my sermon on grace from last sunday

last sunday morning i was privileged to present the sermon during the morning worship service. i also presented the evening message it will be posted soon.

Sermon for Sunday Morning December 23rd 2007
Click Here to Listen

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family around the world!

Geeking Out

Geeking out at the apple store test driving an iPod touch!

tyler enjoys doritos

See my Tabblo>

two new video!

hey ya'll

cruise on over to the family life section at the church of Christ in falls church or to sparkyphilms to check out my latest videos. these two were part of a keynote presentation i gave as part of a report on this summer's mission trip to torrington, ct. it was a great trip but the coolest part of it was one of my former students who is now involved in our mission's committee was in charge of the trip. i just went along as eye candy.

busted head!

me and the family went on a long bike ride on the washington old domion trail to the town of vienna. we met up with some friends who live there and ate doughnuts and kettle corn popcorn at the farmers market. during the fun tyler ran and tripped into a bench hitting his head just above his eye. needless to say he cut it open and bled a lot at first. lisa used her first aid skills and stopped the bleeding with a band aid. then we cycled back to the van after some lunch and i took him over to the urgent care center for 3 stitches. he is doing fine and was very very good as the doctor put 3 stitches into his eye brow. never a good experience holding your child still as he cries as they stitch him up or give him a shot.

here are some pictures i took with my phone so the boy could see what he looked like.

My Psalm 46

This Tuesday (September 11th 2007) at the area wide minister's/leader's meeting, in remembrance of September 11th and the on going conflicts, Mike Anglin, of the Silver Spring Church of Christ, read Psalm 46. With this Psalm in mind every minister, elder and church leader present prayed. It was a powerful morning and one I won't soon forget. As I listened to all the prayers around me two thoughts came into my mind. First was that the LORD had entrusted us all with a sacred trust to be ministers in His church. A minister is not just someone who works for a church but every believer is called to be a minister. Every believer has been blessed with ministry. We just have to open our hearts and ears to see whom we are to minister to or how we are to minister.

The second thought was to personalize Psalm 46. It is one thing to read an encouraging piece of scripture like Psalm 46 it is another to put yourself into that Scripture. So I rewrote Psalm 46 with "I"s and "mine" instead of "us" and "ours". The truth of this psalm was not just for those who first wrote and or read it. No, the truth is for me and you today.

God is my refuge and strength,

my ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore I will not fear,

though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah

I know there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

I know God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

I see the nations are in uproar and kingdoms fall;

God lifts his voice and the earth melts.

The LORD Almighty is with me;

the God of Jacob is my fortress. Selah

You need to come and see the works of the LORD,

see the desolations he has brought on the earth.

Look He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear,

He burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with me;

the God of Jacob is my fortress. Selah

pre-labor day camping trip

the byrd family went camping at the end of last week just before the labor day rush and the beginning of school. it was awesome and i am going to post some more pictures soon but i wanted to put this one up tonight. it is my favorite one from the trip. just me and tyler over looking east across a valley in shenandoah national park.

Follow Me and Leave it all Behind

Follow Me and Leave it all Behind

"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." - Luke 9.62 (NIV)
"No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day." - Luke 9.62 (The Message)
"No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." - Luke 9.62 (KJV)

Jesus calls us to leave and follow Him. What do we leave? We leave our ideas of how a "good" person lives. We follow the pattern Jesus shows us of how a child of God lives. (Matthew 5.1 - 7.29 & Luke 6.20 - .49) We leave the idea that a job is our identity. After accepting the call of Jesus to follow: Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew would no longer see themselves as simple fishermen or a tax collector. From that point on they left their old identities behind and would identify themselves as disciples of Jesus who follow. (Matthew 4.18 - .22, Mark 1.16 - .20 & Luke 5.1 - .11) We leave the comforts of home and family, leaving that behind for a life that follows Jesus wherever He leads. (Matthew 8.18 - .22 & Luke 9.57 - .62) The path He leads us on may lead to danger and uncertainty or it may lead to joy and success. My experience shows me that we find both on the path on which He leads us. We are called to follow and leave ourselves behind. No longer do we, as followers, belong to ourselves but now we are His.

Jesus does not leave us alone. Even though we leave family, job, comfort, safety, certainty and ourselves behind we have been given so much! We have Jesus with us here and now. He is not only the one we follow but He is our fellow traveler as well. We also have each other on this path. We, as followers of Jesus, are walking together. Sometimes our paths take us in different directions, but we are all following the same leader. As we run and walk this path with Jesus and each other, we also have a mission. We leave behind our own agendas and the agendas of the world for Jesus' agenda. He calls us to continue His work and ministry here and now! We are to take the message of the Kingdom of God to this world. It is a world full of bad news. Isn't it wonderful that we have the true Good News to share? (Matthew 28.16 - .20, Mark 16.14 - .20 & Acts 1.1 - .11)

Jesus warns us that if we start to follow but don't leave things behind we are not fit for the Kingdom of God. We can't follow and not leave the things of this world and ourselves behind. It is like someone who starts to plow a field and continues to look back. Instead of nice straight rows that are fit for planting you end up with crooked overlapping rows that ruin a good field. So the choice is yours and mine. Do we leave and follow or do we stay behind and care for the things of this world? I choose to leave and follow and I pray that you will also!

Follow Me Right into Danger

Follow Me Right into Danger

Danger is something most of us try to avoid. We naturally avoid danger. If yellow caution tape is up we know that beyond that tape is danger. Some dangers we accept. We have “normalized” the dangers of traveling in a car or an airplane. Some dangers we have not normalized. For instance you are more likely to get into a serious car accident than hurt in a terrorist attack. It is natural for us to fear and avoid danger.

Unfortunately this natural instinct to avoid danger is not the path Jesus leads us to on when we decide follow him. An excellent example of following Jesus into danger can be found in the second half of the 8th chapter of Matthew. (Matthew 8.14 - .34) Jesus leaves Peter’s house after healing his mother in-law and the many people who were brought to him. (Matthew 8.14 - .17) Then he crosses the lake to get away from the crowd around him. When he lands on the other side of the lake several people ask to follow him. The first person is a disciple described as a teacher of the law. The teacher of the law tells Jesus he will go where ever Jesus goes. Jesus’ tells him that unlike foxes and birds the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Following Jesus will take you away from your comforts of home. (Matthew 8.18 - .20) Another disciple comes forward and wants to follow but first wants to bury his father. Jesus calls this man to let the dead take care of themselves but you are to “follow me.” (Matthew 8.21 & .22) We are not told if they follow or not that is up to us to decide. By following they leave their comfortable lives because Jesus is about to lead his followers into danger.

The first danger Jesus and his followers face is a storm on the lake. While the disciples struggle to keep their boat a float Jesus sleeps. In fear they wake Jesus to save them from the danger. He rebukes them for their lack of faith and calms the storm completely. The followers are amazed and astonished at the power of the one they follow. (Matthew 8.23 - .27)

The second danger is a pair of demon possessed men. Immediately after they get out of the boat these two men come at the followers from the tombs. The text describes these two men as being so violent and dangerous that no one could travel in that area. The demons beg Jesus not to torture them but to let them go into some near by pigs. Jesus commands them to “GO”! They go and the pigs run off a cliff and drown in the sea. The locals come out and beg Jesus to leave their region and he does. (Matthew 8.28 - .34)

Following Jesus is not a safe path to walk. His disciples follow him into a boat that takes them into danger. The storm could have killed them. The demon possessed men posed both physical and spiritual dangers. Demons could have left the men and possessed the disciples or the men could have severally hurt or killed the disciples. Jesus lead his followers into these dangers and lead them out! Ironically the dangers were themselves in danger. Jesus stops the storm. Jesus commands the demons. Jesus is a danger to dangers because he is the LORD of all.

He is still leading us into dangers today. He is still leading us thru dangers today. We must have faith and follow. The disciples were warned up front. They will have none of the comforts of this world if they follow the Son of Man. We are given the same warning but we know that even if the Son of Man leads us into danger he is with us. He did not leave us alone but walks into the dangers with us.

saturday at the pool

what more can i say while lisa enjoyed the women of faith confrence the kids and i enjoyed the pool.

eyeball skeleton

so i was talking to my dad on the phone the other day and the subject of music came up now ya'll probably know my dad is a guirtarist and has played in a bunch of bands from the glenn philips band to the predictors but he mentioned the group eyeball skeleton and with a little bit of googleing i found this videoon youtube. so for you musical enjoyment i present eyeball skeleton

woodley warriors!

austin gets some refreshments after his first swim meet! he swam the freestyle ok for a first timer. i am proud of my woodley warrior!

good article by a friend from college

i have many friends who blog and my friend todd from college posted one about ecclesiology and pink floyd you should give it a read
Kinda back to ecclesiology, and Pink Floyd

ps the series on the book of hebrews will return soon.

at the pool yesterday

the boys enjoyed an afternoon at the pool yesterday following austin's swim practice. this will be one of many afternoons, mornings and days at the pool

07 Do - Over

this is my final installment from my series in the family life on God, sex and sexuality. this was part of a class i did for my teens during sunday night live based on a youth specialties curriculum titled "good sex"

Do - Over

Remember the worst sin you every committed with all the guilt and shame that followed? Remember the consequences of that sin? You May still be dealing with them today! Now imagine you have the opportunity to go back and stop yourself from committing that sin. You have the chance to right the wrong you committed. You have the chance to do the good you should have done. We all have sins like this in our lives. Sins that make us nervous that anyone would find out. They are secrets that we have. These secrets hurt us and can hurt others. These secrets make a rift between us and God. We may see no way to make things better.

Amazingly, the LORD has provided a way to make things right. We are given a chance to start over and leave the sin of our past behind. We can not travel back in time and stop the sin, but we no longer need to live as a slave to our dark secrets. How is this possible?

Through the blood of Jesus, true forgiveness and repentance can be found. Jesus paid the price for us to be forgiven. His death on the cross brought us grace and mercy and purchased us back from sin and death. Jesus, our Savior, has done His part. Now it is our turn. Our part is repentance. Repentance has two parts. The first part is confession. We are to confess our sins one to another. We need to tell a trusted brother or sister in Christ our sin secret. Once the secret is in the open the next part is for us to turn our back and walk away from that temptation. We need to identify what the cause of the temptation is and eliminate it from our lives to neutralize its power in our lives. If you are struggling with pornography, install some monitoring software. There is software that will email an accountability partner with a report of any inappropriate websites you visit. If you lust after a classmate in school, ask your teacher if you can change seats or create something you can wear, like a bracelet or ring, to remind you to stop your lustful thoughts. If you and your boyfriend or girlfriend have crossed the line and are sexually active, turn around and come back across the line. Communicate with the other person in the relationship so they know why you need to cool things down. If they reject your desire to have a purer relationship, you should probably break up with them because they aren’t respecting you. If have a “friend with benefits” stop providing the benefits or seeking them out. The other person isn’t really your friend but is using you for sexual favors or you are abusing someone else for sexual favors. If you are the victim or someone else’s sexual sin (through incest or rape) don’t let the damage of that sin create sin in your own life. You didn’t choose what happened to you and you don’t need to be it's slave. This is a fight against sin, sexual sin in our lives. Thank God we don’t fight alone. We have the Holy Spirit inside of us. The Holy Spirit is that part of God that is in all His people that gives us the power to live as His people. Without the Spirit we would not have the courage to say no to sin and live pure and holy lives! Lives that please the LORD.

This may sound pretty simple on paper but it is a difficult path in real life. It is not easy to tell another person about our sin. To admit we were wrong and need to change. It is not easy to change relationships we are in to make them pure and holy. It is not easy to turn away from selfish desires that we have been saying yes too for so long. It is not easy to deal with the pain and consequences we may have caused through our sexual sin. It May not be easy for a long time but in the end it will be worth the reward that we as the children of God have been promised.

Responsibility

06 Responsibility

Over the last 6 weeks during the Upper Room’s Sunday Night Live we have been talking about sexuality. We are exploring God’s written word to discover how the LORD wants us to live out our sexuality. The first sessions laid the foundation for the ones to come. Two weeks ago we discussed boundaries. When do our actions become sin. Last week building on that we discussed our responsibilities in terms of our sexuality. We looked at the three groups we are responsible to; The LORD, others and ourselves.

Our (teens and adult) sexual responsibilities begin with the LORD. The Ten Commandments begin by telling the Israelites that the LORD is their God and they will have no other gods but the LORD. (Exodus 20.1 - .17) As God’s people today this remains true! Paul, when he writes to the Corinthian church, reminds them (and us today) to honor the LORD with our bodies. (1 Corinthians 6.18 - .20) We were bought with the Blood of the Lamb. We no longer belong to ourselves but we belong to the LORD and can not take what is His and use it as we please. We are to be obedient to the LORD. We sin when we choose to walk away from the LORD and follow the evil desires in our hearts.
We are not only the LORD’s but He is the one who created sex. He created it as a gift to us. He created it to join a man and a woman into something new. (Genesis 2.24) The two individuals become one flesh. They become married people. When we misuse sex or our sexuality we are misusing a wonderful gift from God.

We are also responsible to others. When Paul writes to the Thessalonian church, he tells them not to take advantage of each other sexually but to live self-controlled lives. (1 Thessalonians 4.3 - .8) Jesus teaches us not to physically commit adultery and takes it a step further. He teaches us not to commit adultery in our hearts. We are not to view each other as sexual objects to be lusted over. (Matthew 6.27 - .30) No, we are to see each other as human beings created in the image of God and bought with the Blood of the Lamb. The words we use to describe men, women and sexual activities need to be respectful of each others. Using derogatory or demeaning terms for men and women changes them in our minds from human-being to an object. We need to respect the boundaries of others and we need to maintain our sexual boundaries as well to not take advantage of others.

Finally we are responsible to ourselves. Again, we are not our own but we were bought with a price and belong to the LORD and need to live that way. (1 Corinthians 6.18 - .20) We are called to be self-controlled and not to fulfill the desires of the flesh. Paul tells the church in Rome to clothe themselves in Christ and no to fulfill the desires of the flesh. (Romans 13.12 - .14) They are told to put aside the deeds of darkness and to put on the armor of light. One of the ways we do this is to live self controlled lives that bring glory to God. Jesus tells us that we are to control our lust (Matthew 6.27 - .30) and no longer dwell on our sinful sexual desires but control those thoughts and put them aside.
In class, our discussion was much more involved than I have the space for here. We talked about specific ways we can be responsible to ourselves, others and how others can be responsible to us.

turn off the mobile phone!

this is only the second youtube video i have posted but it was just too good not to share!

Boundaries

here is another installment of my series on sexuality connected with the special series i am doing for the upper room on sunday night's these have all been published in the family life of the church of Christ in falls church

Boundaries

This is the 5th in a 7 part series re-capping the discussions we are having on Sunday nights in the Upper Room about God and sexuality.

I realize this is a "family program" so this morning I am going to strive to stay as PG rated as possible.

A question that many teens struggle with is "How far is to far?" What is the line? When does it move from appropriate displays of affection between a boy and girl friend to it being something that they should not do? What is ok for two single people to do together before it becomes a sin? The answer is both a simple one and complex at the same time.

First the simple answer. Last Sunday night I had a line for progression of "activity" that a boy and girlfriend might engage in. It started with holding hands and ended with sexual intercourse. Along the way you have hugging, massaging, kissing, caressing and so forth. I drew the line at kissing! As you move from kissing along the line, body parts that are normally considered private parts start to be exposed and touched. This touching awakens feelings, desires and hormones that are hard to control. Lust starts to grow and lust is a dangerous sin.

The complex answer to the above question centers around lust. Jesus teaches us that lust is a sin. Lust is not a physical action but a mental activity. It is a desire for something that is not ours. David and Bathsheba give us an excellent example of how lust is dangerous. David while on his roof sees a woman taking a bath. If at that moment he turned and went back into his castle the story would be over and no sin would have been committed. Instead David lingers and allows his lust for Bathsheba to control him. He commits adultery in his heart and then in his bed. His sin started when he lusted after her. He had not held her hand or even spoken to her but he saw her with his eyes. The lust line is different than the physical line. The lust line is something we must control by relying on God's power at work in our lives. It is ok for a guy to think a girl is pretty or a girl to think a guy is cute but if they linger and allow their minds to thing about what it would be like to make out with him or to undress her with his eyes the thoughts have moved to sin.

Why? Why is there even a line? Again two reasons really. First, we are called to live pure and holy lives. Our bodies are not our own but we belong to God because we were bought with the blood of the Lamb. Our bodies are temples to the Holy Spirit. We are not to take our bodies, our temples, or someone else's temple and use it for temporary pleasure. Secondly, it is through relational and sexual intimacy that a man and a woman are united in marriage. The LORD created sex to unite a man and woman. If you are uniting in a temporary relationship with someone you are miss-using a wonderful gift the LORD has given us.

Finally, I know that there are people who are reading this who have crossed the line or are actively crossing the line. I hope this encourages and challenges you to get yourself and your relationship back into a proper relationship with the LORD. He offers us grace, mercy and forgiveness with all our sins, even sexual ones. The LORD, through the Holy Spirit, gives us the power to live pure and holy lives. Even if we allowed our own desires to lead us into sin, He calls us to a new life and to leave our sinful lives behind.

Next week: Responsibilities!

desire & self-control

this is my 4th in a 7 part series on God, sex and sexuality i am writting for the family life at the church of Christ in falls church

04 desire vs. selfcontrol

Desire is like a coin. It is a coin with a positive and negative side. On the positive side you find healthy desire. Healthy desire generates commitment and propels accomplishment. It is healthy desire that causes us to be unsatisfied with the life we live and strive to live as the LORD desires. On the other side of the coin you find unhealthy desires. Unhealthy desires fuel lust, addiction and destruction! It is our own unhealthy desires that cause us to sin.

The authors of the texts in the Bible have a lot to say about how our evil/unhealthy desires lead us to sin. I feel that the letter written by James puts it best

"When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each of you is tempted when you are dragged away by your own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." - James 1.13 - .15 (TNIV)

This text shows us the cycle that sin takes in our lives. Sin is started by our own evil desires. When we give into those evil desires it leads to sin. The sin grows and matures and gives birth to death! Sin is serious business.

So what can be done? Two things, first turn your life over to Jesus Christ and let him rule in your life. Let the blood of Jesus wash you clean of your sins. Let the Holy Spirit fill you and give you the strength to overcome your evil desires through self-control. The second thing you can do is to live that self-controlled life. The writings of Paul are full of encouragement to live a self-controlled life that will give glory to the LORD. We are not to live lives guided by our own selfish desires and wants but lives that are controlled.

In our discussions on Sunday Nights dealing with sex and sexuality, the importance of self-control is critical. It is easy for people to allow their sexual desires to control them. It is easy for people to allow a sexual situation to go farther than they intended by not staying in control. We are human beings created in the image of the LORD. We are not animals who have no self-control. God's intent for sex is not simply to make new human beings, but to bring a man and woman together into a union. This union is what we call marriage. Using our self-control to wait until we are married to have sex is what the LORD wants. We also use our self-control to keep our marriages pure by not committing adultery.

It is important to remember that if you have already surrendered to your unhealthy desires and committed sin that the LORD offers us grace and redemption. We have to repent of the sin we have committed and live a self-controlled life through the Holy Spirit.

03 intimacy

03 Intimacy

People seek intimacy. People need intimacy. We are made to live in a community, a community where we can be ourselves and not be judged. We were created to live in relationships, relationships that are mutual and allow us to be vulnerable without fear. We need a place to be real and share our deepest dreams, desires, hopes, fears and thoughts. This is true intimacy. Unfortunately, sometimes it can be hard to find true intimacy and people sometimes settle for whatever they can get. They settle for intimacy lite.

Why do they settle? Intimacy, true relational intimacy, can be hard to find and hard to accomplish. First it takes energy and attention. A close intimate relationship doesn’t happen by accident and you don’t just stumble into them. No they are intentional! You have to devote energy to make this kind of relationship work. You have to pay attention to it and keep it alive through open and honest communication. This all takes time. You have to spend time and energy together. It requires “face time” one on one time in the same actual physical space and not just on the phone or instant messaging someone. (I am a big web 2.0 fan but I know that I will not find true community or intimacy through a social networking sight, on Second Life or in a chat room.) Finally, you have to be willing to be vulnerable. In an intimate relationship each person has to be open and honest and take the risk! You will never know people for who they truly are unless you allow them to see you for who you really are. The masks come off. Time together builds the trust the relationship needs for vulnerability to exist.

Many think this is too much to risk, so they take short cuts. The most used short cut is to use sex as a substitute. Sex is not intimacy. It makes people feel intimate and close but it does not create true openness, honest and vulnerability required for true intimacy. Our society has sexualized intimacy and fed the lie that you can substitute physical intimacy for the real thing.

Our society has perverted the word intimacy by making it mean something that it is not. Intimacy is not a physical act. Intimacy is a relationship where you can be real and vulnerable. It is a relationship that costs each member time, energy and attention to make it work. It is a relationship that opens us up to the biggest risks but it offers the biggest rewards.

My point is this: men and women can have a close intimate relationship without being sexual active. It is normal and healthy for men to have close relationships (not sexual) with other men just as it is normal for women to have these close relationships as well. This is how we were created and what we need. The LORD created us to live in a community or friendship where we can be our true selves. He does not want us to settle for something that might feel good for a moment but is fake.

Facebook trumps news in VT incident - Opinion

Facebook trumps news in VT incident - Opinion

virgnia tech shootings

just a moment ago i posted that my friend chris is ok. he is a student at virginia tech where the shooting happened earlier today.

bbc new on vt shooting
wtop news on vt shooting
abc news on vt shooting
npr news on vt shooting
npr: blog of the nation on vt shooting

chris is ok

i recieved a text message from chris letting me know that he is ok and so are his friends!

02 sexual identity

here is the second article on the subject of God and sexuality from the sunday evening class i am teaching to the teens here at the church of Christ in falls church.

02 sexual identity

Who we are as sexual beings is not an accident but our sexual
identity is formed over years. Sexual identity is more than just if we are
just gay or straight but it is who we are as sexual beings. How we behave
as men, women, boys and girls. What forms our sexual identity?

One factor that forms our sexual identity is our physical
form. This is the body we have. Our hair color, our eye color, our
height, our weight these are factors we can not control but that we are born
with. If one is blind or has a physical handicap either from birth or
later in life due to an accident or illness. We inherit some of these from
our parents and some of them are changes that take place later in life.
Depending on your physical form will help shape how you see yourself as a sexual
being.

Next there are our experiences, things that have happened to
us or that we have done in our past or present. Rape or sexual molestation
have a big impact on people sexuality. A prolonged illness. A teen
or young adult who has had a bad break up or was in an abusive
relationship. Consentual sexual activity in the past or that is on
going. This experience factor is one which we have a little more control
over.

Then there is our families. Boys look to their father
as models of what it means to be a man. Boys look to their mothers to see
what to expect a woman or girl to be like. Girls look to their mothers as
models too. They also look to their fathers to discover what to expect
from men or boys. An absent parent either physically or emotionally absent
can be damaging. Unfortunately many time people have to unlearn what they
learned about sexuality from their families.

Our culture is another influence. We live in a culture
with a broken idea of sexual identity. Our culture is saturated with
sexual messages. Girls are seen as sex objects more and more in-spite of
the feminist movement. Our culture labels sensitive and caring boy as gay
or not manly. Boy grow up with an image of a man as someone who is tuff,
chiseled, gets the girls and is self reliant. Girls and boys are faced
with “perfect” men and women on billboards, movies, tv and the internet.
These “perfect” people are all illusions. There is no way we or our young
people can live up the illusions our culture presents.

The final and most important factor in forming our sexual
identity is the LORD! HE is the creator of men and women. He created
sex. He created sexuality and our sexuality is a gift from Him. He
also gives us the power to over come the brokenness of the other factors that
form our sexuality! He redeems us from our sinful nature that pulls us
away from the beautiful sexual identity the LORD has for us!

The teens and students in the Upper Room are at a stage where
their sexual identity is still forming they are in the process of becoming what
they will be! The choices they make now may not affect them right away but
will down the road! That is why this class is so important. This is
why parents talking to their teens about sex and modeling a healthy sexual
identity is so very important. They need to know they can make good
choices now that will help them form a healthy sexual identity in the future.

01 sex talk

here is the first in my series of articles i wrote for our family life at the church of Christ in falls church that i am posting here for you all to enjoy

01 sex talk
Our culture is filled with sexual messages. These messages come from our parents and our friends. These messages come from the movies we see, tv shows we watch and the magazines we read. Messages are sent from schools and the church. Some of these messages are positive and some are negative. Unfortunately many of the messages I see tend to be on the negative side.
For example, many popular tv shows portray causal sexual activity among friends and coworkers as something normal. It is shown as something to be expected. It is something that is harmless and doesn’t hurt anyone at all. This is a lie! Casual sex outside marriage is harmful. People’s feelings are hurt and expectations are not lived up too. If it involves a boss and employee, all kinds of problems can happen. Usually a tv show uses this for humor or glosses over the reality of an office affair.
Another negative message I see comes from the school system. Instead of treating teens and students like human beings with self-control and feelings, they are treated like animals who have no self control. They are given the mechanics of sex but not the truth. With this mechanical knowledge they are simply told to be careful because they could get a disease or pregnant. (On a side note it is tragic that pregnancy is equated to an disease.) The truth is we, are not animals who have no self-control but we are humans created in the image of the LORD. It is one thing to know the mechanics of sex but it is a different story to know the spiritual and psychological ramifications of sexual activity.
A final negative message comes from an unexpected place: the Church. Now I am not talking about the Church of Christ in Falls Church specifically, but the Church in general. For too long, this has been a subject we have neglected to discuss openly and honestly or it has been a topic we answered simplistically. The simplistic answer is “Don’t have sex until you are married or you’ll burn!”
In the Upper Room’s Sunday Night Live, we are discussing the topic of sex and sexuality openly and honestly. We are discussing the fact that the LORD created sex. He created it not just for procreation, but to bring a man and a woman into a wondrous and mysterious union. We call this union marriage. It is for marriage and in marriage that the LORD created sex to take place. Sexual activity outside of this context is not what he planned. It is a sin. We are called to live sexually pure lives not because of some disease we may contract, or because of some psychological damage we may face, but because we are the LORD’s people, striving to live the life he has called us to. If you have strayed from this path, the good news is you can find forgiveness, grace and renewal.
This is part of the positive message about sex and sexuality we are communicating in the Upper Room’s Sunday Night Live during our 7 week series on sex and sexuality we started last Sunday night.

sex

in my sunday night class i am teaching about God and sexuality. i am using some curriculum designed by youth specialties that i highly recommend but as usual adapt it to your group. the name of the series is "good sex"

i am also writting a series of articles in the our bulleting (the family life) i am also going to post the articles here during the next 5 weeks or so.

igniter video volume 5

i just ordered my igniter video volume 5 these are the same peope who brought us me|church!

here is some more info on the video

guiroo made me do it!

You Are 35% Left Brained, 65% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

hebrews: Jesus the High Priest

10 Hebrews

Hebrews 7.1 - .28

The primary job of a Levitical priest was to connect the Israelites to the LORD. The priest stood in as our representative. He offered sacrifices for us. He asked the LORD to forgive us. Unfortunately the priests of old died so a new priest had to come along and take his place. Over the centuries the Israelites had thousands of high priests and probably millions of “regular” priests. Their priesthoods were temporary. Long before the LORD set up the Levitical Priesthood thru Aaron there was a priest named Melchizedek. The Aaronic priests were priests because they were born into the tribe of Levi. Melchizedek had no such heritage. He was a priest without genealogy, without mother or father. The LORD made Melchizedek a high priest. (Hebrews 7.1 - .10) Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek.

The author of Hebrews refers to the fact that Melchizedek resembles the Son of God as a high priest. (Hebrews 7.3) Neither of them are descendants of Aaron or come from a priestly tribe. Both of them are kings. Both of them are greater than Abraham and by proxy the Levitical priesthood. (Hebrews 7.4 - .10) This is not to say the Melchizedek was supernatural in any way. He walks into the story of God’s people in Genesis 14 and then walks out*. It is Jesus who is the focus of what is being written.

The text quickly shifts to Jesus as the High Priest who truly meets our needs. Jesus is eternal and therefore he is the permanent high priest. Unlike the other priests he will always be there interceding on our behalf to the Father. Unlike the priests of old who had to offer sacrifices for themselves and the People of God over and over again, Jesus offers himself once and for all as a sacrifice for sin. He saves us completely. He is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinner and exalted above the heavens. (Hebrews 7.23 – 28)

He became the true High Priest by way of an oath that the LORD made. As we saw earlier the oaths and promises of the LORD are always fulfilled and are greater than any oath or promise we can make. Unlike the People of God in the past who had to rely on other people to represent them before the LORD we have the Son who is the permanent Great High Priest Jesus Christ. Unlike the People of God in the past who had to rely on continual sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins, our sins have been forgiven by the once and for all sacrifice the Son made on our behalf. This is a great and awesome comfort to know that we have security in our life as on of God’s People and don’t have to fearful but should live pure and holy lives as his people. For a world with so much darkness and bad news this is light and truly good news.

Melchizedek Take One

09 Hebrews
Hebrews 6.13 - .20

Everyone has made promises. We have made promises to our children. We have made promises to our spouse. We have made promises to our friends. We have made promises to our parents. We have made promises to ourselves. We have even made promises to God. We have people make promises to us as well. We have all kept our promises and we have all failed to keep our promises. That failure to keep our promises is the main characteristic of promises made by us. That is why we make oaths, sign contracts and make legal agreements. These documents spell out the punishments we will suffer if we do not live up to our obligations. We break promises and we need a higher power to make sure we honor our agreements or promises.

The LORD on the other hand never breaks His promises! We have a certainty about the promises and covenants of God that we do not have about the promises people make to us. The author of Hebrews after warning the original readers to not walk away from the salvation they had reminds them to wait patiently for the LORD to fulfill His promises. (Hebrews 5.11 – 6.12) The author does this by referring to the LORD’s promise to Abraham. (Hebrews 6.13 - .15) Makes two promises to Abraham: a promise of a blessing and a promise of many descendants. To do this the LORD made an oath by swearing on Himself. Since there is nothing greater than the LORD and to reassure Abraham, He swore on Himself. The promises the LORD made to Abraham have been kept but he had to wait patiently and faithfully to see the fruit of the promise. This example of patiently waiting for the final salvation is for us as well. It has been nearly 2000 years since the Lord Jesus Christ promised to return and take us home but His return is taking longer than we expect. Like Abraham we need to wait patiently and faithfully because the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY never lies.

The author goes on to explain how people need to make an oath on something greater than then to keep the accountable to the promise but no one is greater than GOD. (Hebrews 6.16) The LORD swore by himself to make the unchanging nature of His purpose or promise clear to the heirs of the promise. The purpose or promise are the promises to Abraham and we are the readers of Hebrews were the heirs as well as us today. (Hebrews 6.17) So it is clear to us that God’s promises and purpose have been fulfilled. Abraham was blessed in his life. Abraham does have many decedents by faith and by blood. These decedents or heirs include us today.

Then the author writes some really interesting stuff. First he writes about God making this oath to show us He cannot lie. There are two unchangeable things, which are evidence of the impossibility of God to lie. (Hebrews 6.18) Those are the promises to Abraham. We have fled or run to take hold of this hope that encourages us. This hope or certainty in the LORD’s promise is an anchor that helps the soul stand, hold firm and be secure. This hope, Jesus, entered the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in the Tabernacle. Jesus our hope is our forerunner who goes ahead into the Most Holy Place on our behalf and becomes the High Priest forever. (Hebrews 6.19 & .20) He leads and we are to follow the one true High Priest. In the past only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place and only then once a year on the Day of Atonement. These high priests were in the order of Aaron but Jesus the true High Priest is in the order of Melchizedek.

What does it mean the Jesus is the true High Priest in the order of Melchizedek? The author of Hebrews will expound on that in the following sections of this letter but we will see more about that in the next few weeks.

Today leave with the knowledge that you and I can be certain in the LORD’s promise and that it is impossible for Him to lie to us. We have security in that knowledge. Leave today with the knowledge that our hope is not some vague idea but our Hope is the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Hold on tightly to the HOPE cause nothing else can save you in the end or bring the blessings of God to you today!

snow day pictures

snow day pictures

snow day!

today is a snow day for the kids.

ice sleet and snow feel last night and we have more than 2 inches of this slippery stuff on the ground.

pictures to come.

promises oaths covenants and priests

09 Hebrews

Hebrews 6.13 - .20

Everyone has made promises. We have made promises to our children. We have made promises to our spouse. We have made promises to our friends. We have made promises to our parents. We have made promises to ourselves. We have even made promises to God. We have people make promises to us as well. We have all kept our promises and we have all failed to keep our promises. That failure to keep our promises is the main characteristic of promises made by us. That is why we make oaths, sign contracts and make legal agreements. These documents spell out the punishments we will suffer if we do not live up to our obligations. We break promises and we need a higher power to make sure we honor our agreements or promises.

The LORD on the other hand never breaks His promises! We have a certainty about the promises and covenants of God that we do not have about the promises people make to us. The author of Hebrews after warning the original readers to not walk away from the salvation they had reminds them to wait patiently for the LORD to fulfill His promises. (Hebrews 5.11 – 6.12) The author does this by referring to the LORD’s promise to Abraham. (Hebrews 6.13 - .15) Makes two promises to Abraham: a promise of a blessing and a promise of many descendants. To do this the LORD made an oath by swearing on Himself. Since there is nothing greater than the LORD and to reassure Abraham, He swore on Himself. The promises the LORD made to Abraham have been kept but he had to wait patiently and faithfully to see the fruit of the promise. This example of patiently waiting for the final salvation is for us as well. It has been nearly 2000 years since the Lord Jesus Christ promised to return and take us home but His return is taking longer than we expect. Like Abraham we need to wait patiently and faithfully because the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY never lies.

The author goes on to explain how people need to make an oath on something greater than then to keep the accountable to the promise but no one is greater than GOD. (Hebrews 6.16) The LORD swore by himself to make the unchanging nature of His purpose or promise clear to the heirs of the promise. The purpose or promise are the promises to Abraham and we are the readers of Hebrews were the heirs as well as us today. (Hebrews 6.17) So it is clear to us that God’s promises and purpose have been fulfilled. Abraham was blessed in his life. Abraham does have many decedents by faith and by blood. These decedents or heirs include us today.

Then the author writes some really interesting stuff. First he writes about God making this oath to show us He cannot lie. There are two unchangeable things, which are evidence of the impossibility of God to lie. (Hebrews 6.18) Those are the promises to Abraham. We have fled or run to take hold of this hope that encourages us. This hope or certainty in the LORD’s promise is an anchor that helps the soul stand, hold firm and be secure. This hope, Jesus, entered the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in the Tabernacle. Jesus our hope is our forerunner who goes ahead into the Most Holy Place on our behalf and becomes the High Priest forever. (Hebrews 6.19 & .20) He leads and we are to follow the one true High Priest. In the past only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place and only then once a year on the Day of Atonement. These high priests were in the order of Aaron but Jesus the true High Priest is in the order of Melchizedek.

What does it mean the Jesus is the true High Priest in the order of Melchizedek? The author of Hebrews will expound on that in the following sections of this letter but we will see more about that in the next few weeks.

Today leave with the knowledge that you and I can be certain in the LORD’s promise and that it is impossible for Him to lie to us. We have security in that knowledge. Leave today with the knowledge that our hope is not some vague idea but our Hope is the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Hold on tightly to the HOPE cause nothing else can save you in the end or bring the blessings of God to you today!

my crib and my ride

greetings from cabin #2 at the koa in abilene texas! i am hunting for college students to be a part of our summer internship program at the church of Christ in falls church.here is the plane that flew me from national airport (dca) to the dallas/fort worth international airport (dfw)here is cabin #2 with my ride from dallas to abilene in the front.here is my ride for the next few days german engineering is in the house!

rocketeering!

me and austin took a rocket he got for christmas up on the hill behind our house to launch his rocket! ashley was our camera girl and she did a great job.

click here to go to sparkyphilms to see our 3rd and final launch of the day.

losing your salvation!?!

Hebrews 6.4 - .11

Hebrews 6.4 - .6 maybe the harshest and most controversial part of the book of Hebrews. Take a moment and read those few short verses and you will see what I mean. The controversy seems to focus on the fact that someone can lose their salvation. There is a debate as to whether these were true believers or not. To me the most astonishing part of these verses is not that we can lose our salvation but that someone would walk away from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The author of Hebrews reminds the readers what these people have walked away from. First, they walked away from the heavenly gift. Then they walk away from their share in the Holy Spirit. Next they spit out the word of God after tasting its goodness. Finally they leave behind the powers of the coming age. By doing this they once again crucify the SON of God and subject him to all the disgrace he already suffered on their behalf.

They have no means of return. There is no repentance left for them! They have experienced all the blessings that the LORD has to offer us in this world. They had the heavenly gift of salvation that the Son bought us. They had a share in the Holy Spirit, that part of God that lives in each of His people. The tasted the goodness of God’s word and enjoyed it teachings. They experienced the power of the coming age. Instead of remaining faithful and holding on the all this goodness they walk away from it. In doing that they punish the LORD Jesus Christ again. How could someone do this!

This wasn’t an accident, they did not just slip away from their faith on the other hand they deliberately rejected their only hope! The author makes an agricultural analogy to help describe what they are like. (Hebrews 6.7 & .8) It is as if they were ground that received rain daily but instead of producing a useful crop they only produce thistles and thorns. They received the blessings from God and instead of producing a good crop they produced weeds. The blessing weren’t the problem but they were.

But, the author is confident that the readers are not like this! (Hebrews 6.9 - .1 The author looks at their lives and sees them producing a good crop. They are taking the blessings of God and are growing. They have repented of their past sins and are changing the direction of their lives. They received the heavenly gift and walk in it not away from it. They rely on the power of their share of the Holy Spirit, to have the wisdom and courage to live a life pleasing to the LORD. They not only tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the coming age and they are eating it up. They are not humiliating the LORD Jesus Christ again instead they are glorifying him with their lives.

Who are you? Are you walking away from the blessings of God? Are you producing weeds, thorns and thistles? Are you crucifying the Son of God all over again?

Who are you? Are you walking in the blessings of God? Are you producing a useful crop? Are you crucifying your old self and bringing glory to the Son of God?

The choice is yours but after experiencing all the blessings the LORD has shown me I will always walk in the way of the LORD and nothing will cause me to walk away from Him!

at which table are you sitting

At Which Table are You Sitting?

The Adult’s Table or the Kid’s Table

Hebrews 5.11 – 6.3

At most family gatherings there are at least two tables: one table will be for the adults and parents; while the other table is for the kids. This way the adults can have mature conversations without having to worry about the children interrupting. The kids are able to eat as the please and have immature conversation without parents telling you to stop. If you sit at the adult table you are considered to be mature and old enough to behave like an adult. If you sit at the kid’s table you are considered to be immature and not old enough to behave like an adult. The goal is to move from the kid’s table to the adult table. There are two ways to make this move. First you can grow up and this takes little effort. The second way is to become very mature. This can take a lot of effort but it can be worth it!

Those who first read Hebrews were sitting at the kid’s table spiritually even though they were supposed to be at the adult table! They are still drinking milk and eating baby food when they should be moving on to steak and coffee. (Hebrews 5.12b – 14) Milk and baby food is for infants and spiritually immature who are not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. (Hebrews 5.13) Coffee and steak are for the spiritually mature who by constant use of the teachings about righteousness have learned to tell good from evil. (Hebrews 5.14)

They are warned that they have gotten slow, lazy and have stopped trying to understand. The author wants to teach them about Jesus as the Great High Priest in the Order of Mekchizedek and what this means to them but they aren’t ready for it! (Hebrews 5.11) In fact they should be ready to teach but need a refresher course! (Hebrews 5.12) They are stuck at the kid’s table but should be at the adult’s table instead.

The author wants to move them from the kid’s table to the adult table. The author wants to move them from elementary teaching to some advanced teachings. Using the elementary teachings as a foundation to build on. Leads to understanding the advanced teaching the author has for them. (Hebrews 6.1 - .3) It also leads to them being the teachers they should be.

We face the same challenge. Many in the church have grown lazy and just stop trying to learn when they should be teachers themselves. They do this by stop coming to Bible studies that challenge them to think deeper. They do this by continually going to milk and baby food Bible classes when they should sit down to a big piece of Bible study steak. They do this by not putting the teachings into use and training themselves how to tell good from evil. They do this by not teaching when they are perfectly able too.

Our challenge is to listen to this warning! Don’t just sit at the kid’s table where it is fun and safe. Move to the adult table where you are challenged and learn to use what you learned. Teach others to move from the kid’s table to the adult table. I have been going to Bible classes since I can remember and many of you have too. Isn’t it time to move on and teach or at least sit at the adult table?

card board man

i got creative with an old cracker box one morning and this is the result! i think i might use the head shot for my buddy icon for ichat.

by the way i am now on facebook so i can be kewl!

i seem to be the only 1990 graduate from north springs high school on facebook