I finished the book of Job today… and they were talking about arrogance. Job was arrogant cause he said he was innocent. His friends were arrogant cause they seemed to know better than Job how he conducts his life. Elihu was arrogant cause he comes in as an outside observer (who is young, by the way) and makes grandiose claims about how smart he is.

I was noticing the past couple days just observing some folks who are younger than me… they’re somewhat arrogant. 🙂 Not bad. They are all good folks. But, they are more sure of themselves, more self emphatuated than perhaps they should be. 🙂 At first I was taken aback when I saw these minor comments or actions, but I just figured… they’re young. They’ll learn. You’re not as important as you thought you were.

I was never like that I bet.

🙂

I went to the dentist today. And I had a cavity drilled out and fixed. My mouth still hurts from the huge needles inserted in my gums so that I wouldn’t feel any pain… (that is a funny sentence…) But, I am completely fixed now (no cavities) and thank to a cool lesson from the dentist on how my mouth works and how to take care of it (I mean a very cool indepth lesson) I shouldn’t ever have cavities again!

BUT, I will. I know I will. I know that I can avoid all the pain (and expense!) of the dentist now because I know exactly what causes cavities, and I have experienced how much they hurt. So all I have to do is avoid eating those foods. And continue with a good regimen of brushing and flossing.

But I won’t. I will continue to make excuses to not brush, or floss. It takes too much time. I am too tired. And, I can’t really stop eating Ice Cream, now, can I? It’s just who I am!

Sound familiar?

Just had a conversation today with Ian about disobedience. I asked him what good he gets out of disobeying or going against anything we have told him. And he said, well, nothing really. In today’s example he just got to stay up instead of sleeping (as mom had told him) Then we figured out that the bad is far worse… he gets privileges removed and a strained relationship with mom and dad. That is very bad stuff for Ian. So, all he has to do is obey and do what he knows is right.

But he won’t. Just like I won’t.

All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.

We are not smart. We continue to do the stuff that hurts us for what we think at the moment is our gain. Really, we just get to not sleep (which isn’t good for us anyway) Or, we get to taste the ice cream – and then have a large man jam a needle into our head and then drill half of our tooth away. Ouch!

I ended our conversation by asking Ian how his disobeying affects how much I love him. "Does it make me love you less?" I asked? "Yes…" he replied ashamedly. I firmly and lovingly assured him… "NO." You can never change that. Ever. I will always love you. You may strain our relationship by disobedience… but, I will ALWAYS love you.

I may mess up and my relationship with my Father may need work occasionally, but I can always count on his love. He took my guilt and put it on Jesus so I would always know I can come back to him.

Rotten teeth and all.

We are doing a parenting course with 4 other couples we know – and it is chock full of great stuff. Last week’s lesson was called the Father’s Mandate. Just speaking mainly to dads about the importance, the significance, the magnitude of our role in our children’s lives. Dad is a very significant person in our lives. Everything we do (or DON’T do) carries just a little more weight. So, we really need to be building into our kids lives – encouraging, etc.

I was just amazed again that I get to be the Dad! That is so crazy. For my kids… I, little ol’ me… am DAD. Just hit me hard – the responsibility and great privilege of that. So, I am trying extra hard this week to remember the impact that I can and do have on my boys.

Well, as per the suggestion of the course, I decided to leave Ian a little note in his home school books to tell him how much I love him. Just a little post it note. Well, when he found it today, he read it with mom and said in a high-pitch excited voice "THANK YOU DAD!!!! Thank you for my NOTE!!!!" And he quickly proceeded to stick the sticky note right front and center on his chest. 🙂 That made me smile. 🙂

Then I just got home from some errands and find on my desk a note card in Ian’s handwriting saying To: Dad – Love Ian – Thank you for the card. Love – Ian. It was so easy… but hopefully will go a long way in building that trust in me — that he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am 100% for him. That he means more than he can know to me. That I am his dad.

I was just talking with God this morning, and something struck me. He is totally aware of how I am feeling, what I am saying, what my worries and fears are, where I am at rest… everything. He is completely aware of me.

But it doesn’t stop there… He is aware of you. He knows what you are doing right now, he knows how you are feeling, you even knows what you are thinking.

But it doesn’t stop there… at the same time he knows you and me, he is completely aware of EVERYONE else!!! Not only those here on earth, but those who are with him in paradise. (Luke 23:43)

The Bible tells us a bunch just how much God knows us. It says in Psalm 139 that he "knit us together in our mother’s womb" (which is fairly intimate knowledge… and goes back pretty far in our lives…) and also in verse 4 it says, "before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, oh Lord." And in Isaiah 49:1 it says, "Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name." And elsewhere it talks about God knowing our hearts… not just looking at the outside.

How can he know ALL of that about ALL of us?? What an amazing God.

Then, after I thought all of that in one very cool instant… I read my daily Bible reading, and topped that off with a couple Max Lucado chapters. He is a great writer. Very simple, but just great stuff. And you know what it was about today?

Go ahead, take a guess.

Really.

Got it? What’s your guess?

RIGHT! About how Jesus knows us. He referred quite often to Heb 2 where it talks about Jesus being like us in everyway. He experienced EVERYTHING you or I have ever or will ever experience… so, when we need help… or when we "don’t"… He’s been there.

That is a great thing to know. Often I try and think of someone I can talk to about something I am going through in life. Many times it will be my parents. Others it’s a close friend. Often it is Jen. But, many times, I just can’t find anyone who is going through EXACTLY what I am going through.

But he has. He is aware. He’s been there, done that.

How incredible is our God. That he could be all things to all people. Even me!

I remember hearing about eBay 4 or 5 years ago and thinking … what is that? What’s all the fuss about? Well, lemme tell ya. Not only can you get yourself some amazing deals on eBay – even on NEW stuff… you can also clean out your attic and make over $400!!! Awesome!! Thank you God for paying our bills even through eBay! 🙂

We went to a church membership class last night at one of our home churches… and, well, it just got me thinking about the whole idea of church membership.

I don’t really agree with it. 🙂 I mean, I agree with being a member of THE Church… but, not really all these little man-made things we call churches. Seems to me like that is an addition we don’t have to make.

(1) it causes division by making distinctions between Christians, and asking people to "take a side"… that bothers me

(2) there is no mention of church membership in the bible… we are all members of ONE body (it does say that)

(3) the whole idea of going through a class (and then there is an application you fill out) to qualify for being a member of a church seems ridiculous to me. I already know… I DON’T qualify. 🙂 I am a sinner saved by grace. Period. I don’t get in based on what I believe or who I align myself with.

(4) because i am a member of one "church" does not preclude me from being a member of another at the same time — i think i mentioned this before… we are all members of one body…

There’s lots more… that’s just my initial thinking.

One more major thing I noticed… the whole membership process is an attempt to skirt the relational issue. The church is a body, a family, a living entity. God is building it. He has the membership list. We don’t need to separate out the "members" from the non-members. It is a beaurocratic, institutional way to keep tabs on people (one reason given for membership is "so that we know who is teaching or leading"…. well, excuse me, but do you think sitting through a 2-hour class and signing a paper is going to help you "KNOW" who’s teaching??? I don’t think so!) We need to focus less on the procedures and more on the people… more on knowing each other – doing life together.

So… that’s my two-cents for now.

I have more… stay tuned…

Am I a heretic if I am not concerned about the point of salvation, but rather the Person of Salvation?

Am I a heretic if I think the time and place and method of Jesus’ return comes in a distant second to the fact that he IS going to return?

Am I a heretic if I think that we need to care more about loving all of the different parts of God’s body rather than getting them all to think alike?

Am I a heretic when I say Jesus was not as concerned what his doctrine was but who his doctrine affected?

Am I a heretic if I don’t really care WHEN we get the Holy Spirit, I am just awed that God himself chooses to live in me?

Am I a heretic if I am not as concerned with HOW God does stuff but just simply THAT He does stuff? And amazing stuff at that?

I hope I am not a heretic.

This topic has come up again in recent settings and discussions I have been in…

To our minds, there are limits. For instance… 100%. Means 100 parts per 100. You can not have more. That’s it. 100% is the maximum limit. End of story. So, when Jesus claims to be 100% Man (Heb 2:17) and at the same time 100% God (Col 1:19, 2:9) — well, we know that’s impossible.

Now most of us, being the good little Christians that we are say that we accept that on the surface… but when it comes down to it, we know that it is actually impossible, so we end up taking sides… if not on that issue, then on another mystery of God issue.

The issue of Calvinism vs. Arminianism came up at our membership class the other night. Crosswinds takes the Arminian stand. They say that God gave us all free-will to choose him, and that anyone can be saved. Scripture backs them up.

The Calvinist on the other hand says that God has predestined all who will be saved. That it is God who does the choosing and the saving. Scripture backs them up.

WHAT!? They can’t both be right??? Well, God has given us free-will, that is why we are in the mess we are in. We constantly make bad choices for ourselves and those around us. And, its says all to all who believe he will give the right to be called children of God. That means all. BUT, it also says in many places that God is sovereign, that God has predetermined salvation, that we are elected… all sorts of language like that. I lean more toward the arminian side, but I think there’s something bigger here.

Jesus is 100% man, 100% God. God is 100% Father, 100% Son & 100% Spirit…. and, he’s 100% 1 being. God’s numbering system is not ours. God can predestine and choose us all he wants and still make free-will work – and we don’t have to be able to understand it.

That is the main place we get into trouble… when we start trying to figure out HOW God does stuff, and not just trusting that He does. That is where doctrinal divides occur between Christian brothers. That is where arguments arise and divide.

So… next time you are tempted to ask – or especially to argue about – how God did, does or will do some specific thing… just remember…

Jesus is 100% man and 100% God. Total: 100%.

Hey, I just added a fun feature to the blog… YOU can comment on my thoughts and stuff… just… be nice… 🙂

I began writing a song as we were driving down a familiar stretch of highway in my home state of Ohio… oh, like a year or so ago. And it was great. But I only had 2 verses and a chorus. I knew there was more. But, had NOTHING… until a couple days ago… when the song just reformed in my brain and I instantly had the rest of the song!

Oh, I forgot to mention… the song was so cool… and was sorta like the glue that fit all the other songs together that I had recently written, that… we decided to make it the title song of our next regular recording project… BEFORE it was even finished! Really! We have the cover photo and everything planned… just needed to finish the song!!

Another neat thing… this song features Jen on the chorus. Another song I just wrote does the same… GO JEN!! 🙂

OK, without further adieu (or, whatever…)

Reach: (recording to follow later…)

Yesterday I was just lookin’ out my window

Drivin’ down that long highway

When I saw a tree that was breakin’ the horizon’s

Simple blue monotony

And I wondered how that acorn’s only child

Had managed life so all alone

And the tow’ring limbs that were reachin’ for the heavens

Explained their simple strategy

chorus

Reach for the sun above and the life that flows below

Reach and allow the Father’s heart to fill your own

But the reach alone will not sustain you

I need the Father’s hand

To reach for me

Years ago I was good at bein’ clumsy

Windin’ up on my rear end

But a stronger hand was always there to help me

To my feet to play again

But in the now I was taught to be sufficient

In my strength and mine alone

Somehow that seems so sterile cold and empty

How I long to just go home

bridge

If we let go of our ego – If we put aside our pride

If we just admit we need Him – More than anything in life

His arms will reach out to us – And catch us when we fall

He will break down insecurity – And help us stand up tall

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Words & Music by Greg Campbell. Copyright (c) 2004 basic music ministries. All Rights Reserved.