From My Friend Aaron

Had to share this one.

The local news station was interviewing an 80-year-old lady because she had just gotten married -- for the fourth time. The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 80, and then about her new husband's occupation. 'He's a funeral director,' she answered. 'Interesting,' the newsman thought.

He then asked her if she wouldn't mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living. She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she'd first married a banker when she was in her early 20's, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40's, later on a preacher when in her 60's, and now in her 80's, a funeral director.

The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers. She smiled and explained, 'I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go.'

Christmas Music

Here is a video that was forwarded to me by Tracy Wallace (our choir director). Its funny because there are several people that I am reminded of throughout the song. Check it out.






Here a little non Christmas music just to show how good these guys are.

Where The Rubber Meets the Road

Here is a great video that Pastor Dan made recently. Love it.

I Just Couldn't Resist

When presented with this opportunity I just couldn't resist.

Support for a Friend

I have a friend named Debra Gordon. She recently moved to Nashville to be involved with the music community down there. Those of you on facebook have seen the below video, but I thought I would show it to those of you who aren't. Hollar back and let me know what you think. I'm sure she would appreciate your support.



Deb's Description of the video:
"The first song I co-wrote with Steve Oliver when I got to Nashville, TN. This song is about getting over the loss of a loved one (more)"

Hey, They Had A Baby!!!

Another couple I adore had their second baby! The little one is home and I think I get to see her tonight. Anyway, I was just sent this secret footage from the hospitals surveillance cameras (that’s why its in black and white). They sure look excited about the new baby. Ellen even looks GREAT after giving birth. She is such a trooper....and Ian....Who knew he was that talented???

Ian and Ellen Celebration

A Tribute To Some Couples I Love

I love these guys. The fact that I was able to catch them doing these things with a video camera is just luck. I had no idea they were sooooo talented.

Here's To Dan and Kelly Mac


Here's To Michael and Kate

Five Minutes To Kill

I am constantly facinated with the things that people discover they have a skill at. I am also shocked sometimes at the levels in which they develop that skill. Watch this video if you have a spare five minutes. This kid must have spent countless hours developing this skill. Some of the things he does are unbelieveable, especially towards the end. Do any of you have a strange skill out there?

Nothing But The Blood

I am preparing to lead worship this week at my church. Its always hard to put together a worship order. I have so many songs to choose from, and I want to craft a service that will lead the congregation to worhsip in spirit and truth. I want it to please the Lord. While listening to another song with the same name as the below posted song, I remembered this one. Its old and I googled it. Just read and reflect.

Nothing But the Blood
Words and music by Robert Lowry.
Public Domain.


What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

chorus:
O! Precious is the flow,
That makes me white as snow,
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
(chorus)

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
(chorus)

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
(chorus)

Seeker vs. Missional

Part One



Part Two

Three Kinds of Men

Here is a two minute Clip from Tim Keller that couldbe a companion to his article that Deb posted over on Sola Fida. Read it and watch this.

Give Me Liberty.....

So I haven't posted in a bit. Life has been busy. Tonight I think I will share another story in my car saga. A few weeks ago I started to detect a strange grinding noise from my back tires whenever I applied the break. I knew that my breaks were pretty jacked up. So I took it in for some work and got a loaner car for several days. While they were doing this, I also had them look at a few more problems I have been having lately. The steering wheel was a bit loose and my check engine light comes and goes. All my problems were fixed except the light and I received the car back and went on my merry way.

Two days later I received notice that my tags were getting ready to expire and that I needed to visit the inspection lanes soon to get them renewed. That's not a big deal, so I read their notice and noticed that it listed a frequently asked questions section. It must have been a slow news day because I read it. What did I see? Well I saw that my car was destined to fail when I went to visit the DMV. The problem? The check engine light. If it is on, they will fail the car. This caused me some issues. What to do?

When I took the car in, they told me that the light was in relation to a minor transmission problem. It slipped occasionally and I was advised by the service writer that it really wasn't worth fixing until the trans really started to have problems. I was stuck between a rock and the DMV. The car was a 97 Olds and wasn't really worth me dropping at least $1000 to have a new transmission put into it. The solution was that the car needed to go, and so me and my friend Aaron went shopping on Thursday night and I bought a new (used) vehicle. So without any further delay........Here is my new Jeep Liberty.






Pictures courtesy of Abigail Tokarski. She is an 8 year old budding photog and was more than willing to take these pics for me. Some day she'll be a great photographic artist I think.

When The Children Cry

Ok, so here is the situation. There is a particular child that I attend church with. He is 2ish. The picture over there on the left is me and him when he was a day old. He hadn't even left the hospital yet. Isn't that a cute pic?

So lately he has taken to running in panic from my presence. One Sunday morning I walked int he building and he started screaming and clung to his dad as if I was going to eat him. It was odd at the time, but his dad and I chalked it up to the little ones mother being away for the weekend. Kids get funny when mom disappears for a day or so. Well, a couple days later I was again in the church building and I was sitting and talking with the church secretary. I heard this young mans mom coming around the corner (little guy in tow) and thought to myself that now we would be cool again, since mom was back and all.

Surprise, he saw me and turned and ran down the hall away from his mom. She tried to bring him back and he cried and hide. This situation persists. You may think that I have done something to this child to cause this reaction, but I haven't.

The most bizarre part of this whole situation is that he talks about me all the time when I am not around.....favorably. I mean as favorable as a 2 year old can, but he'll see me on a video and be happy. He'll dance around when he thinks that he is going to church and that he will see me. His mom even tells me that he has spontaneously prayed for me when she prays with him. It just goes to pot when I am in his physical presence.

Its weird I tell you. I know that kids have their strange periods, its just odd to be involved in one. One day I'm sure we'll be best friends.

Check It Out

For those of you that are looking for a good laugh. This one is funny.



Check it out.

What is Bob Fosse Were A Prison Warden?

Ok, here is another little video that is a little creepy, but also (like a car wreck) something you can't help but watch. So the question is, what if a choreographer ran a prison?

This is an actual prison in the Philippines. I wonder if this is part of the punishment or the rehabilitation.

My Car - Absent Without Leave

It was a regular Sunday morning, as my alarm started to make an obscenely loud noise. I opened my eyes and I think I only hit the snooze button twice. I curse the day I ever discovered the purpose of that button. I eventually got myself up and in the shower. I’m really not awake until that water hits me. I love a morning shower. I don’t really understand those who only bath at night. Next step, get dressed for church and get out the door. I like to stop at Dunkin Donuts and grab an iced coffee before worship team practice. I’m running a little behind schedule as I walk out my door debating on whether I should still attempt this, or go straight to church and be on time.

As I get to the bottom of my steps and enter the parking lot, I start scanning for my car.

Hmmm, I thought I parked right there…….Maybe its further down that way. Hmmm, this can’t be right.

At this point I am confused and start strolling around and looking for my car. After about 2 minutes of this, I have realized that my car is AWOL. Its somewhere not here. I walk over and sit on my steps and decide that there are two options. Option 1, my car was stolen. Option 2, my car was towed by my condo association. At this point I take my phone out of my pocket and call my friend Ian at church and tell him that my car is missing and I need someone to pick me up for church. I’ll deal with this later.

Since I live a couple miles form my church, it only took about 15 minutes until I was standing next to my fellow musical types explaining that I my car was away from home without my permission. After church my friend Bernie drove me home and I called the number for the towing company that our condo association uses. The woman I spoke to said that she wasn’t sure that they had taken my car. This was not what I expected; I began to think maybe my car had been stolen. I spoke with her again 30 minutes later and she told me that they did have my car.

Having located who was in possession of my vehicle, I asked why. She advised me it was something to do with my tags. At this point I feel it necessary to explain that on 6/15 of this year my condo association began a parking enforcement program. Some people from a nearby neighborhood were parking excess vehicles in our spaces. We also had some residents who would have extra unregistered cars or several overnight guests. At this time, you need to have your car registered, your guests need a pass if its overnight, etc…. If your car isnt’ registered with the complex, you get a warning. If it is in an illegal spot, handicapped spot, or is untagged, it is towed immediately.

Being told that my car was towed for a tag issue, I began to think about the last time I went to motor vehicle. I was almost sure that it was tagged appropriately, but I have been known to let my tags expire in the past. I would deal with this when I had all the facts and picked my car up Monday morning, so I called my mother and made arrangements for her to pick me up early Monday morning. I spent the afternoon and evening with MC_Shan and Kate going to a friends afternoon church service and having dinner at Outback. I needed a good steak.

Monday morning came and I was up and ready to go when my mom picked me up. We are very different in how we handle stressful situations. Where I am calm and tend to avoid worry and rushing into more stress, my mom is ready to call everyone in the county to complain and yell about something. Needless to say, I had to calm her down about the situation. When we got to the towing company, she wanted to come in with me to “question” why my car was towed, I wouldn’t let her. I knew it would turn into a scenario in which she would "loud talk" to me on the injustice or stupidity of the situation. It wasn’t the towing companies fault; they were just doing their job. So after I paid the $200 (this was the most painful part of this whole situation), I sent my mom home. My car was at another lot the company maintained, and so they graciously offered me a lift to that lot.

Here is a fun part of the story. I got to ride in a tow truck with two of the most stereotypical tow truck guys you will ever meet. As we drove to the other lot, the driver was yelling at women he passed while complaining about his ex wife and telling stories with the other guy about run ins with the police over the weekend. The experience was priceless.

We got to the lot and my car was released to me, and just as expected the liscense plate sticker said Nov 06. Now I have let my registration go a few weeks in the past, but never 7 months. I drove to work and when I got to the office, I rifled through my glove box and found the registration slip. It said that the car expired in Nov 06. At this point I am kicking myself, because it looks like it is completely my fault. How could I let my registration go for 7 months.

At lunch I went to Motor Vehicle to get the car inspected and get a new sticker so that I wouldn’t be towed again that night. I waited in line for inspection for over an hour. This wouldn’t have been so bad, but my air doesn’t work in the car and it was something like 97 degrees out. I got through the lane, went in the building and went to the counter. Surprisingly, everyone at Motor Vehicle is more pleasant than they used to be. The lady at the counter took my paperwork and when she pulled my car up, she informed me that my car’s registration didn’t expire until Nov 07. Suddenly struck by the comedic value of the whole situation I would have smiled or laughed, except that I was also immediately struck by the waste of $200 that wasn’t my fault. The nice lady gave me a new sticker and a new registration card for free and I was out and on my way back to work.

That’s the story. Funny, painful, stupid and confusing. I’m out $200 for what looks like the theft of my DE license plate sticker. I have no idea who took it, or if it just fell off for some bizarre reason. I don’t even know how long its been missing. The towing company isn’t at fault, the complex isn’t’ at fault (except I think this whole situation exposes a flaw in the parking enforcement system). I’m certainly not at fault. I plan on writing letters to the condo association and the property management company they contract to plea for changes so no one else goes through this. It would be nice if they would reimburse me as well.

So what is it that God is trying to teach me in this situation? Many people were perplexed at my casual and calm approach to the whole thing, and I believe that this is an appropriately biblical response.

How about you dear reader, can you see the lesson in this adventure?

Emergent vs. Traditional and Seeker

Here is another video clip from Desiring God ministries. Ever since Dr. John Armstrong visited our church during our 20th anniversary celebration and introduced to concept of being missional, I have really been challenged on how "church" is done. These video bits and pieces that I have found are very thought provoking and I am interested in any thoughts that my readers have on these. I'll be posting these bits in between my semi regular posts on various other things. This particular video is from Dr. David Wells. You can read more about him at this link. The video isn't very long so take some time and watch.

I'm Being Challenged

This clip is from Pastor Mark Driscoll. He leads Mars Hill Church in Seattle and I have been listening to a lot of his sermons of late. I think I am going to be posting several items in reference to him and some other pastors/theologians who have been challenging my thinking lately. The below clip is from some pre conference interviews from Desiring God ministries 2006 conference. The conference title was Above All Earthly Powers and centered around the postmodern mindset and the emergent church. Many of the clips discuss engaging the culture. Great stuff.

Whats Going On?

So I have been really busy lately. My dad had brain surgery to help combat the symptoms of his Parkinson’s, I went to Columbus Ohio for work for several days, and I am getting busier at work all the time. It’s crazy crazy crazy, and because of this several things I like to do (like Blog) is falling behind. Add to this the upcoming graduation season, weddings I'm involved with and (as of last night), my involvement with the children’s musical Jailhouse Rock, I felt I needed to make myself update the world. I'm still here!! So here are some random thoughts on some topics that I am interested in.

1. The iPhone - I don't think anyone would be surprised that I like gadgets, and I especially like cool gadgets that do multiple things. I have high hopes for the iPhone, but there are several factors that will hold me back from getting one when it is released in June. Number one on that list is the price. It’s over $500 for the 4Gig version. I'm just not willing to pay that. The other reason I won't run out and get one is that it’s new. I so want to be an early adaptor, but I also have a stronger aversion to purchasing anything this complex in its first generation. I think that Apple needs to have a generation or two to get the kinks worked out. There is no doubt about it that this device is really cool and I will eventually own one, maybe sometime in 2008 or early 2009. This is of course subject to change if something crazy happens.....like I get a deal I can't pass up.

2. HDTV - So a few weeks ago I decided that I would dive into the HDTV world and upgrade my television to a flat LCD TV. I did a lot of research and stumbled on a great open box deal for a 36 inch LG at Circuit City. It was a nice TV, and I bought it on the spot and took it home. This is where I learned that I was not ready for HDTV. The issue.......I don't have digital cable, and I'm not willing to upgrade to it. As I watched regular TV stretched to fit the screen, it was blah. When I adjusted it so it looked correct, the picture was significantly smaller and I had a lot of black space on the edges. I didn’t' like that. DVD's looked great, but I hated everything else about it. So I took it back the next day and got a refund. I decided that until the prices dropped more on the TV's and that a solution came about to solve my cable issue I would wait. Regardless, my 32 inch Sony is still a great picture and still has a nice size for my condo.

3. Jail House Rock - What do I get myself into? Last night I was asked to participate in the audition process to help the leadership team pick parts for the annual kid’s musical help in July. So with my regular "big ideas" mouth I made several suggestions and then without even thinking I said, I can coach those kids on that. Bam the team jumped on it and now I have a group of boys and one girl that I am coaching on how to be a rap gang. They'll be beat boxing and rapping during one of the songs. This will be a challenge, but also a lot of fun I think. One thing for sure is that it will take time. I know I will enjoy it, I really like musical theater, and I’ve just never been on the coaching directing side of it before.

4. My Dads surgery - So my dad had brain surgery. I know you can either think wow, that’s serious or you can insert joke here. He has Parkinson’s disease and it’s been almost 20 years since the symptoms started to show. Of late he has really been having a rough time with it. The shaking is the least of the problems. When he walks he needs a walker. He could be going along and his legs will freeze, but his momentum continues to carry him forward and so he falls a lot. He has to wear knee pads to protect him. So after several months of consideration he had surgery to implant a really cool gadget into his body. This device is sort of like a pacemaker (it’s in his chest) and it has two leads that are strung up through his neck and implanted into parts of the brain. They fire an electrical current in sequence and this helps to offset many of his symptoms. It’s no cure, but they turned it on yesterday and he says that he was able to walk without falling and the shaking is noticeably less. This is good news. It buys him some more time before he will be really forced to a wheelchair. I have a lot of thoughts about when a parent becomes disabled....I'll share them in the future.

That’s all for now, hollar if you are reading.
RAV

Pollution and Tending The Garden

On Tuesday night I attended a concert at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington. It was offered by the University of Delaware Choral program. Over the course of the evening they shared competition pieces that they will be using at an international choir competition in Estonia. Much of the music was beautiful, and a good deal was sacred. As a side note, I find it very interesting that secular universities use sacred music in their music programs. I wonder if at some point this will be considered offensive, but I digress.

The music was beautiful and at one point a young man read a statement before the choir sang a Venezuelan piece. The statement was a list of environmental disasters and their effect on the environment. After each disaster he dramatically spoke the word "Listen". He then quoted an old African saying about the "earth being tired." I have to say that I am not a proponent of global warming theory; at least not the theory pushed my many. I do believe that the earth is going through changes and that in some cases, we are responsible. When God placed Adam and Eve in the garden, he gave them the duty of tending it (Genesis 2:15). He also gave man dominion over the planet (Genesis 1:26-30). Now dominion is a serious responsibility. I am consistently disappointed with my brothers and sisters in the Lord who are so against anything that resembles agreement with liberals, that they dismiss the responsibility God gave us at our creation.

Let me be clear, I am not saying we are in a environmental crisis. Nobody would call me a tree hugger or a hippie, or a left wing environmental wacko. What I am saying is that we can all take our responsibility to be good stewards of the gift God gave us a little more seriously. Conservation isn't just to appease the environmentalists. Its good stewardship of the world we were give dominion over and asked to tend. We can also do all we can to eliminate pollution and live a little more clean. If everyone did a little it would add up to a lot. Global warming is debatable, but pollution is not. It’s happening and it doesn't have to.

Berries and Cream

Ok, I know that my posts have been pretty serioys lately, but today in church Tony told me I had to watch this video and I have to tell you......it is scary funny. Enjoy.

The Westminster Larger Catechism Q3

Question 3: What is the Word of God?

Answer: The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, the only rule of faith and obedience.

Again the Westminster Divines have given us some foundational stuff on which to build the rest of the Catechism. How can we venture forward into the deep truths of the Lord, unless we know what foundation it is being built upon? The Word of God is that foundation. God has told us the story, and in the process made a provision for us. His Word is the well spring of life, the source of wisdom, and the means of grace. We would only have a general revelation of God without His Word; sufficient to damn us certainly, but it is His Word that delivers the revelation necessary to save us.

With the importance of God's Word in mind, it is worth noting that the very fact of its foundational position targets it for frequent attack. We see this at the beginning when Satan asked Eve "Did God really say..." in Genesis 3:1. We see that today as those opposed to the message of Christ attempt to use any means available to prove the text of God's Word wrong. The most recent failed attempt is chronicled in the Jesus Family Tomb documentary produced by James Cameron.

Why do they try so hard? Simple, if they can prove the word of God wrong, they prove Christianity wrong. In all the media interviews and hype surrounding this latest attack, it was sad to have heard many people disassociate their faith from the truth claims of the Bible. I’m sure that some thought that they were standing up for Christianity, but in reality they were sharing that they have no faith in the Bible and therefore the message it proclaims. Statements about how the discovery of Jesus’ tomb wouldn’t affect their faith, points to a lack of understanding of what the “rule of faith and obedience” says. These individuals have reduced Christianity to a psychology, a lifestyle drug that gets them through the day. How very sad.

The Word of God is about history. It makes a claim. Prove that claim wrong and we have all been wasting our time in church. Question 3 reaffirms the authority of scripture and sets another foundation block for the systematic discussions ahead in the Catechism. Please, I beg you. If you claim to be a Christian, delve into what you say you believe. Understand its foundations; explore the only rule for faith and obedience.

The Drop That Grew into a Torrent

I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water. (Isaiah 41:18)

Hymn Text

1. All my soul was dry and dead,
Till I learn'd that Jesus bled.
Bled and suffer'd in my place,
Bearing sin in matchless grace.

2. Then a drop of heav'nly love
Fell upon me from above,
And by secret, mystic art,
Reach'd the center of my heart.

3. Glad the story I recount,
How that drop became a fount,
Bubbled up a living well,
Made my heart begin to swell.

4. All within my soul was praise,
Praise increasing all my days;
Praise which could not silent be:
Floods were struggling to be free.

5. More and more the waters grew,
Open wide the flood-gates flew,
Leaping forth in streams of song
Flowed my happy life along.

6. Lo! a river clear and sweet
Laved my glad, obedient feet!
Soon it rose up to my knees,
And I praised and prayed with ease.

7. Now my soul in praises swims,
Bathes in songs and psalms and hymns;
Plunges down into the deeps,
All her powers in worship steeps.

8. Hallelujah! O my Lord!
Torrents from my soul are poured!
I am carried clean away,
Praising, praising all the day.

9. In an ocean of delight,
Praising God with all my might,
Self is drowned; so let it be:
Only Christ remains in me.

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Depths of Woe I Raise to Thee

From depths of woe I raise to Thee
The voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me
And hear my supplication;
If Thou iniquities dost mark,
Our secret sings and misdeeds dark,
O who shall stand before Thee?To wash away the crimson stain,
Grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! are all in vain;
In much the best life faileth:
No man can glory in Thy sight,
All must alike confess Thy might,
And live alone by mercy.

Therefore my trust is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His Word
Upholds my fainting spirit:
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort, and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience.

What though I wait the livelong night,
And till the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in His might;
It doubteth not nor feareth:
Do thus, O ye of Israel's seed,
Ye of the Spirit born indeed;
And wait till God appeareth.

- Martin Luther

The Jesus Family Tomb

I watched the James Cameron produced documentary on the Discovery channel a few weeks ago. I found myself talking back to the television several times about the leaps of logic or lack there of that the participants took. You need more faith to believe some of their conclusions, than you do to believe that Christ rose from the dead physically. I subscribe to a biblical archaeological newsletter (just another odd thing I'm interested in). They had a great article/analysis on the book and documentary. Check it out, its one of the better ones I've read. I'm interested in any comments you may have.

http://abr.christiananswers.net/articles/article70.html

Emerging Technologies

This morning I will be giving a presentation to the MARK INC board and some key volunteers and staff on emerging technologies and he digital lifestyle. I have high hopes for this presentation, because I think that many people are just not aware of what is going on in the tech world and on the internet (though they may have their suspicions). This will be a good opportunity to give them some information about where content delivery is going and what the technology will look like. I'll report back later.

Facebook

So I just caved and set up a facebook page. I have to say that it is an exceptionally better system than My Space. If your interested, friend me!

Ordinary Women and Their Extraordinary God

Hello old friends. Its been a while since I posted..... I know...... I'm sorry. I was just so overwhelmed with jet lag and catching up on my life here in the USA after my trip to Spain. I promised to resume my posts on a more regular basis. So with that being said, here are some details about my trip.

Monday February 12th
We left the church at 5ish to be at the Philadelphia International Airport. Ian took us via the church van. We were packed for the trip with several extra bags. Deb and Chuck both had huge black suitcases that were heavy. When we checked in, I believe that Deb's weighed in at 78 lb.. We checked in and got on the Us Airways plane to leave. We took off and flew to Paris, France and landed in the worst airport I have ever been in. Charles de Gault Airport. It was not easy to navigate and it wasn't very attractive. We had a two hour layover and then we took an Air Europa plane to Malaga. This last leg of the trip was the worst flight I have ever had when dealing with turbulence. It was non stop the entire 2 hours to Malaga. I wanted to sleep so bad, but I just couldn't because every couple seconds the plane would shake or rattle again. I don't mind flying, I just hate turbulence and before 9/11 that didn't even bother me so much. I just had to keep reminding myself that God was in control and if He wanted me to die and be with Him, then that was it. I needed to trust Him.

Tuesday February 13th
We arrived in Malaga Tuesday afternoon and our driver picked us up in his van and drove us to the Las Piramides (The Pyramids) Hotel.



We met the conference administrator Pamyla and got our room info and went and put our stuff away. We then kicked around for a while and had dinner at 7pm. As part of the conference the Hotel provided breakfast and dinner each day. This consisted of very nice buffets in two separate dinning areas. We were required to dress a little more formally (no jeans or t-shirts) for dinner, but I think it was worth it. After dinner we checked out the room we were going to be using for the meetings and then went to bed.

Wednesday February 14th
Although some of the ladies for the conference had arrived the previous day (like we did), today was the day when the lions share came. Their planes would come in throughout the day and they trickled into the lobby of the hotel. During this time, we were setting things up in the Menfis conference room so we would be ready for the ladies at the appropriate time. We also spent a couple hours practicing music. We quickly discovered that some of the music we were planing on wouldn't work with just a piano and guitar/drum. I think that Chuck, Tony and I realized that many of the songs we sing weekly need lots of instrumentation to work or to cover over their poor musical construction.

At 5:15 there was informal reception for everyone sponsored by the hotel and I must admit that being one of three men amongst the many women was intimidating. I think that they were a little curious about what we were going there as well, but I was a bit shy and didn't really talk to anyone. I played wallflower when in this room and ran off to be of use in the main meeting room. I know that most of you don't believe that I am a shy person, but I can be....especially around large groups of people I don't know.

The main meeting began at 6pm and we led worship for about 20 - 30 minutes. Longer than the average Sunday morning. I must admit that I was a bit surprised by the involvement of these ladies. There were about 60 of them max, but the sound they produced at times rivaled our congregation, at least to my ears. They were engaged in the worship, some weeping and some reach out their hands to the sky. It was moving. Then Jan, one of the ladies who is actually a missionary to Madrid, spoke on Mary....an ordinary woman. That was the theme of the week, Ordinary Women and their extraordinary God. After this we went to dinner and we were still a little separated from the ladies in the dinning room. We had one lady (I think it was Jill who ministers in the Ukraine) sit with us and really broke the ice. We had a great conversation with her. Afterwards we had several of the ladies share with us that they really appreciated our leading hem and being there. It was the first time in a long time for some to be able to worship the Lord in english. I never realized how important this is, but then how often do we think about those serving the Lord in the trenches of missions. We are comfortable here in the American church. I'll expand on my thoughts on missions in a later post.

Thursday February 15th
I got up and had breakfast and it was really good. I have to say that the hotel had really good food. I was quite impressed. For the rest of the conference the sessions were in the mornings. We started at 10am and the speaker was Lisa S. who is working in a sensitive area of ministry so we won't talk about that much. She spoke on Ruth, another ordinary woman of the Bible. The ladies then broke out into some seminars, but we were finished for the official part of the day and went to a nearby town of Mijas, which was in the mountains. Mijas was a mining community as well as being the last place in Spain that the Moors were before being driven out in the 1400's. What a view!!



We then came back and had dinner at the hotel. I split from the team and sat at a table full of ladies and really began to get to know some of them. I believe that this was the highlight of the trip, just getting to know these ladies and the things that were going on with their countries. So work with children, some are pastors wives and others are striving to build relationships with indigenous women. I truly valued this time with them, it had a large impact on my world view. That evening one of the ladies help a seminar/class on country line dancing. The men tried to stay out of the way so that we wouldn't make the women uncomfortable.

Friday February 16th
Pretty much the same schedule as Thursday, except I didn't go out site seeing with some of the others after the morning sessions. I was feeling tired and wanted to spend some time reading and resting. I had the good fortune to have an extended discussion wit Cindie Pike who ministers in the Ukraine. I think we chatted for about an hour about the ministry to the Ukraine and the people there and the eastern european world view. It was truly fascinating and enlightening. That night I had dinner with several different ladies from France, Slovakia, and Romania and the Ukraine. I have to say that by this point in the week I was in awe of these women. They have sacrificed so much for the Lord. They have raised their children in foreign lands, some have left creature comforts and they only desire to serve the Lord more. Of course there is discouragement to them at times, but they persevere. How often do we quit when things are hard, or uncomfortable. Some of these ladies were single and they have forsaken dreams and desires for marriage to serve our God. And they would just tell you that they are not anything special.

That night we shared a concert with them in which we sang a few solos between me and Debbie, and led them in some songs (some we taught them). At the end of the evening, they didn't want to stop. A group of about ten gathered around Kathleen who used Tony's guitar and led them through about ten songs. It was beautiful to hear this group of women sing in harmonies to these songs. At times they sounded better than any other group I have ever heard. We then went and sat up with several of them until about 2am talking. It was a real time of fellowship and encouragement. If we did nothing else on this trip, but to make them feel appreciated I think it was well worth it.

Saturday February 17th
I had breakfast with several of the ladies and then our sessions. We have the church office back at GRPC fax us lots of music over the week to supplement what we brought. We were constantly adjusting the orders of worship to better minister to these ladies. We wanted songs with deeper meaning or had better musical quality, and it was a daily evaluation based on what we felt the Spirit was leading.

After the morning sessions we went to visit Malaga proper and visited a huge cathedral (the biggest I have ever seen), we also visited a castle on the mountaintop. We had to walk tot he top of the mountain and I must say that I am proud of the fact that I made it all the way up. The view again was spectacular. Somehow our party got split up and we all met back up at dinner at the hotel.



That night the hotel sponsored a Flamenco show, and had a band play. It seems that the weekend after Valentines day is a huge deal in Spain when the couples go out for dinner and dancing. The crowd was full of a diverse age group of people who were not shy to get up and dance. Deb actually convinced some of the locals to teach her the traditional dances and they adopted her for the rest of the night. It was a great time. Again we were up late talking with the ladies about ministry and their lives and needs in the field.

Sunday February 18th
We had church of sorts Sunday morning, and Barbara shared a message on Abigail for the ladies. I think this woman was a powerful speaker and our own women's ministry would do well to have her at one of their conferences if it was ever possible. Afterwards the group prayed for specific needs amongst the women and we prayed for them and their needs. They asked us to sing a couple songs to end the event and we were glad to. Then they presented with some gifts, but they couldn't match what they had given us in the form of their hearts and wisdom. I was so blessed to be a part of this event, and I know that the Lord used us to encourage them as well. As we were finishing up, some of the ladies had to leave to make their flights. We were leaving Monday morning so we got to say goodbye them in waves as they departed. We also had the opportunity to go out to lunch with several ladies from the England and Spain teams. Oddly enough The Sun Coast of Spain is to Europe what Florida is to the United States. It is a very international area and we had a traditional English Roast Sunday meal. Mine was lamb roast with yorkshire pudding. As we sat around the table, we got to share some more. We then went back to the hotel and spent time with the remaining ladies who were leaving the next day. We hung out in the hotel lobby and played cards and games with several of them. And then to bed. We had to be up early the next morning.

Monday February 19th
We had to be in the lobby ready to go at 7:30am to meet our taxi. I was up and ready. I was going to miss this place. I found myself humming the song "If Your Presence Doesn't Go With Us, We Don't Want To Leave This Place" the whole morning. We got to the airport and we were off. We flew from Malaga to Madrid (thankfully not France) and then from Madrid to Philadelphia. It was something like 9 hours (give or take). I don't remember exactly because I was so tired. I just remember that on the flight I watched two movies (Grid Iron Gang, and The Guardian) and four episodes of TV on my iPod. It was good to be home, but it was really cold. Apparently we missed a major ice storm. It was 65- 70 degrees each day in Spain, but it was in the 30's here. I have so much to think about and digest from this trip, and I know that God wants me to make some changes in my life because of it. I truly hope we get invited to do something like this again some day.

Hola From Spain

Ok here is a quick 7 minute update on my trip to Spain. 7 Minutes because thats how long I have on this Hotel computer. I miss you all, but at the same time I don´t. What a great privelege it is to meet all of these people who have made a great sacrifice to be in the missions field. THey have left their families and friends and in many ways are alone in the countries they are ministering to. I never realized just how much it means to people to worship God in their own language. As we led the first session, their were women crying. One lady who is missionary in Scotland told me that this was the first time in a long time that she was able to sing praise songs that mention Jesus. Why? I asked. She said that in Scottland they only worship by singing the psalms. Wow. It is a wonderful country here and a great environment, but it is more of a privelege to spendtime with these ladies. Pray for us as we continue to interface and encourage these front line embassadors of Christ. I´ll blog again if I get the chance.

Not Gonna Wash That Grey Outta My Hair

As I was coming in to work today, a very nice lady who is in charge of our facilities was riding the elevator with me. She made an off hand comment to me about how the job was making my hair grayer. Boy this is exactly what I wanted to hear. I'm positive she didn't mean anything negative by it, but it doesn't help with feelings of getting older. So I left the elevator and continued on to my desk. As I signed into my email, I noticed the daily proverb subscription that I get. This subscrition provides a proverb a day. I read it and guess what it said.

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life. - Proverbs 16:31

Now if that isn't God telling me not to worry about the small stuff, I don't know what is. Of course it could just be coincidence, but I beleive God is in control of everything..... Even my email.

Small is Beautiful

If I believed in the concept of luck then I would have to say that I am having an incredible stretch of it. So over this past couple of weeks it seems that everything I own is systematically breaking. My treadmill broke (I fixed it and then it broke again), my computer died, my gas stove needed a replacement valve, and now my iPod is on its last legs.

I tell this story to share my pain, but also to say that I have taken this opportunity (the dead computer) to make the switch. That’s right, I have purchased a Mac, a mini to be exact. It’s smaller than a cigar box and uses my same monitor, keyboard and mouse. It’s really cool too. I have had it a couple of days and I just can’t believe how fast, sleek and simple it has been to use. When I went to the Apple store to purchase it I also picked up a book for those switching from a PC to a Mac. It has been quite helpful.

There are a few drawbacks to the switch, like having to listen to all my corporate and geeky friends say that it was a mistake. Now I am not a Mac fan boy, but I’m not a Windows one either. I just love technology that works well WITH MY LIFE. I’m not building a corporate network in my condo and I’m not a big PC gamer. I mean come on people the only game console I have is an Atari Flashback that my sister gave me for Christmas. I think I have used it once. The Mac works great, looks great and is fast. If I discover otherwise, I will definitely post something, but for now I’m happy.

The Westminster Larger Catechism Q2

Question 2: How doth it appear that there is a God?

Answer: The very light of nature in man, and the works of God,
declare plainly that there is a God; but his word and Spirit only do sufficiently and effectually reveal him unto men for their salvation.

So how do we know that there is a God? I mean really, how can you know for sure? I think every person has asked this question in some form during his or her life. Curious to see what was out there, I did a quick Google search on the internet. It seems that there are many well meaning and thoughtful people who want to use science and nature to prove that God exists. I applaud them in their efforts to a degree. They are merely expanding and commenting on Paul’s statement in Romans 1:19 –20,

19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

I only wish that those who invest so much time on the debate on God’s existence would focus equal or more amounts of energy on the second part of the answer to Catechism question 2. What I mean is that the first part of the answer, when viewed through Romans 1 does nothing more than raise our culpability level. It plainly says that we all know that God exists (The very light of nature in man, and the works of God) and are without excuse. We can’t stand before the Lord and say “look God, I really didn’t know about you so how can you sentence me to Hell?” When we start to focus on the second half of the answer “; but his word and Spirit only do sufficiently and effectually reveal him unto men for their salvation”, we start to really define the God we are to believe in. His existence is proven, but knowing that God exists is not enough for salvation. Thankfully He has spoken to us and told us effectually and sufficiently in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

Fun Email Storehouse

So I have created a new blog for a couple different reasons. This new blog will be a repository of forwarded emails that have funny joke, funny pictures, crazy stories, etc....Sort of an public archive of what some people may call junk mail, but others love and love to forward. I have attached some ads to try to generate some cash flow, though I'm sure it will be minuscule. Go check it out. Its in my links section as Fun Email Storehouse. I there is also an email address on that page that you can forward any "fun" emails to that you want me to consider for addition to the list, or if you know me and have my address you can feel free to send it there. I have already posted the 3 or 4 I have gotten in the last several days. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Strange Delaware - Chicken Fighting

This day in 2006 in the state of Delaware:

Two men were arrested for cruelty to animals near Laurel when thirty-five others gathered at their cockfight. In addition, thirteen fighting cocks were confiscated by authorities.

Some may find it interesting that Chicken Farming is in the top five industries in the state of Delaware. It is highly concentrated in Sussex county and home of many plants ryn by companies such as Perdue and Mountaire Farms. I mention this because it doesn't surprise me to find such a barbaric activity such as cockfighting here. What I find more interesting is that it is apparently illegal to own birds who fight and to hold an event where they fight, but it isn't illegal to gather to watch that fight. What's up with the 35 people who were there? I would imagine that if you held them accountable as well, it would really be hard for would be chicken event promoters (Don "Chicken ala" King) to get people to come and watch such a horrible event. Strange I say.

By the way, there is a funny story about the lady with the chicken above. I may blog about it in the future if people are interested.

The Westminster Larger Catechism Q1

Question 1: What is the chief and highest end of man?

Answer: Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

Why did the Westminster Assembly of Divines choose this to be the first question in the larger catechism? Interesting thought, at least to me. I must admit I have not completed enough research or gained enough insight into the actual workings of the assembly to say I know the answer, but I will present some conjecture on my interpretation. Let me start with an examination of the words they used in their documents. I do this because specific words are used for specific reasons. I think that many times modern readers don't quite understand the language of the past and so they just assume certain things. The nuance of language needs to be taken seriously, especially in documents of religious import (though not as important as actual scripture.)

The first question in the Westminster Catechism asks what mans chief end is. The word "man" is not used to exclude women, but is used to identify the whole of humanity. Many today would use this term humanity or perhaps humankind in a politically correct pattern of speech. Regardless, the Divines are saying that we are all included. Those born male and female are part of this discussion.

The phrase “chief and highest end” isn't that widely used in modern day speech, so it could be hard for us to understand its meaning in today’s vernacular. I looked the word "end" up in the Webster’s online dictionary. The definitions that I believe apply are below:

• 2a: c (2) the ultimate state
• 4a: an outcome worked toward b: the object by virtue of or for the sake of which an event takes place

These definitions inform our understanding of the statement above. Man's highest "state" or our highest "outcome, or objective" is what the question seeks to determine. I can remember many examples in books and movies in which this very same concept is explored. It surprises me at how many times this theme is explored in the pages of science fiction. For example, the very first Star Trek movie is a tale that deals with a sentient machine that wants to understand who it is in regards to the universe. What was its chief end? What was its purpose for existence? Many if not most of the time, these authors and storytellers get the answer wrong and look to the internal person for the answer.

In the catechism's first question, the Divines feel that we need to get this out of the way first so that we are not examining the rest of the catechism from a selfish internal point of view. It is rightly establishing from the beginning that our understanding and experience of Christ centered theology is just that, centered on Him and not us. There is no room for self at the center, only the Trinity. Our chief end is to worship God first and then to enjoy him. His purpose is not for us to enjoy Him, and then give Him worship because of that enjoyment. He deserves the worship regardless of our enjoyment, but through his purposes the result of that worship is a benefit to us in enjoyment. The moment we take the Trinity from the center of our focus and place it elsewhere, we have moved ourselves into the place of honor. Then the chief end is to glorify self. Our selfishness moves us away from the truth and helps perpetuate the lie that leads to separation from and inability to satisfy our real chief end...."to Glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever."

Lord, help me to realize that my chief end is not to glorify myself. My goal in life is the expansion of Your worship in my own life and the lives of others through to declaration of Your Gospel. Allow me to constantly enjoy you through discovery and rediscovery of the depth of your grace and mercy revealed through worshipping you in my daily life, not just the Sunday service. Be lifted up Lord as we bow down.

New Blog Series

Hello Friends,
I have decided that there are some things that I want to do this year and things that I have to do this year. Here is a quick recap:

1. War on Debt
2. Teach/Lead a program on leadership to our teens at church
3. Loss more weight
4. Continue to grow in my faith and maturity
5. Be more disciplined

And there are many others. To help me with #4 I have decided to work through a study of the Westminster Confession of Faith as well as the Catechism. I constantly want to know what I beleive and why I beleive it (to quote one of my favorite programs "The White Horse Inn"). So I figured I would blog my way through the questions. I'll try to do at least one a week, if not more frequently. If you don't know what the Catechism on the confession are, here is a link to some historic context.

The Blame Game

I had the opportunity to lead worship this past week at church. It is an absolute privilege to do this, but it is also extremely stressful. There are a bevy of details to keep in the air, and I haven't been doing it enough to accomplish this. I have always dropped at least one ball during the morning. This week the ball I dropped was in the responsive reading. I had chosen Psalm 51. We were reflecting on the Lords mercy. We also had a challenging list of songs to practice and I didn't realize until 5 minutes before the service that I neglected to rehearse it. This was a bad thing because we discovered that the slides were missing sever sections that the congregation was to read. The people on stage (who look at the back wall) we reading, but the congregation was silent. I knew immediately what was wrong. What do I do but trudge ahead. This made me a bit frustrated. The person who prepared the slides had made a obvious error and I immediately wanted to express that to them. Fortunately the presence of several hundred people made this an unwise decision.

So as I check my email later that night, the music minister reminded me that the slides were wrong and that as the leader for the morning it was ultimately my fault (since I didn't rehearse them). He was right, but it made me think about how we constantly want to find someone else who is to blame for sins and problems. Even though this person did make a mistake, I shaared in it. It was my mistake too. As sinners we try to minimize out role and maximize another's blame. This is no more clearly demonstrated than when God asks Adam what he has done and he immediately blames the woman God gave him. Adam was blaming Eve and God and totally removing himself from the equation. He may have said it like this, "God, it was Eve who gave me the apple, and remember I didn't ask for her to be here, You thought it was a good idea. If you hadn't created her, this never would have happened. I take no responsibility for this." And so we have all learned this from our father Adam and implemented this winning strategy in our lives. This is so subtle and a sin, and so profound a problem even in our Church's and our families, and our jobs and our relationships. Lord have Mercy on Us/Me.

You Just Never Know ....

So I was recently checking out some stuff on You Tube. I was randomly searching
for things I remembered from my youth and made a discovery that has now made me
really feel.....well ......disapointed. In 1983 I was 11 and I used to love to
watch a show called Kids Incorporated. I loved music and I really loved singing
along with the TV. We didn't have a Disney channel then or cartoon network (dad
didn't believe in cable), so this is the stuff I saw when it was on the local
syndication stations (chanel 17 to those in the Philly area who remember). Watch
these two videos and then I'll explain. WARNING: Cheese factor is
high



Yep, you may recognize one of those kids if you know your eightys music. Thats Martika of the song Toy Soldiers fame, but we all
knew she was on that show. Take special note of the lead singer in this song,
here is where I was surprised.



Cute little girl huh? I don't really know whats up with the broom and the clown, but the eighties was a strange time. So anyway, imagine my surprise when I learned that she grew up to be this!!! The world is strange.
 

 

2006 Year in Review

So I have been asked by some of you for some follow-ups to a few of my past posts, and I feel obliged to answer your request. I'll also throw in some info that wasn't bloged about in order to be thorough. First lets look at some of my posts.

Cell Phone Saga (Cingular HTC 3125)
I received my new phone a few days after my post. It actually arived the day after I completed my order. Talk about a quick mail time. It certainly wasn't snail mail. The phone itself is GREAT! I love it. Its sleek and compact. It isn't a brick like a blackberry, and I love flip phones. I have just now started to explore its full potential. I just installed Outlook on my computer and have succesfully synched the phone. I've transfered seveal pictures to the phone and they look awesome on the phones large screen. I also transferred some mp3's I had to the phone. I think I am going to remove them though because the music player controls are on the outside of the phone and I have accidentally turned Windows Media Player on while it was in my pocket. This is bad, especially in church or in a meeting. I have my iPod for music and it really isn't neccesary to be on the phone. The camera on the phone is good, but not spectacular. What is the best is that I have entered some much info in the calendar that I feel I am finally getting organized. When I flip the phone open, it displays the next event scheduled and so I always know "whats next." It also gives a reminder message within a preset timeframe. Pretty standard stuff for a smart phone, but it is what I have needed. Of course this phone is not as feature packed or business oriented as a blackberry or a treo, but to run your personal life it is just fine. Sleek, compact, functional and pretty cool looking. Everyone who sees it seems to think its one of the cooler phones they have seen. So far it seems like a good purchase.

LCD TV Update
I did not receive any gift cards to Best Buy for Christmas, and though my plan to accumulate redemtion points on my visa is underway, it will take a while. I have decided in 2007 to declare war on my debt, and so a purchase of this sort just isn't called for at this time. My current TV is more than sufficient. I don't have High Def cable and the room a LCD would save me isn't worth more debt at this time. I still want one, but I need to be smart about this acquisition. In time, but maybe not for quite some time.

Weight Loss
I hit a snag in my plans. It was the Christmas holiday. It was sooooo hard to behave during the holiday, especially when everyone you know gives you cookies and has parties full or treats. I just gave up, but I am back on the horse now. I have a followup appointment with my surgeon in March to see how things are going. I have a goal of lossing another 40lbs before then. I think I can do it, I just need to be disiplined. Pray for me here.

My Computer
I still want a Mac, but as with the LCD I don't need it. With the help of Danny boy I upgraded the RAM on this computer for about $80 and my performance improved dramatically. I also uninstalled MS Office and many other programs I rarely use. I cleaned up the registry and I think I am in good shape for a while. I still want a Mac though. Maybe some day, but for now I just need to stick with what I have. You know, with the war on debt and all.

Missions Trip to Spain
The trip is on. Our music minister sent a letter to the whole church asking for them to support us. There are 8 of us going and we need to raise $2000 each to make this happen and in a short time. The letters just went out, so anyone out there reading this who wants to support this trip or wants more info, just drop me a line. We really need your support

Church Life
My post about the christian marketing philosophy ala Rick Warren started a good sting of conversation. That was exciting, and I appreciate the contributions. I am going to try to write more about issues such as this in the year to come.

Things Not Posted About, But Happend in 2006

• I lots my favorite bath towel at Harvey Cedars Bible Conference on our youth group retreat in October. It was a really great oversized towel (I'm a big guy). Now I find myself using one of the smaller towels I own. Booo
• I've lost 70lbs over the course of the year. Great start, but gotta keep going.
• Made many new friends through the Presbytery singles ministry. That is always a great thing.
• I was appointed to the board of MARK INC Ministries. This is a great privelege, and a challenge as we take a media ministry and navigate the new waters of the Web 2.0 culture to send the message of Christ to the world. The future of media deleivery is changing all the time and we want to be at the front of the curve. I have a presentation to our board and operations committee this month about how to do this.
• I bought a condo. This was a huge step for me. I like it a lot, but everything has room for improvement. I now need to make up my mind on exactly the things to change and then make wise financial decisions about when to do those things.
  

I think thats it for now. I may blog later this week about my goals for 2007. I really want to put some more thought into some of them, because once posted they are something I need to be held accoutable to. I think this will be a great year.