Here's the MP3 of the sermon I preached on Saturday night, December 19, 2009. Find out how Cain, Abel and Christmas relate! Please give it a listen and let me know what you think.
Click on the headphones to listen or the down arrow to download.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Peace
I'm not the kind of guy who finds demons around every corner. If a rake leaning against a tree falls, it's because the wind blew the tree and it caused the rake to fall. It isn't a sign. The devil didn't push it over. I think sometimes Christians, especially pentecostal Christians, do mare harm than good with the hyper-spiritual, exorcistic mindset, casting demons out of everything and everybody and attributing normal bumps in the road to "attacks of Satan" and so forth.
All that being said, I think many more Christians have a "I don't see it so it doesn't exist" mindset, which is weird considering we believe in God, though most have never seen Him. And I think this mindset is even more dangerous. There is a very real spirit realm and simply because we don't see it, does not mean it doesn't exist or doesn't affect us.
Furthermore, I would submit that this reality we live in is in fact a shadow of the spirit world. There are angels and demons that exist in the spirit world that we can't see with the natural eye. They have an ability to interfere or influence the lives and affairs of man, but because we don't see them, we often don't think they're there.
Why am I talking about demons and the spirit realm? Because we've had a recent encounter and I need to first and foremost glorify God and testify of His goodness, and second of all, because our experience and the truths gleaned from it can and do apply to the lives of others and I believe there are important lessons to be learned.
We have had no peace for the last several weeks in our home. Quinn hasn't been sleeping at night. We've had round after round of sickness in our home. Nobody has been sleeping well due to the sickness, sick babies, etc. Lack of sleep and the stresses of finances, children and life in general have overwhelmed us. Everyone has been cranky, snapping at one another, filled with anxiety, frustration, bitterness, etc.
This does not sound at all like God, does it? But it's flu season, so the sickness makes sense. The economy sucks, so the financial struggle makes sense. The kids have been sick and really busy with the holidays and stuff, so the lack of sleep and late nights make sense. All of this added up makes us cranky, frustrated and full of anxiety and stress. It all makes sense. Everything is accounted for.
Well all that changed two nights ago. Quinn went to bed Sunday night and went to sleep just fine. At 1:30AM, about two and a half hours after going to sleep, he woke up screaming. Brooke went in, loved on him, sat with him and rocked in the chair and put him back in bed once he had fallen back to sleep. He instantly woke up, started screaming and wanted out of his crib. Brooke said "I love you, but you need to go to sleep. Now lay down, okay?" And she left the room. She stood outside his bedroom door as he screamed and suddenly, his scream changed. It went from an upset toddler to a petrified, terrified little boy. And suddenly, Brooke heard other voices in his room. She immediately went in and he was screaming, rubbing his head saying "Owie! Owie!"
Again, we aren't the kind of people who see demons around every corner, and we certainly don't want to give Satan more credit than he deserves. But this was obviously a demonic attack and not just a frustrated, over-tired toddler.
Brooke came and got me and asked me to come in and pray. When I walked in the room, I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel any eerie presence. No goosebumps. No hairs standing on end. But I sat with Quinn and held him as he trembled, and we decided to bring him to bed with us. But before we did, I wanted to pray. I began to pray, but felt no eerie presence. Until I started rebuking and binding Satan and his demons. That's when whatever it was showed up. And it made the hairs on my neck stand up. And it didn't go away. As I began to pray against it, the baby who was sleeping in our bedroom began to scream.
We took Quinn back to bed with us, but I didn't feel the issue was resolved and none of us slept well. In fact after I finally went back to sleep, I had a horrible nightmare that instantly woke me up and kept me awake for another few hours. When I got up for work, I went to the kitchen to make coffee, and still felt eerie.
I called my mom, told her what had happened, and asked her and Dad to come over after work and pray with us over our home. That evening when they came over, we anointed to doorposts of our home and bedrooms, Quinn's bed and room, and we began to pray. After we prayed, we all felt a peace that we hadn't had in weeks.
Quinn went to sleep last night at 8PM. After putting him down so peacefully and easily, I called my mom to tell her and Dad and to thank them for praying. My mom then told me when they left our house, she asked my dad "Did you feel anything when you walked in there?" My dad said "No. Nothing. Until I started praying and called it out. Then it showed up." And I know exactly what he was talking about...right in the middle of his prayer, that same eerie feeling rose up and every hair on my body stood on end. Whatever this demonic spirit was, it's assignment was to hide its presence and it only "came out" to terrorize my son at night or when we directly called it out.
We prayed, cast it out, and it didn't return. We all slept great last night. Quinn slept from 8PM to 915AM without waking up once. We all felt an amazing peace that hadn't been there in weeks.
God taught me several valuable lessons through all of this.
#1. Don't discount the spiritual realm; it is very real and can and does affect our lives.
#2. Don't always just assume that the sicknesses and sleepless toddlers are attributed to natural causes. It very well could be the work of Satan, and we as God's children have authority and power. Jesus said in Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
#3. There is massive amounts of power in several people praying in agreement together. Whatever this thing was, I didn't cast it out when I prayed. But when we called in reinforcements and all prayed together, it left and didn't return. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." The power of prayer exponentially increases when we join with other believes and "agree as touching any one thing. (Matthew 18:19)"
One more thing...There are rules and laws for the spirit realm just as there are in the physical. That demonic spirit had no legal right to be in our home. He was violating the spiritual law, and as such, had to leave when we cast him out. Had we had some kind of unconfessed secret sin in our lives that allowed the demon in, he wouldn't have to leave because by our sinful actions, we allowed him in. Since that was not the case and he "snuck" in somehow, perhaps "piggybacking" in on someone else or something, he had to leave when we confronted him.
So in closing, when you experience something in life that just doesn't seem right, realize that it might be a demonic attack. Search your heart for unconfessed, unrepented sin. If there is sin, get rid of it by turning from it and asking God's forgiveness. If there is not, then the demon has come against you illegally. You have absolute authority and power to vanquish it. However, if by praying you cannot, call in reinforcements. Have other believers join you and agree with you in prayer against the enemy and cast him out.
Here's a flowchart I made (just for fun).
All that being said, I think many more Christians have a "I don't see it so it doesn't exist" mindset, which is weird considering we believe in God, though most have never seen Him. And I think this mindset is even more dangerous. There is a very real spirit realm and simply because we don't see it, does not mean it doesn't exist or doesn't affect us.
Furthermore, I would submit that this reality we live in is in fact a shadow of the spirit world. There are angels and demons that exist in the spirit world that we can't see with the natural eye. They have an ability to interfere or influence the lives and affairs of man, but because we don't see them, we often don't think they're there.
Why am I talking about demons and the spirit realm? Because we've had a recent encounter and I need to first and foremost glorify God and testify of His goodness, and second of all, because our experience and the truths gleaned from it can and do apply to the lives of others and I believe there are important lessons to be learned.
We have had no peace for the last several weeks in our home. Quinn hasn't been sleeping at night. We've had round after round of sickness in our home. Nobody has been sleeping well due to the sickness, sick babies, etc. Lack of sleep and the stresses of finances, children and life in general have overwhelmed us. Everyone has been cranky, snapping at one another, filled with anxiety, frustration, bitterness, etc.
This does not sound at all like God, does it? But it's flu season, so the sickness makes sense. The economy sucks, so the financial struggle makes sense. The kids have been sick and really busy with the holidays and stuff, so the lack of sleep and late nights make sense. All of this added up makes us cranky, frustrated and full of anxiety and stress. It all makes sense. Everything is accounted for.
Well all that changed two nights ago. Quinn went to bed Sunday night and went to sleep just fine. At 1:30AM, about two and a half hours after going to sleep, he woke up screaming. Brooke went in, loved on him, sat with him and rocked in the chair and put him back in bed once he had fallen back to sleep. He instantly woke up, started screaming and wanted out of his crib. Brooke said "I love you, but you need to go to sleep. Now lay down, okay?" And she left the room. She stood outside his bedroom door as he screamed and suddenly, his scream changed. It went from an upset toddler to a petrified, terrified little boy. And suddenly, Brooke heard other voices in his room. She immediately went in and he was screaming, rubbing his head saying "Owie! Owie!"
Again, we aren't the kind of people who see demons around every corner, and we certainly don't want to give Satan more credit than he deserves. But this was obviously a demonic attack and not just a frustrated, over-tired toddler.
Brooke came and got me and asked me to come in and pray. When I walked in the room, I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel any eerie presence. No goosebumps. No hairs standing on end. But I sat with Quinn and held him as he trembled, and we decided to bring him to bed with us. But before we did, I wanted to pray. I began to pray, but felt no eerie presence. Until I started rebuking and binding Satan and his demons. That's when whatever it was showed up. And it made the hairs on my neck stand up. And it didn't go away. As I began to pray against it, the baby who was sleeping in our bedroom began to scream.
We took Quinn back to bed with us, but I didn't feel the issue was resolved and none of us slept well. In fact after I finally went back to sleep, I had a horrible nightmare that instantly woke me up and kept me awake for another few hours. When I got up for work, I went to the kitchen to make coffee, and still felt eerie.
I called my mom, told her what had happened, and asked her and Dad to come over after work and pray with us over our home. That evening when they came over, we anointed to doorposts of our home and bedrooms, Quinn's bed and room, and we began to pray. After we prayed, we all felt a peace that we hadn't had in weeks.
Quinn went to sleep last night at 8PM. After putting him down so peacefully and easily, I called my mom to tell her and Dad and to thank them for praying. My mom then told me when they left our house, she asked my dad "Did you feel anything when you walked in there?" My dad said "No. Nothing. Until I started praying and called it out. Then it showed up." And I know exactly what he was talking about...right in the middle of his prayer, that same eerie feeling rose up and every hair on my body stood on end. Whatever this demonic spirit was, it's assignment was to hide its presence and it only "came out" to terrorize my son at night or when we directly called it out.
We prayed, cast it out, and it didn't return. We all slept great last night. Quinn slept from 8PM to 915AM without waking up once. We all felt an amazing peace that hadn't been there in weeks.
God taught me several valuable lessons through all of this.
#1. Don't discount the spiritual realm; it is very real and can and does affect our lives.
#2. Don't always just assume that the sicknesses and sleepless toddlers are attributed to natural causes. It very well could be the work of Satan, and we as God's children have authority and power. Jesus said in Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
#3. There is massive amounts of power in several people praying in agreement together. Whatever this thing was, I didn't cast it out when I prayed. But when we called in reinforcements and all prayed together, it left and didn't return. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." The power of prayer exponentially increases when we join with other believes and "agree as touching any one thing. (Matthew 18:19)"
One more thing...There are rules and laws for the spirit realm just as there are in the physical. That demonic spirit had no legal right to be in our home. He was violating the spiritual law, and as such, had to leave when we cast him out. Had we had some kind of unconfessed secret sin in our lives that allowed the demon in, he wouldn't have to leave because by our sinful actions, we allowed him in. Since that was not the case and he "snuck" in somehow, perhaps "piggybacking" in on someone else or something, he had to leave when we confronted him.
So in closing, when you experience something in life that just doesn't seem right, realize that it might be a demonic attack. Search your heart for unconfessed, unrepented sin. If there is sin, get rid of it by turning from it and asking God's forgiveness. If there is not, then the demon has come against you illegally. You have absolute authority and power to vanquish it. However, if by praying you cannot, call in reinforcements. Have other believers join you and agree with you in prayer against the enemy and cast him out.
Here's a flowchart I made (just for fun).
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Sickness
Ugh. It's been a miserable few weeks. I came down with the swine flu the weekend of man-camping back in October. After being sick for a week, I got over that and caught bronchitis. I was finally feeling healthy, and have now caught some kind of cold/cough thing again.
My kids have been sick a lot too. We've been stressed with finances, stressed with sickness, stressed with lack of time, just stressed in general. Yet through it all, God has been good to us. He has been our rock. He has been my strength. He's given me great grace to make it through.
He's given me joy so that I could lead others in worship. He's given me peace so that I could minister His word. He's given us a heart to give and even in our lack, He's given us the means to be givers.
That's it...no great spiritual insight or wisdom today. Just a quiet smile and a "thank you" to my Heavenly Father for all His goodness to me, even in my temper tantrums and faithless fits.
My kids have been sick a lot too. We've been stressed with finances, stressed with sickness, stressed with lack of time, just stressed in general. Yet through it all, God has been good to us. He has been our rock. He has been my strength. He's given me great grace to make it through.
He's given me joy so that I could lead others in worship. He's given me peace so that I could minister His word. He's given us a heart to give and even in our lack, He's given us the means to be givers.
That's it...no great spiritual insight or wisdom today. Just a quiet smile and a "thank you" to my Heavenly Father for all His goodness to me, even in my temper tantrums and faithless fits.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Spider on the pantry door
God has a funny way of reminding me of things. I pray this blesses you as it blessed me.
My son Quinn is obsessed with cookies. He is forever going to the pantry and asking "Cookie? Cookie?"
Quinn is also terrified of spiders for some reason.
I went into the kitchen after discussing the bills/finances with my wife. I've been stressing a little bit about money this month and especially so today. Well, I went into the kitchen and saw a spider on the pantry door and laughed to myself "Well that will keep Quinn away from the pantry!"
Then I thought "How mean...what kind of father would I be to give my son a spider when he asked for a cookie."
Whoa. Matthew 7:11 "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
God is never late with provision, and when I ask my heavenly Father for the things I need, He will not give me a spider instead. And when I get down and whiny, He uses funny things like my son's love of cookies and fear of spiders to remind me of His goodness.
My son Quinn is obsessed with cookies. He is forever going to the pantry and asking "Cookie? Cookie?"
Quinn is also terrified of spiders for some reason.
I went into the kitchen after discussing the bills/finances with my wife. I've been stressing a little bit about money this month and especially so today. Well, I went into the kitchen and saw a spider on the pantry door and laughed to myself "Well that will keep Quinn away from the pantry!"
Then I thought "How mean...what kind of father would I be to give my son a spider when he asked for a cookie."
Whoa. Matthew 7:11 "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
God is never late with provision, and when I ask my heavenly Father for the things I need, He will not give me a spider instead. And when I get down and whiny, He uses funny things like my son's love of cookies and fear of spiders to remind me of His goodness.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Christians are free from the Old Testament law.
Galatians 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."
If you obey "some" of the Old Testament laws, then you are cursed because you are not continuing in "all things." You cannot pick and choose which Old Testament laws to abide by. Paul is saying in Galatians 3 that you either obey ALL of the law OR that you walk by faith. Faith in what? Faith in Christ and his redemptive work; freeing us from the “law of sin and death” (See Romans 8:2). You have to choose what saves you: the law or Christ. And Paul points out in this 3rd chapter of Galatians that the law CANNOT save, only Christ. Galatians 3:11 "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."
I have recently read someone saying that Matthew 5:17-18 still binds us to the and that we must follow “some” of the laws. That is incorrect. Jesus said in verse 17 that he came to fulfill the law. He fulfilled the law by living a sinless life and dying onCalvary . So the law was fulfilled. Jesus goes on to say in verse 18 "one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, TILL all be fulfilled." So you have to decide for yourself: either Jesus failed to fulfill the law and we are still bound by it OR, Jesus fulfilled the law and the jots and tittles no longer hold us captive.
Galatians 3:24-25 says "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (25) But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." The LAW brought us to Christ by showing us our sinful nature and revealing to us our need for a Savior: it showed us our flaws and that we couldn't attain righteousness by our WORKS (i.e. the keeping of the law, because no man but Christ CAN successfully keep all the law). But AFTER that faith is come WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE SCHOOLMASTER. In verse 24, Paul calls the law our schoolmaster. In verse 25, he says we are no longer under the schoolmaster. Now, if he calls the law our schoolmaster and says we are no longer under the schoolmaster, that would mean that Paul is saying in verses 24 and 25 that we are no longer under the law.
Galatians 2:16 says "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
Jesus came and fulfilled the law so that we do not have to. Paul said in Galatians 5:14 "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
If Paul the Apostle were to sit in front of some people today and tell them face-to-face all he told the Galatians, he’d be called a heretic; people would be warned about his “deception” and told to ignore his false teachings; he’d be accused of twisting scripture (although he wrote a HUGE portion of it); and would be told he was going to hell. I know this because in teaching and preaching the same things Paul did, I have had all sorts of things said to me and about me. And, in all honesty, there will still be those who read this and say all these things about me again. There will be those who read this and boldly call me a heretic and a heathen and accuse me of twisting scripture to fit my world view and absolve my conscience from my sins. They will say I am a liar and am attempting to deceive others. They will throw their religious stones at me and make all kinds of wild accusations against me. But to those people, I would caution people to prayerfully evaluate your actions and motives, and prayerfully study the book of Galatians. I’m not proclaiming anything crazy; I’m proclaiming God’s word written by the Apostle Paul.
Galatians 2:21 "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." We can infer from this verse that if we believe righteousness comes by the law, then we frustrate the grace of God. Paul wrote the the in Galatians 1:6-9 "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (7) Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (9) As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." According to Paul's letter to the Galatians, the gospel of "the law" is a perversion of the gospel of Christ, and any man that preaches that you must follow the Old Testament law to attain righteousness is cursed. Those are Paul’s words, not mine. So I would caution you to be very careful in who you listen to, what you believe, and to study this subject for yourself. 2 Timothy 2:15 says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH.
If you obey "some" of the Old Testament laws, then you are cursed because you are not continuing in "all things." You cannot pick and choose which Old Testament laws to abide by. Paul is saying in Galatians 3 that you either obey ALL of the law OR that you walk by faith. Faith in what? Faith in Christ and his redemptive work; freeing us from the “law of sin and death” (See Romans 8:2). You have to choose what saves you: the law or Christ. And Paul points out in this 3rd chapter of Galatians that the law CANNOT save, only Christ. Galatians 3:11 "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."
I have recently read someone saying that Matthew 5:17-18 still binds us to the and that we must follow “some” of the laws. That is incorrect. Jesus said in verse 17 that he came to fulfill the law. He fulfilled the law by living a sinless life and dying on
Galatians 3:24-25 says "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (25) But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." The LAW brought us to Christ by showing us our sinful nature and revealing to us our need for a Savior: it showed us our flaws and that we couldn't attain righteousness by our WORKS (i.e. the keeping of the law, because no man but Christ CAN successfully keep all the law). But AFTER that faith is come WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE SCHOOLMASTER. In verse 24, Paul calls the law our schoolmaster. In verse 25, he says we are no longer under the schoolmaster. Now, if he calls the law our schoolmaster and says we are no longer under the schoolmaster, that would mean that Paul is saying in verses 24 and 25 that we are no longer under the law.
Galatians 2:16 says "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
Jesus came and fulfilled the law so that we do not have to. Paul said in Galatians 5:14 "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, [even] in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
If Paul the Apostle were to sit in front of some people today and tell them face-to-face all he told the Galatians, he’d be called a heretic; people would be warned about his “deception” and told to ignore his false teachings; he’d be accused of twisting scripture (although he wrote a HUGE portion of it); and would be told he was going to hell. I know this because in teaching and preaching the same things Paul did, I have had all sorts of things said to me and about me. And, in all honesty, there will still be those who read this and say all these things about me again. There will be those who read this and boldly call me a heretic and a heathen and accuse me of twisting scripture to fit my world view and absolve my conscience from my sins. They will say I am a liar and am attempting to deceive others. They will throw their religious stones at me and make all kinds of wild accusations against me. But to those people, I would caution people to prayerfully evaluate your actions and motives, and prayerfully study the book of Galatians. I’m not proclaiming anything crazy; I’m proclaiming God’s word written by the Apostle Paul.
Galatians 2:21 "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." We can infer from this verse that if we believe righteousness comes by the law, then we frustrate the grace of God. Paul wrote the the in Galatians 1:6-9 "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: (7) Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (9) As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." According to Paul's letter to the Galatians, the gospel of "the law" is a perversion of the gospel of Christ, and any man that preaches that you must follow the Old Testament law to attain righteousness is cursed. Those are Paul’s words, not mine. So I would caution you to be very careful in who you listen to, what you believe, and to study this subject for yourself. 2 Timothy 2:15 says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH.
Here is where I think a lot of Christians have trouble; they are afraid that if they “compromise” the beliefs they’ve always held, then they’ve somehow sold-out or fallen away. But that is not the case. Saul of Tarsus walked in all the righteousness he knew, standing up for what he believed in to the point that he was to Christians of that day what Adolf Hitler was to the Jews. But Saul, in all the understanding he had, was doing the right thing. UNTIL God met him on the
But the thing is, Paul had to make a choice: continue on in his ignorance in spite of having the truth revealed to him, OR follow Christ. And I think all Christians have at some point come to a crossroads like this; where we must decide to change our incorrect beliefs to align with the Word of God or remain in ignorance and continue in incorrect thinking.
If I’m driving down the road, and I don’t know the speed limit, does that mean there isn’t one? No, of course there is a speed limit. If I believe the speed limit is 55MPH, but I see a sign that says 45MPH I have a choice to make: do I continue doing 55MPH or do I follow the sign and do 45MPH? Am I compromising or selling out by doing 45 instead of 55? Of course not…I just have a new understanding of the speed limit on that road. I was always following a speed limit, but I wasn’t following the correct one because I didn’t know. But once it was made known to me, I had to decide if I was going to obey or not.
And you, dear reader, are faced with the same choice today. The law, according to God’s word, cannot save you. It was given to reveal to us our sin nature and show us our need for a Savior. But once the Savior came, we were freed from the law of sin and death. And so you must make a choice; align your beliefs with the word of God, penned by the hand of Paul the Apostle all throughout the New Testament, or believe that righteousness is still attainable through the law and that we must still abide by it. But again, examine Galatians 3:10. If you fail to follow ALL of it, you are under a curse. I suppose I could say it like this; I set before you today a choice. Life or death. Freedom or bondage. Choose life.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Guest Blog - Gary White
Here is a guest-article written by my dad, Pastor Gary White. He was asked the question "Have you ever doubted God's existence." I thought both his personal answer and his teaching outline were excellent and needed to be shared. So...here goes. "Pastor Gary, have you ever doubted God's existence."
________________________________
1. “Have I ever doubted God's existence?”
Answer: I think if we are all honest with our selves the answer to that question has to be YES. In fact I think the first mention of the devil in scripture proves that he is out to attack our faith. You will remember in Genesis Satan said to Eve “hath God said”? His tactic was to cause her to question what she believed to be truth. The reason he wants to destroy our faith or belief in God is that He knows that faith is the prerequisite to having any relationship with God. (Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.) However when I stop to consider even the world around me I conclude that there must be an almighty. Consider this, order never comes from chaos unless there is some kind of outside intervention. A Rolex watch that keeps perfect time even if the parts were all in one place would never function without the watchmaker. Scientists would have us to believe that the earth evolved, or there was a big bang and from chaos came to what we know today. An earth that is so precise in its rotation, an earth that sits on its axes with such perfection that it will sustain human life. If the earth were tilted more than 3 degrees one way we would all burn up and if it tilted more than 3 degrees the other way we would all freeze. To me that kind of order would require some out side intervention, a divine creator. For me personally it would take more faith to believe that things just evolved than to believe that someone, a creator intervened and made what we behold everyday.
2. “Have I ever doubted what I believe?”
Answer: Now as for doubting what I believe. When I was a child I certainly did not know the things that I have learned as I matured and became an adult. In fact I find myself (praise God) learning everyday. Truth never changes but our perception of the truth must change. When I came to Christ I was a “babe in the Lord” and as I have matured in Christ my understanding of certain doctrines has changed as well because my revelation has grown. The truth was always there but my understanding of the truth was unclear or at times only partial. I think many Christians face the struggle sometimes of holding to what they have been taught or allowing themselves to change because of a greater understanding or because of a revelation that they never fully understood. In example (Paul on the road to Damascus thinking that he is doing God a favor killing the Christians. However he soon found himself with a new revelation of who Jesus was. Faced with this new understanding Paul had two choices. Keep killing Christians or rethink his position:) In my life and my walk with Christ I have questioned at times what I believe and asked myself why I believe it. And there have certainly been times that I too have rethought my position and made changes in my belief because I came to a greater understanding. I believe that’s called growth.
3. How did I overcome doubts?
Answer: Jesus said in John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. And again in John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. From this we may conclude that not only will truth make you free but that truth is His word. And the more word I know and understand the freer from doubts and uncertainties I become. Truth in its self will not free you, but the truth that you know or the truth that you understand, that’s what makes you free. I am attaching a teaching lesson that I taught a few years ago concerning God’s word. What He has said and how it came to pass. I believe that they are proof that God is who he says he is. These things that are pointed out could not have happened by mere coincidence. Again there had to be some outside intervention and the more I understand his word the more convinced that I am of His eternal power and glory.
I pray that in some small way this has helped. If you would like to visit further on the subject I would be happy to make myself available anytime. May God bless,
Pastor Gary
Prophesy, The Signature Of God!
Teaching Lesson:
Text: Isaiah 41:22-26 & 46:8-10
Introduction: In their context, the scriptures are referring to Cyrus the King of Persia. The prophecies are referring to the time God would cause King Cyrus to allow the Children of Israel to go back to Jerusalem & rebuild the city. You will read of the fulfillment of these prophecies in the book of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah. However this is not the points that I intend to focus on. What I intend to concentrate on is the fact that God tells us here, that the way we will know that He is God, and the way we will know that there is none like Him, is the fact that He has declared the end from the beginning. Meaning that the Prophecies that have been spoken and fulfilled are Proof that He is the great I am God. God says, “They are my signature”. There are well, over 6000 verses of prophecy in the scripture that prove to the world & us that God & His word is truth. There are many prophecies that have been fulfilled, while there are others that are being fulfilled in our day & time, and still others that are yet to be fulfilled in the days to come. I want to study just some of the Prophecies that God spoke about Christ. Some of the Prophecies that we are about to look into were spoken nearly 2000 years before His birth, & yet fulfilled with such accuracy that it proves that only A Divine, all knowing all powerful God.
Consider:
Descendant From The Tribe Of Judah: Gen: 49:10 Luke 3:23 & 33
The Place Of His Birth: Micah 5:2 Mt. 2:1
Born Of A Virgin: Isaiah 7:14 Mt. 1:18, Luke 1:26-35
As A Prophet: De. 18:15 John 6:14
His Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem: Zec. 9:9 Mt. 21:1-11 & John12: 13-14
Betrayed By A Friend: Ps. 41:9 Mk. 14:43-45
Sold For Thirty Pieces Of Silver: Zec. 11:12-13 Mt. 26:14-16
Money Returned For a Potters Field. Zec. 11:13 <> Mt. 27:3-10
Silent When Accused: Isaiah 53:7 Mt 27:12-14
Crucified With Sinners: Isaiah 53:12 Mk 15:27-28
Given Gall and Vinegar: Ps. 69:21 John 19:28-30
Soldiers casting Lots for His Garments: Ps. 22:16-18 Mk 15:24 & John 19:23-24
To Be Buried with The Rich: Isaiah 53:9 Mt. 27:57-60
Not A Bone To be Broken: Ex.12: 46 & Ps. 34:20 John 19:31-37
15. Hands and Feet Pierced: Ps. 22:16 John 20:24-31
Time does not permit to tell you all of the Prophecies That was fulfilled in the life of Christ, but this should be enough proof to convince even the most hardcore skeptic. Just think, theses things were spoken thousands of years before His birth. No man could know suck things. No man if he knew them could bring them to pass. God says this is the proof that I am God & there is none like me.
Final Thought: If these things have come to pass with such great accuracy, we must remember that He has promised to return to receive us unto himself. John 14:1-3
________________________________
1. “Have I ever doubted God's existence?”
Answer: I think if we are all honest with our selves the answer to that question has to be YES. In fact I think the first mention of the devil in scripture proves that he is out to attack our faith. You will remember in Genesis Satan said to Eve “hath God said”? His tactic was to cause her to question what she believed to be truth. The reason he wants to destroy our faith or belief in God is that He knows that faith is the prerequisite to having any relationship with God. (Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.) However when I stop to consider even the world around me I conclude that there must be an almighty. Consider this, order never comes from chaos unless there is some kind of outside intervention. A Rolex watch that keeps perfect time even if the parts were all in one place would never function without the watchmaker. Scientists would have us to believe that the earth evolved, or there was a big bang and from chaos came to what we know today. An earth that is so precise in its rotation, an earth that sits on its axes with such perfection that it will sustain human life. If the earth were tilted more than 3 degrees one way we would all burn up and if it tilted more than 3 degrees the other way we would all freeze. To me that kind of order would require some out side intervention, a divine creator. For me personally it would take more faith to believe that things just evolved than to believe that someone, a creator intervened and made what we behold everyday.
2. “Have I ever doubted what I believe?”
Answer: Now as for doubting what I believe. When I was a child I certainly did not know the things that I have learned as I matured and became an adult. In fact I find myself (praise God) learning everyday. Truth never changes but our perception of the truth must change. When I came to Christ I was a “babe in the Lord” and as I have matured in Christ my understanding of certain doctrines has changed as well because my revelation has grown. The truth was always there but my understanding of the truth was unclear or at times only partial. I think many Christians face the struggle sometimes of holding to what they have been taught or allowing themselves to change because of a greater understanding or because of a revelation that they never fully understood. In example (Paul on the road to Damascus thinking that he is doing God a favor killing the Christians. However he soon found himself with a new revelation of who Jesus was. Faced with this new understanding Paul had two choices. Keep killing Christians or rethink his position:) In my life and my walk with Christ I have questioned at times what I believe and asked myself why I believe it. And there have certainly been times that I too have rethought my position and made changes in my belief because I came to a greater understanding. I believe that’s called growth.
3. How did I overcome doubts?
Answer: Jesus said in John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. And again in John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. From this we may conclude that not only will truth make you free but that truth is His word. And the more word I know and understand the freer from doubts and uncertainties I become. Truth in its self will not free you, but the truth that you know or the truth that you understand, that’s what makes you free. I am attaching a teaching lesson that I taught a few years ago concerning God’s word. What He has said and how it came to pass. I believe that they are proof that God is who he says he is. These things that are pointed out could not have happened by mere coincidence. Again there had to be some outside intervention and the more I understand his word the more convinced that I am of His eternal power and glory.
I pray that in some small way this has helped. If you would like to visit further on the subject I would be happy to make myself available anytime. May God bless,
Pastor Gary
Prophesy, The Signature Of God!
Teaching Lesson:
Text: Isaiah 41:22-26 & 46:8-10
Introduction: In their context, the scriptures are referring to Cyrus the King of Persia. The prophecies are referring to the time God would cause King Cyrus to allow the Children of Israel to go back to Jerusalem & rebuild the city. You will read of the fulfillment of these prophecies in the book of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah. However this is not the points that I intend to focus on. What I intend to concentrate on is the fact that God tells us here, that the way we will know that He is God, and the way we will know that there is none like Him, is the fact that He has declared the end from the beginning. Meaning that the Prophecies that have been spoken and fulfilled are Proof that He is the great I am God. God says, “They are my signature”. There are well, over 6000 verses of prophecy in the scripture that prove to the world & us that God & His word is truth. There are many prophecies that have been fulfilled, while there are others that are being fulfilled in our day & time, and still others that are yet to be fulfilled in the days to come. I want to study just some of the Prophecies that God spoke about Christ. Some of the Prophecies that we are about to look into were spoken nearly 2000 years before His birth, & yet fulfilled with such accuracy that it proves that only A Divine, all knowing all powerful God.
Consider:
Descendant From The Tribe Of Judah: Gen: 49:10
The Place Of His Birth: Micah 5:2
Born Of A Virgin: Isaiah 7:14
As A Prophet: De. 18:15
His Triumphal Entry Into Jerusalem: Zec. 9:9
Betrayed By A Friend: Ps. 41:9
Sold For Thirty Pieces Of Silver: Zec. 11:12-13
Money Returned For a Potters Field. Zec. 11:13 <> Mt. 27:3-10
Silent When Accused: Isaiah 53:7
Crucified With Sinners: Isaiah 53:12
Given Gall and Vinegar: Ps. 69:21
Soldiers casting Lots for His Garments: Ps. 22:16-18
To Be Buried with The Rich: Isaiah 53:9
Not A Bone To be Broken: Ex.12: 46 & Ps. 34:20
15. Hands and Feet Pierced: Ps. 22:16
Time does not permit to tell you all of the Prophecies That was fulfilled in the life of Christ, but this should be enough proof to convince even the most hardcore skeptic. Just think, theses things were spoken thousands of years before His birth. No man could know suck things. No man if he knew them could bring them to pass. God says this is the proof that I am God & there is none like me.
Final Thought: If these things have come to pass with such great accuracy, we must remember that He has promised to return to receive us unto himself. John 14:1-3
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Blessing
Matthew 5:3 - 11
Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
I heard an awesome sermon on the radio on my way to work this morning. The minister was talking about God's blessing, and how the term "blessing" has been hijacked by secular society and how God's own people often don't even understand it.
The word "blessed" Jesus used here in Greek is "makarios." The word "makarios" came from the name of the island of Cyprus in ancient Greece. Because Cyprus had perfect climate and fertile soils, the ancient Greeks believed anybody living on the island had it made in the shade; all the resources needed for a happy, content, prosperous life was on the island. It was self-contained.
As I heard that part, I said to myself "Oh! I see where he's going! That's deep!" Just because you have all your bills paid and there's money in the bank and the Benz is in the garage doesn't mean you are blessed. Conversely, just because you're going through a trial, a time of setbacks and heartaches doesn't mean that you are not blessed.
Are you ready? Here's the big revelation. God's blessing is self-contained happyness, unaffected by your situation. You can be a multi-millionairre and be miserable. You can be homeless and be happy. It's not about where you are financially or materialistically, but where you are spiritually. Blessing is the peace that passes all understanding; the peace that says "I should be terrified and miserable, but God has given me happyness." Blessing is the joy of the Lord, which is our strength. God's blessing has nothing to do with circumstances, but everything to do with your heart.
Cool, huh?
Cheers and God bless!
Hoss
Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you], and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
I heard an awesome sermon on the radio on my way to work this morning. The minister was talking about God's blessing, and how the term "blessing" has been hijacked by secular society and how God's own people often don't even understand it.
The word "blessed" Jesus used here in Greek is "makarios." The word "makarios" came from the name of the island of Cyprus in ancient Greece. Because Cyprus had perfect climate and fertile soils, the ancient Greeks believed anybody living on the island had it made in the shade; all the resources needed for a happy, content, prosperous life was on the island. It was self-contained.
As I heard that part, I said to myself "Oh! I see where he's going! That's deep!" Just because you have all your bills paid and there's money in the bank and the Benz is in the garage doesn't mean you are blessed. Conversely, just because you're going through a trial, a time of setbacks and heartaches doesn't mean that you are not blessed.
Are you ready? Here's the big revelation. God's blessing is self-contained happyness, unaffected by your situation. You can be a multi-millionairre and be miserable. You can be homeless and be happy. It's not about where you are financially or materialistically, but where you are spiritually. Blessing is the peace that passes all understanding; the peace that says "I should be terrified and miserable, but God has given me happyness." Blessing is the joy of the Lord, which is our strength. God's blessing has nothing to do with circumstances, but everything to do with your heart.
Cool, huh?
Cheers and God bless!
Hoss
Friday, June 12, 2009
Psalms 84:11
Psalms 84:11 NLT “For the LORD God is our light and protector. He gives us grace and glory. No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who do what is right.”
Psalms 84:11 KJV “For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
God won’t keep from us anything that is good so long as we walk uprightly before him. He will give us every good thing if we do what is right. So if we aren’t receiving the things that we want, it is because of either of two reasons: either we aren’t walking uprightly or the thing we want isn’t a good thing.
Now, that is a rather black and white view of things. “You’re not getting the things you want? Well, either you’re a sinner or the things you want aren’t lining up with God’s will.” Either way, it puts it back on our faults. If our desires aren’t being fulfilled, it’s because we’re doing something wrong. Or, at the very least, because God sees that the thing we desire is in fact not a good thing for us (which goes back to us desiring things in God’s will).
While there is undoubtedly truth to all that, there’s something a lot of people miss. There is a deeper answer than the quick and simple “It’s your fault.”
We are no longer made right by our actions. Our righteousness is like filthy rags. No matter how pure we are or how holy we are, we’re still ugly as sin on the inside. (Pun intended.) We cannot walk uprightly before God through our actions, but rather through our decisions. When we make a daily choice to put Jesus Christ at the helm of our life; when we make a minute-by-minute decision to walk in the forgiveness and grace of God through a repentant and contrite heart; when we give ourselves over completely to the will of the Father and walk in the salvation He gave to us freely, then we are walking uprightly before the Lord. It isn’t anything we can achieve by attending every church service, singing the loudest during worship, being the first in the alter, refusing to be seen at the supermarket because sinners shop there, etc. It is nothing we can achieve by following every law and commandment in the Bible (because it is impossible for us to keep all the law, and if you fail in one part of the law, you fail in all…Paul’s words, not mine.) Therefore, it is by grace alone that we are considered “upright” or perfect before the Lord.
We humans have this horrible habit of turning to a merit-based system of grace. I’ve heard people all my life nearly wear out the scripture “not of works, lest any man should boast.” Yet in the very same conversation they talk about the clothes people should wear to church or the “proper” way to worship God. They preach against people that look a certain way or think differently than they do. I’ve even heard folks challenge a person’s salvation over such silly things as the kind of music they listen to or whether or not they have a tattoo. But the simple truth is that God’s view has no scale. There is black and white. Saved or unsaved. None of this “degrees of holiness” garbage that we have come up with. You either live and breathe and move in God’s grace or you don’t. That’s all there is to it. And if we live and breathe and move in God’s grace then we are made upright before Him; not by our actions or appearances but by the blood of Christ.
I have digressed into another topic completely, which was not my intention. But it’s a valid truth nonetheless. Now, on to the direction I was intending to head.
My son is about a year and a half old. He is my son. He doesn’t have to earn anything from me. It is not because of his merit that I give him food or shelter or even toys. I love him and would give him anything he wants that was within my power to give. But that does not mean that he receives everything he wants.
Being only 17 months old, Quinn has not yet quite grasped patience. When he is hungry, he is hungry. And when he is hungry, he wants to eat NOW. He doesn’t understand that it takes a few minutes to make him something to eat. Yet while he is upset and crying and he is sure he is going to die of starvation, is there any way I would let that happen to him? No! Of course not! What seems like a dire situation to a 17 month old child is nothing more than a box of mac’n’cheese and 10 minutes to a parent.
Sometimes we look at our finances and think “God! Your Word says that you wouldn’t keep any good thing from us, and paying my bills is a good thing! So why don’t I have the money to pay the bills!?!?! God!!! Where are you!?!?? God!!!?!?!? Waaaaaa!!! Waaaaaaa!!!! Waaaaaaaa!!!!!!” What seems like a dire situation to us is nothing more than God making macaroni and cheese. Quinn doesn’t understand that you have to boil the water, add the noodles, drain the water when the noodles get soft, add the butter and milk and cheese sauce, etc. All he knows is that he needs food and mom and dad have it. In the same way, we can’t see God working our miracles. We can’t see Him tugging on this individual’s heart to give, or moving this person into a different job to clear room for you to advance, or whatever. Just because we can’t see God boil the noodles doesn’t mean He isn’t going to feed us, it just means that He’s preparing dinner.
I would give anything in my power to make my son happy. But, there are things that he wants right now that he needs to wait a few years before he can receive them, either because he would be a damage to them or they would be a damage to him. For instance, Quinn loves music. He loves playing Daddy’s guitars and drums. But if I turned him loose with my new Les Paul guitar, he’d scratch it, beat it up, stand on it, break it, drool on it, and God only knows what else. (He has a little acoustic guitar that I gave him and he has done all sorts of crazy things to it.) If I gave him something of value and worth, something that is to be properly cared for and taken care of, he’d ruin it, simply because he doesn’t know better. Sometimes, God can’t give us the things we want yet simply because we don’t know how to properly handle it. Even though we feel like we do, or we think we are ready for it, God knows better and knows how to keep us from ruining something.
Quinn loves to sit in the driver’s seat of my pickup and pretend he’s driving. He can’t reach the pedals. He has to stand on the seat to hold the wheel. He loves to sit in my lap and drive with me (only a couple houses down to my parents house, never down the road). But if I started the truck and told him “Have fun!” and walked away from the moving vehicle, leaving the steering wheel in Quinn’s 17 month old hands, what do you suppose would happen? He’d hurt himself! He’d end up in a ditch or a house or another car or a telephone pole, and he’d injure himself. Is Quinn driving a bad thing? Not 15 years down the road. Right now, it would potentially be a disaster. It wouldn’t be good for him.
Quinn loves my wife’s brownies. If I let him eat his fill of brownies, would that be good? No, he’d eat himself sick and likely throw up and feel miserable. Brownies are a good thing, but giving something as powerful as my wife’s brownies to a child with no self-control or restraint would only make him sick and make me a bad father.
God will not withhold any good thing from us. If we are walking in His grace and are in right standing before God through that grace, He will give us every good thing. Some good things are to be received immediately and some are to be received when we are older, wiser, and more mature. Some things we think would be good for us would actually be a detriment to us, often in ways we could never comprehend. This is where faith comes in. We need to have faith that God knows what he is doing and that He has our best interest at heart, and we need to take Him at His word that He won’t keep any good thing from us. And lastly, we need to have faith that God knows what things are good for us and what things are not.
Psalms 84:11 KJV “For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
God won’t keep from us anything that is good so long as we walk uprightly before him. He will give us every good thing if we do what is right. So if we aren’t receiving the things that we want, it is because of either of two reasons: either we aren’t walking uprightly or the thing we want isn’t a good thing.
Now, that is a rather black and white view of things. “You’re not getting the things you want? Well, either you’re a sinner or the things you want aren’t lining up with God’s will.” Either way, it puts it back on our faults. If our desires aren’t being fulfilled, it’s because we’re doing something wrong. Or, at the very least, because God sees that the thing we desire is in fact not a good thing for us (which goes back to us desiring things in God’s will).
While there is undoubtedly truth to all that, there’s something a lot of people miss. There is a deeper answer than the quick and simple “It’s your fault.”
We are no longer made right by our actions. Our righteousness is like filthy rags. No matter how pure we are or how holy we are, we’re still ugly as sin on the inside. (Pun intended.) We cannot walk uprightly before God through our actions, but rather through our decisions. When we make a daily choice to put Jesus Christ at the helm of our life; when we make a minute-by-minute decision to walk in the forgiveness and grace of God through a repentant and contrite heart; when we give ourselves over completely to the will of the Father and walk in the salvation He gave to us freely, then we are walking uprightly before the Lord. It isn’t anything we can achieve by attending every church service, singing the loudest during worship, being the first in the alter, refusing to be seen at the supermarket because sinners shop there, etc. It is nothing we can achieve by following every law and commandment in the Bible (because it is impossible for us to keep all the law, and if you fail in one part of the law, you fail in all…Paul’s words, not mine.) Therefore, it is by grace alone that we are considered “upright” or perfect before the Lord.
We humans have this horrible habit of turning to a merit-based system of grace. I’ve heard people all my life nearly wear out the scripture “not of works, lest any man should boast.” Yet in the very same conversation they talk about the clothes people should wear to church or the “proper” way to worship God. They preach against people that look a certain way or think differently than they do. I’ve even heard folks challenge a person’s salvation over such silly things as the kind of music they listen to or whether or not they have a tattoo. But the simple truth is that God’s view has no scale. There is black and white. Saved or unsaved. None of this “degrees of holiness” garbage that we have come up with. You either live and breathe and move in God’s grace or you don’t. That’s all there is to it. And if we live and breathe and move in God’s grace then we are made upright before Him; not by our actions or appearances but by the blood of Christ.
I have digressed into another topic completely, which was not my intention. But it’s a valid truth nonetheless. Now, on to the direction I was intending to head.
My son is about a year and a half old. He is my son. He doesn’t have to earn anything from me. It is not because of his merit that I give him food or shelter or even toys. I love him and would give him anything he wants that was within my power to give. But that does not mean that he receives everything he wants.
Being only 17 months old, Quinn has not yet quite grasped patience. When he is hungry, he is hungry. And when he is hungry, he wants to eat NOW. He doesn’t understand that it takes a few minutes to make him something to eat. Yet while he is upset and crying and he is sure he is going to die of starvation, is there any way I would let that happen to him? No! Of course not! What seems like a dire situation to a 17 month old child is nothing more than a box of mac’n’cheese and 10 minutes to a parent.
Sometimes we look at our finances and think “God! Your Word says that you wouldn’t keep any good thing from us, and paying my bills is a good thing! So why don’t I have the money to pay the bills!?!?! God!!! Where are you!?!?? God!!!?!?!? Waaaaaa!!! Waaaaaaa!!!! Waaaaaaaa!!!!!!” What seems like a dire situation to us is nothing more than God making macaroni and cheese. Quinn doesn’t understand that you have to boil the water, add the noodles, drain the water when the noodles get soft, add the butter and milk and cheese sauce, etc. All he knows is that he needs food and mom and dad have it. In the same way, we can’t see God working our miracles. We can’t see Him tugging on this individual’s heart to give, or moving this person into a different job to clear room for you to advance, or whatever. Just because we can’t see God boil the noodles doesn’t mean He isn’t going to feed us, it just means that He’s preparing dinner.
I would give anything in my power to make my son happy. But, there are things that he wants right now that he needs to wait a few years before he can receive them, either because he would be a damage to them or they would be a damage to him. For instance, Quinn loves music. He loves playing Daddy’s guitars and drums. But if I turned him loose with my new Les Paul guitar, he’d scratch it, beat it up, stand on it, break it, drool on it, and God only knows what else. (He has a little acoustic guitar that I gave him and he has done all sorts of crazy things to it.) If I gave him something of value and worth, something that is to be properly cared for and taken care of, he’d ruin it, simply because he doesn’t know better. Sometimes, God can’t give us the things we want yet simply because we don’t know how to properly handle it. Even though we feel like we do, or we think we are ready for it, God knows better and knows how to keep us from ruining something.
Quinn loves to sit in the driver’s seat of my pickup and pretend he’s driving. He can’t reach the pedals. He has to stand on the seat to hold the wheel. He loves to sit in my lap and drive with me (only a couple houses down to my parents house, never down the road). But if I started the truck and told him “Have fun!” and walked away from the moving vehicle, leaving the steering wheel in Quinn’s 17 month old hands, what do you suppose would happen? He’d hurt himself! He’d end up in a ditch or a house or another car or a telephone pole, and he’d injure himself. Is Quinn driving a bad thing? Not 15 years down the road. Right now, it would potentially be a disaster. It wouldn’t be good for him.
Quinn loves my wife’s brownies. If I let him eat his fill of brownies, would that be good? No, he’d eat himself sick and likely throw up and feel miserable. Brownies are a good thing, but giving something as powerful as my wife’s brownies to a child with no self-control or restraint would only make him sick and make me a bad father.
God will not withhold any good thing from us. If we are walking in His grace and are in right standing before God through that grace, He will give us every good thing. Some good things are to be received immediately and some are to be received when we are older, wiser, and more mature. Some things we think would be good for us would actually be a detriment to us, often in ways we could never comprehend. This is where faith comes in. We need to have faith that God knows what he is doing and that He has our best interest at heart, and we need to take Him at His word that He won’t keep any good thing from us. And lastly, we need to have faith that God knows what things are good for us and what things are not.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Not Feeling Well
Today, I do not feel well. I am beyond grumpy. I am scream-at-slow-people-in-traffic grumpy. Not one of my finer moments, and certainly not very Christ-like of me, but I'm human. And I don't feel good.
Quinn has had an ear infection this week. I have kind of felt under the weather all week myself. I get home from work and help relieve my wife a little bit because she deals with the sick, clingy, needy kid-o all day. It sucks because Quinn is NEVER like this, so you know he really feels miserable, which breaks this daddy's heart.
Anyways, last night we finally got to bed between 1230 and 1AM. Quinn woke up in the middle of the night because the Tylenol wore off, so Brooke got up with him. I woke up at 4AM sick to my stomach. So I slept from approximately 1230AM to 4AM. I didn't fall back to sleep until 5AM. I got up at 630AM. Totaled, I got 5 hours of sleep. And it wasn't good, deep, restful sleep. It was miserable sleep. It was laying there not feeling good and falling in and out of sleep kind of sleep.
I said all that to say this. I don't feel well. I'm tired. I'm cranky. I'm stressed. I'm feeling a bit bitter today because I'm tired, cranky, stressed, and I don't feel well. Because of all this, today I blog not about spiritual truths or uplifting insights. Today I rant. Sometimes when you're sick and tired, screaming about being sick and tired makes you feel better. So; if you are looking for some uplifting anecdote or spiritual insight, go read your Bible, because I've got nothing for you today. But if your curiosity has gotten the better of you; if you are wondering "What is this ill, mad-man going to complain about today?" then read on, my friends.
First, I've noticed something in the restrooms here at work. People come in, unzip and begin to put the urinal to good use, and just as the tinkle hits the water, they spit. Not out of necessity or because they need to clear their sinuses or throat or whatever. No, they spit out of habit. They spit out of some weird need to do something manly, or something... It irritates the crap out of me. It's gross and weird, and it's pointless. They spit in the urinal almost like they are throwing a penny into a wishing well; like the porcelain god's are going to grant them their wish because they did their little good-luck ritual of spitting in the same urinal they are peeing in.
I have never seen anything like this phenomenon anywhere else. It's almost as if a memo from corporate higher-ups went out to all male employees and requested they spit while taking a leak. And it isn't just a few guys that do it, its the majority of them. Literally any time I use the facilities, I hear someone spit into the can. I don't know why it aggravates me so much, other than that I find it weird and repulsive. But it does.
Now, on to more important issues. There is so much political stuff I could rant about today that I'd never finish this post and you've probably already given up once I started talking about spitting in urinals, so there would be no point anyways. However, there are a couple issues that I'd like to highlight.
Because President Obama said "You can't get corporate jets, you can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime," the mayor of Las Vegas is demanding an apology and a retraction. Evidently, he doesn't care that the taxpayers, struggling to make ends meet in their own lives, foot the bill for corporations to enjoy lavish vacations in his town. And why should he? Doesn't EVERYONE in America get to take a Las Vegas vacation every year at someone else's expense? No, the bottom line is the bottom dollar. Mayor Oscar Goodman doesn't care what happens to the rest of the nation as long as his town gets business. Even if it is at the expense of the American people. I don't know anything about the man other than this news story. But if I had to make a snap judgement based on the fact that he is demanding an apology from the president because he disagrees with taxpayer's money going towards corporate vacations, I'd say he was a selfish jerkoff who has neither the brains or the integrity to be in any kind of office.
Next, I am outraged by the lawsuit of an Arizona rancher to the tune of $32 million by 16 illegal immigrants represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Roger Barnett stopped 16 illegal immigrants from sneaking into America across his 22,000 acre ranch in Arizona. He stopped them at gunpoint and had an intimidating dog at his side. He held them there until the Border Patrol arrived to take them into custody. Since 1998, he turned over 12,000 illegals to the US Border Patrol. And now, with the help of the MALDEF, 16 illegal immigrants are threatening to take this poor rancher for $32 million!
I have no doubt that being held at gunpoint is terrifying. A man threatening to feed you to his big, mean dog would be enough to make me wet my pants. Inhumane? Perhaps. None of us were there, so we don't really know. But this is America where we have a right to protect ourselves and our property. You don't want some guy holding you at gunpoint and sending you back Tijuana? STOP TRYING TO SNEAK INTO OUR COUNTRY!!! You don't want some guy threatening to feed you to his dog? KEEP YOUR BUTT OFF OF HIS PROPERTY!!! Seriously folks, this is an absolute outrage. And what's worse is that some anti-American law firm is representing this farce as an injustice. It makes me angry. It makes me want to start a border patrol militia. It makes me want to round up 12,000 people and go traipsing through THEIR backyards, destroying their fences, killing their animals, leaving their garbage and crap all over. I'm curious how they'd feel then. I wonder if they would feel violated and try to stop it. Furthermore, I wonder how they'd feel if their attempt to protect their property was called inhumane and THEY were sued for $32 million by people who ARE NOT EVEN CITIZENS OF OUR COUNTRY!!!
You can read these stories for yourself at FoxNews.com and the Washington times here.
On a short positive note, I don't agree with the stimulus bill. I don't agree with what I feel is wasteful spending and nothing more than a Democratic spending spree under the guise of saving our nation from catastrophe. That, I believe, is fear-mongering. However, I will say this. I appreciate and respect the fact that Obama is making it a priority for the American people to see where every single dollar of the stimulus is being spent. The problem with the government is that there is no accountability to the people. And the more bloated the government becomes, the less accountability there is. It might be a bit extreme, but Thomas Jefferson said “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government...” I wonder sometimes if our government has become bloated to the point of doing more harm than good. Perhaps it's time for people to start seriously considering a peaceful revolution, if there can ever be such a thing.
Tomorrow I will feel better. Tomorrow will be a better day. Perhaps tomorrow I will write something positive and uplifting; something in stark contrast to today's rantings. However I must admit, I do feel a little better now that I've let some of my grumpiness out of the cage of my attitude and placed in the cage of my blog.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
Quinn has had an ear infection this week. I have kind of felt under the weather all week myself. I get home from work and help relieve my wife a little bit because she deals with the sick, clingy, needy kid-o all day. It sucks because Quinn is NEVER like this, so you know he really feels miserable, which breaks this daddy's heart.
Anyways, last night we finally got to bed between 1230 and 1AM. Quinn woke up in the middle of the night because the Tylenol wore off, so Brooke got up with him. I woke up at 4AM sick to my stomach. So I slept from approximately 1230AM to 4AM. I didn't fall back to sleep until 5AM. I got up at 630AM. Totaled, I got 5 hours of sleep. And it wasn't good, deep, restful sleep. It was miserable sleep. It was laying there not feeling good and falling in and out of sleep kind of sleep.
I said all that to say this. I don't feel well. I'm tired. I'm cranky. I'm stressed. I'm feeling a bit bitter today because I'm tired, cranky, stressed, and I don't feel well. Because of all this, today I blog not about spiritual truths or uplifting insights. Today I rant. Sometimes when you're sick and tired, screaming about being sick and tired makes you feel better. So; if you are looking for some uplifting anecdote or spiritual insight, go read your Bible, because I've got nothing for you today. But if your curiosity has gotten the better of you; if you are wondering "What is this ill, mad-man going to complain about today?" then read on, my friends.
First, I've noticed something in the restrooms here at work. People come in, unzip and begin to put the urinal to good use, and just as the tinkle hits the water, they spit. Not out of necessity or because they need to clear their sinuses or throat or whatever. No, they spit out of habit. They spit out of some weird need to do something manly, or something... It irritates the crap out of me. It's gross and weird, and it's pointless. They spit in the urinal almost like they are throwing a penny into a wishing well; like the porcelain god's are going to grant them their wish because they did their little good-luck ritual of spitting in the same urinal they are peeing in.
I have never seen anything like this phenomenon anywhere else. It's almost as if a memo from corporate higher-ups went out to all male employees and requested they spit while taking a leak. And it isn't just a few guys that do it, its the majority of them. Literally any time I use the facilities, I hear someone spit into the can. I don't know why it aggravates me so much, other than that I find it weird and repulsive. But it does.
Now, on to more important issues. There is so much political stuff I could rant about today that I'd never finish this post and you've probably already given up once I started talking about spitting in urinals, so there would be no point anyways. However, there are a couple issues that I'd like to highlight.
Because President Obama said "You can't get corporate jets, you can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime," the mayor of Las Vegas is demanding an apology and a retraction. Evidently, he doesn't care that the taxpayers, struggling to make ends meet in their own lives, foot the bill for corporations to enjoy lavish vacations in his town. And why should he? Doesn't EVERYONE in America get to take a Las Vegas vacation every year at someone else's expense? No, the bottom line is the bottom dollar. Mayor Oscar Goodman doesn't care what happens to the rest of the nation as long as his town gets business. Even if it is at the expense of the American people. I don't know anything about the man other than this news story. But if I had to make a snap judgement based on the fact that he is demanding an apology from the president because he disagrees with taxpayer's money going towards corporate vacations, I'd say he was a selfish jerkoff who has neither the brains or the integrity to be in any kind of office.
Next, I am outraged by the lawsuit of an Arizona rancher to the tune of $32 million by 16 illegal immigrants represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Roger Barnett stopped 16 illegal immigrants from sneaking into America across his 22,000 acre ranch in Arizona. He stopped them at gunpoint and had an intimidating dog at his side. He held them there until the Border Patrol arrived to take them into custody. Since 1998, he turned over 12,000 illegals to the US Border Patrol. And now, with the help of the MALDEF, 16 illegal immigrants are threatening to take this poor rancher for $32 million!
I have no doubt that being held at gunpoint is terrifying. A man threatening to feed you to his big, mean dog would be enough to make me wet my pants. Inhumane? Perhaps. None of us were there, so we don't really know. But this is America where we have a right to protect ourselves and our property. You don't want some guy holding you at gunpoint and sending you back Tijuana? STOP TRYING TO SNEAK INTO OUR COUNTRY!!! You don't want some guy threatening to feed you to his dog? KEEP YOUR BUTT OFF OF HIS PROPERTY!!! Seriously folks, this is an absolute outrage. And what's worse is that some anti-American law firm is representing this farce as an injustice. It makes me angry. It makes me want to start a border patrol militia. It makes me want to round up 12,000 people and go traipsing through THEIR backyards, destroying their fences, killing their animals, leaving their garbage and crap all over. I'm curious how they'd feel then. I wonder if they would feel violated and try to stop it. Furthermore, I wonder how they'd feel if their attempt to protect their property was called inhumane and THEY were sued for $32 million by people who ARE NOT EVEN CITIZENS OF OUR COUNTRY!!!
You can read these stories for yourself at FoxNews.com and the Washington times here.
On a short positive note, I don't agree with the stimulus bill. I don't agree with what I feel is wasteful spending and nothing more than a Democratic spending spree under the guise of saving our nation from catastrophe. That, I believe, is fear-mongering. However, I will say this. I appreciate and respect the fact that Obama is making it a priority for the American people to see where every single dollar of the stimulus is being spent. The problem with the government is that there is no accountability to the people. And the more bloated the government becomes, the less accountability there is. It might be a bit extreme, but Thomas Jefferson said “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government...” I wonder sometimes if our government has become bloated to the point of doing more harm than good. Perhaps it's time for people to start seriously considering a peaceful revolution, if there can ever be such a thing.
Tomorrow I will feel better. Tomorrow will be a better day. Perhaps tomorrow I will write something positive and uplifting; something in stark contrast to today's rantings. However I must admit, I do feel a little better now that I've let some of my grumpiness out of the cage of my attitude and placed in the cage of my blog.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
Monday, February 9, 2009
My Fantastic Weekend
My weekend was amazing. Nothing spectacular or over-the-top amazing happened, it was just a weekend filled with joy, peace, and happiness. There might not be any deep spiritual insights in this blog, and there probably will not be any political ranting, but I want to share about my weekend and who knows; maybe I'll stumble on something deeper.
Friday night I got home from work and my wonderful wife went through the house and cleaned the place up better than normal. I walked in and it smelled so fresh and clean...The air sparkled almost. The counters were cleared, kitchen clean, dishes done, laundry put away, floors vacuumed and she even mopped the tile with extra attention to the little details and specks. It is so nice to walk in to a wonderfully clean home and know I get to just hang out and enjoy it with nothing on the agenda.
My parents stopped by for a little while and we got to visit with them for a bit, which was nice since we haven't really been able to do that in a couple weeks. Later that evening, we were planning on watching a movie together after the kid-o went to bed. Well, we were both pretty beat from a busy week, and we ended up falling asleep on the couches in the living room at about 10PM.
Saturday morning, we slept in as late as the munchkin would allow us, after which we spent the majority of the day in our pajamas and relaxed. Brooke made some tasty waffles for breakfast and we just enjoyed our quiet, mellow Saturday. Just before church, Aaron stopped by and dropped off the rabbit he shot earlier in the week when we went hunting. I threw it in a big stock pot to boil while we were at church and I chopped up a bunch of veggies and fried them in bacon grease (mmmm...so unhealthy, but so tasty). I threw all the veggies in the crock pot after I fried them, checked the bunny, and headed off to church.
My dad preached an awesome and timely message about "going beyond the map." He took a quote from a sailor around 63AD; "today, the storm pushed us beyond the map." Man, that's exactly where we've been and are, and we are not alone. Pretty much all of our close friends are in similar situations where the storms of life have pushed them into unfamiliar territory and uncharted waters. It was a timely sermon about trusting God enough to let him take us into the unfamiliar and scary to bring us through to the blessings He has waiting for us.
We had everyone over after church for rabbit stew. We had a wonderful time talking about the sermon and just hanging out eating rabbit stew. Some liked it, some couldn't get over the fact that it was a rabbit, and Thomas thought it tasted a bit hoppy. (I almost fell out of my chair when he said that!)
Sunday we got up and got around and had everyone meet us at our house. We loaded up firewood, guns, and food and headed to the hills where we built a fire and shot guns and hung out. I made chicken gumbo in the dutch oven, which turned out fantastic. We enjoyed our day-camping a ton, but I'm not sure if it eased or intensified our spring fever.
Oh, and my kid was so adore able. Brooke dressed him up warm and we let him run around up there in the mud. He was SO filthy by the time we were leaving, but man was he cute.
Once we got home, Quinn got a bath and a nap and the wife and I got cleaned up and into our comfortable clothes. We ended up taking a nice long nap with Quinn and got up just in time to make pastrami burgers for dinner. So good.
On my Mom's recommendation, we watched the movie Fireproof. The acting was definitely amateurish, but the movie itself was amazing. I won't go into what it is all about, but I will tell you that if you haven't seen it, you need to. Ignore the bad acting and focus on the message and you will be blessed and changed. It made me stop and think about my marriage and about how blessed we are and about much we still have to work on. We have a wonderful marriage, but it's comforting to know that there's always room for improvement.
As we watched the movie last night, Quinn sat in the floor and played with his books. He was playing so quietly and was being so good...I sat and watched him for a couple of minutes and nearly cried. The sweetness and innocence of this young child; the massive, unspeakable amounts of love I have for this little being; this little life I created and am responsible for. I suppose this is the great spiritual concept of the blog; I love my son more than words can say, and God loves us infinitely more than that. How precious, amazing, wonderful. Our weekend was so wonderful. We weren't worrying about bills or money or anything else. We didn't have an agenda packed full of "have-to's." It was just peaceful. If it wasn't peaceful, I probably would have never stopped to appreciate the beauty of my relationship with my son and the love I have for him. It's so sad, but we get so wrapped up in this life's cares that we fail to even notice the truly priceless blessings we have.
Around 930PM I changed Quinn's diaper, put him in his pajamas, and gave him a bottle and watched him fall asleep in my arms. After he fell asleep on me, I picked him up and took him to his room. As I carried him into the dimly lit room, I whispered a prayer for God to bless him and watch over him as he slept. I laid him down in his crib, still partially awake, and he didn't even cry or whimper. He went to sleep so peacefully. The whole evening of bonding with my little buddy absolutely wrecked this daddy's heart all over again. He is so precious and wonderful, and the older he gets the more I realize the depth of a father's love for his son. The more I realize that depth, the more I realize just how much God loves me.
After I put Quinn to bed, Brooke and I finished watching the movie together, snuggled on the couch with our 3 dogs. It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
Friday night I got home from work and my wonderful wife went through the house and cleaned the place up better than normal. I walked in and it smelled so fresh and clean...The air sparkled almost. The counters were cleared, kitchen clean, dishes done, laundry put away, floors vacuumed and she even mopped the tile with extra attention to the little details and specks. It is so nice to walk in to a wonderfully clean home and know I get to just hang out and enjoy it with nothing on the agenda.
My parents stopped by for a little while and we got to visit with them for a bit, which was nice since we haven't really been able to do that in a couple weeks. Later that evening, we were planning on watching a movie together after the kid-o went to bed. Well, we were both pretty beat from a busy week, and we ended up falling asleep on the couches in the living room at about 10PM.
Saturday morning, we slept in as late as the munchkin would allow us, after which we spent the majority of the day in our pajamas and relaxed. Brooke made some tasty waffles for breakfast and we just enjoyed our quiet, mellow Saturday. Just before church, Aaron stopped by and dropped off the rabbit he shot earlier in the week when we went hunting. I threw it in a big stock pot to boil while we were at church and I chopped up a bunch of veggies and fried them in bacon grease (mmmm...so unhealthy, but so tasty). I threw all the veggies in the crock pot after I fried them, checked the bunny, and headed off to church.
My dad preached an awesome and timely message about "going beyond the map." He took a quote from a sailor around 63AD; "today, the storm pushed us beyond the map." Man, that's exactly where we've been and are, and we are not alone. Pretty much all of our close friends are in similar situations where the storms of life have pushed them into unfamiliar territory and uncharted waters. It was a timely sermon about trusting God enough to let him take us into the unfamiliar and scary to bring us through to the blessings He has waiting for us.
We had everyone over after church for rabbit stew. We had a wonderful time talking about the sermon and just hanging out eating rabbit stew. Some liked it, some couldn't get over the fact that it was a rabbit, and Thomas thought it tasted a bit hoppy. (I almost fell out of my chair when he said that!)
Sunday we got up and got around and had everyone meet us at our house. We loaded up firewood, guns, and food and headed to the hills where we built a fire and shot guns and hung out. I made chicken gumbo in the dutch oven, which turned out fantastic. We enjoyed our day-camping a ton, but I'm not sure if it eased or intensified our spring fever.
Oh, and my kid was so adore able. Brooke dressed him up warm and we let him run around up there in the mud. He was SO filthy by the time we were leaving, but man was he cute.
Once we got home, Quinn got a bath and a nap and the wife and I got cleaned up and into our comfortable clothes. We ended up taking a nice long nap with Quinn and got up just in time to make pastrami burgers for dinner. So good.
On my Mom's recommendation, we watched the movie Fireproof. The acting was definitely amateurish, but the movie itself was amazing. I won't go into what it is all about, but I will tell you that if you haven't seen it, you need to. Ignore the bad acting and focus on the message and you will be blessed and changed. It made me stop and think about my marriage and about how blessed we are and about much we still have to work on. We have a wonderful marriage, but it's comforting to know that there's always room for improvement.
As we watched the movie last night, Quinn sat in the floor and played with his books. He was playing so quietly and was being so good...I sat and watched him for a couple of minutes and nearly cried. The sweetness and innocence of this young child; the massive, unspeakable amounts of love I have for this little being; this little life I created and am responsible for. I suppose this is the great spiritual concept of the blog; I love my son more than words can say, and God loves us infinitely more than that. How precious, amazing, wonderful. Our weekend was so wonderful. We weren't worrying about bills or money or anything else. We didn't have an agenda packed full of "have-to's." It was just peaceful. If it wasn't peaceful, I probably would have never stopped to appreciate the beauty of my relationship with my son and the love I have for him. It's so sad, but we get so wrapped up in this life's cares that we fail to even notice the truly priceless blessings we have.
Around 930PM I changed Quinn's diaper, put him in his pajamas, and gave him a bottle and watched him fall asleep in my arms. After he fell asleep on me, I picked him up and took him to his room. As I carried him into the dimly lit room, I whispered a prayer for God to bless him and watch over him as he slept. I laid him down in his crib, still partially awake, and he didn't even cry or whimper. He went to sleep so peacefully. The whole evening of bonding with my little buddy absolutely wrecked this daddy's heart all over again. He is so precious and wonderful, and the older he gets the more I realize the depth of a father's love for his son. The more I realize that depth, the more I realize just how much God loves me.
After I put Quinn to bed, Brooke and I finished watching the movie together, snuggled on the couch with our 3 dogs. It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Abortion
With the media talking about the anniversary of Roe v. Wade a lot lately, I've been thinking a lot about my stance on abortion. As most Christian fundamentalists, I've always held tightly to a strict pro-life belief. Abortion is wrong and it should be outlawed. But as I've grown, I've started to question the legal part of it, and yesterday, I think I've finally come to rest on a solid opinion.
Again, the following is just my opinion and is not representative of anyone other than myself. You are welcome to agree. You are welcome to disagree. This is such a tremendous issue that I think it's important for people to come to a decision on their own after taking in all the considerations and then hold firmly and unwaveringly to their belief.
First of all, the Bible clearly condemns the shedding of innocent blood. We can infer from the Old Testament that God considers a fetus as human life at the moment of conception. In Old Testament law, if two men were fighting and accidentally struck a pregnant woman and caused her to lose the baby, the one who accidentally hit her was to be killed. That's pretty strict. In God's eyes, a baby is a human life before it is ever born.
Since God considers abortion murder, I firmly believe it is wrong. I do not agree with abortion. But here is where I may lose some of you (and will quite possibly take some fire for my view). I do NOT believe the government has the right or authority to dictate or decide whether or not abortion is legal.
When you mention abortion to most people, they picture the knocked up cheerleader that wants to erase the consequences of her actions. Don't get me wrong, I am not unsympathetic to her plight. We all make mistakes. But killing an innocent life for the sake of your convenience is absolutely wrong.
I don't believe I have the right to dictate the right or wrong of abortion to a woman who was raped and is now pregnant with her rapists baby or the parents who were just told by the doctor that the baby growing inside is going to be severely handicapped, live a life of pain and suffering only to die at the age of 5. I have heard many stories of doctors delivering that sort of grim news, only for the parents to go ahead and give birth to a miraculously perfect, healthy baby. And although I don't think my wife and I could ever abort our own baby even if it was going to be horribly ill, I have not lived through it and I have no right to tell someone what they should do in that situation.
As a matter of fact, to play the devil's advocate for a moment, parents are supposed to love their children and do whatever they have to in order to take care of them and provide the best life for them. In that case, what is more cruel; ending a life of misery and suffering before it begins (even though it breaks the parents heart) or raising a child that has no quality of life and suffers through horrible disabilities to the day her or she dies? I believe with all my heart that God can step down and intervene after a doctor says there is no hope, but let's look at the facts. Physically and mentally disabled children are born every day, meaning that although you pray and ask God to fix your unborn child, it may not happen, which opens up a whole Pandora's box of questions and philosophy which I am unprepared to charge into here and now.
Anyways, I have no right to dictate to someone else what they are to do in that sort of situation. And thankfully, since I am not God, it is not my responsibility to. And although sometimes the government thinks it is in fact divine and holy, it is not their place either.
With that being said, I don't feel the knocked up cheerleader should be able to get her abortion and send me as a taxpayer the bill. I vehemently oppose funding the murder of the innocent under the candy coated title of "family planning." And that is the thought that brings me to the real purpose of this blog. Today, newly inaugurated President Barack Obama is signing an executive order allowing government funding for abortions in other countries. So essentially, our tax dollars can now pay for some Mexican whore to get an abortion so she can get back to work on the street corner. That's kind of an extreme example, but you get the drift.
The executive order is part of a partisan battle that started clear back in the Reagan administration. Reagan introduced legislation banning the use of US government money for the funding of abortion counseling and procedures in other countries. Clinton reversed it. George W. Bush reversed the reversal. And now Obama has reversed the reversed reversal.
First of all, funding the murder of innocents here in our own country is absolutely wrong. But to give money to foreign countries to do the same (especially while unemployment is continuing to rise and our economy continues to deteriorate) is left wing insanity.
My fellow Americans; get mad. Get indignant. This dude's been in office for just a few days and he's already pushing liberalism, and he ain't doing it subtly. Write your senators and congressmen. Blog about it. Talk about it at the coffee shops and with your neighbors. Whether you are pro-life, pro-choice, or libertarian the use of our tax dollars to fund abortion for non-US citizens is unpatriotic and unethical. How can we be humanitarians and take care of other nations if we can't take care of ourselves? The most important thing you can do for a poor person is to not be poor, because if you are poor, you can't help them.
Below are the links to the stories where you can learn more about this issue. As a side note, I have done my best to give Obama the benefit of the doubt. I don't agree with him on many issues, but I've done my best to have an open mind and a willingness to at least let the guy get settled into office. But this issue has caused me to seriously doubt this man and I am quickly losing respect for him.
You can read the story here on FoxNews.com and learn more about the original legislation here.
Again, the following is just my opinion and is not representative of anyone other than myself. You are welcome to agree. You are welcome to disagree. This is such a tremendous issue that I think it's important for people to come to a decision on their own after taking in all the considerations and then hold firmly and unwaveringly to their belief.
First of all, the Bible clearly condemns the shedding of innocent blood. We can infer from the Old Testament that God considers a fetus as human life at the moment of conception. In Old Testament law, if two men were fighting and accidentally struck a pregnant woman and caused her to lose the baby, the one who accidentally hit her was to be killed. That's pretty strict. In God's eyes, a baby is a human life before it is ever born.
Since God considers abortion murder, I firmly believe it is wrong. I do not agree with abortion. But here is where I may lose some of you (and will quite possibly take some fire for my view). I do NOT believe the government has the right or authority to dictate or decide whether or not abortion is legal.
When you mention abortion to most people, they picture the knocked up cheerleader that wants to erase the consequences of her actions. Don't get me wrong, I am not unsympathetic to her plight. We all make mistakes. But killing an innocent life for the sake of your convenience is absolutely wrong.
I don't believe I have the right to dictate the right or wrong of abortion to a woman who was raped and is now pregnant with her rapists baby or the parents who were just told by the doctor that the baby growing inside is going to be severely handicapped, live a life of pain and suffering only to die at the age of 5. I have heard many stories of doctors delivering that sort of grim news, only for the parents to go ahead and give birth to a miraculously perfect, healthy baby. And although I don't think my wife and I could ever abort our own baby even if it was going to be horribly ill, I have not lived through it and I have no right to tell someone what they should do in that situation.
As a matter of fact, to play the devil's advocate for a moment, parents are supposed to love their children and do whatever they have to in order to take care of them and provide the best life for them. In that case, what is more cruel; ending a life of misery and suffering before it begins (even though it breaks the parents heart) or raising a child that has no quality of life and suffers through horrible disabilities to the day her or she dies? I believe with all my heart that God can step down and intervene after a doctor says there is no hope, but let's look at the facts. Physically and mentally disabled children are born every day, meaning that although you pray and ask God to fix your unborn child, it may not happen, which opens up a whole Pandora's box of questions and philosophy which I am unprepared to charge into here and now.
Anyways, I have no right to dictate to someone else what they are to do in that sort of situation. And thankfully, since I am not God, it is not my responsibility to. And although sometimes the government thinks it is in fact divine and holy, it is not their place either.
With that being said, I don't feel the knocked up cheerleader should be able to get her abortion and send me as a taxpayer the bill. I vehemently oppose funding the murder of the innocent under the candy coated title of "family planning." And that is the thought that brings me to the real purpose of this blog. Today, newly inaugurated President Barack Obama is signing an executive order allowing government funding for abortions in other countries. So essentially, our tax dollars can now pay for some Mexican whore to get an abortion so she can get back to work on the street corner. That's kind of an extreme example, but you get the drift.
The executive order is part of a partisan battle that started clear back in the Reagan administration. Reagan introduced legislation banning the use of US government money for the funding of abortion counseling and procedures in other countries. Clinton reversed it. George W. Bush reversed the reversal. And now Obama has reversed the reversed reversal.
First of all, funding the murder of innocents here in our own country is absolutely wrong. But to give money to foreign countries to do the same (especially while unemployment is continuing to rise and our economy continues to deteriorate) is left wing insanity.
My fellow Americans; get mad. Get indignant. This dude's been in office for just a few days and he's already pushing liberalism, and he ain't doing it subtly. Write your senators and congressmen. Blog about it. Talk about it at the coffee shops and with your neighbors. Whether you are pro-life, pro-choice, or libertarian the use of our tax dollars to fund abortion for non-US citizens is unpatriotic and unethical. How can we be humanitarians and take care of other nations if we can't take care of ourselves? The most important thing you can do for a poor person is to not be poor, because if you are poor, you can't help them.
Below are the links to the stories where you can learn more about this issue. As a side note, I have done my best to give Obama the benefit of the doubt. I don't agree with him on many issues, but I've done my best to have an open mind and a willingness to at least let the guy get settled into office. But this issue has caused me to seriously doubt this man and I am quickly losing respect for him.
You can read the story here on FoxNews.com and learn more about the original legislation here.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
There's a Thin Line Between Faith and Apathy
It's true. There is a very thin line between faith and apathy; between a true belief that God can do the miraculous and a crutch to avoid responsibility for our lives. Many times people say things like "God is in control." or "If it's God's will..." when they face troubling circumstances. While it is true that God is in control, too many people are using that as a crutch. If God is in control and I am not, then when things go wrong or trouble befalls me, I have someone to blame for it. If God is in control, then it doesn't matter what I do or whether I try or not, because it's God's responsibility. That is flawed thinking.
Faith without works is dead. If I desperately need $2000, I cannot sit around and do nothing but pray and have faith and expect God to drop it in my lap. Faith doesn't work that way. If I need $2000, God expects me to believe Him for it and then get off my do-nothing and go find a way to get it. God will supply the way, but we must supply the will.
For a car to go, the engine needs two things; fuel and air. Without fuel and air, there will be no explosion in the cylinder and therefore no power to move the car. We are the same way. Miracles require two things; faith and action. Without faith, God has no reason to intervene any more than I should expect you to help me if I didn't believe you were willing or able to do so. Without action, God has nothing He can work with; no tools He can use to create our miracle.
For some people, "If it's God's will..." is a crutch of apathy; they are too lazy or careless to actually DO something about their circumstances so by waiting on God, they are shirking their responsibilities with the benefit of a pious excuse. For others, it's not so much a matter of laziness, but rather a matter of fear. It's sort of like the high school graduate too scared to open the letter from the college of his choice for fear they did not accept him. In his mind, it's better to not know than to know and be disappointed.
Using the crutch of "God's in control." out of fear of being disappointed is nothing more than a lack of faith in God cleverly disguised as pious belief. If we say we have faith but have no works, we have nothing. If we have no works because we're afraid of being disappointed by an almighty, awesome and wonderfully loving God, then we don't really know who He is or understand His character.
In short, God is in control, and God does have a will. But it is our job to prayerfully find our place; prayerfully add works to our faith in order for God to do what only He can do and provide the miracle for which we need.
Faith without works is dead. If I desperately need $2000, I cannot sit around and do nothing but pray and have faith and expect God to drop it in my lap. Faith doesn't work that way. If I need $2000, God expects me to believe Him for it and then get off my do-nothing and go find a way to get it. God will supply the way, but we must supply the will.
For a car to go, the engine needs two things; fuel and air. Without fuel and air, there will be no explosion in the cylinder and therefore no power to move the car. We are the same way. Miracles require two things; faith and action. Without faith, God has no reason to intervene any more than I should expect you to help me if I didn't believe you were willing or able to do so. Without action, God has nothing He can work with; no tools He can use to create our miracle.
For some people, "If it's God's will..." is a crutch of apathy; they are too lazy or careless to actually DO something about their circumstances so by waiting on God, they are shirking their responsibilities with the benefit of a pious excuse. For others, it's not so much a matter of laziness, but rather a matter of fear. It's sort of like the high school graduate too scared to open the letter from the college of his choice for fear they did not accept him. In his mind, it's better to not know than to know and be disappointed.
Using the crutch of "God's in control." out of fear of being disappointed is nothing more than a lack of faith in God cleverly disguised as pious belief. If we say we have faith but have no works, we have nothing. If we have no works because we're afraid of being disappointed by an almighty, awesome and wonderfully loving God, then we don't really know who He is or understand His character.
In short, God is in control, and God does have a will. But it is our job to prayerfully find our place; prayerfully add works to our faith in order for God to do what only He can do and provide the miracle for which we need.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Prerequisites For Miracles
Everyone in life has problems that require a miraculous, divine intervention from the Lord God. We may not have such an issue constantly, one after another in life, but at some point, everyone goes through something where we need a miracle. Jesus taught us to ask and we'd receive, seek and we'd find, and knock and it'd be opened to us. If Jesus said it, I believe it. However, I believe there are some requirements we must meet first before we can claim this verse. I believe God expects a few things of us before we can expect something from Him. I'm not a scholar or a prophet, but I'll attempt to lay out what I believe are prerequisites for a miracle.
Rhetorical Question #1 - Is There Sin In the Camp?
For many fundamentalists, this is the first thing they point out when someone has a hardship. Although I think many people are too quick to blame trouble on sin, there is definitely a reality to it. Joshua chapter 7 tells the story of a man who took gold, silver and a robe from the ruins of Jericho after God commanded all the spoils be brought into the Lord's treasury. The man's name was Achan. He buried these stolen goods under his tent. When Israel went to battle against the city of Ai, a small town they should have easily defeated, they got their butts handed to them. The men of Ai chased them away from the city gates and killed 36 of the Israelite soldiers.
Joshua cried out to God "What happened!?!?" God told him that someone had stolen from the Lord and broke his commandment. Achan confessed, they found the stolen goods, and stoned Achan and his entire family. They then went on to defeat Ai with the blessing and favor of God. While God doesn't do much stoning these days, there is a very real spiritual principle to observe here. Although Achan had hidden his sin from others, he didn't hide if from the all-seeing God. God would be condoning sin and disobedience if he gave His blessing and favor to a people who were willingly disobedient and sinful, therefore God could not bless Israel. Notice that Achan's sin not only affected himself and his family, but the entire nation of Israel. Our actions can have serious consequences for not only ourselves, but others as well.
The difference between then and now is the blood of Christ. Christ came to off forgiveness and mercy and to be justice for our sake. He didn't replace justice with mercy, he became justice so that we could have mercy. If there is hidden sin in your life, confess it and get rid of it. Turn and walk away from it. As long as you are willingly and knowingly being disobedient to God, He cannot and will not bless you.
Rhetorical Question #2 - Is What You Are Asking In God's Will?
Way to many Christians use this point as a crutch. "Oh, if it was God's will for me to be healed, I would be healed." They use this thought as an easy out, because let's face it, faith isn't always easy. It's much easier to believe in the obvious than to trust in an unseen God for a supernatural miracle. This is where reading God's word and seeking His heart come in. It is God's will that our bodies be made whole. It is God's will that we prosper and be in health. But if you are harboring sin, it is not God's will to bless you until you confess and repent of your sin. If God is ready to take you eternally home to be with Him, He may not remove the cancer that is accomplishing His will. (Side-note - That doesn't mean He won't give you the peace that passes all understanding in the face of death.) However, it is impossible to know God's will for you and your situation if you don't seek Him.
Often we look at delays as defeats. If God doesn't answer our prayer in a week, a month, or even a year, we don't think it is an answered prayer. I read a story a while back of a couple that was over $100,000 in debt and they prayed and prayed for a $100,000 miracle. God didn't answer there prayers by giving them the winning lotto numbers or having a generous stranger write them a check. The couple went through bankruptcy and struggled for several years. Way later in life, their daughter received a $100,000 scholarship, meaning they wouldn't have to pay for college. God answered their prayers, but He didn't do it on their terms. He had a bigger, better plan. God had His will in the matter.
If you ask God for $1 million, He may not give it to you all at once in a lump sum. If you ask God for $1 million to buy a dream house and the biggest SUV you can find, He probably won't give it to you because with great wealth comes great struggle relying on God instead of self. If you ask God for $1 million to accomplish a ministry goal or spread the gospel or feed the hungry, you are trying to carry out God's will, and he will give you exactly what you need to do that, whether it is a $1 million donation or a million people sending a dollar to the cause you are praying for.
Rhetorical Question #3 - Do You Believe?
Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Faith is what makes the invisible and intangible visible and tangible. There are Christians living on both sides of faith. Some believe that just because they believe, they can have anything. They believe that if they want to own the moon and believe hard enough for it, that they can. Then there are others who see the ridiculousness of this notion and couple it with their own doubting attitude and don't believe we can change ANYTHING with faith.
Both camps are wrong, and the truth lies somewhere in between. God makes it very clear in the Word that we can have whatever we ask for if we ask in His name (i.e., according to his desire for us) and believe for what we've asked. Without faith, we won't keep doing the things required to lay hold of that which we're asking for. If we don't believe the door will be opened, we won't keep knocking. If we don't believe we'll receive, we'll never ask, much less continue to ask.
There it is. We need to get rid of the sin in our life, ask according to God's will and desire for us, and finally believe that we'll receive in order to get the miracle that we're asking for. Laid out on paper, it sounds so simple, but like many things, putting it into action can often be difficult. Discovering secret sin is hard because so often, it's been there so long that we overlook it every time we inspect. A root of bitterness can be growing for years and it becomes so ingrained within us that we don't even notice that it is growing and crowding out what God wants to do in us. Sorting out our desires with God's will can often get pretty murky because many times, what we want lines up with the character of God because we are created in His image. But just because it lines up with God's character doesn't mean our motives are pure or that it is what God wants from us. A serious lack of faith in a loving, generous, giving God is often cleverly disguised by our subconscious as being "realistic." And the only way to sort out this murkiness is to talk to God. We must get to know his character through His word, His heart through His Son, and his desire for us through the Holy Spirit in prayer.
This has been a public service announcement from a hypocrite who can preach these points but struggles with living them out day to day. Or maybe I'm not a hypocrite because I can admit that I struggle with these myself. Either way, I hope that it has blessed you and clarified areas in your own life to improve upon and pray about in order to receive the miracles and blessings God is waiting to heap on you.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
Rhetorical Question #1 - Is There Sin In the Camp?
For many fundamentalists, this is the first thing they point out when someone has a hardship. Although I think many people are too quick to blame trouble on sin, there is definitely a reality to it. Joshua chapter 7 tells the story of a man who took gold, silver and a robe from the ruins of Jericho after God commanded all the spoils be brought into the Lord's treasury. The man's name was Achan. He buried these stolen goods under his tent. When Israel went to battle against the city of Ai, a small town they should have easily defeated, they got their butts handed to them. The men of Ai chased them away from the city gates and killed 36 of the Israelite soldiers.
Joshua cried out to God "What happened!?!?" God told him that someone had stolen from the Lord and broke his commandment. Achan confessed, they found the stolen goods, and stoned Achan and his entire family. They then went on to defeat Ai with the blessing and favor of God. While God doesn't do much stoning these days, there is a very real spiritual principle to observe here. Although Achan had hidden his sin from others, he didn't hide if from the all-seeing God. God would be condoning sin and disobedience if he gave His blessing and favor to a people who were willingly disobedient and sinful, therefore God could not bless Israel. Notice that Achan's sin not only affected himself and his family, but the entire nation of Israel. Our actions can have serious consequences for not only ourselves, but others as well.
The difference between then and now is the blood of Christ. Christ came to off forgiveness and mercy and to be justice for our sake. He didn't replace justice with mercy, he became justice so that we could have mercy. If there is hidden sin in your life, confess it and get rid of it. Turn and walk away from it. As long as you are willingly and knowingly being disobedient to God, He cannot and will not bless you.
Rhetorical Question #2 - Is What You Are Asking In God's Will?
Way to many Christians use this point as a crutch. "Oh, if it was God's will for me to be healed, I would be healed." They use this thought as an easy out, because let's face it, faith isn't always easy. It's much easier to believe in the obvious than to trust in an unseen God for a supernatural miracle. This is where reading God's word and seeking His heart come in. It is God's will that our bodies be made whole. It is God's will that we prosper and be in health. But if you are harboring sin, it is not God's will to bless you until you confess and repent of your sin. If God is ready to take you eternally home to be with Him, He may not remove the cancer that is accomplishing His will. (Side-note - That doesn't mean He won't give you the peace that passes all understanding in the face of death.) However, it is impossible to know God's will for you and your situation if you don't seek Him.
Often we look at delays as defeats. If God doesn't answer our prayer in a week, a month, or even a year, we don't think it is an answered prayer. I read a story a while back of a couple that was over $100,000 in debt and they prayed and prayed for a $100,000 miracle. God didn't answer there prayers by giving them the winning lotto numbers or having a generous stranger write them a check. The couple went through bankruptcy and struggled for several years. Way later in life, their daughter received a $100,000 scholarship, meaning they wouldn't have to pay for college. God answered their prayers, but He didn't do it on their terms. He had a bigger, better plan. God had His will in the matter.
If you ask God for $1 million, He may not give it to you all at once in a lump sum. If you ask God for $1 million to buy a dream house and the biggest SUV you can find, He probably won't give it to you because with great wealth comes great struggle relying on God instead of self. If you ask God for $1 million to accomplish a ministry goal or spread the gospel or feed the hungry, you are trying to carry out God's will, and he will give you exactly what you need to do that, whether it is a $1 million donation or a million people sending a dollar to the cause you are praying for.
Rhetorical Question #3 - Do You Believe?
Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Faith is what makes the invisible and intangible visible and tangible. There are Christians living on both sides of faith. Some believe that just because they believe, they can have anything. They believe that if they want to own the moon and believe hard enough for it, that they can. Then there are others who see the ridiculousness of this notion and couple it with their own doubting attitude and don't believe we can change ANYTHING with faith.
Both camps are wrong, and the truth lies somewhere in between. God makes it very clear in the Word that we can have whatever we ask for if we ask in His name (i.e., according to his desire for us) and believe for what we've asked. Without faith, we won't keep doing the things required to lay hold of that which we're asking for. If we don't believe the door will be opened, we won't keep knocking. If we don't believe we'll receive, we'll never ask, much less continue to ask.
There it is. We need to get rid of the sin in our life, ask according to God's will and desire for us, and finally believe that we'll receive in order to get the miracle that we're asking for. Laid out on paper, it sounds so simple, but like many things, putting it into action can often be difficult. Discovering secret sin is hard because so often, it's been there so long that we overlook it every time we inspect. A root of bitterness can be growing for years and it becomes so ingrained within us that we don't even notice that it is growing and crowding out what God wants to do in us. Sorting out our desires with God's will can often get pretty murky because many times, what we want lines up with the character of God because we are created in His image. But just because it lines up with God's character doesn't mean our motives are pure or that it is what God wants from us. A serious lack of faith in a loving, generous, giving God is often cleverly disguised by our subconscious as being "realistic." And the only way to sort out this murkiness is to talk to God. We must get to know his character through His word, His heart through His Son, and his desire for us through the Holy Spirit in prayer.
This has been a public service announcement from a hypocrite who can preach these points but struggles with living them out day to day. Or maybe I'm not a hypocrite because I can admit that I struggle with these myself. Either way, I hope that it has blessed you and clarified areas in your own life to improve upon and pray about in order to receive the miracles and blessings God is waiting to heap on you.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
First post of 2009
Well, it's been quite a while since I've posted anything new. I go through stages it seems with writing. I'll be on fire and write, write, write for a month or two, cool off for a month or two, fire back up again, and on and on the cycle goes. So, I'm actually planning on posting a couple of things today.
My last post was before Thanksgiving, and a lot has happened since then. We spent Thanksgiving moving my in-laws. My father-in-law found a good job in Seattle, so while he's working over there, they are renting out their house and my mother-in-law moved into our spare bedroom. I was more than willing to do whatever I could to help them out, but I thought it was going to be pretty tough having people living with us, but thankfully, it's actually been pretty great. We're enjoying having them there, and my dad-in-law has been off work since before Christmas and will be going back later this month, so it's awesome that he gets to be around.
Our son, Quinn, is doing amazing things. He decided he was done crawling and he didn't like falling much, so he's just full-on walking now. No stumbling, no hesitation, he just walks. It's awesome. He's truly the pride of my life. He's such a blessing and so wonderful. It's hard to believe that a year ago tomorrow he was just coming into our lives. So much has happened since then...so much has changed and we've been through so much. It doesn't look like we'll be reaching the end of our struggles any time soon, but my beautiful baby boy reminds me of God's promise and fulfillment, and it reminds me to keep holding on to His other promises for us and to wait for the fulfillment of those.
We got rid of our beloved Nissan Xterra and were blessed with an older Isuzu Trooper that is just amazing. It does great on gas, great on the road, awesome off road, and saves us a ton of money every month by not having a massive car payment! My buddies and I are going to lift it a little bit and build a custom front bumper, rock sliders and a roof rack with 3 8" Pro Comp off road lights and enough space to haul a ton of camping and off-roading gear. I'm pretty excited about that.
I've decided to start a new recording project later in the spring. I've had a season of winter musically for a while, and I think I'm breaking out of that and I feel some music stuff just about ready to break through the surface and break out. What that means, I don't know...I just feel a restlessness in my spirit and heart. I read a blog the other day from a great worship band (Leeland) about being on the road. As I was reading this blog about traveling through New Jersey looking at the snow, in my mind I could so vividly feel it. I could feel the vibration and bumps of the van as I was traveling down the road to the next venue; I could see the snow, feel the contrast of the cold window and the blasting heater. I often think that I'm destined to be traveling and leading worship, ministering, and playing music, and as I sit and stare at this computer screen at my job, I feel so unfulfilled and yet so hopeful.
It has snowed a ton here this year, and I had no shoes worthy of trudging in the snow and slush. So, I bought some steel-toed, waterproof hiking/work boots from WalMart the other day, and they are pretty much the coolest kicks in the cave. They are not my usual style of footwear, but it's kinda fun knowing I could kick a hole in a concrete wall and not hurt my toes.
I've been hooked on watching Lost. ABC has posted all 4 seasons online, and I have watched all 4 of them. Although it is a bizarre show at times, I really like it and I'm excited for the premier later this month.
Well, that's about it for my life update. Oh yeah...one more thing. We discovered that we're pregnant again! We are going to be having baby #2 in August. At first we were terrified and kinda heartbroken about it, simply because now is no time to be having babies. But, children are a blessing from God, and we'll just trust Him to provide and make a way, and we are really happy and excited now.
That's about it. I've got a teaching-type blog I'll post up later. I may even preach it one of these days. But in the mean time...
Oh, and one more thing I just remembered. What is it about the hills and mountains that make all the troubles of life fade and make God appear bigger and more real than ever? The wife and I loaded up our kid-o and our dogs and headed to the hills for a drive on Sunday. We drove up Van Deusen, past Willow Creek, past our usual camping spots and up to a pond that was frozen over and absolutely gorgeous. It was all so beautiful and gorgeous up there, and it just kinda melted all the worries from our minds and we just got to enjoy God's creation and each other's company. I don't know if it happens like this to everyone, but I felt so alive and happy being up there.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
My last post was before Thanksgiving, and a lot has happened since then. We spent Thanksgiving moving my in-laws. My father-in-law found a good job in Seattle, so while he's working over there, they are renting out their house and my mother-in-law moved into our spare bedroom. I was more than willing to do whatever I could to help them out, but I thought it was going to be pretty tough having people living with us, but thankfully, it's actually been pretty great. We're enjoying having them there, and my dad-in-law has been off work since before Christmas and will be going back later this month, so it's awesome that he gets to be around.
Our son, Quinn, is doing amazing things. He decided he was done crawling and he didn't like falling much, so he's just full-on walking now. No stumbling, no hesitation, he just walks. It's awesome. He's truly the pride of my life. He's such a blessing and so wonderful. It's hard to believe that a year ago tomorrow he was just coming into our lives. So much has happened since then...so much has changed and we've been through so much. It doesn't look like we'll be reaching the end of our struggles any time soon, but my beautiful baby boy reminds me of God's promise and fulfillment, and it reminds me to keep holding on to His other promises for us and to wait for the fulfillment of those.
We got rid of our beloved Nissan Xterra and were blessed with an older Isuzu Trooper that is just amazing. It does great on gas, great on the road, awesome off road, and saves us a ton of money every month by not having a massive car payment! My buddies and I are going to lift it a little bit and build a custom front bumper, rock sliders and a roof rack with 3 8" Pro Comp off road lights and enough space to haul a ton of camping and off-roading gear. I'm pretty excited about that.
I've decided to start a new recording project later in the spring. I've had a season of winter musically for a while, and I think I'm breaking out of that and I feel some music stuff just about ready to break through the surface and break out. What that means, I don't know...I just feel a restlessness in my spirit and heart. I read a blog the other day from a great worship band (Leeland) about being on the road. As I was reading this blog about traveling through New Jersey looking at the snow, in my mind I could so vividly feel it. I could feel the vibration and bumps of the van as I was traveling down the road to the next venue; I could see the snow, feel the contrast of the cold window and the blasting heater. I often think that I'm destined to be traveling and leading worship, ministering, and playing music, and as I sit and stare at this computer screen at my job, I feel so unfulfilled and yet so hopeful.
It has snowed a ton here this year, and I had no shoes worthy of trudging in the snow and slush. So, I bought some steel-toed, waterproof hiking/work boots from WalMart the other day, and they are pretty much the coolest kicks in the cave. They are not my usual style of footwear, but it's kinda fun knowing I could kick a hole in a concrete wall and not hurt my toes.
I've been hooked on watching Lost. ABC has posted all 4 seasons online, and I have watched all 4 of them. Although it is a bizarre show at times, I really like it and I'm excited for the premier later this month.
Well, that's about it for my life update. Oh yeah...one more thing. We discovered that we're pregnant again! We are going to be having baby #2 in August. At first we were terrified and kinda heartbroken about it, simply because now is no time to be having babies. But, children are a blessing from God, and we'll just trust Him to provide and make a way, and we are really happy and excited now.
That's about it. I've got a teaching-type blog I'll post up later. I may even preach it one of these days. But in the mean time...
Oh, and one more thing I just remembered. What is it about the hills and mountains that make all the troubles of life fade and make God appear bigger and more real than ever? The wife and I loaded up our kid-o and our dogs and headed to the hills for a drive on Sunday. We drove up Van Deusen, past Willow Creek, past our usual camping spots and up to a pond that was frozen over and absolutely gorgeous. It was all so beautiful and gorgeous up there, and it just kinda melted all the worries from our minds and we just got to enjoy God's creation and each other's company. I don't know if it happens like this to everyone, but I felt so alive and happy being up there.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
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