Matt Dabbs' Blog

Baby Dabbs!

2008-10-30T20:24:00.000-05:00

Just in case anyone stops by here we just had a baby boy last week! His name is Jonah and he is a real cutie! For more info come on over to wordpress and have a look.

Wordpress

2007-07-19T10:51:00.000-05:00

Things are moving along nicely at Wordpress. When you get a moment head over to my blog at its new address - mattdabbs.wordpress.com

I hadn't posted here since the move so I wanted to stop by for a bit. I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Changing to mattdabbs.wordpress.com

2007-05-08T14:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I am finally making the change to Wordpress. I have finally given in to all the hype and after playing around with the tools there I have decided that it is a better fit for me. There are so many more options and ways to organize things that it makes this blog seem extremely inefficient. So please venture over there and have a look and keep up all of the help you have been to me over the past year! I want to thank you for all your visits and for your comments. Everything has moved so quickly and it really makes me feel blessed because I feel like I have certainly grown in some areas spiritually through blogging this past year. This blog will stay right here for a long time so feel free to still use it as a resource but most of the tools have been duplicated at the new blog. God bless and hope to see you over at Word Press.

If you have linked to this blog could you please update your link to mattdabbs.wordpress.com

Thank you so much for everything.

What Language Will We Speak in Heaven - 2

2007-05-08T07:37:00.000-05:00

In the story of the Tower of Babel the people unite for a common purpose that is not centered on God but it focused on making a name for themselves. As you probably remember, the name of God and being the people bearing his name is a pretty important part of the Old Testament and the New Testament. As a result, God brings their project to a screeching hault by confusing their language. God scatters them all over the earth.

"In the last days the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills and all nations will stream to it." - Isaiah 2:2. In Isaiah 35 we have a picture of the return of God's people to Zion. The people return whole. The lame are walking and the blind see. The dangers and obstacles are all removed allowing God's people to approaching Zion. Zion is a place where all nations are welcomed in.

And I wonder that if the people at Babel were disperesed due to a plan that was not focused on God but on building a name for themselves that if when all nations are reunited and the Babel experience of dispersing the people from Babel into all the world is reversed, will the languages be reversed as well? Our plan will be refocused on God and those from all corners of the earth will stream into Zion, certainly our language barriers will be torn down as well and we will come full circle and the Babel experience is undone.

Gmail Offer

2007-05-07T20:57:00.000-05:00

I wanted to offer a courtesy to any of my readers who would like a gmail account to let me know and I will send you an offer. Gmail is a great service and a wonderful way to do email. I can only give one to the first 50 takers and we will see from there. Here are some links to check out.

Rob Bradshaw has a 3 part full text of F.F. Bruce on Gospel.
Bob Bliss contemplates better ways to incorporate scripture into worship.
Bob Cohoon talks about being pro-life.
Dee Andrews gives thanks in all circumstances.
Mark Elrod celebrates 10 years of blogging and 200,000 hits.
Mark Goodacre talks about the discovery of Herod's tomb.
Bobby Valentine continues his thoughts on heaven.

I hope you have had a blessed day!

What Language Will We Speak in Heaven?

2007-05-06T20:45:00.000-05:00

There are several questions that I have about heaven. One of them is, what language will we speak in heaven. I think that is a far more relevant question than asking God about UFOs or who shot JFK. If we are going to be in heaven and in community with people from all different countries and generations it seems like it is going to be pretty important to communicate with one another. Now, what I am about to say is pure conjecture but see what you think and let me know what ideas you have about it.

In the Bible God reveals himself to people in their native language. He speaks to Moses on Sinai in Hebrew. God, Jesus, and the angels reveal themselves to John in the book of revelation presumably in Greek or Aramaic. Obviously, God can use whatever language he wants because He knows it all anyway. But what about our communication with each other in heaven?

1 Corinthians 13 talks about the tongues of men and of angels so there seems to be a possiblity of other languages that could be used in heaven that we are not even aware of yet.
In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit comes upon the apostles and they begin to speak in tongues to the crowd of Jews from all over the world. Acts 2:6-8 says, "When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?"God grants the apostles the ability to speak other languages. Presumably when Peter alone addressed the crowd he spoke in Greek so that everyone present could understand him.
There is no scriptural example of this but I often wonder if when we get to heaven we will all speak our own language and hear each other in our own language. So I speak to Paul in English and he hears Greek. He replies in Greek and I hear his Greek response in English. I am probably going way out on a limb here but I think it is kind of fun to think about how this will work. That would allow us the full range of expression of our native language.
We could all know one language - Hebrew, Greek, etc. This would take away that old scholarly joke about those who know Greek & Hebrew will be the only ones who will be able to have conversations in heaven with those from the Bible.
We could all understand all languages present.

God has used language in a miraculous way in the past and it makes me wonder if there is something coming down the pipe that will blow our minds. Maybe there is an outside the box explanation that there will be something new that blows away everything that we have ever experienced here. We may not know for sure but certainly one day we will. Maybe we will sit around and talk about these comments and see who was closest ;)

Any way you cut it, it is miraculous. Whatever way God works this out I will certainly not take issue with. What ideas do you have?

Creation Sometimes has Teeth

2007-05-04T12:03:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite past times is playing disc golf. If you have never tried it you are really missing out. I have gotten to do some interesting things with disc golf including talk with this guy who was recently on Conan O' Brien (Conan actually does pretty well in this video) who is a former disc golf world champion. However, here in Florida there are a few things that you have to be careful of.

The first thing I figured out you have to be careful of are bees. I had a run in with some bees last summer and I think they won. I had an allergic reaction that was just a little bit scary especially when my face started to swell up and my entire body broke out in hives. Here is a lovely picture of my face about two hours after that attack that should probably go on my profile.

Today I learned another valuable lesson. Not only do you stay away from bees here in Florida but you should also probably avoid the gators too. I was playing the lovely hole pictured here this morning. Notice the sign that warns you not to swim and has the little red gator pictured on it. Well, as you can see you throw over the water and hope to land on the shore about 350 feet away. My friend and I both landed in the water. We walked over and stood on the edge of the water looking down for his disc. About five feet out an alligator surfaced and gave me a look. Thirty seconds difference and there may have been a different result. He wasn't huge but a 5 foot gator can still hurt you pretty badly. I have blogged before about the beauty of creation. Today I want to add to that a note to self - creation is beautiful but it also has teeth sometimes. Here is a slightly smaller sized gator I snapped a picture of on campus at the University of Florida.

Maybe I should take an early retirement from disc golf before it kills me.

New Link - Bible Maps

2007-05-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

http://www.biblemap.org/

I have just added this great site to the sidebar. It is a great tool to use on powerpoint in a Bible class or just for your own study. It combines a verse search of the Bible with links on the locations mentioned. The links take you to google earth satellite images of that location that are interactive. It is really pretty fascinating.

The Lost Art of Blessing - 3

2007-05-02T19:44:00.000-05:00

Jacob and Esau is the old familiar story of a sibling rivalry that even started in the womb. From day one, these brothers were in contention. Esau was firstborn and with that came a great responsibility - dedicated to God, 2nd in command to the head of the household (Isaac), a responsibility to carry on the family lineage, and the birthright, which was a double portion of the inheritance.

In the ancient world all of these advantages of being firstborn were bound together in the blessing. The importance of the blessing has been overshadowed in this story by Jacob's deception of his brother. Nonetheless, the blessing was vitally important in their culture to pass on more than a genetic lineage to their children (which is some people's definition of father in our culture). In their world to be a father meant that it was expected for you to pass on a legacy that is firmly rooted in and united with God. Here are the words Isaac thought he was conferring upon Esau,

"And Isaac smelled the smell of his clothes and blessed him and said,
'See, the smell of my son as the smell of a field which God has blessed.
May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fat of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.
Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you.
Be Lord over your brothers and may your mother's son bow down to you.
Everyone who curses you be cursed and everyone who blesses you be blessed.'"
- Genesis 27:27-29

These words had far more value than any possession that one could inherit. It was coveted more tightly than the birthright. If given a choice of inheritance today between some words from your father or a double portion of the material possessions, most people today would take the latter. In their view, the blessing was of supreme importance as it was a vision cast of their future by the most important figure in their life, their father.

The NIV doesn't capture the irony of Isaac's words - "See, the smell of my son...". The NIV translates it "Ah, the smell of my son". Remember, Isaac was basically blind at this point. His nose was his eyes and his way of perceiving who he was dealing with (as were his hands - 27:22-23). As Frank Belizzi mentioned in a previous comment these blessings almost have a magical tone. If Isaac accidentally blesses a stranger, it still has weight to it in their culture. So he has to make sure he has the right person. These are powerful words and are not said haphazardly. They have weight and are to be lived out.

Notice that the blessing is rooted in God. God is the one who brings the blessing to fruition (27:27). God is the one who gives abundance (even heaven's dew - see Bobby Valentine's profile for a version of this word). Even his brother being his servant is a reminder that even that was the will of God given in a word from God (Gen 25:23). We talked before about blessing being more about a relationship than about material possessions. In this blessing, material possessions are mentioned. Why? Because Isaac wants his lineage to be passed on but notice that he recognizes where they come from - God.

Our relationship with God is talked about in father-son or father-child terms in scripture. God has a vision for a future for us that is filled with blessing and is centered on Him. He is the one who gives increase. He is the one who has been so close to us he can even recognize us by smell. Even though we are not the rightful recipients of the blessing, God has overlooked that and has given what we have not deserved by adopting us to sonship.

This also challenges parents to understand the importance of casting a vision for your children through a direct blessing. Know how they feel. Know how they smell. Know them. Bless them. Let them know that God will be a part of their life from this moment forward.

God bless.

Established 33 A.D. - 2

2007-05-02T14:14:00.000-05:00

The last humorous post of the day. I mentioned a while back that some churches have a plaque that talks about them being established in 33 A.D. Well, now you can have your own T-shirt to let the whole world know. It sure is hard to pull those buildings around for people to see those plaques. So go here and get one today!

More on blessings tomorrow.

How Much Difference Can One Word Make?

2007-05-02T13:04:00.000-05:00

We have been upgrading our church library for a few months now. A recent purchase finally came in from the UK after waiting over a month for it to arrive. It put a look on my face that I wish I had a picture of when I opened it up. I had ordered Abraham Malherbe's The Letters to the Thessalonians from the Anchor Bible Commentary series. What showed up? Well, all I can say is the first three words were correct but that last word sure makes a difference - The Letters to Penthouse (sorry, no links for that). Now that is a pretty bad mistake! Normally we scan the cover of our new books and advertise updates to the library but I don't think this one will make it any further than the trash can.

$2 million and no warranty?

2007-05-02T08:07:00.000-05:00

And now a break from our regularly scheduled program. The famed General Lee is up for sale on Ebay. Better hurry up while it is a steal at just over two million dollars. Or buy this one for only $1000 complete with exhaust snorkle and wench.

The Lost Art of Blessing - 2

2007-05-01T07:34:00.000-05:00

Let's unpack the blessing found in Number 6:22-27.

This blessing is directed to the people of God - Israel. The ironic thing about the blessing being on Israel is that Israel are those who strive with God and prevail. Israel was Jacob, who wrestled with God and what did he ask for before he would let the heavenly being go? He asked for a blessing (Gen 32:26). How ironic is it that God blesses those who can be so resistent to him? At this point they may not have made that connection but I think it is still a thought provoking point, that though we wrestle and strive with God, he is still willing to give us a blessing.

The structure of this blessing is a progession. In Hebrew the first line has 3 words, the second line 5 words, and the third line 7 words.

Line 1 - "The Lord bless you and keep you."
We tend to think that blessing is all about benefits. That is not the primary way that blessing was thought of in their day. Blessing was about a relationship. The benefits are only the result but are not primarily important. The relationship is primary. The Lord not only blesses them but he also keeps them. This term has to do with keeping watch over his people and preserving them from danger. So not only do we have a special and favorable relationship with God that results in numerous benefits but God is also preserving from harm and destruction. This shows that being blessed by God fills us up with the good and keeps away the bad and it is entirely based on a relationship that we have with him as his people, Israel. That is all couched in a relationship.

Line 2 - "The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you."
This is an expression of intense favor. When the Lord in all his glory reveals himself to his people, not only is the relationship that initiates the blessing upheld, but his people are looked upon with favor. The word for grace here has the same etymology as the name "Hannah." Naming your daughter Hannah in the OT was the same as naming her "Grace" today. Grace is the favor of God. There is that hymn about how God loves us and it has the line, "Grace and favor. Grace and favor." That really like saying, "Grace and grace. Grace and grace."

Line 3 - "The Lord lifts up his face upon you and give you peace."
There is a repetition here of the face of God. When the Lord lifts up his face toward you it is a sign of divine favor/grace and when he withdraws his face it is a sign of divine disfavor (Deut 31:18, Psalm 30:8, 44:25, 104:29). Not only that but God will give us peace/shalom. That is not just absence of war but wholeness in all areas of life.

6:27 - "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.
To receive the name of the Lord as his people is to be blessed. It is to be identified as his special possession. We have come full circle because like we said at the very beginning the primary focus of blessing is relationship and not abundance of possessions. When we pray and thank God for all our blessings we normally mean our homes, our cars, our things. They were thankful primarily for the blessing of having a relationship with God and bearing his name first and foremost. The rest are all secondary.

In the broader context of Numbers 5-7, the blessing is the basis of purity and why the people will hold to the covenant demands made on their lives. These three lines provide the blessing of God and his commitment and obligation to make good on his side of the covenant. God is committed to watching over his people, to show us favor, and to give us wholeness in all areas of life. We are committed to living lives of purity because we are in a relationship with God. Let us thank God "for blessing us" in our prayers with a whole new understanding of what that really means.

The Lost Art of Blessing - 1

2007-04-30T06:46:00.000-05:00

The next couple of posts are going to be about blessing. It is something we really don't practice in a biblical way any more. I am not talking about blessing the meal. I am talking about casting a vision and an expectation of a future that is inextricably tied to God. To kick it all off, here is a blessing for your day:

"The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

"The LORD bless you
and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."

So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."

Numbers 6:22-27

We will unpack that blessing later. Have a blessed day!

Established 33 A.D. - Hurdles to New Testament Christianity

2007-04-27T08:43:00.000-05:00

You have probably seen those signs on some of our churches displaying a particular church was established in 33 A.D. I appreciate that sentiment. I appreciate the fact that we are striving to be a church that is pleasing to God (although there were several churches in the first century that we wouldn't really want to emulate!). I appreciate our plea to go back to scripture and try to model our worship and lives after the first century church and Christians. In doing so we often turn to Acts, especially Acts 2, to find guidance in how the early church was started.

Here is what characterized the early church - "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:42-47).

We do a pretty good job at most of that. Which two of these are most neglected?

"everything in common..."
"Every day they continued to meet together..."

I wonder why that is? We claim to go against culture. We claim to be restoring the first century church (although there are some real problems with that claim in that we cannot fully return to their way of doing things because of major cultural differences like technology, household structures, etc). Do we not do these two things very well because it was a different culture back then? Or do we not do these two things because of just how inconvenient they are. I know I would have a real hard time being the first to sell my home and start sharing everything I have with people. After all, there are people who would just take and take and never give back. Meet together every day? We have too much going on. There is a lot on the agenda and doing that would be too much! You can't expect us to do that! We have a hard enough time making it Wednesday night. They were able to do it because it was important to them.

Hurdle 1 - Inconvenience.
Why were these people so different? Did they just have lots of time on their hands and loads of money to give away? No. They also had jobs. They didn't have welfare systems to fall back on. They had to fight for their survival. They didn't have unlimited time for this but they sacrificed. They didn't have millions of dollars to give away. Many gave out of their poverty but many gave anyway. It wasn't convenient for them but inconvenient for us. Those things don't come naturally to anyone, regardless of culture and yet they did it. Why? Because they had their eyes on Jesus who gave everything. They were so relieved to be forgiven that giving of their lives to one another and to Christ seemed the natural thing to do. They saw each other as their new family and they were there to help each other through thick and thin because that is what family does.

If we are going to pride ourselves on our similarity with the first century church, we have some major hurtles to overcome and it starts with a thorough understanding of Christ and his sacrifice for us. Out of that will flow a deeper investment of our lives with each other. How do you think we could do a better job of giving ourselves to each other sacrifically? In answering that, remember that what we practice is an outflow of who we are and what we believe - how can we better equip people from the inside out to be more serious in their walk with Jesus Christ that it would result in people willing to sacrifice to this degree?

Hurdle 2 - Minimalism
There is a real tendency to do the things that they did in the least intrusive way as possible. They broke bread/took the Lord's Supper as a meal. We make it a tiny crumb and a little cup. Our view has been because we are partaking of what they partook of things are exactly right. There is good evidence to suggest that they didn't have tiny plastic cups and thin little crackers. They had a meal together and probably even had discussions about Christ around the table. That has a completely different feeling and purpose about it than our individualized and self-reflecting take on the Lord's Supper. Where did that start? Minimalism.

They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching. People today consider you devoted if you go to church Sunday and Wednesday. They called devoted every day. They had everything in common and shared. We give a portion, seperate and apart from the rest of worship. It has been minimalized. They were praising God. We don't know how many songs they sang or what songs they sang. Possibly the psalms? But we do know that today people get upset if we add a song here or there or change the order of things from the usual. Why? We have to get to lunch and beat the other churches to the buffet. We have minimalized it! Why? Because doing more is inconvenient. I don't think Christ died on the cross to get us to lunch quicker or because he wanted us to purchase mass quantities of tiny cups and crackers so we could check off our check boxes. He did it because he wanted us to be changed. It was certainly inconvenient for Jesus to have to do all of that and good thing he didn't minimalize the answer or else we would all be in trouble.

We notice that the first Christians were doing great when they were devoted to each other and to God even if it was inconvenient and to the fullest (rather than the minimum) extent of their lives. Now let's go and do likewise!

Thank You

2007-04-27T07:14:00.000-05:00

I know blogging can be a real time investment. There are so many choices out there and interesting places to visit. I probably have about 50 blogs bookmarked in my favorites and it is really hard to spend much time in places and comment on any kind of regular basis. I am really thankful that I have had the support that I have here. Not because this is a popularity contest but because I really believe that through this medium we can help each other grow and mature in our faith. Thank you!

Fascinated by Grace

2007-04-26T07:26:00.000-05:00

Do you remember this discussion from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?

Clark: Since this is Aunt Bethany's 80th Christmas, I think she should lead us in the saying of Grace.
Aunt Bethany: [turns to Lewis] What, dear?
Nora Griswold: Grace!
Aunt Bethany: Grace? She passed away thirty years ago.
Uncle Lewis: They want you to say Grace.
[Bethany shakes her head in confusion]
Uncle Lewis: The BLESSING!
Aunt Bethany: [they all pose for prayer] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands/ One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Clark: Amen.

In my opinion, grace is one of the most fascinating aspects of the kingdom of God. It is pretty clear that Paul held it in high regard, starting his letters with "grace and peace" (also known as the greeting on Steve Puckett's blog). This was Paul's unique twist and word play on the typical Greek introduction to letters "Greeting" (chairein) changed to "Grace" (charis). You can find the traditional Greek greeting in two letters recorded in Acts ( Acts 15:23 and Acts 23:26).

If there was anyone who understood grace it was Saul. In his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus he came face to face with the one he had persecuted for so long. He stood in the presence of the one who had the power to bring an end to his reign of terror by ending his life just as had been done earlier to Ananias and Sapphira. And Christ did just that. He ended Saul's life as he knew it. Christ brought an end to the persecution through grace. Saul didn't get what he deserved. He was spared and reconciled with Christ. After that Saul, now named Paul, preached a message of reconciliation through grace. [By the way, some think his name may have been Saul Paul - first name, last name because "Paul" was always used as a last name at this time and never a first name.]

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again...All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Cor 5:14-15, 18-21.

While the word "grace" is not present, the concept is. For several generations we have been afraid to talk about grace because we were afraid someone may rationalize sin more easily, after all, God is just going to forgive it anyway. Yet we have not strayed from preaching and teaching reconciliation. If you remove grace from the picture but still teach reconciliation, the question is "reconciled by what?" Are we reconciled by our good works? Is everyone reconciled no matter what? Are we reconciled if our good outweighs our bad? When grace is removed we have an empty and powerless picture of reconciliation that puts all the burden on us and creates a guilt-ridden people who are unable to be sure of their salvation because they might slip up at the last minute and die before they can ask for forgiveness.

Grace. We cannot fear its misuse. It is a greater injustice to remove it from our teaching, preaching, and theology than it is to risk that someone might misuse it as a rationale for sin. When people have the proper understanding of grace, it should compell us to live more holy lives and not the other way around. This is not a new problem. Paul addresses this in Romans 6, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (6:1-2). Paul goes on to say, "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace" (6:13-14).

Paul's point is, the very reason Christians avoid sin is because of grace! This is essential to having a healthy relationship with God. Yet many have tried to remove it because they have feared the opposite would happen. They feared greater grace would lead to greater sin. Paul says that grace is the very reason we are no longer mastered by sin. That is good news. I am fascinated by grace because it flies in the face of everything the world has to offer and even the order that this world operates by. Why? Because we are "longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called [our] God, for he has prepared a city for [us] - Heb 11:16. Let the grace of God compell us all to live more holy lives in response to all that he has done for us!

Grace Destroys...

2007-04-24T08:58:00.000-05:00

Grace tears down the walls of legalism and fear that have been held up for so long as the pattern for the New testament church but have only resulted in a secluded and sterile group of lonely and self-righteous tyrants. Grace destroys the mentality that the criteria for judgment is the proper understanding on all points in scripture and puts the price for our sins and misunderstandings on the one who has already paid it all. Grace dismantles the shackles that have been placed on hearts by well-intentioned men who thought they had cornered the market on God's affection by their own righteousness. Grace breaks down the schemes of the evil one who seeks to distort our view of God and rely on ourselves as the ultimate authority. Grace destroys attitudes of envy and hatred through followers who practice the grace they have received from Christ toward others. Grace breaks all obstacles to the in-breaking kingdom of God and removes all hindrances and excuses making the pathway to God accessible to all regardless of race, social status, or popularity. What is more, grace reconciles all those previously mentioned under one head and puts us all on equal standing in the sight of God. The legalist, the self-righteous, the "wishy washy," the calloused, the proud, the doubtful, the depressed, the tyrant, the manic, the (fill in your worst quality here ________) are all brought together and sanctified by that same grace because God is in the business of making broken people whole.

Sharpening Each Other

2007-04-24T08:12:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Scripture makes it clear that each of us has an important role - to serve as a sharpening agent in the lives of others. In one word - equipping. Just as iron is sharpened for a purpose, our lives are sharpened by each other for a purpose. Sharp iron is not meant to be left on the shelf but to be used for a purpose. But this can only happen once the iron is sharp and that happens through our interactions with each other.

Before we can be sharpened we must be forged. Gordon MacDonald in his book Christ Followers in the Real World talks about his visit to a blacksmith's shop. He talks about the, "dumpy old shack with an open front, bits and pieces of metal stacked or shelved everywhere." When you look at those stacks of metal you cannot help but realize the potential that lies on the shelf. There are so many things the blacksmith can produce from those chunks of metal but first they have to be brought off the shelf, heated intensely and put on the anvil and formed by the blacksmith.

What happens next? What happens when the tool made by the blacksmith becomes used and worn and no longer effectively carries out its purpose? It gets sharpened. It gets retooled and equipped to be used effectively again. We are part of that process for each other. I am sure you could name several people who have served that role in your life. And we are called to pass it on. Iron doesn't sharpen iron without contact. Iron doesn't sharpen iron without some clashes and tension. But in the end both pieces end up sharper than ever before.

The Perks of Youth Ministry

2007-04-23T09:11:00.001-05:00

See what your youth minister is doing while away at conferences. This is hillarious. Warning, satire ahead.

"Old Man Strength"

2007-04-21T20:59:00.000-05:00

There is some kind of superhuman strength that men get at the moment they have their first child. I don't exactly understand why but somehow dad's have something I have always thought of as "old man strength." When I was a kid, no matter how fast I got or how many weights I lifted it always seemed like my dad was still slightly faster and slightly stronger. I could have beat him in the bench press or in number of pounds lifted but he just had this practical strength that I never could quite match.

I think I have finally figured out how men acquire this strength. It is called home ownership. Owning a home really gives you a work out. There are so many things to take care of and things that have to get done. So now instead of letting those things stress me out, I see it as developing my "old man strength," so that someday when I have children of my own they will also be able to learn about and appreciate "old man strength" too.

That got me thinking about spiritual strength. There is an expectation that we will exercise our spiritual muscles and grow strong in our faith. 1 Timothy 4:8 - "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Cor 16:13-14 - "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. "Do everything in love."

There is also an expectation that we will have a diet that matures as we grow. Peter talks about beginnning our faith like newborn babies, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" 1 Peter 2:1-3. Milk is the perfect food for infants but imagine how unhealthy it would be if that is all you ate your entire life! We eventually grow into other types of food as we mature. The Hebrew writer talks about this in Hebrews 5:13-14 "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."

Once we have been Christians for a while there is an expectation that we will mature. Our prayers will no longer be, "now I lay me" or "guide, guard, and direct us." They will change as our relationship with God changes. We don't tell our loved ones the same thing every time we see them and the same is true with God. We will no longer only read our favorite verses. We will start reading more of what God has to say to us and begin digesting more difficult things. We will no longer see people like we used to. Something happens to our eyes as we mature and we begin to see people as Christ sees them (2 Cor 5:16). Christ didn't look down on people so how can we? When we are mature life will be different. We are either maturing or stagnating and the call is pretty clear which one God desires. So let's exercise our spiritual muscles and mature in our faith. Let's develop some "old man strength" in our faith that comes from years of practical use doing things that make a difference.

Some Things to Enjoy

2007-04-21T07:57:00.000-05:00

Mike Cope has a great post about Richard Hays and Randy Harris.
Bob Bliss on Jack Bauer and cell phones.
Bobby Valentine's take on creation and new creation.
Houston Heflin on another post about creation.
Frank Belizzi has a question about some guy named Herman , last name Neutics.
Neva on handling fear.

Enjoying the Beauty of Creation

2007-04-20T11:39:00.000-05:00

We woke up this morning to a flock of egrets in our backyard and took this picture. If that wasn't enough, we have a lake two blocks south of our house that is the home to thousands of egrets, ducks, and great herons. I was driving around the lake and saw a HUGE turtle basking in the road. He was at least two feet long. I drove home, got the camera, and came back but a taxi driver had stopped and put him back in the water and he was long gone. I am in awe of creation. I am reminded of God's words to Job:

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone-while the morning stars sang together and all the angels ^[a]... "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'? "Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place...Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death ^[b]? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. "What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen? "Can you bind the beautiful ^[c] Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons ^[d]or lead out the Bear ^[e] with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's ^[f] dominion over the earth? "Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?Do they report to you, 'Here we are'? Who endowed the heart ^[g] with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind ^[h] "Do you hunt the prey for the lioness? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food? Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn? Do you count the months till they bear?Do you know the time they give birth? "The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but they cannot compare with the pinions and feathers of the stork. She lays her eggs on the groundand lets them warm in the sand, unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild animal may trample them. She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;she cares not that her labor was in vain, for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense...Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south? Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high?

Job's response:

"I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more."...I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Job 38:4-42:6

He is God and we are not. Step outside and find the beauty of God's creation even in the most unlikely of places.

Psychology of Blogrolls

2007-04-19T08:12:00.001-05:00

Blogrolls - most blogs have them but how do they reflect on us as people? Let's start with a couple of questions.

1 - Do you predominantly post on blogs that have blogrolls? If yes,

Do you ever go back to those blogs to check and see if they added you to their blogroll due to your insightful and witty comments?
Do you ever add anyone to your blogroll in hopes that that person will see it and add you to theirs?

2 - If you have a blogroll, do you have any blogs on it that are of diverging viewpoints from your own? If yes,

What got you to select those blogs even though you disagree with part of their viewpoint?

3 - Do you tend to comment more on blogs that generate a lot of hits and less on blogs that are more obscure?

Have you ever gone to the topsites and gone to the top couple of blogs to read and comment to see if it would generate more traffic on your own blog?

4 - What was your intention when you first started blogging? Has it changed?

When you finally find a medium to make a difference and to challenge yourself and others to deepen our knowledge of God and relationship with Him I really think that Satan would like to detour us into thinking that the focus is really ourselves. If he can get our thoughts off of God and put our thoughts on to what could generate discussion, what could stir up 100 comments on a post, what could make you more popular then the battle is already won. We are not the focus, He is.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

I wonder if what is inside our hearts and motivations in blogging can be seen by our answers to some of the above questions. It is human nature to seek approval and desrie attention. It is natural to want to be heard and to feel significant. But if the truth be told that is probably not the initial reason most of us started blogging. With a few minor changes in attitude and thinking the focus of what we do can change from making a difference for God to making a difference for self. Have you ever had a day when you had many more hits than you have had in a while and it made you feel better, not better because you had made a difference, but better because people were listening?

Jeremiah was a prophet with direct revelation from God. He had an unpopular message that surely wouldn't have generated very many hits if he were here today blogging his message but it was still important. Technorati would not list this guy in the top lists of number of links but he still spoke out faithfully.
Some of the most important blogs and websites out there are not the ones with millions of hits talking in abstraction about minutia and finely-tuned theologies but the ones that are out to make a difference for God in a practical way through service. They may not be noticed by many people or show up in the blogrolls but they are making a difference that will last forever.

Here are some things to try out:

I would challenge all of you to add to your blogrolls blogs that you don't quite agree with but you know have some things that challenge you in difficult areas of your life. One way I have done this is by adding Mark Elrod and Greg Kendall-ball first of all because I know them and respect them as people and second of all because their views on war, nonviolence, and pacifism stretch me and challenge my thinking. If you only surround yourself with people you agree with 100% chances are you won't grow very much.
Remind yourself of why you got into this whole thing and see how your motivations for blogging have grown or regressed.
Examine your motives that determine where you post and where you don't. See if your comments are heart driven out of love for God or driven out of a desire for more traffic

So this post is dedicated to the faithful blogger who posts day in and day out, many comments or few, lots of links or little more than a handful, all because they are trying to make a difference in the lives of others with little concern for popularity, links, or self-promotion. Sorry to end this so soon, I have to go to technorati and sitemeter and see how I am doing!

Thankful in Adversity - Please Pray

2007-04-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

One of our members is really struggling with cancer. She just got some results back that did not look good at all. She has the most amazing attitude and only focuses on everyone else even though she is going through so much. Tonight she told my wife that when she got her results back the first thing she thought was she would never get to babysit our children. Missy and I don't have any kids yet but one day we will and she keeps telling us how much she wants to be a part of their lives. She is one of the most unselfish people I have ever met. Please pray that she will be able to live long enough to babysit our children some day.