Am I foolish, weak, lowly, despised, nobody? That is my desire!

God's Wierd Recruitment Plan

I have no idea of the validity of the statement below that was emailed to me by a friend with the link to this performance. But whether or not it is true, it is still an amazing performance. It is kind of long coming in at 5:57. If you have time, check it out. Oh, and Happy Memorial Day everyone.

This dance is called "Buda with thousand hands". It is performed by a group of Chinese handicapped girls. They can not hear or talk. They dance by reading the signs given by the 2 teachers standing at each side, they are so famous now that they are being invited by countries around the world . Please turn on your speakers, and enjoy......

http://www.employees.org/~hshen/12371032.wmv

Check out Ben's "Public Schools are Evil" post on May 25th. Absolutely fan-freaking-tastic!


http://prayingmantis.blogspot.com/

A great post by Mark Driscoll

Jesus the Investment Banker

This is a pretty funny video but the F-bomb is said at the very end so if you're offended by that, DON'T Click on the link.

(Caution: One definite use of profanity at the very end...but it's Samuel L. Jackson's voice...)

Fast Times at Egypt High

Holy Doubt
"Sometimes doubt is actually holy --- when it reveals a desire to pursue the truth, even when doing so means revising one’s current beliefs."

McLaren, Brian D. More Ready Than You Realize - Evangelism As a Dance in the Postmodern Matrix, p. 50.

Becoming Real People

“If they cannot look upon us and say,” These are real people,” nothing else is enough. Far too often young people become Christians and then search among the church’s ranks for real
people, and have a hard task finding them. All too often evangelicals are paper people.”

Schaeffer, Francis The God Who Is There, InterVarsity Press Copyright (c) 1968 p. 193

The Congressional Testimony of Jesus Christ

The Jesus Testimony

Pretty cool website

The Porpoise Diving Life

This is just what I "think" happened in Brownsville, not what happened. I say this because I went through a similar experience only on a smaller scale.

I attended a church for years and I remember revival breaking out one time for an extended period of time. There were signs and wonders going on and there definitely was a powerful move of thr Holy Spirit. I think it went to the church leadership's head. This is what i think happened in Brownsville. Church politics, greedy leadership, power trips, spiritual abuse and probably a lot of dictatorship too. This in turn probably stopped the revival and people saw through what the leadership was doing, leadership became devisive and Brownsville is now in trouble.

It is sad that it had to happen, but it did and it is sad. Let's just love people, show them the love of Christ in us, train them up and equip them and then they will go out and do the same. This is what it's all about and is what I desire in a church family.

What Happened to Brownsville's Fire?


I will post my thoughts on this later. I need to be careful how I word it.

A Mother's Day Lunch

For the past few years, my sober years anyhow, I have taken my mom out to lunch for a special date with just the two of us. I am blessed in that I am an adult and my parents live fairly close to us. They live in Tucson only about an hour and a half from where we live. It is a very special time for us and we get to bond as a mother and son. She looks forward to it every uear as do I.

We went out to this French place yesterday and the food was to die for. I had a Spinach and Cheese Souffle. Sounds kind of dainty, but it was delicious! Anyhow, I had a very special time with my mom and I look forward to it every year and I know that she does too.

I also got to head out to lunch with my dad the day before and enjoyed that also. He took me to a sushi place in Tucson and it was great. We also got to catch up on stuff and had good fellowship and conversation.

I wasn't always the best son towards my folks but they raised me well and prayed for me regardless of what I was doing with my life. It paid off, because God answers prayer and He answered theirs.

Liking Da Vinci, Loving Jesus: confessions from a Christian fan of "The Code"

Liking Da Vinci

My friend is doing quite well I was told. I called his girlfriend Monday and he was still in Phoenix at the rehab facility he is in. He is almost done with his third week. This is great news and an answer to prayer. my prayer is that he sticks with it, that he finds the Lord and will continue a life of sobriety when he leaves this facility. I will contact him personally after he has been in for 30 days. Then i will talk to his counselor and see what they have planned for him for his aftercare when he leaves this facility. This will be the true test.

Didn't even see one!

For those wondering about my rattlesnake hunting adventure, sorry! We didn't even see one. Zip, zilch, nada, zero, nil! We saw two non-venomous snakes that Jeff picked up and played with. He brought along his Colt .45 and fired that off a few times. Once at a rabbit and I swear he only missed it by less than an inch judging by the dirt and rocks that flew when the bullet hit the ground.

I guess I mis-spoke in an earlier post about it being peak rattlesnake season. That was actually about a month ago. Anyhow, we did get a lot of hiking in. I was glad we went early in the morning because it was hotter than hell by 10 o'clock.

I ended up with a jumping cactus in my foot that Jeff had to pull out with pliers. Like an idiot, I wore tennis shoes (probably not the smartest thing to do while rattlesnake hunting either) and the cactus just went right through them. I would be lying if I said I was not a little bit nervous while we were looking for the ever elusive western diamondback. When you're walking through brush and you can't see the ground underneath you, yeah it made me nervous. The worse part was when we were climbing up and down and all around the rocky areas. That spooked me a lot, not knowing what was on the other side.

I had fun and good fellowship with Jeff though. He's a great guy and it was cool of him to take me out. I will go again and I will catch me a rattlesnake. For those who asked what he does with them. He catches them alive and puts them in a bag then dumps them in a iced chest where he says that puts them into hibernation. He then kills them and eats them. they say it tastes like chicken. Yeah right.

Tomorrow I will be heading down to Tucson to see my parents and stay the night with them. I will also be taking my mom out for our annual Mother's Day lunch while I'm there. Til next time...Ciao!

Rattlesnake Hunting

Tomorrow morning I will be getting up at 430 am to get ready for a Rattlesnake hunting adventure. Call me crazy, call me stupid, but I'm doing it! A friend of mine from the Vineyard hunts them and I'm getting initiated tomorrow morning. I'm bringing a camera so if we're successful, I'll have pictures to prove it. Pray for me!

Complete F-Bomb Story

This story so moved me, especially what the poet has to say in part 3, that I couldn't wait to post the entire story.

In part 4 there is also a link to her actually reading the poem. It is only about 3 and a half minutes in length, and get this...It's freaking EDITED!

For those who are wondering what my answer would have been? I would have asked to read the poem myself and if the writer explained to me what she was trying to convey, I would have allowed it. Without that though, I would honestly have to say that I probably would not have allowed it.



Expletive Undeleted 2: The F-Bomb Fallout

Expletive Undeleted 3: The F-Bomb Poet Responds

Expletive Undeleted 4: The F-Bomb Pastor Responds

What would you do?

Read the article and tell me what you would do. Would you allow it or not? I will post the second part of the post in a few days telling whether or not he allowed it. I was just curious what others think and what they would do in this situation.

Expletive Undeleted: Dropping the F-Bomb in Church

A very interesting read

Six Ways I Quit Church

Staind Concert

Went to the Staind concert last night with my wife, Robert and Angela. We arrived at the Mesa Amphitheater about 630 pm. The Mesa Amphitheater is a nice small outdoor venue that holds around 4500 people for a sellout. There is a grassy area near the stage where all the "crazy" people go and then there is grassy tiered seating that slopes upwards.

The first band was okay. Not bad but did not really impress me either. The best part of their set to me was when the lead singer broke out an electric violin and I thought the sound was great.

The second band was a band called Three Days Grace, a hard driving punk/pop band that hails from Ontario Canada. I really got into their set. I knew some of the songs and they were a great band to see live. They played about a 45 minute fast paced set and ended it with their signature song that got the crowd moving.

After a a half hour intermission the band we were waiting for took the stage as the house lights went down. It was an absolutely beautiful evening. Perfect weather so to speak. Shorts and a t-shirt and after the sun went down it was very comfortable.

Staind came on promptly at 830 and opened their set with my favorite song titled Falling. They played a very entertaining 90 minute set and closed with one of my other favorite songs by them called It's Been Awhile. Actually they closed with Mudshovel but we left right when they started playing it to beat the crowd out.

The crowd was kind of small for the show, which actually was a good thing and made the show more intimate. If I have any complaint about the show at all it would have to be that it was a bit too loud. Clear, but way way loud. Could have been where we were sitting, but I've been to many shows at this venue and I have to say that it was a little louder than normal. Patty agreed with me and she even had to put tissues in her ears.

I was glad Robert and Angela went with us and they seemed to enjoy themselves also. Staind is a pretty good band with emotionally charged lyrics and a heavy melodic sound.

Donald Miller on President Bush

Personally, my opinion of George W Bush has fallen recently and I have to say I agree with what a lot of what Donald Miller has to say in this post. I may take some flack for posting this but this is a blog. And people can have their own opinions. Anyhow, for what it's worth, here is the link to the post and I've also included the entire post below the link.

http://www.donaldmillerwords.com/index.php

May 8th.

USA Today released a new poll today marking President Bush’ approval rating at 31%. If you are wondering, that’s pretty low. This means the only two communities in America that still support the President are the wealthy, and conservative evangelical Christians, two groups who are, quite nearly, binary opposites.

His falling approval ratings have caused me to question, once again, why it is the evangelical community admires this President. I’ve been wondering what the real reasons are, not the ones so commonly given, about him being a defender of freedom and all of this.

Here are a few suggested reasons, judge them for yourselves:

1. He is like them: President Bush is positioned as somebody who is "like" the modern evangelical. Bush speaks candidly and openly about a conversion experience and a personal relationship with Jesus. He’s a Methodist in practice and it is widely known he holds Bible studies and prayer meetings in the White House. These actions are considered discipleship initiatives by evangelicals in America. That said:
2. He is like them: The particular version of Christianity Bush subscribes to is heavily influenced by Americana, that is his spirituality is self-help, his social justice methodology is free-market (that is not entirely a criticism, by the way) and his theology is simple (good guys/bad guys, us vs. them, Jesus wears a cowboy had and fought at the Alamo, all captured in Mel Gibson’s movie about the life of Jesus entitled Bravehart)
3. He is like them: Bush takes stands; he thinks in black and white, he is not a flip flopper. He sees something wrong, and he does not seek to understand, he attacks. He has clearly defined enemies, both personally and patriotically. This gives the modern evangelical a clear association with someone good fighting someone bad, and so hijacks the "fans" ego through emotional gratification rather than reason. This personality trait of Bush’ is seen by many Christians as a virtue.
4. He is like them: Bush is not intimidating, either in stature, character or intellect. This trait makes people comfortable.
5. He is like them: Bush stands against Gay Marriage and for unborn children. These two issues define Christian concern for legislative dealings. Bush is a champion of these issues, and wins the hearts of evangelicals in his stance.

And of course there are more, but this should get the discussion started. And while Bush is all these things, and they are mixed in my opinion in terms of being both good and bad (each idea is certainly debatable), he is also so much more, and the "more" is the part hidden from the evangelical populous who so blindly support him.

Here are some examples of how Bush is unlike the average evangelical.

1. He is not like them: He is dishonest: While Clinton is often seen as a liar by the evangelical community, at least he had the integrity to say "sexual relations" as opposed to "sex." What he said regarding Monica Lewinsky, then, was technically true (though no less misleading and dishonest and furthermore dishonorable.) It is President Bush who has no such conscious. I can only think he considers his lies justified by his American/Christian agenda. That is, he believes it is okay to use Satan’s tactics to build God’s kingdom. The specific lies are too numerous to mention, but see this short list: http://www.bushwatch.com/bushlies.htm
2. He is not like them: He is the product and defender of wealth. Unless you are a millionaire and have close ties to Saudi Arabia, you are not like George W. Bush. His agenda is a pro-oil, pro corporate agenda. Is this good for Christians? Not necessarily. Corporations have killed the American family, polluted the environment, enslaved children of second and third world countries, along with their parents, been discontent with their own boundaries in alignments with dictatorships and evil regimes, and distorted the American thought process into believing quick fix, unbiblical (read: unrealistic) solutions to problems (a bombardment of commercials has trained our minds to believe a small investment in a given product will solve a problem related to the product, even if the product is a piece of crap). So close are the ties between Bush and oil, the counsel for the defendants in the Enron trial of Jeffrey Skilling and Ken Lay favored jurors based upon, among other criteria, their pro Bush sentiments.
3. He is not like them: While evangelicals follow the Prince of Peace, Bush has shown little interest in peace. In a way, however, because there is only one peace studies program at any Christian University or college in all America (Anderson University, Messiah College also has a minor) Bush really is like the modern evangelical, but he is not like Jesus in this way. Bush’ idea of peace comes through policing and intimidating the world.
4. He is not like them: Bush’ black-and-white, simplified version of reality is hardly Biblical. The God of scripture describes a complex reality in which steadfast determination is not considered virtuous in a social climate always in flux. That is, the truth doesn’t change, but people are not perfect in their understanding of truth. Paul presents a message of Christ’s soon return, then later urges patience, saying God is not slow within His own experience of time. Peter, upon Paul’s argument about Gentiles, changes his mind to entertain a table with them. A Christian virtue seems to involve an understanding one will make mistakes, and a humility to change, adapt, learn and lead. Bush (along with nearly every other American president since the invention of radio) does not admit mistakes.

In the end, we have a President who represents and was produced by a corporate greed that barters for oil on foreign soil, defends trade relations with military action, retaliates against the reaction to that infringement with more military action (spinning the reality into simplified Hollywood plot-scenarios) and has robbed the church of it’s identity as the Kingdom of God.

But he does hold a Bible study in the White House. And he prays. Perhaps he should pray for his friends who are standing trial for pump-and-dump frauds that stole millions from their employees, and for his own Vice President who cusses like a sailor and mistakes hunting buddies for small birds.

Now here is the point: Bush is not a bad man misleading and manipulating the church in America for a vote. He is actually, in part, a product of the church. Bush, as afore suggested, nurses upon two teats: corporate America, and Christian America. Ultimately, then, I’ve not given the ultimate true reason evangelicals favor Bush. The truth is evangelicals do not support Bush because he is like them; they support him because they created him.

As for Republican presidents, I miss Ronald Reagan. I don’t miss Reagan because he was perfect, he did lie about Iran Contra and played his part in creating the mess we are currently in, but I do miss him because he was nobody’s pawn. He negotiated the end of the cold war without picking up a gun, he believed in trickle-down economics but understood corporate greed, he had deep-seated beliefs about Democracy, about the beauty (not the perfection) of America, he did not enable members of his own administration, and had the guts to fire failures, he did not see Israel as a good-luck charm of which America could stroke for favor from God, and he liked the idea of God as a benevolent Father who provided for, disciplined and rebuked. He believed America was the shining city and chose for this country to act as a role model for the world. He was not an arrogant man. He was not a weak man. He was not a simple man. He was not a foolish man.

Before running for governor of Texas, bush lobbied Major League Baseball to become President of that association. He would have done a great job and been a role model to many in that position. But real life is not a game, and dead people are not points. And nobody, right now, is winning anything.

Things I did not say:
1. Republicans are bad
2. Bush is completely bad.
3. There is no benefit to individuals or the world from corporations.
4. Ronald Reagan was perfect.
5. Trickle-down economics is perfect.

Further reading? Consider "American Theocracy" by Republican strategist Kevin Phillips.

Things I believe Bush is doing right:
1. He is openly and boldly taking questions from the American people.
2. He is publicly asking America to invest intellectually and financially in alternative sources of energy.
3. He is praying.

Posted: Saturday : August 06, 2005

A nice dinner

We went out to eat last night with another couple from church that had a baby a few months ago. We met them at our Bible Study and have become pretty good friends. we ate at the Pacific Seafood Buffet which features sushi. If you've never had sushi you don't know what you're missing. Their names are Jeff and Trish and their 5 month old son is named Luke. We had great conversation and fellowship.

Jeff is an avid outdoorsman. Totally opposite of me. He is an avid fisherman and hunter. He is also into something that really peaked my interest. He goes out and catches rattlesnakes. Real ones, live ones, by hand and a long pole thingy with a wire lasso or something like that on it. He invited me to go along with him a week from today and I took him up on the offer. Apparently it is peak rattlesnake season right now. So a week from today at 5 am we are heading out to Usery Park and hunting rattlesnakes. I'm kind of nervous and excited all at the same time. Recently he caught a 5 and a half foot diamondback. Call me crazy, but I think it will be fun and interesting. pray for me. heh heh heh.

I haven't posted about my friend for awhile because as I stated in an earlier post, I had to step away from the situation and leave it in God's hands. His girlfriend was constantly "rescuing" him which in turn frustrated me because she was going against the advice she had asked me for.

Anyhow, I called her yesterday and as of today he has been in treatment for 13 days. he has been approved for 30 days and can get extensions after that in 15 day increments. It is good that he is still in treatment and if he stays for 30 days I will go see him and offer him support again. I think God is working in this right now.

Carol Hain Feb 16, 1951- Apr 29, 2006

Carol was a good friend of ours who we knew from our old church. She was a wonderful lady who cared for people. She tutored my daughter in math a few years ago when they lived in the East Valley. She had battled cancer for several years and went home to be with the Lord. She will be missed here on earth by many but will be remembered for her loving and caring heart and for helping people get through their struggles in life, whatever they might have been. Pray for her family. I will be attending her funeral on Monday.

What does it mean to be missional?

I think it means getting to know your neighbors and inviting them into your home. Even if they are New Agers. Even if they are a gay couple living together or a straight couple living together outside of marriage. Even if they are the teens that are into the gothic scene. Heck, even if they are Mormon. Or AG, or Baptist, or Catholic, or whatever. And yes, even if it is the homeless guy sitting by the offramp that you see on your way home from work every day.

Amadeo means loved by God. They are all loved by God. We are going to show that to them and bring that to them and love them that way. Through that love and friendship, may they come to know Christ.

Amadeo

Well we just got back from the Amadeo fellowship/informational/prayer/worship meeting and all I can say is WOW! I am loved by God. I am blessed to be able to be a part of what is going to happen. The turnout was great. I met some new people.

Ben, Robert and Ian did a fantastic job of informing everyone about what Amadeo will be about. It will be missional, loving, caring, and accepting of everyone. They will be loved by us, but most importantly, loved by God.

One of the things that touched me the most was a letter written by Pastor Jack who is the Senior Pastor at Vineyard Community Church of Gilbert. Blessing the church plant and offering support and prayer for us. That's what it's all about folks.

Father God, I ask that you bless each person and family that will be a part of this. Let us love the community we will be serving in and bring Your Kingdom to them.

Let Go and Let God

This was on a daily calendar on our kitchen counter today and it may be a word for someone as it was for me so I'll just post it. I hope it blesses you.

Let Go and Let God

When you're troubled and worried

and sick at heart

And your plans are upset

and your world falls apart

Remember God's ready

and waiting to share

The burden you find

too heavy to bear;

So with faith, let go

and let God lead the way

Into a brighter

and less-troubled day.

Helen Steiner Rice

Lord I ask you to help me to be a better father. I am struggling with a few things right now with my daughter and I just pray that you will give me grace, peace and wisdom. Let me guide her through the struggles, pray with and for her, and allow me to show her unconditional love. I ask that you bless her and give her grace, peace and mercy as she struggles with choices that teens face today.