Contemporary vs Tradionalist

have so often fallen on how we feel about things and this is where the fault lies. On both sides of the argument the issue of FEEL is the problem. Contemporaries will lean to it feels good and Traditionalist will also lean to the it feels good. As much as both deny it. Both genres undeniably fall under the issue of flesh.

So lets shed a little light on the situation.

I do not want this discussion to go far out there so I will limit this topic and you can seek this is a more defined matter later. But let me start with these simple scriptures about worship. And offer the issue of inclusion instead of Seclusion.

Psalm 40: 3
And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord.

1 Chronicles 16: 9
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on and talk of all His wondrous works and devoutly praise them!

Psalm 144: 9
I will sing a new song to You, O God; upon a harp, an instrument of ten strings, will I offer praises to You.

Psalm 145: 10
All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your loving ones shall bless You [affectionately and gratefully shall Your saints confess and praise You]!

It is clear God wants something new. Search on your own the holy scriptures. He wants us to Sing, Play Music, dance. Can you dance like David danced?

John 4: 24
God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

In due respect the contemporary is shut off from the GLory of the Hymnal. It is an awesome blessing and growing up in a Baptist church as well as today I respect and love the Hymnal. The problem is that we shut our selfs off and live by our preferences and thereby loose the Glory of what God is doing in his people and through worship. Both Contemporaries and Traditionalists are doing this. It would not come as a shock that the Enemy is using music the seperate the Church (since he was the praise leader in church after all.) But what really puzzles me as that the church cannot see it. The contemporary worship team that will not even consider great Hymnals like. I Exalt Thee, Be Thou My Vision (Be THou my vision oh Lord of my heart…., Old Rugged Cross.On a hill Far a way stood an old rugged cross. But I must say that the Traditionalist looses our on SOngs like.Indescribable - From the Highest of Highest to the Depths of the Sea…Creation Revealing his Majesty. Indescribable, Incomparable, you placed the starts in the sky and you know them by name….. All speak of the glory and love of God. Or songs like. Blessed be your name. If you cannot get God or scripture out of these songs I would say that perhaps you are being short sided. In scripture we are warned of division. I see no division.

The Traditionalist argues the the music is targeted to a group. Might I implore that so are Hymnals as well. When was the last time you used Thou..Thee…Art Thou listening? The Contemporary shuffles around the beauty of the Hymnal calling them dated or irrelevant when they hold relevance because if they did not the bible would have no relevance and to think that is well…not relevant to Christianity.

I come from a church which for the most part includes both Hymnals and Contemporary. It is quite a combo. For the word of God says what the Old and the new is used for. The Old are to Teach and the Young are to Inspire the Old once again. This is indeed what happens. You can ask anyone in the church if they feel their needs are being met in the church and they will reply that is not what we are about this is why we implore both. Having no needs gives you the desire to to be unto “service” unto God. I do not think God is concerned with our worship type as we think he is far more concerned with the condition of our hearts during worship.

To imply that Worship should not be pleasurable or enjoyable and that is is solely unto God and is complete sacrifice. Is not rational and not biblical.

The word humble means = obediant
the word bow is an act of humble but without the first there is no true bowing.
We must be obediant to Scripture not to denomination or even to what we have been taught. We need to seek scripture and define what our worship will be though that not what we see or what we think should be seen.

Let me state the greatest sacrafice is the sacrifice of love. To love one another as Christ loves the church. Unconditionally.
Without fault and without division. If we find in our worship that we are doing this in anyway we should pray and let God show us we should seek the scriptures for where the spirit of the Lord is (There is Freedom).

A Trust Factor

I believe recently I have been tested in trust. I have had to see if I can trust again. It is hard to trust again. Forgiving I think is easy but wisdom says. Can I trust again? Can I put myself in the position to vulnerable in my life again. Alot of people ask questions like this. These types of questions happen when some questions how they were treated at churchm by a family member or even when good friendships go bad. In the bible we find so many places which I am going to site later in this entry that talk about the need to forgive and the wisdom of trust. The Wisdom of God is not always so smooth as Whipped cream. It is not there to make you feel good. It is there to protect you and show you the right way so that your life is less tramatic.

Trusting can be a hard thing. Sometimes we need to take it one step at a time and other times we need to just move in such a way that we are not moving before God does. I believe this is where prayer is so vital. Addmittingly I have not prayed as much as I would like to have recently. I will say I make my daily prayer times. But I mean the times that pass you by and you say. Wow I should have prayed. that what I mean. those sparatic yet important prayers that come between your dalies. The one that says you better put down what you are doing as noble as it may be and start praying. yes that is the cut of it. That is the place where I am now. Praying about every step and not moving forward unless I feel comfortable. I think this is vital to being a leader and loving, compassionate (yet wise) child of God.

I think so many times in the past I have taken on the first two but left wisdom of trust aside. Because of that I put myself in awkward positions. I believe even in this blog that I post I post alot about who I am. I know that God loves me. I know that I am on a journey to see the most of what he has for me. I know that he wants to take every part of me and make it obedient to his will and throught that a ministry of compassion, love, mercy and change. I am ready. I know there are others that will be willing to try and stop me. But I know my God is Much Bigger than that!

Faith

I have for so many reasons been recently set outside of myself. I have had to relearn my trust in God. I really don't understand why. I believe it is the process of my faith. My walk has not taken a turn but went through some very uncharted territory. I have doubted and even been in place where I have lost at times my childish faith.

I could take on this idea of nothing ever touches me because of my God and now I can see that from where I am looking but the fact is I am human and my flesh gets afraid and sometimes doubts and sometimes even looses touch with God. The reality of these shows me the Love that God has for his children. I am his child. i fall out of place. I loose my step.. I want to be just like my father. My father is so awesome. I look at myself and realize how far I must come.

I have in this trial been tested in my faith and even in my worship more importantly I believe that my test in my relationship with my father both in heaven and on earth has also been tested. I was overtaken by emotions and forgot just how important my father in heaven is. I was distracted by the things going on around me. I forgot the awesome papa I have. I desire to be just like him and like any son or daughter I want to be just like my father.

Why is it I forget when things get to such a point? Can I be a leader like this? God please help me.

James

Art Thou With Me?

Its amazing the way to world looks at Christians. The world will not look at Christ for who he is. There has to be some level of faith in what we believe in order for others to see that the God that we serve is awesome and true. Truer than anything. In a desire to not over embellish I will have to state I have a bias however that bias does not destroy me. It gives me strength because it make me realize just how weak I am. It's a bias that I feel keeps me from certain tragedy. The bias that my God is with me.

Art Thou with Me? Christians today are more wandering about their relationship to Christ when more people understand their relationship to the world as carte blanche. If only people of God were the same. Could we not also have the same blind conviction. It has been argued that Christians do not think. They let others think for them. I will have to say from what I have observed (and this is only from the observer.) I have observed the opposite.

Those who are called by God are more wandering on their relationship, more disjointed with their thought and hearts than ever. It is sad to say that our emotions take the forefront to our convictions and in many of ways. We are much like the world but we have a social group that we meet with every sunday or Wednesday (or whatever day we meet). Don't loose me. If it is not our convictions that keep us and make us men and women of God then we have only the action of what we do to identify us. We have but actions that we do with our hands, music that we listen to and tsirts, license plates and bumper stickers to leave our marks on the world. . The only Shadow or echo left behind would be "What is a Christian?"

I do not hold myself above this perquandrium of sorts. I fall into it also. Most of the time if I might be so honest. If we are all honest we will find that the length between our faith and our reality of walking that out. What and where we think we are is usually based on what we think we have done in Gods eyes but not how God actually see's us.

We drive forward for a better relationship by using the worlds methods of have and have nots We begin to like the world loose our fire to serve God. Some people stop this journey (we say they fall away) or that they were casualties of a spiritual war that we see before us. This was not the case. They simply saw through their eyes. we are all a sight for sore eyes and if you think not. Well God help you. No pun intended.

In speaking from my revelation I can say this. I biggest enemy is what we think we are in God. Oftentimes I believe we are far more to God than we imagine. Why else would have have written us such a beautiful love letter "The Bible" and rescue us from sin and destruction.

The steps "we" think we have taken as a christian. When "we" or I can measure our walk in steps we can then see how many steps we need to take. Unfortunately it is a Eternal Step program. One that will have no end, till the end. What good is it for us to hold onto these insecurities of the Kingdom. There are no insecurities if we look closer. This is because we own nothing to be insecure about. This is the revelation. What are we afraid of When all that is to be feared is left on the shoulders of our lord and Savior and the Fear of the Lord is the Beginning. Not the completion. Merely "the beginning" of wisdom. The completion I believe is the refining fire of 1st Peter.

What wisdom is there without the fear or might I say the complete and utter realization of the Lordship of Jesus Christ over our lives. Are we a mere group. Are we men and women, Children sitting at the feet of Christ asking for approval when he has already said that we are approved.

We are saved through grace and through his eyes we are seen as righteous. This is the amazing truth of the Gospel that we are so..so dirty yet cleansed in Christ Jesus. We try self improvment for self improvments sake and we are left with very well set, well behaved, people pleasing, faith doubting people that look for realization of our Lord and savior in movies, and novelty songs. When he indeed has written his name on our hearts. Every one his name has been written on their hearts. His name is written on our hearts. I am sorry I had to say that three times. It comes with an influence of scripture and with the influence of being too passionate at times.

What is the point of all this. Art thou with me? is worded puposely in the King James. It is a my take on what was and what is. Our thought of such foolishness as traditional. It is right to question yourself so much in God that we never come into a clear relationship with God. All in the name of tradition and what you are comfortable with. What about what the Lord is comfortable with. Is he comfortable with us sittiing on our hands while we try and get it right in our own eyes. The word of God warns us of our connection to tradition. Tradition can become habit. We need to move out of the habit of not being enough and seeing Christ Jesus as enough.

The fact that we choose to stand on this God that we serve might show that We care about the commission that he has given will we be so set and wondering what and when we are called and if we made this mistake or that..Will we be left at 100 or 90 years old on our death bed wondering what it is. What our calling is and if we are indeed in right standing with God (righetous)

The world does not want clueless, frameless and frightened christians. We can be this. I have been this. I have at various times of my life and walk. It is the reality of humanity but the disdainment of humanism that we must really embrace. Humanism as the cult it has become in pop culture modern society. God is a loving God. God is not one to set us into a life where we are constantly wondering but that we are constantly in wonder. The world makes us wonder out purpose because we have not truly chosen to release our all to our Father.

This is an immediate plea to those who are seeking to find and even when you have not found. It is a plea even to myself that I would still take others on the Great and Awesome journey of Faith even when things get tough. It is in our Journey that though you are constantly looking in vain it is only compelte with Christ Jesus. We can not complete this Journey with music, bumber stickers and tshirts as our etching point. He (Jesus) is the completion of the world and the completion of our Faith but not the Journey. The Journey is all different for all of us. We must seperate the two otherwise we blame God for what we go through instead of thanking him for it.

God Is Good!

"Even when I am not faithful you remain faithful. I am at a place that I never thought I would ever be. Not because I do not feel I deserve it but more that I did not have the belief in myself that I would do the right things in you"

God indeed is the barrier over all that we are. He is not the Magnificent God that does what we want when we rub his belly. For then he would merely be no different than any other religious statue and relic. He is far greater than that. He transcends personality and transcends love. He transcends religion as we know it and makes perfect peace from what which is full of destruction. He is GREAT. In this sometimes I think we get a bit overwhelmed by this wonderful and great God thinking there is nothing he can do for me and even if he did he surely would do nothing for me. I know the feeling entirely and many times I have felt this way. Read my blog and you will see where I felt this very thing. Where I felt as if he has left me. Where I was afraid and lost. Lost even in being saved.

Now I can say this. I am thankful like I have never been thankful before. Yes because of circumstance but also because his words are true. They are powerful and they are full of love. sometimes they are not filled now. Sometimes it is much later. Often times it is VERY late. Far later than we think it should be but it is filled. He never gives ups. He never lets go. He is always right on time.

If I was to tell you what I was going through right now. You may actually think I have lost my faith but in actuality. I think I found it. We are never tested to the place we need to be until we loose alot and find ourselves not looking around use, by us. Or for even a friend. But we start to look into the direction that we should have been looking all along.

Pain, sorrow, death, challenge, poverty, loss all bring a realization that we are not God.
That we though we have choice we never can make things happen.
This is in the hands of our lord. We try sometimes to make things happen.
Even when we think that is the way they should be. But most definitely many times we make the wrong the choices. we make bad decisions. We set ourselves on fire. Without ourselves and not the Holy spirit we become islands onto ourselves believing we have the answers. I bet we might even prophecy the coming of Jesus even thought the scriptures themselfs say not even the angels in heaven know the day, time or hour. It concerns me in my christian was somtimes looking at other and even myself that we can be so faithless yet so...faithful in the hope of man.

We forget that no only does god provide what we need. Sometimes he provides what may not want but need even more that what we think we need. He tests us. He loves us. He holds us.
He never moves away but he is always watching to see what step what movement we will take.
He knows but I believe in this funny little mind of mind that this God of All knowingness. Shuts himself off so that he can be in relationship to us. He is the God that can do all. In that I must also realize that his limitation is also limitless. God loves us. He shows us and grows us to place where he wants us to be not where we want to be. But once we come into relationship with him.
What we want becomes what he wants us to be because we are now one the same page. We are now looking at one another. Like father. Like son.

Ok..Now where do we go from here?

My Great Reward.

This Dream I have it one of great reward.
It's not about hard it was or what it was
but what God had in store.
I was not about who I was, Who I am
but more about who he made me to be.
I sat there thinking gently rocking thinking of
his great plan for me.
I listened closely. I turned my head.
I heard a voice say then.
You are not my slave, but my child and my friend.
I do not wish you to go through the things that you feel you think you must
But more importantly in this battle I ask it is I that you trust.
You may turn, you may wobble may even seem defeated.
But I will not turn away, allow you to be mistreated.
Remember Paul the Great man I sent who did such sorrowful a deed.
I used him powerfully changed the people and he changed the world indeed.
I use the foolish. I use the wise. I use the Donkey.
I use each and everyone.
So that one day...one bright and wonderful day. I'll call you.
You will come. You will hear, You will see. My Great Reward.

Will I Ever Be The Same?

This was a shock to make this entry. I have been recently though many things like stress and even more obscure things like physical sickness have found myself asking disturbing questions. I think it is okay to question yourself. Some people say it is okay to question God. I think at times I am tempted to and have found myself grappling with my Awesome father. He is quite a contender. Like a real father I do sometimes say Father why did this happen? or why must I do this? Like a real father he has always come to me with a real answer and many times a request or insight into the matter.

The Question recently I asked myself and it frightened me to even think of asking it.
Will I ever return back to who I was? I think at times I see an honest glimpse of the person I used to be and then I have the utter fear of being completely in denial and never to have changed at all but living in my own private world. Now that would most indeed be frightening.

I pray that not to be the case. I would hope that I have grown alot since then.
So it rang again will i ever be the same?

Then Reality set in. many people return back to the world who claimed to have found Jesus in their lives. They find themselves I believe trying to live in this world with the complete knowledge of there being another path and another life. This I would believe is the MOST painful of all situations. Living in Darkness when you know there is a source of light.

Imagaine if you will being subjected to constant darkness. (They say if you spend enough time in darkeness that you can go blind.) So Imagine if you will living in a constant darkroom. That is full of many obstacles and distractions. you know where the light is. But in order to reach it you much let go of something that you think is very important. A very large flashlight with no batteries. Thats right a perceived tool of light that is now rendered useless you convince yourself that there are batteries somewhere in this darkroom. This room is very large and full of many things. The fact is that perhaps those batteries don't exist in this room but you are looking all over for it. (the batteries do not exist in this darkroom)

However in a dimly lit section is a switch. This switch is along a narrow path that cannot be reached until you set down this large flashlight/ you know where it is and you know how to turn it on. but you choose not to. because you choose not to let go of this flashlight in fear that you will not be able to find the light again.

Dosen't that seem really foolish?

But this is the REALITY of this world that we live in. This is a perfect image of what it means to know and have the truth but choose NOT to accept it and live in it. You are destined to be in this darkroom. You are destined to stumble, to fall and to get hurt. The obstacles in this room are constantly changing and strangely enough some things in this darkroom
stay the same but you still manage to continue tripping over them. This is a wild and strange arrangement that you have now found yourself in.

Why would you return to this place. Some people state the following. Well I thought it was boring or non insightful. Or my favorite "I lost my enthusiasm." Convince yourself a Darkroom is more enthusiastic I'll give you a Nobel prize. Another one that always made me wonder. Was I learn t it was all a lie. I like this one because there is an underlying arrogance in man that says I know the answer to this light situation. I will just make light from myself. Physically this is impossible and well for the sake of this disturbing yet enlightened illustration it makes no sense.

Clearly stumbling around in utter darkness is the more wiser and more intellectual decision. Correct? I am being very direct here. Direct to the extent that I myself and realizing that my original question though is possible is Ridiculous. This idea to a thinking man would seem though in this this illustration to be quite unintelligent to todays standards. Many of us are born in the darkroom and it seems like home even though it is terrifying, destructive and even fatal. It is hard to move from a place you call home even when that place is a source of destruction but I can say clearly it is ALWAYS the best choice.

Will I ever be the same? It is aa good questions though the question itself may seem well ludicrous. We are very very very intent as fleshly man to make very ludicrous decisions no matter how foolish or strange they may be. So to this question I must humble myself. I must set myself down to the standard of who I am. my core being is inherently evil. But I am directed by the spirit that does not leave me captive to my thoughts and thank God will not leave me abandoned in this darkroom. I find as soon as i drop this Large and cumberson useless light that I could easily now get through the narrow hallway to turn on this light along the narrow pathway. However in my effortless Journey the light that dimly lights this switch also lights up something else. A Note written on the door. it read "To the next person who will find this light switch. It was a tough journey I am sure you will agree and this light will turn the light on to this large vast room. However you will fall and there are many obstacles. But now with this light. You will not fall as much, you will know where the obstacles in the room are moving to because you will see them coming. Your Journey will not be fatal and now above all you have HOPE where there was no before. Enjoy your Journey." After reading this note I saw in the room some great treasures where I could rest. Where I could also challenge myself without always being hurt. But most of all the luminance of the room was comforting. It was bright and it was worth the Journey.

You Rob Me

I had a glimmer of light cast from my eyes from power of God now you show me your Lies.
I was dancing around singing my songs. Now you hold down my feet and clamp down my mouth.
I was walking straight now I falter a bit forgetting the direction was North or south?
Turn me around...Cause you robbed me. I been robbed and my robe thrown into the sea.
Turn me around..Lord for I've been robbed of your love and of your mercy.

Why should I turn away from the God that always loved me?
Why should I walk away from a God who was always there?
To partake in a world of obsession and be left alone, broken and bare?

Why should I drown in the waters of muck and dizzy myself on destruction
When you have a purpose, a plan and a direction for me.
Why should I give up when you never give up on me?

Just when I think I have it I have not.
and Just when I think I found it all
I forgot. What you have done for me.

It is my pride. That is keeping me. That is holding me
and scolding me. That is trampling me and suffocating me.
Why oh world do you Rob me of my God?!

You Rob me of his love
You Rob me of his Grace
You Rob me of his power.
Because I keep my view on you. I cannot focus on his face.
Why do you ROB ME?!

Insistent I know that you are here.
Even though the world might try to convince me that you are not.
I know you hear my voice
even though the church may say not.

I cannot be convinced there is a better way than yours oh Lord.
The Lord of this world is not kind, not merciful and not loving.
Why did I ever take my eyes off of you? yet you never took your eyes of me.

Desire, disease and destruction is where this world leads me.
Protection, Love affection, grace and Mercy is what you have for me.
So Plain and So Simple Yet I have been lied too and you never Lord Robed me.

You never took away my Joy.
You never took away my Love
You never took away your Grace.
you never Robed me.

This world is deceitful, is hateful,
forgetful and full of greed.
I'd rather leave it cold in hell then
miss a single day being freed by your will inside me.
OHH Lord you never Rob me!

A Physical and Spirital Move

So one of the great moves have occurred in my life. Both in the Physical and in the spiritual. I am moving forward in a direction I am not quite sure about. I think for the first time in some time I feel as though I do not know the direction God has me going. There is usually a confidence in his path and direction and I can say right now. I am not real sure I have made the right decision. Some say I have but something inside of me is telling me the contrary.

I usually don't go on feelings and such conviction is the only wise decision but its really hard to ignore that feeling that says "no". Even when man is telling you yes. I know I made the steps recently I have made in faith but...I know that God has alot for me but I am being attacked like I have never been attacked before. I am being tempted like never before. I am being spoken to like never before. Like i my move I moved some perpetual stone that blocked me from hearing and seeing things and now I am beginning to see them more clear and the implication of that clarity is frightening.

There is a wonderful book called "The Dream Giver". If you even have a chance I recommend buying it. Reading it yourself and then reading it to your children as a bedtime story. You will not regret it. Bruce Wilkerson the writer surpassed the accolades of "Who Moved My Cheese?" and "Hinds Feet in High Places" like no other. In fact you could say it is the most UNIVERSAL story that shares spiritual change, growth and independence on God like no other.

There is something very real about this story and very Surreal because of how it is told that makes it both fascinating, captivating and life changing. Its the book you wish you would have wrote.

Interesting enough it seems as though alot has changed more inside me of me than in the things around me. I feel as if something is changing inside. Some things and I like and others well I do not like. I am praying that I remain the person whom God made me to be.

I am even finding things like my writing are changing. Its like another wave of move and change has made another impression on the personality of James once again.

Morning Madness, Morning Miracle

I had an inquiry from an old friend that has me writing this entry. I was part of a church plant called New Life church in a city in California. I can say it was a great blessing to see how churches are planted it was a great opportunity to learn alot. I saw the glories. I saw the pains. I saw the converts and I saw the casualties. It was the most amazing blessing God I believe has ever given me other than his salvation.

To this day though I cannot forget when my Shepard and Friend Jose heard clearly for God that we need to pray for the city. during this time many of the men who were praying were out of Jobs and struggling spiritually like you could not imagine. We were fighting the destiny of God in our lives but while being led by a man who obviously heard God though we thought different at the time he was hearing God at all.

It started when the clock hit 4:08 AM ( typically late the first couple of times) for me at least. I looked at the clock thinking. There must be an easier way. I would hit the snooze and then stated. God... yes Gods grace....I would wake up and find out later that day that very few people had shown up had some amazing reports. I would think for the same reason. It would seem that the enemy was playing with all of us the same way with the whole Sleep=Grace. the next day came. I feared the sound of the clock. "Brrrouup! Brouup!" It sounded always louder than it was because honestly the sound of sleep sounded so much better. Awaking this time not wanted to miss out on what the little who had shown had reported I emerged from my well used and impressed bed.

"Honk" Honk" I heard...as watching another lankly friendly shadow I was familar with. Anthony was tall and drove at that time a small little honda that seemed to run on his passion alone. ..James..Get some clothes on. Dang I just realized I had my PJ's on and it was time to pray.

Time to pray...Woop.
My heart sank as I had no idea and the slumber of sleep was in my head. It hung on me.

So then came the time. At that time we lived mostly close to one another within a townhouse/condo complex. We would circle as we drearily heard why we have come to pray.
Jose stated that God said that we were pray for the city to change. All of us having the same and misguided though of what happened to Jose. doubted but went along. It was not time to pray.

Kneeling on the ground was painful and seemed so close to the ground that the closer to the ground you got the more sleep seemed to knock on the mind. I was tired. 20 min later. Someone taps on my shoulder...It was Anthony.. Hey man wake up. I woke up....ok. The wisdom of God told jose we need to stand and do some ....stretches while asking god to give us energy and insight. after we stretched and crickets seemed to overcome our voices. He turned to me ...James ....sing a song. Blank I went the first son I could think of ....God of Wonders.

Standing helped and the songs helped.. I still however managed to now fall asleep standing up.
Catching myself sometimes just before I would fall flat on my face. Have I mentioned I am not a morning person.

Then it happened the next day again I woke up the same time. Anthony came to pick me up. We gathered to pray and still I was sleepy. Breakthrough happened that night. As I pushed forward my sleep began to leave and expectation set in. God began to talk to us. We began to hear him clearly. We were directed on what to pray for...Prophetic words flowed. It was completely natural and amazing at the same time.

The next night I woke up before the alarm went of and was out the door. This time waiting for Anthony to show instead of him throwing stones at my top story window of my town home.

I really did not at first realize why I wrote this entry but what followed I can say was one of the mosting impacting times of my life. I was driven to see the Glory of what God could do in such a short amount of time when you focus on him. When you set side time just to be with him. At that time I needed others and I still think at times we need others to remind us just how important it is to set aside time with the father. I can say today I look on what we learn t and what e experienced. I don't need scaling arguments to convince me or not convince me of the power of God's existence and his love for his people. I really personally need no response to retort to why I believe or what could make me doubt. I have indeed come face to face what some might call the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I was not afraid and he was no monster at all. The Lord showed me my frailties and also showed me his love. He does the same even today.
I may be foolish to some but I believe one day I will not be the foolish one among the Majority.
I will be the one who will kindly say. Isn't it just awesome! He Loves us he truly does. I am so inspired and my heart goes out to those who are not. Who have become hardened or even doubtful. I pray daily for those who are afraid to look the father in the face and say. Yes...I do see...I do believe...I will trust.

Like that day I really did not want to go out and pray. Like the time I really wanted to hit that snooze. I think sometimes when it comes to a realization of recognizing our father in heaven we want to do the same thing. Some of us go through experiences which brings us to greater question, a deeper life and more of a desire for those questions be answered. It is in this place you find truth and Truth indeed finds you.

GLORIOUS!

GLORIOUS, AWSome! Awe Inspiring, Beautiful, Celistial, Daunting, Encouraging, Fantastic, Gracious, Hallelujah, Indescribable, Just, Time Changer, Understanding, Victorious, Without Fault, Xcellent!, Yehovah, Zestful

All Loving
Burden Carrying
Conquerer of Sin
Doer of all Good Things.
Emmanuel
Father of All of Mankind
Generous beyond concept.
Holder of the World.
Indescribably Incredible
Just Judge, Joyous Master
King of Kings
Lover of The Sinner
Master of the Universe
Name Above All Names.
Opmipitant and Omnipresent
Prince of Peace
Quilt of Grace
Religion Crusher
Sacrifice for All.
Time Maker
Unchanging Love
Victor over Depression
Wisdom is His Breath
Xtraordinary
Yeild for Nothing (Won't Relent)
Z -

God Never Gives Up.
Never Lets Go.
Never Forgets.
Never Changes His Mind.
Never Walks away
Never Closes His Eyes
Never Sleeps
Never Sins
Always is There
Always is Open
Always is Available
Always is Listening.
Always is Dependable
Always is Loving
Always is Forgiving
Always is graceful.
Always Speaking.


For You Jesus Are Glorious.
Father Thank you for your Son.
Thank you for you Peace
Thank you for your Love
For You Thoughts...
Your Forgiveness
Your Understanding
Thank You for Your Belief in Me.
Thank you for your provision
Thank you for my family.
Thank you for my life and my breath.
Thank you for what I have and what I do not.
Thank you for keeping me,
Thank you for choosing me.
Thank you for Loving Me.
Thank you for Sharing with Me.
Thank you for You Gracious acceptance of my Ungraceful Ways.
Thank you for Accepting me for who I am
Showing me Who you Are.
Teaching me What You Want.
Showing me why.
Teaching me Why.
Showing me your Sprit.
Calling me Friend.

Thank you for meeting me there when I was not.
Showing how to get there again when I fell.
Showing me my imperfection are your Glory
and my perfections are your testimony.
That my love is your wellspring
and your wellspring is my life.

The Friends you given me I must cherish and
my Enemies I must learn from.
Thank you for your peaceful talks, you strong warnings,
Your Revelation, Your Change and your Spirit that Changes All Things.

Thank you for the peace that Surpasses all understanding
and an Understanding in myself that could never have been obtained by mans wisdom.
Thank you for sharing your Glorys with me, for never giving up and never letting Go.
Thank you for reminding me who I am.
Where I am going.
and What you have done for me.

Thank you for the ability to write, talk walk and love.
Thank you for the Trials and The Tribulations
Thank you for the Humilty
Thank you for the Humble Grace
Your humble Love.
Thank you for Teaching me Authrity.
For being the best teacher I ever had.
The best father, the best friend and the best ruler I could ever have.
I am thankful to be ruled by you and am thankful I am not controlled by tyrants.
I am thankful I live in a place of Freedom.
I am thankful I have no diseases or sicknesses.
I am thankful that I have a mind to think.
A Desire to think of things higher than the world.
A Mind set in the spirit and not controlled by what I have or what I have not
but what you have given me that cannot fit into a space the universe could muster.
Thank you for helping me conquer pride and conquer hate.
Thank you for conquering my fears and releasing me into freedom.
Thank you for unshackling the chains of world and giving me a bracelet of Grace.
Thank you for giving me the knowledge and the ability to express them.
Thank you for teaching me your generosity and your ways.
Thank you for staying the race with me when I faulter.
Thank you for sticking closer to me than a brother, my family.
Thank you for creating a purpose and a plan for my life.
Thank you for creating a direction to go. To obtain your call in my life.
Thank you for my calling.
For you Ministry
Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your kingdom
to help it build while you build me.
To be humbled as you show me.
To be broken as you grow me.
Thank you for you Authrity that shows me
the ways. Opens the day. Closes the night.
That touches the heavens with Ligtening and shakes the earth,
that humbles my heart as I worship and stregthens my soul as I praise.
That gives me the ability to sing when I want to cry. and gives me the ability to cry for
those I do not know.
Thank you for your Heart. Thank you for staying the race with me.
Thank you for providing the tools I need to do what you have called me to do.
thank you for the talents and the Art and the power and the passion you also have given me.
Thank you for the little. Thank you for the things that make me who I am. But enable me the grace to change them. Show me that there is no compromise of your love. Show me in the darkest soul that you call on them also. Show my your love through you eyes and teach me to decern the disguise of the enemy.

Thank you.
Thank you

Letter from The Sceptic

I am writing this letter to you because I was unaware of your message. Yesterday you told me how ticked you were at your wife. How upset you were at your children, how much you hate your Job. How much you gonna get on your new tax scam. About how you wish you mother and law was not around. About how much you can't stand your president. You also stated how much you were upset with the decision of the country and I did not recall seeing you vote. The other day I saw you peel away shouting some unmentionables, then it was not too long after that I saw you on a website that you knew was not good. I also heard you on a phone telling a man who called you a very clear lie. then this morning when came in late for work... and stated to me when I asked you how you are doing that.....you were blessed. How does this happen. How can you be blessed? What is blessed. I have yet to see it. I have never seen this Joy you speak of. I have also never seen this love that your faith talks of. This letter is one of confusion because what I see is not what you tell me and what is being told I cannot see. It is a very strange thing.

Where is this Love you speak of? Where is this Joy? Where can I find this God you speak of?
If you who have found him is no different than me. You talk of treasure what treasure have you found that I have not?

When you find it let me know. Or even better. Show me.

The Skeptic.

A New Thing

Every year people excitedly go into a new year expecting great change and exciting opportunities. I so often have. We take for granted the blessing of life and the fact that not only we are breathing but if you live the United States of America even if you might have little to no money you are still in the top percentile of the richest nation. Meaning even in poverty you have more than most people in other nations. This is not a brag but a Realization and wakeup call to the blessing that God has given us. No wonder nations dislike this country. We have alot yet we spit out what we don't want. Like a spoiled child if we don't have it all. We simply cannot be happy. While others in nation all over the world are happy and drinking from barely drinkable water and eating barely eatable food we throw away half eaten food because it might have been cooked the way we are used to having it.

Some might argue that he did not give us this nation but we made it. Some might argue that this country is not all that great. Being someone who has had friends from other countries come and visit the response is almost always unanimous. If it was made was the main ingredient? We live in a great nation..one that others wish they could live in as well.

What made our nation great? What made this nation what it is today? Unfortunately though we may not want to admit it. There are 3 things that have made this nation what it is.

1. A Christ Centered Constitution
2. Wars (of Independence)
3. Multi Cultural Economics and Lifestyle

The Book of Proverbs was read by people like Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson and George Washington Daily. These great men though flawed made up the American constitution that we today so unabashedly turn inside out in the name of Political Correctness. The same constitution that speaks of equality is slowly be eroded but what people think would be better.

As a consultant and product development manager I have learnt is if it isn't broke don't fix it. A great lesson if you are new to any service industry. (Trust me on this one.) It is clear that this country is a very great nation. But I think it is slowly beginning to change.

If we are a great nation is the turn for a greater nation or a nation that has been fashioned by people that are VERY unlike our nations founders. It is clear from hearing the new voice and tone of the world that the people making decisions for this nation are slowly becoming people who are adversely different than our nations founders and even by their own admission reject them.

In other nations their countries are ran by tyrants. People bent on ruling and running the people for the sake of power. In this nation the original model was made as a government for the people. A government that could be shaped by the people decision making equality essential and making politics and elections the entry into a gate of change. thereby perpetual long lasting change for the better.

In our desire to change the foundations of the nation which thus far have actually worked we are "uncomfortable" and the food (substance) does not taste right. because the flavor is changing of the nation because of the small yet devastating changes that are being made. In other words we are trying to clean the country with a dirty rag expecting that it will get better. In effect the floor is getting more dirty and there is a discoloration caused by this dirt. So now we are making the decision to change the interior to the color of this dirt discoloration so that it will match the destruction we have caused. Instead of going back the foundation of the color it once was.

This nation is becoming less of a free nation. In the name of Tolerance we are exchanging tolerance for foundation. Tolerance we will find later to be a bad word. I believe shortly we will find that the word tolerance is going to be a Oxymoron. It will be the death of this nation. Where is there tolerance there is compromise and where there is compromise there is no clear vision and where there is no vision. People Perish and Vision will perish.

I am simply writing of the joys of this great nation. I love this country because this country was founded by men who knew they could not run this nation without God. Abraham Lincoln said himself said that "A man without a God could not run this nation effectively." It has been said by former presidents the same thing but in different ways. I am frightened to see what would happen otherwise and I thing that we may this new election see exactly what does happen.

I believe the short term will be good. The long term will change this nation forever.

...I love the word of God. I love this nation. My love for this nation comes from the word of God.
As does my love for people. We need people who are more founded in the word of God. People who make decisions no just on surface but also to the core of who they are. This challenges me. I am not afraid to be challenged. But it does indeed challenge me.

I am not what you would call an all American boy. I am not your hamburger and frech fries kind of Guy. I love food from all over the world. I love music from all over the world. So please do not hear what I am not saying. I am not saying this nation needs to rid itself of change or acceptance of other cultures. I think the fact that is country is founded on the word of God makes it the most inviting of all nations. Makes it the nation that everyone wants to come to because there is where you will find true freedom. Is the USA the nation that stands upon itself and for itself?

God bless America was the ring on 9/11. Even signs like God Help Us. People began to reach out to the GOD they knew was the source of the nations peace, love and freedom. Yet how quickly forget when ground zero is no longer so apparent. How quickly we lay down the flag and pick of the white flag in the name of Tolerance. Not all new things are good and not all new things are bad. But to reverse what this nation is about will be bad I will assure you this. I am not sure because I believe it to be so. I am sure of it because as Gods words brings Peace, Love and Freedom. The destruction and removal, and lessening of it will also bring the same demise to what is so great about this nation.

I am not a religious man. I am a rational, realistic and logical one. However the God I serve is extraordinary and he goes outside of all of these things....and shows me. Micheal Moore as elegant as sometimes you do sound and humorous as you can be and well though out as people can be and as sincere as they can "sound". They can be sincerely wrong.

I would rather bet on our nations founders visions and the God they served then this New Thing that just seems to be eroding this great nation and making it barely recognizable to what it once was.

A New Year

Wow..2007 was quite a ride. Now nearing the beginning of 2008 I am faced with more decisions. Seems like you can never get away from them. I was hurt a few weeks before Thanksgiving at the end of the year and obviously it is hurting me. So it is important I get passed that to move one. Simply put I can clearly see there are a few walls I have built against myself for personal progress as well as spiritual progress. Moving forward in God really takes a decision to lay everything down. You would think I would have done that completely but there are still things I cannot lay down.

I cannot lay down my fatherhood.
I am having difficulties laying down past success
I am having troubles laying down past failures.

i would have to say these are the worst of all my pain. My Achilles hill if you will.

God is moving rapidly in my life and it is like I have to do something or this momentum will end.

I have been told many of times by many a honored men of God many things. I had to lay down what they said only because it was in direct opposition to gods word. When realizing this I had to understand what God wanted me to do and what he wanted me to learn through these people. It is interesting how many times we rely on men so much that we forget the source.

Council is Good. Having men of God is very beneficial for you to grow and mature.
However it is not the solution for all. It is not an excuse to lay down your realtionship to Jesus Christ and recieve good intentions in return.

With all that said through what was said I realize this change has to happen rather quickly. I know God wants to use me more. In order for him to do that I must be obedient.

God I pray to help me to be obedient to your will.

The Dead End Road...A New Horizon

I am excited to say the very least. Excited why?... I really can't say. It's not like anything special has truly happened. To be honest there are lots of things I should not be excited about. Perhaps there is even things I should be frightened about yet still I am not. Jury Duty is one of them. I am not frightened about Jury duty; but i am not pleased about it either. With all that is going on something tells me that even though at times and more frquently than I would like to admit. I have taken the wrong road I am finding myself at a realization of the dead end road.

What road is this dead end road.? It's the road we take in the name of the father but one he never asked us to take. Its the desire seated partly seated in guilt and the other in a desire for works. In this dead end road I am becoming more clearly seated in a place of devine rest. In a place where I realize that no matter what I do I am saved. Yet there is something even more clearer.

Why not live it all for HIM! Why not go that extra mile...even if it hurts. Not to please him. For I know God already loves me. But to give Glory to him to others. When I act like I am saved. When I am excited about who I am and who I serve. It is interesting how can get so caught up emotionally that we completely leave our doctrine behind. David Danced, Daniel changed the heart of a King, Isiah Prayed like no other...In all of this.....They were the extreme...or were they?

Actually Pharisees spent many hours in prayer and read religiously. Yet they did not understand who Jesus was. They rejected him and his teachings. They rejected God.
Can we sometimes in our Religious ways actually be rejecting God. Are we so caught up in doing and we are not being? I ask this question of myself if you think that I speaking of you.

These questions I ask of myself. I need scriptural basis. I need a standard. I need a leg to stand on and a God to Serve. But what God needs from me. Is my utter obedience to him. And even that he does not need. he wants it. Thats all. Before the training and the teaching. Before the calling. He wants me to be obedient.

It is shocking to see at what lengths the human flesh will Go at rejecting all facets of God.
From excuses, to fear, from fear to experience and from experience to habit. The habit of doing what I do how and do it and looking for no more. This is the painful truth of serving God for many years as we get older we loose that fire that was in us the first day we said yes.

I am here to say that is not how it needs to be. But personally and scripturally we see that our servanthood to him is not only groundbreaking, earthshattering, shaking even. But it is to the extreme of such a master plan that if we FULLY realize what God has done for us. What he has given us and what he wants to give us. We might not ever become washed out, burt out, faded out and fallen away.

YES... This glory that is in him.. Is in us. We will do even greater miracles than him and we will do even greater works than him. But only when realizing and talking on the full understanding that CHRIST Lives in us. It has been the stilling the shutdown and slapdown of the things that hinder. hinder who? They hinder me. But nothing ever will, ever can and will ever even attempt to Hinder Christ in my life!

My biggest enemy to God is me. My biggest struggle is me. My biggest hurdle and mountain is me....My greatest enemy to me is me. But in him. I can even conquer myself.

2 Fish and Five Loaves of Bread.

This is no sermon but a simple observation a simple teaching from Tyrone Daniel. It might be one of the simplest yet I have heard. I think I have heard other such teachings but not one with such simplicity and breaks down barriers of religiosity and hyper spiritualism which us Christians including myself have done to prove a point or make it more dramatic.

It comes with the observation that there was no lighting from heaven that split the bread and the fish. Or that even it multiplied to feed the 5,000. Nowhere does it say or state this in the bible in the fashion that is displaying in movies, or even in preaches. The truth of the word is that they served the food it was enough and they were full. More than satisfied. Thats all.

From this observation we see that God made what they had useful at a given time. He did not add onto them something they needed he provided for this satisfaction from what they had already. His provision came from what they already owned. How to understand how Jesus actually performed this miracle might be like trying to actually describe in detail without Christianese what the trinity is and how exactly it works.

The Battle Has Already Been Won

I am feeling once again a transition a new season of what God has for me.
As much as I am excited there is something inside of me that I cannot quench.
It is the desire to do it on my own. In other words how much, when, where and frantic like.
Looking for direction. It's not honestly because I do not know the direction. I know the direction. It is more that I am afraid of what lies in the direction I must go. Like approaching a dangerous part of the jungle but knowing it is your only way out. You would rather at time wonder about the wrong direction to delay what you must do. This battle can be difficult. Sometime paralyzing.

Many times we forget that the battle has been won. Over sin, Over our lives and ultimately over our destiny. If that is what you would say. In Isiah. The lord says. I knew you when you were in your mothers womb I knew you.

Jeremiah 1:5

5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew ^[a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

If the Lord knew us before we are born does not he also know use thereafter. After all the lousy decisions, after the storm of the war. God sees us as the Conquerer. Because this is how he made us. His children. We conquer with love, with grace and many times by war.

Across the pages of the old testament we see battles that rages where even the young and innocent are slaughtered. The truth of all of this is that as much as we want to deny the truth of it. The clear picture is one that is spoken in Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 9

So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, ^[a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
As it is with the good man,
so with the sinner;
as it is with those who take oaths,
so with those who are afraid to take them.

3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.

It is a bleak picture that at first glance seems to have no real hope. No matter who we are or what we are there are the guarantees. There is one definite Guarantee. He will not leave or forsake us as well as the Guarantee of Salvation. This is something in this dreary and sometimes unfortunate world that we live in that you can bank on. God will be there. He is the overcomer. He is the ruler over all. As many times we feel our drama deserves the center stage. It is Gods purpose this is ultimately the most important. We do it Gods way and not always is clean, not always is it peaceful,not always is it what some might call a "Spiritual Decision" but it becomes a Godly one. our fallacy of thought comes when we take the warrior out of the God that we serve and place him with a peaceful and cute baby Jesus. If we do not see the Complete Jesus Christ in our lives we will tend to be weighted too far on either side. We must be balanced knowing we are making a decision out of Christ purpose and not our own. Then we will indeed know going into the battle that we win. If our heart is in Christ Jesus and we are walking the spirit we too like David can Claim the victory as being Christ alone and we won't take credit for our own kingship when and if we are promoted.

Men's Advance 2007

Over the weekend I attended a Men's Advance. We call them Advances instead of retreats. mainly because men advance and do not retreat. The words mean alot. Sometimes we don't realize just how much they mean until we are in need of something more than just a retreat but change. When we want to push the envelope of what God wants for us this usually happens. Sometimes is takes a long time. Kind of like a an incubation period of what we heard and now what are we going to do about it?

The main topic of the weekend was being a priest in your home. I thought it was a very impacting time that had me asking questions of how I priested in the home before. I know that sometimes we don't necessarily think of ourselves as priest of the home but God intends men to be the priest of the home. Not Lording over but carefully being the head point, the cutting stone and being fully accountable for our actions with our family. This picture is far different from the sometimes glossed over and pitiful men depicted on prime time TV.

Shows like Everybody loves Raymond. Where the wife and yelling and the man and the grandparents have a large say in the family. It is fitting cause I do enjoy everybody loves Raymond. But clearly though there is comedy which is tragedy you will find this is indeed the outcome of these types of relationships.

The world and Men in general have no standards to look at for men. Especially men who are living in and for the world today. Our best examples (best being worst) Homer Simpson, King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, and well this one's old but Married with children.

The only closely relatable to what a husband wife relationship should be as Priests would be the Bill Cosby Show. He spoke with his wife, discussed matters. Did not make taboo subjects taboo with his children, He was transparent, communicative, bold (Sometimes). They worked as a team and it was Bill's responsibility to lead the home properly. There will probably not be a show like that again (though I hope there might).

I am not trying to get off track. I am simply trying to be understandable. Our example "today" of what a man should me in the household is deeply clouded and the only real examples are from the bible. People like Abraham, David, Isaiah, They were men of Valor. That would be the best way to explain them. Men not afraid to go Gods way and be fully responsible for their actions. They were not passive. They were not setting on the sidelines having the wife make the decisions and shouting "Honey that will never work...but do what you may." instead they were saying I will take the lead with my father in heaven to raise this family and I will look to my wife for support but I will not throw the burden upon her alone. I will share the burden and we will work together I will treat her with respect knowing that if I am treating her in haste the lord will not answer my prayers and my pursuits will not be "ultimately successful" because God will not bless them.

Its simple really. So simple we miss it. I missed it. I missed it royally. Unfortunately I cannot change the tides of time. I can simply not make that same mistake again. And I can remain as a warning for others. I will do that since I do not wish others to go through what I did. Though I know others have been through worse. I am determined of one very important fact. It is not what you go through or even what caliber you go through it. What is important is what you learn from it.

The battle of being passive as a father, friend, and husband (though I cannot claim that any longer) is ongoing. It should be. It is perfecting us everyday. And though we may not be perfect we are striving for perfection. Not in the unending run for and carrot. But a continual growth towards what God wants to make us. A reflection of him.....I got a long ways to go. A long ways. :)

Radiant

RADIANT

I have a glow today.. I think I had it yesterday
It might have been longer but either way I know I felt it
Not Grey not discontent but Radiant.

It was not solemn not sad it was not impoverished or bad
It was Radiant. I was wearing glasses that painted the
world around me a far better color
A color that gave me hope and desire all in the same
small and quiet pan of the horizon. Tasting once again the sweet
wine of the spirit.

I knew there had been some change even though I knew not
where it came from. From prayers..to request...to many others
I asked. and now I am Radiant.

Its the Radiance that makes you think you might die because It might not
get much better than this and it reminds you of Angles and of life long bliss.
Of who it might be with? It is about security in knowing who my security is
Is about sharing that radiance with other where they might live.
Its Radiant.

Amazing how simply it can be lost really. How you can loose it,
One bad choice. one bad season. Perhaps Treason. Yes that indeed would
defuse a glow. Don't you know. Its not good to loose that radiance that comes from the
soul.

Father. This prayer I ask of you. Let you children be radiant
Let the light shine bright. So some that might see the light.
Come and give their life. Come and see your light and share it.
Not hold it. Not store it. But Share it. Share your Life.

I am bright.
I am radiant.
begone strife.