Riding a Llama spiting you in the eye...

How can you ride a llama allowing it spit you in the eye and still fight those giraffes that charging at you? Ever feel like you are in a place in life where you have been dealt a llama to ride, a creature that spits, and possibly in your eye, and the things that are attacking you are giraffes. Why a giraffe cause there are odd animal that you would never suspect of having the ability or capability to attack you. A very weird but provoking thought, that the least likely link in our armor in life is our greatest weakness.

We spend countless of minutes, hours, days and even years to suppose ideas that we have assured our defenses from allowing ourselves from experiencing any surprising onslaughts of circumstances, deception, and anything we may not for see. For what? Have we not learned in thousands of years and beyond that we have very little control over this life we live. It can be summed up to or taken to its lost common factor, which is Pride. Pride keeps up on our balls of our feet to make plans of defense and then a counter attack for offense so that we seemed to be protected from all things that may disillusionment into our lives. Pride keeps us from admitting how hopeless we really are in not being able to control the world around us. A self-abasement, self-centered, self-conceited Pride will kill us and bring havoc into our lives as well as others.

Why this rant and rave about Pride, it is due to pride I have lost much in my life. Pride in thinking that I am the savior to my own problems. Pride in my own finite wisdom. Pride in that what I offer in only offered by me alone.

The reversal of this fact is that no one, and even myself has to stay seated on a llama that spits in your eye and is taking you towards giraffes as they attack you. Cause as stupid an idiotic as that statement is, we have a choice. How will you choose? How will I choose? The chose is simple, choose to Love as God Loves... But hard to do, for we are so full of ourselves.

I have been reminded this week that from news of my niece that is been diagnosed as being deaf. A child I most likely will never know due to pride in my life and the pride of others. A child that was born into a world of self-absorb people, like you and me, and is deaf because of the pride of life... that was committed thousands of years ago by our forefather and foremother. The thorn in our flesh that plagues all humankind, not one person is immune. Except for one in our own history, His name is Jesus the Nazarene. The only person that can right the wrongful act of pride that (sin) that leads farther from our Sustainer.

Maybe it is beneficial for us to ride on a llama that spits in our eye as we are being attack by giraffes....

I see where white people live... shhh... we might frighten their way of living.... so be quiet....

To entertain or not to...

I heard this morning a podcast on the issue of Church and Entertainment. It was a one sided arguement on this issue, though there were some vaild points on this issue of over dramatizing worship services. I was saved and serverd in a Charamstic chruch, where there could have been consider times of just entertianment of man than having a meeting of the Spirit's guidence. By in large I am grateful for those times of where there was a great sense of God's Spirit in the service that lead many to an emotional repsonse. For it was proceeded by scripture that drove those emotions, meaning there was logical thought before an outburst of emotion. There was a balance of both logical thought and responsive emotion. So as you can mybe discern I am of the thought that you can have both logical thought and a emotional experience. The argument that states that we ought to disallow such "entertainment", I would say as God's Spirit move within His people through rational thought there will be an natural out pouring of raw emotion. I would contend that in differing culture and sub-cultures this out pouring of emotions will look and feel different.
Honestly how can any person project a standard outcome within in all people, when all people respond differently in a given situation. I believe this is a great travisty with in modern Church as a whole. I have never read in scripture that there is a right way or a for sure worong method in worshiping God or even calling His people to worship Him. What does Jesus say in how the true worshipers are going to worship God... In spirit and in truth!!! (John 4:24) There are questions that arise from this verse, how, in what manner, where is the limit. I believe that God does things in order and in a way that commiuncates His truth and His ways. In saying this, there is a limit of no return in a sense, to measure this has to be the objective truth that God would not bring about confussion within worshiping Him nor bring about an choatic assembly that would not bring drawn unto Him. In Acts we read about thousands of people coming unto Christ, this done in an oderly fassion, especially when it was done on the day on Pentecost. Other moments were when the Apostles encounter demon possed people, sorcceries, and etc...
Now that I have ranted and eaved a bit, my point is this entertainment has always been involved in human existence, as history tells us, so what are we as Christians do with the fact that there is a level in whuich people want or need some vaule in drawing them towards God, is this wrong for the Christian to think about or does God allow the believer to act in such manner? I believe... yes it is ok to think in these terms as long as there is a clear balance of God being the one reciving the honor and glory not man. How this looks is different in all circutamces, but God has given to His creation the ability to be creative, so why not use it for His glory.

Memoirs of An Ordinary Pastor

Let the ordinary speak out and have a name. Yes ordinary Pastors do have a voice and that voice is measured through their faithfulness to God and those that God has called them to.

I say this for there is a book now out by D.A. Carson in which he writes a biography of his father that has been a Pastor in a small town in Canada. I am in waiting to go buy it and read it to see a run of the mill Pastor Joe lives and pastor's for God Kingdom.

The book is entilled, Memoirs of A Ordinary Pastor, by D.A. Carson. I hope you all find this information good and useful. I look forward to post my review of this book soon.

Let Us Repent....

Prayer of Manasseh

O Lord, Almighty God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of their righteous seed; who hast made heaven and earth, with all the ornament thereof; who hast bound the sea by the word of thy commandment; who hast shut up the deep, and sealed it by thy terrible and glorious name; whom all men fear, and tremble before thy power; for the majesty of thy glory cannot be borne, and thine angry threatening toward sinners is importable: but thy merciful promise is unmeasurable and unsearchable; for thou art the most high Lord, of great compassion, longsuffering, very merciful, and repentest of the evils of men. Thou, O Lord, according to thy great goodness hast promised repentance and forgiveness to them that have sinned against thee: and of thine infinite mercies hast appointed repentance unto sinners, that they may be saved. Thou therefore, O Lord, that art the God of the just, hast not appointed repentance to the just, as to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, which have not sinned against thee; but thou hast appointed repentance unto me that am a sinner: for I have sinned above the number of the sands of the sea. My transgressions, O Lord, are multiplied: my transgressions are multiplied, and I am not worthy to behold and see the height of heaven for the multitude of mine iniquities. I am bowed down with many iron bands, that I cannot life up mine head, neither have any release: for I have provoked thy wrath, and done evil before thee: I did not thy will, neither kept I thy commandments: I have set up abominations, and have multiplied offences. Now therefore I bow the knee of mine heart, beseeching thee of grace. I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge mine iniquities: wherefore, I humbly beseech thee, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me, and destroy me not with mine iniquites. Be not angry with me for ever, by reserving evil for me; neither condemn me to the lower parts of the earth. For thou art the God, even the God of them that repent; and in me thou wilt shew all thy goodness: for thou wilt save me, that am unworthy, according to thy great mercy. Therefore I will praise thee for ever all the days of my life: for all the powers of the heavens do praise thee, and thine is the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Happy, Blessed New Year!!!

To all those I hope and pray that you all have a wonderful new year. Along with that I pray that God reveals more of Himself to you and those you minister to and care about. Let us wait and walk in anticaipation to see how God is going to reveal His Kingdom to those in this new year. Many blessings, and rember the presure moments are the truest blessings of all, for we are compelled to draw even closer to our heavenly Father. Chat with you all later.

Kickin' Chick-Fil-A Style

I am chillin' at the Chick-Fil-A I work at, and I am suffering the Net due the fact that the Hidden Vally Pwy. store has Free Wif-Fi. Yes I said Free I am so happy, come by and eat some good ol' Chick-Fil-A and surf the web.