uncomfortable for me. i might be put in a place where i have to carry someone's burden, their stuff. i might find that i am yoked with someone or something where things are not always comfortable and it feels very heavy. i was there but then i found out that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

cho-co-lat

mmmm. just the mention of the word and i start getting dizzy. chocolate. the most amazing discovery in all of history. chocolate. cho-co-lat! i once visited the hershey factory in hershey, pa. it was wonderful. upon entering the factory you entered this roller-coaster like ride that carried you through the factory. it was roller-coaster in that as you went by rivers of flowing chocolate you would experience this incredible high. then the chocolate would disappear from your view and you would immediately drop from that high, only to go around a corner and once again be in the presence of chocolate. cho-co-lat! mmmmmm, so wonderful. yes, i am a chocoholic. i love it. there is no bad chocolate, only good, better, and fantastic chocolate. i recommend at least one serving of chocolate a day, though 3-4 is much, much better. i also recommend chocolate baths, though i personally have never had one. there is no doubt that chocalate is the sweetest concoction of all time. yet, it never permanently satisfies as a true chocoholic will be looking forward to his or her next experience after finishing one. it's kind of like Jesus, once you taste of him, you just keep wanting more and more.

alive

isn't it wonderful to be alive. i mean it's amazing. it's like walking into your favorite candy store and having the freedom to pick out five pounds of your favorite chocolate and knowing that as you eat it not one ounce of fat will invade your body or one zit creep unto your face. life is good, no it's great! i get confused when i hear people talk about how miserable they are. yeah, i have my moments - i'm human! i know there can be valleys along life's highway. but they are short in duration - even the pain from life and many surgeries and the two times i flirted with death - when compared to the inescapable joy of living life. so, what is my secret? Jesus! He's the secret to everything - to all joy - to all happiness.

ink pen

have you ever looked at an ink pen. i mean really looked at it. studied it. turned it over and over in your hand. taken it apart. studied it. they really are quite amazing. simple, yet complex. they are made of plastic (metal for more expensive) a spring, and some apparatus that allows you to push it in various places to open it or close it. see, if you couldn't open and close it you'd be buying lots of shirts due to ink stains. so that is really important. think about where we would be without the ink pen. we write with it. we sign important documents with it. we endorse checks with it. we journal with it. we take notes with it. we chew on them. we doodle with them. we play with it. we record important information with it. and i'm sure there is more we can do with an ink pen. but their value is all tied up in whether ink flows out of the tip or not. most of the time it does - but have you ever noticed how they fail you at the most inopportune of times. isn't it nice to know that though an ink pen can fail us, Jesus will never fail us.

music

is there anyone out there that doesn't like music? i can't even begin to fathom the possibility of that occurring. however, i can believe that people don't like certain types of music. i love all music with the exception of two - country and western - unless it's something by country joe and the fish. music is amazing. it's soothing. it can energize us. it can quiet us. it can bring us face to face with a myriad of emotions. it can cause laughter. it can stir us to tears. there's all kinds from rap to lucille the guitar to heavy metal, both secular and religious. it's found everywhere: elevators, stores, background of movies, radios, churches, stereos, concerts, everywhere. it's everywhere, everywhere - oh no, it's taking over - we're doomed - er' excuse me, got kind of carried away there. seriously, music was meant to be a magnificent and wonderful thing. why? because God created it that way.

grocery stores

grocery stores are a wonderful place to visit. as soon as you walk in the door all of your senses come alive. how can they not? there are odors, beautiful things to look at, magnificent things to touch, all kinds of sizes, shapes and colors to admire, and all kinds of sounds of life to listen to. they contain sweet stuff and sour stuff. they contain healthy stuff and less than healthy stuff. they contain spicy stuff and fortunately, not so spicy stuff. they contain expensive stuff and cheap stuff. they contain "on brands" and "off brands". just lots and lots of stuff that attract and ultimately - at least for a period of time - satisfy our senses. that's how life is. it has lots and lots of stuff that attracts our senses - our attention - at least for a while. the sad part is that we settle for temporary fulfillment of our senses instead of focusing on something - rather someone, that eternally satisfies all of our senses, passions, and our entire being eternally - Jesus.

friday

phew! made it. we're finally here. FRIDAY! the day that we've been wishing days away to get to has finally come. wow! think about that. say we live 80 years and we work and are in school for 65 of those years wishing for friday to come. that means we wished 13,520 days of our lives away. that's about 46% of our lives that we have wished away. wouldn't it have been better to rejoice in each day that the Lord has given us?

election

well, here we are two days out from what was called the biggest election of our time. pundits on both sides were saying that dire consequences were to be had by this country if the other side won. so, now that i think about it, since one side won, and the other side said that - put on your seat belts for dire consequences are on their way. whatever! many are still rejoicing, while many are sad or scared or nervous. many had tears running down their faces after it was all over - some for joy, some out of sadness. that's the amazing thing about elections. people get emotionally involved, tied up into it, buying everything that their candidate says. and then, boom, it's over and reality comes back into play. at some point, the joy of it all for a lot of people will fade to sadness and disappointment. that's not a negative reflection on any individual. it's happened after every election - every election. the popularity polls have fallen - the honeymoon has come to an end. that's just how it is when you cast your lot with a human - an imperfect human. that's why i have cast my lot with God and will continue to do so. though humans disappoint, Jesus never does.

friends

what are friends? good question; maybe a better question is, what are friends for? i think that question is a bit tougher. friends are people we like hanging out with. friends are people that are just there. you can watch football with them. you can take a hike or backpack with them. you can ride bicycles with them. or motorcycles. you can talk to them. these all give hints to what friends are for, but have you ever sat down and meditated on or analyzed the purpose of friends? first, i believe they are a gift - they are given to us for a purpose. i think true friends encourage us, want us to be blessed even when they aren't, bless us with wisdom, pick us up when we are down, don't abdicate the relationship when we screw up, gently head us in the right direction when we're heading in the wrong, etc. they are people with whom you share part of yourself. get my point. but, when you meditate on these "qualifications" of a friend it begs a question: will my friend fail me? unfortunately, he or she will, well, all but one friend. if Jesus is your best friend, He will never, never, ever fail you.

laundry

ah yes. it's laundry day. you know, the day that laundry needs to be done. but why? because someone decided it's not cool to wear dirty clothes. like that really defines the person. but, hey, you can't buck tradition can you? but there can be a benefit. say you're wearing dirty, smelly clothes and you need to walk through a large crowd. the crowd will part like the red sea and you'll have no problem moving quickly to your destination. or say you want privacy at work - just wear dirty, smelly clothes and as soon as someone walks into your office, every one will know it - and leave you alone. so, there are some advantages to not doing laundry. however, please don't take this blog entry as endorsing that in any way shape or form. so laundry day is very, very important. it comes often depending on the size of your family. the frequency doesn't matter, it's the fact that we have to wash our clothes so that when we wear them next they are clean. aren't you glad that we only had to be washed once by the blood of Jesus.

prayer

have you ever wondered what prayer is about? the simple answer is that it's all about talking to and listening to God - and that is very, very true. but, why pray? i mean what is the real purpose of prayer? i mean i talk to people all day long. i listen to people all day long. what do i gain out of it? is it like watching your favorite movie - yeah, that's part of it, because you're gaining information as you listen to the actors recite their lines. is it like giving a lecture or a sermon or describing an incident to a friend - again, yes, that's part of it, because you're giving information out. these two parts - giving and gaining information together help make up prayer - but is that all. prayer, meditation, whatever it is called is practiced by millions of people. i read an article about some very successful businessman the other day that starts every day with meditation - because it clears his mind and prepares him for the day. even that is part of prayer. but, i'm still not satisfied. what is prayer really about? i've come to this conclusion - prayer is about being able to walk into the Holy of holies, through the curtain in the temple that was rent when Jesus was crucified, and crawl up on Daddy's lap, then pulling His big arms around me, and just having a great time sharing my heart and listening to His so that my heart becomes more and more like His heart. i think that is prayer and i thank God that through Jesus He made prayer possible. as the deer pants for the water so my soul pants for You o God.

books

have you ever looked around you and noticed how many books there are? our life is surrounded by books. when we are conceived parents start reading books. the doctors that care for us at that early age have devoured books. then we pop out and start growing. as we do, we find great delight in books being read to us. then off to school and more books. into high school and more complicated books. then college and thicker and more expensive books. then the fun time comes. as we look around we see that books, books, and more books are available. books that we actually want to read vs. have to read. mysteries, true life adventures, self-help, funny, political, economic, serious, religious, technical, how-to, philosophical, historical, westerns, detective stories, autobiographies, and on and on many, many books are available to read. again, not because we have to but because we can and we want to. books are fantastic - they open our worlds and our hearts and our minds. but there is a problem. every book you read will have a part that you disagree with. but it doesn't matter - because they are just the author's story. it really doesn't matter - well, with one exception. the Bible. yes, it's still the author's story - but in the Bible's case it's God's story. that does matter.

frost

when i woke up yesterday morning i saw an amazing site. frost. it was everywhere. frost. it was on my car (not my motorcycle as it was in the garage, hee hee.). it was on the roof of the house - in fact my black shingles looked white. it was on the trees. but, the most beautiful was how it covered my front lawn. it actually looked like it had snowed. it was gorgeous. no, it was beautiful. it was amazing. it covered everything with this amazing whiteness. it just looked clean. and as the sun came up you could stand there and watch the sparkles and reflections dancing across the yard. amazing. i loved it. as i stood there gazing at the beauty of it all it reminded me of something else - of something even more beautiful - even more clean and white. it reminded me of the cleanness and whiteness that i enjoy because Jesus washed away my sins by His blood sacrifice.

what is life

i was just reading some stuff about life. you know, some of that stuff where some expert says that he has it all figured out. but, i don't think he does. you know, to me it could almost seem like no one has it figured out. no one! the evidence to that is how many different approaches people take to life. some live it on the edge. some don't even come close to the edge. some spend a lot of time exercising. others are couch potatoes. some think life is wrapped up in stuff. some thing life is wrapped up in having little. some think religion is a significant part. others proclaim to be bonafide atheists. some are pleased with their weight. some are dieting constantly. some like sports. others like reading books. some are constantly trying to figure life out. others just go with the flow of life. i could go on and on, but you get the point. it seems to me that if we understood what life was about that there would be more commonality to everyone's approach. maybe, just maybe, we're missing the point of life. maybe, just maybe we're not living on the real edge. maybe, just maybe we're taking the wrong approach to life. maybe, just maybe there is only one true answer. maybe, just maybe that answer is Jesus.

president

it's that time, again. mccain vs obama. obama vs. mccain. biden vs. palin. palin vs. biden. yes, it is an important time. yes, we need to exercise our constitutional right to vote. and yes, we need to vote according to prayer, our research, and our conscience vs. how a person speaks or looks or what suit or clothes they wear or whatever! some say this is the most important election in history - at least the two candidates like to lead you to think so. some - actually quite a few - tell you that if their candidate looses we are in for very, very rough times. isn't that a bit arrogant? the truth: "there is no authority except from God. those that exist have been instituted by God" - Rom 13:1. so do we trust obama, mccain, palin, biden? they're humans. my vote goes for trusting God that He will do what He said He will do. that just leaves one question. for what reason did God establish the authority?

sleepless in missouri

seattle isn't the only place where you can have a sleepless night. it happens everywhere, even in central missouri. why? good question, gary! i think it boils down to the mind. the body wants to go to sleep, but the mind screams out no - i want to think. i want to think about things. then this battle ensues. body tries to rebuke the mind. mind responds with a thrust of activity. body then tries to deceive the mind by pretending it is relaxed and not caring. mind figures that tactic out rapidly and takes advantage by diverting more energy into thinking. body then gets up and paces the floor believing it will wear itself out and steal energy from the mind and simply pass out in bed. but the mind maintains the upper hand by drawing on some unknown energy source and is not thwarted, simply continuing to process the information overload. then the mind strikes the lethal blow - it sends out a raiding party to find an ally in the body - the target being the heart. why does it do that? because the mind knows that if it can get the heart involved as an ally that victory will be assured over the body. see, it's a plot. or is it really the heart getting the mind involved. either way, body loses. so who is really in control? the mind? the body? the heart? the body and the heart? i'm tired and going to bed. hopefully i will fall asleep and not have to figure it out. aren't you glad that God has it all figured out.

contented

life is changing! it's so different than it was a few years ago. it's radically different than what it was a few decades ago. it's indescribably different than what it was a few centuries ago. and it seems to be changing more and more rapidly. how are we suppose to keep up? it's like going to your favorite store and finding that they have changed everything around. it happens all the time. but it stresses me out. it happened recently at the local wal-mart. they turned everything upside down. i'd rather they keep things in the same place. i think we're a lot like that with life. leave it alone! don't mess with it! keep it at the same pace. yet, they keep messing with it. and it keeps stressing people out. kind of bitter sweet. we want more, but we want the same. therefore stress and frustration comes about. maybe we just need to figure out how to be contented. how? maybe we just need to be contented with life in Christ.

fire

when you think about it we live in a world where fire is ever present and oh so very important to our existence and lifestyle. if it wasn't for that big fireball in the sky - called the sun - the world wouldn't even exist - it would be frozen and barren. think about a camping trip with no fire - cold food, cold coffee (there's no starbuck's near), nothing to gaze into at night, and no gas lanterns. how would you get to work without the combustion engine? how about the coal fired generators that provide a significant amount of our electricity? the candles that so add to a romantic evening. how about the fire in your furnace that heats your bones on those chilly mornings (like the one i didn't have this morning). we need fire. it keeps us alive and it keeps us comfortable. but the fire we need the most is the fire of God in our souls. it keeps us from getting cold or lukewarm.

shocking thought

my wife kris and i were hanging out with some friends a while back just talking about stuff and solving the world's problems - you know what i mean. all of a sudden one of the folks came out with a statement that caught me way off guard - and frankly, kind of shocked me. he said that most churches were nothing more than "sunday day cares". now, if that wasn't shocking enough, he went on to say that that is what so many people are really looking for. is that really true? is that what the church has become? is that what people really want in a church? more importantly, is that what Jesus wants? the Bible seems to indicate that that is not what Jesus wants. it seems to indicate that the church should be a "dynamic revolutionary movement without walls". one more question. does that expectation have anything to do with why only 15% of today's younger generation is expected to be evangelical Christian? something to think about.

surfing

now this is an amazing sport. a unique sport. a sport i really don't understand. think about it. what's cool about it is that it has a very simple recipe to enjoy. first, you find a person to do it. then you add this long board that has been shaped into a weird shape. you then add an ocean - preferably one that has waves over three feet tall. next you remove common sense from the person - there's sharks out there. add one life guard that knows mouth-to-mouth for when the board hits the person on the head. mix in a whole bunch of sand that gets everywhere - i mean everywhere - into every body cavity, every article of clothing the surfer is wearing, into your hair, under your fingernails - everywhere. finally you add sunscreen that washes off after the first attempted ride and aloe to soothe the sunburn that you got because the sunscreen is floating in the water. and what do you get? fun, fun, fun! so, if you want to make the effort and the expense - go for it. personally, i found something more simpler and fun - hangin with Jesus

beauty

quite a while back i commented on someone's blog that discussed beauty. he raised the question about whether beauty can be described by words or not. i've been thinking about that a lot. i commented that you can't describe it with words, it has to be experienced - and i'm even more adamant about it now. how can you describe the view you have as you gaze out from the top of big mountain in montana? how can you describe the beauty you see as you walk along a trail in rocky mountain national park. how can you describe the scenery that you gulp down as you stroll the appalachian trail through the smokies? how do you describe the power as you hike by nevada falls in yosemetie? how do you tell someone about the waves that come crashing in along the craggy shore of maine? how do you describe the wondrous dancing of the multiple colored wild flowers on a glade in glacier national park? how do you describe the majesty of the bison and elk in yellowstone? how do you describe the beauty contained within the King of kings? You can't! It's impossible. It's impossible to describe the beauty of His creation. Isn't it wonderful that we don't have to - we can just experience the beauty.

pleasure

pleasure - what is it? one thing i know for sure is that it can be very, very elusive. why do i say that? look at my life. hey! look at our lives - we spend so much time and so much energy pursuing it. and yet we never seem to find it - lasting, eternal pleasure that is. think about it. or don't think about it. i mean, we can smell it, we can kind of see it, we can hear it calling our name, and it's so real we can taste it - if we could only reach out and touch it - pleasure! so, we race after this elusive pleasure. we pursue pleasure in some way our entire lives - from the moment we pop out into this world. man, we start crying. we liked the warmth and security of the womb - it was pleasant. then wow! we're out and we start crying and never stop. why? pleasure! we want pleasure, we want to be happy! and it continues right through young kids era - we need the xbox 360 or wii - to teenagers era - we need the $70 jeans with holes in them - to adults era - we need the jaguar. pleasure! help! it has a hold of me. i'm going under! we're never satisfied. so it begs the question - can we ever truly find pleasure - i mean real pleasure that produces true happiness? i think so, er, what am i saying - i know so. Jesus - our life has to be Him - and talk about pleasure - sweet, i mean really, really sweet.

heart again

when i woke up this morning i started thinking about the heart. i think it was God. the heart is an amazing thing. it provides both natural and spiritual life. without it pumping the red stuff - and the white stuff (corpuscles) within the red stuff, we'd be in a pretty serious way. i think we all agree with that. at least the doctors do. but what about the spiritual heart? what's it's purpose? i think when we are born we begin an adventure - an adventure to find our heart. it's like hiking in the mountains, we just keep going up and up with an excited anticipation that there will be something more beautiful around the next bend. sometimes we see that beauty. but, all too often, it's more like walking through a junkyard and around each corner is another piece of ugly, rusting scrap metal. God, help me to have Your heart, to delight in You that Your heart will touch my heart - and allow it to see the beauty around the corner instead of the ugliness.

monday

well, here it is monday - the first day of the week. well, actually it's not the first day of the week - sunday is. which makes monday the second day of the week. i guess monday is really the first day of the work week. it's the day where most of us go back to work after the weekend. i guess that makes it the first work day of the week for a lot of us. anyway, it's monday. yeah, yeah, yeah, so what's your point? let me get to it. i believe that monday is much maligned. think about it. many people spend a significant part of their lives on monday looking forward to friday and saturday and sunday. as tuesday comes along then wednesday and thursday, each of those days seem to be welcomed with more joy than monday. actually, each day is welcomed with more joy than the day before as we head to friday. it's like monday is the worse day in the world. i think it's dissed beyond what it deserves. i mean it's a day like all the rest. it has 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds like the other six days. it's a day where we arise to a new world that is full of both expected events and surprises. it's a day where we once again get to see our friends at work. it's a day that the Lord has given so we could rejoice in it. it's monday - and i'm still alive. hey, it's not so bad afterall.

colorado

i love colorado. i just came back from being there several days. it is glorious. the rockies are amazingly beautiful. the bugling of the elk is hypnotizing. the color of the aspens is breath taking. the way the mountains jut out of the ground reaching to the sky is indescribable. some say it just happened. amazing. yet when i go there - which is as often as i can - i see God's fingerprints all over the place. can you imagine what eden was like? i can't.

freedom

as i was riding my bike yesterday (yep, that's what it looks like) i began to think. yeah, i know that can be kind of scary. i mean here i was cruising down 179 enjoying the wind (which was a respectable 63 degrees) and i began to think about how free i was. i often feel that way when i'm on my bike. but the truth is i really am free all the time. i mean, i'm free. that's what Jesus did for me. He set me free from all my bondages and it really doesn't matter how i feel - i'm free. Jesus did that for me at calvary - at the cross. that is just the truth. so maybe i just need to pretend that i am on an eternal bike ride. or maybe i just need to walk in the truth by the grace of God.

life

you know, when you think about it, life is pretty amazing. let's start with the fact that my lungs and heart keep working. pretty important, don't you think. and i don't even think about them - they just keep chugging along - for greater than 525,600 hours so far - now that is amazing. that's just the beginning. the rest of my body - well, most of it anyway - is still working. and i'm surrounded by amazing things. stores where they charge you the right price by just passing the product over a camera. amazing. how about the mountains. ever just taken a hike and sat up a trail somewhere and just looked at the creation and listened to the elk bugle - amazing. and the ocean. amazing. i have seen the ocean over a period of 40+ years and the waves keep coming in and the tide keeps coming in and going out. wow! how about the birth of a baby. now that is amazing. absolutely beautiful. i could go on and on for hours. i mean we are surrounded by amazing things - cars, tvs, furniture, air, trees, people, ipods, 'puters, pens, pencils, paper, bathrooms, houses, dung beetles, birds, baseball teams, paper clips, etc - all truly amazing. but you know what, the most amazing thing of all is God and Jesus - for in Them is the beginning of everything else that is amazing.

cell phone

i got a new phone recently. it's really cool. you can tune into the weather channel, fox news, and espn. you can send email. my calendar is on it. you can play games and take pictures and play music. oh yeah, you can also make phone calls and receive them. the question i have is why all the other stuff. personally i think it's a conspiracy by the twenty somethings to have something that the 50+ folks can't understand. i think someone should file a lawsuit against someone. but, i'm not waiting for the lawsuit - i'm taking my own action. i'm learning the phone - in less than 48 hours and after only 3 phone calls, five emails, and 2 visits to the twenty something that sold me the phone, while smiling all the while. aren't you glad that God wasn't involved in a conspiracy when He sent Jesus to the cross?

Hump day

it's thursday and yesterday was wednesday. that day is also known as hump day. i have always found this fascinating. it is my understanding that it's called hump day because it's half way through the work week. on mondays we wish it was wednesdays - hump day - and on wednesday we wish it was friday. when we're 5 we wish we were in school. when we're 10 we wish we were a teenager. when we're 13 we wish we were 16. when we're 16 we wish we were 18. when we're 18 we wish we were 21. when we're in high school we wish we were in college or working and making big bucks. when we're working we wish it was wednesday, then friday. we spend a great part of our life wishing it away. then we hit middle age and we wish it all back again as we wish we were in our 20's. we're always wishing for something other than what we have or where we are, as if we aren't happy or contented with where we are. aren't you glad that in Jesus we can be happy in Him, contented everyday, and that His mercies are new every morning.

heart

an amazing organ this thing called the heart. it just keeps on beating - and is so easily taken for granted. same for your other heart - you know, your innermost being. it also can be so easily taken for granted. that can be hard - i mean, it is where love is generated from, which is really kind of scary. why? because it seems to be so fragile. you put it out there and then it gets stomped on and it becomes even more fragile - and kind of self-protective. it does not want to venture out on this road of love so quickly the next time. and if it has another negative experience and another - well, the old heart finds this innermost cave and just goes in and hibernates and we stop using our heart to guide us, but start using the buttons and triggers that replaced it. and that is very, very sad. i am very glad that Jesus never stomps on my heart. i am very glad that Jesus heals my heart so it does not die in the cave.