B. Michael's Blog

CHURCH-GOING 101 - SUNDAY SCHOOL

2010-01-11T22:13:00.001-05:00

After much contemplation on what to write about in the new year (new decade), I decided that we could all use a refresher course on church-going. So whether you’re fairly new to church, or if you wrote the book on pew-sittin’, this one’s for you! So…for our first class…

SUNDAY SCHOOL

I like to think of Sunday School as the most casual part of the formal Sunday services. It’s like the meet-and-greet with hors d’oeuvres before the feast begins. Originally, Sunday School was designed to teach lay people how to read and write. Though I’m sure the Bible was used, the main point wasn’t to teach spiritual truth, but to bribe people into coming to church. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Sunday School is now the premier place where we are obedient to the Scriptural command to teach the Word.

“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also…”

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”

- II Timothy 2:2 & 3:16

While the Bible places the responsibility of training up and teaching the next generation solely on the parents, Sunday School is a great place for people of all ages to sit down with others and be taught the Bible. Sunday School is also a great place for lost people to be introduced to the church, and to the Bible, and to Jesus!

In order to be good Sunday School pupils/classmates, follow these simple rules:

1. If you don’t have anything nice to say, then…find something nice to say!

A good Sunday School class requires good discussion. Awkward silences are okay sometimes…but seriously…speak up! And men…step up and read (I know it’s scary the first time) when the teacher asks for someone to read a passage of Scripture…don’t let the women have all the fun!

2. Listen to your teacher!

Sunday School is a class setting with teachers and pupil after all. As good students of anyone who is teaching the Bible, we should always strive to be good listeners. And, on top of that, we are to be studious as well. When you hear biblical truth…you should always make sure that it is biblical…and truth!

“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

- Acts 17:11

3. Respect one another; Play nice; Don’t eat the glue.

But seriously…Sunday School is one of the best places to get plugged into your church body and minister to one another. Don’t waste time with your fellow church members…make full use of your time and your gifts. Let’s have a heart to serve one another.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but the same God who empowers them all in everyone.”

- Ephesians 4:32 & I Corinthians 12:4-6

Put me in coach!

PRAGMATIC THEOLOGY: MEMORIZING SCRIPTURE

2010-01-04T16:35:00.002-05:00

Athanasius was a Patristic (early church father) of the fourth century who was a theological giant. We learn much about Christian history from his writings and teachings. But before he began his ministry in his local church by becoming a deacon, there were some stringent requirements. These are the books of the Bible that he was required to have committed to memory before becoming a deacon: the entire Psalter (all 150 Psalms), one major prophet (Daniel did not count because it was too short), one Gospel, and all the New Testament epistles.

Our culture is so separated from this oral memory culture that this seems unthinkable to us.

Today, our schools do not teach how to do math in your head…they teach how to use a calculator. Our universities do not teach doctors how to diagnose and treat diseases…they teach how to look up symptoms in a book or computer to find the right treatment. Our churches do not teach us how to “hide God’s word in our heart,” but they teach us how to use biblegateway.com.

Using your resources is one of the greatest skills I acquired growing up in scouting, but I do not believe that a greater availability of resources (internet, books, etc…) gives us the excuse to ignore the command in Scripture to memorize. Here are three reasons we MUST discipline ourselves to memorize the Word of God:

1. Jesus did it! Re-reading the Temptations of Christ (Matthew 4:1-11) will give us a practical example of how Jesus Himself used His Scripture memory verses to combat the tempter’s wiles.

2. The Sword of the Spirit is our main weapon! Putting on the whole Armor of God is so “that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-20). This military metaphor is primary talking about arming yourself with the Word of God: The Belt of Truth, the shoes are the “readiness given by the gospel of peace,” the Shield of Faith that extinguishes all the flaming darts of the evil one, and of course the Sword of the Spirit, “which is the Word of God.”

3. No excuses! Besides the fact that this spiritual discipline is not a suggestion, it is a command, we are all more than capable of memorization. Depending on your age, you can more than likely finish at least one of these phrases exactly:

• “Praise God from whom all blessing flow…”

• “Green acres is the place to be…”

• “West Philadelphia borned and raised…”

• “If you like to talk to tomatoes…”

Repetition…repetition…repetition! Members of the early church would recite psalms congregationally on a weekly basis. What can you do on a regular basis to obey this verse:

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

- Psalm 119:11

Or this one:

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

- Psalm 119:9

PRAGMATIC THEOLOGY – IS PRAYER A CONVERSATION?

2010-01-04T16:24:00.003-05:00

There is a popular teaching going around that prayer is a conversation between you and God. Is this correct? Is prayer a conversation between God and man? Is it two-directional? What does the Bible say? Anyone who goes against this teaching sounds unspiritual. It sounds really good to say that we should both speak AND listen. But is this what Jesus did? Is this what he taught his disciples to do?

I think that, while it may sound spiritual to both speak to and listen to God in prayer, this is not biblical and is actually damaging to our understanding of how we relate to God. Let me make myself clear before you call for my excommunication! I do believe that prayer is communication with God. However, I believe that it is only one-way communication. The Bible teaches us that God has spoken to us in many ways:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…

- Hebrews 1:1

Despite the diversity of ways God has spoken, you will not find prayer among them. God has always been very specific about how He is to be approached and about how He speaks to people. It is not wise for us to get this wrong.

What does God say about prayer? On this side of the Cross, Jesus preached on this very topic and even gives us an example prayer in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:5-14. If prayer, then, is one-way, how do we hear from God? How do we find God’s will? As Hebrews 1:1 says above, God has spoken to us already, through the prophets of old and more recently through His Son.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

- John 1:1

This Word is Jesus Christ and He has spoken very clearly. Jesus is God’s revelation! Romans 5:8 says that God has demonstrated His love for us in that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” If we want to hear from God, then we need to listen to what He has already said. We need to trust that the Word of God is sufficient to speak to us even today.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

- Hebrews 4:12

All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

- II Timothy 3:16

Do we really believe that the Bible is sufficient to speak into our lives? Let us not only be hearers, do doers of the Word!

ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU’RE OBEYING THE GREAT COMMISSION?

2009-09-11T14:55:00.002-05:00

As Southern Baptists, we pride ourselves on having a solid biblical theology and obeying the Great Commission. However, so many times when I ask our own church members what the Great Commission is, I hear “go into all the world and preach the gospel.” While this is part of our Command, it is not the whole of the Great Commission. Here is the Great Commission:

And Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
- Matthew 28:18-20

While you no doubt have heard this passage preached hundreds of time, it is the Great Imperative for those who claim to be “disciples,” or followers of Jesus, and therefore we would do well to pay great attention to it! In light of this, let’s look a little closer at this passage:

First of all, it is important to understand the grammar of verse nineteen. There are four verbs of importance here: “go,” “make disciples,” “baptizing,” & “teaching.” Because of popular marketing schemes and the structure of the verse in English, most people believe that the main verb here is “go.” This common mistake is detrimental to our understanding of the Great Commission. Let me explain why. The verbs “go,””baptizing,” and “teaching” are all participles of the main verb in this passage: “make disciples.”

If you hear the staff here at First Southern talking a lot about discipleship and making disciples, please know that there is a very good reason why we do. If you get tired of hearing it, don’t get mad at us, take it up with Jesus. He left this command as both His last words on this earth and as our job as his followers until He returns. I’m proud to be a part of a staff that is not concerned with tickling ears (II Timothy 4:3-4) and is concerned with obeying the command of Christ our Lord!

So why is it so important that we keep “make disciples” the main verb of the passage? Because the result is that we evangelize to make converts, but we don’t truly make disciples of the Lord.

Notice that the Great Commission is intrinsically self-replicating: The Command was given to disciples who were to make more disciples by “going,” “baptizing,” and “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This is an exponential system! God’s design is the best possible.

My brother’s church has a great one-on-one discipleship ministry, and their philosophy is that you have not truly made a disciple (obeyed the Great Commission) until after your disciple has made a disciple! I believe it is time that we up the ante at First Southern and start asking ourselves tough questions and examining ourselves (II Corinthians 13:5) to see whether we are truly making disciples, whether we are obeying the Great Commission, and whether we are even disciples ourselves. Paul tells us that it is good and right to examine yourself often. Let it begin with us.

Pragmatic Theology -- Personal Holiness

2009-09-01T20:40:00.003-05:00

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
Hebrews 12:3-4

Our pastor recently mentioned in his sermon that “God cares more about your holiness than He does your happiness.” This may come as a shock to some of us. Many people believe that a loving Creator would want His creatures to be happy. Well, He does. God does desire each man, woman, boy, and girl to have real joy. What’s the problem, then?

True, lasting joy is not the same as temporary happiness.

Our idea of happiness is “in-the-moment” and finite. God’s idea of happiness is eternal. True, lasting joy comes from doing exactly what God created us to do: worship. God, being our Creator, made us this way. and He knows that that is best for us. The only way for us to fulfill this purpose in our lives is to be holy, as God is holy (Leviticus 19:2). We find this holiness through the joy of knowing Jesus.

God clearly states that He “is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). This means that God wants you to know the joy of a relationship with Him by repenting of sin and trusting in Christ. Obviously, not everyone will come to know this joy, but for those who know Christ, joy and holiness go hand-in-hand.

We know that God cares so much about your personal holiness that He sent Christ to the cross for you. Jesus went to the point of death, even death on the cross because He wants you to be holy, as He is holy. This is how much Christ cares about your holiness. How much do you care about your own personal holiness? Is it to the point of “shedding your blood,” as the above passage mentions? Let us consider our own holiness, and be a penitent people before a holy God.

Pragmatic Theology -- Is Biblical Truth Being Taught in Your Church & Home?

2009-09-01T20:34:00.002-05:00

This next article in this series of simply practical articles addresses biblical teaching.

It is absolutely crucial that we guard our hearts and minds from false truth and the vain philosophies of our generation (Colossians 2:8). If we do not “guard the deposit entrusted” to us, we will lose the next generation to “irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (I Timothy 6:20). Satan is on the prowl as a roaring lion (I Peter 5:8), and we had better not let any sheep stray or they will be picked off. Postmodernism, biblical liberalism, and legalism are some of the threats to a solid biblical theology and worldview that we face today. The truest and best method of fighting these false truths on the home-front is solid biblical teaching. There are two major battlefields on home soil if you will: our church and our homes.

Biblical teaching in the church:

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored…
- II Thessalonians 3:1

A traveling evangelist recently showed up to our church on a Sunday morning and asked to speak in the morning worship service. Our pastor denied the gentleman this privilege. This may seem harsh to some, but standing in the pulpit and proclaiming a message to our congregation is not a light matter. We should always guard our pulpit with the utmost diligence. We are greatly blessed with a pastor who is very careful to preach biblical truth and only biblical truth from our pulpit. Just as much care must be taken when we place people in teaching positions in our flock. Sunday School and Bible Study teachers have a huge influence on each of us, and we cannot allow wolves in sheep clothing to be teaching our sheep. Perhaps we should put less effort and energy into pushing John to sing the songs we like and more effort into ensuring that the gospel is clearly preached and proclaimed through the songs, prayers, readings, and preaching each week!

If you teach, preach, or pray publicly, remember what an honor and privilege it is and stand in fear, as we will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1).

Biblical teaching in the home:

My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
- Proverbs 7:1-3

If you are a follower of Christ, you probably already know the Great Commission: to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20), but you may not apply this command to every aspect of your life. As a qualifier, Christ followed up this command with Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Yes, we are to make disciples of our friends, neighbors, countrymen, and even to the ends of the earth…but many times we miss the closest people to home…those who live in our homes! Our first and greatest task as mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, etc… is to ensure that the gospel is proclaimed in our homes and that solid biblical theology is taught in our homes.

But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
- Joshua 24:15

Pragmatic Theology -- The Quiet Time

2009-09-01T20:24:00.002-05:00

Around the office, we joke about what to write in our newsletter articles. Some of us plan out our articles in series that we believe will be helpful to you, our church family. Some of us wait until the deadline, and then write about recent events or things that have been on our heart. I would like to finish out this year’s articles by writing on very practical issues in the Christian’s life. I will begin with the importance of a quiet time. Anyone who has been in Southern Baptist churches for any amount of time has heard a lot about how they should have a quiet time. Although this can be redundant and sometimes naggy…we are blessed to be in a denomination that emphasizes the importance of having a personal relationship with God.

Christianity is set apart from all the other world religions because it is centered on having a RELATIONSHIP with the Holy God! All other religions fall tremendously short because they do not solve the problem of sin and separation with God: they simply give a list of guidelines by which you earn your way to heaven.

Because Christianity is based on a relationship with God…we know how to “practice” our religion. We practice Christianity just like we develop any relationship…by communication. Since the beginning of time, God’s plan for His people is to have a relationship with them. From the garden where they walked with God in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8), to the wilderness where God dwelt among His people in the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35), to the last days in which we live where the curtain has been torn in two (Matthew 27:51) and WE ARE the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us (I Corinthians 6:19-20), God desires a relationship with His Beloved.

And so, for us today, as always, there are two forms of communication with God: incoming and outgoing. With the nation of Israel, incoming communication from God was handled through prophets who delivered God’s messages, and outgoing communication to God was handled by priests who approached God on behalf of the nation. Today, God speaks to us (incoming) through His Word, and we speak to God (outgoing) through prayer. Both forms are approved and commanded by God for us today. This is why it is so important to have a time that you set aside each day to spend working on your relationship with God…i.e. a Quiet Time. All relationships take time and effort invested into communication and conversation…including our all-important relationship with God.

Some might say that having a specific block of time each day is too constraining and even legalistic. I would ask these people to read the accounts of great men and women of faith in the Bible and in our own, rich, Baptist history.

Developing your relationship with God MUST include both of these elements: Scripture intake (reading, studying, memorizing, & meditating) and Prayer. And what is more important when it comes to a conversation with God: talking or listening (of course…true study of God’s Word necessarily drives the redeemed to prayer)??

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
- Psalm 119:9

Stockholm Syndrome

2009-06-14T00:44:00.005-05:00

I found the fourth Lexington artifact!! Two free tickets for me! Question is...who will I take? If you have no idea what this means, sorry, I can't tell you: instruction number seven prohibits it.

Self-control

2009-04-10T15:11:00.003-05:00

Hello Church Family,
This month I’d like to share with you what the Lord has been teaching me. Just recently, I have been burdened by the fact that I have longed for, prayed for, and sought after the virtue of self-control for my whole Christian life. Being disciplined is a great aspiration, but I have never felt that I have totally mastered the art of self-control. I believe this is true for most of us. We long to use our time more wisely for the glory of God, and yet we are pulled in so many directions that it is hard to remain faithful to a regimented schedule. We long to be good stewards of our minds and thoughts by only thinking on things that are true, honorable, just, pure (Philippians 4:8), yet our minds are so easily distracted by the things of this world.

If you study the fruit of self-control in Scripture (yep…it’s a fruit! See Galatians 5:22-23 & II Timothy 1:7), you will see that it is a very popular topic of the New Testament. Pastors, older men, younger men, women, yes all Christians are commanded to be self-controlled. Proverbs 25:28 says “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” So how do we become more disciplined people?

Paul says in I Corinthians 9:25, “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” Then again in I Timothy 4:7-8 he states, “train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

My encouragement is this: first, pray for God’s help. If self-control truly is a fruit of the Spirit, then you are going to need the Holy Spirit’s help.

Second, declare war on your sin. The fight for self-control in the Believer’s life is a fight against sin (remember, self-control is a command from God). Whether you are aware of it or not, there is a war going on in your body (Romans 7:23). Until we recognize that there is a battle going on and start fighting against sin, sin will continue to hold the front lines with temptation and evil thoughts.

I will leave you with this quote from my professor, Dr. Temple:

Our sensuality is the major battle supply line for our sinful struggle.

Fight the good fight,
Brian

Prayer Templates - Repentance

2009-03-20T23:54:00.002-05:00

I find myself in need of repentance so often. Why I settle for the fleeting pleasures of sin when I have tasted the joy of knowing and savoring Christ, I don't know. But because I know that repentance is needed in all of our lives, I thought this post might be helpful. I did not invent this strategy, saints throughout the ages have been using it to know how to repent before a holy, righteous Father. It is Psalm 32. I can't tell you how many times I have prayed through this Psalm as a means of confession and repentance. Here is the text (ESV):

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Selah
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Selah
Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
Selah
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Freedom?!

2009-03-07T15:02:00.004-05:00

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God…
- I Peter 2:16

This verse is about our freedom in Christ. Freedom is an interesting topic. People have preached about it, sang about it, wept over it, lectured on it, given it, taken it, used it, abused it, prayed for it, lost it, found it, loved it, and died for it. So how should we as Believers view freedom? The Bible teaches that everyone is a slave to something:

…you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness…
- Romans 6:16b

This is the same passage that tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). But it also tells us that if you have trusted Christ as your Savior, “you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God.” When we were slaves to sin, the result was hell and damnation. Now that we are slaves to God, the result is sanctification and eternal life (Romans 6:22). So what does this mean for us? We should recognize that we, as humans, cannot be left to our own devices to do whatever we think right (Proverbs 21:2). We must entrust ourselves to God our Maker who knows what is best for us.

For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
- Romans 6:19b

When we do this, we understand that slavery to God is freedom. Freedom is not the ability to choose between good and evil. True freedom is to be set free from slavery to sin and set free to do what is pleasing in the sight of God.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
- John 8:36

Know this and live.

Ex Nihilio

2009-02-17T14:44:00.002-05:00

2009 is the year of living by faith in our student ministries at church! One of the things we will be doing this year is studying the Hall of Faith from Hebrews chapter eleven. To give you a peek into this exciting study, I’d like to take you to the first example of faith in the Hall of Faith:

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

- Hebrews 11:3

This is the first character of the Hall of Faith, but it is not a typical character…it is us! The rest of the characters on the list are Old Testament saints who proved their faith by persevering to the end and keeping their eyes on the prize. So it is interesting that he begins with us. This faith that we have in God creating the universe follows the author’s definition of what faith is:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

- Hebrews 11:1

Notice that faith is the “conviction of things not seen” in verse one. And then in verse three, we understand that God, who is spirit (John 4:24), and cannot be seen, created everything that is seen simply by speaking words: “Let there be…”
All that is sprang into existence out of what is not. God created everything ex nihilio (latin=out of nothing). We have a Creator who is so powerful that a few words spoke us into being. We must learn to fear God for who he is and what he has done. If a few words are that powerful, imagine what he could do by snapping his fingers!

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

- Matthew 10:28

Baby Asher

2009-02-14T02:26:00.004-05:00

Travis Asher Tyler

7 lbs. 3 oz.
19 in.

My pastor, mentor, and friend Travis and his wife Becki were just blessed with the arrival of their firstborn "Asher!"

This pic was taken on Asher's daddy's phone, sent to my phone, downloaded to my laptop, then uploaded here...I wish we had all this technology when my niece and nephews were born!

Top Ten Christian Cop-outs

2009-02-05T18:22:00.004-05:00

10. I need to spend more time with my family.
9. If I do that I will be robbing another Christian of a blessing.
8. I don't know enough about the Bible.
7. I don't feel like God's leading me that direction.
6. I've got baseball practice.
5. The New Testament doesn't actually say 10%.
4. My child is sick, so the whole family stayed home.
3. I witness by my actions.
2. I can worship God in the woods.

And the number one Christian Cop-out of all time:

1. I'm praying about it.

The Secret to Power Is Focus

2009-01-31T21:19:00.001-05:00

Feel maxed out?? Phew…I do!

Someone once told me that if you are overwhelmed then you are doing more that God has intended for you to do. The more people I talk to, the more I realize that we in America are spread so thin. We are so busy and overwhelmed with the living out of life that we become enslaved to those daily tasks. This makes us virtually useless in life. This holiday season, we must simplify and focus.

“The secret to power is focus.”

I recently heard a pastor use water to illustrate this point: If you pour a million gallons of water over a plain, you get a swamp. But if you pour a million gallons of water in a canal, you get a river that is capable of powering hydroelectric dams and transporting trade ships for miles.

“The secret to power is focus.”

A friend of mine told me a few days ago that if I could just learn to focus, I would be awesome. Of course, I didn’t know whether to take this as a complement or an insult. But it is so true. You cannot be the best at everything. A jack of all trades can do a lot, but usually cannot do any one thing very well. We would do well to seek the Lord’s will for our lives, find His purpose for us, and cast ourselves to that task without holding back. This may mean saying “no” to some great things because they are not part of God’s purpose for you. The Lord called me to ministry while I was a sophomore in college and He confirmed that call with one verse:

“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and declare to my people their iniquities and to the house of Jacob their sins.”
- Isaiah 58:1

Since then, it has been my goal to accomplish this calling to ministry using every fiber of my being. It is a blessing to know exactly what God’s will is for your life! But it is so very hard to figure that out. When I was seeking to know God’s will for my life, I prayed a lot, which is good. But it hit me suddenly one night that if I was going to hear a word from God, it would be through His Word!! God is not trying to hide His will from you. He has given you such great resources to figure it out: First, His Word; Second, intellect; And third, Church. Dig deep into the Word of God, He wrote it for you. Pray for wisdom to discover your purpose. And rely on your fellow church members to see gifts and abilities that God has given you. Say no to good things in order to focus on better things.

May God bless us as we learn how to find and do His will and simplify our lives.

Photos from Bogotá

2008-08-18T13:19:00.002-05:00

Photos:

picasaweb.google.com/brian.joines/bogot

¡Hola!

2008-08-06T22:40:00.003-05:00

This is a lady from the South side of Bogotá. We visited her a couple days ago in her salon where she is pictured here. Pastor Jacob has been building a relationship with her for a while and we were able to go in a speak with her and give her a copy of my testimony in Spanish that has the gospel in it.

Today was great because we were able to go back up to Monserrate and do some more prayer walking. We also prayer-walked the very center of the city which is where their government buildings are. Their president has done a lot for them and we just prayed fas we walked around that God would bless their government officials that they might see peace. Our prayer is along the lines of Proverbs 21:1 as far as their government is concerned: "The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will."

This morning before going up to Monserrate, we were able to tour the home of Quinta de Bolivar. He was cool back in the day. If you want more info than that then you can google him, lol. It was awesome and had some amazing gardens. Hence the picture.

One of our interpreters, Camila, brought me some more interesting fruit this morning. I don't remember the name of it, however, I do have pictures. It's a fruit that grows down in the lower altitudes where it's hot and they bring them up here to sale. It has a shell that you crack open with your teeth and then you suck out the seed that is covered with a slimy, yet satisfying, fruity stuff. More to come...got to go to bed.

His,
Brian

Back to School

2008-08-05T21:54:00.009-05:00

Hey peeps. Today was really good. This photo is actually from our first full day here, but I really wanted to post it for you. This is Cesar and me on the top of Monserrate. Cesar is one of our interpreters and we grew very close to him that first day. I'm praying that he will come back and hang out with us before the end of the week. He is seeking the truth, but he is not a believer. It's amazing to see how the Holy Spirit is working in his life.

Today we visited one of the major campuses in Bogotá and just prayer-walked the campus. That's why the title is "Back to School." Sharon is a journeyman here in Bogotá (a journeyman is young adult who serves on the mission field for two years), and she took us to the campus and led us around. I am very thankful for her service here.

This picture of all of us is from yesterday when we were on the Ciclovia (the road they closed down for bicycles, etc...I talked about it in yesterdays blog entry).

I am also posting a picture of some interesting fruit that Sharon encouraged me to try. It is called granadilla. It has a harder shell but looks like an orange. You push your thumb into the top of it and crack it open. Once your inside you see this caviar-looking stuff that you suck out. It's very slimy but is very sweet tasting. It's pretty good but is not my favorite fruit that they have down here (I love their fruits down here).

Yesterday I didn't get to post about our experience in southern Bogotá. We were able to visit a church in a very poor area of the city. We prayer-walked the neighborhood and were able to talk to a few people in the neighborhood. I was able to get my testimony translated before we left (which includes the gospel), and I gave away a few of them...God thing!! Pastor Jacob is the pastor of this poor Baptist Church, and he is an amazing light in this very dark part of town. The church needs a lot of work and a lot of prayer. The main thing that I want to tell you about this church is crazy, and there is no way for me to prepare you for it...so I'm just going to tell you. That church rents out it's sanctuary as a parking lot during the week to make some money for the church. Yes...it's true...the sanctuary!!

One of the things that Pastor Jacob does each week is ride his bike to five different "prayer points" around the city where he has built small prayer groups of about ten people who gather together and pray for their community. He rides ridiculous amounts to each of these points. The church is too small to pay him as paid staff and so he has family in the states who send him money for food each month. He is an inspiration to me.

This is a photo of Bobbie, Alex, Matt and me.

End of Another Great Day in Bogotá

2008-08-04T08:44:00.002-05:00

¡Hola de Bogotá! We had a great day today. We went to church with our missionary, Alex, this morning. It's a house church in the missionary's townhouse complex. We were able to worship in both Spanish and English which was amazing. Alex said that his goal for his church was that 100% of his membership would be active in serving the body and the community. That's a lofty goal. But what amazed me is that the current percentage of members that were actively serving was 50%!!!! If our church had that percentage of workers...wow!! What if only 50% tithed??!!!

I have been very intentional about trying authentic Colombian food so far. I've already had a couple interesting experiences with that! Today at a huge festival where there were over one hundred restaurants with booths a friend and I paid 20,000 Colombian pesos (~ $12) for a huge plate of meat and split it. I immediately dived into what looked like chicken. I found out that it was chiguido. Chiguido is a large rodent down here that is similar to a gigantic guinea pig. Alex, the missionary, doesn't even eat it. I have to say that it was very good. It was like spicy pork! I also found out later that it is endangered and that made me feel bad :).

After church we went to the Ciclovilla. That is an amazing thing that Bogotá does where they shut down one side of the largest road in the city every Sunday from 7am to 2pm to allow bicycles and rollerbladers and walkers to exercise.

The café here is amazing! For you peeps who are fellow coffee connoisseurs...just to make you jealous...I had an amazing cubano today!

The weather here is neat because it's always right around 60 degrees. The funny thing is that it is usually comfortably cool but it can instantly become hot because the sun comes out. This weather makes from some great fruit and beautiful vegetation.

Traffic here is loco!! People honk a lot and the rules are totally optional!

Thus far we have spent a lot of time in the higher class areas of town, which are very western. Tomorrow we will be spending the day in the south end of Bogotá which is very poor. Our prayer is that God would keep us safe physically, but that He would break our hearts for this city. May your prayer be the same.

In Christ Alone,
Brian

The Task

2008-08-02T22:45:00.002-05:00

Today was amazing! We spent most the day on Monserrate. Monserrate is a mountain on the eastern border on Bogotá. Bogotá, as I've mentioned previously, is about 8,500 feet above sea level. Monserrate is 12,000 ft above sea level. You can see the entire city of Bogotá stretched out over the entire valley. Ten million people! I'm going to put a couple pictures up of the city from this perspective, but there is no way it will do it justice.

The reason we went to Monserrate was to take in the gigantic task of reaching such an enormous city. When there are only ten baptist churches to minister to all ten million people in Bogotá, it forces you to trust in God's sovereignty and grace.

This morning, when we were in orientation (where they tell you to try your best to not look like an American, lol), I looked out the window and saw two cute little national girls across the street looking out their window. My first reaction was, "they are so cute." Then I realized that they may never hear the live-saving gospel of Jesus Christ. The task here is huge...impossible actually...at least for us. But we are not alone. Our devotional time on the mountain included reading the great commission where Christ says that all authority has been given to Him and that He will be with us to the end.

Pray for our time here in Bogotá that we could brainstorm about how to reach this massive city one disciple at a time.

Tomorrow's agenda includes visiting our missionary's church...that's exciting. Anyway...here's one of the promised pictures:

We Made It!!

2008-08-01T23:47:00.004-05:00

We are in Colombia!!! It's been a very long day, but everything has gone very well. We are all very tired, but we are excited to be here and start serving the Colombians.

The plane rides went well. From Atlanta to Bogotá was cool. We were in a 757 which was nice. The airport here in Bogotá was small for an international airport and was very packed but we made it through without any trouble. I got my first stamp in my passport.

Bogotá's temperature felt so nice! It's probably mid-50's. We are 9,000 ft above sea level here. I thought I was out of shape in the states...but you can really feel it here. When I opened my Nalgene, it went psssst because the air here is much thinner. Traffic here is much different. The cars are small and people drive fast.

We met Alex and Mike, the missionaries here. We are excited to work with them. Tomorrow will be very exciting because we will get to go to Monserrate! Pictures to come!!

If you would like to pray for us individually, here are the names of everyone in the photo from left to right:

Alex
Bobbie
Dawna
Brianna
Glenda
Sarah
Matt
Me!

Not pictured (they're out getting us food):

John David
Brittany

His,
Brian

Preparing for Our Trip

2008-07-31T18:07:00.003-05:00

I will be posting on here about mine and Matt's mission trip to Bogota, Columbia. I wanted to start out this journal with this photo and the funny events preceeding our departure. At this point, I am in the floor of my living room as you see me in the photo. I'm trying to figure out all that I need to pack.

We found out at our informational meeting this past Tuesday night that we will be driving to Nashville, from there flying to Atlanta, and from there flying straight to Bogota. It will make for a long day, I'm sure, but an exciting day.

I just finished registering on the travel.state.gov website to let the Bogota American Embassy know that we're coming. I didn't know this was something you could do, but one of my church members kept on and kept on reminding us until I finally did it today. Thank you Becky.

Up until know, anytime anyone asked what we were going to be doing, we just shrugged our shoulders. But Tuesday's meeting helped us know a lot of that info, too. Matt and I are the only people from First Southern Baptist Church (Floyds Knobs, IN) going. We are joining a team from First Baptist Church (Mt. Washington, KY - Louisville area). We are going to establish a partnership between our individual churches and the only Southern Baptist missionary in Bogota, Alex.

This is a vision trip. That means that most of our time will be spent prayer walking targeted areas in the city and praying for God to open our eyes to specific needs in the city that we can meet with future trips. This might mean sending medical teams or evangelism teams to specific areas, etc...

We have a good itinerary of our trip, but I don't know where any of these places are, of course, save one. The first and last full days we are there, we will be leaving the city (8,000 - 9,000 ft above sea level) and traveling up to Monserrate (10,000 - 12,000 ft). This will give us a good view of the whole city (all 10 million people) so that we can "see the task" (and get some amazing photos, I hope).

If you care enough to read this journal, then please be praying for us (Brian and Matt) and our team from First Baptist, Mt. Washington. Pray for our safety during travel and while we're there. Pray for us to have fervent times of prayer over the city of Bogota. And pray for us to have opportunities to spread the glorious gospel (our main purpose). God Bless.

Brian

That's Right!

2008-05-12T08:53:00.001-05:00

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I Love My Mom - She's Amazing

2008-05-11T23:16:00.001-05:00

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A Rubik's Cube, Cold Milk, and Oreos

2008-02-19T23:35:00.005-05:00

Here I am...sitting in my very nice (I think) house with my laptop (playing Passion music), a Rubik's Cube, and Oreos. I am truly blessed. Many times in my life when stress of school and work piles up, I quickly forget all the blessings in my life...like Oreos (esp. Double Stuf!). It is too easy to find things about which to complain. Honestly, my heart takes comfort in self pity. When I see a big bunch of sorrow piling up I just want to wallow in it. This is a particularly deceitful form of idolatry.

Even when I am faced with the reality of my own sin, I quickly sink from a penitent sorrow to self pity. God forgive my presumptions. Recently I was so encouraged by the words of David in the 32nd Psalm. He begins the chapter with this cry of repentance:

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
- Psalm 32.1-2

But it is the words a few verses down that caught my eye and my heart:

You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
- Psalm 32.7

When I feel that all the weight of the world is caving in on me and I have nowhere to turn, I can always look around and be encouraged by my brothers in Christ who have been delivered! We were made to build relationships with those around us and so many times I forget what a great work of sanctification the Lord has wrought in my life through my brother's edification.

New Job/Ministry!

2008-01-16T21:15:00.001-05:00

You know when someone is only blogging once a month that something is going on in their life...or that they're lazy. I guess my problem is a little of both.

I am doing a lot of new things now. I recently began working part time at my church as the Minister to Young Adults. We've got a lot going on...including Paintball!...and so I've been busy there. But it is also still a couple weeks away from the semester starting so I am taking full advantage of that by playing Guitar Hero III for Wii (Christmas present from my awesome mom).

I miss all of my friends quite a bit because the couple whose house we usually use as a gathering place just had a baby and they are indisposed. So, I must do something about this problem. I will have to make my house a gathering place. The wheels are turning and I believe we will have to compete with Aaron Hawk's pre-semester party. We shall see who prevails...

Blessed Indeed

2007-12-17T08:06:00.000-05:00

Here I am sitting in the coffee shop where I work thinking about where the Lord has brought me this past year and over the last decade. I am learning more and more that everything that happens to me is for my sanctification. My truck broke down yesterday and yet I had many good friends around me to help me out and a warm church to wait in while I waited for a ride. Not only that, but I have such great bosses that one of them picked me up for work this morning because of my lack of transportation.

But the blessings don't stop there. I was recently brought onto the staff at church. I am now the Minister of College Students and Young Adults. The way the church has encircled around me and supported me has been a great encouragement. This photo shows many of the students whom I have gotten to know and love for over a year and a half now.

As I now look forward to the future, I am excited about serving the Lord by ministering to the young adults in our church and the students at local college campuses.

My Beautiful Latte

2007-11-07T10:35:00.000-05:00

This is a Tall Caramel Latte with Cinnamon

Fall Camping Trip '07

2007-11-05T16:41:00.000-05:00

I had a blast this past weekend with friends. We went to Taylorsville Lake State Park just outside Louisville. It was a good time of fellowship and a great time of food (here is a picture of us roasting four chickens on a spit!!). We went hiking and did general campy things. I got to use my dutch ovens a lot which was a blast (again...good food). My friend Aaron was good enough to take pictures all weekend and I posted my favs here.

New Job

2007-09-10T21:49:00.001-05:00

I'm a barista! I've always thought that this would be a fun job to have, and now I have it. When I thought like a lost person I used to think that bartending would be fun (actually, I still do sometimes). But I have a love for coffee and I don't drink alcohol, so this job is actually better.

This coffee shop, La Vida Java Coffee Company, is opening the 26th of September and the Grand Opening will be that weekend.

Right now I will hold both this job and my current HVAC job at the same time. It'll probably kill me, but that's not out of the ordinary for me.

Fall Camping Trip '07

2007-09-03T11:31:00.000-05:00

We have offically planned the annual camping trip for 2007. The dates will be October 25th-27th (Thursday-Saturday). The only person with rights to change these dates is Adam Boyd because of his faithfulness in attending every camping trip since the inception of this glorious annual social event.

I'm excited about the opportunity/excuse to use my rarely used camping gear. I'm also excited about the justifiable excuse to buy more rarely used camping gear.

Here is my posting from last year's camping trip. And you will find a link to the pictures from last year there as well. Wow...that was actually my first blog posting ever!

Cherry Cobbler

2007-08-27T21:21:00.000-05:00

Want some? Come and get it!

Mission New Orleans - Recollect

2007-08-21T22:32:00.000-05:00

"If a picture is worth a thousand words, then being in New Orleans is worth a thousand pictures."

That quote is from one of the many volunteers who has lead teams through Operation N.O.A.H. Rebuild. I am taking it from my good friend Travis, whose wife heard it while working directly with the volunteers through the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

I cannot put it in more eloquent terms. On our recent visit to New Orleans as a mission project from my church, all of us were shocked to see that the face of the city you see through the media and government is a façade. Other than the Central Business District (complete with a major casino capitalizing on the helplessness that prevails in the city), the bulk of New Orleans is still a complete disaster area.

For more reflections from Pastors Travis and Sam, follow the links listed here.

Though we were a mostly unskilled labor team of thirteen Hoosiers from Indiana, I believe we made a difference in a few people's lives. Holding onto that and the fact that we were working for the spread of the Gospel and the glory of our great God and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, I am convinced that it was a worthwhile trip.

More photos can be found in four separate albums listed here, respectively:

Mission New Orleans - The Sites

Mission New Orleans - The Destruction

Mission New Orleans - The People

Mission New Orleans - The Work

Here is the crew: Thank you, crew, for your hard work. And thank you, Church, for sending us.

Mission Charleston and more

2007-07-30T22:37:00.001-05:00

I love serving my church! I have been to Charleston, SC; Fall Branch, TN (it's near Sulfer Springs); I'm going to New Orleans; and all the while I'm able to minister to the people of Floyds Knobs, IN while living in Louisville, KY. Crazy huh?

This photo is from the trip I took with the youth of First Southern Baptist Church of Floyds Knobs, IN. I'm with my good pal Travis, the Associate Pastor of Students at First Southern.

For information about First Southern or to see pictures about our trips, please visit southernlive.net

Fiasco!

2007-06-30T12:25:00.000-05:00

Crazy busy lately. Things just haven't gone my way for about two weeks now. I don't know what it is but everything I try to do is about three times more difficult than it should be. Despite that, or better, in spite of that, God is demonstrating his love for me.

As Provider, he is kind and gracious. We have finally found a house to rent. It is beautiful and much more than I deserve. Pictures will come shortly (be about a week and a half). It was a fiasco trying to get everything settled. When the troubles first came I just though it was a little inconvenient. Inconvenience gave way to ridiculous. Then a couple days ago I officially deemed the situation a fiasco. In fact it's still not all settled yet. We sign/close (or whatever) on Sunday while I'll be in Charleston, SC!

As sovereign Lord, he is powerful and loving. I have to say that the more trouble I'm in, the more I try to figure out just what that trouble was intended for. I think this comes from a healthy understanding of God's sovereignty. Why was I allowed to go through trying times such as those? What fruit of the Spirit is God cultivating in me with all of this pruning?

As my Advocate, I trust him.

Fresh Fried Squash

2007-06-08T18:18:00.000-05:00

Having grown up on a dairy farm, I appreciate and very much enjoy nature and the miracle of creation (even though cows do a lot of dumb things). Recently I sat on a friend's deck and enjoyed the stars, lightning bugs and crickets. Even more recently, I enjoyed the foothills of Tennessee once more. I'm telling you this because creation declares the glory of God (Psalm 19) and through creation we can see parallels with the way God works through us to declare His glory.

One application we can take from creation is the way God creates vegetation. I read this analogy from a great book called The Complete Green Letters. It follows: When God wants to make a squash, he takes a couple months (57 days after germination, actually). When he wants to make an oak tree, he takes 100 years.

As believers, we live in a strange time. We live between Christ's First Coming to justify us and Christ's Second Coming to glorify us. This means that we are justified, but not yet glorified. In this period of flux, God's will for us is our sanctification (I Thess. 4.3). My prayer for you is that you begin to see that God has begun a good work in you (justification) and he will complete it (glorification) until the day of Christ (glorification) - (Phil. 1.6).

An oak tree is actively growing for 3 months out of the year. That means 9 months out of the year is dedicated to hardening, solidifying that new growth. While you need to be planted by streams of water, soaking up the nutritious Word of God constantly (Psalm 1). You may only feel close to the Lord part of the time. You are going to experience stagnant times, trying times, and times of growth in your relationship with God. But no matter how you feel, always make the delight of your heart the living Word of God.

So while you may sometimes feel like a squash, trust that God is working in you for your sanctification and His glory. Dig your roots deep into the Word, and be nourished by God's promises always. Then you won't be uprooted when the storms come, and you won't be blown about by every wind of doctrine when false teachers arise. But you will be rooted and built up in Christ and established in the faith (Col. 2.6-8). This is so that when your harvest time comes, the lumber that is your life of good works can be built into a strong foundation for the next generation of saints.

Grace and Peace

P.S. I'm pretty sure that Satan's favorite side dish is fresh fried squash.

Waiting to Care

2007-05-29T17:33:00.000-05:00

Everyone has heard the argument that love is an action before it's an emotion when it comes to marriage. But what about when it comes to our fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we to only grieve or rejoice with our siblings in Christ when we feel like it?

If that were how we should do it, then the only time we would grieve or rejoice would be when the situation directly affected us. That is selfish.

How then shall we react to our brother when he develops a brain tumor? How shall we react when our sister loses a family member to a heart attack? CARE! - the action. We are not to sit and wait for our emotions to stir us to action. We are to be people of action.

My friend Bob made an excellent point recently as I discussed with him some bad news I had just received. He made a distinction between being a person of action and being a person of emotion. When I'm called to weep with those who are weeping, my job is not to guilt myself into feeling bad for my brother so that I can grieve with him. My command is to grieve whether I want to or whether I want to, or whether I don't want to.

Being knit together in love takes work. So the question is not, "Are you willing?" But rather, "Are you ready?"

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
- Colossians 2.1-3

2007-05-25T12:02:00.000-05:00

Memorizing Scripture and selling ac's don't play well together. I just asked a guy, "Father, would you like a free estimate today?"

A Word Fitly Spoken

2007-05-25T01:14:00.000-05:00

In case y'all didn't know, I'm now working at THE Home Depot (always thought that sounded elitist). I don't work for The Home Depot even though dozens of customers ask me that daily. I work at The Home Depot. I work for Crain Heating and Air Conditioning, and I sell Trane HVAC products. Anyway, the job is quite monotonous and time can creep by. So lately I have taken a friend and coworker's advice and started to memorize Scripture at work (the book of Colossians if it matters).

Well, the other day this lady slowly walked by my end cap and she looked puzzled. I told her that what she was looking for was right here - a new furnace and a/c. She laughed and said she was looking for her husband. Then she smiled and jokingly said that she thought he was trying to get rid of her. She was about 70 years old. I asked, "Ma'am, how long have y'all been married?" She knew where I was going and said proudly, "Fifty-three years." I promptly said with a smile, "I really don't think he's trying to leave you." I congratulated her profusely on fifty-three years, and we spoke about how you never here that any more. We condemned divorce and all other worldly evils and solved all the world's problems in a matter of minutes.

Seriously though...she spoke of her twelve grandkids, and we thanked the Lord for our blessed lives and families. Then she amazed me. I didn't realize it until later, but she explained very well in a matter of a few words her stances on many doctrines, including but not limited to: Christology, eschatology, creationism, idolatry, demonology and soteriology. All she said was this (with a subtle southern twang, which I appreciated):

"They're not puttin' Him [Christ] first...world's the same as it was when the good Lord created it...it's us that make wrong choices...and Satan's enjoying it...but when the good Lord comes back he'll [Satan] get what's comin' to him."

Very true. This lady's moment out of her day was definitely encouraging and uplifting to me. How wise it is to think before you speak, and to let your speech be honoring to the Lord.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
- Proverbs 25.11

Information is Cheap

2007-05-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

Information is cheap. Everybody's got it - and they are giving it away left and right. Information is my job. I work for an HVAC company, and my job is to get the right information into the right hands at the right time so that they will be persuaded to get a free estimate. Even if they are persuaded to get the free estimate, all that happens when our Comfort Consultants get there is that they give the customer even more information. By this time the customer has spent $0. Info is cheap.

Sometimes the right information can be helpful. In fact, we are commanded in Scripture to encourage as well as rebuke our brothers and sisters in Christ. When I think of "exhortation" in Scripture I get the image of two people walking down a narrow path. If one of them starts to veer off the path, the other will correct him (rebuke). If they are continuing on strong then they are to prod each other on (encouragement).

Sometimes information can be destructive. For example, I can think of nothing more destructive than finding out some terrible information about someone you love being in sin. Sin leads to destruction and destruction appears first in a person's relationships.

The point is this. The right information makes all the difference.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."
- Romans 10.17

The truth of the Word of God is what generates faith within a person through the work of the Holy Spirit. The truth is always spread through those willing to speak up - the faithful. We have been given the responsibility of building the very Kingdom of God.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
- II Corinthians 5.18-19

Think of this illustration: heat dissipates. Faith is like heat. When a man of God begins studying the Word of God and the Holy Spirit is at work, he will begin to have a revival of heart. He will be set aflame with a renewed faith in the Gospel of Christ. To trust it, to live it, and to spread it. When the newly revived person comes in contact with the lost or with the cold spirited, the heat will spread. This will warm the contact and will draw all the heat out of the faith-ful one. He must be refilled with the Word of God in order to be set afire again. Set your faith afire through the power of the Holy Spirit by reading the Word of God today and from now on daily.

Creation Museum

2007-05-22T21:41:00.001-05:00

Creation Museum opens May 28th! I am very excited to see the opening of this museum. I am a charter member of the museum and I am proud to see this vision coming to fruition. I have visited the museum once as a preliminary viewing and I was astonished at the quality of the work and exhibits. I felt very at home there, and I cannot wait to see how God uses this place for His glory.

I have always supported Answers in Genesis, the ministry that built the museum. And I have only grown in my love toward the ministry. They have a very specific goal, this ministry does. They serve the church well. Check out the ministry and try your best to visit the museum. Pray for their work. They are constantly attacked by secular media and yet they continue on. Praise God for their work.

Here is the Creation Museum blog if you would like to keep tabs on how things are going.

SouthernLive.net

2007-05-16T02:49:00.000-05:00

I have just finished renovations of my church's Student Ministry's Website: southernlive.net ... I designed it like a blog. See what you think and let me know. All you have to do is click on "comments" below.

A Good Dose of Reality

2007-05-07T18:58:00.001-05:00

The time I spent in Tennessee was a great break for me. I love the fresh air in Tennessee compared to the smog here in Louisville. I also love the stars. Definitely hard to see any amount of stars here in Louisville. A trip to Tennessee is good for the soul. Getting in the mountains and seeing rivers and waterfalls, deer (even if some of them are roadkill), etc...is a good reminder that we are not here on this earth for our own pleasure. We are part of such a grander scheme.

One of the children reminded me last night at the Awana Awards Ceremony through their memory verse they recited that, "the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture" (Psalm 100.3). We did not make ourselves, and we would do well to remember that.

I guess you could say that I had a good dose of reality. I blew bubbles; I gave shoulder rides, piggy back rides, and even got down on all fours and gave rides like a horse (hard on the knees, that is); I helped my niece, nephew and cousin climb a tree (see previous posting for the highest climber); I was able to photograph some great scenes such as this one; I met some new family that God has blessed us with; I even had a run-in with God's grace and the ugly face of sin.

I say that I had a run-in with God - really, each of those situations reek of God's grace. What a pity if you miss those chances to see God's hand at work. However, this particular experience was of a different sort. I had the strangest dream.

I would start playing the doo-da-loo, doo-da-loo, sound from Wayne's World, but this is not a dream you would've liked to have witnessed. After this dream, I was nauseous, and I had a looming feeling for the rest of the day. In this dream - nightmare, really - two of my closest friends and mentors were found to be in sin. I had to confront each of them with their sin and attempt reconciliation; they would have none of it. Through this stupid dream (and I pray no part of it becomes reality) I had a pseudo-first hand experience with the destructive nature of sin. I watched as these men's lives, families, friendships, ministries and jobs fell apart.

Such a raw and personal encounter with the heinousness of real sin impressed on my heart how that we as Christians - we who have been delivered and redeemed from such horrible destinies and guilts - cannot have any participation with this type of sin. Leading a life of sin is strolling down the Path of Destruction. This Path affects us here on earth and in eternity. The end of this Path in judgment and condemnation - it is damnation. We, the redeemed, cannot toy with such wicked lifestyles. We must not presume on the riches of God's kindness and forbearance! See Romans 2.1-11. Some sin is seemingly harmless. It can even be justified in our own minds as natural. What deceit!

Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food--and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
- I Corinthians 6.13

If you are being deceived, this verse is a good dose of reality. A good dose of truth. I Corinthians 6 speaks of sexual immorality as not just a sin against God, but a sin against the body of the one who partakes in it. That never struck me until a recent study in that chapter. Paul doesn't stop there. He makes it very clear for the reader to understand that for a Christian to sin against his own body is for him to be sinning against the very temple of God. For the body is meant "for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." We were created to house the very Spirit of God! We were designed in eternity past to be the very dwellings in which God would send his Spirit to dwell. What sort of respect should we have for our own bodies? Not because it belongs to you, but because it belongs to God. We were created by God; we sinned against God; We have been bought back. It was once said that we are twice his - created and bought.

Have you been bought? If not, you need Jesus.

New Family!!!

2007-05-03T02:12:00.000-05:00

I recently found out that my mom has a long lost half brother. He and his wife came and visited my fam this week. What a joy it was to meet them and find that they were fellow followers of Christ! God is good! Don is the man kneeling on the left and Marleen is the lady with her hand on his shoulder. Here are pictures of the whole week.

2007-04-30T16:52:00.000-05:00

My niece up in a tree in Sweetwater. She showed up the boys - we'll discuss the theological implications of that later.

SAFE!!

2007-04-29T23:29:00.000-05:00

Our world is safe. We live in a culture where everything has been institutionalized and inspected for safety a hundred times over. Truck drivers on the interstate have signs on the back of there trucks that say "Lights On for Safety." Our cars are designed with safety in mind: seat belts, air bags, crash test ratings. Our water, Internet, TV and food are all treated - filtered and preserved for freshness.

...And convenient. Everything we need to live and enjoy life can and is delivered right to our door for a nominal fee and/or tip. Even now I am posting information on my blog from my Uncle's computer over a wireless network three hundred miles away from my home. My previous post was made from my phone!

The shirt I'm wearing says "Relax - I'm a professional." That's what the world's goal is isn't it? Everyone is working to become a professional in order to give someone else the comfort and peace of mind that is worth the extra cash they will use to buy their comfort and peace of mind. In short: Our society is plastic. We are plastic people in plastic houses complete with plastic doors, plastic windows and even plastic mouses.

Casting Crowns warns us in their song "Stain Glass Masquerade" not to be "happy plastic people under shiny plastic steeples." As Christians, we are living life as foreigners. We may have had our start here being born into this world sinners, but we are now in Christ. Our past shows our justification on the cross of Calvary. Our future holds our hope of glorification and reigning on high with the King. But how do we work out our salvation right now? We must be daring. Living without risks is living without faith. How would Indiana ever have shown his faith if he would have been able to see the bridge at the Leap from the Lion's Head?

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
- Hebrews 11.1

When Indiana Jones believed in his heart that something would be there when he took that step, that was the substance of his hope: faith. He took the risk by sticking his foot out, it was either a firm footing awaiting him or death. He walked across and then turned and threw the dirt over the bridge. I like to say that the dirt was the evidence of things not seen. It was his faith being playing out. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my
works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and
shudder!
- James 2.18-19

Showing your faith apart from your works is simply lip service. What an easy life. A plastic life is one without risks, without faith. Without failure...sure, but also without flight.

My pastor recently received an anonymous card in the mail. Looking like a Thank You card, he was disappointed to find that all it said was that it was hard to hear him in the back pew so he should turn up his mic. Talk about going out of your way to make sure you take no risks! There wasn't even a return address. Whoever this person was, they didn't even have the backbone to ask the pastor in person to turn up his mic so they could hear. Of course they wanted the best of both worlds - they wanted the convenience of continuing to sit in the back pew along with the safety of anonymity. What a silly thing to be afraid of. What would've been the risk of asking him to turn up the mic in person?

The church needs a backbone. We need to have the guts it takes to step out in faith to proclaim the marvelous love of Jesus Christ as well as the impending wrath of God if you reject Christ. With this risk comes persecution, an inevitable side effect of proclaiming truth, and seeing souls saved. What a glorious adventure we are to live.

Are you plastic pawn? Or are you an armed warrior made of flesh, ready to fight and die for the cause of Christ?

The Lastest at First Southern

2007-04-25T23:53:00.000-05:00

I thought that you might want to know what I posted in the May newsletter for the church:

FROM OUR COLLEGE MINISTER

The College Ministry has begun! What a great joy and privilege it is to be the college minister at such a time of growth. Spring has shown us spiritual growth as well as growth in numbers. The Lord is blessing, and I rejoice in the fact that He is allowing me to be a part of this exciting time. Since becoming your college minister we have seen two college age students join the church, and our new Bible study in Colossians has started.

In addition to our Colossians Bible study, we will be having a Drive-In Movie for the college students on Mother’s Day, May 13^th. Services are cancelled that evening, so we will meet for a fun movie outside on the projector screen. Bring chairs, blankets, couches, or whatever etc… Don’t forget to kiss your mom goodbye before you come.

After our study in Colossians, we will begin a threads study entitled “Get Uncomfortable.” The cost for the member book is $8.00.

Church family, I would like to thank you so much for bringing me onboard as a Student Ministry Intern. Throughout the renovation process of the College Ministry room and my new office I have been so thankful for your support. Please pray for the college students as we disciple them into the image of Christ. I will be calling on you soon to help out with the ministry. I leave you with this exhortation:

May you be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

- Colossians 1.9-10

Grace and peace,

Brian

Thunder Over Louisville

2007-04-24T23:30:00.000-05:00

If you have never experienced Thunder Over Louisville, then you need to. Here are the pictures. These are from the Indiana side of the Ohio River.

2007-04-21T13:17:00.000-05:00

My family rocks at Pinewood Derbys! I just won 1st place in the open division at the Awana Grand Prix at church.

Reminder 'Round the Ressurection

2007-04-08T00:21:00.000-05:00

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
- Psalm 51.11-12

I have spoken with many seminary students. When we get honest with one another about seminary and our spiritual lives one thing continues to be discussed: Maintaining a faithful devotional live is a lot harder now that we are in seminary than it was before. I have narrowed it down to two or three contributing factors and one major correlation.

The Bible is not a textbook and was never meant to be read for theology alone. Hang in there with me. This is something that my friend Aaron pointed out recently. Theology in general and Scripture in particular exist for the purpose of changing lives for the glory of God...not to puff one up with knowledge. Seminary makes Scripture a textbook. We would do well to be reminded of the fact that it's not.

Now, I am in seminary. So I obviously agree with the system. By no means do I think that it is the best system, however. Scripture teaches discipleship and mentoring in the local church as the method of training up ministers. This is the root of the issue. Scripture/theology was intended to be taught to one currently ministering by a more sanctified one currently ministering. Doing ministry together...one lifestyle teaching another. In the Bible it is impossible to separate theology from daily life.

Well, seminary does separate the two. Many professors do well making their classes practical and are out there ministering while they are profs. However, the dividing line is still thick. When a student learns so much knowledge about God in such a little time, the heart has a hard time keeping up. And my heart is slow.

May our love for God outshine our love for theology.

My strong recommendation to seminary students is this small book (pamphlet...really) that Dr. Greg Allison also recommends: A Little Exercise for Young Theologians.

The correlation lies in this: theology without practical application = bad. So perhaps it's not just a correlation. There is a direct relationship. Pride is an issue here. But more than that I think, is the absence of joy. The subtle joy of knowing that your eternal soul is secure is there. But the pure pleasure of knowing Christ is missing sometimes. The "surpassing worth" of Philippians 3.8 is faint. The comforting and empowering voice of the Shepard is distant. You become desensitized to life-changing truth and God's work in people's lives.

My mom recently experienced some trouble at work from her employer. This situation shook her up. Little did I know that it would rock my world. When I discovered the situation and how helpless I was to my own mom, I did what I had to do: I prayed. I wept bitterly. I haven't felt closer to God in years. Horrible situation, yes, but God used it to draw me close to Himself. The stress and pain turned to rejoicing recently when Mom told me that she was no longer worried because she was trusting God with the whole thing. The situation at work remains. But my prayer was answered...my mom ran to her Savior.

A mentor of mine some years ago once told me how he had similarly become desensitized. He said that it was when he began listening to the Bible being read aloud on tape that God gave him back his tears.

May this Easter season bring the joy of knowing Christ to your life. For the Lamb of God who was slain rose again that third day and will come swiftly as the King of Kings to reign triumphantly. May He give you back your tears.

New College Ministry

2007-04-05T03:31:00.000-05:00

God is richly blessing me. I just began a college ministry at church. They voted on me three Wednesdays ago. Since that time, two college students have joined the church and one prospect has visited. We have finished painting the new college ministry room, and we are about to begin filling it with rugs (much needed because the floors are hideous) and coffee shop decor. We had five students (not including me) for the first Bible study and it went rather well. The picture is of two of the students (Wes didn't feel all that well). Pray for this ministry for a moment if you have the time. I have high hopes for the future. Other pictures are here (both of the college ministry room and of my office renovations).

2007-04-05T02:41:00.000-05:00

I love Louisville too!

Aperture setting: 22; Shutter speed: 10 seconds

2007-04-04T16:34:00.000-05:00

I love Starbucks!

The Truth is Never Sexy

2007-03-27T21:42:00.000-05:00

The last couple weeks have been crazy...crazy awesome I mean. My life is changing. Spring is here. I love change. I thrive on it. I love to move the furniture in my apartment around ('though my roommate likes to leave it the way it is), I love moving altogether, I love renovations, I love to change jobs, I love to change my schedule, and mostly I love to see people change. My greatest passion is to see people become more like Christ. I want those around me to have the mind of Christ and have their lives changed as a result. All of these things have happened to me already or will happen in the next six months! I love it. Change is beautiful and thrilling. It inspires me to do my best.

What's most frustrating to me, conversely, is the inability to change. One of my greatest pet peeves when I was a child was to be held tightly to the point that I couldn't move. I thrive on change. I need to change in order to grow. Similar to a snake, I need to shed my old skin to grow larger. One is very vulnerable during change as well, also like a snake or a hermit crab.

When the people I preach to are complacent - sittin' pretty in their comfortable pews - I get very frustrated. At my workplace, I have given the gospel to many of my coworkers. They usually reject the gospel to my face. They just can't get past the part where a holy God judges sin. I actually prefer this rejection over complacency - if I were to get a choice.

I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
- Revelation 3.15-16

In the context, the author of Revelation is writing to the believers at Laodicea. He shows them their complacency and calls them to repentance saying, "Behold I stand at the door and knock."

I just became the college minister at my church. As I prepare to teach them, I want to make the Word of God engaging to them. I want to be "edgy," as my pastor always says. The Word of God changes lives. If I can get them to pay attention to it - it will change their lives. So my goal is to make the Gospel sexy I guess. In the words of Derek Webb:

The truth is never sexy
So it's not an easy sell
You can dress her like the culture
But she'll shock 'em just as well
Because she don't need an apology for being who she is
And she don't need your help making enemies
- "Nobody Loves Me" from the album She Must and Shall Go Free

Anyway, the point is this: I do my best to make the Word of God engaging to everyone I meet. However, the truth is going to be offensive. The truth is just that, the truth. No matter how you dress it, it still offends those who believe otherwise. In the same way...if and when I ever have kids, I will most definitely spank them if they ever put themselves in mortal danger. The truth hurts...that doesn't change the truck barreling down the road.

The silly cereal box above is a good example of a miserably failed attempt to sex-up the Gospel...or at least a failed attempt to make some cash off commercializing the Bible.

Looking For Jesus?

2007-03-09T00:53:00.000-05:00

My Pastor just posted a blog saying, "the world will continue to search for Truth." He's right you know. Everyone I've ever met believes that the way they see things is the 'right' way. Some are more convinced than others and some are convinced that the 'right' way cannot be found (ironic - don't ya think?). And yet everyone is still on this crusade to make sure that they believe what is right.

Being 'right' seems to run in my family. Well at least in me and my brother. We both know for sure that we are right and the other is wrong -- as you can tell from the comments on my last post. But our brotherly love and our Brotherly love in Christ is much stronger than our pride, thankfully.

Anyway -- what is the 'right' path, the 'real' truth, the Way? I -- as a human -- am speechless. However, God is not speechless. He has spoken.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever.
- Isaiah 40:8

Why trust my God? Why trust the Christian faith? Why trust Jesus? I don't have all the answers in life -- but listen -- Christianity is the reasonable faith. That's right -- not just the most reasonable -- but the only reasonable faith.

Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
- Isaiah 1:18

Jesus is the Way [John 14:6; Acts 24:14-16].

Acts 17 describes the journey of Paul through Thessalonica, Berea and Athens. In Thessalonica, Paul explains that the awaited Jewish Messiah was Jesus and that he died for the sins of mankind. He was chased out of town by a mob. But some believed. In Berea, Paul does the same thing and yet the Bereans search the Scriptures daily (is the Truth worth searching for?). Many believe but the mob bosses from Thessalonica chase him out of Berea too. In Athens, Paul teaches a potent lesson for any critics of today. He preaches that God created humans to live on the earth...that God wants man to seek after him in the hope that they may feel their way toward him and find him..and that God commands all people everywhere to repent and believe.

Today, if you are living, if you are seeking God, then repent and believe. I stand with Paul and Christ saying, "Repent and believe in the Gospel." What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died for your sins and that he rose from the dead. What is repent and believe? Like the sign above...stop sinning and follow the Way -- that is -- follow after Jesus Christ, trusting in him to forgive you and to bring you to God.

Covenentilizationalism (sp?)

2007-02-22T13:37:00.000-05:00

God is good. I went on a skiing trip Monday and had the time of my life. On a short break I pulled out my phone to check if anyone had called and this is what I see. That's right...it's in two pieces. It's funny, I can still make calls with the bottom half but I can't hear what anyone is saying without using my headset. Why is God good? Well...His goodness is definitely not dependent on my silly dramas in life...but He was gracious in allowing my phone to break just two weeks before my two year contract runs up.

Now...the long-awaited post on Covenant Theology:

Covenant Theology vs. Dispensationalism is a difference in opinions of what presuppositions one should bring to the text of Scripture. I believe that Covenant Theology does the best job of reading out of the text (exegesis) what it's trying to say. I find that Dispensationalism does quite a bit of the opposite: reading onto the text what the reader whats to find (eisegesis). Having said that...I am not thoroughly sold on Covenant Theology. However, I do lean much more in that direction.

Covenant Theologians have analyzed how God has related to man over the course of all of human history and they understand that God has always developed covenants with man. The best definition I have found on the the type of covenants that God makes with man is from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology: "A covenant is an unchangeable, divinely imposed legal agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of their relationship." Grudem goes on to explain that even though there is an "agreement" that takes place, "divinely imposed" shows that man has no negotiating power with God whatsoever. Man can either accept or reject the covenant...that's it.

The most influential Covenant Theologian in my life taught me about what he called the "History of Redemption." This important truth traces God's work throughout the history of the world and rightly understands that with God...it has always been Plan A. This is important to realize. God did not try to save mankind from the flood and fail...and then try to save mankind through Abraham's seed and fail...and then try to save mankind through Jesus Christ and fail. God is in control and all things have happened according to his plan: "I will be there God and they shall be my people" (Jer. 31:33; II Cor. 6:16). A guitar instructor in college was the first to explain this to me...of course I didn't agree at the time, but he got me to genuinely consider it. He told me, "God is not up there wringing his hands, just wishing that someone down here would believe in him." We do not serve the god of the deists. And we certainly do not serve a god who laid down his omnipotence in order to give us free will (a recent heresy I heard through the grapevine). We serve the Almighty Creator who has sovereign control over all creation and works all things according to his own pleasure and the good of his elect (Rom 8:28). He is tri-omni. "He has mercy on whomever he wills and he hardens whomever he wills" (Rom 9:18).

Back to the main topic...most Covenant Theologians see three main covenants in Scripture: the Covenant of Works, the Covenant of Redemption, and the Covenant of Grace.

The Covenant of Works is the covenant God established with Adam and Eve in the garden. While no specific mention of the word "covenant" is found in these early Genesis narratives, the relationship between God and Adam and Eve was a covenant relationship. (Noteable Scripture: Hosea 6:7; Rom 7:10; Gal 3:12; Rom 10:5; Rom 6:23) This covenant is still in effect but its conditions are unmeetable for sinful mankind. Christ fulfilled this covenant through his sinless life. And now through faith, Christians trust in Christ's work to gain the benefits of this covenant (Rom 5:18-19; I Peter 2:22). Strangely, most non-Christians I give the Gospel to are still trying to fulfill the requirements of this covenant by being good. Of course they have already transgressed the covenant by their sin and are therefore condemned outside of Christ, but there is hope in Christ. Many Christians seem to be striving to please God through obedience to this covenant as well. Gal 3:10-11 rings clear:

"For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.' Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for 'The righteous shall live by faith.'"

The Covenant of Redemption is a covenant established between the Three Persons of the Trinity. This covenant is different from other biblical covenants in that the parties involved are all equal. Covenants between God and man are completely designed by God and simply accepted or rejected by man. Each Person of the Trinity brings his own conditions and promises to the table in this covenant:

God the Father gave his Son to become the propitiation for our sins (I John 2:2).

God the Son left the splendor of heaven, became a man, died on the cross for the sins of the world, rose to life, ascended to heaven once again and will come again to reign eternally (Philippians 2:5-11).

God the Holy Spirit empowered Christ while he was on the earth and now applies Christ's work to the elect (John 14:16-17).

The Covenant of Grace was established after the fall seeing that man could no longer fulfill the conditions of the Covenant of Works. Since that time God has been working out the history/plan of redemption. The method of redeeming people has always been by grace. The method of receiving this grace has always been through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Pre-Messiah, God's chosen people had faith in the revelation they were entrusted with: Hebrews 11. This faith always pointed forward to the work of the coming Messiah. Post-Messiah, God's chosen people -- the Church -- trust directly in the finished work of Christ (Romans 10:9-10). It's important to note here that life-saving faith is always accompanied with repentance. It is the life change that necessarily follows the heart change.

Biblical Covenants: The Covenant of Grace has taken many forms throughout the history of redemption:

Noahic -- Genesis 8-9
Abrahamic -- Genesis 15
Mosaic -- Exodus 19-24
Davidic -- II Samuel 7
New Covenant -- Jeremiah 31; Luke 22:20; I Corithians 11:25

Great resources:
Introduction: On Covenant Theology by J.I. Packer
Covenant Theology on Theopedia
Lecture on Covenant Theology by Dr. Bruce Ware (one of my favorite profs)

Remember: This is a summary. Covenant Theology is a hermeneutic (interpretive scheme) for how one reads, studies and understands Scripture. This has major implications on how one will then view salvation, the Gospel, history, Christian education, politics (specifically, the role of Israel) and more.

Downright Shameful

2007-02-05T20:34:00.000-05:00

All of my weekends are full of events, but not all are as eventful as this past weekend was. It seems that all these events are tied together with one theme: shame. Perhaps I'm not the most optimistic crayon in the happy meal...or the best with figures of speech. But many things I experienced this past weekend prompted a 'tisk-tisk' or two. The most serious of these offenses is my own. I have been abusing my tube of toothpaste of late and this weekend I ran out of the first half. The task set before me is to correct the problem by squeezing the neglected paste to the top. I am such a failure...I need to be a more disciplined toothpaste tube tightener. Perhaps I should be trained in a more efficient toothpaste tube tightening technique. The tube itself says "Squeeze tube from the bottom and flatten as you go up." Conclusion: Shame on me.

Another event that requires I bit more than a 'tisk-tisk' or slap on the wrist happened Friday night. While at work, a middle-aged man (we have the video...I tried to get a copy of the video and failed) managed to use his ill-gotten register key to open my cash register drawer and steal $260 dollars. Of course I was written up for not being at my register...my story?...I was on my way to the toilet. Once I was informed that a foul man (and two women as cover) was about I headed to my register. When I got there the thief asked me how my day was going! How my day was going! No conscience..."Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart" (Proverbs 21:2). Conclusion: Man is depraved. Shame on man.

One other event struck me as telling. Lately I have been noticing a troubling pattern throughout the church. The church is becoming more and more feminine. Please understand me...I want a large presence of women in the church...but I also want with them an equal presence of men who are leading the church. I will preface with this story from a few weeks ago in Sunday School:

The gentleman teaching the lesson asked for someone to read a passage of Scripture. Everyone sat quietly, waiting for the brave soul who would venture into the brave new land of 'Reading Aloud' to arise from among the peasants and peons and lead us all to the next discussion. The man sitting next to me peeked nervously up from his study guide to see if anyone else would take a stand. When he saw no motions from the populace he proceeded to embolden himself to read aloud. As he drew the last deep breathe before he would plunge into the task at hand...a young lady across the room casually and boldly jumped to the plate and hit a homer...reading beautifully with a hint of aloofness. The man next to me sank. I very much wish I was exaggerating. He visibly slumped down into his insignificant seat.

Now back to the story from this past weekend. While at the men's breakfast Saturday morning I was enjoying good food and fellowship with my brothers in Christ until I noticed that someone had put on some background music. I...being a sucker for good atmosphere and good music...tuned in. And what did my probing ears discover? "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. WHAT?!? You had to be kidding me...I almost burst into laughter...the theme song from the greatest chick flick of all time (Titanic) provided the ambient tune for our manly breakfast. Like I said...I almost burst into laughter...then I realized how sad and telling this event was. No one noticed. I'm sure the poor soul who turned the radio to the local lite rock station meant no harm. Oh, but what harm we will do the Body of Christ if the men do not stand up as men and lead. Conclusion: Shame on us.

Lastly...today brought conviction for me. While performing my cashiering duties as normal at CompUSA a gentleman came up and laid down the item he wanted to purchase. He then proceeded to swipe his card through the PIN-pad to pay for his purchase. Meanwhile I spout off my typical sells pitch for a technology replacement plan...which is quite good I might add...and I'm interrupted with a "no." I politely continue as usual mentioning the cheap price of the plan and I'm interrupted again with a more firm "no." Now, this is not strange. If fact it happens all the time. But that is exactly what is sad. When I asked for his ID I was shocked. I didn't recognize this gentleman until I saw the name on his card. He was a professor at seminary...more specifically a professor in the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth.

Hear me clearly. I do not blame this gentlemen for being rude. I'm sure he was having a bad day and was upset that I had the gal to try to sell him something that he didn't want. The conviction lies with me: I thought later, "Lord, may I be different from the rest of the world. May my light shine brightest among the darkness in this world"

Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
- I Peter 3.15

I'll Dispensation Your Alism

2007-02-01T02:03:00.000-05:00

Dispensationalism...it seems to be the invisible whispering giant of our generation...teaching us how to view all things spiritual. Everyone I know either is a dispensationalist or was one. It all started with the Scofield Reference Bible. I hear that it was virtually the very first study bible published on a large scale. More recently the Left Behind Series has left a profound mark on modern Christianity and American culture (I've got to eventually write about the new Left Behind computer game). What is it Dispensationalism? Is it what you believe?

Dispensationalism (hereafter "Disp'ism") is one of two major views in evangelicalism of God's history of revealing Himself to mankind. The other view is Covenant Theology. The former says God worked in covenants and the latter, dispensations. A dispensation has been defined as a stewardship arrangement or simply a period of time when God reveals Himself in a specific way. These sites have great definitions of dispensationalism: monergism.com, desiringGod.org, answers.org (I don't know if this site is very reliable in other areas...but this article is good).

Disp'ism has three basic premises. These are laid out by Charles Ryrie (maybe you have his study bible...I do) in his book Dispensationalism...he calls them the sine qua non (the essentials) of Disp'ism.

1. Israel and the Church remain distinct entities
2. Scripture is to be interpreted literally
3. God's purpose for the world is for His own glory

The first point is helpful for distiguishing between Disp'ism and Covenant Theology (to be discussed in the next post...patience please). Points two and three don't sound arguable. I'll proceed backward.

No. 3 - God's relationship with mankind is solely for His own glory...given. The real distinction here lies in how God has built relationships with humans. Dispensationalists (hereafter "dispees") view God's relating to people in various dispensations. Most dispees say that there have been seven clear dispensations:

1. Innocence
2. Conscience
3. Human Government
4. Promise
5. Law
6. Grace
7. Messianic or Kingdom

<-- click chart to see larger view or here for another chart

These dispensations seem to me to be tried and failed attempts of God seeking some way for people to love Him and serve Him. This idea disgusts me. It's revolting to think that God is not really in control, but is rather wishing and hoping someone would love Him. God is no buffoon. He knows His creation and how to relate to it. Now...I know many dispees who are also faithful Calvinists and would take offense to this...please don't...I'm simply saying that that is what it looks like from the outside...the same could be said about Covenant Theology I suppose. I guess the idea of the church being parenthetical to God's working with Israel is what tears me up most. Dispees say that God's working with the church is simply a parenthesis in history until after the Church Age. They say that God's working with the church is only because Israel rejected Christ. He will continue with Israel when the Church Age ends with the rapture.

The truth is that since Creation, it has always been Plan A. Never has there been a parenthesis, a hiccup if you will, in God's flawless plan (I learned this from Dr. Brian Vickers...not the NASCAR driver...the professor).

No. 2 - Dispees hold to a literal interpretation of Scripture. They still understand that metaphorical language is metaphorical. But they believe miracles to be true miracles, heaven to be heaven, earth to be earth and Israel to be Israel. Sounds great...moving on...

No. 3 - This is where the poop hits the fan (sorry...no better figure of speech could be found...and sorry for the imagery, but it fits). For the dispee, Israel in the Old Testament (OT) literally means ethnic Israel. They hold that all the OT promises to Israel will be fulfilled at some time (in the past or in the future Millennium) for ethnic Israel. As you can see, 1948 was a big year for dispees because Israel because a nation-state. As we will see in the next post, Covenant Theologians see the church as the new and true Israel and Christ as the One who will fulfill all the prophesies.

Dispees understand God's working with Israel to be earthly/material promises and blessings, such as the Promised Land. They understand God's working with the church to be spiritual/heavenly promises and blessings. And never shall the twain shall meet. This flies in the face of my understanding of Romans, Ephesians, Hebrews and the rest of the Bible apparently.

More to come...

Specifically: Posts on Covenant Theology and perhaps specific passages regarding the topic at hand.

Hopes All Things...Endures All Things

2007-01-22T01:51:00.000-05:00

To be called to love...it is a hard path...

Love is patient...when the loved is unfaithful; when they just can't get it; when the Holy Spirit operates by His own clock.

Love is kind...when they fail.

Love does not envy...when others rejoice in blessing, and when blessing seems so foreign.

Love does not boast...when others aren't rejoicing in blessing, and when blessing is near.

Love is not arrogant...when the loved one is.

Love is not rude...right.

Love does not insist on its own way...but serves the Way.

Love is not irritable...that is, not able to be irritated, wow.

Love is not resentful...I will give myself, with no guarantee of return. I will not resent having ever loved.

Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth...Their little noggins are getting the truth, I'm holding out for their heart though.

Love bears all things...Lord may I.

Love believes all things...I know they will fly one day, as they try and fail I am patient, when they eventual do I will rejoice, as they refuse to try I bear it.

Love hopes all things...My hope rests with them. I hang by a thread. Yet under me is True Love, my Master, ready to catch me and hold me close, then hang me out by a thread again...that's the calling.

Love endures all things...Seasons come and go, disasters too. Still I hang on to the thread.

Love never ends...

The ones I love are flexing their muscles. They are proving to me that though I may love them...they don't have to love me back...they are the ones in authority in the end. I want to withhold my love so I don't get hurt. But I must endure all things to make a difference. Come quickly Holy Spirit, kindle the love of Christ in their hearts, that sacrificial love whereby I may be warmed and rejoice. I am pouring my life into them, and they are letting it hit the floor. But I remember Your fantastic love for me in that, when I hid, when I sinned, when I insisted on my own way, when I hated, when I was Your enemy, that is the moment You loved me...in word and in deed. You did (and do) bear all things and endure all things for me. May I do the same in this situation.

My expectations are very high...but so are Yours. I'm gracious when they don't meet them. How else...please, anyone tell me...do people ever mature without expectations and accountability? My expectations are not the problem...how to hold them accountable is.

For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.
- I Thessalonians 2:19-20

2007-01-06T18:41:00.000-05:00

My emo friends.

2007-01-06T15:09:00.001-05:00

I am truly blessed I got to spend the whole day with my niece and cousin!

Goodbye but not Farewell

2007-01-06T00:40:00.000-05:00

Well, my fellow seminarians, it is now come time for my to say goodbye. I will not be taking classes this semester because of financial reasons. I am not obliged to say farewell at this time however. I will be returning in the Fall mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially (whew...that's a lot of resolutions to hold to!) refreshed. Also...Thursday night game nights are back! This is an unofficial announcement...that is...unapproved as of yet by my roommate who returns to the bachelor pad tomorrow. I now have many more games to delight the senses...a smorgasbord, if you will, of distractions. Including but not limited to the Wii, Settlers, and Lego Star Wars. All for your enjoyment at the low cost of your presence. I will (maybe) create an event on Facebook to let everyone in on the excitement.

I trust that your Christmas season was enjoyable enough. I was reminded New Years Eve that I am especially blessed with friends. I spent most the night with my church family enjoying silly games and Scrabble too! Minutes before the New Year caught up with me I was off to Jiri and Cassey's for sparkling cider and a better than usual (which is saying a lot) variety of hors d'oeuvres.

As far as Christmas went...all I have to say is...I have a beautiful niece and many handsome nephews and cousins.

I mean...just look...

And my family is pretty nice looking as well...

2006-12-16T13:42:00.001-05:00

This magic moment!

2006-12-06T00:30:00.000-05:00

Crazy? Why yes I am...and my roommate too! We are waiting for the Wii...still waiting...yeah...till 8am...

My Next Read

2006-11-27T10:59:00.000-05:00

Being very excited about the end of the semester has caused me to lapse into a state of "looking for something that pleases me," to quote my roommate Adam. I have spent all morning 'preparing' myself to study...ridiculous. Curse you, internet. It's so easy to get lost in the overwhelming flood of blogs, and for what? To throw out fun facts at the next party? I digress...

This work will be my next read. I will hopefully begin Friday or Saturday. Dr. Brian Vickers has been my favorite professor here at Southern, and to have the privilege of reading one of his works is not due me.

Book is on Amazon.com for $10.19, and a good interview concerning the book can be found here.

I have taken two Greek classes, as well as hermeneutics and New Testament I with Dr. Vickers. I have been more devotionally (is that a word?) uplifted by him than any of my other classes...even more than when I was in spiritual disciplines class. Though that class was not beneficial because of my lack of discipline.

On a side note...I have become a pseudo-West Virginia football fan and a Brian Vickers NASCAR fan because of Vickers...silly?...yes.

.net, Is That Cheesy?

2006-11-25T22:29:00.000-05:00

I've been working on a website for the youth group at my church. Very challenging, and time-consuming. I'm happy with it for at least a few weeks. But I'll be changing it soon because no matter how hard I try it comes out cheesy. A couple friends and I have determined that the youth are very much sports fans so I wanted to take some ideas from ESPN.com. That's hard to do considering ESPN is a news network and so the whole site is covered in information. Let me know what you think about SouthernLive.

I Hate Black Friday

2006-11-24T20:42:00.001-05:00

This is my friend Grace and me at CompUSA. I just finished an eleven hour shift at Comp and I'm crashing from all the energy drinks and coffee. 4AM to 3PM. I have determined from my time in retail that people are depraved. I didn't even need to take Systematic Theology to get that! It's both intriguing and infuriating that people truly believe that they are more important than the mass of people around them. During the rat race today, three different people threw childish fits about how they deserved to return their "test-driven" products despite the fact that we have had it posted for days that we would not be accepting returns on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Wow...what gal! Of course the polite people who accept the truth and inconvenience leave the store unhappy. All the while, the impolite, selfish, childish, demon-possessed (overkill...maybe) patrons get exactly what they want if they throw a big enough tantrum. How ironic that we expect people to act civilly when we are all-the-while rewarding/satiating the evil nature.

2006-11-18T20:04:00.001-05:00

This is Juice, my perfectly harmless...and honest co-worker.

Belief-O-Mator 1000

2006-11-11T02:17:00.001-05:00

My coworker Lindsay drew this to help me memorize John 1:12. I thought you guys would like it.

Tribute to my PsuedoGrandma

2006-11-11T00:58:00.000-05:00

Jane Ann McSpadden...she's been there for me my whole life...what do you do for someone such as her? Well this is the least...and I do mean the least. We recently celebrated Jane Ann's 80th Birthday with a party (she's actually turns 80 on the 15th of this month...the pictures will be posted soon, be patient...they're here). This brought to my remembrance how much of my life has been affected by this women.

Jane Ann retired from teaching the year that I was born...of course she has been teaching me ever since: You can take the teacher out of the class, but you can't take the *class* out of the teacher (pun intended of course). I have countless memories of my time spent with Fred, Jane Ann and Rankin growing up. If I had know then what I know now I would have spent countless more days up there after I "grew up" and became a teenager. After Fred and Rankin's passing, Jane Ann has continued to be a great encouragement and source of help (*cough, cough* including financially whenever I would make - correction - do make stupid mistakes). Even after the passing of both of my grandmothers, Jane Ann has been a constant source of encouragement for me.
The most poignant thing I have learned from Jane Ann is family pride and heritage. She has always reminded me of how much Fred and my father would have been proud of me. Of course this kind of pride is potentially dangerous, however, I have tried to take this encouragement with the utmost respect for those who have passed on by striving to become better for the sake of the family name...and more importantly for the glory of God.

I am so thankful for all of my family...WHAT A BLESSING it is to be able to say with quite a lot of confidence that all my family is saved. My prayer now is that our faith would only pull us together to increased unity with Christian fellowship around the Gospel of Christ.

May we be one as the Father and Son are One. John 17.12

P.S. Psuedograndma sounds cooler than third cousin...

So True! I guess

2006-11-10T18:57:00.001-05:00

"Who would win in a fight between Dr. Octopus and Iron Man? Iron Man especially, because Iron Man would pick up a tall building and throw it on him." Words of wisdom from my four-year old cousin Campbell.

Disciple's of Truth Part II: Now You Walk the Talk

2006-11-03T02:56:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered that an hour is a very short amount of time when you are teaching something you love. I guess the guys I disciple probably think that the hour is an eternity, but it FLIES! Therefore, I have had to step through passages of Scripture a lot slower than I thought. I need to work on boiling down what I want to say into one or two basic truths that I can hit 'em with hard. But since I haven't been able to do that yet...here is the second week of the study on Two Tim 3:10-17.

II Timothy 3:14-15 - But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been aquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

After tracing this passage, I found that this is the main point of the passage...a command for Timothy to continue doing what Paul affirmed that he had done (vv. 10-11) (i.e. follow Paul's teaching and conduct). Paul tells Timothy to press forward in godliness (vs. 12). Why?

The basis for why Timothy should continue on it what he had learned is because what he had learned is truth. Timothy has two sources: Paul and the Old Testament. With these two authorities (which is actually the same authority...that of Scripture), Timothy could not go wrong. You see, being an apostle, the very things that Paul wrote were Scripture the same as the OT is Scripture.

Something much greater is going on here: Discipleship. Paul is continuing in the tradition of Christ by establishing the very method by which the Kingdom of God is to be established in the last days.

Matthew 28:18-20 - All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Examining the tense structure Matthew uses in the Great Commission is intriguing. In English, it sounds as if Jesus is telling us to 1."Go" and 2."Make disciples," all the while baptizing them into and teaching them about the faith. The Greek is very revealing. You see there are three subordinate verbs in vv 19-20 and one imperative...the thrust/strong command of the passage. Jesus is telling us to Make Disciples as we are going, baptizing, and teaching. What's cute is this...making disciples is just that though: going, baptizing, and teaching.

One other crucial point that must be mentioned from the Great Commission is this: in one command, Jesus establishes the mechanism that builds the Kingdom...discipleship. Watch this: Jesus says to teach your disciples everything that he had commanded you...well...that includes the command he just gave: make disciples!

Obedience to Christ doesn't end with evangelism...sorry to burst your Baptist bubble but obedience to Christ's commands is Discipleship (which of course includes, but is not limited to evangelism).

Looks like this one will have to have three parts...so much for boiling it down

Burning the Midnight Oil: Part III

2006-11-01T03:25:00.001-05:00

Yet another all-nighter. Different company, same task: Greek!

Trunk? or Treat!

2006-10-31T21:45:00.000-05:00

What are the theological implications of intoxicating hundreds of kids year after year with sugar and caffeine so we can get their parents contact information to visit them and evangelize them?

I don't know...but it was fun.

All the church members lined up the backs of their cars, trucks and SUV's (mostly SUV's) so the neighborhood youngin's could practice how to say "thank you" as they loaded up with more candy than they could eat in a year.

I ran around taking pictures all night...it was great...here is the album:

Trunk or Treat

Zombie Video

2006-10-31T00:12:00.000-05:00

This video is awesome...especially considering the zombie theme from the last couple months.

A few clarifications:
1. It's true that zombies don't have body heat, but it is not true that they would turn into corpse-sickles...solanum(the zombie virus) can survive extreme temperatures, and the only effect the cold temperatures would have is to slow muscle movement. But I agree with Simmans...he would be caught in a "tasty flesh bottle-neck" long before he reached Alaska.

2. Simmans (I think this is Bob Simmans by the way) won't tell the rest of his zombie plan because he's afraid the others might become infected and know what he's up to. It is ridiculous to think that zombies retain memories. As The Zombie Survival Guide clearly states, "not a shred of proof exists to support this wishful thinking. Zombies could not possibly retain memories from their former lives in either the conscious or subconscious mind, because neither exist!"

Happy Halloween

2006-10-27T17:24:00.000-05:00

Flaming Bag of Poo!

Disciples of Truth - Walking the Talk

2006-10-23T21:21:00.000-05:00

I am discipling two young men: Noah and Jordan. What a privilege! We just began last Sunday, and we are stepping through the Baptist Faith and Message. I chose the BF&M because I recently realized, after discipling a college student in my church, that I need to do a better job of meeting students where they are theologically. For example, one can't learn the beautiful doctrine of sanctification without an understanding, to some extent, of the more fundamental doctrine of justification. Fundamental meaning here more foundational, for justification is a beautifully intricate truth, simultaneously simple and complex while in no way less important than sanctification.

I now understand that I can't assume that students of any age know any Scripture. Oh, they know how to answer the simple Sunday School questions because they know the preacher's or mom's theology, but have they read any Scripture on their own? Sadly, it IS safe to assume here: "no."

Naturally, I went straight to Tim...II Timothy that is...for a passage to exegete. It worked out as a perfect passage both to introduce what discipleship is and to teach on the first section of the BF&M: the Scriptures. Verses 10-13 explain and exemplify discipleship while verses 14-17 are some of the best verses to defend the authority of Scripture.

II Timothy 3:10-13 - You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra - which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

I, personally, became very convicted halfway through my expounding of this text to them. You see...if this passage exemplifies discipleship, then they must be Timothy to me, and I must be Paul to them.

What got me was this...Paul opens this passage by commending Timothy for following in his footsteps. Paul lists all of these things (teaching, conduct, way of life, etc...) that Timothy emulated and then sums them all up by saying that this is what a godly life looks like (vs 12). If I am to be an effective teacher to these young men...I must be living a godly life. That is: my "teaching" and my "conduct" must be exactly the same. Paul "walked the talk."

Notice the dichotomy of the passage...to live a godly life is to not only to follow Christ's teaching, but also to follow his conduct and aim in life. The opposite of this is to be in the second group with the evil people and impostors, and this means to deceive and be deceived. These are complete antitheses.

Godly life = Walk (conduct) and talk the truth (teaching) *note: this is the essence of II Tim 2:2*

Evil people and impostors = Live a lie (be deceived) and teach lies (deceive others)

On Team A we have the Founder and Perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2) coaching the athletes who compete according to the rules (II Tim. 2:5) with truth as our mascot.

On Team B, the liar and father of lies (John 8:44) coaches evil people and impostors (false teachers) with the serpent (Gen. 3) as their mascot.

Each team with its own agenda...

My First Jack-O-Lantern

2006-10-21T23:51:00.000-05:00

Wow...what fun we had at Liz Lockwood's pumpkin carving party. I believe that I was the only one who wasn't from Cedar Creek Baptist Church but that's ok...I had a great time hanging out. This guy's name is Charlie.

I posted pictures on picasa web and on facebook.

Like Uncle...like Nephew

2006-10-20T00:15:00.000-05:00

My sister Suzie called me the other night to tell me that my nephew Joseph was more like me than I knew. I didn't at first know what she was talking about. She went on to explain that at supper that night they were eating salad and Joseph asked her, "Mommy, what is this?" Suzie explained to him that it was a carrot. A few minutes later he muttered, "Carrot in nose." After asking him to repeat it she saw that he had ranch dressing all over his nose. She rushed over to find a one inch piece of carrot shoved up his nose.

In second grade a girl that sat beside me and I were acting like agents during class by pretending we had those ear piece communicators. We used magnets for our communicators...yeah...I lost my communicator down my ear. I had go to have it pulled out by a nurse at the hospital with some long tweezers. When she pulled it out it gave me the heebie geebies. Fortunately...Suzie pulled the carrot herself with no trouble.

2006-10-19T18:08:00.000-05:00

Just a friendly reminder.

Burning the Midnight Oil

2006-10-18T01:41:00.000-05:00

Jose and I are pulling an all nighter for greek at Dennys!

Poetry and Cornbread

2006-10-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

Poetry night was a blast. Ben said to me after the fact that he was glad Jiri
and Cassey took the chance on having a poetry night. I thought about it later
and realized that he's right...with the wrong people there it could've been a disaster I suppose.

But we are all mellow beatniks, so it went well. There were readings from the Highwayman, Shakespear, Tim Burton (Christine is reading from him in the photo below), and the theme song from Firefly (which was a big hit it that group, 'cept for Cassey). The above photo shows Ben reciting a well-metered poem while Jiri plays some sort of box-like drum and Adam enjoys the whole scene. We kept true to the Beatnik theme with some Jack Kerouac, coffee, all black outfits, and snaps for approval.

I made cornbread! I also made taco soup to go with it. I entered it in a all male church chili cookoff and won third place...but they didn't have a third place prize. Oh well...pretty good for the first time huh?

2006-10-16T18:33:00.000-05:00

Ben explaining to Adam how to be a better public reader of poems. Prep for tomorrow nights poetry reading at Jiri and Cassey's.

2006-10-16T18:31:00.000-05:00

My friend Craig and I are sniffing our chap stick. Oh what Autumn fun at CompUSA!

Silver Turtles, Zombies, and Ben Farrar

2006-10-12T20:26:00.000-05:00

Themes of the week.

Foil Dinners, Hobo Dinners or, as I prefer to call them, Silver Turtles. These delectable dinners are a must for good camping. For some reason, these lovable lunches have been a theme for the past week or so. My roommate first brought up the subject, which led to the camping trip menu. Then today my friend Chris Dool mentioned them because we saw a Cub Scout getting ready to go to his Pack meeting. Ironically, it wasn't five minutes later that my brother called me and told me that they were going into a Cub Scout meeting as well. I'm so glad that my nephew is getting involved in scouting. It was such a big part of my life, and for a secular organization they are top notch.

Zombies have been a theme for at least two or three weeks now. My roommate, Adam, decided on the camping trip that the reason people are so fascinated with zombies is because dangerous things are intriguing, "and one of the most dangerous things is death." That quote definitely made it to the quote book (under quotes on my facebook account).

Recently, on one of my frequent trips to the Barnes and Noble bookstore (next door to CompUSA where I work), a book caught my eye: The Zombie Survival Guide. This was a must buy. This doesn't happen much to me, but I just had to get it...too classic!

This manual is a must read for all those who refuse to lay down at the next zombie uprising. Written more for laymen, this work includes these sections:
The Undead: Myths and Realities
Weapons and Combat Techniques
On the Defense
On the Run
On the Attack (each of these contain pertinent info concerning vehicles, terrain types and gear)
Living in an Undead World (in case of apocalyptic scale zombie uprisings)
and of course the last section is dedicated to Recorded Attacks.

This topic raises the question: If there was a zombie attack tonight, what would your two weapons of choice be? What would your vehicle of choice be?

This is the question I always people I've just met, or just for a conversation starter. Works best around guys of course.

Ben Farrar has a cell phone! Thought you might want to know.

Ohio Gaming Weekend

2006-10-12T10:55:00.000-05:00

Silly? I think not. Never scoff at Frankie the Fantabulous and Keira Knightfall!

I had the joy of joining my brother, sister-in-law and many others in Ohio a couple weekends ago for a nice adventure. Of course I was simply hired on as a mercenary for this one trip. My character, Big John, quoted as a "disreputable fellow," did well hiding in shadows and checking doors for traps and the such. I have to say that the name Big John is a little deceiving considering he is a halfing thief.

To catch up on the whole adventure, here is the posting.

I was able to photograph many of my brothers miniatures that weekend, a service which he seemed to greatly appreciate. Despite the great fun we had storming a hidden layer of Yuan-Ti and slaughting many-a-goblins, Saturday was the big day for gaming.

My brother held his second bi-annual gameday. All day long we all battled out our differences (you know...goblin hordes don't really like agents) in a Heroscape Tournament. Unfortunately, I was paired against Ty the first round and my troops couldn't hold off his vicious onslaught. Above is my nephew Noah, who faired well with his vicious dragon.

East Tennessee Tradition

2006-10-11T23:57:00.000-05:00

That's right...Tennessee Tradition. I discovered sometime last year, quite by accident, that I really do bleed orange.

I am simple...a Tennessee boy (East Tennessee for those who care...because it does make a difference) who follows his passions just like anyone else. My passion for the last few years has been for my passions to be the same as Christ's. Well, yes, of course I've failed...my passions keep getting in the way. Can't keep me from tryin' though.

Recently a group of my friends and I went a hop, skip and a jump East of here (I love going East...somehow it makes me feel that all is as it should be in the world) to the Red River Gorge area on a camping trip. We ended up at Koomer Ridge campground, and we had a stupendous time. Photos other than the one posted above are here. The chance to spend time nearer to Creation was so great. I had forgotten how much I enjoy the great outdoors.

My roots are deep in the appreciation for the Creation. I grew up on a small dairy farm in Sweetwater, TN were I ran the woods and splashed in the creeks. I was even known to ride calves with my brother, Andy, when I was very young. Many days were spent roaming alone because I was a functional firstborn, my sister being six years older and my brother nine years older. I helped on the farm some...but not as much as Andy...a fact I still am jealous of.

I grew up camping and backpacking in Scouts, and the joy flooded back to me while we hiked the trails this past weekend. Ben, Jiri, Adam and Goldie were my trail companions. Ben and I, the two Eagles Scouts on the adventure, were the two out-of-shape ones while Jiri and Adam fought for who would lead the party.

Christine and Cassey came up later that day to join the fun. The campfire conversation was just this side of hilarious. Christine recounted the night quite well.

The food was great that weekend because of my pleading with my roommate Adam...he wanted to make it simple and cheap...we'll have none of that.

East Tennessee, camping, food and the great outdoors...ahhh...my roots are great.