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memorial places

OK, I love Genesis 35:13-15:  

"13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.  14 Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it.  15 Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel." What great imagery.  I can just picture Jacob overcome with a sense of Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides.  It's interesting to note that the place that he went back to, that was so special and meaningful to him, was the place where God was most personal to him!  In Jacob's case it was the place where God audibly spoke to him.  Then Jacob poured out a drink offering and oil on the stone pillar that he set up as a memorial of what God had done.  Those stones with the drink and oil dripping from them was a place for Jacob to remember God working in his life.

Do you have memories of God speaking to you or moving in your life in a particular way?  Do remember the place and circumstance surrounding that time? I recall when God was leading me into full-time Christian ministry as a 16 year old kid at Awanita Valley in South Carolina.  I remember God working through some serious spiritual issues in my freshman dorm room in Lynchburg, VA.  I remember the tree that I sat under on the Appalachian Trail when He told me that I was supposed to ask Cynthia to marry me (so glad she said 'yes').  I can recall the bed that I was sitting on, one sleepless night, when God began to renew his call on my life in our apartment in Kennesaw, Ga.  These are very vivid memories.  It's too bad that I can't build and altar at these places, like Jacob did; but my memory will have to be my memorial. So where is your memorial?  Where did you accept Him as your Savior?  Where did he call you to live a better life than the year before?  Where was it that He told you to finally rid yourself of that nasty habit?  Do you have that memorial place where God spoke to you or moved significantly in your life?  I'd love to hear about your memorial place.  Leave a short comment and let me know about that place where God took care of business with you, just like He did with Jacob.

inauguration day

As I begin writing this, the clock just struck midnight EST on January 20th, 2009.  Now, I really don't like to blog about politics, but today's Inauguration is history, not politics.  I just can't allow the 2009 Inauguration go by without saying something about the significance of the day and our responsibilities as Christians as a result.

As an American, I believe that today is a watershed day in our country's quest to blot out the dark and destructive mark of racism from our history.  Regardless of where you stand politically, you simply cannot deny that the Inauguration of Barack Obama today is a benchmark in our nation's history.  Barack Obama taking the oath of office is, in some sense, the culmination of the sacrifice of those who died for the abolition of slavery and those who stood boldly against the strong tide of  racism and bigotry that gripped our nation during the past century.

As a Christian, I believe we have a God-inspired obligation to pray for our nation's leadership, including and especially for President-Elect Barack Obama.  In I Timothy 2:1-2, Paul exhorts us that "...requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."

Christians, we ought to heartily support President Obama on those issues with which we agree; we should respectfully, resolutely and appropriately oppose him on those issues with which we disagree; but more importantly, we should passionately and specifically pray for President Obama often!  For more information on how we can pray for our new president, visit The Presidnetial Prayer Team's website.  Let's join together in prayer, starting today, for our new Presidnet, Barack Obama!

You Version

OK, I've been looking for an online tool to use this year to focus my Bible study/reading/devotions around and I found the International Bible Societies read through the Bible in a Year.  I was excited about using it and I still may use it.  Specifically, because it has a function where it will read the daily passage through some type of MP3 player. However, my wife found the coolest thing that I AM going to use this year which will allow you to write an online private journal about your thoughts on that particular passage. It's in beta, but it's pretty cool, Check out youversion.

character in crisis

There is a great passage in Nehemiah 5, where the prophet Nehemiah is angry with the Jewish people because they are engaged in charging interest against loans given to their own people.  He asked them to stop immediately, and these words totally jumped out at me today:  "Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? The Jews who charged interest were essentially putting their brothers and sisters back into slavery.  There were doing this so that they could pay their own taxes and possibly their debt to the king.  It was a time of harsh economic downturn; a famine of unprecedented proportions.  And these Jews were resorting to unusual and unsavory practices to cover their own butts.  They violated their own personal values and dishonored God in the process.

But the issue isn't money, or the lack thereof.  The issue is character; faithfulness to God in desperate times.  We don't have a clue about a famine, but these, by modern standards, are severe economic times.  I know that I've done things in my past that have not honored God during times of stress and crisis.  So how do we act and respond today?  Do we crack and make our problems others or do we stand resolute, steadfast, honorable to God and his Word?  In 2009, which by many experts predictions will be tougher than 2008, I'm asking God to give me the courage and character to stand strong!

" it's my pleasure "

I LOVE Chick-fil-a!  If they were traded in the market, I would be the first in line to buy stock.  In recent years CFA has replaced "Your welcome" with "It's my pleasure."  It was a nice change and I'm sure was in some ways was implemented as part of their corporate culture because "Your welcome" has become trite and cliche'.

However, I have become increasingly aware that "It's my pleasure" can become just as wrote and trite!  Today, after ordering a #1 Value meal LARGE size (I'm waiting to diet until January 5th) I told the guy taking my order, "Have a nice day" and he responded with "It's my pleasure."  I laughed and he didn't even catch it.  In that instance, I could have said "The world is coming to an end" or "I drive a pink minivan with red velvet interior" and I would have gotten, "It's my pleasure."

OK, it's just a funny observation and will in no way taint my impression of CFA.  I'm sure that before the week is out I'll be visiting CFA again, if the budget allows.  And just to clear things up I drive a gray Ford F-150 with manly interior!

"It's my pleasure"....ur...uh...I mean "Have a nice day...."

cleaning up

I had minor surgery earlier this week and used today to recover and also do some clean up work on my pc, specifically the "My Documents" portion of my pc.  I haven't done this in well over 5 years.  Not only did it feel good to get my pc all cleaned up but I found important documents that I had been looking for for years. 

However, the more important result of this little, pain in the butt, exercise was that it caused me to pause and reflect on all that God has done in our lives this past half decade. Georgia, New York, South Carolina; the birth of a girl, the birth of a boy; three different churches; four residences; hundred's of friend and perhaps thousands of lives changed! 

Although I've had my days over the last 5 years today trying to figure out what God was doing, today I was thankful for the crazy life that God has give us these past years.  I wouldn't want it any other way.  I've had my moments of doubt, but today I was reminded about the promise that Paul gives to Philippians and to all of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus: Philippians 1:6 "6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

i had a rough day...

OK, I had a pretty rough day at church.  Check out our campus blog.

no more gongysmos!

I was listening to a podcast from one of my favorite pastor's - Rob Bell from Mars Hill Church - while on one of my morning jogs earlier this week.  Rob is going through the book of Philippians and talked about Philippians 2:14 "Do everything without complaining or arguing."  I never knew this but, but the Greek word for grumbling that is used here is the Greek word gongysomas.  Now, that mean's nothing to you and me, but seriously, don't you love that word?  Here is what it means: arguing-foolish disputatious reasoning - reasoning that have ulterior and malicious desires.

As I was running and listening, I realized two things: 1 - Paul's audience was the Philippians.  They were fairly mature Christians and his writings are one's of encouragement.  I think that even the most mature Christians needs to be reminded often to not grumble and argue. 2 - Recently, I've been the biggest gongysmos"er" that I know!  My life sometimes is boiled down to how much I just gongysmos all the time!  I get my eye off the ball and get very petty and trite.  I must correct that and be, as Paul says just like a few verses later "shine like stars in the universe" So, who wants to join me?  Let's shine like stars and....no more gongysmos!

wheres the leadership?

Remember the old Wendy's commercial, "...where's the beef?"  After Tuesday's election, I find myself asking "where the leadership?"  I'm an old hard-core Republican who has been tempered in recent years, because of a renewed passion and call to reach others for Christ.  That mission supersedes and is more important than any political party affiliation.

Although I no longer like to label myself, I still hold closely to the conservative values that generally define the Republican party.  All the conservative and some of the liberal pundits were blaming the GOP loss on wrong values, misguided passion and off-target mission!  I can't disagree, but I do have to add one major issue that too many GOP affiliates won't admit because it might hurt their own political careers.  That issue is that there is NO clear leader in the GOP....not one!

Republicans controlled the executive branch for 8 years and both houses of Congress for 4 of those 8 and in that time didn't develop one leader for the future.  Of course, that may be because there was no compelling leader in place making sure that happened in the first place.

My old boss, John Maxwell use to say: "EVERYTHING rises and falls on leadership."  If the GOP wants to see America flourish under conservative values, they need to start looking long and hard within for a leader!  Tackle that issue and then move on to issues, values, voter registration!  EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING will rise and fall on who that leader is!

my teams

I'll spare you my ranting...but you did NOT want to be playing for one of my teams this past week...

unless you are playing for my English team...