Category: Uncategorized

All I Can Say Right Now

You know how some days are a little rough around the edges.  Perhaps things didn’t go as planned?  Maybe you’re running late to an appointment or someone else is running late to the meeting that you have with them?  Maybe your flight was delayed and the next flight out is going to make it nearly impossible for you to make your connecting flight.  Or perhaps you woke up and got dressed in the dark, grabbed two socks that you thought were the same color and when you get out in public, you realized you have a grey sock and a navy sock.  Ouch!!

 

Well, my day hasn’t been like that.  The last two days for that matter.  It’s been a little more like, 530+ emails were sent out with the wrong attachment, the 600+ calls are waiting on YOU to finish fixing the email debacle, and then you deal with an additional 530+ calls that are confused about the email that was sent out that was wrong.  OH, it gets better.  Within 4 days, the van starts sputtering, the dryer breaks, the microwave blows up, and the toilet bolts at the house broke in the master bathroom.  And that doesn’t even factor in school and parenting and other stuff. 

Needless to say, it hasn’t been the smoothest several days.  So all morning I was frustrated, snippy, and just really aggressive.  I didn’t lash out at anyone, just wasn’t in a good mood.  Then I get to my desk at work. 

 

I have quite a few verses that are post-it noted to the two computer monitors as reminders and so I can be memorizing them.  Here are some of the verses…  maybe you can find comfort in these too.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

 

“The LORD is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  Hebrews 13:6

 

“Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.”  Psalm 148:13

 

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by His own glory & goodness.”  2 Peter 1:3

 

And the one that really brought it all home for me…

 

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as LORD, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught; overflowing with thankfulness.”  Colossians 2:6-7

How can I be overflowing with thankfulness if I am complaining about having to buy a new dryer…THAT GOD ALREADY PROVIDED THE MONEY TO BUY!!!!  So things are crazy at work… Am I working as unto the LORD or as unto man?  Hmmm….

If I am getting all cranky about what is going wrong, there is very little chance that I will be able to focus on the good that God is doing.  And certainly no way to know if there is someone that God wants me to speak to when I have my head in the dirt like an ostrich. 

So here is what I propose to do about it.  STOP JABBERING!!!!!  Take a minute!  Thank God for the breath that you JUST took.  Then thank you as He gives you another … and another…  and another…

 

Yep. That’s the idea. 

Now!  Let’s join in with Heaven and “Praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.”  Psalm 148:13

 

 

 

 

 

To Those Who Are Called

So I was asked to lead a Ministry Training at Beechwood Baptist this morning.  I was teaching a new crew how to run and manage the sound system for church events.  I was honored by the request and I wanted to make it the best that I could.  I wanted to really empower the people that were attending the training to be able to do really well in this ministry.  To focus on God’s calling us into ministry and into Christian service.  Looking at 2 Timothy 1:8-, God points out His desires.

“So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, or of me His prisoner. Instead, share in suffering for the Gospel, relying on the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, with was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”  (HCSB)
I urged the volunteers to remember that they were not there for just a simple reason.  That God has peaked their interest.  Whether they just enjoyed music, maybe they were interested in running sound and were never given the chance, or even if they just wanted to be used by God and this was the first opportunity that they heard about.  Any way that you look at it, it was God’s doing.  Again, not according to our own works, but according to His own purpose and grace…  
So then, there was a freedom to enjoy.  A freedom to get to just play for a while.  To turn a bunch of knobs or move sliders just to see what would happen.  Does that mean that the sound might need a lot more adjustment in the morning?  Probably, but it is worth it to see people that were excited to be there before the training and as they got to play around and reset everything, and let them see how things work and how things can be changed just by the slightest adjustment.  
I saw smiles on faces just because of the opportunity that they were being given.  Sometimes it takes handing someone responsibility and trust before they see how freeing it is.  Pretty much all ministry is like that.  
As I mentioned before, I was and continue to be honored by helping behind the scenes at my church.  There is a beautiful freedom in ministry there.  I’m not sure if anyone there would read this, but if they do.  Thank you.  
MTP 

Keeping Secrets…

God seems to have a lot of secrets.  And rightfully so, I mean, He created it all, he knows how he put it all together and how it will end.  He knows the day and the hour that the Second Coming will happen.  He knows when Jesus will return in His white robe and sword dipped in blood.  God knows what will happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and the years to come.  Some things are not for us to know.  Even Jesus pointed to that.  “He that has ears…let him hear.”  The message wasn’t intended for everyone.  Not everyone will know the truth…  Or they will but the truth will not be revealed in their lives. 
So how does that work for those who are in relationship with Him?  Are we privy to more information?  Do we have access to a download of info?  Are we connected?  I believe we do experience more knowledge.  In fact, I think…Yes!  That is why we have verses like Ephesians 1:17 that state, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.”  We should rely on God’s sovereignty and grace through His revelation of the Truth that is the Word of God.  Also, as 2 Peter 1:3 points out, “[God’s] divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”  So unless God shows His grace on us, we will be less influenced and will be foreigners to the Gospel-truth.  There is no wisdom unless it is given from God.  He, alone, puts the desire in us to seek Him, to want to know Him, and to love and be loved by Him.  For “he has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end,” says Ecclesiastes 3:11.  We cannot even begin to understand the magnitude of God’s sovereignty.  Without salvation, an intentional decision to follow Christ’s example in submission to lay down your own life, die to yourself, and live to share the story of salvation that God grants to you…Life is nothing.  God knows all of the answers.  Omniscient means all-knowing.  That is exactly what God is…omniscient.  And if we cannot fathom anything more than the big picture of our own existence (and we are usually too stuck on ourselves too much even for that), then God WILL have secrets.  But for those things that God shows us and allows, graces us to know, they are for our good.  For our growth.  For His glory.  I think it can be summed up in the following verse:
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. – Deuteronomy 29:29
Until next time…
       MTP

What is all this talk about Morality?

There has been a lot of talk on the radio recently about a movement called the Gay Moral Revolution.  Something just doesn’t sound right.  I mean, my religious beliefs aside for just a moment, just the name of it is out of place.  Moral and Revolution.  Okay, so if moral is supposed to mean things like decent, honest, proper, just, right, good, and ethical.  And Revolution means revolt, mutiny, insurgence, riot, uprising, and rebellion, then how can these two terms exist together.  Oh, I’m going to go about creating mutiny in an ethical way.  Or, I’m going to rebel in a proper and just manner.  How dumb does that sound? 
I mean, here is the deal, really.  People of an alternative lifestyle are simply looking for recognition and equality for their indiscretion.  The life they lead is one that is opposed not only to nature, but to the way that God designed.  Were their people who were gay in biblical times?  Sure.  God was as mad about it then as I’m sure He is now. 
Here is one biblical approach.  God clearly states that we are not to live immoral lives.  But here is another slant on it.  God calls us to follow His commands.  And that we need to submit ourselves to the authorities over us.  When there comes a time that man asks you to do something that is outside of God’s commands, THEN you should follow God’s commands.  There is protection in that.  So where does that leave homosexuality? Because it is not in man’s law and certainly against God’s law.  Then that would leave it immoral and unethical.  Hmmm…  But that would be the opposite of a “Moral Revolution.” Right? 
Wait, I think there is more to it.  If you are revolting or causing an uprising then that doesn’t seem to fall within the guidelines of what moral means.  I don’t think that another term would fit the end goal of the Gay Rights Activists.  So far (and not in any particular order) there is the “Gay Pride” day.  Allowing gay couples to adopt children.  (i.e Melissa Ethridge or Sir Elton John).  Then moving states to make a moral and ethical decision whether or not to recognize the union of homosexual couples.  Now our children (those within the public school systems anyway) are now to be educated even as early as the age of 5 that homosexuality is the same as a traditional marriage.  That is not teaching equality.  That is called brainwashing.  That is teaching children that you should be okay and accept whatever you are told.  I DO NOT see that as teaching children, this nation’s future leaders, anything about critical thinking…nothing about dealing with opposition. 
So what about other cases of equality?  Like should a Caucasian and an African-American have the same opportunities and be considered equal?  I answer with a resounding YES!  In God’s eyes, the color of your skin does not matter as he looks at the condition of the heart.  Should women be considered equal with a man?  My answer?  No and Yes.  Let me explain…  Man was created for a certain purpose.  Woman was created for a purpose equally important and laborious.  Just not the same purpose.  Jesus actually taught a good deal that women were important and should be treated with reverence and kindness.  Women have a voice!!!  However, I think the “Women’s Lib” movement was absolutely stupid.  A complete perversion of what God has laid out as His desires in the Bible.  As I digress on this point, the difference between man and woman has less to do with anatomy than their role in society and God’s design.  So what does that mean when two men come together attempting to simulate a traditional marriage?  At least one, if not both, of them are not operating in the role that they were designed for.  The same is true of two women who desire to marry one another. 
So where does this leave us?  I don’t think there is one pin-pointed answer, but I think that this perversion, just as the women’s lib movement caused family to spend more which caused demand to increase.  To the point that now, to maintain a successful lifestyle (successful in the world view) it is almost imperative that both spouses work.  Women wanted to be considered equal in the workplace?  Now you’ve got it.  The natural desire to rule over man (as foretold in Genesis) has become complete in that now, a woman must work like a man. 
Let’s return to our roles.  I do not for one second believe that people are born into homosexuality.  God does not make mistakes.  Never has and He never will.  Turn away from the sin.  Men, take off your dresses.  Women, trade your pants for a dress…  And let’s live out the amazing promises of God. 
Until next time…
MTP

Making the Switch

My eyes have been officially opened.

 

I have now been a Droid owner for about one week.  I must say that it is a HUGE change from the iPhone 3G.  Actually, HUGE is not emphatic enough.  The iPhone was working just fine and actually still works just fine.  But after a while, I stopped receiving the updates for the phone.  The updates were applied to the iPhone 3GS and newer phones.  Slowly, the performance dwindled a little but still did fine.  And then it happened…

 

It came time to get my wife a new phone.  So I went to the store and started checking on some options for her.  Simple taste.  Nothing fancy.  Just a phone.  She previously had a Blackberry Bold 9000.  She loved it until it completely crashed.  So I was just going to go and get a replacement for her.  I did a little research online and there were some pretty good deals, so I went on to the store.

The next thing I know, I got Lovely a new Blackberry Curve 9300 and I walked out of there with a Motorola Atrix 4G.  Now, Lovely’s phone is quite nice.  I like it a lot.  But the Atrix 4G is a force to be reckoned with.  Dual Core processor, finger-print recognition technology doing away with passwords and PINs.  qHD screen produces an amazing display. 

I must confess that this is my first real interaction with a Droid phone.  I am still getting used to it because it is completely different than my iPhone.  But it is worth the time to get to know something new. 

If you are considering a new phone and you are nearly at the end of your contract, go with the Motorola Atrix 4G.  I have never seen anything like this.  I am one happy customer.  I just have to learn how to make the Droid jive with my MacBook Pro.  Ahhhh….I love the smell of technology in the morning.  (well, pretty much any time.)

People in High Places

I have been really thinking about God’s decision to send Jesus to the earth.  I mean, it’s not like He was surprised at what Jesus was going to have to go through.  All of the things that kids go through. All of the things that young men go through.  I have really been trying to process the whole “grafted  in” concept… That we as Gentile believers share in the faith are brought in (idea of adoption) to under the covering of Christ.
“For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might
become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make
atonement for the sins of the people.”  Hebrews 2:17
Well, I received the passage above yesterday on an email verse of the day thing.  So.  Jesus, stepped out of Heaven.  Was born and was “to be made like his brothers in every way.”  Why?  So he would face the same things that we face.  Hmmm… That was a crucial part of God’s design.  God didn’t keep Jesus from the world.  He immersed Jesus into it.  Jewish culture, traditions, King Herod killing the infants up through 2 years old, family on the run to Egypt, and finally to Nazareth.  His earthly father was Joseph, a carpenter or wood worker.  The wood crafts of those days were not like the ones that are made today.  This was solid wood…Extremely heavy wood.  When I imagine what Jesus looked like, I picture a medium build Jewish guy with quite a build on him.  He had to be in good shape if he withstood so many lashes with the Cat Of 9 Tails.  I’m not saying that Jesus looked like a mega-body builder, just a really strong guy with rough hands…lots of splinters, calluses, and scars. 
So he walked a lot and prayed more than that.  He was born to the world to serve it.  He lived a life free from sin.  He was invited into peoples’ homes (and invited himself into some also).  Just as the Passover lamb was brought into the house a few days before Passover. 
Now, the high priest was responsible for maintain the temple and keeping with the Law to the highest level.  His meals pretty much came from the Temple.  So he realistically wouldn’t have to leave a whole lot.  But Jesus came as a lowly servant (don’t forget the food trough he was laid in) and over time became not only the high priest who entered into the Holy of Holies, but the bearer of all of the sin of all of the world. 
There is a lot more symbolism that I would like to get into, but for now, just think about what it was like to be God that lived among humans.  Also, the opposite of that.  To be the brother of Jesus…  The blood brother.  What was that like?  Sure we are, as followers of Christ, adopted into the Kingdom of God and called sons and daughters of God.  But to be the actual blood brother of the Son of God.  To walk with him and know Him.  Amazing!
I want to know my Jesus like that.  Just as if we went to hang at the coffee house or whatever.
How about you?  What are your thoughts?  What questions do you have?  Comment away.
Until next time…
MTP
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Maybe Your Forgiveness…

I was driving the SS Vanterprise back from work yesterday and I was listening to a song on the old iPod shuffle.  It was a song that I have heard no less than 100 times (and that is NOwhere enough).  There was something that I noticed this time.  Some lyrics that were in the song all of the 100 times that I had heard it before, but for some reason, this time was the moment for them to pound my chest like King Kong.

“Maybe your Forgiveness is right where you Fell.”  Jon Foreman and the Switchfoot crew hit it on the head on this one.

I have always wondered just how close God was when I have fallen.  Or for that matter, when I still fall.  Does He turn His back on me in shame?  Does He hang His head and regret creating me?  Does He sigh?

I think maybe the last one of those, yes.  But it is just like the Prodigal Son.  I mean, the prodigal son wished his dad dead.  In those days, to receive your inheritance it meant that the father had to die.  So dude took off with his inheritance and blew it.  And after a while he decided…  You know, I am just as unclean as these pigs that I am cleaning up after (which was a HUGE disgrace in the Jewish culture) but if I returned to my father’s house and worked as a slave, I would have it better than this.  But watch what happens…

The Bible says nothing about him cleaning up before he got there.  Prodigal would have to go through ceremonial cleansing and sin/guilt offerings to be purified.  Regardless of that, the father ran out to meet his son.  (Another faux pas, it was not proper for to run…)  and then he embraced him, wrapped a cloak around him, and cranked up a party.

The son returned right to where he fell.  What a beautiful story.  The story of Jesus was not too much unlike the prodigal.  God sent Jesus to earth.  When he was born, the swaddling “cloths” he was wrapped in was known to be death shroud.  That is where he appeared and took on flesh.  He lived a blameless life physically apart from the Father.  But when the time came, Jesus took on OUR sin and became separated from God totally.  When “it was finished”, they took him down and wrapped him in (you guessed it) a death shroud…the same as he began.  And as he beat death by raising up on the third day, he was once again reunited with his Father…who welcomed him into the Holy of Holies…the very throne room of God…at his right hand.

Just know that God will break all the rules just to have you back.  But it starts with you.  It is your decision.  You can recognize your sin and distance from God.  Confess your sins to Him.  Ask Him for not only to forgive you, but to change your heart with the power of Jesus Christ.  Surrender your life to Him.  He will embrace you… And you know what?  There is a party going on in Heaven waiting just for you.

What Will Happen…

There have been a lot of deaths recently around me relationally as well as geographically.  Some have been expected, most have not.   Within the past 4 days, there have been two 19 year-old men who have passed away.  Both seemed untimely.  One death of one of the men was a result of a car accident who the family are members of the church I go to.  I did not know him, but I learned that he was a fantastic example of the love of Christ.  The family is resting in that, but of course they are grieved.  The other was a man who was involved in a swimming accident in the metropolitan area.  He was about to jump off of a rock into the water and he slipped and hit his head and passed away. 

 

Another death, even closer was that of Lovely’s grandfather.  While his death was expected (due to old age) his passing was sudden.  He knew more about the bible than I do yet he would never go to a church.  He was not the kindest of people, but he always took the time to talk to me. 

 

All of these men are missed.  So how can we comfort those who are hurting?  The best way is probably to remember our origins.  We were created from the dust of the ground for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God.  We who believe in the work of Christ on the cross and have a relationship with God, though we will return to dust, there is something greater that happens.  This comfort comes in the following verses:

 

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable,

it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness,

it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a

natural body, there is also a spiritual body. – 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (NIV)

 

Just know that those who have passed away but are followers of Christ, they have a response in their death.  Be comforted, God is with us.

 

Until next time…

 

mtp

 

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Father’s Day 2011

A day for Fathers all around to be recognized for being just that… a father.  You don’t really have to be a good father to get a card or some little trinket.  You may get a tie or a craft that the kids made out of popsicle sticks.  You may get a new TV or buy yourself some shoes.  But whatever you get, it is out of a thought that since you are a father and today is Father’s Day, then you get something.

 

I didn’t really want anything for Father’s Day.  It is one of those days for me that is bittersweet.  I am so in-love with the children I have here.  I also take a little time to grieve for the children that have passed away.  It is not like I make Father’s Day one big grumpy-fest or am all weepy.  I just take some time to remember, to thank God for the impact that all of my children have had on me and then I just enjoy the day.

 

Father’s Day 2011 was no different.  It was a little busy with church and kids and visiting with my in-laws and all.  (Well, then there was school…)  I spent a little bit of time outside with the oldest two kids walking around the garden and seeing what all was growing.  So far we have some tomatoes, green beans, a couple of stalks of corn and some turnip greens.  Oh, and basil.  We had more but the dogs thought it would be fun to dig it all up.  =(  But if they leave that much alone, then we should still be in good shape.  Working in the garden is really helping me with understanding more about the references in the Bible.  Between God’s curse on the ground so that Adam will have to work by the sweat of his brow and the parable of the Seeds on rocky/shallow/fertile soil.  It also seemed to help me process some of the grief with my kids that have passed away.  Seeing seeds buried in the ground and then a couple of weeks later, there are little sprouts coming up.  There is healing in seeing life.  God’s takes care of the birds of the air, manages to send enough rain to grow food for us, and sustain us.  Are we not closer to God than the birds?  Yes, we are.

 

So as far as Father’s Days go, I really feel that this was the best one yet. 

 

Corn Stalk - beginnings.JPG

 

Ah, corn…

Ah the Meds are Working

Okay, so I mentioned on Monday night that I went to the doctor and they shot me up with some steroids and other goodies to get me back on the mend.  Tuesday made the 2nd day in a row that I was off of work due to being sick (HIGHLY unlike me).  So here is the fun part…

The meds seem to be kicking in nearly full strength now.  The only draw back is that while I fought off chills, fever, and extreme nausea during the day, now at nearly 3 a.m. I feel like I could bench press a Volkswagen Beetle and run about 4 miles with a fridge on my back.

Wednesday (already today) will be my first day back in a couple of days.  It’s a pretty important day actually.  BIG client visit and will probably be a pivotal visit for the future.  I have GOT to be on my A-Game.  Just wondering how I’ll do that with only about 3 hours of sleep and still getting over the sickness that is draining me.

I suppose I’ll just have to tough it out a bit
and drink as much coffee as I can handle.  

Nothing like a caffeine high all day, right?

Well, until next time…

MTP