a chair with a view

new blogsite

2009-10-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Greg no longer posts on this blog. I would LOVE it if you would check out my NEWBLOG though!

http://molethoughts.wordpress.com/

Spaghetti crop

2009-04-01T07:54:00.001-07:00

modern day psalms

2009-02-20T07:25:00.001-08:00

Our lives are full of questions. Some are fun to think about, some are hard to spend any time thinking about at all. Life is real and anyone who genuinely desires to live it is going to have to face some of the hard questions of life if they ever want to be who God has created them to be.

The message last Sunday at KC Life Church was centered around the question “What if?”. Nothing more, nothing less, no pretext or predetermined course, just simply asking the question “what if?” about anything and/or everything in our lives. In the middle of the message I had members of our church community text me their “what if’s?”. I didn’t know what to expect, but I after the first few I knew what I was reading.

What if…

I lost my job?

We lost our home?

I stopped feeling God’s love?

Life wasn’t like a box of chocolates?

My father got saved?

What if I don’t have a “what if?”?

I had someone genuinely care about me?

My husband got a better job?

I was a better example?

Everyone gave freely to the body of Christ as they do with their favorite sports team?

My family were whole and could be what we were designed to be?

I’m not too scared?

I am not enough to make up for what was lost?

I never get married?

Everyone at the church had a job that blessed their lives?

All my children were in church?

I don’t find my way?

God loved us so much that He would die for us?

These are the beginning lines of modern day psalms. Many of the psalms from the Bible begin in a dark and anxious place. They are written out of questions and concerns, but always end up with God showing His faithfulness and pouring His love and mercy into our lives. Life is real, the questions we ask, the fears we face and the blessings that God puts in our lives should not be forgotten. So what is your What if? How does your Psalm begin? You may not know the ending yet, because it probably hasn’t been written, but that’s ok. You start it, let God finish it.

As an addition : In my message I casually mentioned the fact that we had fed 50 homeless people last week and raised the question “What if we could feed 500?”. Well, it only took God 4 days to answer that one. On Thursday of that same week we were presented with an opportunity to feed 500 homeless people…God is faithful.

Comments from Lee Strobel

2009-01-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

Below is a passage from an email update that I get from Lee Stobel's website every once in a while...I thought the following Q & A was VERY good...it's long, but it's definitely worth your time to read it.

Atheists Ask Lee

As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, Hemant Mehta, the “friendly atheist” who gained notoriety by selling his soul on e-bay, asked me if I would answer questions submitted by his atheist friends. I said I’d be glad to. The initial questions dealt heavily with me and my writing; others focus on interesting philosophical, scientific, and historical issues. Here are my answers to the first two inquiries that were submitted.

Question 1

What is your own background with atheism? What caused you to become a Christian? Is there a difference between your former atheism and the "New Atheism" of today? In other words, how hard-core of an atheist were you?

My commitment to atheism essentially came in three steps. The first was when I was in junior high school and began asking Christians uncomfortable questions, like, “How can there be a loving God with so much suffering in the world?” And, “How can Jesus be the only way to God?” Rather than engage with me, they basically told me to keep my questions to myself. I quickly concluded that the reason they didn't want to discuss these matters was because there were no good answers from the Christian perspective.

The second step came when I began studying neo-Darwinism in high school. I was particularly struck by Stanley Miller's 1959 experiment in which he recreated what he thought was the original atmosphere of the primitive Earth, shot electricity through it to simulate lightning, and discovered the creation of some amino acids, the building blocks of life. I naively concluded that Miller had proven that life could have emerged in a purely naturalistic way. To me, that meant God was out of a job!

I started considering myself an atheist in high school, but the third step that cemented my position came when I took a college course on the historical Jesus. The professor, who relied in 19 th century German paradigms, convinced me that there was essentially nothing in the New Testament that could be trusted.

Along the way, I read a lot of atheistic literature, which served to deepen my commitment to spiritual skepticism and give me a more systematic basis for my atheistic convictions. I was especially captivated by Bertrand Russell's book Why I am Not a Christian and Antony Flew's The Presumption of Atheism. And I was quite sympathetic to many of the church/state issues raised by atheists.

However, in the interest of total disclosure, let me add that my problems with faith were not solely intellectual. I had a vested interest in the non-existence of God because I was living a rather immoral lifestyle and did not want to be held accountable for my behavior. To me, atheism opened up a world of hedonism that I knew wouldn't be acceptable to God if he existed.

(Let me be clear: I'm not saying that all atheists are hedonists. I'm just saying that, for me, atheism cleared the way for me to live a self-indulgent, me-first, narcissistic life. And to be honest, to this day I can't figure out why atheists would choose any other path, although I know many do.)

Was I “hard-core”? I'm not sure how to define that. I was recently contacted by a woman who had been an acquaintance of mine in high school. She said she was “the good Catholic girl” and reminded me how I used to taunt and belittle her because of her faith. So I guess I was more aggressive at a young age than I remember!

At the same time, though, I didn't have the kind of scorched-earth militancy I see in some of the “New Atheists” you referenced. While a lot of the issues they raise are the same ones that vexed me, I was not on a mission to wipe all faith from the face of the planet. I was happy to peacefully coexist with Christians and people from other belief systems.

How did I become a Christian? My wife's conversion to Christianity (which deeply troubled me at first) resulted in a lot of positive changes in her attitudes and behavior, which I found winsome and intriguing. She invited me to a church, where I heard the Gospel explained in a way I could understand it. While I didn't believe it, I realized that if it were true, it would have big implications for my life. So I decided to use my journalism experience and legal expertise (at the time, I was legal editor of The Chicago Tribune ) to investigate whether there was any credibility to Christianity or any other faith system.

For nearly two years, I investigated science, philosophy, and history. I read literature (both pro and con), quizzed experts, and studied archaeology. On November 8, 1981, alone in my room, I took a yellow legal pad and began summarizing the evidence I had encountered. In light of the scientific evidence that points toward a Creator and the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, I came to the conclusion that it would have required more faith for me to maintain my atheism than to become a Christian.

Essentially, I realized that to stay an atheist, I would have to believe that nothing produces everything; non-life produces life; randomness produces fine-tuning; chaos produces information; unconsciousness produces consciousness; and non-reason produces reason. Those leaps of faith were simply too big for me to take, especially in light of the affirmative case for God's existence and Jesus' resurrection (and, hence, his divinity). In other words, in my assessment the Christian worldview accounted for the totality of the evidence much better than the atheistic worldview.

Years later, I wrote three books that retraced and expanded upon my original journey. The Case for Faith examines the eight big objections to Christianity that bothered me all the way back to my junior high years. The Case for a Creator looks at the affirmative evidence for the existence of God from cosmology, physics, and other fields of science. And The Case for Christ recaps the historical evidence for Jesus, including his resurrection, through which he validated his claim of divinity. Those books, nearly a thousand pages in length, summarize the basis for my conclusions.

Having said all of this, I do believe strongly that despite our fundamental disagreements, it should be possible for atheists and theists to engage in constructive discussions instead of resorting to name-calling or the imputation of bad motives. While I now believe atheists are wrong in their conclusions, I'm confident that they still matter to God and therefore deserve respect. As a former spiritual skeptic myself, I can appreciate their viewpoint and I try to give due weight to their objections and arguments. I truly appreciate it when they are willing to engage in the same way.

Question 2

You've essentially said before that you interviewed only Christian scholars/apologists in your books because you were asking questions in the shoes of a skeptic and you wanted to know the Christian explanation to certain questions. Weren't there many questions you may not have thought of that other skeptics could have asked? In other words, wouldn't it have been a wise move to take the Christian responses back to secular scholars who could've proposed counter-arguments you did not think of? Would it be problematic to your reading audience if your books had more diverse dialogue (multiple viewpoints)?

Thanks for your question and the opportunity to explain the methodology of The Case for Christ. As the subtitle indicates (“A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus”), this book is about my own spiritual journey. As I explained in the introduction, this book was my effort to retrace and expand upon my original investigation in print form. As I explained earlier, this original investigation included extensive research of all sides of these issues. For the book, I decided to ask Christian experts the questions that had stood between me and God, and I left it to the reader to decide whether their answers were reasonable and compelling.

When a scholar offered an answer to one of my questions, many times I would come back at him with my own further objections. Often, these follow-up questions were informed by my reading of skeptics through the years. Indeed, I had studied the writings of enough atheists and liberal scholars during my original investigation to know what they would most likely say in response to the scholar. If the skeptics had a good point, I would try to raise it; if I thought their responses to this particular issue were weak, or that the answer was pretty obvious, or that this exchange would take me into a side issue, I didn’t. Did I cover every possible objection? No, I didn’t, and I couldn’t. Naturally, there are good questions that didn’t get addressed. But keep in mind that The Case for Christ is merely an introductory work on this topic; each line of questioning could have gone on and on. Each chapter easily could be an entire book in itself. As it is, I was pushing the limits of a popular-level work; the mass market edition is about 400 pages in length.

I didn’t want to get into an endless loop of expert versus expert. After all, you can find a Ph.D. to say virtually anything. That’s why I didn’t just ask these scholars for their opinions; instead, I pressed them on why they believe what they believe. I challenged them to present facts and explanations that could be evaluated by the reader. As I said in the book’s conclusion:

…maybe questions still linger for you. Perhaps I didn’t address the objection that’s uppermost in your mind. Fair enough. However, I trust that the amount of information reported in these pages will at least have convinced you that it’s reasonable – in fact, imperative – to continue your investigation.

I went on to encourage readers to thoroughly and systematically pursue answers to whatever spiritual sticking point they have – in fact, to make this a front-burner issue in their life.

Of course, I could have used a different approach to the book. For instance, I could have used a debate format that would have featured multiple viewpoints, going back and forth between opposing experts. However, there already were (and today are more) books like this. For example, Christian scholar Gary Habermas and then-atheist Antony Flew published their 1985 debate on the resurrection (an encounter, by the way, that four of five judges from a wide spectrum of views and persuasions said Habermas won, with the remaining judge calling it a draw) and Christian J. P. Moreland and atheist Kai Nielsen published their debate on the existence of God in 1993.

I encourage Christians and skeptics to read or attend debates like these.
Christian scholar William Lane Craig has several transcripts of his debates with prominent atheists on his web site, www.reasonablefaith.org. My television show Faith Under Fire was based on a debate format, where I invited such atheists as Richard Carrier, Michael Shermer, Tim Callahan and Edward Tabash to debate such Christian apologists as Craig, Habermas and Moreland. We've even produced a curriculum using tapes of these debates, so that small groups of skeptics and Christians can sit down together, hear both sides of these issues, and have a healthy interaction in which they can offer their own perspectives and opinions. Clearly, I don't think Christians have anything to fear in the marketplace of ideas.

However, I wanted my book to deal with the pursuit of my own questions and concerns, believing that they reflect the basic issues most people have. In the end, I think I did cover the topics fairly well, considering how generally weak the critiques of the book have been.

By the way, I did interview a noted skeptic for my book The Case for Faith. I extensively quoted Canada’s most famous agnostic, Charles Templeton, author of Farewell to God, about why he abandoned his Christian faith and became a critic of Christianity. (As I described, Templeton broke into tears when he told me how much he missed Jesus. I still get chills when I listen to the recording of that exchange.)

Templeton ended up raising the very same objections to Christianity that originally took me down the path toward atheism. However, in the remainder of the book I confronted Christian scholars with these issues and in my view they offered rational and compelling answers. Again, I left it to each reader to come to his or her own conclusions. Obviously, each person is free to make up his or her own mind. Seems to me that’s fair.

It's a ...

2008-12-25T05:30:00.000-08:00

Well, for those of you who have waited to find out if Hailey is having a little brother or little sitter...

Her sibling that will be arriving in April is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

GIRL!

10 days

2008-12-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

Last week we found out if Hailey (our daughter) is going to have a baby brother or baby sister. We're not sharing the news with anyone just yet though. I'll be putting a video up on this blog on Christmas morning revealing what the sex of our unborn baby is...

dun, dun, duuuuunnnnn....

The Journey of the Magi

2008-12-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

This Sunday we're going to explore the journey that the Magi took to come and see Jesus.

It was a physical journey.
It was an emotional journey.
It was a spiritual journey.

I think T.S. Eliot penned it very well in his poem "The Journey of the Magi"...

"A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The was deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter."
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires gong out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty, and charging high prices.:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we lead all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I have seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

Too funny!

2008-12-04T06:57:00.001-08:00

I know Mother's day is about a half a year away, but this is too funny to not share...

The Mom Song from Northland Video on Vimeo.

Best Costumes EVAR!

2008-11-24T13:47:00.001-08:00

The Rev. JImmie Bratcher

2008-11-12T09:38:00.001-08:00

Jimmie (The Rev) will be here at KC Life this Sunday morning at 10:30 to show us what the "blues" are all about.

You won't want to miss it.

Live together : Die alone

2008-11-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

That's what Jack said in season 1 of LOST.

That's what we see in war.

That's what we see in the scriptures as well.

Almost everyone knows the story about David and Goliath. Yeah, the flying rock and the be-heading...it's a cool story.

But did you know there was a giant that David couldn't kill? In fact, if he had been in battle alone, the scriptures lead us to believe that he would have been killed. It would seem a little odd for the "giant killer" to get killed by a giant. (2 Sam 21)

The men at KC Life church get together about once a month to hang out, watch football and play some games. This Sunday we're going to talk about what it truly means to be strong. Then we're going to have a little competition to see which two guys can work together the best as a team...

If you're a lady, sorry...you're not invited.
If you're a guy, you won't want to miss it.

hint below...
peace,
glo

A New Emmaus

2008-10-28T14:34:00.001-07:00

We all have an Emmaus in our lives.

Emmaus was a place of short-lived military victory for the Jewish people of Jesus' day. Judas Maccabee won a battle there in 166 B.C. So when Jesus' joined two men who were walking on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus (Lk. 24:13-32) He knew what thoughts went through their minds as they approach their destination.

Thoughts of past victories made irrelevant by new failures.
Thoughts of oppression. (The Romans controlled it now)
Thoughts of still awaiting a redemption from a past that can't help but repeat itself.

They were walking back to the place where they once had victory as a people, but now were oppressed again by an outside military force. The scriptures tell us that they were sad. Sad about the crucifixion, sad about an empty tomb (they probably thought Jesus body had been stolen since the testimony of women wasn't trusted or worth anything in those days), they were sad about returning to the lives they had been living.

But Jesus changed all that.

They did go back to Emmaus. And He walked with them.
But it was more than just a gesture when Jesus was going to "keep walking" after they had stopped. It was symbolic of something much bigger.

Jesus was going back to the place of pain and failure with them.
But He wasn't going to leave them there.

When they broke bread they recognized Him for who He really is.

Now everything was different.

Now they understood the kingdom that He brought with his death and resurrection.
Not one of military might.

But a kingdom that is eternal.
A kingdom that overcomes our past failures and shame.

A new Emmaus.
It didn't matter any longer that the Romans were still in control of Emmaus.
They had a new King.
His kingdom was not of this world.

His
Kingdom
is
our
Kingdom.

We're going to talk about a new Emmaus this Sunday.
You
should
join
us.

peace,
glo

Pretty much sums it up...

2008-10-16T08:33:00.001-07:00

It's funny how much people will put on the act and want to look religious and at the same time stand on their soap boxes and shout about being "real" and "genuine". It's also funny how most of the time, those same people are the first ones to exit when things really do get real and genuine...

I've seen it happen more times that I would like to admit, and most of the time it's about one thing...Money. This video sums it up pretty good...and it's funny too!

Enjoy!

An ideal church.

2008-10-07T12:38:00.001-07:00

What does that mean in the 21st century. We're 2100 years removed from the Christianity of the first century. Jesus said that He was going to build His "church".

James Strong defined the original word of ekklesia as "a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both"

For the first few hundred years most "churches" met in homes, caves and in hiding...not because homes and caves are more "spiritual" than other places, but simply because if they made their meetings public they would most likely be killed. Today, in America, we don't have to deal with that type of persecution, we actually have buildings where the church meets now, and we have signs to tell people where those buildings are. But buildings are not the church, homes are not the church, caves are not the church. People gathered together with a common vision and purpose.

With that thought, I was thinking it would probably make sense to put into words what our ideal of a healthy church is. We share a common vision with our parent church in Chillicothe in regards to this...so, without further adieu...

Fruit-i-rific!!!

2008-09-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

We all know them, the fruit loops. A good pastor once said that we've got too many "cereal bowl Christians" walking around our churches...they just stepped out of the bowl and the only question that remains is if their a fruit, a nut, or just a flake.

Jesus talked quite a few times about fruit trees and compared us to them. One of the first things that God ever said to humanity was "be fruitful". In ingrained in us as part of our existence. We all produce fruit, the only question is what kind.

Are you encouraging, helpful, trustworthy, and genuine?

Or is the fruit more along the lines of...unreliable, gossip, complaining, negative and fake?

Good fruit is real, it's genuine and it only comes through time, hard work and consistency. But if we aren't careful we'll get tired of waiting and decide we just want "microwave" or artificial fruit...in other words...froot loops.

The fruit is a result of the root. If you aren't happy with the fruit you see in your own life don't blame the fruit, look at yourself and see where those roots are coming from. The roots are the source, it's hard work digging up roots and planting new ones. It takes time, sweat and hard work. But it's all worth it in the end.

Don't be froot loop.

peace,
glo

Robbed!?!?

2008-09-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

So I walked in my house last night after work to find our back door kicked in...we'd been robbed! Thank God no-one was home and our dog was safe and sound. They got away with all of our electronics and Jen's jewelry.

It's a strange feeling getting robbed...the word that best fits is "violated". These people came into my house and were in every room, even my daughters...they took over $5k worth of stuff. But after the initial rush of adrenaline and anger I really didn't feel anything but pity. I started to think about what really happened.

All they got was stuff. Just stuff. The only thing that had any value to us that they stole was the video-camera and that's only because it had video's of our daughter on it that we hadn't backed up yet. Stuff is just that...stuff. It's not eternal and it can easily be replaced.

A good pastor once said that the human race is horrible at being human. We truly are. I'm far from perfect, but I had an overwhelming sense of how lost someone must be to go to these extremes to acquire "stuff" or to get money for the stuff they steal. Life isn't about stuff.

We were robbed of stuff, but my family is fine. We all went to sleep at night and woke up healthy this morning. We have more than we could ever ask for. You can't steal happiness. You can't steal love. You can't steal joy. You can't steal real friends. These are some of the things that are of real value in this world.

It's good to remember that from time to time.

peace,
glo

Heck, we got home insurance to cover all the "stuff" anyway...right? ;)

The perfect season, almost.

2008-09-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

There we are, the KC Life softball team. (minus a couple key players that couldn't make the game)
front row from left to right...
Shalae, Jay, Joanna, Jen, Tiffany
back row left to right...
Nathan, Roy, Marcus, Caleb, John, Greg and Brian.
(Not pictured : Tara, Ralph)

Everyone played their hearts out last night and all the records fell.
No wins? Gone.
Can't score more than 8? We scored 16!

It was a back and forth game, with four lead changes. But in the end, we ended up getting our first win in our last game of the season. The final score was 16 to 11. We yelled and screamed so loud when the ump said the game was over that you would have thought we won the World Series...

It was a great season and we definitely had more fun than any other team in the league. Everyone played awesome and now we've got momentum on our side for the start of next season! ;)

We definitely went out with a bang!
Season over...our record : 1-9 (almost the perfect season)

peace,
glo

It's just a flesh wound

2008-08-28T08:49:00.001-07:00

Have you ever had one of those experiences in which you're having a conversation with someone and you see yourself, five years ago, in them. That happened to me the other night...and I must admit, it freaked me out a little bit.

You see, I used to be part of a big church, the biggest in the city I lived in actually. It was the "it" church, and in many ways it still is. The pastor was and is an awesome man of God and is absolutely one of the best Bible teachers I've ever heard. By all accounts, it was and still is an awesome church. The problem I had was that I was supremely arrogant about how good my church was and even though it's difficult to admit...I secretly looked down upon other churches and pastors that were "less significant" or "smaller". That attitude was a cancer in my heart that took God about 9 months to remove. This attitude was not the pastor's fault, I want that to be clear...and if he would have known I had that attitude he would have corrected me for it, and rightly so.

Never the less, I had a run-in with that cancer again the other night. I was having dinner with a person from a newer "it" church in the city I live in now. Again, the church that this person attends is a great church that is doing awesome things for the kingdom of God, and from what I know...the senior pastor is an amazing man of God. But again, the prevailing attitude coming out of this church member was that of condescending toward "other" churches and pastors. I was given plenty of advice about books I should read and sermons I should listen to and "tips" about what the Spirit of God was doing. Now don't get me wrong, I'm always up for some good advice, but as a pastor...I'm probably going to take it from other pastors who have been doing this thing longer than I have as opposed to a church member who is on a "my church is the greatest" trip.

I was so taken back, not at the attitude itself, but at the realization that I looked and sounded like that just a few shorts years ago, that I didn't even try to correct the attitude or bring my perspective into the discussion. I should have offered it, and hopefully next time I will, but the shock was a little more than I could bear. I think my heart might have broke just a little bit...

I say all this because I believe that unity in the body of Christ is HUGE in God's heart right now. As long as we continue to look down at "others" who aren't part of our "denomination" or who aren't part of a church at all...we'll always be just like the "Black Knight". We'll walk around with our arms cut off telling everyone how much better we are than them and ignoring the fact that our pride is the very thing that took our arms in the first place. We're called to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. That's a difficult thing to do when you don't have any arms or legs.

If you're reading this and you've ever experienced a condescending attitude from a Christian...please let me apologize to you for them. They didn't know. I know this because I didn't know it when I had that attitude, and the young man I encountered the other night was completely clueless as well. God is not condescending and He has nothing but love and grace for you. Heck, He loved me when I was a condescending jerk, if He can love me through that He can definitely love you to.

After all...It's just a flesh wound.

peace,
glo

Drive in theater

2008-08-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

I only remember going to the drive-in movies one time when I was a kid. It was to see one of the Star Trek movies...I think it was the one where Spock dies...maybe. Anyway, all I remember is thinking about how awesome it was that we were watching a movie while sitting in our car.
We're going to try to recreate that magic this Friday night at KC Life! We'll be watching "The Ultimate Gift" and will get started as soon as it gets dark enough. We going to hang a sheet off the side of the building a project the movie up there so everyone can sit in their cars or on the grass and have a great time!

Do you have any cool memories of drive-in's? Leave a comment about it...

peace,
glo

Olympic Pride.

2008-08-11T06:50:00.001-07:00

I must admit, the last time I cared about the Olympics I was 7 years old.
I don't know why, I just haven't been able to "get into "them since...except for this year. Jen and I spent more time watching TV this weekend than I think we have in the entire time we've been married. We were glued to the Olympic events, rooting for all the American athletes. It's just begun, but it's going to be difficult to top last nights come from behind win against the french.

I've never watched this much swimming...ever. But it's good. It's always good to beat the french. But I shouldn't be so hard on them, let's not forget that the French have always been there for us when they need us.

Go America!!!

peace,
glo

even more PowerLab pics!

2008-08-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics from Wednesday and Thursday night!!!

Powerlab Pics From Tuesday

2008-08-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here's some more pics!

Powerlab pics from Monday

2008-08-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here's some "action shots" from our first night of VBS!

PowerLab

2008-08-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

It's Vacation Bible School week at KC Life! We are expecting a ton of kids to come and invade our church all week long from 6pm-8:30pm.

My wife and a whole team of awesome people worked really hard to get everything set up yesterday! It's going to be an awesome week.

I'll try to post more pictures later in the week.

peace,
glo

Score more runs...still don't win

2008-07-28T08:26:00.001-07:00

That's what happened to us last night. Here's how it went down. The night started off on a funny note in the first place. We only had 4 girls show up so we were only able to field 8 people (instead of 9), which means we got to play the entire game without a second basemen. But that didn't stop us! We rocked the house all night long! Caleb hit the first home run of our young season and Shalae had an amazing catch in the LF in which she ended up flipping over backwards and hitting her head pretty hard...But she still held onto the ball, and she didn't cry!

We were playing great, and at the end of the sixth inning and we're only down 7-6. We're the visiting team so we are up to bat in the top of the 7th. Everybody did awesome and we ended up scoring two runs to take an 8-7 lead! They finally got the third out against us when we heard the ump say "Times up, game over!". At first we all yelled with glee at our first victory...then the ump kept talking. "No, you're not going to like this", that's all she had to say to remind me of a "revert rule" that I had read in the league rulebook at the beginning of the season. Because the home team didn't have an opportunity to bat before time ran out the score reverts back to what it was for the last full inning of play...the sixth inning...when we were down by one run.

So in the words of Wesley Snipes, talking to Woody Harrelson in "White men can't jump"... "Sometimes when you win you lose and sometimes when you lose you win."
We lost last night...but it was the greatest win of our season so far!

Just because the scoreboard says you lost doesn't mean you didn't take something away from the experience.

peace,
glo

Answer God's prayer?

2008-07-17T12:32:00.001-07:00

You don't have to hang around Christians for too long before you hear something about God answering prayer or someone wanting an answer for something they've been praying about...and this is a good thing. God likes it when His kids talk to him, just like a natural parent enjoys the relationship they have with their children.

But have you ever realized God prays for you? That you could actually be an answer to one of God's prayers?

In John 17 we see a glimpse of the heart of Christ as He prays for us. Yes, God is praying for us. What did He pray, well read it for yourself, but the just of it is that we "would be one". That we would walk in unity with each other as believers.

Jesus only gave one commandment, to love. To love God and to love others.

So how do you answer God's prayer?

love.

That's what we're going to talk about this Sunday...how do we genuinely love?

love is "the holy grail".

peace,
glo

perfection?

2008-07-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit that I am a perfectionist, but I am. I hide it really well, but when things aren't perfect...it bugs me... a lot. Like last night in our weekly softball game. I went 3-4 with 3 RBI's which is pretty good, but the one time I didn't get a hit the bases were loaded and I made the last out. Two unacceptable deeds in one at bat! 1. Don't leave the bases loaded. 2. Don't make the last out. I did both! ARGH! It was a far cry from Mr. Henning's wrestling character.Passages like Romans 3:23 - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," used to be very difficult for me to accept. Until I understood the context. The message of that passage isn't that we are all doomed. It's that we're all in the same condition and need the grace of Jesus Christ, which is readily available to us.

If we're not careful though we'll spend our lives focusing on the one or two negative things that have happened recently in our lives and forget about all the good things that God is blessing us with. If, no, when you mess up...don't dwell on it. If you did something wrong then ask God for forgiveness, ask others if they are involved and then look forward and thank God for all the good things in your life.

If we wanted to, we could all focus on the negative things that happen to us. But there is so much good, don't let the bad things in your life take the focus away from the opportunities you have to enjoy life and be a blessing to others.

Don't worry about the one at bat when you didn't get a hit, just have fun playing the game!

peace,
glo

Maturing to Childhood

2008-07-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

“Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of God.” ~Jesus

Jesus never talked about spiritual "adults". He communicated that the pinnacle of our belief should be to mature into a childlike faith and live it out. This has some serious implications for those who want to be religious. Religion likes to "get someone saved" and then put a bunch of religious adults clothes (laws and rules) on them even though they don't fit.
I had always thought Jesus was talking about going backward to childhood, but He isn't at all. The phrasing that He used in the original language is very obvious that He is talking about a forward progression, not a "going back".

There is no such thing as a spiritual adult...outside of religion. There are only three classifications of spiritual existence in the New Testament that Jesus talks about, we're either spiritually dead, an infant or experiencing a fully mature child-like faith.

I don't have a problem with my 6 month old daughter being an infant. That's what she is supposed to be. Why do we get so uptight when we make mistakes in the "body of Christ"? Because we don't know what our true identity is. We're supposed to be like children. Does that mean simple? No, I believe that Jesus words are more accurately interpreted to mean that we should always be growing and maturing, never thinking we've "arrived".

Be like a child. Don't ever stop growing.

peace,
glo

john brown hind parts

2008-06-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

I think that's where I pulled a muscle playing softball last night. It's a very strange place to pull a muscle and to be quite honest, it's extremely uncomfortable.

The game was still a lot of fun though. We didn't win, but it was a good time hanging with everyone anyway.

Yesterday we talked about what it means to be a "good and faithful servant" in the kingdom of God. It's not exactly what you would think. It has a whole lot more to do with what you're doing with your life and what risks your willing to take than you would think.

The risk of loving others and maybe not being loved in return.
The risk of trying something and failing.
The risk of going out on a limb and the limb breaking. (metaphorically)

But none of those risks are as dangerous as the risk of digging a hole and hiding it for the rest of your life.

What risks are you taking to love God and love others?

peace,
glo

a good Friday

2008-06-27T08:36:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting on my red carpet (not that kind)

in my living room, hanging with my daughter (Hailey Gwynn)
listening to Miles Davis...
on www.pandora.com and studying about Heraclitus...it's a good day.

I think too often I don't take time to just enjoy life for what it is. I was recently talking with a friend about how if we're not careful, we'll always find something to worry or complain about.

Whatever you're doing.
Whatever you're experiencing.
Wherever you're at.

Don't let it take the joy out of your life. There will be hard times, there will be difficulties in this life, but you don't have to let them dictate your life. You live in the greatest nation to ever exist.

Enjoy the now.

peace,
glo

commandments vs. promises

2008-06-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

Promises always win.

What do you think of when you think of the ten commandments from the Bible? If you're anything like me you instantly get mental images like this...
I think this is very unfortunate. I realized a few years back that the ten commandments are really better understood if they are seen as ten promises from God. When He "commands" us to not forsake Him, what He's really trying to communicate is a promise from His heart to us that He will never forsake us. It's the same with all the other commandments as well.

It's the same with the "great commandment" in the gospels. Jesus said to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. That's because it's exactly how God loves us, with everything He has. If we genuinely understand His love for us then if frees us to love Him in the way He wants us to...from a liberated heart. Don't love God because He told you to. Love God when you figure out how much He first loved you...only then will it really be the love that He is talking about.

Forced love isn't love at all. It's dictatorship.

God loves you. Not because He has to, but because He wants to.
If we truly get ahold of that we can't help but love Him in return.

Promises always beat commandments.

peace,
glo

Are Hybrids really worth it?

2008-06-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

This is an article a friend sent me, it was written by "frugalTrader"
The article in it's entirety can be read here.
It's quite an eye-opener.

With record high gas prices due to the price of oil, I’m sure that most car owners out there have major concerns over their gas usage. Over the past 10 years, the cost of gasoline has grown 250%!

This got me thinking, with the newer “gas friendly” hybrid cars/SUV’s out there now, do the premiums attached to their price tags justify to extra mileage that you get? I did a little digging around the various car manufacturer websites to see the pricing of hybrids vs their gasoline versions and whether or not the gas savings added up.

From my research, this is the information that I dug up. Below is a table comparing some popular hybrids with their gasoline counterparts. The table calculates how long it would take the gas savings of a hybrid to pay for the difference in purchase price from their gasoline sibling.

Some notes about the data:

The costs are the purchase price after taxes/levies/fees and with the ecoRebate applied if applicable.
The comparison does not account for the extra maintenance cost (or depreciation) of the hybrids.
Assumes the gasoline price of $1.30/L or around $4.91/gallon.
The comparison is based on financial differences only and does not evaluate the “green” benefits.

Hybrid vs. Gasoline Vehicle Comparison

Car	Cost	yrs to payback
Civic LX	$25,170	–
Civic Hybrid	$29,200	6.33

Corolla LE	$24,665	–
Prius	$32,866	13.14

Ford Escape (fwd)	$30,226	–
Escape Hybrid	$35,119	6.72

Camry LE	$30798	–
Camry Hybrid	$36191	9.65

It seems that the best “value” out of the bunch is the Honda Civic Hybrid which would take over 6 years for the gas savings to make up for the difference in cost. Even though the Prius claims the best fuel mileage, it’s the worst value of the bunch. The Prius would take over 13 years to pay for it’s premium, that’s 13 years too long for me. With all the extra electronics involved with a Hybrid, it’s also bound to have extra maintenance costs also, which is not accounted for.

Out of the vehicles compared, the price premium attached to the hybrid vehicles are just too great to be considered a cost savings relative to purchasing their gasoline counterpart.

lost thoughts

2008-06-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

It happens to me more often than I'd like to admit. I'll be reading a book and will have read three pages but not comprehended any of it because my mind went somewhere else. Or I'll have the radio on in the car and not notice that a horrible song has been playing for the last 2 minutes because my mind was somewhere else.

Well, this happened on Thursday of last week and it actually ended up being a cool thing. I was driving home from work with the radio on when I realized the song that was playing was not the style of music that I would typically be listening to, but I realized it right as the chorus of the song was starting and when I listened to the lyrics I couldn't help but hear the truth. The name of the song is "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. The chorus lyrics are...

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

The thing that caught my attention was the 4th, 5th and 6th lines. Feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you, only you can let it in.

We need to learn again how to genuinely "experience" life. We spend so much time hoping and waiting for the elusive "there" that we never actually get to enjoy the life we are living today.

Enjoy your life.

If you don't learn how to enjoy it today, no matter what your circumstances are, you will never enjoy your life. Genuine joy and satisfaction do NOT come from exterior circumstances and situations, they are attitudes of the heart. And you are the only person that can control them for yourself.

Enjoy
the
now.

peace,
glo

surpirsed to be loved

2008-05-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

2 Samuel 22:17-20
But me he caught—reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but God stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved—surprised to be loved! (MSG)

I read this passage this morning and the phrase that really stood out was the last four words "surprised to be loved". I think that would be the battle cry of our generation if we genuinely understood how much God really does love us.

It doesn't matter what you've done.
You'd be surprised by His love for you.

It doesn't matter how many times you've failed or doubted Him.
You'd be surprised by His love for you.

It doesn't matter how you feel.
You'd be surprised by His love for you.

Your past doesn't matter.
You'd be surprised by His love for you.

His love is so overwhelming and surprising...so now the question is what is our response to that love?

peace.
glo

Don't just do it.

2008-05-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

No, I don't have anything against Nike. I do have something against the mindset that their marketing slogan can produce in a society such as ours though.

Last week God spoke to me out of Colossians 3, verse 24 where it says that we are working for the Lord and everything we do we should do with the understanding that we are doing it for Him. This week I read in 1 Timothy that this "faith" that we are living is something that has to be fought for. (1 Tim 6:12)

These are not terms and ideals that are synonymous with "just doing it". I am afraid I am part of a generation that has learned better than any before how to "get by" in life by "just doing the minimum" and when any opposition, attitude or just plain "not feeling like it" comes along, we quit. Or worse, we don't quit and we do it in a fashion that we know is not truly good enough.

I didn't intend for this post to simply be a rant against a mindset that bothers me...but it appears as though that is what it is becoming.

The real problem is that Jesus called us to love people and to love God...above everything else. And if we accept the attitude of "just" doing it, then we will not be fulfilling what Jesus commanded us to do when he said we should "love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength." If we're not careful we'll end up just loving others and God with our "leftovers, free time, our when I feel like it."

It definitely isn't an original thought, but have you considered the fact that if you truly want to "well done, my good and faithful servant" when your time is done here you might actually have to fight for it...you might actually have to not

just
do
it.

Don't just do it.

Do
it
well.

peace,
glo

whatever you do...

2008-05-05T12:41:00.001-07:00

You know, if you follow Jesus seriously for long enough He'll challenge you with something that is hard. That may not be a very popular message today in our "microwave culture", but none-the-less, it's true.

I ran across a verse today that God used to encourage me and challenge me.

Col 3:23-24 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, (24) knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

It seems as though, if we're (or at least me) honest with ourselves, it's very easy to find reasons to not do something, or at least to not do it with all of our heart. But if we want to truly say we are followers of Christ we don't have that option.

Last weekend I had to go work on a couple rental properties for the majority of the day on Saturday. I didn't want to do that. But I did, and amazingly enough, God encouraged and strengthened my while I went about doing my business at the properties I was working.

There is a satisfaction in doing a job well. In genuinely accomplishing something we find a part of who we were originally created to be.

We are created to work. That was part of our original being in the garden.

Whatever you do...do it well.

Whatever
you
do
.

peace,
glo

Best Sound Ever

2008-05-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

This is my beautiful daughter Hailey. She is a very happy baby. Last night my wife was playing with her on the floor and got her to laugh...so, of course, I had to get it on video and post it on my blog. It brightened up my day...I hope it will do the same for you!

peace,
glo

I fell over

2008-04-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is my new bike. I got it this spring after saving up and drooling over it for 3 years. It is a Specialized Allez Triple. I like it.

I've been riding it a lot the last couple weeks and finally, the inevitable happened. You see, I have those shoes that lock into the pedals and so when you come up to a stop you have to unclip your shoe and lean over to that side. I've been doing very well with this up until yesterday.

It was at the intersection of Belleview and Meyer Blvd. that it happened and of course there were plenty of cars driving both directions to see me, laugh and point.

I simply unlocked my left shoe and stopped (like usual), but then I seemed to ignore the fact that I needed to lean to the left side and, of course, the bike started leaning to the right. The next 1.5 seconds seemed to have lasted about 41 minutes. It was absolutely one of those "slow motion" moments in which I had the following line of thoughts go through my mind...
1. I'm leaning the wrong way.
2. Put your foot down.
3. I can't it's still locked in.
4. I'm falling.
5. UNLOCK YOUR FREAKIN FOOT!!!
6. I'm still falling.
7. Please come unlocked.
8. I'm still falling.
9. It's not coming unlocked.
10. Ouch. I fell...

silence

11. All those people driving by just saw that.
12. Maybe if I just sit here on the curb it will look as though I meant to do it.
13. Are all those cars finally gone?
14. Ok, get up and act as though nothing happened.
15. Ride home as quick as possible.

So I had all those thoughts in the course of about 4 seconds.

It was not my best achievement. But I did get an idea for a sermon out of it...

oh well.

peace,
glo

What are we eating?

2008-04-22T10:26:00.001-07:00

I recently heard that it is recommended for average adults to watch 2 hours of television daily. That's a long meal.

We digest what we take in our eyes and ears, not just what we eat with our mouth. That's why the angel told John (Rev 10:9) to "eat the book". I've recently started to seriously question how I am spending my time in the Word. I read it regularly and enjoy it, but my attitude seems to be more toward the McDonald's experience, as opposed to the Melting Pot extravaganza.

I know McDonald's is cheap and fast and that's why I eat it, because it's convienient. I don't go to the golden arches to get my health fix for the day. The problem is when we let that type of "ingesting" get into our time we spend with the Word. I don't think we were intended to consume the word of God in a manner that would more closely replicate our fast food eating habits. It should probably look more like one of those meals that I take my wife to once a year that costs a bunch of money and lasts 2 1/2 hours. (she really likes those)

I hate paying that much for food, but you better believe that when we do have those fancy dinners that I enjoy every morsel because I associate value with it. I don't associate much value with McDonald's food...the way I eat it would be closer to inhaling it.

I think when God tells us that He wants us to "eat the Word" the association we make should resemble that of a well prepared gourmet meal...

It was prepared by the guy who invented food in the first place.

peace,
glo

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

2008-04-17T08:13:00.001-07:00

You need to go see this movie.

they're back!

2008-04-09T08:24:00.001-07:00

When I heard the Royals were bringing back the "baby blue" uniforms I was stoked. When I found out they're giving away a free replica jersey to the first 20,000 on Saturday...I was more stoked.

We'll be there Saturday. I'll just be wearing a plain white t-shirt to the game in anticipation of putting on the "baby blue"...

It's freakin awesome.

And to top it all off, the Royals actually look pretty decent this year. It's still early, but Royals fans are like Cubs fans, you'll take what you can get.

peace,
glo

A Beautiful Day...

2008-04-06T18:04:00.001-07:00

Last week was tough. Real tough.

But today was amazing. My daughter was dedicated today.
After the dedication our family came over and we all had a late lunch together. Our nephews and nieces had a great time playing together and my brother beat me at table tennis. (some things never change)

It would have been a great day if nothing else had happened, but after everyone had left I got to take a wonderfully relaxing walk with Jen, Hailey and our dog, Daisy. It was beautiful.

To top it off I finally got to ride my new bike today, it was a short ride, but it was awesome.

a
beautiful
day.

peace,
glo

commentary on commentary

2008-04-04T08:15:00.001-07:00

I think sometimes we get to wrapped up in reading commentaries and opinions about the Word. I'm just as guilty as anyone else, but sometimes we just need to let the Word of God speak for itself, directly into our hearts...

I read this passage yesterday morning and it brought me a lot of comfort and peace. I pray it will do the same for you...

Jos 1:8-9 And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. (9) Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. GOD, your God, is with you every step you take."

peace,
glo

allergies.

2008-03-31T12:25:00.001-07:00

So I went to the dr. today. Last thursday I started feeling "not good" and thought it was probably allergies. Today I finally gave in and went. I don't like going to the dr. I don't like needles.

I didn't have to get a shot. But I do have...
a sinus infection
an ear infection
and bronchitis

not fun. not fun at all.

peace,
glo

are we there yet?

2008-03-26T07:55:00.001-07:00

I used to ask it all the time in the car. When I was young we used to go camping all the time, it seemed like we were gone every weekend during the summer. But one question was always constant, "Are we there yet?". I remember getting in the car/truck/camper (we had a lot of different camping vehicles over the years) getting bored before we even got out of town and asking the question I knew my parents were dreading. I would usually ask it until I thought I had annoyed them enough that the punishment of my continious inquiry was equal to their crime of not having invented teleportation or floating cars yet. Then I would proceed to go to sleep.

I'm afraid I still have the same question in my heart and I think if we were to be honest with ourselves we would all admit the same thing. It's very difficult to live a life that feels fulfilled and satisfied if we are always looking at the destination instead of enjoying the journey. We're all on a journey somewhere, the only difference is that some have learned to sit back and enjoy the journey and others have become so haunted by the destination that they've decided to sit in the back seat of their own lives and go to sleep.

I'm starting a sermon series this Sunday out of the "Songs of Acent" from Psalm 120-134. We're going to look at the journey we are on and the obstacles we will face. Hopefully by the end of it we'll stop worrying so much about the destination and be able to wake up and truly enjoy the journey that is this thing we call life.

On a completely unrelated note. We're going to play ultimate frisbee this Sunday at 3pm in the field behind our church. You should join us.

peace,
glo
(no, neither one of the short-short wearing young men in that picture are me)

march madness

2008-03-20T07:16:00.001-07:00

Well, it's that time of year again. I must admit I love the tournament, Jen and I always fill out brackets together and somehow she always ends up doing better than me. I was talking a friend last night who is a KU fan and I came to a realization. I've never met a KU fan who didn't have them winning it all...every single year. I don't know it that's a good thing (faith in your team) or a bad thing (blind support), but either way it's admirable in it's own right.

peace,
glo

Your Church has an art gallery in it?

2008-03-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

That was a question I was asked more than once at the conference I just attended. It's amazing how receptive people are to a genuine expression of the creativity of God. We have a new curator for our gallery, His name is Aaron Tabuchi and he is awesome! He's already put together a blog for updates and info about the gallery...
you
should
check
it
out

http://www.streetlightart.blogspot.com/

peace,
glo

time off...

2008-03-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I've blogged. We went to California last week, it was awesome. Hailey went with us and we got to hike up a mountain (where we saw a "hatch" that look suspiciously similar to the one in "LOST") so I climbed up on top of it and took a picture. I'll post some pictures from our trip in the next few days. We also got to take Hailey to the ocean for the first time...she wasn't impressed. She basically cried and screamed the whole time.

We were out there for a conference of church leaders that want to focus on communicating one thing. The love and gospel of Jesus Christ. I got to meet some great men and women of God and it was a very encouraging and refreshing time. I'll be posting more in the coming days about it all.

It's passion week!
enough said.

peace,
glo

daily?

2008-03-05T06:56:00.000-08:00

Seriously? That's what He said. Jesus told us that if we wanted to be His disciples we must daily pick up our cross and follow Him.

Daily.

Not just on Sundays.
Not just for lent.
Not just when we really need/want something.

Daily.

What does that mean in 21st century western civilization? Maybe it's actually more difficult for us today than it was 2000 years ago because it isn't as easily defined. For the disciples and apostles of the 1st century church it was very clear...it meant being ousted from society and probably ending up dead because of your beliefs. We don't deal with that in America.

How do we pick up our cross daily? What does that look like?

That's what we're going to be exploring the next three weeks.

Last week we talked about the mystery of the cross and how to practically apply it in our lives. This week we'll discuss the cross we cannot bear alone.

What is your cross?
Today?

How are you bearing it?

peace,
glo

Truth

2008-02-13T11:55:00.001-08:00

Sometimes it isn't pleasant, but truer words were never spoken, especially to this generation.

Sibling rivalry

2008-02-05T13:09:00.001-08:00

My brother and I foughtwhen we were younger...a lot. He is 12 years older than me, so he always won, but never-the-less, we always seemed to find something to fight about when I was growing up. I've been thinking about that this week because of a psalm that I read. Psalm 133 says that it is good and pleasant when brothers (and sisters) dwell together in unity. I think God specifically put that in there because He knows that brothers and sisters don't naturally "dwell together in unity".

Just look at the examples we have from the Bible itself.
The first siblings, Cain and Able...that sibling rivalry ended with Cain killing him.
Jacob and Esau - hated each other, Jacob stole his birth right and then ran away so Esau wouldn't "pull a Cain" on him.
Joseph - His brothers sold him into slavery and then told their father he was killed by a wild animal.
King David - His brothers all thought he was an insignificant joke...until he killed the giant.

My brother and I weren't perfect, but compared to those guys we look like saints. Lukily, that isn't the end of the Psalm. It goes on to explain what a "love-centered" unity and community looks like and how we can exist in it. If it helps you understand it, it has a lot to do with oil running down beards and dew on mountains (not the drink). I'm sure that makes it real clear...

We don't live in genuine community because we don't know how. It isn't natural, we need God's help...

That's what we're going to look into this Sunday...

peace,
glo

Consumed...

2008-01-31T12:29:00.001-08:00

...with consumption.

I recently read a quote from retail analyst Victor Labeau

“Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption…we need things consumed, burned up, replaced and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.”(said after World War 2)

I don't know about you, but that scares me. This quote is obviously very old, but you can look at our society today and see that they were successful in making this a realization in our lives. We are consumed with consuming. The words that scare me the most from that quote is that "we would seek our spiritual satisfaction...in consumption."

This may explain why there are 37 different iPod's for people to chose from. I don't know about you, but it's really tempting to find satisfaction in the aisles at Best Buy...the only problem is that it never lasts. At least, not in my life.

I think Jesus probably knew something about having genuine satisfaction that doesn't go away in a few days. I think the scene with the woman at the well (John 4:9-26) is far more applicable to us today than we realize. The only difference is today Jesus isn't hanging out at a watering hole. He's walking the aisles at Best Buy, Target, or any other retail store where people are seeking for satisfaction through the things they consume. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing sinful about shopping at Best Buy or Target. That isn't the point. The point is when we start to get our identity, our satisfaction through the things that we consume we are being consumed ourselved with consumption. It's a never ending cycle that only leads to unsatisfied, empty, shallow lives.

The real problem though is when we try to turn God into something that we consume, just like a new DVD player or flat screen tv. The Bible doesn't talk about us consuming God in that way...but it does say a quite a bit about thing things that can consume us.

What
consumes
you
?

peace,
glo

hulkamania?

2008-01-28T07:10:00.000-08:00

I think my daughter might already be a hulkamaniac.

This is how she sleeps sometimes... look familiar?
I'm going to have to find her a hulk hogan t-shirt now...

peace,
glo

art in a church?

2008-01-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

So we do things a little different at KC Life...

This Friday night at 7pm we will have our second gallery opening of new artwork in the Streetlight art gallery. The topic of all the artwork is "faith". All of the art is contributed by local artists and all the proceeds from the sale of any of the work go towards the House of Dreams Orphanage in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

I'll be posting pictures of the new artwork on here next week sometime, but if you want to be one of the first to see the new work come join us on Friday night.

peace,
glo

You deserve to be happy.

2008-01-16T13:44:00.001-08:00

Actually we all do. That's what we were created for. That's one of the main reasons Christ came to earth, died and rose again. I realize religion has skewed most of our perspectives to the point in which we sometimes seriously question the previous statement...but that isn't Jesus' fault...it's our own. We all deserve life, genuine life and that is what Christ said He came to give us.

The problem isn't that He doesn't want to give us life, the problem is that most of us are still deciding what we think genuine life is...and if we aren't with forethought about discovering the absolute definition we will wander through our short existence and never come close to experiencing real life.

Miller Light offers us a high life.
Hollywood offers us a glamorous life.
Citibank offers us a life, right now (they forget to tell us about the consequences of trying to get life from a credit card).
Most religions offer a semblance of life if you really "plug in".

Jesus offers us abundant life, but not like everyone and everything else. He is the only one in history who ever said "I am the life."

I ran across a couple quotes from men far more intelligent than me that sum it up pretty good...

"If I want to travel north and all the roads are cut to the east, of course I shall complain of the roads. I shall find nothing but obstacles; I shall have to surmount walls, and cross rivers, and go round about, and after all fail my end." ~ John Henry Newman

About this statement, Eugene Peterson (The Message Bible guy) said this...

"Such is the conduct of those who are trying to achieve some meaning in their lives, pursuing their right to happiness, but refusing to take the well-traveled roads that lead there."

There is a well-traveled road to happiness and genuine life. We're going to start exploring what it is this Sunday.

peace,
glo

The goal

2008-01-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

It's that time...when everyone makes decisions to do something different with their lives and most of the time we fizzle out by the middle of February. We call it our "new years resolution" or "goals"...no matter what terminology you use the new year ushers in a sense of starting over, of being able to make something in your life or about your life better than it was in 2007.

Anne Frank said "Then, without realizing it, you try to improve yourself at the start of each new day; of course, you achieve quite a lot in the course of time. Anyone can do this, it costs nothing and is certainly very helpful. Whoever doesn't know it must learn and find by experience that a quiet conscience makes one strong."

The Bible talks about a goal, maybe the only goal that really matters. 1 Timothy 1:5 says "The goal of our instruction is love, from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith."

Our goal as followers of Christ is not to make it to church on Sunday...we are the church.
Our goal is not to be religious...Jesus hated religion and those who lived religious lives.

The
goal
is
love

That's it. To simply love God and love others. Jesus gave us the golden rule in His time here on earth, to love others as we would choose to be loved. Paul instructs us on how that is done from a holistic viewpoint: mind, body and soul.
A pure heart = body
A good conscience = mind
A sincere faith = soul

This is what we're going to explore this Sunday.
What does it mean to love people from a pure heart?
What does it look like to love from a good conscience?
How do you love from a sincere faith?

The goal is love. The path is faith, love and a good conscience.

We're going to start a journey on this path at KC Life...

I'll keep you updated on where it takes us.

peace,
glo

More pictures of Hailey Gwynn!!!

2007-12-29T05:55:00.001-08:00

Hailey Gwynn Owens

2007-12-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

Here she is...the most beautiful girl in the world.

Here she is...the most beautiful girl in the world.
She was born at 2:23PM on Christmas Day. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 ounces and was 19 inches long.

Evel Knievel is in Heaven

2007-12-20T14:32:00.001-08:00

I ran across this video today...it's worth your time.
[Your browser does not support frames or is currently configured not to display frames. Please contact tech support if you are unable to configure your browser for frames.]

He passed away shortly after this was taken...

peace,
glo

The Secret to Life!

2007-12-04T07:12:00.001-08:00

I realize it sounds like a grand title for this post...but it couldn't be more of an understatement. It is human nature during the holidays to look towards our past, hopefully we can look back with happiness and enjoy remembering the journey that has taken us to where we are today. But there is something more that we can experience as we look back over our lives...the secret to genuine life! This is no special revelation that God has given me, by any means, it's simply a realization that God has shown me as I meditated on a few thoughts over the last couple weeks.

The early nineteenth century theologian and philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, observed what most of us already really know: "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

If we truly understand that, it frees us from the chains of failure and doubt in our past to live the life that God created us to live. The past is a doorway to genuine humility. Genuine humility is the secret to really living life to the fullest.

The Bible tells us that humility is the secret to
riches and honor
unity and fellowship with our fellow man
rest for our souls
salvation
greatness
exaltation
revelation
faith
victorious living
and redemption!

Not too bad of a list. All of us want those things for ourselves, whether we openly admit it or not.

It's as simple as allowing God to identify the chains of our past that are holding us back and taking the key of humility to unlock them, rise up out of where we have been and live in the place God had intended for us all along!

It can't be done alone. We need His help.

Humility is the beginning...

I think Jesus said it best in the beatitudes...
"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."

peace,
glo

preach it Lenny!

2007-11-26T08:26:00.001-08:00

Lenny Kravitz - Bring It On lyrics

Streetlight Art Gallery

2007-11-21T07:32:00.000-08:00

KC Life's foyer is a little different...actually, a lot different. You see, when you walk in our church you are actually walking into an art gallery. The "Streetlight Art Gallery" is the first thing you see and the art on the walls is more than something pretty to look at. God is the ultimate creator and we believe that His creativity is available to us through His Son in new expressions of art. Every six weeks we have a new showing, the topic of our latest showing is "Love".

All of the art is for sale and all of the profits go to the House of Dreams orphanage in Cochabamba, Bolivia. If you are interested in purchasing any of the art, you can contact our gallery curator, Andrea Parnell, via email at andreakparnell@yahoo.com.

Here is the artwork and artist that contributed their time and talents to this showing.

Untitled - Andrea Parnell A Life of Love - Andrea Parnell Tree of Love - Andrea Parnell Life's Visual Love - Andrea Parnell Untitled - Kayla Robbins Sycadelic Love - Kayla Robbins Matthew 25:35 - Kayla Robbins Treasure - Rachel Plante Treasure (inside) - Rachel Plante

Andrea Parnell Kayla Robbins Rachel Plante

I promised

2007-11-15T11:51:00.000-08:00

to put a picture of bob the Betta fish on here this week, so here it is.

I got a fish

2007-11-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

I got a fish today...a beta. He looks cool, I will post a picture of him sometime later this week. I've made some early observations about him already...

Pet fish pretty much do two things : eat and poop.
Pet fish can’t feed themselves.
Pet fish can’t clean up after themselves.
Pet fish can’t handle a change of environment well at all.
Pet fish die way too easy. (my new fish hasn't died yet, but I had plenty of childhood pet fish that had to take the toilet turnpike.)

As strange as it may sound, this is all relevant to what I am going to be talking about this coming Sunday. Jesus said He would make His disciples "fishers of men"...He didn't say anything about us being "fish"...

peace,
glo

Fatherhood...

2007-11-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

Many things in my life have been bringing me to contemplate fatherhood more than ever before. Just this week a good friend of mine, Nathan and his wife, Liz, brought a baby boy into the world. This Sunday I will be doing the first baby dedication in our new building for John and Jay Rosenbaum's baby girl, Isabella Pauline. We also finished our classes at the hospital where we will bring our baby girl into the world in less than 6 weeks. So, I've been thinking a lot about it...

I don't know if I could put it any better than "new-grandpa", Rick Gann put it, on a thread about his new baby grandson, when he said...

In producing a child, we share the glory of the Creator
In forgiving rebellion, we share the heart of the Father
In being reconciled, we share the love of God.

yeah, that just about says it all.

peace,
greg

The rules

2007-10-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

So this Sunday a group of us are going to play some ultimate frisbee in the field behind the church building and since the world series is over and my Chicago Bears are re-defining what it means to be bad I thought I would post the "rules" of one of the greatest sports ever invented! Read and enjoy...

The Field -- A rectangular shape with endzones at each end. A regulation field is 70 yards by 40 yards, with endzones 25 yards deep.
Initiate Play -- Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of their respective endzone line. The defense throws ("pulls") the disc to the offense. A regulation game has seven players per team.
Scoring -- Each time the offense completes a pass in the defense's endzone, the offense scores a point. Play is initiated after each score.
Movement of the Disc -- The disc may be advanced in any direction by completing a pass to a teammate. Players may not run with the disc. The person with the disc ("thrower") has ten seconds to throw the disc. The defender guarding the thrower ("marker") counts out the stall count.
Change of possession -- When a pass in not completed (e.g. out of bounds, drop, block, interception), the defense immediately takes possession of the disc and becomes the offense.
Substitutions -- Players not in the game may replace players in the game after a score and during an injury timeout.
Non-contact -- No physical contact is allowed between players. Picks and screens are also prohibited. A foul occurs when contact is made.
Fouls -- When a player initiates contact on another player a foul occurs. When a foul disrupts possession, the play resumes as if the possession was retained. If the player committing the foul disagrees with the foul call, the play is redone.
Self-Refereeing -- Players are responsible for their own foul and line calls. Players resolve their own disputes.
Spirit of the Game -- Ultimate stresses sportsmanship and fair play. Competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of respect between players, adherence to the rules, and the basic joy of play.

"Basic joy of play" should be a phrase that is found in every sport rule book...it just should.

peace,
glo

Homeless hot tubs?

2007-10-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

While I was driving on Saturday I came to a stop at a large intersection in a wealthy part of Kansas City. My attention was immediately focused on the two homeless women standing on the corner. One of them was giving water to their pet dog, the other woman was standing with a sign that read "broke, hungry, need food or supplies, anything helps." I'm sure these women wouldn't have stuck in my head if it wasn't for the sign that I saw sticking up out of the ground behind them on the same corner. It read "hot tubs - half off!" and had a phone number to call on the bottom. It struck me as odd that we live in a society in which someone driving by these women could have two contradictory thoughts when passing by a scenario like the one I just described. I'm quite sure it's possible someone's reaction to this situation could have been...

"I don't have any extra money to give this woman, why doesn't she get a job!" and then in the very next instant have the thought...
"Oh, hot tubs for half price...we need one of those!"

I'm not sure if anyone actually had those thoughts in that order, but none-the-less we live in a society in which someone can be begging for food for existence and someone else can be advertising hot tubs for half-price on the same corner and most people wouldn't think twice about it.

Think
about
it.

peace,
greg

I love her already!

2007-10-17T11:04:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my wife and I and her parents and my father went to go have a 3D/4D sonogram of our daughter. It was simply amazing. She hid her face from us most of the time with her arms and her feet. Yeah, her feet, up by her face...I think it would literally kill me to try to do that.

This is my daugther.

She is beautiful.

I will spoil her immensely.

Take a look!

we're going...

2007-10-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

This is going to be awesome! We're going...you should too.

he who has ears...

2007-10-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

....let him hear what the Spirit is saying.

That is how Jesus talks to the churches in the book of Revelation. Jesus talks to and through the church. He tells them what they are doing right (love) and what they are doing wrong (religion, pharisee's and other crap). Then He promises cool stuff to those who overcome.

He talks to the church.

He has a message to the local church.

We've been on a series about what Jesus said to those seven church in the first few chapters of Revelation and now I'm thinking about what would Jesus say to the congregation that He has given me to shepherd. It's amazing that I started to ask this in my prayer life and...

He's

talking to me about it.

He has a message. He knows what we are doing, both the good and the bad. I'm going to be sharing this with the church at the end of this series.

He has a message for each one of us.

He knows.
He loves.
He forgives.
He challenges.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want Him any other way.

peace,
pastor greg

Absolute History

2007-09-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

The link below is to a transcript of the president of Iran's address at Columbia college and the comments from Lee Bollinger. It would be worth your time to read it. Yes, it's long, but human rights are worth your time and Maumoud Ahmadinejad's comments are quite simply...horrific

History isn't relative!

peace,
glo

The "church"?

2007-09-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

What is it?
Who is it?

What does it mean in the new testament?

Is the church simply just a building? When you think of church, do you think of the building you go to on Sundays or the people that join you there?

Lately it has become "hip" to say "I am the church" or "nobody goes to church, because you are the church". While there is a measure of truth to the latter of those two statements, the former is simply theologically impossible, according to NT theology based of the words of Jesus and the writings of Paul and the other Apostles.

The reason the former statement, "I am the church", is so dangerous is that it focuses itself on the wrong thing. To understand this we need to go to the first mention of the word in the Bible...

Matthew 16:18 - "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hades will not overpower it.

The word Jesus uses in this passage is the Greek word "Ekklesia" which is defined as...

an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting

a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake

those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body

Notice any theme in those definitions? They all refer to multiple people in some form of assembly or gathering or group that comes together in unity. The statement "I am the church", is not only theologically incorrect, it goes directly against the definition of the word "church" that Jesus Christ used Himself. Church happens when multiple people get together...not just one.

This theme is found all through the new testament as well. Almost every one of the Pauline Epistles was written to a "church" of a specific area or town. Not the church of one individual person, but of a group of people. Jesus addressed the "churches" again after His resurrection, in the book of Revelation. He addresses seven churches, He doesn't address seven individual people who consider themselves to be the "lone rangers" as the church themselves, He addresses a group of people who exist in community and have a common goal with a unity of beliefs.

The church is NOT a building. But the church is not individual people either. The NT tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, but that is not the same as the "church" as defined by Jesus Christ and the Apostles. The church happens when people gather together in community with a common goal, the furtherance of the kingdom of God on earth and the glorification of Jesus Christ.

Be weary of anyone who tries to convince you otherwise...

peace,
glo

Time for some props to my peeps!

2007-09-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Last week was one of those weeks. We moved KC Life into our new building, which freakin rocks, and it was a LOT of work...but it was absolutely worth it!

I need to throw some major props out to the peeps that gave so much of their time to help get everything ready. So here ya go, here's the shout out...

THANK YOU!
Brian
Andrea
David
Kayla
Aaron
Jen
Peggy
Carrie
Marcus
Crystalyn
Butch
Scott

There is NO WAY the work would have been done in time without all your amazing help!

You guys all rock my face off.

peace,
Greg

A few gifts for you

2007-08-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

So we're on this series about spiritual gifts and I didn't get a chance to finish teaching about a few of the gifts on Sunday morning so I'm going to post some thoughts on here about three of the gifts from Romans 12 that I didn't get to talk about yesterday morning.

The Gift of Giving - Romans 12:8 ...he who gives, give with all liberality.
Is giving a gift? Yes, absolutely. It's a pattern we see over and over again in the new testament, not only in the church as it was operating in the book of Acts, but Paul sprinkles details in almost every epistle about one church giving to another or one person giving to others. Certain people have an ability to make money, those are who God uses with the gift of giving. That doesn't mean that you can't give if you don't make a lot of money, but just like the other gifts, some will have more ability to do so than others. If you have the gift of giving some basic characteristics are that you are inspired to give, not by a preacher, but by an inner motivation to see the kingdom of God advance on earth. The perspective on money, as a whole, is different as well. Money is seen as simply a tool to be used to bless others through the ministry of the church. That reminds me of a saying, "Money is a horrible master, but a wonderful slave."

On the flip side, some of the things you must guard yourself against are the idea that giving gives you the right to be critical of what others do with their own money. It can also be difficult to not want to control what is done with finances if you have given a large portion of what is being used. By far, the most serious error to be on guard against is the problem of giving so much to the church that your family suffers, that is not the gift of giving, nor is it the will of God.

Scriptures about the gift of giving : 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Acts 4:36-37

The gift of Leadership (or administration) - Romans 12:8 ...he who leads, with diligence.
While we are all part of the body of which Christ is the head, we still need people with the gift of leadership. We need leaders. Leaders have vision, they can see things that others can't. Not necessarily in the same way as a prophet, but similiar to that, none-the-less.

Those with the gift of leadership can get things done, the know how to delegate tasks effectively and how to communicate a vision in a way that inspires others to follow. For a leader without followers is simply a person on a walk by themselves. A leaders greatest satisfaction isn't how many people are following them, but how many goals are they able to accomplish together as a team.

Those with this gift must be cautious as well, for it has it's own pitfalls to be weary of. Dominant, demanding personalities often find themselves burdened with this gift, which in turn, can appear to be insensitive. Details may be annoying because you are focused on more of the big picture and you must learn to be alright with people questioning your decisions.

Scriptures about leadership - Live in Luke 16 and learn the "three rules" of leading...

The Gift of Mercy - Romans 12:8 ...he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Having the gift of mercy is a beautiful thing. Those who have this gift exhibit amazing amounts of grace and compassion on those who are hurting or have hurt. If you have the gift of mercy you greatly desire to see people get back on their feet and want to be part of the healing process, sometimes at any cost.

The strengths of the gift of mercy are many; usually those with this gift are able to show amazing patience and unconditional love, kindness and gentleness. If you have this gift you may feel yourself being drawn to the "down and out" and take great joy in seeing people overcome difficulties.

At the same time, the strengths of this gift can also be it's most difficult weaknesses to overcome. Because of the nature of this gift you may have trouble becoming overly emotional about situations and getting emotionally attached in ways that are not healthy. A person with this gift is also very easily put in a position in which you could be taken advantage of easily. You also need to realize that all people don't have this gift and overcome the temptation to judge those who may seem to be less sensitive than you.

Scriptures to consider about the gift of Mercy : Ephesians 2:4, Acts 9:36.

peace,
glo

God speaks...

2007-08-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

All we have to do is listen. Think about all the things you may listen to in your day. My day is less than half over and already I have listened to audio on the internet, in my car (both talk radio and music) to the conversation about burritos that the people in line behind me were having at Chipotle, I've listened to friends and colleagues on the phone, and I've taken some time to listen to God.

How many days go by in which we don't take time to do the latter on the list? Sometimes it's just a little too easy, or maybe we're just so used to having everything made obvious for us that we don't want to have to try to listen. Think about it, we live in a society in which companies are sued because they didn't warn their customers that their coffee (a drink most often served hot), was hot. Do we really need things to be that obvious? If so, how does this co-exist with the idea that we are still "evolving" into beings of "higher" intelligence. Will we eventually have shoes that have directions for tying the laces written on them, in case we forget? How about a coat that has the directions for putting it on and zipping it up printed on the lining?

Sometimes God is obvious in His communications with us...

sometimes
He's
not.

Don't let the obvious nature of the majority of the input in our lives acclimate your ears and heart to a point of not being able to hear the less obvious. Sometimes we just need to slow down and be quiet. Does silence scare you? Is it unbearable to sit in a room alone without a radio, TV or mp3 player turned on? If so, you might just be de-evolutionizing yourself with the obvious.

"Be still and know that I am God."
~God

peace,
glo

Just like home...

2007-08-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

It isn't very often that I will post on here about a restaurant, but if there was ever a reason to make an exception this is it. Boudreaux's is in KC now! This is, by far, Jen and I's favorite restaurant in the entire world. Our first date was there, it's were we got engaged and celebrated with our friends and family. And they have the greatest chicken fried chicken in the world. I'm so excited that they've opened one down in KC, and only 15 minutes from out house.

This is a good week. A very good week indeed.

peace,
glo

Never more than a Theory

2007-08-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

It seems like it's happening on an almost weekly basis now. Science is coming closer and closer to absolutely disproving the foundations of the Evolutionary Theory. Obviously this is in reference to macro evolution, not micro evolution.

You can find the entirety of the article here, the beginning is good...then the scientist start to talk in circles about how it doesn't disprove evolution and it's part of the scientific process. While it may be part of the scientific process eventually they are going to have to come to terms with the fact that the foundations of their theory are all being dismissed as completely inaccurate. You can tell they are getting concerned with the random attack of religion that is found in the middle of the article. If Evolutionist were genuinely confident in their theory, they wouldn't bother with attacking religion in such an unprovoked manner as what is found in the article. The attack itself is evidence that they are seriously worried about the consequences of finding more evidence contrary to their theory.

It's really not that complicated. As they continue to find new evidence, like the evidence that prompted the article I linked, I firmly believe they will eventually discover that macro evolution was completely impossible. It will go down as one of the biggest jokes in scientific history, not because of the ignorance of the theory (it's quite complicated), but because science and culture bought into it so wholeheartedly without questioning it for so long.

Now the questions are beginning to pop up. The Evolutionist are still defending their position, but the "evidence" they are supporting their theory with keeps getting washed away and replaced with evidence that contradicts what they originally thought.

It's only a matter of time.

peace,
glo

Vancouver - day 5

2007-07-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Kayaking in the ocean...This is "Deep Cove" where we spent most of our day...
We took two double kayaks into Deep Cove this morning, which is just East of the English Bay. It was probably the most beautiful thing we've seen since we've been up here. This first pic is from the back of our kayak.There are seals and sea lions in the ocean bay that we were kayaking in, we saw a couple in the water with us but they were too fast to get a good picture of. These four bay seals were just hanging out soaking up the sun. They didn't mind us at all and actually allowed us to get really close, it was great.

peace,
glo

Vancouver - Day 4

2007-07-29T18:00:00.001-07:00

We started the day by going to Tara and Caleb's church here in Vancouver and then we were off to Queen Elizabeth park to have a picnic with their Canadian grandma. There is a botanical garden there in what used to be a rock quarry, it was gorgeous. This is a picture we took in the botanical garden with Tara and Caleb. It was a great afternoon.
After the picnic in the park we went to the Vancouver Aquarium. It's famous for the otters that hold hands while they're floating in the water. We saw the famous otters, they weren't holding hands, but were very playful. The aquarium was amazing, it was just as good as the one in Chicago, if not better. This is a picture I took of some of the jellyfish from one of many of the displays they had. The most entertaining part was definitely the feeding of the sea lion. He was huge and we just happened to be waking by when they were getting ready to feed them, it was great.OH YEAH! Here's what we're having for dessert tonight. They have a place that only sells gourmet cupcakes and they are supposed to be amazing, we haven't had them yet. They actually sell cupcakes in that little shop that are big enough to feed three people.

peace,
glo

Vancouver - Day 3

2007-07-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day! We started the morning off by having breakfast with some friends of Tara and Caleb's in their apartment in downtown Vancouver, there was a golf course right across the street, so the view was beautiful. If you look at the picture below you'll notice all the electrical lines in the intersection. Almost all the buses for mass transit in Vancouver are electric, it's a very clean city.
After breakfast we went to Lighthouse park in West Vancouver. It's a wonderful natural park that is on the side of a mountain in an "old growth" forest the meets right up against the ocean. We took picnic stuff with us on our hike and below is the view we were able to enjoy while eating our lunch together. Caleb and I got to climb out on the rocks and I saw a seal swimming in the ocean right underneath us when we were eating. It's been absolutely beautiful all day today, mid 70's and partly cloudy.
After lunch we headed to Lynn Cove. It's a old forest in East Vancouver that has one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen. That wasn't the most exciting part of the afternoon though. In order to get back to the waterfall you have to walk across this crazy suspension bridge that is over 150 feet up in the air over a ravine with a creek running through the middle of it. I don't like heights, so it wasn't the most pleasant experience for me, especially when a mother in front of me had the wonderful idea to jump up and down on the bridge to make it swing back and forth. It was pretty much the closest I've come to vomiting in about two years. Below is a picture I took while panicking on the suspension bridge...Tonight we are headed off to see a fireworks show put on by Canada, yeah the country. They have an international competition every year and it's supposed to be amazing, tonight is Canada's turn to represent so we're going to go check them out.

peace,
glo

Vancouver - Day 2

2007-07-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

Here's the update from our adventures today...

This is Commercial Street, it's an awesome little part of Vancouver that has some great unique shops that my wife loved and some awesome ethnic restaurants that I loved, we had Cuban food for lunch today from a place called "The Havana", it was great.

Vancouver has the second largest "China Town" in North America, so we went there. Actually over 50% of the population in Vancouver is Asian, pretty cool!
We finished up the day playing the greatest game on Earth. Ultimate Frisbee! I quickly came to the realization that I am no longer young and fast. Ultimate Frisbee + Me + Seminary students = Me breathing really hard and not running very much. We had a great game of 5 on 5 going with students from Regent Seminary. There were two players from Australia, one from England, two from Japan, two native Vancouver residents and three of us Americans, it was great!

I think we're going to finish up tonight after dinner by walking along the Frasier River...

peace,
glo

Vancouver - Day 1

2007-07-26T19:16:00.001-07:00

So Vancouver is absolutely one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Here's a few images from our first 24 hours here...

This is the cottage we are staying in. We are literally surrounded by a botanical garden, the temperature was in the 70's all day, we were able to sleep with the windows open, wake up to the birds chirping and horses walking down the road beside our cottage...it was simply amazing.

My friend Caleb and I walking in the ocean, it was low tide so we were able to walk really far out into the ocean without it getting above our knees.

Here's the forest we walked through, there are over 30 miles of trails for walking, running or riding your bike through this amazing forest. Some of the trees are over 100 feet tall, it was one of the most amazing places I've ever been to.

Check back tomorrow for more pictures from our adventures north of the border...

caio,
glo

The Big Announcement!

2007-07-24T14:21:00.001-07:00

So we went in today to see if we're having a baby boy or baby girl...

and

we're

having

a

baby

girl!!!!!!!

prayerfully consider? Whatever.

2007-07-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

The New Testament writers tell us that God never "leaves or forsakes" us, no matter what life circumstance we may be going through. I know I've been through a few storms that have made that difficult to believe and I know others who have had the same experience or are having a similar experience right now spiritually speaking. So I've been thinking about it for a while and I keep thinking about the people that didn't recognize Jesus after His resurrection, more specifically three instances that have stuck in my mind. I wanted to share my thoughts on the first instance today...I'll post about the other two in the days to come.

1. Peter went back to fishing. (John 21:1-11) To be fair, none of the other disciples recognized Jesus either. I don't believe that it was because Jesus had put on some spiritual mask or something that prevented them from recognizing Him. I think it's just as simple as they were out on the water and He was standing at the sea shore and they just couldn't recognize Him from how far out they were. These guys had all seen amazing things while they were with Jesus for 3 years and here they were just hanging out, fishing because they really didn't have anything better to do. I can't help but think they were probably just apathetic because they didn't have any specific direction. I think too many of us don't realize that God is right here with us, wanting to speak into our lives, to give us purpose and direction...but we're too apathetic to do anything about it, so we just go back to doing whatever it was we were doing before.

I'm probably coming at this from this perspective because of a book I've been reading by Erwin McMannus. In it, he talks about a friend of his who graduated from seminary and was prayerfully considering which option to take of all the job opportunities that his education had afforded him. His friend was talking about how he kept waiting for God to give him the "green light" so he wouldn't fall out of the will of God and offend His sovereignty. McMannus makes a great counter to his friends position. He simply asks him why he thinks he would offend the sovereignty of God? Did Hitler or Stalin affect the sovereignty of God with any of the choices they made? Of course not. God is still God. So, if someone with such evil motivations as that couldn't hurt God's sovereignty why do we think that we might do that by simply following our hearts if we have a genuine and living relationship with God?

A more simple way to put it is this. We already have the green light, just go. Augustine said it best when he said "Love, then do what you please." How often have we missed opportunities because we were sitting on our butts "prayerfully considering" something. What does that even mean? If we have a relationship with God through Christ then we shouldn't have to have a prayer meeting every time something comes up that we want to do. If God doesn't want us to do it, He'll stop us. I can't help but think when someone tells me they'll have to prayerfully consider something for two weeks that they probably need to learn how to pray first. I understand using wisdom and not rushing into things, but if we have failed it hasn't been on that side of the fence...

Jesus
simply
said
GO.

peace,
glo

Rubber ducks

2007-06-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

From "The Sun"
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007290671,00.html

A FLEET of 29,000 rubber ducks is set to wash up on Britain’s shores after a 15-year, 17,000-mile epic journey.

They are expected on Cornwall beaches in late summer.

The bath toys were set adrift in the Pacific after a container was washed off a cargo ship in 1992.

The sea corroded packaging, freeing the Chinese yellow ducks, plus blue turtles, red beavers and green frogs. Their colour has since faded to white.

Experts have tracked them across the world, spotting them in Alaska, Siberia, Japan, Iceland and Canada.

Oceans scientist Curtis Ebbesmeyer said: “They’ll turn up on English beaches.” Collectors pay up to £500 for the toys which have The First Years stamped on them.

Can you imagine someone asking you what you do for a living and saying "I'm an expert rubber duck ocean tracker". Someone has that job...they are the newest addition to my hero list.

peace,
glo

awesome video

2007-06-18T10:05:00.000-07:00

crazy wheelchair stunts

Add to My Profile | More Videos

4 years

2007-06-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

4 years ago today I married the most beautiful woman in the world. We've been through quite a bit in the last four years, both great and difficult, but through it all she has just continued to become more and more amazing to me.

I've read stories of couples that are more in love in their sixties and seventies than ever and I realize that I've found the woman that I can live that out with. We're still in the beginning stages of our journey together, but it's already been the best trip I could possible imagine.

Jen, I love you...more today than ever before.

peace,
glo

O.A. Revisited

2007-06-11T11:40:00.001-07:00

A while ago I posted about the concept of "Ordo Amoris", which St. Augustine defined as "the ordinate condition of the affections in which every object is accorded that kind and degree of love which is appropriate to it." I've been wrestling with the concept for quite sometime now and seem to have had an epiphany while sitting in my chair this afternoon doing some studying.

The question is what "kind and degree of love" is appropriate for us to offer to God? I think Paul sums it up quite well in Romans 12, verse 1...

I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship.

That's it. Nothing less, nothing more. I think the problem most of us have with this idea of "living sacrifice" is that we think it's the end of our lives. It isn't at all. It's actually just the beginning. The obvious place to go with this line of thought is to reference how Jesus came into His kingdom by the resurrection, after the cross...which was His ultimate sacrifice. But I want you to think of it another way. Think of someone you respect, they can be someone you know personally or just someone you know of. They can be alive or have been dead for hundreds of years...just put this person in your mind.

Now, why do you respect them?

Is it because of all the cool stuff they own(ed) in life? How about because of how well educated they were or the home they live in? If it's someone that is alive today do you respect them because of the car they drive?

I would venture to guess that your respect for said person is not based off what they have or have accomplished for themselves in their life. You probably respect them because of what they have given or accomplished for others.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Mother Theresa

The whole crew of "Extreme Home Makeover"

"insert your hero here"

These people and the people you are thinking of are remembered because of the sacrifice they made for others. For the things they accomplished for others...

Not

For

Themselves!

What have you done for someone else lately? What "living sacrifice" (as Paul would say) have you lived out?

Are you living for yourself? If so, you will live a shallow and meaningless life, filled with empty regrets. If you don't believe me just look at human history, it speaks more poignantly than I.

Live for others. It's the only way
to
truly
live
at
all.

peace,
glo

Article of the Month!

2007-06-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

You have to read this...it's awesome!

Shortly before landing, Bob Hayden and a flight attendant had agreed on a signal: When she waved the plastic handcuffs, he would discreetly leave his seat and restrain an unruly passenger who had frightened some of the 150 people on board a Minneapolis-to-Boston flight Saturday night with erratic behavior.

Hayden, a 65-year-old former police commander, had enlisted a gray-haired gentleman sitting next to him to assist. The man turned out to be a former US Marine.

"I had looked around the plane for help, and all the younger guys had averted their eyes. When I asked the guy next to me if he was up to it, all he said was, 'Retired captain. USMC.' I said, 'You'll do,' " Hayden recalled. "So, basically, a couple of grandfathers took care of the situation."

The incident on Northwest Airlines Flight 720 ended peacefully, but not before Hayden, a former Boston police deputy superintendent and former Lawrence police chief, and the retired Marine had handcuffed one man and stood guard over another until the plane touched down safely at Logan International Airport around 7:50 p.m.

State Police troopers escorted two men off the flight. Trooper Thomas Murphy, a State Police spokesman, said one of the men was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital for "an unspecified medical issue, possibly mental health."

He said State Police detectives will investigate whether the man's behavior should be treated as a medical or criminal matter. A second man escorted off the plane identified himself as the unruly passenger's brother. Murphy said police would not release the names of the men, who Hayden said appeared to be in their 30s or 40s.

Dean Breest, a spokesman for Northwest, confirmed that "there was an incident that required State Police to come on board the aircraft" but declined further comment.

Hayden said the unruly man's behavior upset some passengers. One told Hayden the man had said, "Your lives are going to change today forever," as he shouted and refused to take his seat before takeoff and at various times during the nearly three-hour flight. He said that at one point the man lay on his back and was screaming, moaning, and thrashing on the floor.

"Some people were crying," Hayden said. "I thought it might be a diversion. I kept scanning the back of the plane to see if anyone was going to rush forward. The flight attendants did a great job, literally surrounding the two guys who were making all the noise. I told one of the flight attendants I was a retired police officer and would be willing to assist, so we agreed on a signal."

When the captain announced preparations for landing, the man jumped up shouting, the flight attendant held up the handcuffs, and Hayden and the Marine came bounding down the aisle. Hayden said he and the retired Marine, whose name he never got, received an ovation from fellow passengers, and "some free air miles."

Hayden's wife of 42 years, Katie, who was also on the flight, was less impressed. Even as her husband struggled with the agitated passenger, she barely looked up from "The Richest Man in Babylon," the book she was reading.

"The woman sitting in front of us was very upset and asked me how I could just sit there reading," Katie Hayden said. "Bob's been shot at. He's been stabbed. He's taken knives away. He knows how to handle those situations. I figured he would go up there and step on somebody's neck, and that would be the end of it. I knew how that situation would end. I didn't know how the book would end."

Big...really Big

2007-05-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

There will be a hugemongous announcement this Sunday at church that will be freakin awesome! You don't want to miss it...

It'll rock your face off!

peace,
glo

where's my card?

2007-05-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

Alright, so 9 days ago I officially turned 30 years old. While it seems as though general opinion is that you should have everything together by this time in life I still have a few unanswered questions that are bugging me. I am going to proceed to list them in an effort to get some answers.

1. Where's my flying car? Come on people, it's freakin' 2007 and I still have to buy new tires for my vehicles? I want a flying car, or at least a hovering car...I'd probably even settle for a hoverboard like they had in "Back to the Future 2".
2. Animal talk? Why haven't they figured out a way to translate animal sounds so we can finally understand what they are saying. My guess is probably that the technology already exists but they were shocked to discover that dogs and cats literally only think about food, sleep, attention from their owners and how much they loath the other species.

watch this...you'll laugh, hard.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZCYaw5tGYAs

3. Where's my adult ID card? Really. Aren't you supposed to get a welcome packet of information once you've reached full adulthood? I want a laminated card. It's weird to think that when people say I look young it's actually a compliment now...that must mean I'm not "young" anymore. Nope, I refuse to believe it.

Welp, that's enough rambling for today. I can't ramble too much you know, I'm an adult now and don't have time for such childish things.

peace,
glo

Ordo Amoris

2007-05-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

St. Augustine defined virtue as ordo armoris, the ordinate condition of the affections in which every object is accorded that kind and degree of love which is appropriate to it.

Appropriate affection. I've been meditating on that sentence for a few days now and I keep coming back to one though...I keep wrestling with it like Jacob wrestled with God and I'm afraid I might have the same outcome that he did...I've got a limp.

The problem I'm having is trying to wrap my mind around what the "kind and degree of love" should be that I have toward God, my Creator, who sent His son to die for me. It's not possible. There is nothing I can offer, nothing I can say or do...and yet, He loves me with everything He is. This doesn't ignite in me some unending apathy. Quite the contrary, it makes me want to give Him everything I have. It's an understanding of what John Piper would call "faith in future grace".

My God, thank You.

peace,
glo

e-community

2007-04-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

It's seems strange to think that 15 years ago the Internet didn't really have any impact on any one's life, much less have any sense of community built into. But that is where we stand today, with sites like myspace, facebook and others creating the sense of a genuine online community of friends that can communicate with each other in ways that you would have never believed even 10 years ago.

Which gets me thinking about prayer. In some sense, the idea is as abstract to some as the Internet was 15-20 years ago. Think about it. If someone would have come up to you in 1990 and said "In the next 10-20 years there is going to be this thing called the Internet where people can type conversations to one another and share photos, music and even videos" you would have thought they were crazy. Especially if they told you it was going to be wireless (which is how I am connected to this "crazy" Internet thing right now). You could have presented a pretty good case to make them seem like a complete loony. Now we know this as a reality in our lives though and it seems as though the only crazy ones are the ones who aren't plugged into, or wireless connected to, the Internet. Everyone uses it, but do you really understand how it works? I don't. I'm sure some tech-genius's do somewhere, but the majority of people using the Internet really don't have a clue how it works, they just log on and surf away.

I think we should be more like that with our prayer life. You don't have to understand how it works or have it all figured out. All you need is the basic equipment, a relationship with Christ and the ability to speak your heart, and you're good to go. Your knowledge of how to pray will increase the more you do it, just like surfing the net. God is available all the time, all you have to do is open your heart and let your mouth talk to Him. You don't even have to be plugged into something, He's been wireless for centuries now. (He's way ahead of the times)

So we recently re-designed the website for KC Life Church and added tons of new content. It's turning into quite the little online resource and community builder...if you have a few moments (and of course you do because you just wasted 3 minutes reading this) you should run over and check it out....

www.kclifechurch.com

peace,
glo

walking by beauty

2007-04-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

A friend and fellow blogger recently posted this article on his blog and I think it's awesome...take a few minutes out of your day and check it out.

He emerged from the Metro at the L'Enfant Plaza Station and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play.

It was 7:51 a.m. on Friday, January 12, the middle of the morning rush hour. In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed six classical pieces, 1,097 people passed by. Almost all of them were on the way to work, which meant, for almost all of them, a government job. L'Enfant Plaza is at the nucleus of federal Washington, and these were mostly mid-level bureaucrats with those indeterminate, oddly fungible titles: policy analyst, project manager, budget officer, specialist, facilitator, consultant.
Each passerby had a quick choice to make, one familiar to commuters in any urban area where the occasional street performer is part of the cityscape: Do you stop and listen? Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? Do you throw in a buck, just to be polite? Does your decision change if he's really bad? What if he's really good? Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?
On that Friday in January, those private questions would be answered in an unusually public way. No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made. His performance was arranged by The Washington Post as an experiment in context, perception and priorities -- as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste: In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?

The violinist was world-renowed Joshua Bell. He was playing a violin worth over $3.5 million. He made a total of $32.17 over the course of an hour.

peace,
glo

Greatest April Fools prank ever!

2007-03-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

Either Jesus was exactly who He said He was or He was the greatest prankster in the history of humanity. Actually, if the resurrection is false and He didn't raise on the third day then I'm not sure "prankster" is really the appropriate term to define Him with. Prankster implies a joke that is used for the humor of others and the enjoyment of a surprise. One can hardly relate the affect that the claims of Christ have had on human history to that of a practical joke. Oxford University Press released an article claiming that there were over 45 million martyrs for Christ in the 20th century alone. That doesn't seem too funny if they died for a lie. That would actually make Christ the most evil and horrible human being to ever live. Think about it. About 5-6 million Jews died in the holocaust, historians say that about 15 million slaved died during the slave period of American history. Both of those numbers are horrific, but they pale in comparison to the number of people who have "died for Christ". If what He claimed was false and He didn't raise from the dead then He has sent more people to their death than anyone in history. Hardly someone you would want to call a "good teacher" or "good man". He has to be one of two things...either exactly who He said He is, The Son of God...or the most twisted, evil human being to ever walk on the face of the earth. Read what He said, look at His life and think about it.

This is what we're going to talk about at KC Life this Sunday morning...the greatest April fools prank ever!

well said...

2007-03-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

I've been a Cash fan for a number of years now and was listening to one of his CD's the other day and couldn't get over how powerful the lyrics of "Man in Black" are...so...please take three minutes out of your day and think about what he's saying...

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

...well said Mr. Cash, well said.
peace,
glo

who's your neighbor?

2007-03-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

So it happened. I had one of those moments in which I was reading through a passage and read something that I've never noticed before. Here's the scripture that struck me...

Numbers 35:34 - Don't desecrate the land in which you live. I live here, too—I, God, live in the same neighborhood... (MSG)

I know I've read this passage before and it says the same thing in every translation, but I think it was the way that Peterson puts it in the message Bible that really made it stand out to me this morning. It really got me thinking about the fact that God is here among us, He is not sitting up on some throne in some land with golden streets just waiting to throw down lightning bolts and divine sized drop-kicks. He's here, right in our neighborhood. The New Testament is fairly clear that He lives in us! Wherever we go, He's going as well.

I don't want to take this passage out of context, so it needs to be explained that the entire chapter of Numbers 35 is talking about how to handle the act of murder and what to do with the one who committed the murder and the one who wants to avenge the death. So how does God end that discussion, by saying don't desecrate your neighborhood cause I live here too. It may be easy for us to read through that chapter and think "I've never murdered anyone, so God obviously isn't talking to me" and be done with it, but Jesus challenges that thought head on in the gospels...

Matthew 5:21-22 - You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill. (MSG)

That puts a whole new perspective on the matter doesn't it? How many times have we flippantly said something negative about someone without giving it a second thought? How many times have we held onto anger or even hatred in our heart because of an offense? I'm sitting in my chair this morning feeling convicted that I shouldn't be crappin' up the neighborhood that God is living in...me. I suppose maybe it's a new realization of the fact that when Jesus tells us to love our neighbor He is, in turn, also commanding us to love Him as well. If we fail in our love for those around us, we fail in our love for God too.

However, when we live lives that are motivated by the selfless love of God it can be a catalyst for amazing change, not only in our own lives, but in the lives of everyone around us. Why? Because it gives complete liberty to God to move through us in ways like never before.

Maybe try loving a little more...after all, God is living in your neighborhood.

peace,
glo

To resurrect or not to resurrect

2007-03-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

Well, once again we have come into the season of Jesus' resurrection and once again there is a media explosion of questioning whether or not He actually was raised from the dead or not. It's nice how every year around this time some "new" theory comes up to try to discredit what almost all historians and scholars have considered to be true for almost 2000 years.

Of course the latest version of this "uncovered cover-up" is the finding of Jesus tomb. Which actually was found in 1980. There are so many problems with the "story" they are trying to put together that I don't have the time to write about them all, but I will mention one. They use select parts of the Bible to support their position. That's fine, except in the same documentary they also discredit parts of the Bible in order to further their position. Here's where they face a dilemma that they convieniently forgot to mention in the Discovery channel program.

The Bible is one of the three following...

Absolutely true from beginning to end. - Of course they can't align themselves with this position because it would completely discredit what they are trying to prove.

Absolutely false from beginning to end. - Well, they can't take this position either because they use parts of scripture to support what they're saying. They can't use it to support their argument if it isn't true and was all just made up.

True in some areas and not true in others. - This is their position, which, if backed up with reasoning, could be discussed on an intellectual level. But it's not. They don't explain why they choose to take certain passages as reliable and then discredit other passages in the same context. The only motivation that can be found is the obvious one, they're just trying to make their story sound more reliable without using an form of academic research or accountability. With, in turn, completely discredits their story.

So, in actuality, it doesn't matter which position you take on the validity of the Bible, the way it is used in the "new" discovery is completely self-refuting.

Here's another thought to chew on for a while. I cannot think of one person in my life that I know would die for a lie. If the disciples really did steal the body and hide it, don't you think at least one of them would have confessed up when they were facing death? The odds of that many people knowing about a "conspiracy" and facing death because of it without confessing the truth are impossibly small. Just a thought.

peace,
glo

The irrelevance of relevance

2007-02-27T19:25:00.000-08:00

A while ago I got to hear Erwin McMannus speak in Atlanta and something he said has stuck with me these past couple years and probably will be with me the rest of my life. I think it was so thought-provoking for me because I didn't expect to hear it from someone who is part of a church that is as "cutting-edge" as Mosiac is, but after he said it, I understood why they are like they are. He said he doesn't care about being relevant because if you are trying to be relevant to someone or something else in culture you are basically saying that someone else has already been there or done that and you just want to be like them.

We're basically copying someone else's creativity, which in turn, puts a paralysis on our own creative ability. Don't misunderstand me, I don't mean that we cannot be inspired by something that someone has done, all we have to do is read a beautiful poem or a great book, look at a masterfully done painting or watch a beautiful sunset to be inspired. But if we are simply inspired to copy that which has impacted us then we have not only incapacitated what we are capable of, we have cheapened said thing that has caused the reaction in the first place. I'm not trying to present a formula, for in esence, that is the very thing I am revolting against...but what we should allow to happen in our lives is a genuine inspiration of something touching the deepest parts of our own souls to ignite the creativity that we are all born with. Sometimes the best way to do that is to look at or experience a representation of that very thing from someone else's "depths of the soul".

Instead of trying to be relevant to what someone else says why not be relevant to who we really are deep down inside. Simply put, the most relevant way we can ever live our lives is to simply live them as genuinely and passionately as possible. Our imagination and creativity is not something that we should supress as followers of Jesus Christ, it is something that He calls us to dive into and use in our everyday lives. Do not be afraid to think, to dream, to imagine and to create. We are made in our Father's image and He is a creator...we should follow suit.

peace,
glo

More than a good idea...

2007-02-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

I was recently "lurking" around some online religion forums and came accross a thread about some small groups that a church was going to start. They seem like they are going in the right direction with the motivation and topic of the small groups, but I read a post on this thread that broke my heart...

Well I think the unvarnished groups is a good idea on paper....but won't be participating.

This breaks my heart because it's an attitude that is far too prevalant in today's Christians. And it is one of the most deadly attitudes we can have. I use such strong language because I've seen this as the main attitude of more Christians than I want to admit. Christianity is NOT about debating ideas and philosophies (even though it is the basis for all logical philosophy that is not self-refuting...but that's a whole 'nother post). It's about life, it's about living the lives that God created us to live. It isn't about sitting back and reading all the "pretty scriptures" and saying that's a great idea, or moral position and then not participating in it by refusing to live it out in our lives!!!

I've been listening to Switchfoot's new CD "Oh, Gravity!" (which is very good) and one of the songs has a line that says something to the effect of "what if we saw love as a verb again". I've started a four week series on the "verbs" of Christianity, first and foremost of which is love.

When I read that post I immediately got challenged to examine my life and make sure I'm not just sitting back and watching in any areas of my walk with Jesus. I would strongly encourage you to do the same...you'll never regret it.

Christianity is so much more than "a good idea on paper."

peace,
glo