no title

rock, hard, cold
inpenatrable
i pounded on the
rock
i yelled at the
rock
i wrote my message on paper
and tried to slip it through
the cracks in the rock
i wantd to touch
the heart behing the rock
i failed,
turning my eyes to
heaven.
then,
suddenly a great torent
of water poured over
me and the rock
the water ran into the cracks
past all the defences
my message desolved
but
the message penetrated

no splashing

here is an unfinished fragment of some poetry i wrote along time ago while the girls were in the bath tub

warm black coffee
on a cool september eve

two little girls
in a bubble bath

mandy the salamander
joins them in the tub

bad spelling

i know that there are a lot of poorly spelled words in my last post. Bad spelling is a trait that used to be a problem escpecially when i was in school. now that i am an abult its not so bad especially since i have a spell checker! i need a spell checker for my dry erasure board when i teach. that would make life easy i could just go back and rewrite misspelled words. instead a teen usually reminds me or lisa tells me my words are wrong. sometimes i correct them sometimes i don't it is kind of a part of me now.

this is the curituk light house on the out banks of north carolina. that is dad, mom and the girls the day we visited it. me and sarah climb the light house and the view is awesome from the top 

Beautiful Broken World

I was standing on my back porch the other morning looking at the beautiful sunrise. It had turned the sky behind my house into a pink and orange color that is difficult to describe. I was struck by the wonderfulness of it all and was thanking God for the beauty He put into this world when I heard the sirens.

It was probably and ambulance heading up Annandale Road but it broke the peacefulness of the morning. It reminded me that no matter how beautiful or wonderful or special something in this world is it is broken. I don’t mean that this world is cracked or that it is in pieces. Instead I mean this world is broken by sin.

The shadow of sin is everywhere. Open the newspaper, turn on the radio or surf the web and you will find brokenness. In the newspaper we read about a world full of injustice where those with power and money have it easy but those who are poor and powerless struggle everyday to survive. We read about people who are desperately trying to make sense of the world by relying on their own wisdom and not God’s folly. () On the radio we hear songs about people seeking love, looking for direction, destroying their lives with sex, drugs and alcohol. Seeking to fill the void in their heart with the stuff of this world they ultimately fail. Finally as you surf the web you discover how dark the world can be. One can easily find websites that promote hate, pornography and exploit anything and everything to make money.

Now in each of these mediums you can find beauty. In the newspapers there are stories about people triumphing over the injustice of our world. On the radio you can find music about hope and discovering how to fill the God shaped hole in all of us. On the net you can find light, love and purity.

The beauty of the world shows us the brokenness. I think back to Jesus’ statement that we are to be in the world but not of it. We are to be beauty and light in this dark and broken world. It is not our light or our beauty but it is the LORD’s light and beauty we reflect.

my cross

the cross which stands before me
was mine
i was to hang and die
the sin is all mine
the cross which stands before me
is His
He is to hang and die
the sin is all mine
the tomb which stands before me
was mine
i was to lie there dead
the death is all mine
the tomb which stands before me
is His
He is to lie there dead
the death is all mine
He took my cross
He took my tomb
He took my sin
He took my death
the cross stands empty
the tomb lies empty
He is alive
He gave me life

What Does a Holy Life Look Like?

What Does a Holy Life Look Like?

Since we just explored why we as God’s people live a holy live we need to know what that life looks like. Some people feel that to live a holy life you have to follow a list of “don’ts” Don’t do this or don’t do that and if you don’t do all the bad things that you are living a life pleasing to God. That is almost true. It is pleasing to God for us to avoid sin. This theory of holy living is missing an important part. There is more to a life pleasing to God than avoiding sin we also have to do something.

I want us to look at the “do’s” of a holy life. To do this we are first going to see what Paul say’s in the 3^rd chapter of Colossians. In this chapter he talks about setting our hearts right with God in three areas. The first area is setting our hearts on Christ Himself (Colossians 3.1-.4). The next area is setting our heart against sin (3.5-.11). The last area is setting our hearts on pleasing God (3.12-.17)

He begins the chapter by telling us to set our hearts on Christ Himself (3.1-.4). This is the “Why be holy?” question. We are holy because we recognize what Christ has done for us by raising our hearts with Him (3.1) and we set our hearts and minds on thing above. Next we recognize where Christ is. He has been elevated to God's right hand. Then we recognize that we died and our lives are hidden in Christ (3.3). Finally we are holy and set our hearts right with God because we recognize that Christ is our life (3.4).

In the next section of the 3^rd chapter Paul writes about setting our hearts against sin (3.5-.11). These are the “don’ts” of a holy and pleasing life. We put off our old self that died and with it our old sinful practices (3.5-.9a). Then we put on our new self that was raised to life by the blood of Christ (3.9b-.11)

In the last third Paul talks about the “do’s” of a holy and pleasing life by setting our hearts on pleasing Christ (3.12-.17). Here we can see what a holy life looks like by being…

compassionate and kind (3.12)

humble, patient, and gentle.

forgiving (3.13)

loving (3.14)

peaceful and thankful (3.15)

indwelt by the word of Christ (3.16)

an ambassador for Christ (3.17).

As we discuss a holy life we will look at some of these “do’s” more closely.

To live a holy life we must to do the “do’s” and avoid the “don’ts”. We must avoid sin and at the same time live holy! It is important to note that just because you do the “do’s” and don’t do the “don’ts” does not mean you are live a holy life only. More on this to come!

01 Why Be Holy?

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Why Be Holy?

Do we live a holy and pure life in order to be saved?

Do we obey God in order to earn salvation?

If I am forgiven for my sins why should I live a holy life?

Why be Holy?

These are all questions we wrestle with in our lives from time to time. We ask these questions because we are seek to know our true motivations for living a Godly and holy life. The answers to these questions lead us to something deeper that we could ever imagine!

I want to focus on three verses to help answer the “Why be holy?” question and also share some others that will help you in your own discovery.

We are going to start in the small and often-overlooked letter of 3rd John verse11 (RSV) “Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. He who does good is of God; he who does evil has not seen God.” In this verse John answers the holiness question simply. We are holy because people who do good are from God and we are from God.

In another letter John writes, “You know that Jesus [he] appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.” (1 John 3.5-.6 RSV) Again the answer is simple. We are God’s people and God’s people do not sin. He doesn’t say God’s people shouldn’t sin or might sin but that no one who abides in Jesus sins.

Finally in Leviticus 11.44 - .45 (RSV) we find the foundational reason for holiness. “For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls upon the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. " We as God’s people are holy because the God is holy! This is the deep end of the pool. When you start to meditate, study and experience God’s holiness you change your perspective on the world. No longer is it about you instead it is about God. No longer do we seek our own glory but we strive to reflect God’s glory.

The realization that the holy and sovereign creator God calls me to be holy like Him blows my mind. There is no way I have the power to do that! You and I don’t have that power but Jesus did. He opens the door for us to be holy by cleansing us and giving us the Holy Spirit.

Now that we know why we are to be holy we have another question to answer; “What does a holy life look like?”

(For further reading on the holiness question read Psalm 119.1-.3, 1^st Corinthians 7.22-.23, Colossians 1.21-.23, 1 Thessalonians 4.7-.8 & .11-.12, Titus 2.11-.14 and 1^st Peter 1.14 - .16, 2.9, & .11 - .12)

sarah and tyler for the fist time 

ashley and tyler together for the first time 

back on like

after a two month break i am back!

i will be posting my youth zone stuff again soon!

In a World of Bad News, the World Needs Good News!
Where is some good news? A quick view of the news today reveals a lot of bad news. Sure there are some stories that seem like good news but on the whole we live is a world full of bad news! We also live in one of the most medicated societies ever! Most of the medicine being taken (not all of it legal) has to do with depression or mood alteration. Why? BAD NEWS

So where can we find some good news?

We have the good news for our depressed society. Don’t believe me read the first simple sentence in Mark’s Gospel:

“The good news of Jesus Christ - the Messiah! - begins here.” (Mark 1:1 the Message)

As we have read Mark’s account of Jesus life in the Upper Room we keep seeing good news! Here are a few headlines:
Satan Defeated in the Desert by Hungry Man (Mark 1:9-13)
Evil Spirit Cast Out in Capernaum Synagogue (Mark 1:21-28)
Leper Healed and Praises God (1:40-45)
This is just from the first chapter. The rest of this book is filled with the good news of Jesus’ authority! He has authority over Satan, demons, leprosy, paralysis, fevers and other disease. He has authority to call people to follow him and to teach. He has authority over nature stopping storms and feeding thousands with one lunch. These events alone are great news but Mark has even better news.
Over the next few weeks we will explore Mark’s Good News and reveal the best news of all.

i have a sore throat and sarah just got glasses so now everyone but austin wear them maybe tyler will too.

It is all About the Game
Leading up to this year’s super bowl there was a lot of hype! Hype about the commercials. Hype about the half time show. Hype about the tribute to the Columbia Disaster. Everything surrounding the game got the hype, but not the game. Instead the game got what I like to call “anti-hype.” Anti-hype about how boring the game was going to be. Anti-hype about how it was going to be a mostly defensive game. Anti-hype about the fact that there were no “super-star” players. It seems like everyone (including the NFL) forgot that the Super Bowl is about a game and not the entertainment surrounding the game.
In my opinion, this was one of the best Super Bowl games I’ve ever seen, second only to the Titan’s loss to the Rams a few years ago. It had suspense. It had some awesome passes and running. The defense not usually the glamorous part of football was incredible. It all came down to the last few plays. It was all about the game.
We are in a game too. In fact, each of us is running a race. Our life of faith is a race. Listen to what Paul has to say...
Acts 20:24
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. (NIV)
Galatians 5:7
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? (NIV)
2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (NIV)

Finally listen to what the author of Hebrews has to say...
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)
Don’t forget that our life of faith is not about the hype! It is about the game. It is about the race. The author of Hebrews warns us to throw off the sin, to forget the hype and run the race. We don’t run this race alone. Jesus ran it before us. We must keep our eyes on the leader and follow Him so we know where we are going and won’t get lost. So we aren’t distracted by the hype or the anti-hype instead we remember it is all about the game.

i am going to out of town for the next week so don't expect any blogging for a week

Empty

This weekend Special Forces in Iraq emptied a whole. The great leader of that country was found hiding. No longer the well-kept man we had seen in past photos now he looked like a disheveled homeless man. It is reported that as he emerged he said, “I am the president of Iraq, I want to negotiate.” He simply surrendered and left and empty whole. The hopes of his followers that they would be victorious and we would leave dashed. Their great leader was conquered.

As God’s people we an empty tomb. Our great leader was left for dead, abandoned by those who publicly followed him. Soldiers guarded that tomb but they could not hold him. When Jesus emerges from his “hole” he was not surrendering at gunpoint. Instead he was emerging victorious over sin and death. All the hopes of his people were restored. No longer did they have to hide in fear. Instead just like their leader, their Lord, their King they too are victorious!

We are also victorious like those of the early church because of Jesus. His resurrection, his empty tomb was not just for those who lived in the past. It is also for us now. We may not know where that empty tomb is but we know it is empty. We may not have seen Jesus in the days following his resurrection but we have the testimony of witnesses. We see the truth in the resurrection by the way that fact, that truth changed the lives of those original believers. We also see the truth of the resurrection by the way the lives of believers today are changed.

Encounters with the truth of Jesus never leave people the same. We are always changed. Like Paul said the resurrection is foolishness to those who are perishing but hope to those who are being saved.

Larry and Stanley

They walked into the bowling ally wearing matching bowling uniforms. Larry’s suit was green with gold strips; his personal bowling shoes were also green and gold. He pulled his custom green with gold flecked bowling ball with his name engraved in gold letters across it, out of the his bowling ball bag that matched his outfit. Stanley’s bowling uniform was equally cool. Except his uniform and bowling shoes were gold with green highlights. His ball was also gold with flecks of green and his name was also engraved on it. They didn’t need to rent shoes or borrow a ball like everyone else instead they simply got a lane and started practicing. They always practiced before they played a real game.

Stanley was the first to go. He stood on all the right dots and lined himself up with the correct arrow. He started his bowl, 1 2 3 and away the ball went right over the correct arrow and between the 1 and 2 pins for a strike. Larry gave Stanley a high five and made his first practice bowl. He stood on the right dots and aligned himself with the correct arrow. He started his bowl, 1 2 3 and away the ball went right over the correct arrow and down the lane. Striking between the 1 and 2 pins for a strike. They bowled 10 perfect frames for practice before they played for real.

Before they began to play their real game Larry and Stanley rented a locker. Then they changed out of their bowling uniforms. They rented some bowling shoes and picked out balls from the rack like everyone else. Finally they put all the custom bowling gear into their locker and started to play a “real game.” They looked around to see how everyone else was bowling. Instead of their perfect games they bowled average games like everyone else

At the end of the day they walked out of the bowling alley looking like everyone else you couldn’t tell the difference. It was only during practice that put on their custom bowling uniforms and shoes. It was only during practice that they used their special bowling balls. It was only during practice that they used their best bowling moves to bowl strikes of to make a spare from a difficult split. But they hide all that talent, their uniforms and balls when they played for real

Why on earth would someone do that?

We may know the answer better than we want to admit. Like Larry and Stanley every week we practice our Christianity. On Sunday we come to church in our nice shoes, nice suits and personalized Bibles. We know all the right answers to the questions, we know all the right moves when it is time to pray, we know all the songs in the books and to be quiet during communion. We have no problems looking like and living the Christian life during practice.

But when we wake up on Monday practice is over and it is time for the “real game.” We dress like everyone else. We drive to work and get angry with the slow guy like everyone else. We leave our personalized Bible at home so it won’t get lost. We forget to pray. We forget to read our Bible. We leave our Christian life at the church door at practice and live the “real game” like everyone else.

If you are terribly offended by this story GOOD. You should be. Even if you are not as extreme as Larry and Stanley we are all tempted hide our Christianity in some ways at sometimes. The challenge I want to leave you with is to never hide. We are called to be light to a dark world and no one ever puts a light under a bowl. That is just silly. Instead we put lights out where all can see then.

Be a light during the real game of life not just at practice.

this is the final in the origenal series pak series i will have to write some more in the weeks to come

B.Y.O.B.
(Bring Your Own Bible)

Pak looked at his old wornout Bible. It was given to him by his youth minister when he entered highschool. It wasn't really old it just had a lot of millage. It had survived 4 years of highschool. The back was taped on because of a skateboarding accident. The edges were dirty from regular (or not so regular) Bible reading. Paper and old bulletins stuck out. The "gold" letter was worn off.
He opened it up and a flood of memories returned as he read the notes on paper and in the margins. He found a note from a girl asking where he wanted to go to eat after church. There was a book mark the mother of a friend had given him. It simply said Matthew 5:14 - 16 but reminded him to be "the salt of the earth" and a "light to the world." He read a whole lesson on Acts 2 that he had written in the margin of his Bible. He was amazed at how much information he had crammed in a space smaller than 1/4 of an inch. He also thumbed through the old bullitens which had accumulated in between the last page and taped on back cover.
"This old Bible is like an old friend. I am glad we have all these memories together. I am glad we journeyed together." He thought to himself as he placed his old highscholl bible on the shelf of his new college dorm room.

another glimpse into the life of Pak and his friends this is a story based on a skit that i have performed in the past but i don't know who the author is.

A LITTLE DIRT

Pak was excited about seeing his best friend, James, who had just bought a car. They had grown up in school and church together. When James pulled up in his "new" used car Pak ran out to meet him. "Wow, man, this is a cool car," said Pak as he walked around James's mid-80's green Honda.
"Thanks. Want to take it for a ride?" asked James.
Pak hopped in the car and James backed out of the driveway. They cruised down the road with the stereo blaring and the windows down. Pak was looking around in the car thinking James was so lucky. In the glove box Pak found a pack of cigarettes. "Hey James you don't smoke. What's up with these?"
"Oh, those are nothing. Me and some new friends of mine cut class for some smokes down by the river that's all." James answered.
"Who are these new friends?" Pak said suspiciously.
"Jimmy, Todd and those guys."
"Wow, man, they have a bad reputation! You know Todd has been to juvenile hall for theft."
"I know that but they are great guys and a lot of fun."
As Pak listened to his friend he still searched the car and found a six pack of beer in the back seat. "O.K." Pak declared, "This has gone too far. Take me home! I am not riding with you. Not if you are going to hangout with Jimmy, Todd and 'those guys'. Not if you are going to start smoking and especially not if you are going to start drinking!"
"Don't get uptight Pak. I'm not a bad person, I just want to sow some wild oats. I'm tired of being a 'goody﷓goody'. I want a new image, a new 'James'. Anyway, a little dirt never hurt anybody."
"Fine just take me home."
They rode home in silence. James knew he had upset Pak. He knew that Pak did not approve of his new lifestyle. He also knew that he valued Pak's friendship more than his new friends. As they pulled into Pak's driveway John said, "Hey, Pak, why don't we go in and get a coke and talk. O.K.?" They walked into the kitchen. James sat at the table while Pak grabbed a 2-liter out of the fridge. He poured two glasses of Coke and walked toward James. He put his glass down and then carried James' glass over to a house plant and put a handful of dirt into his glass.
"What on earth are you doing Pak?" exclaimed James in surprise.
Pak answered James with a smile on his face. "Well you said a little dirt never hurt. So enjoy your dirt!"

in my effort to reprint some of my old bulletin articles and youth zones i have stumbled across some old friends i want to share with you. over the next few weeks we will see some stories about them. you will meet pak, zoon, james and the others i will also give some info about their origen as well.

This morning I am beginning a series of articles that will center around a young man named Pak. We will get to ride "shot﷓gun" with Pak as he experiences life. We will share in his ups and downs and meet his friends along the way.

REVELATIONS

Pak had been roller blading with his buddies all morning and stopped for lunch. So he skated up to a hamburger stand for a burger and a sports drink. He sat down at a small cafe style table to eat. He watched his fellow roller bladers as they jumped over park benches, chairs and an old homeless man.
Pak did a double take and stared at the old man for a while. His feelings toward the man were a little scared and a little disgusted combined. Scared because he had been warned to stay away from street people. He had always thought of them as crazy drug addicts who wanted to bully money out of people. Disgusted because not only did this homeless guy look and probably smell bad but he was also in his friends way. "I am glad to be young," he thought to himself. "I am also glad I am not some homeless guy who doesn't have the drive to get a job. I am glad I don't mooch off of society."
"In fact I have a job at a pizza place and I contribute to society through some volunteer work. I wish more people were like me!" Pak was feeling very proud of himself. So proud of being better than any homeless person. Especially the one over there. Then he noticed that the homeless man was looking right at him. At that moment the blue lonely eyes of the old man met Pak's energetic brown eyes. In that moment Pak saw the man for what he truly was. He was not a scary street person, he was not a jobless bum, he was not a crazy drug addict and he was not an obstacle. No, the old homeless man was a person just like Pak.