1. This would be aaaaammmmmmmaaaaazzzzzzing. I’d probably sweat a gallon or two from nervousness leading up to the jump, but it would be so worth it.

2. People who claim to have all the answers bother me. I found this interview of a ex-megachurch pastor who has Lou Gehrig’s disease very interesting.

3. “Where are the young men and women of this generation who will hold their lives cheap and be faithful even unto death?  Where are those who will lose their lives for Christ’s sake — flinging them away for love of him?  Where are those who will live dangerously and be reckless in his service?  Where are his lovers — those who love him and the souls of men more than their own reputations or comfort or very life?

Where are the men who say ‘no’ to self, who take up Christ’s cross to bear it after him, who are willing to be nailed to it in college or office, home or mission field, who are willing, if need be, to bleed, to suffer and to die on it?

Where are the adventurers, the explorers, the buccaneers for God, who count one human soul of far greater value than the rise or fall of an empire?  Where are the men who are willing to pay the price of vision?

Where are the men of prayer?

Where are God’s men in this day of God’s power?”

Howard Guinness, Sacrifice (Chicago, 1947),(HT: Ray Ortlund)

4. An encouraging write up on Martin Luther and hospitality.

5. JK Rowling has signed a deal to write a new series of books geared towards adults! According to the article it’ll have nothing to do with the Harry Potter universe. Perhaps it’ll be about an 40 year old man named Barry who goes on magical adventures with his co-workers. Perhaps.

Cinco De Viernes: Swing, Swing, Swing is a post from: Teh Lemonsmith

Expect spoddy blog posts for the next seven days. I’m super busy figuring out life. In the meantime enjoy this piece of art that I created during the busy workday.

Block Town is Under Attack! is a post from: Teh Lemonsmith

Is achieving extra super-human strength possible? I’ve heard stories of mother’s lifting cars over their head to save their children, and tales of really swoll dudes lifting big rocks. But for us normal folk, how can we become SUPER powerful? I think this kid is onto something…


I think I caught a glimpse…..Did you?

How To Get SUPER Powerful is a post from: Teh Lemonsmith

When your friend asks you if you want to plant a vineyard – you take him up on the offer. Not only will it be a great conversational starter at any and all wine events for the rest of your life, but you’ll have also have something to chit chat Jesus about. oh, you made wine? me too, Jesus, me too.

The Day We Planted Wine Plants is a post from: Teh Lemonsmith

“If Jesus is precious to you, you will not be able to keep your good news to yourself. You will be whispering it into your child’s ear. You will be telling it to your husband. You will be earnestly imparting it to your friend. Without the charms of eloquence you will be more than eloquent: your heart will speak, and your eyes will flash as you talk of His sweet love.

Every Christian here is either a missionary or an impostor. Recollect that. You either try to spread abroad the kingdom of Christ, or else you do not love Him at all. It cannot be that there is a high appreciation of Jesus and a totally silent tongue about Him. Of course I do not mean by that, that those who use the pen are silent: they are not. And those who help others to use the tongue, or spread that which others have written, are doing their part well: but that man who says, ‘I believe in Jesus,’ but does not think enough of Jesus ever to tell another about Him, by mouth, or pen, or tract, is an impostor.

You are either doing good, or you are not good yourself. If thou knowest Christ, thou art as one that has found honey. Thou wilt call others to taste of it. Thou art like the lepers who found the food which the Syrians had cast away: thou wilt go to Samaria and tell the hungry crowd that thou hast found Jesus, and art anxious that they should find Him too. Be wise in your generation, and speak of Him in fitting ways and at fitting times, and so in every place proclaim the fact that Jesus is most precious to your soul.”

-Charles Spurgeon

Your Eyes Will Flash is a post from: Teh Lemonsmith

Drink your orange juice everybody. I woke up this morning with my throat feeling like the back of a walrus. no bueno.

Here’ s the internet line up for this week. remember to wash those hands.

1. This song is the epitome of the type of music that I love. catchy, the same chorus sung over and over and over, and a happy beat. so fun.

2. Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz  has been made into a movie, and it’s going to be released April 13th! Hip! Hip!

3. Robbie my mustached bicycle riding friend turned me onto 18 Miles Per Hour some time ago, and it’s quickly turned into my favorite bike related read. This post on Irrational Bike Collapse Nightmare is spot on. All bike riders at some point have a mental nightmare that they’re bike is going to disintegrate underneath them. To me this isn’t irrational, it’s a safety mechanism.

4. Scot McKnight’s book The King Jesus Gospel is in my book reading queue, because it sounds thought provoking. Here’s an interview of him on Ed Stetzer’s blog on the book. The differences McKnight makes between a Soterian gospel and what he calls The King Jesus Gospel to me seem reasonable. If anyone knows of a good counter-argument read against McKnight’s line of thinking, let me know.

5.

Cinco De Viernes: Walrus Throat is a post from: Teh Lemonsmith

In the morning
After taking cold shower
—–what a mistake—–
I look at the mirror.

There, a funny guy,
Grey hair, white beard, wrinkled skin,
—–what a pity—–
Poor, dirty, old man!
He is not me, absolutely not.

Land and life
Fishing  in the ocean
Sleeping in the desert with stars
Building a shelter in the mountains
Farming the ancient way
Singing with coyotes
Singing against nuclear war–
I’ll never be tired of life.
Now I’m seventeen years old,
Very charming young man.

I sit down quietly in lotus position,
Meditating, meditating for nothing.
Suddenly a voice comes to me:
“To stay young,
To save the world,
Break the mirror.”

 - Nanao Sakaki

Break The Mirror is a post from: Teh Lemonsmith

As my friend Jon puts it, “Ritter knows how to cut straight to the core.” I can’t agree more.

Josh Ritter – The River is a post from: Teh Lemonsmith

Photo Credit: ElvertBarnes (Creative Commons)

There’s a kid in my Sunday school class who is small and energetic and Mexican and sings at the top of his lungs. His name is Robert, and God has given him the most wretched singing voice in the world. If I had a pair of goggles that could be used to see sound I wouldn’t be surprised to see the noises from Robert’s mouth as Alvin & the Chipmunks singing Christmas carols while being grated alive with a cheese grater. Awful, right? (truly, it is that bad.)

Sometimes as the entire class sings in worship together, and Robert is sounding extra loud and extra terrible I fight the temptation to walk over to Robert, crouch down to his level, and place my hand over his mouth while gently asking him to give the pipes a rest. Why don’t you sit this one out Robert? Take a quick breather.

But I don’t, because I think that we get bonus jewels in heaven for persevering through trials like this. WE DO GET JEWELS FOR THIS RIGHT?

The truth of the matter is that while Robert’s singing makes me want to blast my ear drums out with M-8Os, God loves it.

Psalm 30:4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,and give thanks to his holy name.

Zechariah 2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

God loves to hear us sing to Him. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got the voice of an angel or an old badger, He loves it. We need to stop worrying about what the people in the pew in front us think. We need to stop being ashamed of our voices. We need to stop dwelling on the fact that “I DON’T SING” and we need to start opening our mouths and let the song come out.

It’s no wonder that God loves to hear us sing to Him. Have you ever stopped to listen to your church as they sing to God? It’s a beautiful sound.

We are his creation – his gravel voiced, high-pitched, scratchy, soft, wonderful, singing creation. Take a note from Robert, and praise our Maker with the voice He has give you.

Why I Sing at Church Even When My Voice Sounds Like A Garbage Disposal is a post from: Teh Lemonsmith

“And I didn’t understand why as usual God couldn’t give me a loud or obvious answer, through a megaphone or thunder, skywriting or stigmata. Why does God always use dreams, intuition, memory, phone calls, vague stirrings in my heart? I would say that this really doesn’t work for me at all. Except that it does. ”

-Anne Lamott Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

Dreams, Phone Calls, and Vague Stirrings is a post from: Teh Lemonsmith