–Jiddu Krishnamurti

What a profound statement.  It may feel necessary and comfortable to blend in to our culture, but if that culture is sick we become sick the more we blend with it.

The same can be said of this world as a whole.  Being well adjusted in a sinful world is just an evidence of my sin.  And the more I blend with this world the more sin I will embrace.  By all means, live and make a difference in this world, but don’t get to comfortable.  As believers in Christ we should feel displaced, knowing that our home is not here.  We are just passing through.  And we need to bring as many along as we can.

via Lifehacker

We all have a choice.  We can move forward or stay in the same place.  We can be a better person tomorrow or the same person that we were yesterday.  How will we use our time?

–Daniel Webster

Belief is not merely an agreement with facts in the head; it is also an appetite for God in the heart, which fastens on Jesus for satisfaction.  Eternal life is not give to people who merely think that Jesus is the Son of God.  It is given to people who drink from Jesus as the Son of God.  Unbelief is a turning away from God and his Son in order to seek satisfaction in other things.  Pride is a turning away from God specifically to take satisfaction in self.  Covetousness is turning away from God, usually to find satisfaction in things.  Lust is turning away from God to find satisfaction in sex.  Bitterness is turning away from God to find satisfaction in revenge.  Impatience is turning away from God to find satisfaction in your own uninterrupted plan of action.  Anxiety, misplaced shame, and despondency are various conditions of the heart when these efforts of unbelief miscarry.

Unbelief is following a mirage in the desert.  It looks good but cannot satisfy.  Belief is coming to the fire hydrant of Jesus in the middle of the desert and being satisfied, not just acknowledging that He is there.

Brian

Ever since I saw him playing for the Rams Kurt Warner has been my favorite player in football.  Not only is he a great player, he is an amazing person off the field.  It is nice to see a player acknowledge where their skill comes from.  Read this article.  His testimony proves the power of God’s Word.

This is why I am rooting for Kurt Warner (thus the Cardinals) in this years Super Bowl.  Go Kurt!  Give glory to our Lord in front of millions!

Brian

-Pablo Picasso

I think that most of us would acknowledge this statement as true, but I think few of us actually do it.  We usually get stuck doing the things we are most comfortable with.  We take the path of least resistance.  I know that I do this on a daily basis.  We perceive the things we know as easy and the things we don’t as hard when we don’t even know everything they entail.  I know that I need to stretch myself often in order to keep learning and growing.

What things do you do to keep yourself learning?

Brian

–Samuel Johnson

The perfect example of this is Christ.  While we could offer him nothing in return He died for us.

Brian

He may be mad, but there’s method in his madness. There nearly always is method in madness. It’s what drives men mad, being methodical.
- GK Chesterton

Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status.
- Laurence J. Peter

People ask for criticism, but they only want praise.
- W. Somerset Maugham

There’s always somebody who is paid too much, and taxed too little – and it’s always somebody else.
- Cullen Hightower

A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.
- Alexander Hamilton

As to the last quote, if only Mr. Hamilton knew where we were today.

Brian

I suppose most of us don’t truly understand the depth of meaning in the celebrations that are generations removed from the event that is celebrated.  How do you keep it relevant to the people celebrating it years from when it happened?  I can’t think of a way to do this.  I don’t believe we are guilty of anything just because we didn’t experience the same things our fore fathers did, but it would make us negligent and unappreciative if we don’t try to at least attempt to understand what we are celebrating instead of just using it as an excuse to party and blow things up.  On the Fourth of July we celebrate our independence from a government that would impose it’s will upon the people it governs without allowing them any real form of appeal.  We celebrate the ability to make our own decisions about the laws of the land we inhabit.  We celebrate our ability to disagree on certain issues while holding up the freedom of the individual.

These things we celebrate were deemed important enough by our founders that they were willing to shed their own blood to secure them.  We are now some two hundred plus years away from the events that placed us where we are today.  Do we understand the freedom that we have?  Do I?  If we don’t we will soon loose it to the powerful few, who history has shown to corrupt quickly and easily if not held to account. Take the time to consider the freedoms you have, at what price they were bought, and what we are still paying today for them.  Marvel at the ability we have to voice our opinions without fear of retribution from those in power.  Consider intently the freedoms we enjoy so that we do not forget where they came from.

Thinking on the freedoms I have as a citizen of the United States also made me start thinking about the freedoms I have in Christ.  It is amazing to me how even though human events seem to loose their depth of meaning the further you get away from them, the importance of Christ’s death and resurrection seem to gain even more meaning the as time goes by.  I am free from the sin that separated me from the God who created me.  This is not because of something I did, but because of unmerited favor that was poured out on me by God.  I deserve this as much as anyone else does: not at all.  How much more should I not forget the freedom God has given me and how much more should I share it with those around me?

Brian

Oh, how true this rings of the current election cycle.  The only thing I know for sure is that I am not voting for Obama but I don’t want to vote for McCain either.  Both of these men are sold out to our current political structure (as is almost every other person in politics these days) and I think that change is needed.  The government seems to think that it is it’s job is to provide happiness and prosperity to everyone but, in actuality, it is not.  It is the individual’s responsibility to pursue these things in the bounds set by government to insure life (protection) and liberty (freedom).  I won’t ramble further.  To sum up, I really wish I had a viable candidate to vote for and not just someone to vote against. 

Brian

Carl Zwanzig

I never thought about it that way…….

Brian

–Herbert Spencer

Considering the role that government wants to play these days, this is a very interesting quote.  I guess fools are more easily to manipulate so if you wanted a populace to control this would be an easy way to make sure you could.

Brian

–Paul Johnson

Words and their meanings are something I have thought about at length and written about here as well.  It seems that the more a word is used the less weight it has.  They become commonplace and meaningless.  Why does this happen, you ask?  A good place to start looking is economics of all places.

Basic economic theory states that the more a commodity is available, the less it will be worth.  Why are diamonds worth so much?  They are a beautiful and desirable item but their worth comes from their rarity.  If the handful of companies that controlled diamond production in the world released their stock you would see the price of diamonds plummet.  Apply this to words and you have the same outcome.  The more a word is used, the less value it has.  It is not that the meaning has changed but that, many times, people don’t think about the meaning when using it because it is so readily available to them.  Wait for the new “in” word to hit the streets and in short while it will have lost some of it’s value because everyone is saying it often.

The reason I started thinking about this originally was because of common Christian words; words uncommon in their meaning but common in their usage.  We use words like sin, grace, repentance, and even the name of Jesus so often that we often don’t take the time to think about what they mean. 

I think we can apply this concept in more ways than just that.  Look at a society that is thriving and opulent.  Happiness abounds (at least temporary happiness).  Contentedness is expected and when it is not around people are dissatisfied.  What about all the happiness that they have that they are taking for granted?  Does that mean anything to them?  Not nearly as much as it does to a society that happiness is not the normal way of life.  When pain and grief are the norm, a respite from that or a small comfort is treasured beyond anything that the people in the first society can even dream about.

When something exists in excess it tends to be devalued.  Does any of this even matter?  What does this mean for you?  You go find the answers.

Brian

photo credit: Okko Pyykkö

“Daydreaming about something in order to do it properly is right, but daydreaming about it when we should be doing it is wrong.”

–Oswald Chambers

I believe that there are three basic categories of commands that we as Christians receive. They are explicit, implicit, and situational. The first two come from scripture and the last comes from our daily lives.  Let’s start at the end of the list and work our way to the beginning.

1.  Situational

Situational commands are the hardest to discern out of the three.  There are situations in our lives that come up where there is no prescribed correct way to handle them.  The Bible does not speak directly to these situations.  What are we supposed to do?  In this case we have to determine what God would have us do based on what we know of Him as revealed in scripture.  For example, we are told in scripture that is is good not to marry but that marriage does have a purpose.  Both ways of life are spoken of highly by God.  So, which is it?  And then on top of that, who, if anyone, are we supposed to marry?  Is it this person or that one?  How do we know?

This is a situation where we have to be in a close relationship with God and trust that He will lead us.  We have to take these situation by situation and it requires a daily walk with Him to do so.  As my pastor said it, “Obey what you know, and you will know what to obey.”  We know that we are supposed to have a deep and close relationship with out Lord and Savior and if we do that we will know what to do in situations like these.

2.  Implicit

Implicit commands are not directly spoken in scripture but they can be implied.  We are told in 1 Cor. 6:9 that people who practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God.  It is easy to imply from this scripture that we are commanded not to practice homosexuality. 

Another example of this can be found in 1 Cor. 10:31.  The only two explicit things we are told to do for God’s glory is eat and drink but then we are also told “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  We have to take this and imply that it means that we have to watch movies to the glory of God, or discipline our children to the glory of God.  Implied commands can take some extensive study to understand.

3.  Explicit

Explicit commands are the most visible and easy to discern because they come very directly from scripture.  A great example of these can be found in the ten commandments.  Do not steal is pretty easy to understand.  The only way to interpret this is, don’t steal.  That’s it. There are no two ways about it.

This brings me to the explicit command that I want to talk about.  Jesus says in Mat 28:19-20 to:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

We are explicitly commanded to “make disciples”.  That means sharing the gospel with people.  Our witness before everyone is paramount.  Many times I find myself thinking too much on whether I should share with this person or that person.  There is no question in my mind that I should.  I am over-thinking whereby putting off what God has commanded of me.  There shouldn’t be a time in my life when I am not actively or passively pursuing people for God’s kingdom.  We cannot use the excuse that we don’t know if we should or not.  It is explicit in scripture that we share with everyone.  That is why we are here.

There are things that should take a lot of thought and preparation but this in not one of them.  Don’t think too much.  Obey God.  By doing this we show that we trust Him.

“(Contemplating) after God has spoken is an indication that we do not trust Him.”

–Oswald Chambers

 Brian

For this was on Seynt Volantynys day

Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese [choose] his make [mate].

The commercialization of Valentines Day started in the 1840s when the “valentines” cards were sold in a book and stationary store in Massachusetts.  As time went on men began to have to top what other men were giving the types and varieties of gifts given expanded to flowers and candy.  (I am not sure if that is true or not, but it does make sense)  Since we live in a world driven by money, companies will take any opportunity they can to make money, especially holidays.  Giving jewelry is associated with Valentines Day (even though we can’t all afford it) but this wasn’t the case until the 1980s when diamond companies began advertising the day as an opportunity to give it.

So, there you go.  That is a brief summary of how we came to celebrate this day.  I like history.

Brian

I repent, I repent of my pursuit of America’s dream
I repent, I repent of living like I deserve anything
of my house, my fence, my kids, my wife
in our suburb where we’re safe and white
I am wrong and of these things I repent

I repent, I repent of parading my liberty
I repent. I repent of paying for what I get for free
and for the way I believe that I am living right
by trading sins for others that are easier to hide
I am wrong and of these things I repent

I repent judging by a law that even I can’t keep
of wearing righteousness like a disguise
to see through the planks in my own eyes

I repent, I repent of trading truth for false unity
I repent, I repent of confusing peace and idolatry
by caring more of what they think than what I know of what we need
by domesticating you until you look just like me
I am wrong and of these things I

Brian

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecc. 1:9

In times like these, it helps to remember that there have always been times like these.

Paul Harvey

 The world has already seen people and nations acting these ways and the world still exists, but more importantly, God has been there at every turn bringing about his perfect will no matter the choices that are made by man.  Be encouraged, God is in control!  This is not a promise of ease.  In fact, God promises that, as believers, we will experience trials in whatever form they take. Instead it is a promise of hope in our salvation and joy that can be found in those trials knowing that God is refining us.  The world may seem to be falling apart around us (and it may be) but the promises of God are not dependent on a perfect world.  They are only dependent on He who is our cornerstone, Jesus Christ.

 Brian

–Will Rogers

If you will notice, this month has been the second most posted-in month since my website came into being in 2005.  If you look at some of the months in there, it is obvious that I haven’t always been consistant in my posting.  I am trying to change that.  I love to write and this is a great avenue for me to do so.  My most posted-in month has 18 posts in it and I am trying to beat that.  I have 15 including this post but the holidays are upon me and that is when I usually slack off.  Not this time!  My goal is to post at least five times a week.  Can I do it?  Watch and see 

Brian

–Charles De Gaulle

We elect these people to do what we want, not what they think is best for us. Get involved. Vote at least. Stay informed on the topics of discussion (this is a daunting task). I think the politicians make their world complicated for the express purpose of making it as inaccessible as possible to the normal person. This is also the way they make themselves a valuable commodity. We have to have a “professional” politician representing us because they know all the ins and outs of the political world. But that isn’t the way it originally was. The founders of our country had in mind a system in which a person was chosen from among a group of people to represent that specific group. When this person’s time of service was up, they would return to whatever task they were doing originally before they were elected. The way I understand it, the founders did not intend on this being a career. And yet we have people in Washington that have been there for a long time.

Is our world so complicated that we need full time career politicians? I have heard the argument over and over that we need people elected who are experienced. I agree. Do the politicians really think so little of us? That there aren’t people intelligent enough to understand to the “goings on?” Doesn’t real life experience count? Or is this a convenient way for them to make themselves irreplaceable?

Power does corrupt given enough time. There has never existed and will not exist a human being whom this does not apply or will not hold true. Everyone is corruptible. I think our current political atmosphere (which I don’t think many people are happy with) is a result of this. Too few people with too much power, too removed from the people they represent, and from normal life, makes big trouble for the average constituent. Going to Washington (or your state’s government for that matter) should be an act of service to your country, not a pay raise and the road to power and fame.

How many people these days go into politics for the purpose of serving their country versus serving themselves? I don’t know if I really want to know the answer to that question. Some people might do it for both reasons. I am not suggesting that we not pay them for their work. What I am suggesting is implementing a solution that does not encourage people to get into politics for the money or power. Instead, it would encourage people to run for office when they have something they really believe in, they genuinely want to serve their country, or the people from their community really believe in them and want them to represent that community. This would mean less money being involved in the process. We would have to rely much more on debates and intelligent discussion rather than sensational ads and rehearsed dialog.

So I have said all this and I am sure you are wondering what my solution is. Term limits.

Many things would change. I think government would get simpler and more to the point. People in office would be making real decisions not calculated political maneuvers.  The purpose of this post is not to resolve all of the questions associated with instituting term limits. That is for a later discussion. Instead, it is to pose the question: Would we be better off with career politicians or genuine statesmen (and women)?

Brian