"Faith" or "Proof"

1 + 1 = 2

Its simple isn't it?

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4

Still simple

2 + 4 + 3 + 9 + 23 + 1 + 7 + 11 + 0.6 + 85 + 13 + 0.4 = 159

This is still simple, but it takes a bit more time to add up.

Its interesting; some of the smartest people I know don't solely focus on adding up the knowns.

The smartest people I know are able to conceptualize and work with unknowns.

The higher levels of math don't deal with known numbers as much as they deal with manipulating unknown variables and concepts.

Its quite amazing!

Simple minds need to have all the facts,

they need to be able to add up all the knowns,

they don't work well with the unknowns.

Simple minds need to have a direct flow of logic

proof

evidence

these are all words of the simple minded.

Words like

faith

trust

hope

these aren't the simple minded's favorite words.

The thing is,

a high math person understands simple math

but

a simple math person doesn't understand high math.

The beauty of it is the fact that a simple math person can always learn higher math.

What are your words of preference?

Proof and Evidence

or

Faith and Hope

Think about it.

More Boxes

Easter Egg Hunt

Recently our church hosted their annual Easter Egg Hunt. This outreach event brought in 716 people. Here are some clips of the afternoon...

Care and Share

The line of cars in the background are those who lined up to receive a total of 27,000 pounds of food from the Bad Axe Care and Share. Its amazing how God works through people who are willing to take steps!

Correction: 275 replaces the 350 I mention in the video

Please excuse the sound quality

Boxes

Let me get used to doing this. This is my first video blog....

Look Up

I'm convinced that we often find ourselves with a mentality that dates back to the 16th Century.

What I'm referring to is a geocentric view of the universe.

To be geocentric is to believe that the Earth is the center of the universe; that everything revolves around the Earth.

In the year 1610, the scientist Galileo started to promote a view that opposed the geocentric view.

By observation, Galileo calculated and believed that the earth revolved around the Sun.

This view became much trouble for Galileo.

The Catholic Church condemned this view and stated it was, "false and contrary to scripture."

Even the largest and most powerful religious structure in the world believed the Earth was the center of the universe.

In 1632, Galileo was tried by the Roman Inquisition and found to be "vehemently suspect of heresy."

Because of this, he was forced to spend the rest of his life under house arrest.

Did I mention that Galileo was right?

The Earth is NOT the center of the universe!

We don't like it when people tell us we aren't the center of the universe, do we?

Mankind has never been gentle to people who oppose this popular view; this "'me'ocentric" view of the universe.

We often find the universe to be "our" life and what "we" have going on in our own little bubble of the world.

Sometimes we need to take a second and

LOOK UP

Looking up helps us see.

Looking up helps us take the focal point off ourselves.

It helps us realize we are not the center of the universe.

By looking up, may we realize that we are part of a bigger picture.

Something beautiful is taking place.

If we take our eyes and minds off ourselves for just a minute, maybe then we will be able to see the universe without the pre-Galilean mentality.

Jesus teaches to, "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Its about looking up.

Its about looking at a kingdom beyond simply ourselves.

Its about looking at the world through the eyes of this Jesus.

Look Up

Look Out

Look beyond yourself to something bigger and beautiful that you're actually participating in.

Broken Record

Recently I was in my car driving, listening, and singing to a CD I love.

My phone rang and it was a good friend of mine from the east coast.

We began talking and laughing like we usually do about the humor and the complexities of life.

Ten minutes into our conversation, I noticed I was irritated and wanted nothing more than to get off the phone with this good friend of mine.

The conversation changed from something funny and pleasant, to aggravated and angry.

As I got off the phone ASAP, I noticed something.

The CD that I was listening was skipping. It was repeating the same irritating noise. As I thought about it, I realized that it had been skipping for a good 5 minutes.

I was so caught up in the conversation, I didn't realize that the song wasn't playing like it was supposed to.

Although I didn't realize it at the time, this skipping CD effected my mood, demeanor, and attitude. It changed a pleasant conversation to an annoyed conversation. I couldn't understand this until I focused on what was actually happening.

We all have this skipping CD don't we?

Things don't go as we expect them to.

Our plans don't work out like we want.

Sometimes we blame God.

Sometimes we don't understand what He's doing.

We must realize that this song of creation is in fact skipping. Its not playing out in the exact way that God had in mind.

This skipping CD affects us:

Attitudes

Actions

Hearts

Souls

Some of us sing along to the skipping.

Some of us actually think the CD is supposed to be skipping.

Its not.

The teachings of Jesus show us that God wants us to partner with Him in bringing Heaven to Earth. Jesus teaches us a new way, a new Kingdom announcement right in the middle of this one.

A correction to the skipping of the CD.

Romans 12:2, "Do no conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Never get used to the skipping.

May you follow the way of Jesus as you sing to the original song of creation.

Pulse

My wife and I have started our regular visits to the doctor as we check the growth of our baby. A few weeks ago, I got to hear something miraculous: our baby's pulsing heartbeat. I was extremely close to experiencing tears of joy as we listened to the continual rhythm of our son's heart.

Now, lately I've been reading quite a bit our of the gospels. What continually captures my attention is Jesus' teachings; specifically the Sermon on the Mount. I'm continually amazed how desensitized I've become to the words Jesus spoke. Its almost like I've read it so much, I don't even know what it means anymore. My eyes glaze over the words that I read. This is the reason I'm reading the gospels again. I'm convinced that instead of simply knowing the words that are there, I need to live them out in my every moment. So lately I've convinced myself to read slower. In fact, I've started to read so slow that sometimes I'll read and reflect on one verse at a time as I concentrate on applying that verse to my life.

I'm stuck.

I'm stuck at the place where Jesus says,

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Now, the average pulse for an individual is somewhere between 60-100 beats per minute. When one becomes excited, exerts energy, or exercises, their pulse can rise up to rates of 150-200 beats per minute.

So I'm hung up on these words of Jesus because lately I've been trying to analyze what I consider my treasures to be. Personally, I know I value insignificant things. I know some of my treasures, values, or priorities aren't what they should be. Jesus says that my heart is where my values are.

I'm stuck on these words of Jesus because I want my pulse to rise to the things of God, not the things of the world.

I'm stuck because I know I exert energy and I get excited for the things of the world, and not the things of God.

I'm stuck because I've made the decision to apply Jesus' words to my life. I won't go on until I make some progress.

What excites you?

What do you value?

What raises your pulse?

We are children of God. God intends for our pulse to rise for the things that are good in His eyes.

What does God hear when he listens to your pulsing heartbeat?

Where is your heart?

Everybody Follows Somebody

Let me start by asking you this question:

"Who are you following?"

I've been asking myself this question quite regularly lately. Often times, I find that I can live and think in ways that are so opposite of the ways of Jesus. Its no that I wake up in the morning and make the decision not to be a Christian, its that if I don't make an effort to continually mimic the ways of Jesus, I look pretty nasty. I can't stand it when I look this way. I can't stand it when I follow "my" way over God's Way. I'm often embarrassed of myself when I don't live out the Way that I teach.

Everybody follows somebody.

Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (John 14:23-24)

So I continually ask myself and I encourage you to ask yourself,"Who are you following?"

The ways of your self?

or

The ways of God?

Do you obey your own made up ideas?

or

Do you obey Jesus' teachings?

This is the journey of the life of every Christian. We don't just wake up and look like Jesus. First we have to put our faith and trust in him, then we have to learn what he taught, and then we have to live it.

Following Jesus.

This is what we're all about. We are about making disciples of this Jesus. We are about walking and living in the same way Jesus walked and lived. We are about following Jesus, because He reveals the ways of the Father in Heaven.

...Who are you following?

The Shotgun Effect

.

.

.

Recently, I bought a 12 gauge shotgun.

I bought it 2 days before "opening day" (of hunting season).

2 days doesn't give one much time to get familiarized with a gun.

The day after I bought the shotgun, I needed to sight in the scope. I was short on time and was in a hurry. I grabbed two pumpkins from the front porch to use as target practice, grabbed ten shells, and quickly began my journey into state land. I arrived at the designated location for target practice, but I forgot something.

Ear protection.

Yet I continued on.

The first shot sent a ringing wave through my ears.

The second amplified the ringing.

The third shot hurt.

I didn't stop at three.

.

.

.

By the tenth shot, my ears were saturated with a sharp piercing pain.

It hurt to move my jaw.

It sounded as if I were underwater.

I couldn't hear.

The radio in my car sounded muzzled.

I could hardly hear myself talk.

Its been three months and I still find myself struggling with the effects of shooting the 12 gauge with no ear protection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Whats that?"

"I can't hear you."

This bad decision put the world on mute.

The volume was turned down.

I can't hear as well as I did.

I did this to myself.

The thing is...I knew better.

I knew I shouldn't have shot.

But I did anyways.

Ten times.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recently I came across a quote that I find interesting:

"Look into nature and you will understand it better."

I resonate with this.

There seems to be endless consistencies between the relationships of God and man, man and nature, and God and nature.

Creation is consistent with itself and it's Creator.

What happened with the shotgun also happens in my relationship with God.

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The writers of the Bible were aware of something.

Genesis 1:2, "...the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters."

Psalm 139: 7-8, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."

He is here.

He is hovering in and through us.

The writers were aware of something else.

Isaiah 59:2, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you..."

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We are surrounded by a rhythm, a melody, an orchestrated song in which saturates and sustains all of creation. We are surrounded by the Spirit of God.

The more we deafen our ears, the more unable we become in hearing the music through creation.

I find the more I stumble (the more I sin) and the more I miss the mark; the less sensitive I become to the Spirit of God.

My failure(s) separates me from God.

In the same way;

shooting a shotgun without ear protection

is consistent with

living and thinking opposite the ways of God.

We turn the volume down.

We mute the music.

I turn the volume down.

I mute the music.

I find life in believing and living and thinking by the ways of Jesus.

I find hope knowing that Jesus reveals the heart of God.

I find comfort in knowing that God is revealing Himself through His Son.

May you live in sensitivity to the Spirit of God. May you place your faith in Christ who not only paid the penalty for your brokenness, but also teaches you to live the rhythm of the Father.

------Romans 7-8------

Merry Christmas

The season of Christmas brings tangents; parties, food, shopping, family, movies, music, even those favorite Christmas T.V. shows. I think we all get caught up in the hype, I know I do.

There is this quote by Dallas Willard that keeps messing with me: "Familiarity breeds unfamiliarity."

I've done Christmas 25 times and I can probably remember 21-22 of them. Every year the same sort of thing takes place.

Routine.

I love the routine of Christmas; I always have and I hope I always will. I love all the things that come along with Christmas.

But this quote, this quote keeps me thinking.

In thinking, I question my subconscious. Within my familiarity, I wonder how unfamiliar I am with Christmas. I wonder if I'm really celebrating Christmas, or just the tangents that come along with Christmas. I wonder what occupies my mind the most. This messes with me.

The reason we have Christmas tangents is because of one event. We are celebrating the birth of the One who came to redeem and restore the brokenness of the world. We are celebrating Emmanuel (God with us). We are celebrating the waiting and the arrival of the One who was promised throughout the Old Testament of the Bible. This event is the root, the cause, the foundation of all the tangents and routines that accompany Christmas.

What occupies my mind the most?

The tangents: All the stuff that comes with Christmas is on my mind far more than the meaning of Christmas itself.

I don't like this.

It bothers me.

It makes me cringe thinking I'm just another person caught in the net of a commercialized Christmas holiday.

So

May we celebrate this one event. May we recognize our possible unfamiliarity and attempt to bring back the consciousness of the real purpose behind this holiday. May we all remember and reflect upon the point of singularity when it comes to Christmas: the Savior's birth.

"Let me tell you about the time I..."

I'm starting to change the way I talk to people.

Through my life, I feel I have had some pretty wild success stories as well as some interesting stories of failure. In fact, I've been pretty eager to share these stories with people. I've always thought my stories could help people cope with their own situations.

Have you ever had someone share a struggle with you?

...something painful?

...something hard?

...something unjust?

For some reason, I've always felt that this is an important time to share my stories.

"Maybe if they knew my story, then they wouldn't realize how bad theirs really is.

Maybe the success of my story of struggle will help them succeed in theirs."

Recently I've been sharing some of my struggles.

Recently I've been running into a lot of other people's stories.

Quite honestly, I'm learning something.

I'm learning not to attempt to heal someone else's struggles with my stories.

"Maybe my token of advice isn't as helpful as I thought.

Maybe they don't want to hear my story.

Maybe our perspectives and cognitive clockwork aren't as compatible as I thought.

Maybe they don't want to hear how I've been there before."

What I'm learning is that maybe its far more effective to enter into someone's suffering with them, than it is to give them a token of advice or a story.

Encouragement

Motivation

Inspiration

I'm starting to think that the comfort of a loving friend will go much farther than a personal story or a token of advice.

Instead of being so quick to make their story about me, now I'm going to try and make my story about them.