Until we meet again…

I know many people have been frustrated by their inability to view my blog.  I stopped showing it for a time while I could consider its fate.

I am done writing on this blog until further notice.

I’m not even sure what that means, really.

All I know is I don’t have access to internet, don’t have time, and honestly, I don’t have the desire to write right now.  Thus, I’m saying goodbye for the time being.

I would like to thank everyone who has follow my blog(s) for the last 4.5 years.

So, farewell and good luck, until we meet again…

Why I Wish I Had Internet

Mars Hill Teachings

Philippians Series

Unfinished Business

I wanted to, and even started a post to follow this entitled, “People Who Make Me Never Want to be a Christian Again” but I thought, why go there..?  You know?  We all have many people like that in our lives as it is!

To sum:

I think what I valued most in my journey as a Christian was: honestly, humility, doubt, openess and discussion.  Funny that conviction, and things like that weren’t on my list.

I think one of the problems for me with Christianity is that Christianity never allowed people just to be who they were in Jesus.  Jesus always allowed people to be who they were.  He told those people, as they were, to follow him, and in the end he still called them by their names.  They were who they were.  He liked them that way.  He wanted them to be with him, to dine with him, to enjoy him, to walk with him, to converse with him, not just to be in awe of him, worship him, bow before him, quake in his presense, etc.

For some reason whenever I write about my Christian experience I want to scream about some things!  I want to cry out against some people!  There is still some unfinished business there, I think.

People who make me think I’d like to be a Christian still…

(and by “christian” I mean church-goer, not what I am)

Dean Hahn (who most recently commented on my POWERAGE post).  Dean was one of my prof’s at serminary in Fort Worth, Texas.  He was also the first Christian who asked questions outside of the box – practical and theological.  He introduced me to some thinking that went contrary to that which I was being brain-washed with at the time – actually, he gave me a GIFT – the gift of free-thinking, which is rarely known or used in most Christian circles.  it was think gift that caused me to question EVERYTHING and it was that thinking that caused me ultimately to leave the ministry behind.  So, Dean, you could say you brought me out of Christianity!  LOL!  Just kidding, bro!

Corey LeCureux (who, with wife and child in-toe, moved on up to Bellaire, MI – sweet!  See you this weekend, bro).  Corey and I met when he was 15 at a Independent Fundamental Bible-believing Camp.  It was there that he said, “I’m a Southern Baptist, I just don’t fit in around here.”  Now he’s pastoring a SBC church re-plant saying, “I’m an Emergnt, I just don’t fit in around here.”  Ha!  Anyway, his faith and practice have always been worthy of following, and I just wish things would have been easier for us in the beginning of our ministries, but his kindness, forgiveness and Christ-likeness have won over my mind and heart many times.

Jonathan Mays.  Jon is the pastor of a Pres church in Boyne City, MI.  When I met him he was the church planting pastor of Jacob’s Well here in Gaylord.  Jonathan was the piece of the puzzle that finally did it for me in leaving my Calvanistic, Fundamentalism behind and trying to follow Jesus instead.  His life and family were exactly what I thought Christians should be.  I still admire him and Kathy to this day.  I can only hope – inconsistencies and everything included – that my family turns out like theirs!  Jonathan, we need to hook up.  I miss you, bro.

Jessie Lester.  Jessie is a young lady that I work with at Ponderosa.  She goes to a church in Atlanta and is very devout in her faith and practice.  She reminds me of the purity of what Christianity once held for me.  She’s been engaged for some time now, and I recently gave her and her fiance some of my Bible-study material.  Even though her practice reminds me of what I walked away from, her walk and talk reminds me of the good things I knew and felt once a long time ago.

POWERAGE

Wal-mart will soon be selling AC/DC’s new CD, “Black Ice” exclusively.  I’m not sure how I feel about that, but nonetheless, in preparation for this, Wal-mart has a new live DVD, “No Bull” featuring footage from the band’s tour in 1996.  I doubt I’ll pick it up, but as a fan you’re always interested, and maybe the best thing about it is that Wal-mart – FINALLY – has almost every AC/DC CD in stock!

I kid you not, every time I go into Wal-mart (well almost every) I look to see if “Powerage” is in.  Powerage was a album made in 78.  It was the first album to feature Cliff Williams on bass, and was their last album before they reached HUGE worldwide fame with “Highway to Hell” in 79′.

It is also my favorite album by AC/DC.  So I was pretty damn geeked to see it (finally) at Wal-mart this week – and for 7.00$ I nabbed it up!  (As I’m writing this I’m wondering why it is that I didn’t grab a couple others that I’m missing…??  Oh yeah, the “4,2,1″ reason: 4 kids, 2 dogs, 1 mortage!  LOL!)

As a huge fan, I have owned all of their CD’s through 1992.  I recently burned “Stiff Upper Lip”, so I have some catching up to do.

Anyway, with Black & Black, Highway to Hell, Razor’s Edge, etc, how can I say “Powerage” is my favorite?

Simple: I LOVE bluezrock and Powerage is probably their best b-rock effort to date.

You can sample some of it’s greatness here.

Album Tracks:

Rock n’ Roll Damnation

Down Payment Blues

Gimme a Bullet (to bite on)

Riff Raff

Sin City

What’s Next to the Moon

Gone Shootin

Up To My Neck In You

Kick In the Teeth

If you’re even slightly a AC/DC fan you should check out this CD.  It’ my favorite.  You can not go wrong with this CD.

And the number one song in the last 50 years is…

The Twist, by Chubby Checker.  Seriously.  You can read it for yourself here.

Happy Birthday, Alaina!

Six years ago, yesterday, my daughter, Alaina Marie was born into this cruel, dark, and unforgiving world.  With her came light, love, laughter and of course, crying.  Boy, Alaina was a screamer from day one.  She could not digest protein.  Once she got past that she was a doll.

Anyone who knows Alaina knows that she was sent here to put a smile on other’s faces.  There is no one who is safe from her fun loving, carefree, loveable ways.  She just has a charm about her.  She is one of the most open, affectionate kids I have ever known.

I love to cuddle with her.

I love to listen to her silly stories.

I love to hold and be held by her.

Her favorite words are “let’s pretend” and “I love you” (and perhaps “mac and cheese”).  The thought of her brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face.  Alaina truly warms my heart.  I believe she could help break any dark spell that has been cast over me.

She is my princess.

Sadly, I fear that some of the darkness of this world will take its toll on her one day.  She is brave, though.  I hope that she does not recall the former days, but instead holds to the future.  I hope that she does not warm up to me and you because she is cold inside froma confused childhood.  I hope the light and laughter that she brings isn’t because of her confused sadness from being the child of an alcoholic.

I will do my best to protect you, Alaina.  I will stand in front of what I can for you.  I will let pass what needs to pass, though.  I hope.  I hope to help being stability to your life, as I already have.

You are my princess, Alaina.

I love you, madly.

True Believers

There are several types of people in this world…

- Ones that believe in the exsistence of Lock Ness Monsters, Goblins, Vampires, Werewolves, Bigfoots, etc

- Ones that don’t

- Ones that believe in ghosts, and the paranormal as it relates to humans (no weird monsters, etc)

- And probably other catergories that other people might fit into

Me?  I’m a believer.

I believe Lock Ness Monsters can, and do exsist.  Why not?  Science has yet to prove otherwise.  But, let me quickly add that I believe that almost any type of person can believe that a person can, and did, rise from the dead 2,000 years ago.

Anyway, how many of you are excited to see if this footage is real?  I am!

Labor Day Weekend Sucks

Seriously.

One of the things that sucks about working in the “Hospitality” business is that you have to work all the hours no one else is working so that the people who are not working can enjoy their time off.

Servanthood?

Yeah, and mokeys will fly out of my butt!

12-11:30pm Friday night.

Saturday off (Laura works, though, and the kids are gone..blah)

7-4 Sunday

5-3 Labor Day

And, while I’m complaining, why the heck do they call it “Labor” Day when just about every friggin American has it O F F !!??  Shouldn’t it be manditory that NO ONE work this day?  Can’t Big Gov help me on this one?  Everyone gets a paid day off on L A B O R day?

Oh well, at least I have Thanksgiving to look forward too…oh wait, I’ll be working then too!!

Christmas, though…yeah, I get that day off, but not Christmas Eve and not the day after either!  Nice.

New Years Eve?  Nope.

Easter!  Surely I will have Resurrection Sunday…No?  Oh, okay, guess I should work then too, so all the worshippers will have a place to friggin eat!

Arrggghhh!!!

Anyway, just whinnin a little before I end my evening.  It’s my job.  I enjoy it (at times) and for now it’s paying the bills (sort of).

Obama’s Acceptance Speech

Did you see it?

Did you wish you were there?

85,000+ in attendance.

This man has started a movement.

I think I want to be apart of it.

C H A N G E

H O P E

OBAMA 08

What If?

When I was a kid there used to be a comic book series that was called “What If?” And they would do “what if” stories like, “What If Norman Osborne had been bit by the radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker?”  They were cool.

So, while thinking about a conversation that Corey and I had at lunch the other day, as well as religious talk at work, I wondered “What if someone took the Bible, ignored the religious movements of America, and just followed, to the best of their understanding, what Jesus had to say?”

What would that look like?

What would this person do?

Etc??

I used to wonder this all the time, even out loud, when I was pastoring.  And, the conclusion I came to and still come to is that it would look radically different than what we see as modern Evangelical Christianity today (or ever).

I don’t even think it would look like First Century Christianity, for that matter.

Why?  Two words: Apostle Paul

The early church was shaped, to much, like him.  Instead of Christianity, Paul created, implemented, and oversaw, Paulianity.

Or, did Paul just contextualize Jesus’ teachings in a Roman/Greek society that was expanding and changing faster than it ever had?

Just thinking outloud tonight, I think.

So, what do you think?  What if?  What if people just took the words of Jesus and ran with them?  What if church people did this?  What if Christians thought of their Christianity outside of the context of their Christianity?  What if people made Jesus their Rabi and followed him?

Hysteria

Someone commented on the new header pic for my blog.

Right straight from the cover of Def Leppard’s 4th album (sorry, I’m old), Hysteria.  Hysteria is one of the top selling albums of all time, and had 7 top 10 hits!  It truly is one of the greatest albums I have ever heard.

My favorite track is “Hysteria”.  It’s a song that I can hear every day and not get sick of.  It’s a song that when I hear it it takes me back to my teen years, and just fills me with all sorts of weird, fun, fantastic feelings and memories.

It is also the song that Laura and will dance to at our wedding.

It’s our song.

Hysteria when you’re near…

Blame Game: It’s YOUR Fault!

I worked with someone once who’s parent had to go to jail for their drinking.  This parent had a serious drinking problem, multpul DUIs, etc.  So, he ended up doing a lot of time for it.  Here’s the catch:

My co-workers testimony about this person’s drinking helped land him the prison sentence.

This co-worker told me once, feeling guilty, that her parent blamed this person for their being in prison.

It’s YOUR fault, my co-worker was informed.  This co-worker semi-believed it.  After all, it was their parent saying this.

I said to my co-worker, “How in the hell coult it be your fault!?  Did you hold the drink to their mouth and make them drink?  Did you give them the keys and make them drive drunk, multipul times?”

NO.  That was their answer, repeatedly.  NO.

“Then,” I asked, “How can it be your fault?”

“I guess it isn’t,” the co-worker replied.

“You guess..?”

“It isn’t my fault,” was the confident response.

See, people who have done wrong some times loose site of the fact that they did the wrong.  Especially if others are involved in their being busted, caught, exposed, detoxed, pulled over, picked up, etc.  They try to blame someone else for their wrong.  Because they got caught, because they are now feeling the consequences of their actions, they blame the ones whom they feel are responsible.

Too, bad, because, I think true healing only begins when you become honest and blame the real culprit.

8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (1 John 1:8-10)

I believe this parent would be more free, and could be forgiven, and redeemed if he were to be absolutely honest with himself and with those whom he sinned against.  He should have said, “I have sinned.  I drank.  I drove.  I have ruined my kids life.  I have done these things.  What happens to me I fully deserve and probably more.”

When there is honesty there is healing.

When there is honesty there is forgiveness.

When there is honesty there is mercy.

None of these things exsist without honesty.

Fantasy Football: Draft Night

Corey and I met at Big B’s in Gaylord to facilitate our leagues draft night.  We linked up with the Fruitport guys via Google Docs and away we went.

I drafted 4th.

We did ten rounds and it took 2 hours and changing location to McDonald’s to get it done, but we did it!  (Note: Why don’t places that serve BEER have WIFI!???)  Anyway, I tried to follow Brian’s advice about “doing the opposite” but ended up going RB, WR, QB.  I figured if I could grab one of the top two QB’s in round 1 I was going to do it.  Well, the two guys in front of me had the same mentality (who doesn’t).

So here’s how I drafted:

Round 1 – B. Westbrook

Round 2 – T.O.

Round 3 – M. Hasselback (again!  Agrhh – actually, Hassle was very solid for me last year)

And from there I don’t remember.  Here’s how I ended up:

QB: Hassleback, K. Warner, T. Edwards

RB: B. Westbrook, T. Jones, J. Norwood

WR: T.O., Coles, D. Mason, Toomer

TE: Witten, D. Clark

K: Stover

DST: Indie, Detroit

As it stands right now I have a much better team then I did last year.  I think I’ll probably be up for some trades here after weeks 1 & 2 and then settle in for the long hall.  Brent, I have you in my sites…

Jesus fails to qualify as our Sacrifice or as our Messiah

To get Jesus to a point where he can be both a human sacrifice and a retuning Messiah Warrior-King (as in the book of Revelation); the Jewish concepts of both Messiah and sacrifice had to be totally degraded and forcibly hooked together.

Says Harry McCall, contributer to the blog, Debunking Christianity, which has been created

for the purpose of debunking Evangelical Christianity. We are ex-Christians, ex-ministers, and even ex-apologists for the Christian faith. We are now freethinkers, skeptics, agnostics, and atheists. With the diversity of our combined strengths we seek to debunk Christianity.

McCall lays out four main arguements based on Hebrew sacrifical law as to why Jesus as a sacrifice would not be acceptable.  His sacrifice does not fit the pattern, nor practice of the sacrfices in the Pentatuch.

the theology and concept of Jesus as a sacrifice to God to atone for all the world’s sin is a totally a foreign and perverted concept to the Hebrew Torah.

The Apostle Paul is made out to be the author, or one forceable hooking these two ideas of Jesus both being a sacrifice (while ignoring sacrifical laws) and the Messiah-King.  McCall says in his conclusion,

the whole concept of Jesus as either a sacrifice or the Messiah is a total perversion of both historical Jewish concepts. It’s little wonder the disciples really never could figure out just who Jesus was or what he was up to.  By contrast, it was Paul, a man who most likely never saw or heard Jesus in the flesh, who systematized the theology of the early church in order to save it and make it function

While laying out the Hebrew laws and rituals and how Jesus’ death follows none of them, McCall also details the Hebrew mindset of a Messiah/King, and how Jesus’ teachings would not have fit that, but rather leaned more toward the outcast Hebrews, the Hellistic Jews, way of thinking, which was modern by account.  He also shows that because of how Paul merged, and deformed, these ways of thinking in order to make them work, the Gospel can only be presented with the usage of the New Testament writings, and not the Synoptic Gospels alone.

By contrast, it was Paul, a man who most likely never saw or heard Jesus in the flesh, who systematized the theology of the early church in order to save it and make it function. Thus, no “Plain of Salvation” can be taught from the Synoptic Gospels, but certainly from Paul’s letters (especially his final account of Romans) that are load with a systematic theology of salvation.

The whole article can be considered here.