Pages From the Pursuit

REALMnotes - Phillipians Week #1 (Humility) - 09MAR10

2010-03-10T11:42:00.001-06:00

Last night we began our series in Phillipians, where we will cover a few of the overarching themes over the next few weeks. Below is the outline with basic points that I used to conduct the talk and generate the associated questions about the topic of Being Like Christ in our Humility. Main text: Phillipians 2:1-11 Verses 1-4 give us instructions on how we should view ourselves and treat others

Water Consumption on Ice

2010-03-10T07:26:00.001-06:00

From this post: The water utility in Edmonton, EPCOR, published the most incredible graph of water consumption last week. Everyone waited to use the restroom until the periods were over! Simply awesome!

On My Cross - TuesdayTunes

2010-03-09T12:18:00.002-06:00

Lyrics for "On My Cross" by FFH: How wide is Your love That You would stretch Your arms And go around the world And why for me would a Savior's cry be heard I don't know Why You went where I was meant to go I don't know Why You love me so Those were my nails That was my crown That pierced Your hands and Your brow Those were my thorns Those were my scorns Those were my tears that fell down

Pre-recorded President

2010-03-05T07:17:00.000-06:00

Obama Caught Lip-Syncing Speech

The Declaration: Too Late to Apologize

2010-03-03T12:08:00.001-06:00

(HT: Vitamin Z)

John 11 - TuesdayTunes

2010-03-02T12:11:00.027-06:00

This is a favorite of mine. Lyrics for "John 11" from the album "The Hymnal" by Randall Goodgame: Friends I've lied more times than I've been caught And too many times I take more than I give And when I want my way the way I want I'm hopeless Everyday I have to die so I can live Sometimes I get angry I just scream and yell I think I'd rather just go to Hell But when I finally shed my pride

A Small, Soft Touch

2010-03-01T12:10:00.003-06:00

At the end of a busy, yet enjoyable weekend, I went to bed early last night with a migraine. A couple of hours later, I woke up as Lisa joined me and felt a lot better. Between 2 and 4:30am, Lydia was awake off and on, crying and basically wanting up. In the 4 o'clock hour, I brought Lydia to our bed with the hope that she would fall asleep. For the first few minutes she was lying next to me, she

The Introduction 2.0

2010-02-23T11:05:00.007-06:00

Anticipated Arrival Date: 26SEP10At this point, Lisa has felt a bit more queasy than when she was pregnant with Lydia. She hasn't been physically sick, but she has felt more nauseous and tired than she was during her first pregnancy.I'm pretty much thrilled and am looking ofrward to this part of the journey again. I'm sure it will be quite a bit different, as we have Lydia to take care of this

Glory to God Forever - TuesdayTunes

2010-02-23T07:10:00.000-06:00

Lyrics for "Glory To God Forever" by Fee Verse 1 Before the world was made Before you spoke it to be You were the King of Kings Yeah you were, yeah you were And now you’re reigning still Enthroned above all things Angels and saints cry out We join them as we sing Chorus Glory to God, Glory to God Glory to God, Forever Verse 2 Creator God you gave Me breath so I could praise Your great

What Uncle Sam's House Looks Like

2010-02-22T17:26:00.005-06:00

Since Lisa and I have been working diligently on getting out of debt (excluding the house debt), I find myself continuously perturbed by the actions of our Federal Government (read "Total Outstanding Debt Owed by the US Federal Government"). When I think about how hard Lisa and I have worked to eliminate our debt by making some tough choices and sacrificing certain luxuries, it infuriates me to

Elton John and Jesus

2010-02-18T11:42:00.003-06:00

I just read this quote of Elton John which is from an upcoming Parade magazine article: "I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel." Based upon this quote alone it is easy for me to say that Elton John is not a

I Bowed on My Knees - TuesdayTunes

2010-02-16T06:45:00.007-06:00

Lyrics for "I Bowed On My Knees" by the Gaither Vocal Band: I dreamed of a city called Glory It was so bright and so fair As I entered that gate, I cried holy All the angels met me there And They carried me from mansion to mansion And all The sights I saw I said I want to see Jesus He's the One who died for all I bowed on my knees and cried Holy, holy, holy I clapped my hands and sang Glory,

Another Time, Another Place - TuesdayTunes

2010-02-09T11:17:00.006-06:00

This song was in my head this morning for some reason. When it first came out, my sister Sonja and I would sing it together. I'm not sure why we never sang it for church, but it was fun to sing. Lyrics for "Another Time, Another Place" by Sandy Patti with Wayne Watson: [female] I've always heard there is a land Beyond the mortal dreams of man [male] Where every tear will be left behind But it

The Big Red Tractor

2010-02-08T18:09:00.003-06:00

The Big Red Tractor from Jacob Lewis on Vimeo. (HT: Vitamin Z)

Total Outstanding Debt Owed by the US Federal Government

2010-02-05T11:47:00.007-06:00

Yesterday, I found myself wondering what the current level of debt owed by the United States government is, as well as what the history is of the United States Federal Government functioning under an outstanding debt. I very quickly found the data here, but I was unable to easily find a clear graphic representation of that information. I created the following graphs to visually represent the

REALMnotes - Axiom (Week1) 02FEB10

2010-02-03T20:59:00.001-06:00

Here are the questions we thought about and talked about last night at the REALM. This was the beginning of a discussion that will be carried on and expounded upon further by Chris and Bruce over the next two weeks. It would be beneficial for you to read through the questions and then look up the verses listed below, as preparation for next week. Last night we spent a lot of time in small groups

The Perfect Ten - TuesdayTunes

2010-02-02T11:45:00.002-06:00

This song was in my head last night, so enjoy this old school "Angel's Aware" song. New Acoustic Version: Original Version:

Jesus' Message Demanded Change

2010-02-02T07:18:00.001-06:00

Jesus made it impossible for any hearer to walk away indifferent. Some left angry; some were deeply troubled by what He had to say; many had their eyes opened; and many more hardened their hearts against His message. Some became His disciples, and others became His adversaries. But no one who listened to Him preach very long could possibly remain unchanged or apathetic.-- p.162, The Jesus You

From Peanuts to the Pressbox - Book Review

2010-02-01T20:11:00.000-06:00

As a person who has always loved sports, I hoped that "From Peanuts to the Pressbox" by Eli Gold would not be entirely focussed on the life and travails of the author, and thus be a total disappointment. What I found was a nice blend of personal biography and opinion, mixed with the kind of stories you hope to hear from someone who has been in the radio/television business for so long. I had

The Aim of Jesus' Preaching

2010-01-30T07:57:00.000-06:00

There was much positive energy in the initial eagerness of the crowds that followed Jesus. He might have harnassed that and doubled or tripled the size of His congregation. He did not do that. He did the exact opposite - deliberately. Again, He was not interested in increasing the ranks of halfhearted disciples. His preaching had one aim: to declare truth, not to win accolades from the audience.

The State of the Union 2010 - My Thoughts

2010-01-28T11:29:00.006-06:00

I am getting ready to read through and listen to the State of the Union address that the President gave last night (video). Below are my thoughts as the speech unfolds. Any quotes have been taken directly from the official White House transcript. One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by a severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse, and a government deeply

The Gospel Often Offends

2010-01-27T17:01:00.000-06:00

"In other words, the difference between Jesus and the Pharisees was not that they had differing customs regarding how to observe the Sabbath; it was that they held contradictory views on the way of salvation. That truth was too important to bury under the blanket of artificial civility. The gospel must be defended against lies and false teaching, and the fact that gospel truth often offends event

Student Loans

2010-01-26T17:32:00.078-06:00

Since I graduated from undergraduate school in May of 1999, I have carried a student loan debt that I did a pretty good job of ignoring. There were several periods of time when the loan was put into hardship deferral, and several more months where I simply was unable to make the payment (not the recommended method). When we got married, I carried this debt into our new family. At the time, it

Hope For Haiti Now - TuesdayTunes

2010-01-26T07:14:00.002-06:00

Lisa and I caught the first portion of the "Hope For Haiti Now" telethon last week, that has raised over $61 million at this point in time. Below are some of my favorite performances from the evening. You can purchase the album here.

If God is Omnipotent, Why Do Bad Things Happen?

2010-01-20T17:38:00.002-06:00

The above clip is from a sermon Voddie Baucham gave entitled "The Supremacy of Christ and Truth in a Postmodern World" during the 2006 Desiring God National Conference. The full video is worth your time and can be watched / listened to here.