Ordinary Community

moving sale, everything must go

2010-01-11T04:38:00.002-05:00

well, its not that dramatic, but I will be moving my blog to a new hosting site thanks to my friend, Paul McGillivary. Once that's up, maybe this week, blogging will commence. Really looking forward to reconnecting with y'all again via this medium.

peace,

back in the saddle again?

2010-01-07T05:45:00.002-05:00

the internal tides are shifting, I've left blogging for quite some time and I miss it badly. If you are still out there, stay tuned, I am coming back and anxiously look forward to connecting again around topics that matter.

peace to you my friends,
Chris

peace be within you

2009-02-27T09:20:00.004-05:00

This was the Psalm reading for today's Celtic Daily Prayer
Psalm 122:8 -

8 For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."

Immediately I thought of those around me that are suffering, have suffered, going through trials etc. Part of the sickness of being a leader is that I wish I could take these things away by some leadership act, but I cannot. Instead, the only action that I have to take is to say and pray into my loved ones, "peace be within you".

Lent is a season to reflect upon suffering for it has great transformation powers. Don't run from suffering, rather, walk through it in the power of the One who made you. On the other side of that transformation you will be closer to the human-creation you were always meant to be. In Community, our suffering is never alone.

So in solidarity with those who are suffering, I pray peace within you:
-my wife and her healing ankle
-Amy and Micah Palmer for the loss of Mark
-Renee, Colon and Aidan Canipe for the loss of Chad
-Rob, Becky, Sydney, Paige, Ty and Colt for the loss of Kate
-Reg and his brain tumors, including his son Trevor's ailments
-Amy Matalka and her ongoing fight with cancer
-My grandmother's loss of her self to alzheimers
-Cheryl's ongoing fight with cancer and other ailments
-a friend I've lost
-marriages of loved ones
-those in unemployment
-the persecuted around the world
-the poor and hungry

peace,

2009-02-25T08:05:00.002-05:00

This is the New Testament passage from Celtic Daily Prayer today and it just really struck me:

1 Corinthians 2
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Wisdom From the Spirit
6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9However, as it is written:
"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"— 10but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.[c] 14The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:
16"For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

I got really worked up last night listening to Obama's speech. I have respect for his class and integrity, but his words and ideas are just full of foolishness to me and that shouldn't surprise me. The depths of God's thoughts and wisdom will not be found in places of high power amongst the rulers of this world, they are often found in the quiet, poor and lonely places on earth. It is in these places where the portals to the eternal kingdom are found. That's the channel I want to tune into today.

Particularly today being Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lent season, it is appropriate to remember that there is humility in knowing that we didn't bring ourselves into being. From dust we were born and created, and to dust we someday will return.

Stop and notice the Kingdom around you today,

God of now

2009-02-17T22:18:00.004-05:00

Only been close to 3 months since my last blog, I guess its suffice to say I haven't had much to say. Not even sure how many readers I have left but I like to know that I can always come back and type out some thoughts. Well, I know at least I have one loyal anonymous fan-reader who likes to accuse me of atheism, that's always pretty sweet, good to have judges out there looking out for my well-being. And the anonymous piece really helps create dialogue as well. well said.

I think the american economy and general culture of fear has taken the wind out of many sails. Daily I meet with adult students who have lost their jobs, are about to or fear its inevitable. I've been unemployed for a time in my marriage and family life and it was one of the lowest points of my life, something I'd like to never re-live. You just can't make job opportunities happen, its such a matter of timing and skills and networking. When you have mouths to feed, the feelings of letting them down is a tough master. I empathize with so many who find themselves there tonight.

I believe it is absolutely inevitable that the "stimulus" plans by the monarchy will not solve anything but help spike inflation. It is fundamentally a faulty idea not based on free markets or capitalism, but rather on short-sightedness and a lack of discipline. Humans take care of what they earn and squander what is given to them, its a very natural cycle. The problem is not a lack of money, but a lack of understanding that we are nothing without hard work as a society and money does not make itself, it is earned and saved. The Monarchy can re-elect itself over and over if people continue a sense of entitlement. It may be years of actual hard times until the sense of entitlement dies, its a filthy beast.

So in these changing times, I find comfort in these words from the Sermon on the Mount in the Message:

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

So i go to bed not entirely enthused about my work but with the sense that it needs to be done. It is what is before me and I just need to put one foot in front of the other. I'm not entitled to find my voice in this life, but I am invited to give my attention to the God of the now. That's where contentment is.

peace,

This life is but a vapor

2008-12-03T12:23:00.005-05:00

I was talking with a good friend today and this statement came out of me:

"Life is but a vapor, suck the juice out of it daily"

I've been thinking about this vapor thing for quite some time. You try and hold onto things in this life and they have a way of just slipping through your fingers, you just can't quite get a grip. Even on a conservative level, you try and value the right things and work the plan but then it can all evaporate and leave you with nothing tangible to hold onto. There are a myriad of fleeting goals that are obvious: search for wealth, power, sucess, notieriety, status, prestige, accomplishment etc. But even in the plan of simple job, simple family, simple friends, simple church . . . all that can be taken away too. At times, it just all feels like a vapor, nothing sure to hang onto.

My faith in God and his eternal Kingdom are quite sure, the reality of that realm in some ways seems more tangible than this one in the flesh. The more I am sure of that world, the more this world looks somewhat pointless. Now, I'm not a dualist. I have full recognition that this realm and that realm are tied together in a cosmic sense and will be united again at the Resurrection and the coming of the new creation. What I'm processing is how arbitrary this life seems to be. I know that choices I make here affect the eternal realm, but exactly what and how is more of a mystery to me now than ever.

I suppose somewhere along the way I was supposed to pick up "mystery" as one of my assumptions about this life. But I suppose in a world of self-help guarantees and humanistic sciences, "mystery" is left out of the curriculum. It's amazing to me how much the American church reflects more about self-help and humanism than it does the Kingdom of God, but that's another topic.

Perhaps this is all because my birthday is a few days away, but I'm wondering about the mystery of this life and the vapor that it is. What I do know is that there is good and its in relationships, that's where you need to suck the juice out of.

peace,

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T22:41:00.002-05:00

There's a reason that I haven't blogged in a bit, been in a spiritual funk. There are some things happening around me that have and are absolutely breaking my heart. I have a dear friend peddling at the table of the Enemy and I have to let him go. I don't want to, i care so deeply for him, but I cannot affirm the choices. I have spent a lot of time being very angry and feeling betrayed, but not tonight. Tonight I weep. Tonight I long for a turning in his heart. Tonight I want Easter Sunday but all I have is the darkness of a cross. I pray for him with all my soul and it hurts.

Tomorrow morning I will run the Thanksgiving Day 10k race in downtown Cincy for the 4th year in a row. Well, run is a bit of a stretch, I will run/walk. I am trained for perhaps 2.5 miles, but not 6.2 so it will be a total push and have to walk out the distance. I do it 1) to earn my turkey and 2) to remember losses in my life. My niece who passed 3 years ago, my brothers in Christ I lost to death, my brothers in life who have turned from Christ to the table of the enemy, I grieve all of them. I don't just grieve though, I also receive grace upon myself and I receive hope that for every brother lost to the enemy that I will pray for and go after 10 more for the Kingdom of God. I am very sad this year but I look forward to a time of painful reflection.

Give thanks in the light and give thanks in the dark, his mercies are new every morning. I've been beaten down but I don't accept defeat. Resurrection is always shining through. In loss there is always gain somewhere. May the Glory of his Grace fall upon us and make us whole. Don't give up on us, God! May your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

peace to your times of giving thanks and remember my friends, don't ever give up.

Time to unplug

2008-11-13T12:16:00.004-05:00

The suburban world of much and many, the dehumanizing tasks of working for the "man", the artificial realities of a modern world with many promises but few results . . . it just ain't what it's cracked up to be.

I can't wait to leave in the morning and unplug for the weekend. Going camping out in the wet, cold, rain, snow & wind with some very good friends and I don't care about the weather, I just want to be unplugged. I want the pace to slow down, the agenda to be reduced and the sights and smells to improve. Working in an office is degenerate to the soul at times. The rat race we call life is just a vapor, I want the outside air to clear the stench.

I will be camping with fellows bros of our lost brothers, Mark Palmer and Chad Canipe. I still often reflect on them and their absence now from this life. And I can't help but hear Solomon speaking:

Wisdom Is Meaningless
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What is twisted cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.

22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

This life, this work, this race . . . it's all just a vapor. Take time to unplug and remember what really matters. What you learn when you do, is that the list is shorter than you thought, but sweeter than you thought.

peace,

I voted Libertarian

2008-11-04T11:03:00.004-05:00

Warning: Overtly political blog opinion follows

I think the 2 party system is a fallacy and uniquely broken in all the right ways for those in power to remain in power and control. Democrats are not much different than Republicans and vice versa. Look at the way they united over the bailout plan for the credit crisis. Neither side had a unique idea or antithetical thought, they were in bed with the present broken system and philosophy and therefore perpetuated it.

Keep the people blind. Let me go conspiracy theory on you. I would go as far as to say that the false dichotomy between these 2 parties is just a distraction for the masses so that they don't raise real questions about how far we have strayed from our constitution. If the people knew, we'd have another Boston Tea Party and King George and his pundits can't have that.

Here's the Nolan Chart just to see it visually:

There is no perfect system nor party, therefore I vote for smaller system and smaller party and more freedom for the citizen to be a competent and responsible individual. I want the gov't to build roads, provide military defense and protect state and national parks. Other than that, keep their greedy incompetent hands to themselves.

Ok, rant over (probably not, but that for now).

peace,

Happy all hallows eve

2008-10-31T07:51:00.002-04:00

On this day the Celts believed the veil between this world and the next was so thin that it was almost permeable. It was thought to be a day of transition, from summer to winter, where the dead from the year previous would passover to the eternal realm. I do not worship my ancestors and friends who have gone before me, but I do honor them.

So today I honor the lives that touched mine but have moved on either to the realm where God is or are asleep awaiting the final Resurrection (depending on your theology). These are the people that led me in my faith.

Rest and Reign well my beloved:
-Mark Palmer
-Chad Canipe
-Greg House
-Grandpop Povey
-Grandpop and Grandmom Marshall

Hebrews 12 (The Message)
Discipline in a Long-Distance Race

1-3Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Have a happy hallows.

peace,

Freddie Mercury let it rip!!

2008-10-30T12:43:00.002-04:00

We Are The Champions
The Phillies have waited 28 years to sing this song again. It's on repeat on my iPod today, it just doesnt' get old.

Check out my April 2, 2008 post

2008-10-27T13:56:00.003-04:00

In that post I have my pre-season baseball prediction where I said:

World Series will be the Red Sox vs. the Phillies and the Phillies win in 6! Ryan Howard NL MVP and Series MVP. The man can rake.

The Red Sox of course lost to the Rays, didn't see that coming nor did anyone else including the Ray's mothers. And I'm certainly hoping the Phillies win in 5 tonight and if Ryan Howard has another night tonight as he did last night, he will be the MVP.

If this all comes together, regardless of my homerism, you have to give me some props for the prediction. (Don't cha?)

28 years is a long time to wait

2008-10-22T08:59:00.004-04:00

Its been 28 years since the Phillies won the World Series. They lost the World Series in 1983 and 1993. Tonight begins their next attempt. They started as a franchise in 1883, have 6 World Series appearances but only 1 championship which was in 1980. The famous scene from Tug McGraw above after the final out is one of the best moments in Philadelphia sports history.

My favorite all time Phillies team is definitely 1993, the all mullet team. They were a weekend softball team disguised as the National League Champions. At least 2/3 of them had classic mullets, a true representation of Philly at the time. I will never forget that fateful night when Wild Thing Williams let that ball fly and Joe Carter connected it over the wall to win the World Series. Dramatic to say the least, but only if you were a Blue Jays fan.

So my prediction starting tonight, I'm gonna go with the Phillies in 7 games. I like the Rays a lot and pressure doesn't seem to get to them. I'm literally just hoping the Phillies can claw out 4 wins, I think they are favored in close games with Lidge as the closer. My key to victory is the spark plug, Jimmy Rollins. If he sets the tone and the table, I think the Phillies offense will roll. He's the veteran leader and he can take pressure off of Utley and Howard. Rollins is my pick for Series MVP.

Enough talk, its time for the Fightin' Phllies to bring home another championship, 28years is a long time to wait.

American Entitlement revealed

2008-10-20T13:30:00.003-04:00

Listening to the talking heads of the media and all the empty promises of the politicians seeking election, one could be seduced to believe that we are entitled to quite a bit more than our daily bread.

Here is what I've learned. We aren't entitled to crap. God doesn't owe us anything. Not one of us brought ourselves into being, we are creation and the Creator doesn't owe us anything. We are not entitled to prosperous economies, safe neighborhoods, secure futures, good health, home ownership etc. etc. etc. What we have, we have for today and that is a gift of God to be thankful for. If you desire to be a follower of the Way, your inheritance is not of this world, it is holy other. Do not be seduced by the words of the worldly wise, its not about you. You are promised daily bread, nothing more, and that as well is a gift from God.

This passage came to mind today on this subject for me:
Matthew 20
A Story About Workers

1-2 "God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. 3-5"Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went.
5-6"He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o'clock. At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?'

7"They said, 'Because no one hired us.'

"He told them to go to work in his vineyard.

8"When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.'

9-12"Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, 'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.'

13-15"He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?'

16"Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first."

Stop and notice the Kingdom around you today,

The night I fell in love with baseball

2008-10-15T23:48:00.003-04:00

Growing up in Philly, my parents had divorced before I was born, so I was raised primarily by my grandparents for my first 5-6 years of life. My Mom worked all day and went to school at night to try and make it as a single mom in the 1970's when it wasn't cool. We lived with my grandparents in a duplex in Northeast Philly. It was a summer night in 1976, I was 4 and my grandfather took me to my first major league baseball game. It was the Phillies vs. the Astros and Steve Carlton was the pitcher. It wasn't long til I realized that Carlton is considered one of the top 3 left-handers of all time. He struck out a ton of Astros that night. My grandfather said in the car on the way down to Veteran's stadium, "the Phillies are lousy, except when Carlton is pitching". I can only guess that's why he took me to that game on that night, but I'll forever be grateful.

I was only 4, but I will never forget walking up to the ramps of the Vet for the first time, It was all bigger than life. The lights, the smells, the hot dog, the people, the major league players, the Philly Phanatic, I mean I fell completely in love. It got in my blood, in my veins, I couldn't wait to play this game. I became a Phillies fan that night and now forever. I've also adopted the Reds now that I have lived here in Cincinnati so long, but Philly remains a big part of my heart.

Baseball got me through some tough times in life. When i was really hurting and angry as an adolescent, I always had baseball. I used to tape "This week in baseball" and memorize it before the next episode ran the following week. I played with a ball, a glove and a wall for hours and hours and hours. Anytime whiffle ball or stick ball was happening, I wanted to be there. I turned out to be a pretty decent player. Excelled through junior and high school and played through college. i loved the smell of baseball, I loved the feeling of manicured grass under my feet, i loved getting dirty and I absolutely loved playing under the lights. I get goose bumps just remembering.

Well, the Phillies kicked the Dodgers butt and are now going to the World Series most likely to face Amercia's sweethearts, the Tampa Rays, but my heart will remain with Philly. Nostalgic feelings are running through me tonight watching the Phillies clinch the National League pennant. I will never forget the night I fell in love with baseball. Thanks, grandpop, rest in peace the Phillies are BACK in the SHOW!!!

(insert the Rocky theme song here) peace,

Re-cap of my sports weekend

2008-10-13T11:48:00.006-04:00

Ok, LA, you made it a series, now your only down 2-1. But do you seriously want to get into a brawl with the city of brotherly love? Botox ridden, juice drinking, left coast liberals do not want to incite physicalities on the city that bleeds Irish violence. Hollywood, have you not seen Rocky I-IV? 90210? Seriously, you do not want a piece of this. See ya tonight where this movie for you won't have a good ending. Manny, the next one is coming at your ribs.

Ohio state won, but they are not the best team in the Big Ten. Penn State is back, Joe Pa is eternal. Kudos to Texas, Florida and Ok. State as well on huge victories. And to my newly adopted team, continued Guns Up to the Red Raiders of Texas Tech.

Bengals suck oh so badly. Do we have the desire and the perseverance to successfully pull off an 0-16 season? Let's at least make history if we're gonna suck so badly.

apparently there is more to life than sports, but its a nice outlet none-the-less for me.

peace,

Let's Go Phillies!!

2008-10-10T13:45:00.002-04:00

Up 1-0, the East Coast over the Weak Coast. Let's keep it going.

Things I noticed from John 8

2008-10-09T09:37:00.002-04:00

I shared this narrative in Texas last week and I'm not sure if it was for them or me but as I was studying it, I noticed a few things.

John 8
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

1) If they are really "teachers of the law" and religious leaders, why are they interupting Jesus' teaching? (translation: judge a leader by their fruit, not their title)

2) If the woman was caught in "adultery" then she was married. The Law of Moses in Deut. 22:23 says that stoning is required for a betrothed or an engaged woman, not a married one. Should teachers of the law know their own law? (translation: Often our absolutes in theology are actually just representative of our bias preferences and not gospel truth)

3) "Jesus bent down" and said nothing. This is a genius communication skill. In the event, the Pharisees held all the power and momentum by interupting and throwing at least a half-naked woman in the middle if not fully naked. How does Jesus diffuse the situation, steer the power away from the bullies and protect the dishonored woman? He uses silence and it was deafening. He doesn't honor their cruelty with a verbal response, he does the counter-intuitive. Then they are exposed for their cruelty like a giant spot light is upon them. Jesus takes on the eyes of the crowd to what he's drawing in the sand (and away from the vulnerable woman, perhaps even giving her time to cover up).

Jesus' non-verbal skills utilized in this event are just genius. He does not have the title of a "teacher of the law", rather he just embodies and lives out the very heartbeat of the Law of God, to honor and love his Creation. I find these values of humility and strong compassion very rare for male leaders I've observed and come across in my lifetime. The stereotypical strong male leader/CEO type is the easy way out, its mostly just leadership in the flesh. Show me someone with the inner strength and character like Jesus instead of the outside bravado and I'll show you genius leadership.

4) If anyone of you is without sin throw the first stone. The law says the witness to the event is the one who starts the stoning. So which man and religious leader is gonna be the one to say they were peering in together and watching the adulterous act. Or even more so, was one of them the male witness involved in the act? This sounds less like activities for the teachers of the law and more like a scene from the Porky's movies triology.

5) The woman finds herself not alone, but in the presence of the only one who cares about the true her and sees beyond her sinful behavior. Jesus fought and protected her dignity, treated her as the daughter of God that she was. Jesus gives her words of compassion first, then follows with words of discipline and holiness. Notice the order . . .compassion then a call for holiness. The mercy of God is not earned, its freely given then leads us to change out of gratitude.

Just some things I noticed.

Peace to your moment of genius today,

The Beautiful Rebellion

2008-10-06T21:47:00.003-04:00

Texas Tech Guns up!

Just got back from Lubbock, Texas today where I spent the past 5 days teaching at the Texas Tech Wesley Foundation Fall Retreat at Sipapu Ski Resort in New Mexico. My best friend from seminary, Al Martin, is the director of the campus ministry there and arranged for me to come out and I accepted his hospitality. It was a great few days. I spoke at their weekly gathering in Lubbock on Thursday evening and then 4 more times over the next couple days at the retreat in New Mexico. I haven't done a lot of speaking in the past couple years but this time I actually asked God for an opportunity, Al contacted me and I said yes pretty much immediately and I'm glad I did.

I did my best to try and communicate life in the Kingdom of God and I entitled the series of talks, "The Beautiful Rebellion". There were about 110 college students on the retreat and they are a pretty special group of kids. They love worship, emobdy community and were earnest learners in our time together, can't ask for much more. Particularly on Saturday night, after I was finished speaking on "War in the Kingdom Now", the worship team came back up for a time of reflection and then the presence of God and his grace began to move pretty powerfully through the learning community. It led to God doing a lot of healing, convicting, speaking and setting captives free . . . the good stuff.

For me, it was an important time personally. I really sought to sit in reflection during the worship times and just listen and receive cuz my past few weeks have been pretty dark and even agonizing. I was able to get some rest, do a lot of reading and just reflect away from my day job which has been sucking me dry. I'm waiting on God and there is just no short-cut for that. He is sufficient and I have to submit to that and trust in a hope I can't see.

For now I'm glad to be home but finding myself very thankful for this blessed trip.

peace,

Ron Paul for President

2008-09-23T09:50:00.002-04:00

Ron Paul on Government Bailout

This is why I wish I could vote for Ron Paul on November 4. The federal bailout of the financial crisis in America is the continual death of a free market economy that we claim to love so much. The reality is that America is increasingly becoming a bigger slave to their lenders. This is not freedom, debt is enslavery, how can we be so foolish?

Rome is burning, anybody concerned?

Does sadness have a place in the Kingdom?

2008-09-18T22:29:00.009-04:00

Tyler Durden:

Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God ---- it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy ---- we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.

WHEN YOU'RE DEPRESSED..
You feel sad or cry a lot and it doesn't go away.
You feel guilty for no real reason; you feel like you're no good; you've lost your confidence.
Life seems meaningless or like nothing good is ever going to happen again.
You have a negative attitude a lot of the time, or it seems like you have no feelings.
You don't feel like doing a lot of the things you used to like-- like music, sports, being with friends, going out-- and you want to be left alone most of the time.
It's hard to make up your mind. You forget lots of things, and it's hard to concentrate.
You get irritated often. Little things make you lose your temper; you overreact.
Your sleep pattern changes; you start sleeping a lot more or you have trouble falling asleep at night. Or you wake up really early most mornings and can't get back to sleep.
Your eating habits change; you've lost your appetite or you eat a lot more.
You feel restless and tired most of the time.

Are you even allowed to lament when the AIDS epidemic is sweeping across Africa wiping out entire villages?

Are you even allowed to lament when there is genocide still present in Darfur?

A friend sent this to me today, and for that I'm thankful. A passage from Psalm 27:

7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

I'm just sitting here and waiting, Lord.

peace,

Collision at the Coliseum

2008-09-12T08:46:00.006-04:00

I updated this post reflecting back now below:

OH - IO!!

Alright, well here we go again. THE Ohio State Buckeyes find themselves in another huge spotlight game coming off of 2 embarassing performances in the past couple National Championship games. By the way, we get tons of smack for that, but I was just wondering where your teams were when we were in the championship game? just checking ;)

So, Chris "Beanie" Wells may or may not play cuz of his toe injury. I'm not sure if that's going to be the difference maker anyway.
Here is my breakdown:
- Can Ohio State overcome big plays early to keep the L.A. Coliseum crowd from being a factor? Nope, they didn't
- Boekman or Pryor at QB for the Bucks? I think if Pryor plays a lot then the Bucks are in trouble and desperate. If Boekman plays the majority of the game it means we're in control of the tempo and momentum. Buckeyes got desperate
- 2 great defenses with lots of playmakers, who will force the most turnovers? USC did easily
- Execution, Ohio State cannot afford to leave any points on the field. Down 14-3, chance to make it 14-10 going into halftime had TD taken back cuz of holding penalty then missed Field goal.

My prediction:
Even though there are 2 great defenses, I see a lot of big plays in this game so it won't be so low scoring.
The Ohio State University Buckeyes 28
University of Southern California 27

We lost big time!

have a blessed weekend,

The Stick gods?

2008-09-10T13:00:00.001-04:00

Jeremiah 10
The Stick Gods
1-5 Listen to the Message that God is sending your way, House of Israel. Listen most carefully:
"Don't take the godless nations as your models.
Don't be impressed by their glamour and glitz,
no matter how much they're impressed.
The religion of these peoples
is nothing but smoke.
An idol is nothing but a tree chopped down,
then shaped by a woodsman's ax.
They trim it with tinsel and balls,
use hammer and nails to keep it upright.
It's like a scarecrow in a cabbage patch—can't talk!
Dead wood that has to be carried—can't walk!
Don't be impressed by such stuff.
It's useless for either good or evil."

6-9All this is nothing compared to you, O God.
You're wondrously great, famously great.
Who can fail to be impressed by you, King of the nations?
It's your very nature to be worshiped!
Look far and wide among the elite of the nations.
The best they can come up with is nothing compared to you.
Stupidly, they line them up—a lineup of sticks,
good for nothing but making smoke.
Gilded with silver foil from Tarshish,
covered with gold from Uphaz,
Hung with violet and purple fabrics—
no matter how fancy the sticks, they're still sticks.

10But God is the real thing—
the living God, the eternal King.
When he's angry, Earth shakes.
Yes, and the godless nations quake.

11-15"Tell them this, 'The stick gods
who made nothing, neither sky nor earth,
Will come to nothing
on the earth and under the sky.'"
But it is God whose power made the earth,
whose wisdom gave shape to the world,
who crafted the cosmos.
He thunders, and rain pours down.
He sends the clouds soaring.
He embellishes the storm with lightnings,
launches wind from his warehouse.
Stick-god worshipers looking mighty foolish,
god-makers embarrassed by their handmade gods!
Their gods are frauds—dead sticks,
deadwood gods, tasteless jokes.
When the fires of judgment come, they'll be ashes.

16But the Portion-of-Jacob is the real thing.
He put the whole universe together
And pays special attention to Israel.
His name? God-of-the-Angel-Armies!

draw your own conclusions.

peace,

Tropic Thunder 2 thumbs up

2008-09-09T09:31:00.003-04:00

Saw this flick with Johnson and McGillivary last night and it is ridiculous and hilarious at the same time. One of the best satires on the entire movie industry I've ever seen. It pains me to say this but Tom Cruise's part was my favorite as he portrayed a middle-aged Jewish movie mogul, amazing. Do not bring the kids, but see this movie if you just need to laugh at things you probably shouldn't be laughing at. I'm looking forward to my second showing sometime in the future.

On another note, I have to propose a new MAN Law. As I mentioned earlier, Glenn Johnson and Paul McGillivary were out last night. We try to get together every other Monday evening typically for Starbucks and conversation but last night we opted for dinner and guy movie. We met for dinner at Red Robin, Paul and I gorged ourselves on chicken/burgers and fries and Glenn came late. He had already eaten so all he ordered was a "Hawaian Hearththrob Smoothie". And the it came, a spiral glass filled with a pink smoothie topped with cherries and pineapple. MEN can not order tropical pink smoothies out with other men for dinner, with your wife maybe if you're splitting it with her, but not as your only order at a table of guys. That's a MAN Law. Johnson, your Man card has been suspended until further notice. I couldn't help but ask our female server if she had ever seen a man order in such a way and she responded, "never". In his old age, Johnson is transforming into his boyhood idol, George Michael. Please, Glenn, snap out of it and wake me up before you go go. MAN LAW! (rant over)

Fly Eagles Fly, on the road to Victory!

2008-09-08T10:25:00.002-04:00

Since the Bengals have decided to not even compete this year and the owner is ready to throw us into another decade of vomit-inducing play and decisions, I'll have to check back in with them next August to see if they want to be a real NFL team. For now I have no other choice but to pick back up on my Philly roots and give the Eagles first place in my football heart again. Typically for me each season its Bengals first, Eagles second, providing the Bengals field an NFL team. Since we havne't done that this year, it will be Eagles first now.

So let's let the fight song rip:

Fly, Eagles fly, on the road to victory
Fight, Eagles, fight! Score a touchdown one-two-three
Hit 'em low, hit 'em high,
And watch our Eagles fly
Fly, Eagles fly, on the road to victory
E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!