Life Lessons...

While I've only been on this planet a little less than a quarter-century, oxygen's been coursin' these vessels long enough for me to have learned a few things. So I decided that every once in a while I'll drop some wisdom gained through experience, with wildly varying degrees of usefulness. Here's a lesson I recently learned. When making a little chicken alfredo for dinner, and you've almost completed the meal having just combined the chicken, pasta, alfredo, veggies and the like, and you're just about to add some pesto and crushed red pepper... make sure that the cap is properly fastened on the crushed red pepper. I tried fishing out a good chunk of the pepper flakes, but at a certain point you just have to grin and bear it. Make no mistake, I appreciate spicy foods as much as the next white guy, but this was a bit much. Lesson learned.

New Series...

I've got a little idea for an ongoing blog series. One of my aims in life is to encourage and promote biblical manhood, which of course implies that at some point I've got to figure out what this looks life for myself. This is where we can draw upon examples and wisdom from those who have gone before us and those who are still rocking it strong. So my plan is to periodically highlight men of past and present who have shown me what it means to be a man. I'm not sure what to call the series, maybe you can help me out. Here are my ideas for the title of the series- The Old Spice Awards, The Manliest Men Who Ever Manned, Real Men of Genius, Portraits and Manscapes, Now You're A Man!, or Brothas Betta Than the Othas. So I probably won't use that last one. I covet your help though, so vote on one of those or submit your own groovy title! And who knows, you might just be one of the men I venerate in this here blog.

Pokering...

So it's late Friday night (Saturday morning) and I should be going to bed. The deterrent is that I'm mindlessly playing in a couple-thousand entrant free poker tourney online, and I'm sitting at about 10th. There's a chance I could actually take some money from this thing, albeit a small one. My plan is to play like an idiot so I can either dump off my chips or build a ridiculously big stack that will take me deep into the money. Either one's a win for me. By the way, I've now moved up to 2nd with ~650 people left. I figure while I'm wasting my life away, I might as well share a couple interesting links with you. Here's the first- http://theater.goodfight.org/. Seriously go check this site out. The interesting thing is that this guy (I think) is completely off his rocker, but a good portion of what he reports is probably true. Still this crystallizes why I want to go in to ministry. Some people make their gospel some type of morality or the evils of the 'secular' world. My goal is to follow in the footsteps of Paul and preach nothing but Christ crucified. I don't want my focus in life to be anything other than Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and the redemption therein.

Somewhat related to the first link (since that website essentially calls out U2 as devil worshipers) is this little guy- http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/music/interviews/2005/bono-0805.html. I don't think Bono's theology is right in all things, but it is encouraging to see him show some understanding of the grace of God and be outspoken about it. Along the same lines of well-known figures speakin on Jesus, here's another link- http://www.iamsecond.org/. There's some pretty cool stuff on there, check out Brian Welch's video. Well I'm gonna peace out, and by the way I am currently 12th out of 170. I might just fold my way into the money.

Satisfaction...

I don't know about y'all, but I think there is some truth to the idea that we most glorify God when we are most satisfied in Him and His provision. This is somewhat in relation to the last few posts, in that I have noticed that habitual sins are less of an issue when I find joy in God. When I'm content and enjoying God and what He's doing in my life through various means, holiness comes so much easier. I start to see holiness (following God's teachings) not as the burden we sinfully make it out to be but as the joy God intended it to be. But in our fallen states, we have to fight for this. So often everything inside me doesn't want to slow down and take time in prayer or to think through Scripture and let it affect me. Even harder is to not get discouraged if I don't see my devotional time having immediate impact (as I define it) on my life. I am impatient, and if I don't feel like something's working I start to give up. Over the long run though, time spent in God's Word works wonders, and the more it takes hold on me, the more joy I have in God, and the less I want to replace Him with various idols. None of this is brand new thinking, just something I've been noticing in my own life. Satisfaction in God is a great antidote to sin, and an effective way to cultivate that joy is to dwell on verses like this; "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14). At first this sounds like Christianese gibberish, and if that's the case with you then examine the words' meanings and references. It might bring you some joy.

While We Were Yet Sinners...

In follow-up to my previous post, I simply want to present one thought; 'but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us' (Romans 5:8). I have a sinful, illogical tendency to, in moments of shame, hide from God, and these moments portray misunderstanding of the gospel. I forget that God desires relationship with sinners, and in fact died for them. He did not die for the good, but for the wicked. He does not expect me to be perfect, but knows I fail. And it was in my shame that Christ went to the cross to die for me, it is in my sin that Jesus pursues relationship with me. Why do I think there is something I can do to make God want to disown me, when Jesus already died for the very purpose of making me His? And if I at times think that God wants nothing to do with me because of my shortcomings, does this not betray my belief that at times I am actually 'good' enough to earn the favor of the only true God? That's a little arrogant, no? God's love is a free gift, given to those who are unlovable. I too often try to earn God's favor, and when I find I can't and in reality deserve punishment, I hide. Because I sin I hide from Christ, who died so that He may bring sinners close. For some reason it is difficult, but it is key to remember that Jesus knew full well the magnitude of sin in us, and willingly paid the price to get us.

Hiding...

For any of you reading who follow Jesus, I would be interested to hear your response to this. When you do something stupid that you know is sinful, in that moment what is normally the last thing you want to do? I think for most people, the hardest thing to do after recognizing their own shortcomings is to come to God and ask for forgiveness. The classic example of course is Adam and Eve hiding in the garden immediately after they disobey God and chomp on the very fruit they were told not to snack on. Why do we tend to hide after sin? There are probably several reasons, but I think one of the biggest is that to be in relationship with God is to come face to face with the definition of holiness, and it is hard to be in open, vulnerable communication with holiness when still feeling the onerous shame of sin. It is simply humiliating. I believe this is also why it is so hard for so many to come to Jesus in the first place. To come to Christ is to recognize your own broken, sinful, pitiful state and to admit the need for help, transformation, and salvation. The irony is that in our state of weakness Jesus is the One we want to hide from the most, and yet is the only One who can ever take sin and shame from us. In fact, He already has on the cross, we just need to accept that and come crawling back to Him.

If You Are So Inclined...

I just wanted to encourage y'all to periodically scroll through the music player on the right side of the page and listen to the songs that are on there. Music brings me joy, and I would love to see what you think of my selections, whether impressions are favorable or not. I'll try to keep it somewhat regularly updated, you never know what might pop up on it.