Natalie - Glorified Beauty

This is my cousin Natalie Rose (Carter) York. She passed away this morning after a brief but serious bout with cancer. She was 33 and leaves behind two children: Jonathan (9) and Anna (6). Natalie had her own blog and this is one of her last entries, dictated to her father from her hospital bed.

Natalie is now with her Lord, Jesus and with mom, Cody, our grandparents and other family members that we love and miss.

June 01, 2007

Beauty for Ashes

(Note: Although Nattie is still in the hospital in Indianapolis, she dictated the following this afternoon for her daddy to share with you.)

"While my mom was reading to me from my Bible, she came across a highlighted passage--Isaiah 61:3. There God talks about trading pleasure for our pain, and to this truth I’ll hold.

"I have people praying for me from coast to coast and around the world. I want to thank you for being some of those people.

"No matter what happens, it's going to be OK. This is just a twinkling of the eye, a mere moment of pain..In a little while we will all see our mourning traded for 'oil of gladness.'"

On the DL

Ok, it has been nearly a month since I posted. Frankly, I have been busy and haven't taken the time to write anything. Also, my new favorite player, Josh Hamilton, has been on the DL since May 15. He is taking some at-bats in Louisville and is set to return next Tuesday. I will strive to get back in the swing of things along with Josh. Have a good weekend!

Josh Hamilton: So Far, So Good

This is a great article about Josh, but maybe more insightful concerning the cynicism of a journalist. Enjoy the read. By the way, Josh has 8 home runs and 17 RBIs.

Keep Hitting, Josh!

It has been over 2 weeks since I posted. Josh won the NL Rookie of the Month for April. He cooled down for a few games then roared back this weekend against the Rockies. On Saturday he was 4-5 with 2 singles, a double, a triple and scored 4 runs. Yesterday he hit 2 home runs (8 now) and had 3 RBI. The Reds big problem now is the bullpen. They were the best in the league two weeks into the season, but have since dropped to the worst! More than half the teams losses are in the bullpen. Starter, Eric Milton, is 0-5 and needs to go.

#5

Josh Hamilton hit home run number 5 last night. Unfortunately the Reds bullpen had a 3rd meltdown in 4 games. The pen could not hold a 6-1 lead in the 7th. Keep slugging, Josh!

Missions

"Missions exists where worship does not." John Piper

My Favorite Skit by Monty Python

Josh is at it Again!

Josh Hamilton got the start in Center Field last night (Ryan Freel moved to 3rd base) and he was 2-4 with a walk and scored twice. Josh and Freel sparked a rally in the 7th to win the game for Cincy. Way to go Josh!

Josh Watch

Josh Hamilton hit his 3rd home run and collected his 7th RBI in 18 at bats last night in a losing effort. The bullpen, that had been stellar to start the season, had a meltdown. I think Cincy has the chemistry for a play-off bound season. Hey Coach Narron, please give Josh more at-bats!

Josh Hamilton

Josh is a kid who made some bad choices. He was suspended from baseball and other than a few at bats in AA ball, he hasn't played in 4 years. He is one of the most talented players in baseball and was bound to be unheard of by anybody. Then he came face to face with Jesus. He readily admits that Christ saved his life when he was heading for death and destruction. With the help of a godly wife and support from friends and family, he was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds and given a second chance. On Tuesday night he got his first big league start, playing center field, and hit a home run in his 2nd at bat. Last night he hit a double and home run while playing right field. Last night he said that by all accounts, he shouldn't be playing, but by the grace of God he was given another chance to play. Way to go, Josh. I hope you have a great career and continue to give the glory to God.

Dunn's Swing

Adam Dunn hit 2 home runs to reach 200 for his career. Here is a picture of #199.

Ah, Springtime!

Hope springs eternal at this time each year. The crack of the bats, the smack of a ball against leather, the smell of tobacco juice in the dugout...well, two out of three ain't bad as Meat Loaf used to say.

Anyways, the Reds started out the season on a good note by beating the free-spending Cubs 5-1. (The Cubs spent over $300,000,000 in the off-season to bolster the line-up) Harang threw 7 innings allowing 1 unearned run, Griffey had two hits and Adam Dunn did his worst impression of Ichiro you have ever seen. If you don't understand that last comment, Dunn had said he was just going to work on putting the ball in play instead of home runs or strikeouts. The only two balls he put in play yesterday became souvenirs for the fans in the cheap seats. At this pace he will have 324 home runs for the season. That might be a record or something.

A Hero of the Faith

Roger and Anthony - Now In Heaven

Remembering Roger Bennett

A Busy Month

I haven't written much this month because I have been busy. I am home for a week then we leave next Friday for vacation for a week in the mountains. If I don't write any more this month, have a nice March and I will see you in April.

Who May Dwell?

I am preparing a sermon based on Psalm 15. The previous post was the two questions at the beginning of the Psalm. I have been reading and thinking a lot about these two questions. David provided answers to the questions, but I am working on bringing these answers to our time and culture. Integrity hasn't changed over 3000 years. Righteousness has not changed since then. Speaking truth has not changed. The Holy Spirit has given me some good thoughts. I should get it written out this weekend.

Two Questions

"Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?"

"Who may live on Your holy mountain?"

Rough Week

It has been a rough week. I have acquired the same affliction as Spurgeon and Franklin. Gout. My doctor believes it was triggered due to a certain element in my blood pressure meds. All I know is that I don't want to ever get it again! Unfortunately, once you have it, gout can recur again. That has been the reason why I haven't written much this week.

I did pick up a few books. I just got Ironsides commentary on Isaiah and I just ordered G. Campbell Morgan's commentary on Psalms. I ordered two books of sermons by Alexander MacLaren last week, but they have not arrived yet. I will be starting a series of sermons on selected Psalms. Since I am not pastoring a church, this is more of an exercise or practice for me. My pastor agreed to look at them for me and give me some pointers.

Have a good weekend.

Washington's Farewell Address

Here is an excerpt from Washington's farewell address. Follow the link to read the whole speech. Presidential wannabees need to read this.


Profoundly penetrated with this idea, I shall carry it with me to my grave as a strong incitement to unceasing vows that Heaven may continue to you the choicest tokens of its beneficence; that your union and brotherly affection may be perpetual; that the free Constitution, which is the work of your hands may be sacredly maintained; that its administration in every department may be stamped with wisdom and virtue; that, in fine, the happiness of the people of these states, under the auspices of liberty, may be made complete by so careful a preservation and so prudent a use of this blessing as will acquire to them the glory of recommending it to the applause, the affection, and adoption of every nation which is yet a stranger to it.

Lincoln's Favorite Poem

Mortality

William Knox

Job, iii. Ecclesiastes, i.


Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud?
Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud,
A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave,
He passes from life to his rest in the grave.

The leaves of the oak and the willow shall fade,
Be scattered around, and together be laid;
And the young and the old, the low and the high,
Shall molder to dust, and together shall lie.

The infant a mother attended and loved;
The mother that infant’s affection who proved;
The husband, that mother and infant who blessed;
Each, all, are away to their dwelling of rest.

The maid on whose cheek, on whose brow, in whose eye,
Shone beauty and pleasure—her triumphs are by;
And the memory of those who loved her and praised,
Are alike from the minds of the living erased.

The hand of the king that the sceptre hath borne,
The brow of the priest that the mitre hath worn,
The eye of the sage, and the heart of the brave,
Are hidden and lost in the depths of the grave.

The peasant, whose lot was to sow and to reap,
The herdsman, who climbed with his goats up the steep,
The beggar, who wandered in search of his bread,
Have faded away like the grass that we tread.

The saint, who enjoyed the communion of Heaven,
The sinner, who dared to remain unforgiven,
The wise and the foolish, the guilty and just,
Have quietly mingled their bones in the dust.

So the multitude goes—like the flower or the weed
That withers away to let others succeed;
So the multitude comes—even those we behold,
To repeat every tale that has often been told.

For we are the same that our fathers have been;
We see the same sights that our fathers have seen;
We drink the same stream, we feel the same sun,
And run the same course that our fathers have run.

The thoughts we are thinking, our fathers would think;
From the death we are shrinking, our fathers would shrink;
To the life we are clinging, they also would cling—
But it speeds from us all like a bird on the wing.

They loved—but the story we cannot unfold;
They scorned—but the heart of the haughty is cold;
They grieved—but no wail from their slumber will come;
They joyed—but the tongue of their gladness is dumb.

They died—aye, they died—we things that are now,
That walk on the turf that lies over their brow,
And make in their dwellings a transient abode,
Meet the things that they met on their pilgrimage road.

Yea, hope and despondency, pleasure and pain,
Are mingled together in sunshine and rain;
And the smile and the tear, the song and the dirge,
Still follow each other, like surge upon surge.

’Tis the wink of an eye—’tis the draught of a breath—
From the blossom of health to the paleness of death,
From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud
Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud?

Online text © 1998-2007 Poetry X. All rights reserved.
From The Lonely Hearth, the Songs of Israel, Harp of Sion, and Other Poems | 1847

O Captain! My Captain!

O Captain! My Captain!

Walt Whitman

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Online text © 1998-2007 Poetry X. All rights reserved.
From Leaves of Grass | 1868

Local Fox Affiliate Debuts Terror-Alert Van

Touting itself as "the only channel with a terror-alert system designed to meet the specific needs of central Tennessee," Fox News affiliate WMFB-TV Channel 11 debuted its terror-alert van Monday. "The team you trust to keep you informed is working to keep the greater Murfreesboro area—and your family—safe from Muslim extremists," said station manager Carl Bogert, unveiling the TerrorFirst! van at a press conference held in the "Terrorist No Zone" in the back parking lot. "When terrorism threatens the people of central Tennessee, Fox 11 is there first. Watch Channel 11 for up-to-the-minute coverage of where, when, and how the enemies of freedom are coming to get you."

"Terrorists better think twice before targeting the good citizens of the greater Murfreesboro area," Bogert said. "Terrorists, if you're watching, I have one thing to say to you: If you attack, the Fox 11 News team will be on the scene just minutes later."

Way to Go COLTS!

Great game for two great men.

Steelers' Hartings retires

The most stable position, other than coach, in the Steelers' organization is the center position. Only 4 players have played that position since the mid-60's. What a great guy Jeff Hartings is and on top of all that, he is a believer. His next assignment? A church. I'll be praying for you Jeff. May God bless your ministry.

Opening Your Cultural Eyes

I teach a training class for people preparing to go on a short-term mission trip. Part of the training deals with cross-cultural encounters. Basically, the whole trip is a cross-cultural encounter. This is limited to an international trip, but can be encountered when going to another part of the US or even another part of the state.

As I am preparing for the next two sessions, I am reading two books: Serving With Eyes Wide Open by David Livermore and Revolutions in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan. These books help to explain why North Americans going on mission are too ethnocentric. We need to realize that the world does not revolve around us. You have to view a culture at face value, not through the filter of a North American.

Take for example a Croatian pastor. If you eat dinner with him, he will offer you wine. Most North American evangelicals (I am not comfortable with that term) would question the pastor's salvation. In Ireland, many Christians smoke and will go to the pub for a pint. Again, their salvation would be questioned. Just because a culture acts differently than us does not make it wrong.

Instead of looking at culture through our closed view, we need to look at how the people are hurting within their culture. We can't place our values on their culture, but we can discern where they are hurting and their needs within their cultures context. For example, two years ago I was in a certain area of Brazil. It was very poor, is it is in most of Brazil compared to our standards. The biggest need was a father figure for all the kids. We were in an area where there were a lot of single mothers. These kids latched on to the 6 younger team members (mainly between 25-50). Their need, culturally, was a male presence in their life. That became the focus of our time there. The reason to be there was building a church, but the ministry was to these kids. They needed us to share our lives. Through that, they were open to hearing of Christ's love.

Itching Ears

God is leading me into full-time gospel ministry, leading the church in missions and missions training. I am very excited and humbled by this and pray that I follow God's leading every step of the way. The one thing I want to avoid is comforting itching ears. I don't want to preach what people want to hear to make them feel good. Warm fuzzies is not what ministry is all about. My aim is 2 Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction."

This is my biggest complaint regarding the emerging church. My fear is this new movement has itching ears and only wants to hear something good and positive. Scripture is not held high and pastors, men called by God to preach, are not respected. I have searched dozens, probably hundreds of websites and blogs and those two concepts are prevalent in most of them. I fear 2 Timothy 4:3-4 is their creed, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the Truth and turn aside to myths."

I pray that I am never one of those teachers that are surrounded by people who want their egos stroked, people who want to feel good after a rough week, people who aren't doing any ministry for the Kingdom except to warm a pew. You know, that doesn't make you popular. I am sure Joel Osteen and others wouldn't be where they are today without scratching a lot of ears. Paul continued his advice to Timothy in the next verse, "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."

Maybe a good sermon title would be, "No ear scratching here."

Current Reading List

Here's what I am reading at the moment:

Revolution in World Missions, K.P. Yohannan
The Attributes of God, Arthur W. Pink
The Fellowship of the Ring
Horatio Hornblower and the Hotspur, C.S. Forester
Volume 1, Works of Benjamin Warfield
Biography of Alexander Hamilton

Books lying around waiting to be read:
V. 2-10 of Warfield
G. Campbell Morgan Sermons
Systematic Theology, Charles Hodge
Serving With Eyes Wide Open, David Livermore
2 biographies of Teddy Roosevelt

Books (or sets) on my wish list:
The Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible, Jay P. Green
The Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed. by Frank Gaebelein
Any sermon collections by H.A. Ironsides or Alexander McLaren or Joseph Parker
Greek Textbook and Workbook by William Mounce
Any of the books by Alfred Edersheim

The Angels Were Partying

Wow! Last night was an awesome night of visitation. My church has a weekly visitation program and we use Evangelism Explosion (EE) as the means of sharing the Gospel. We meet, go over the Gospel outline, break up into a couple of classes and then go out in teams of 3 visiting people that have visited our church recently. Right now we split up into tow classes: the beginner class which explains the Gospel presentation in detail and an Apologetics class, which I attend. Pastor Holt has done some great research into putting this class together.

When we went out in teams, my team visited some retired HCJB missionaries who have moved here. I love visiting retired missionaries. Probably because they remind me of my grand-parents. The Bookers were in Ecuador for over 30 years. Their daughter went to school with Steve Saint, Nate Saint's son. They were gracious, humble people wanting to connect with international students to minister to them. Leonard and Imogene are near 80 and still wanting to serve.

But that wasn't the highlight of the night. Pastor Holt's team met with a high school senior that had visited the church with a friend. He is from a Catholic family. Pastor Holt had started to present the Gospel to this young man when his mother came downstairs. At first the team thought this would end the evening because the family seemed very devout, but the mother started asking good questions. Pastor Holt presented the Gospel and the mother agreed on every spiritual point but was hung up on assurance, of knowing for sure she would have eternal life. After Pastor Holt explained that to her, he asked if she was ready to accept the free gift of salvation. She said she had been asking herself and God these same questions and yes, she was ready. What a joy! They will return to visit again with the son next week.

Another team got to visit a young couple who had been active in church but the husband had never made a commitment to Jesus Christ. Pastor Tobey presented the Gospel with similar results. The angels were truly dancing by that time!

Yes, EE could be considered a program. But it is more. It is a simple way to present the gospel to anyone. If you strike up a conversation with someone and it turns to spiritual matters, then there are two questions that you can ask to ascertain their spiritual life. If someone says they go to a church but you sense they are not a Christian, then you can start by saying, "Well, my church believes that..." and go straight into the Gospel presentation. Then there is follow up to do because you are responsible in helping with their spiritual development such as getting to church, fellowship with beliveres, making disciples.

I look forward to each week of visitation, but I hope there are opportunities before then!

Go COLTS!

Yes, I am a Steelers fan, but I have followed the Colts since they moved to Indy 20+ years ago. My dad is a life-long Colts fan because his favorite player was Johnny Unitas. Dad has had season tickets for the last 3 years and was at the game yesterday. He loved every minute of it. He has an outside chance of getting tickets for the Super Bowl. I hope he gets them. Go Colts!

The Gospel Truth

A couple of days ago I ranted about blogs that promote the Emerging church theology. I just now hesitated using the term theology, but that is what it is. People are skewing the Truth into their own idea of theology.

On a similar note, most of these blogs share a whole lot of their opinion and little of the Bible. If they are concerned about the direction their church is going (and lumping all the churches in with theirs) then they need to search the Word and pray. Yes, pray. Communication with God. Nothing mystical, but can "availeth much."

Even though I said I would not read anymore blogs, the concepts they promote are still nagging my brain (it doesn't take much). I think too many books are being written and read when the only book needed is the Bible. Books by N.T. Wright or Scot McKnight or Dallas Willard or Henry Blackaby can be thought provoking, but remember...they are not divine inspiration. The stack of books next to your bed (and mine) are not Gospel. The notes in your study Bible (and mine) are not Gospel. The Commentaries on your shelf (and mine) are not Gospel. What is divinely inspired? The 66 books between the Table of Contents and the maps.

All this to say that I think (my turn for an opinion) that bloggers that are part of the Emerging movement and its off-shoots need to turn to God and the Bible. Quit complaining in your blogs and start studying. Maybe God wants YOU to do something.

50 States

How well will you fare?

Submerging from Emerging

For the last couple of years I have been studying this whole Emerging Church phenomena and have finally come to a conclusion. A lot of people are wasting a lot of time, ink and trees on this issue (if it really is an issue). Every blog I read and the few books I have waded through have one item in common; someone has a beef with their local church. I am tired of hearing the same old thing. "The church did this to me; the church did that to me; I think the church should be this way; I think worship is this; I think, I think, I think."

As God told Job, "I am God and you are not." (paraphrased and probably used by many Christian authors). People need to quit playing God within the church; they need to quit playing church within the church. These complainers need to be involved in ministry and don't listen to other people or themselves. Stay focused on God, focused in the Word and focused on people other than themselves. And they need to know that every church is full of sinners saved by grace and not perfect. Some even have tempers and personalities that don't mesh with yours. And you gotta love them anyways.

So for me and my new journey into fulltime gospel ministry, I will be avoiding the daily reading of Emerging-friendly blogs. Somebody's time has already been wasted in producing the blog, why should I compound that wastefulness by reading it.

American Leadership and War

Happy New Year

I hope your new year has started out well. I finally migrated over to the new and improved blogger. And I will have some posts to bring you up to date with current events.

Oh, and by the way, Pat Robertson has predicted doom and gloom for the USA sometime this year. Isn't there something we are to do to false prophets?

Merry Christmas

My work has been closed since 11:00AM Wednesday due to the big snow storm in Colorado. I hope you all have a merry Christmas and let me leave you with words from Psalm 16:9-11

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

May your days this Christmas season be filled with the joy of the presence of Jesus.

Missions Update

Sure, it has been over two weeks since I posted. I am generally not the "wacky news of the day" type of blogger, so you will have to look elsewhere for that.

I wanted to bring you up to date concerning my future in ministry. To start off, I will be writing a short-term missions volunteer handbook and teach a class on what it means to be involved with short-term missions (STM). There are a lot of negative comments concerning this and I hope to show that STM is very productive and useful to the Kingdom if done correctly.

I will also be meeting with Pastor Tobey next week to discuss my role as a volunteer pastor. Yes, volunteer. Not even bi-vocational, at least paywise. But that is okay, because I am doing what God wants me to do. This is a learning experience and will help me get my feet wet. I will let you know how the meeting goes next week.

The Journey, Part 3

After a month of mission services and being miserable after each one, I talked to my wife and told her something had to give. I could not continue not being in God's will. To my astonishment and surprise, she agreed and said she was ready for full-time ministry! You see, it is all God's timing, not mine. He's God and I'm not.

Since then, I have talked to two of the pastor's at church. Since I am very much involved with missions and the Singles ministry, I will be a pastor overseeing those ministries. Missions is my passion and God has given me a burden for the Single's, especially the 20-something sincgles that are post college but not married yet.

I will be bi-vocational for a time, since my church just hired another pastor and can't afford to bring on another one full-time. The way the church is growing and God is blessing the church, I hope to be added fulltime in 1-2 years. Until then, I will be staying at my current employment.

This blog will chronicle the journey from here. Feel free to ask me any questions along the way.

Here's to the journey...

The Journey, Part 2

After talking with my pastor, he suggested I finish my degree and take some seminary classes. As another pastor friend told me, "If you are going to use a hoe, you need to sharpen it." Studying ministry and preaching techniques is important for effective ministry, which I beleive he was trying to tell me.

I finished my degree and, while in the process, was told of a small store front church that needed help leading worship. I am a gifted musician and had always thought this was the area God was leading me. I worked with this church fo about 12-15 months and the pastor offered me the job full-time. I tried to force the issue on my wife and daughter. Never a good idea. My wife was not hearing anything from God concerning this little church. In fact, she was adamantly against it. She was so much against the idea that she didn't want me to even think of seminary.

There I was, stuck with no place to go. I started into a graduate program in History, thinking I could teach college evening courses. That was my new goal. I was miserable. I hated my job. I wasn't happy in anything I did, except mission trips and getting people excited about missions. This summer, I was asked at least a dozen times while on missions trips if I was a pastor. I would say no, then be depressed. We went to Ireland for a vacation and we fell in love with the people. I could see us holding home Bible studies and working with the small Baptist churches that were trying to survive against the established Catholic and Irish churches. My wife felt the same way. We even picked the same region we would like to live in. I was still miserable.

After the Ireland and Brazil summer trips, we had 4 straight Sunday evening services that focused on missions. We heard from all the different mission teams: Croatia, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Gulf Coast and Sri Lanka. We heard from an evangelist concerning his work in the Ukraine and Eastern Europe. I was crying during and after every service. I was miserable.

What could I do? Tomorrow, I will bring the story up to date.

The Journey Starts...

I mentioned yesterday that I have surrendered to the gospel. My aife and I did that about a month ago. I thought I would start this journey by explaining how I knew it was God's call and what has happened since.

After spending 9 years in California (8 years too long), my wife and I moved to Colorado. I worked (still do for now) for Association of Christian Schools International and ACSI followed Focus on the Family's lead in moving to Colorado.

Once we found a church and got involved with the music ministries of the church, we suggested to out pastor to contact Jess Moody, our former pastor in California who had since retired, to speak at the church. Jess is very well known in the Southern Baptist realm and our pastor was pleased to offer an invitation to Jess to preach a revival. This would have been about 1996.

At that revival, Jess spoke about ministry. He knew that our church was beginning to look for land to build a larger facility. We were land-locked in a neighborhood and had 3 morning services to accomodate the people. We were also renting space 4 blocks away for extra classroom space. Most of Jess' sermons were on what a church needs to do to stay focused on ministry during a period of growth, warning that if we stay focused, the growth might continue for some time. This wasn't a negative warning, just reality.

During one of his sermons he talked about the church raising up ministers within the church, either to start new churches or to aid the present church during its growth. That is when God spoke to me, that still small voice in my head and heart that told me He wanted me in full-time ministry. I hesitated. People always said that I could be a preacher like my grandpa, but that idea always scared me. For one, Grandpa was a great preacher and pastor and I didn't want to be held to that measuring stick.

I kept silent for a few years, but that still, small voice kept telling me I needed to surrender to Him. I thought that all of mission trips I did would suffice. They did not. The trips would be a part of my decision, but they were not a replacement for complete surrender.

I finally talked to my paster about this. I will mention tomorrow his comments and the further developments. I am not in faover of long blog entries and this one has stretched the limits! I will continue tomorrow with the journey.

Crummy Church Signs

Ever see a church sign and wonder what the heck they were thinking when they posted it? Check out this website. Enjoy!

New Direction

This blog will take a new direction. I have read enough blogs by men who were apparently called to full-time ministry, yet have left the church and writing about their reasons why they left. God has called me to full-time ministry and I am surrendering to His call. The plan is to chronicle the journey, its ups and downs, the endurance of the race. I am not casting judgement on any of the blogs I have read. I just find it troubling.

To the journey, may God lead and, at times carry me, to do His will.

Enduring

The writer of Hebrews in chapter 10 verses 32-39 tells us to endure. The word for endure means to remain under a load. A better description may be of a soldier under attack by the enemy, recieving the full brunt of the attack, yet having the strength to retaliate and win.

This is what we, as Christians, need to do, no matter the circumstances. God has promised to be faithful, so we need to cling to Him and trust in His promises.

verse 39 "We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

18" and what do you get...

Ok, so Tennessee Ernie Ford sang about 18 tons of coal, but we had 18" of snow plus a whole lot of wind. Most businesses were closed yesterday. It was blizzard conditions from 4am to 4pm. I had a nice 2-3' snow drift in my driveway but the 18" or more of snow in the road kept everyone at home. Now I am at work, it will be in the upper 50's today and 60's for the next week. Welcome to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains!

Typical Fall in Colorado

We had six inches of snow last week, then 60-70 degree weather. It will be 70 degrees today with a blizzard warning tonight and tomorrow! Really! We are supposed to get up to a foot of snow with susatined winds of 35 mph. Looks like I might get caught up with my reading for my graduate classes.

There are over a thousand with my name.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 1,017 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Mid-West Fall Classic

Tigers and Cardinals...Mickey Lolich vs. Bob Gibson...Dizzy Dean and the Gas House Gang. Great baseball history. Will we remember Suppan vs. Verlander in 30 years? Hopefully. The Cardinals have the worst record for a World Series participant in recent memory...Maybe ever.

I am normally a National League guy all the way, but I am tired of the Cards. Ever since Mark Maguire retired, it is hard to root for them. I will be going for the Tigers. The Tigers can continue the trend of old-school teams winning the series. Red Sox, White Sox and now the Tigers. Of course, the Cardinals aren't the new kids on the block like the Marlins or Arizona. Hopefully it will stretch out to 7 games that are pitching duals.

Way Behind

Yeah, yeah, I know. It has been several days between posts. The Reds are out and the first round of playoffs are over with. NLCS is Cards/Mets and ALCS is A's/Tigers. Basketball training camp has started, hockey regular season has started and the NFL finished week 5. This is the great convergance of sports; sort of like when all the planets align.

Here's a look at my favorite teams:

Colts: 5-0, but not firing on all cylinders

Steelers: 1-3 and trying to find themselves

IU Hoosiers Football: 3-3 and not scaring anybody

Reds: Finished with a 80-82 record but showed better pitching depth in the second half of the season. Aaron Harang could win the NL Cy Young award.

Pacers: Why is Stephen Jackson still on the team? Get rid of him and his 9mm handgun.

Penguins: Nice start to the season, but sold to a Canadien businessman. A move north in the future, eh?

Three Problems With the Emerging Church

I like Brent Barnett's take on the Emrging Church syndrome. I am very hesitant about this phenamena. I agree with his view of deception. Read on at his site, Relevant Bible Teaching.


The emerging church is a contradiction and an ethereal entity. It is always unsure of itself, keeping up a continual “conversation” (one of their favorite words) but never coming to any real conclusions. This is something to really be wary of because the deceptions are more subtle in practice than it might at first seem.

Three Games Left

Still alive with 3 games left in Pittsburgh. Harang and Arroyo are pitching. Cardinals may be forced to play a makeup game on Monday in San Francisco.

There is Still a Pulse

Just when I counted the Reds out, they started showing some life (not to mention the Cards going on a nosedive). With 5 games left they are 2 1/2 games out. I am not buying my playoff tickets, but there is still hope. It has been a long time since there were only 5 games left and the Reds were still in it.

The Reds Are Out

Ok, 16 games left and 4 1/2 out. The Reds are done. They had a 3 game series at home against the Padres, who have the wild card lead, and had a chance to get within 1/2 a game. After only scoring 2 runs in the last two games (10-0 in game 2 of the series), they are now unofficially out. Yes, they are mathmatically in the race, but when you go 4-16, you don't deserve to go to the playoffs. They do have a good nucleus to work with and next year could be a great year in Cincy. This year, the Queen City will just have to accept "would'aves" and "should'aves".

Arroyo Keeps winning

Bronson Arroyo won for the 3rd straight time with another impressive 8-inning outing. Too bad he disappeared during the middle of the season. The Reds need a serious winning streak. Not just a 6 or 7 gamer, but a 10-11 gamer.

Happy Birthday Lona

Today is my lovely wife's birthday. She is...well I won't tell you how old she is, but she doesn't look or act her age, but 10 years younger. I am a lucky man! She loves muder mysteries, especially those produced by A&E, so I got her season 2 of Foyle's War, which is based in England during WWII. Happy Birthday!!

Arroyo's First Shut-out

Bronson Arroyo pitched his first career shutout last night as the Reds beat the Giants 3-0. The Reds shot themselves in the foot over the last two weeks by having a 2-8 road trip and losing their first game at home. 11 games ago they beat the Giants on the first game of the road trip and was tied for first with the Cardinals. Since then thay have dropped to 6 games behind the Cards and 3 games out of the wild card slot. Still plenty of games to go, but more wins are preferable to more losses. Now we find out the Jr Griffey dislocated his big toe two nights ago trying to catch a Barry Bonds homerun.

Hank and Camp Runamuck

It has been mentioned on another site about Thursday night TV in 1965-66. Besides Time Tunnel, Hank and Camp Runamuck were mentioned. While I never saw Hank, I know of the other because of Dav Madden who played Mr. Kincaid on the Partridge Family. Both very funny shows but only 1 season wonders. Here are a couple of pictures but none from the Time Tunnel. I loved that show.

Pompey Continues to Win

Portsmouth FC, or known as Pompey to fans, has started the season 2-0-1 without allowing a goal. They are only behind perrenial powerhouse Manchester United. For those of you bewildered at what I am mentioning, I am talking about English Premiership Football...Soccer.

Go Pompey!

Coming Soon to a TV Land Near You

TV Land will be airing Star Trek: The Original Series starting in September. Just thought you might like to know.

Storm a Brewin'

It is storming out pretty good. It matches my mood right now. I have not been in the mood to write. I don't know why; just haven't. I have two short papers to write this weekend for my grad classes. Yippee!

Another Series Win

Although yesterday's game had a weird 7th inning and the Reds lost, they still won the series; 2 out of 3. Now they are on a 10 game, west coast trip starting with 4 games against the Giants tonight.

Beautiful Course

I got to play at this course yesterday. It was beautiful. After the wind calmed down, play got better. Click on the tour button and look at some of the holes. It was like playing in the Graden of the Gods, a local state park in Colorado. I played well for not touching a club in 3 months. My drives were 280-300 yds and I was putting well though I couldn't chip worth a darn. We had a 4-some and played a 2 man scramble. My team shot a 78 and the other an 83.

And they thought this was a good idea?!?!

An eatery named after Hitler, Hitler's Cross, just opened in India. Have a double Fuerer on rye for lunch while smoking your hooka. Probably the worst marketing ploy in history.

Go Pompey!

I like soccer and am a supporter of Portsmouth of the Enlish Premier League (EPL). Pompey started the season with a 3-0 win over the Blackburn Rovers (Brad Friedel is their captain and keeper). My best friend from California, Chris, is a native of Portsmouth and Pompey fanatic. Maybe he influenced me a little bit!

Reds Win the Series!!!!!

Well, it's not that big of a series. A weekend series angainst the last place Pirates. After being embarressed in game one, the Reds blew them out in game 2 and got a solid pitching performance from Aaron Harang yesterday. That win kept the Reds 2 1/2 games behind the Cardinals and 2 games up on Arizona for the Wild Card spot. Keep taking two of three guys and you will be in the playoffs.

Back to School

Starting Monday, I will be going back to school to work on a Masters degree in History. I would like to teach evening classes at the local community college or one of the other local colleges in town. Our local colleges need more Christians within the faculty. While I was finishing my undergrad a couple of years ago, God impressed upon me the need for Christian teachers in the universities and colleges. I want to live my faith while teaching.

But We Lost

The Reds lost a tough game yesterday. Kyle Lohse has been a great pickup from the Twins. He has given up only 4 runs in 15 innings of work; two relief stints and one start. He has no desicions yet. He pitched 7 innings giving up 5 hits and 1 run yesterday, but the Reds lost 2-1. Coach Narron said it was a great game, except we lost. Other than 3 games in LA, the Reds schedule is against teams with losing records the rest of the season. Time to get busy.

Bronson Wins!!!

Hey, Bronson Arroyo finally won a game. After 10 winless starts he got a much needed win against the Cardinals. A win today will leave the Reds a half game out of first.

Tough Day

Yesterday was the funeral for my friend's husband. The church was packed. It was a nice service. But we shouldn't have been there. We did not need to be there. One selfish act caused a lot of grief and grieving for a lot of people. As I sat there, I felt so sorry for my friend and her two daughters. I prayed for them that God would grant them peace to deal with life after the service. I was also getting angry. Angry at her husband. I was in a sour mood the whole day. It is the first time I have known someone who committed suicide. I hated being there. An unnecessary gathering.

Life Really Bites

Today has been a sober day. The whole weekend actually. The husband of a friend committed suicide last Thursday evening. The whole family are believers, so this is tough stuff. The husband, wife and 2 older teenage daughters were very active in the Evangelism Explosion (EE) ministry at the church. I got to know the wife well because we were teamed up one semester (with another person).

He was a doctor and she is a nurse and they owned three different medical businesses. They were both fitness nuts and he got involved with steriods. She kept telling him to stop using them. He overdosed on the steriods which caused a major chemical imbalance in his body. He went into a deep depression and was not making rational decisions. She had to go away for a conference last week. While she was away, he moved all their monies into her accounts, set up the girls college funds and went out into the woods and shot himself in the head.

Everyone at church who knew them have been in shock. The wife is angry, not at God but at her husband. She said that when she sees him in heaven she is going to punch him! At least she hasn't lost her great sense of humor. Please pray for this family. Names are left out for obvious reasons.

Free Lunch?

With every privilege we receive, a tax is levied.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

15 minutes

No, not 15 minutes of fame but I shaved 15 minutes off the bike commute. Not that I was able to take the hills better but I found a way that cut at least 5 minutes off plus I did not have to walk as much. There are still 3 hills that will take some time to conquer, but I was happy with the progress.

One Book...

I saw this on Scot McKnight's site and decided to play along. I will not include the Bible because that would be the answer to most of these questions.

1. One book that changed your life: D. Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship. I read this a few years ago on a trip to Brazil. I rank him up there with the Apostle Paul when it comes to indepth writing.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: C.S. Lewis, Narnia Chronicles. Each book is a classic.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island: Tolkien, The Hobbit. Has always been my favorite book of the Middle Earth series.

4. One book that made you laugh: Anything by P.G. Wodehouse, especially the Jeeves and Wooster stories.

5. One book that made you cry: Something for Joey. I can't remember who wrote it but it is about John Cappaletti who played football for Penn State and his youngest brother was dying of cancer.

6. One book you wish you had written: The Foundation Series by Asimov.

7. One book you wish had never been written: A. Hitler, Mein Kampf. The mind of demented soul. (This was Scot's choice and I can't think of anything else.)

8. One book you’re currently reading: E. Wiesel, The Night Trilogy. There is a powerful forward to this book by a French Christian. Too bad there aren't more Frenchmen who believe as he does.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.

Commute

Today, I rode my bike to work for the first time. With gas prices going up and my not so svelte body, I decided I needed the excercise and the savings. Living in Colorado Springs means hills. Lots of them. I think I found the path of least resistance, but you can't avoid the hills! I left at 6:30 hoping to be into the office by 7:30. I arrived at 7:15 (pat on the back). I had to walk a few times up the steepest hills, so my goal is to make it the whole way without walking. That should cut it to a 30 minute commute. Of course, now I have to get home...

My Brazilian Friends

Brazil Trip

Here are a couple of pictures of the church construction and of the dedication service. Over 400 were in the building that should hold only 200.

Kirk's First Mission?

With a 30 year old Matt Damon as the strong candidate for a younger Capt. Kirk, the story seems to start with his first command aboard the Enterprise. That is better than a proposed Star Fleet Academy scenario.

Big Series

Well, the Reds took 2 of 3 from the Braves after being swept by the Dodgers. They had a chance to sweep the Braves but the weakest link in the bullpen trades, Majewski, blew it again and lost the game. This guy hasn't pitched a 1-2-3 inning yet. Time to cut the baggage and use the other guys. Lohse pitched a good 5 innings in his first start for the Reds. Now there is an important 4 game series with the Cardinals. A sweep puts the Reds in first place.

Star Trek XI

Rumor is that Matt Damon will play a young Captain Kirk. I love all things Star Trek, so hopefully Abrams won't screw it up!

Blue Sweep

Greg Maddux was vintage last night. A 6-inning no-hitter. He did not return after the short rain delay in the 7th inning. To his credit, Eric Milton was great for the 2nd straight start. He gave up a 2 run homer in the first and then 6 shutout innings. Its not his fault the Reds scoring machine turned into the little engine that could. So much for the 8-2 homestand! Oh, by the way, Maddux is 4-0 against the Reds this year and could gain another win later in the month.

Another loss to the Blue

The Reds lost another to the LA Dodgers (my wife and dad's favorite team). The Reds got 4 hits, albeit 3 of them the homerun variety and lost 5-3. The bullpen did its job but after it was handed a 5-2 deficit. Today's game showcases Greg Maddux' debut as a Dodger. Not too many 300 game winners have ever been traded. The Reds have never fared well against Maddux.

Red-faced Loss

The Reds lost a bad game to the Dodgers last night. Arroyo has not won a game since June and the new-look bullpen gave up four runs! That was the first of a 10 game homestand. Hopefully it will get better. I had hoped for an 8-2 record at home.

Playoff Drive

The Reds have been making moves since the All-Star break to bolster the bullpen. The bullpen's ERA was over 5 before the break but about 3.5 since then. Eddie Guardado and company have made a difference. Now add Rheal Cormier (1.79 era) into the mix and the pen is even stronger. It should be a fun final couple of months.

Luzilandia

I am back from Brazil. What an awesome trip! We were amazed at what God did, not only for us, but the work at the job site and the changed hearts. I am so thankful for all the prayer warriors at church and at home. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much. The church was built in 3 days and there were over 400 people at the dedication service. The church will comfortably hold about 200! I will share pictures of the church and the people soon.

Through the Eyes of a Child

My youngest child, Ian, will be 3 in September. I wonder what he will remember about this trip to Ireland. I tried to get several pictures of him. He has some great, funny expressions. He loves trains and planes, especially Thomas the Tank Engine and Jay-Jay. We found a train museum in a pub (where else!?!) and he loved it. Here are a few pictures of the little guy enjoying his trip to Ireland.

Brazil Mission Trip

Friday morning I will be heading down to Brazil as part of a team of 11 from my church. There will be 20 people total on the trip. We will be building a church in Luzilandia, Brazil. This will be the 10th time God has sent me to Brazil to work with Christian Missions Unlimited (CMU) building churches. I am excited about the trip and will share pictures and stories with you upon my return.

Killarney

Killarney is a city at the gateway to the Ring of Kerry and the Killarney National Park. There is a nice cathedral in the city with two fun sites that take up most of your day: Muckross House and Ross Castle.

Muckross House (bottom picture) can be toured and has extensive gardens. We enjoyed the outside as much as the inside. They grow Brazilian rhubarb that has enormous leaves. We had to stand Ian under a leaf to have perspective of the size!

Ross Castle was refurbished about 10 years. They have done a great job of putting it back together as it once may have been. Because of the burdonsome taxes levied upon the Irish by the English, the castle went into ruin during the early 1800's. They were given a roof tax (based on the square footage of the roof). If they didn't have the money, the roof was taken off. Without the roof, it did not take long for the castle to fall into ruin.

Innisfallen Island is the site of a 6th century monastery. Brian Buru, the first high king of Ireland, was educated here and the Innisfallen Annals were written during the 11th - 12th centuries. This is about a mile by boat from Ross Castle and is a beautiful little island.

The monastic sites were my favorite part of the trip. These Irish monks preserved the scriptures and ancient writings during a time when Europe could not read or write. I always try tp imagine what life was like within the monastery.

THE TOP TEN PREDICTIONS FOR 2006

Even though the year is half over, these pertain to the rest of the year as much as the first half.

1. The Bible will still have the answers.

2. Prayer will still work.

3. The Holy Spirit will still move.

4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.

5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.

6. There will still be singing of praise.

7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.

8. There will still be room at the Cross.

9. Jesus will still love you.

10. Jesus will still save the lost.

Ballyliffin Golf Club

Dad and I were to play golf at the northern most course in Ireland. Due to car problems, we could not play, but we stopped by the course to take pictures. Dad was a little intimidated by the course! The course is named after the rocky island which you can see in the distance. We passed a driving range with sheep. Hit 3 sheep and win a prize!

Rock of Cashel

This is the Rock of Cashel, the high seat of the Irish Kings. It is on a high hill and can see 50 miles in every direction on a clear day. It was also a monestary. The oldest building on the site was built in the 9th century. It was used up to the early 1800's until there was a hurricane that hit the island and knocked a chunk of the castle off. That's the picture on the top. The middle picture is the church and bottom is a view from town. The bishop decided that he would build a new cathedral in the town instead of on top of the hill.

A High Cross

World Cup Sockey

After watching about 20 matches of the World Cup, I realized that these guys could not play any other sport. They are too fragile, too wimpy, too French (except for the African nations). These guys dive and roll around as if a limb had been severed.

I propose that they lace up skates, flood the pitch with water and play on ice with no extra padding. They can wear the shin guards, but still in shorts and jerseys. This would eliminate diving, dangerous kicks and tackling from behind. Hockey players lose teeth, get sticthes and return to the ice. Let's call it sockey and see who headbutts whom.

The miraculous life of Jonathan Swain

I don't know if you have read this article about a baby that contracted AIDs and is now a 23 year old man with a wife and child. Awesome reading.

Ireland, Part 3

The Ring of Beara is another peninsula similar to Kerry, just as beautiful and yet, less traveled. The town of Bantry is nearby and is a beautiful coastal town. Bantry is where St. Brendan the Navigator set off too seek lands to the west. While in Bantry, we toured Bantry House which was significant for protecting Ireland from a French naval invasion. A sunken French ship has been found off the coast and an exhibit is being created at the house.

I forgot to mention that we visited Derrynane House in Kerry. This is where Daniel O'Connell, the liberator of Ireland, lived. He was the George Washington or Thomas Jefferson of Ireland. It was pretty cool seeing the "Proclomation" which is their declaration of independence from England.

Tomorrow will be the Rock of Cashel.

Ireland, Part 2

The next day we drove down to Co. Kerry, which is the region of Killarney, Ring of Kerry, Ring of Berra and the Killarney National Park. We stayed in a farmhouse, the Knocknaman House. This farmhouse was on a v ery narrow, one-lane (two-way) lane. This made my dad a bit nervous! He said I drove too fast! It was about 5K out of the small village of Milltown. We looked for Bunratty Castle but circled too many roundabouts and went off to do other things.

The next day we drove around the Ring of Kerry. This was beautiful. It is a peninsula that has quaint little villages, beautiful coastline and several ring forts and iron-age sites. There are a lot of fishing boats of which Ian loved to see. The weather was overcast, misty and windy. We wished it was clearer and less windy. I could spend a whole week in this area, taking my town exploring the little villages, the old churches and the ancient sites.

Tomorrow will be the Ring of Berra

Ireland Recap

Four weeks ago today I left for Ireland with my family, my dad and the inlaws, 7 in all. We flew in to Shannon, arriving about 7:30 Saturday morning. After getting our rental car and dropping off the luggage at our B&B, we drove off to an area called the Burren. This is a strange geographical area of Ireland that supports little vegetation. Other than some scrub brush and a few grassy spots with wild flowers, the whole area is mainly rocky terrain. There are a lot of caves and iron age ring forts, but these forts would have been hard to live in since there was nothing to grow and few animals to hunt.

The fun thing about this day was the driving. The roads in the burren are very narrow and it was a road rally day. We had detours everywhere which put us on even narrower roads. We even came upon one of the race cars. He was not happy since we were blocking the road.

We visited Alwee Cave, which was interesting but not worth the price of admission. There were bones of a bear found in the cave, which is interesting since there hasn't been a bear in Ireland in several millenia.

We made our way back to the village and ate the best fish and chips on the trip at the Mill Pub.

Failte - You are Welcome

Failte - Welcome. (The phonetic pronunciation is fall-cha.) This is the greeting wherever you go in Ireland. When you walk up to someone's home or church they greet you with, "You're welcome." The 3 weeks in Ireland were wonderful and we have picked out the region to live in. I will post more with pictures, but I just wanted to let you know I am back and you are are welcome whenever you visit this blog.

Failte!

Ireland, Here I Come

This will be my last dispatch for a while. We head to Ireland on Friday for a 3 week family vacation. I should have a few things to say when I get back. Have a great month of June and happy posting until July.

I Can't Wait to Get to Heaven

I am listening to Keith Green today. He is my favorite Christian musician. I especially like his songs about heaven. I envy Keith because he is there! I also like Anglo-Saxon poetry and I thought of this poem by Caedman looking forward to Christ's return. Enjoy.

899	Then suddenly on Sion mountain from the south-east the incandescence of the sun will come shining from the Creator, more luminous than men in their minds can imagine it, gleaming bright when the Son of God reveals himself hither through the canopies of the heavens. Christ's wondrous figure, the form of the noble King, will come from the east from out of the skies, sweet to the minds of his own folk, bitter to those steeped in sin, strangely diverse and different towards the blessed and the wretched.
910	To the good he will be gracious in appearance, beautiful and delightsome to that holy throng, attractive in his joy, affectionate and loving; agreeable and sweet it will be for his cherished people to look upon that shining form, to look with pleasure upon the mild coming of the Ruler, the mighty King, for those who had earlier pleased him well in his heart with words and with works.

The Fields of Athenry

This is a beautiful and sad song of Ireland. Follow the link to hear the song:

-1-
By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
Micheal they are taking you away
For you stole Trevelyn's corn
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.

Chorus
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

-2-
By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matter Mary when your free,
Against the Famine and the Crown
I rebelled they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.

Chorus

-3-
By a lonely harbor wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she'll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.

Chorus

Inniskeen Road: July Evening

I am getting ready to go to Ireland for a three week vacation and have been reading some Irish poetry and history. Here is a poem by Patrick Kavanagh:

The bicycles go by in twos and threes -
There's a dance in Billy Brennan's barn to-night,
And there's the half-talk code of mysteries
And the wink-and-elbow language of delight.
Half-past eight and there is not a spot
Upon a mile of road, no shadow thrown
That might turn out a man or woman, not
A footfall tapping secrecies of stone.
I have what every poet hates in spite
Of all the solemn talk of contemplation.
Oh, Alexander Selkirk knew the plight
Of being king and government and nation.
A road, a mile of kingdom, I am king
Of banks and stones and every blooming thing.