Adventures In Worship

2011-08-24T07:35:00.002-04:00

I attended this conference earlier this year. It was the Resurgence: Our Fathers, Our Future conference in Orlando Fl. At this conference I was challenged by a lot fo things and was exposed to Tullian Tchividjian for the first time. I also had the privilege to hear R.C. Sproul preach, one of my heros of faith.

So I thought that I would attached two lectures by Mark Driscoll that I thought were very valuable. I don't agree with everything he states here, but I definitely think that there is a lot of value in much of what he says.

Part 1

Part 2

Rick Warren and John Piper Interview

2011-05-31T10:11:00.003-04:00

So several years ago a very nice woman in our church gave me a copy of A Purpose Driven Life and encouraged me to read it. She had said that it was life changing. At the time I was really starting to be attracted to "the deeper things" of faith. I was also reading a lot of stuff from the theologians of the time that looked down on Rick Warren and the "mega church" movement. So I graciously accepted the book and then let it sit on my shelf never really cracking the cover. Perhaps it was arrogance that I was beyond anything that a mega church pastor could tell me in his book. Last week I came across a tweet that had a link to an interview between Rick Warren and John Piper. I was intrigued. I had heard of the controversy over Piper inviting Warren to speak at the Desiring God conference and I have HUGE respect for Piper, so I thought I would watch. I have to say that my opinion of Rick Warren was ill informed. In this interview he displays a deepness that I hadn't thought he had. Piper did a great job in the conversation and I think the 1 1/2 hours you would devote to watching (or listening) to this will be well worth it. I may now have to go back and take that book off my shelf and read it.

Watch the Video here, or listen to the audio here.

A Great Quote From Michael Horton on the Resurgence Site

2010-05-18T14:40:00.004-04:00

The below was take from TheResurgence.com blog post. Its a great quote from Dr. Horton.

We asked Dr. Michael Horton to answer a few questions for the Resurgence. One question was,

"What does your Bible time look like?"

Here's his answer:

For me, it looks like a sinful but faithful servant of the Lord (my pastor) absolving me of my sins through proclaiming God’s Word and giving me a good meal (bread and wine), as a foretaste of the marriage supper of the Lamb. In other words, my main Bible time is church every Lord’s Day, morning and evening. Then our family also has devotions: in the morning, my wife leads the kids through catechism and at dinner I’ve been walking them through the Bible, verse by verse, since they were 4. So now we’re in Proverbs! I’ve learned so much along with them just by doing this. My dad was never the leader of our home spiritually, so I’m working against my native instincts. The hardest part is carving out time for my own time with the Triune God. After all, my vocation gives me the privilege of being immersed in Scripture nearly every day! Yet that’s not the same as prayerful meditation—communicating with the Lord. And we all know how good we men are at “communicating.” Pray for me.

Letters From Ohio

2009-08-25T18:29:00.002-04:00

I haven't blogged in a while and for those of you who continually bug me about it, I am sorry. I hit a point since moving to Ohio where I was pretty depressed and unmotivated. I think it was a lot of things...being homesick, the financial stress of paying a mortgage back in DE and my living costs here in Ohio. I spoke to a friend on the phone a few weeks ago and he told me that the 6 month mark is just about right on schedule for people who move to new areas deal with a little depression. Well, I guess I am typical.

Thanks to those of you who have been praying for me, it helped a lot. The last several weeks have been much better. I think I am starting to get into a rhythm out here. I also have some renters coming on for the condo back home. Good news, some of the financial strain is lifting. It’s funny, in many ways when I accepting this position I thought it would be a financial benefit, but then the market didn't help. God is obviously teaching me to trust Him and to make some hard decisions about financial matters.

Great news, I believe that I have found a church. If you’re interested you can check them out here. Now that I have made that decision, I need to get involved. It’s been far too long since I have had any real regular fellowship with the body. The quick visits home I made during the summer were great to get me thru this period, but it is no substitute for regular weekly involvement with God's people. I also made the decision this week to go ahead and join their choir. I need to be serving God in this way. It’s been too long. I am going thru music depravation. To quote Tomlin, "How can I keep from singing your praise".

So that’s the news from Ohio, I promise to do better with this blogging thing. I really want to.

Horton Interview on Christless Christianity

2009-06-22T21:46:00.002-04:00

I know I haven't posted in a while. I'm working up to it. In the meantime, check out this interview with Dr. Michael Horton on his latest book Christless Christianity from CBN.

Snakes.......Why Did It Have To Be Snakes??

2009-04-05T19:19:00.003-04:00

Last Sunday my quest to find a church home took me to another church in the greater Columbus area. As with the last visit, this church also had a "The Church at....." type of name, but it was sort of the nick name of a local campus of a larger Lutheran church. This church has three campuses and they all seem to be doing very well. The service I attended had two options in two different areas of the building. They had a traditional contemporary service (circa early 90's style) in the main sanctuary, and then they had a more contemporary service in their family life center. I was very impressed with the way they administratively pulled this off. So in short here is my assessment......its a candidate.

The worship band was good, but the service wasn't just about the music. Being Lutheran in denomination it was impressive how they combined the traditions of the lutheran liturgy with new musical styles. They used technology, but it wasn't flashy or in your face. It was a tool. Then the sermon was preached. I was very happy so far.

Now to explain the title of this post. My blog is syndicated to a few other places on the web, and on one of those sites a friend of mine made a joke about the title. He knows that I HATE snakes and he knows that I have a certain disdain for churches where things like snake handling happen. He made this joke on my last post the day before I visited this Lutheran church. How funny when the sermon I received on this visit was preached on Numbers 21:4-9. For those of you who don't have a bible handy....

The Bronze Snake
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, [a] to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"

6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

I really didn't think back to my friends joke until the pastor threw a picture of Indiana Jones in the snake pit from Raiders of the Lost Ark up on the screen. I almost laughed out loud. It was awesome. The best part was that the pastor actually presented the gospel. I was so happy. So this church is on my list as a possible place to hang my hat, or at least to visit more frequently. This week I wasn't really feeling well and so I watched my old church online and got a little homesick.

This is the actual picture he used.

Some Churches Just Stink

2009-03-26T21:34:00.001-04:00

So this past Sunday I visited another church in the area. It had one of those "The Church at ...." names. Very nice building with a coffee shop setup in the lobby. All the goodies were free, it was comfortable and they focused on making it feel very welcoming. The building is completely decorated to look like it is THE place to be. I entered the worship center (aka sanctuary) and took a seat in the back (see picture below for my view).

When worship started the band was awesome. They reminded me of the Reach band, but more trendy and good looking (sorry guys). For those of you who don't know, the Reach Band is the band that leads worship for our young people back in Delaware. I was in the band and we rocked.......but let me get back to the story.

The worship was great both in talent, participation and song selection. I was getting very excited that this may be the place for me even though I had reservations about what I had seen outside the service. Then the pastor come onto the stage and stunk the joint up. His sermon was awful. I suddenly realized why the pretty girl at the welcome counter hurried me into the sanctuary so I didn't miss the worship time. Her quote was, " worship is the best part of the service". Boy was she right.

The pastor didn't just stroll on the stage area. He came down and roamed around the crowd like a crazy homeless man wandering the streets and hassling people for money. It was like a bad motivational seminar about finances in these troubled times. At the end he made a "gospel" presentation. It consisted of the declaration that God loves us, and that he desires a relationship with us, and that if we want one with him that we just need to do it. That was it. Jesus name was not mentioned, nor the cross, nor our sinfulness, nor our need for a savior. The good news was...get right with God. So, this church was a dud. I will not return.

In other news, I have to say that my friends back home are great. On Monday I arrived home to discover that I had a package. This package contained a photo album that was put together of pictures of them with notes to me. I have to say it made me cry..... I was doing pretty good with homesickness until that point. Now I am really thinking I need to get back home for a visit. I don't know when/if I can make it happen, but I may be back in Delaware before my planned visit in May. Maybe this is their twisted plan to get me to move back home. Pretty clever.

Decisions Decisions Decisions

2009-03-09T21:00:00.003-04:00

A funny thing happened. I checked my email today and in my inbox was my latest traffic report for my blog. I don't normally check it since I have been so inconsistent in updating the blog. I decided to take a glance, and wonder of wonders there was a spike in traffic after my recent update. I guess if I write something new, people will visit. So.........

As my adventures in worship continue in the great state of Ohio, I am searching for a church. The body of believers I left back in Delaware were truly family. When the Bible talks about us being brothers and sisters in the Lord, there is a real tangible connection. Even though I am away, I am still connected. The notes, and letters, and facebook posts, text messages, and phone calls all keep me connected. I am a big proponent of electronic communication as a means of staying connected, but I am no dummy. I know that it can not replace the true gathering together of the saints. I miss the saints in Delaware. I miss them a lot, but when I left I was confident that I had brothers and sisters where I was heading. I just had to meet them and be grafted into that particular branch of the tree of life. I am searching for that branch.

In that search I have visited two different churches. One is a mid sized PCA church that reminds me of my home church in several ways. I could see myself grafting in nicely there, but in a different way than "back home". The music program is less mature than what I am used to, but I am not sure that this makes a difference to me.

The other church I visited is a larger Brethren church, and it also has many good qualities. I could see myself really enjoying being involved in what they have going on. They have a large singles group and a mature music program. The problem is that they aren't reformed. Now I think it important to point out that I don't feel that they are apostate, but reformed doctrine is what I believe to be the most correct form of doctrine in the visible church. So at this point I am praying and pondering my decision. I am also looking around to visit a few more churches before I make a final call. One thing I do know is that I want to choose and commit to a place very soon. I feel that body life is important, and I need to get to the grafting part. I don't want to spend the entire adventure here alone in my apartment.

Hello From Ohio

2009-03-04T20:21:00.004-05:00

I live in Ohio now. Thats right, I haven't posted in a while, and a lot has happened in my life since then. Short story = I moved for work, and leaving everyone and everything back home was painful. I'll probably share more on this in future posts.

So here are some initial thoughts on Ohio........Its nice. Its not super, and not the greatest, but it is nice. I think I could learn to really like it here. I live in a two bedroom apartment that overlooks a pond with a water fountain in its middle. Very peaceful and calm. I can't wait until the weather warms up and I can sit on my second floor deck and sip tea and read at the end of the day.

Two things I already miss about the east coast (besides family and friends) are hoagies and pizza. They have them here, but it just isn't the same. I think that the mid-atlantic region has these culinary delights down pat. The versions here just don't compare. This is probably for the best anyway, because I absolutely need to eat less of these treats. One of the things I want to focus on while I am here is my fitness. Since I don't really have a social circle yet, I have lots of time to work on me. I don't know if that is selfish or not, but I think that one of the reasons God has provided this opportunity is for this very purpose. I intend to return to DE some day as a resident, and I want to look very different when that happens. Goals.....I must have goals....and I need to accomplish them.

Well, there are some thoughts today. I am really going to try to post more frequent. Please hold me to it if you don't see anything for a while. If this moving experience is anything, it is an opportunity to really have an adventure, and I want to strive to make it an adventure in worship.
RAV

An Interesting Read

2008-08-27T12:45:00.001-04:00

I read this today and felt it was worth sharing with you.

http://www.firstthings.com/blog/2008/08/26/back-to-saddleback/

Thoughts? Comments?

A Pilgrims Progress - Some Thoughts on Talkative

2008-04-23T13:43:00.003-04:00

As I have shared before, I am reading A Pilgrims Progress. It is skillfully and wonderfully written and has caused me to see some things in new light. Below is a piece of the story.

At this point, Christian and Faithful have come upon a man named Talkative. Talkative desired conversation about edifying things about God and Salvation. During the conversation Faithful was convinced that they had come across a brother and fellow pilgrim on the journey to Zion. That is until Christian advised him that he knew the man from his days in the town of destruction and that he was not what he seemed. Faithful decides to steer the conversation in the direction of what saving faith is really all about. Here is part of Talkative's answer and then Faithfull’s response.

TALKATIVE. Great knowledge of gospel mysteries.
FAITHFUL. This sign should have been first; but first or last, it isalso false; for knowledge, great knowledge, may be obtained in themysteries of the gospel, and yet no work of grace in the soul. [1Cor. 13] Yea, if a man have all knowledge, he may yet be nothing, and so consequently be no child of God. When Christ said, "Do youknow all these things?" and the disciples had answered, Yes; headdeth, "Blessed are ye if ye do them." He doth not lay the blessingin the knowing of them, but in the doing of them. For there isa knowledge that is not attended with doing: He that knoweth hismasters will, and doeth it not. A man may know like an angel, andyet be no Christian, therefore your sign of it is not true. Indeed,to know is a thing that pleaseth talkers and boasters, but to do isthat which pleaseth God. Not that the heart can be good ithoutknowledge; for without that, the heart is naught. There is,therefore, knowledge and knowledge. Knowledge that resteth in the bare speculation of things; and knowledge that is accompanied withthe grace of faith and love; which puts a man upon doing even thewill of God from the heart: the first of these will serve thetalker; but without the other the true Christian is not content."Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shallobserve it with my whole heart." [Ps. 119:34]
TALKATIVE. You lie at the catch again; this is not for edification.
FAITHFUL. Well, if you please, propound another sign how this work of grace discovereth itself where it is.
TALKATIVE. Not I, for I see we shall not agree.

This exchange has reminded me that although there are those in the visible church who have great knowledge of the gospel message, they are not actually Christians. I work with the teens in my church. Many of them have been raised in the church and they know more about the Bible than some pastors of other churches (the liberal ones….ha ha). Anyway, when you strip it all away it is just what knowledge. To paraphrase John MacArthur, hey haven’t made Jesus Lord. They aren’t living out there faith in fear and trembling and that leads me to believe that they have no faith……just knowledge.

This goes way beyond the teens I know. I feel that there are adults in my life where this may be the same thing. Is this judgmental….a little I guess, but the passage above reminds me that these conversations need to be had. We need to talk to those in our lives about such things to either help them strengthen their faith or to understand where they are so we know how to best interact (read: evangelize) with them. Of course all of this should be wrapped in respect and love, and we are not to walk around quizzing everyone like some crazed all knowing super spiritual Christian. We are to look for the opportunity and enter the conversation wisely.

Interestingly, the answer Talkative gives is very familiar. Is this what we are afraid of? To disagree? Something to think about.

Again, I highly recommend reading Pilgrims Progress. It looks daunting, but I read it in small chunks. There is a site called dailylit.com. You can go there and sign up for free and every day (or every other day) or once a week they will send you an email with part of the book. It usually takes me 5 minutes to really read and digest what they have sent. These books are all out of copyright so it is perfectly legal to read them for free this way. Check it out.

Pilgrims Progress

2008-04-05T22:33:00.003-04:00

I have been reading Pilgrims Progress. I purchased it several years ago. At that time an older man that was mentoring me said "you'll never finish it." He apparantly had a problem with books that are not written in the modern tounge. Anyway, I got distracted and put it down. I have recently started again and am determined to finish. I find that if I take it in small chunks I can really reflect on the story and what it is saying. Anyway, here is a little something I took from it...this is a song Christian sings as he is coming out of the valley of the shadow of death, after he has encountered Pagan and Pope. Enjoy!

O world of wonders! (I can say no less),
That I should be preserved in that distress
That I have met with here! O blessed be
That hand that from it hath deliver'd me!
Dangers in darkness, devils, hell, and sin
Did compass me, while I this vale was in:
Yea, snares, and pits, and traps, and nets, did lie
My path about, that worthless, silly I
Might have been catch'd, entangled, and cast down;
But since I live, let JESUS wear the crown.

Are You Serious?!?!

2008-03-05T10:17:00.002-05:00

Well, I have been lax in posting again, but I think I have an excuse. I have been faced with some major life changing decisions lately. Let me start from the beginning.....

I have previously written about the things happening at my job. I work for a major American life insurance company, and they are consolidating some operations. In that post I shared that I had somewhere between now and 18 months before my job would be phased out and moved to Columbus Ohio. I did what every person in that position should do; I started the process of finding another job. Delaware has some good opportunities, and I just needed to find the right one. I had plenty of time because I was sure that I would be safe for about a year.

About three weeks after the big announcement, I was called into our director’s office. She wanted to know what my plans were for the future. I told her that I was looking around. I anticipated that she was going to offer me some sort of incentive to stay till the end. This is a common practice for companies to offer cash bonuses if you don't jump ship before they have moved your function. To my surprise, she said that my company wanted to keep me. They offered me a promotion as well. The caveat was that I would have to move to Ohio. The package was attractive, and I advised I needed to think about it. She told me that her boss in Columbus was going to be in town the next day and that I should talk to her about it.

I had the meeting and the info was very interesting. She advised me that I didn't have to move for a while (at least 6 months, maybe a year), and that I had two weeks to think about it. Wow, I needed to make that decision in two weeks. There was MUCH about this deal that was attractive.

Now I am not the sort of person who makes life decisions on a whim, so I really began to think about it, and pray. I sought advice from those that I respect and those that love me. The reactions were very consistent. They went something like this....."We/I love you and don't want you to be out of my/our lives, but this seems to really be a good opportunity for you and it seems that God is leading you there." I also went to my family, who immediately said I should go (insert joke here).

So after much thought I made the decision to accept the job. I will be moving to Columbus Ohio sometime in the next 6-9 months. I'm excited, and a little nervous. I have never lived anywhere outside of the same 10 square mile are area in DE. I never went away to college, or spent a summer living at camp. I am really looking forward to what God has in store for me.

My plan is to dedicate two years of my life to this. At the end of two years I will evaluate the decision and if God is leading me back to Delaware, then I will return. This is really going to be an adventure in worship. Pray for me.

A Thing Happened at Work Today

2008-01-14T15:46:00.000-05:00

So today as I entered the building a strange feeling was the air. I didn't exactly know what it was, but it felt ominous. Certain people had a strange knowing looks in their eyes and others just looked like they hated their jobs or had a very rough weekend. I shrugged it off and got on the elevator. When I got off on my floor and entered my team's area, there were three coworkers huddled in a conspiratorial fashion. At first I thought they were talking about the weekend football playoff games and the way they had worked out, but I was wrong. They didn't look like they were enjoying the conversation. I walked over to a guy who sits near me and casually asked him what was going on. He casually replied that one of the managers in our area had been laid off, or so he had heard.

At this point my area erupted into disarray. There was wild speculation and at lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) running rampant. Then we got an email invitation to a meeting for everyone at 10:30. A couple ladies in my area started to immediately pack up their personal belongings because they believed that they would be able to just grab them and go home after this "termination" meeting. My manager came in and very emotionally asked them to stop speculating about what was going on, they would find out soon enough. There was complaining and a little argument.

I have to say that I was very calm. People get so caught up in their emotions. I understand that people have mortgages and car payments and debt payments and need to eat, but I usually err on the side of not worrying about a situation. It may have something with what Jesus said in Mathew 6: 27-33

27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the
field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in
all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the
grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,
will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry,
saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
32For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that
you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well.

There are things in this world you can not control. I'm grateful for those things because they make me depend on Christ more. If I could control everything what need would I have for a Savior? I'm not saying that I never worry, but I worry much less than those with no hope.

So we had our meeting at 10:30, and we were told that 15 people got 60 day termination notices and that the rest of us will be phased out over the next 18 months. I suspect that I have around a year left. Lots of time to still have a job, but also lots of time to rely on Christ and to truly discern what he wants for me. I can't wait to see what opportunities He has for me. Yes, I have a mortgage and a car payment, and credit cards and I have to eat (I could actually do this less), but overall I must trust in Romans 8:28

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose.

I just need to understand and trust in His purpose. So I am employed for now, and grateful for it. But I may not be employed tomorrow. I need to prepare for this, but not worry. I need to make the necessary decisions to make sure I meet my responsibilities, but I need not fret. It will work out to His purpose for my life. Amen amen.

Sabbatical (A return to blogging)

2008-01-11T12:35:00.001-05:00

So it is obvious that my posting has slowed considerably, and then when I did post they were either video clips or little things. I know that this is a horrible thing for bloggers. I must admit that I have been a bit overwhelmed with life the last several months. Some of you may be thinking that a single man with no kids should not be so overwhelmed with life. I disagree from the observations of my own life. I over commit. I work a full time Monday thru Friday job, on top

of that I was spending on average 4 nights a week participating in something at church. I also began kickboxing at the beginning of October. My home life consisted of me leaving my home in the morning and then stopping in to change clothes or grab this or that. My condo became for of a convenience store stop for me that my home. I was getting burned out.

This became apparent to me around early November. I began to speak to some people whose counsel I trusted about these feelings. Through that counsel and my own thoughts I decided to take a sabbatical from everything. I would take a break from youth work, choir, etc.. I can't tell you the last time I read a good book on theology or even my Bible consistently. I think that I can be held up as the poster child for doing ministry work, without personal growth. So beginning in January I am free. I still attend Sunday morning worship and sing on the worship team when needed, but that is a one morning a week commitment. The rest of the time I am focusing on some things that I have let slip. I am taking two classes this semester to accelerate finishing this degree hanging over my head. I am also looking to dramatically increase my working out and health goals.

I have also decided that I want to write more. I have long had a dream of being a writer of some sort. This means that I need to actually write something. Part of my dearth of blogging is because I want to put well thought out posts up, not just quick quips here and there. You will see more of that going forward. I know that most of this post is driving you English scholars crazy, but I think that writing well is like building a muscle. We'll see if I improve.

So there you have it. I'm going to be blogging more, and here is a list of things that I plan on talking about in the months ahead.

1. I want to decide how I feel about infant baptism. It has long been a topic of conversation between me and a couple of my more theologically interested friends. Some are for it, and some are not. I have always said I don't have to make up my mind since I have no kids, but......I just need to explore this issue and decide.

2. Issues of the modern church and how we "do" church. There is a lot of discussion going on about the emerging vs. emergent vs. traditional churches. I've posted some videos in the past with very little comment, but I want to actually discuss some of these ideas.

3. My goals with my weight loss. My successes and my failures. I have a friend who feels that journaling some of this stuff was vital to her journey. She blogs about it and suggested I try the same. It will be personal and I will need to become more public about some of this, but I think that it can be worth it in the long run. I really feel that there are certain things in my life that I either can't deal with or God is waiting to give me until I deal with this issue. More late...

4. Interesting stories and other odd posts that I think I may have a good angle on.

So I hope I can recapture your readership if I have let you done over the last 6 months, and if your new to my blog, then say hi.

RAV

From My Friend Aaron

2007-12-19T15:34:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-18T11:55:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-07T09:53:00.000-05:00

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

I Just Couldn't Resist

2007-10-18T11:20:00.001-04:00

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

Support for a Friend

2007-10-12T15:22:00.001-04:00

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!!!

2007-10-08T16:50:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-05T14:30:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-29T11:46:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-25T15:25:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-24T17:35:00.001-04:00

Part One

Part Two

Three Kinds of Men

2007-09-20T12:17:00.000-04:00

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.....

2007-08-25T21:37:00.001-04:00

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

2007-08-10T13:53:00.001-04:00

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

2007-08-10T10:00:00.001-04:00

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?

2007-07-20T13:33:00.001-04:00

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

2007-07-10T12:38:00.000-04:00

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

2007-06-15T15:07:00.000-04:00

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

2007-05-31T22:18:00.000-04:00

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?

2007-05-24T11:11:00.000-04:00

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

2007-04-12T14:03:00.000-04:00

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

2007-04-08T19:16:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-30T16:42:00.001-04:00

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

2007-03-23T16:59:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-21T22:47:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-19T10:43:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-10T06:34:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-27T18:58:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-27T15:50:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-15T13:07:00.001-05:00

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

2007-02-05T11:49:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-02T12:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-01T11:09:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-23T14:57:00.001-05:00

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

2007-01-22T17:10:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-17T15:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-17T15:14:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-11T13:49:00.000-05:00

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 ....

2007-01-01T23:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-01-01T21:52:00.000-05:00

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.

Remembering Who Is The Boss in 2007

2006-12-31T18:30:00.000-05:00

Its New Years Eve. The night each year when ordinary people think about the future and how to change it. I'm not talking about a science fiction story or a visit to the psychic friends, I am talking about the very real sense in which we dream about the year to come. Dream? Absolutely, we dream. We dream about how to change things. We dream about our hopes and our fears and our triumphs. The interesting thing is that the roads leading to these dreams are the reflections of our past. We look back at all our decisions, some good and some bad. We see the mistakes and missteps, and the successes and the victories. This is a necessary activity because we learn from experience as well as from being taught.

Wouldn't it be easier if we could just be told what is right, and then we would act on it? It would, but we can't. Its not in our nature to submit to the authority and knowledge of another and especially God. We see this in Genesis when Adam and Eve were told what to do, and they made the decision to not “go with the sure thing.” They decided that they knew what was better. They backed the wrong horse as the saying goes. Satan sat there and fed them lies and they chose to do their own thing. “No thanks God, we got a great thing going here, but we could be like you so we'll see you on our terms.” Dumb.

Now I look back at my life and see all the ways in which I jumped at what I wanted to hear, or what I concocted in my own reckoning was right. I've made mistakes, and I've been selfish. I've made the mistake of being a truth unto myself. Dumb.
Here are some of my favorite Proverbs that remind me that my knowledge is insufficient to the task of running my own life.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.
Proverbs 15:22

Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power.
Proverbs 8:14 (I added the emphasis)

For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."
Proverbs 1:32-33

Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
Proverbs 16:20

And from Jeremiah:
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

These verses are just a few that remind me that God is the boss and that my decisions need to be based on what he desires. As this new year begins and I dream about things to come, I need to make sure that those dreams are in compliance with His will.

The Mind Is A Scary Place

2006-12-29T11:41:00.000-05:00

I think I am going to start a semi-regular tag called Strange Delaware. In this tag I will discuss some strange things about the First State and some brief commentary on these events. Below is the first:

Today in Delaware History
December 29, 1983 After complaints of foul odors from neighbors, authorities entered the house of a Millsboro man whose body was found propped up in his bed. His 77 year old blind wife and 59 year old daughter denied that he was dead but said he was only under a spirit's spell. A medical exam found that he had been dead since 1980.

It never surprises me to hear about people that do strange things. Mental illness exists in this broken world and mentally ill people do weird and crazy things. What I find more interesting are the odd things groups of people are found to do. Lets look at the event above. Two grown women live with a decomposing man for three years insisting that he is alive. It is obvious that mental illness was involved here, but who was mentally ill? The easy answer is that both were. What a fascinating dynamic. How did they both come to this conclusion? Was one the leader and the other a follower? The human brain can be a very scary and strange place, and it shows that under the right circumstances and with the right stressors we can convince our of just about anything. Could these women have both been fully functional members of society until the father died? It is scary to think that at some point in your life, things could take such a dramatic twist.

Are You A Christian Or A Christ Follower

2006-12-17T22:40:00.000-05:00

OK, I came across this video and it provoked some thought. Tell me what you think.

It brings to mind how many a Christian feels that they have to wear some sort of badge or participate in some activities to be a Christian. They need to read all the latest books, know all the latest catch phrases, and participate in all the latest Christian activities. The "industry" surrounding Christian community and education is just a targeted and profit driven as secular industry. They speak the same marketing language and have the same goals.....to turn a profit. The sad thing is that many people think that because they have read The Purpose Driven (insert noun here) that they are fulfilling their obligation to their commitment to Christ. Just another way to disguise works based salvation. I'm not saying that Christian material is bad, but we need to check ourselves constantly to make sure that we are Christ's disciples and not the disciples of the Pastor at the top of the best seller list that week.

An Exhausting Week

2006-12-17T22:10:00.000-05:00

I am tired. I have had a really busy week, and it seems that sometimes the weekends are just as busy. It is so easy this time of year to get caught up in festivities, or even serving the Lord. I tend to pack my days with so many "good things" that I crowd out down time. Down time isn't the only casualty of this crammed schedule. The routine things of life that give us structure get pushed to the side in favor of the festive or the perceived immediate need.

I have shared recently about my desire to exercise more and to avoid sugar. This needs to be routine, but as with many other things it hasn't even made it to "routine" yet It has suffered from my packed holiday schedule like some other important things in my life. My blog is another thing that has suffered. I want this to be routine (in a good way), but running to this place and that has left me mentally drained to the point that when I am home I just want to sleep or veg.

I need to be more disciplined with my decisions on what to do with my time. So all you prayer warriors out there, send one up for me on this.

Is Pneumonia Not Sexy Enought?

2006-12-13T23:55:00.000-05:00

There was a editorial from the science section of the New York Times in the last couple of days. It focused on Pneumonia and how it kills more people each year than Malaria and Aids around the world. There was an interview included with a Dr. who is part of an organization to raise money to increase vaccinations for children. The story really brought to light the lack of awareness of the effect of this disease and how if gets little press. This Dr. uses an interesting method to prove his point. He compared the number of deaths from a particular disease to the number of Google searches for that diseases name. What you see is an interesting correlation between the two. As the mortality rate for a disease increases, so would its Google searches. He had a chart that illustrates this very powerfully. The most interesting thing is that as you go up the mortality rate death toll and find Pneumonia, you see the Google searches drop dramatically.
My conclusion to this? Pneumonia isn’t political enough to have activist! AIDS is attached to a political movement closely associated with homosexual causes and they get a lot of press. Malaria is the bane of under developed countries where many human rights and poverty groups have their pet countries that they are trying to help. Is it possible that Pneumonia just isn’t interesting enough or it doesn’t have a big enough “hook” for the news networks to bother with? Pneumonia kills mostly children and the elderly, not people our society seems to value any longer. Now if only more celebrities and sports stars would contract Pneumonia, maybe we would actually see how this killer is more of a threat to the world than the AIDS virus.
Just to be clear, I am not saying that we should ignore AIDS or Malaria, I’m just saying that we should focus a little more on Pneumonia and its possible devastation of civilization. A pandemic is not our of the question.

Hanging With The Girls

2006-12-06T10:51:00.001-05:00

Last night I had the privilege to sing at the annual Ladies Christmas T.E.A. at my church (GRPC). T.E.A. stands for Tuesday Evening Away and is a pep rally of sorts for all the women’s ministry that happens at GRPC and an evening for moms and daughters. Men in the church serve tea and deserts on china that table hosts bring and set up form their own china collections. There were about 400 women there last night. Not bad. This was the 16th T.E.A. event we have had and I have been privileged to be involved in many of those over the years. What can I say, the women of my church love to invite me to their events. I joke that the WIC committee hopes that the more they expose me to mass numbers of ladies, the more chance I will get married. It hasn’t worked yet, but if this is their sinister plan I applaud the effort.

The Not So Incredible Shrinking Me

2006-12-05T11:57:00.000-05:00

As many of my family and friends know, I had Gastric Banding on 3/23/06. At my max weight I was at 430lbs and as I weighed myself this morning I am 364lbs. This gives me a net loss of 66lbs since the surgery. Not to shabby, but also not what I want. Why am I revealing something so personal about myself to the world? That would be because I am tired of the stagnation. I effectively stopped losing weight at the beginning of July. This isn’t because the surgery failed, but because I have been cheating the system. I lost the lions share of the weight in the first 4 months, and have be bouncing around in the same ten pound range ever since then. After the initial change and restrictions of post surgery, I started to do the one thing that is a no no in this process. I began to consume sugar. That’s right, the Great Satan of body weight management. I do have the ability to consume less overall food than before, but the food choices are the problem. Cakes and candy and Arnold Palmers with sweetened lemonade, these are the things that are stopping me. But wait, these aren’t the only issues; I also have not been exercising. I was encouraged to walk, just walk after the surgery. I haven’t seriously done this. I do have a legitimate issue with pain in my hip, but it should be overcome and not used as an excuse. So I am cutting the sugar and I have begun to walk on my treadmill. Last night I did 12 minutes and broke a good sweat. I’m shooting for 15 minutes tonight, and my ultimate goal is 45 minutes 5 days a week. I will be posting regular weight loss updates and ask you to pray and ask me how things are going. I need the encouragement.

RAV

Take a Bite Out of the Apple

2006-12-04T16:53:00.000-05:00

I am rapidly approaching a point in which I will be forced to purchase a new computer. Now I have a laptop provided by my employer that I can use to work from home on occasion, and I have my desktop. My desktop crawls. I had it wiped and reloaded and it is still a dog. I just finished an online course provided by cnet.com on how to tweak you XP computer for speed and I have seen very little difference in the changes I have made. Its frustrating to me. So here is my dilemma, to Mac or not to Mac? I have become captivated with the Mac and am seriously thinking about going to that platform. Below is a list of things that I do regularly with my computer. Blog Use itunes. Surf the web Check my email Download pictures form camera and phone Use Skype Use Microsoft Office
All these things seem to be easy to do on a Mac just as with a PC. What to do….what to do? I am thinking sometime in February this will have to happen. Thoughts? Anyone?
I am also a little bit nostalgic for the very first computer I ever used....the Mac SE. I used this in highschool to learn how to use pagemaker for layout and design. WOW have things come a long way. It didn't even have a color screen. Check out these pictures.

Cubic Zirconium - Cheap or Beutiful

2006-12-04T12:32:00.000-05:00

I was listening to a podcast on my way to work this morning in which the hosts were talking about how Apple has submitted a patent for a possible use in a rumored iPhone case made of Cubic Zirconium (CZ). OF course during the course of the conversation, one of the females on the show talked about how she would dump her man if he gave her a CZ ring. This made me wonder.

A CZ is definitely man made (except in very rare occurrences in nature), but it is also mega beautiful and has many of the same properties as a diamond. In actuality a CZ has more fire than a diamond does. So why would a woman dump a guy who gave her one? I would guess there are multiple reasons, some good and some bad. I think the culprit is that we as a culture have connected love and money. We have place value on love. The diamond industry has successfully integrated into our culture the notion that true love requires a monetary investment to prove itself. If you love a girl, then you buy an expensive piece of jewelry to prove it to her. Does this pervert love at its core? Does this valuable expression actually devalue love in some way? Diamonds were given because they were beautiful and precious, they still are beautiful but they are widely available. Now a CZ is arguable more beautiful, but less desirable. Just makes me wonder. I guess I need to set up a savings account specifically meant to buy a diamonds so that some day I don't get dumped.
RAV

Why They Think We Are Idiots

2006-11-22T00:02:00.000-05:00

Its taken me a week to really focus my thoughts on a meeting I attended from a group that purports to train individuals on defending the creationist position. I have to say that I was less than impressed. Perhaps I caught them on an off night, perhaps not. My biggest frustration is that if this is the caliber of argument that a Christian is expected to present when confronted by an evolutionist, it is no wonder they think we are idiots (see cartoon )

The meeting started with what I am sure is a well meaning God fearing older gentleman sharing a testimony on an article he read in the paper the past week. This article talked about the orbits of certain planets and their location in comparison to the sun during a rare eclipse. His proof that the Big Bang was false could be found in the precision of the orbits of the planets. Why? Because the big bang was an explosion and something as orderly as the orbits could not come form an explosion. That's it....nothing about gravity and the attraction that large dense stars exert. This is anecdotal evidence at best. Now I am not saying that I believe in the Big Bang, but I am saying that if you are going to get into defending a biblical 7 day creation position, you can't use sentimentalism. You need to talk in facts and theory based on good assumptions. The proponents of the Big Bang would say that from a gravitational singularity there was a big bang that continues to expand the borders of the universe. They say this happened 13.7 billion years ago, and that over that time the gravity of larger objects have pulled smaller objects into orbits. From a scientific point of view this is compelling, but you can't defend against it by saying that order can't come from an explosion. If you take dynamite and stick it into a hill and detonate it you will get chaos....for a time. Then the dirt settles and you get structure, maybe different that before but order has been restored. I have no doubts the Big Bang is flawed, but this defense will never cut it if we want to actually compete in the realm of ideas.

The special guest speaker for the evening was a gentleman who was an associate pastor from the Philadelphia area. He wasn't an academic, and he wasn't a scientist. He was a theologically trained pastor. He had recently written a book on evolution and he was "exposing it for the fraud it was." I was hoping that this man would present the scientific approach that was needed to enter the intellectual discussion on the topic. I was disappointed. His presentation was an overview of his book, and it was again full of information where it was obvious that good research techniques were not done or the information that was presented was to evoke a emotional response. One example was a recent discovery of what looked like human skeletal remains of two hands. These remains were fossilized (a rare find). They were also found near some dinosaur fossils, another rare occurrence. Some scientist have theorized that they weren't human hands but large sea turtle fins. This pastor bragged about how he used a google picture search to find human skeletal hands. He then used this picture to convince us that they were human. What would have really pushed this point home was if he had shown us the a picture of actual sea turtle fins, but he didn't. Perhaps they were sea turtles, but because of the point he wanted to make, he only searched the evidence until he found what he wanted. He interspersed his talk with slides of school children and their learning evolution in public schools and a program to take these kids for an hour a day and teach them creationism and how they are coming to Christ as a result. That's great, but how does it expose evolution as false. His biggest argument spread throughout the presentation was that evolution was a natural promoter of racism, and because Hitler, and Stalin were racist, that evolution was barbaric....ergo false. His logic was impossible to flow on some of his points and it felt like he was trying every way to emotionally convince us that evolutions were completely evil. What really peeved me was the way he continually used scripture out of context to support whatever slide he was on. He was eisegetically preaching on creationism and doing the scripture a disservice.

It really shouldn't surprise me. Since the days of Finney the church has been using emotional arguments and sentimentalism to forward its agenda. Whats worse is that the only agenda the church should have is to declare the gospel. I can't help but feel that all these side issues are Satan's way of distracting us from that goal. We get so stuck on extending the general grace of the church to society that we forget to be the messengers of God's special grace to individuals. I know that their are intelligent men and women who are out there debating the position of creationism with fervor and intelligence, but people such as those I saw last week are hurting us more than they are helping.

Mission Alert - Spain

2006-11-21T14:59:00.000-05:00

I am a bit excited and nervous. I have been asked to join a team of musicians that will be going to Spain in February. We will be ministering at a missionary women's conference. What a privilege to have an opportunity to use music to minister to those in the mission field. I don't have to many of the details at this time, but I do know that I will have to raise support for the trip. I will most likely have to raise somewhere in the neighborhood of $1500 - $2000. If any of my faithful readers want to contribute, send me a note.

I'll post more details as I discover them, and please pray for me. I am not afraid to fly for the most part, but I am nervous in flying post 9/11. The world is a crazy place. So please pray for me on this. Also pray that the team would be united in spirit and purpose, and that we would be a blessing to those we will minister to.

Phone Saga Update

2006-11-15T12:36:00.001-05:00

Our mail room guy just brought my new phone up. I feel like a kid with a new toy, but grrrrrrr I have to charge it for 8 hours before I use it. That is frustrating. Oh well, at least I can watch it charge at my desk the rest of the day. Just a random thought, MC_Shann (link to his blog on my links) and I are hanging out tonight at Starbucks with our crew. That should be fun. Last night we went to a meeting of a local group that defends creationism. I have some strong feelings on this that I am definately going to share, but its too much for this little update. Check back for it soon.

My Quest for a Flat Panel TV

2006-11-15T11:43:00.000-05:00

I purchased a one bedroom condo back in January. Why not a condo? I’m busy and single, so not having to care for a yard, and having limited space aren’t my biggest concerns. I just need enough room for me, and the occasional visit from friends. I am also extremely anti-clutter and at least once a year I perform a ritual that involves throwing lots of stuff out (although lately I have a business arrangement with a friends wife to sell this stuff on eBay.) Because of my space constraints, I am constantly adjusting furniture placement and space usage in search of that mythical sweet spot of functionality and style (as much as a man can have style.) To this end, I have determined that my 32-inch Sony Wega TV is just too darn big for my space. I have had it about 1 ½ years and it has served me well, but I need the space. I have determined, after some research that I desire a 32 inch LCD flat panel TV. The front-runner in this quest is the Sharp AQUOS 32" Flat-Panel LCD HDTV. Take a look:

My speed bump in this process is that I am a bargain hunter and I don’t like to buy things, unless their coolness factor overpowers my better judgment. So I have come up with a brilliant (or mad) plan and that plan is…….Christmas! No, I am not asking for the TV for Christmas, but I am asking that those who usually give me gifts give a Best Buy gift card. I know that this will in no way total the cost of the TV, but I have a 2nd part to this plan. That is reward points. My bank checking account provides me with reward points for every purchase. At different point levels I earn different rewards. My bank offers this for free so it cost me nothing to participate. The redemption level that I am interested in is 20,000 points. That would earn me a $200 gift card to, yes that’s correct, Best Buy. I have 4500 points accumulated so far. I just need to use this card the entire Christmas season for my own purchases to build the point total up. My third part of this plan involves convincing my friends who may have large Christmas purchases to make, to allow me to make them for them and then they reimburse me. This will increase the money flowing through my checking account and thus increasing my points total. It’s a brilliant plan. Now if only I can make it happen. I’ll update my TV posts as we go along. My goal is to acquire this TV sometime in January. Check back faithful readers.

My Cell Phone Saga

2006-11-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

So I realized that I haven’t posted in several days and that is not cool. I want to be more disciplined about this, so I have decided to share some more details about my cell phone saga. Let me go back to the beginning of the story. Last Christmas my mom and dad gave me some gift cards from Cingular so that I could apply them to the purchase of a Blackberry. I spend time doing research on what I had a need for and all the Smart Phones that could do what I wanted. At the end of this journey I decided I really had no need for a Blackberry, especially when you had another $50 added to your monthly service charge for its data package. Then I became enamored with the Sony Erickson w600i (see picture below).

It had a cool interface, and nifty camera, could play music and had a function that synced up with a calendar in outlook. I thought this phone would satisfy my needs. It also had no required data plan, so I purchased it using the gift cards (this is another story about how I couldn’t get them to accept the cards, but I won’t go into that). One of the cool features of the phone is the way it opens. It’s what is called a swivel. You can see how it opens in the picture. So the phone served me well, but I failed to use the calendar function because I really didn’t like the interface. The phone, camera and music player were all nice, but I really found that my iPod is superior in every way to this music phone in usability and quality. I loooove my iPod. But I also liked my new phone. So the year went by, and it became apparent that I really am too busy in my personal and business life to not have a PDA.

I started researching stand-alone devices and thinking about what I would get. I would get a stand-alone device because I had a phone I liked and an iPod for my music. I was thinking about making the move on the PDA sometime in December hoping to get a bargain with Christmas shopping, and then my plans changed dramatically. On Thursday of last week, I went to open my phone and it didn’t want to open. It was stuck halfway thru. So I closed it and tried again and it opened. I thought…”that’s weird.” SO I used it and then by the end of the call I forgot about the whole thing (I can be forgetful sometimes). Later I went to use it again and when I pushed with my thumb to open it, it snapped apart. Frustrating!!! So I called my provider and they said that it was sad that I didn’t have insurance and the phone was not under warranty for that issue. So this meant that I needed to get a new phone, but as I thought about this I also realized that it was another opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. I started researching Smart Phones again. It had been a year and some of the things that I didn’t like were less of an issue, although I still did not want a Blackberry. I was determined that I wasn’t going to get something the size of a brick that I had to hold up to my ear. Thank goodness Cingular has just come out with their first flip smart phone (pictured below).

It is a computer in a phone, isn’t the size of a brick, and has all the functions I am looking for. The better news is that I discovered that my employer has a relationship with Cingular. This meant that I could go to the Cingular Business Premier website and they had special phone upgrade offers for me. I checked the local store and the phone (Cingualr 3125) listed at $450.00. Although I wanted it, I was not willing to pay that amount, but as with most cell providers you can get a better deal. I called and they quoted my $430.00, still not low enough. The premiere website listed it at 250.00 as part of my employee discount, and then as I singed up for a contract extension the price dropped to $128.00. I ordered it and it should arrive in a day or two. In the meantime I took my simm card out and put it into my moms cell phone, since she hardly uses hers. I had to do this because other than Skype I have no phone in my home. The only other frustrating part of this story is that it took my 3 days to order the phone online because Cingulars business premier website was up and down. The odyssey is almost over thank God. Now I just need to figure out what I should take from this situation because we learn from everything.

Shouldn't I Worry?

2006-11-08T13:15:00.000-05:00

So I went out for coffee with some friends last night. We didn't talk about the elections at all. Does that make us irresponsible Christians? Shouldn't we be worried about who runs this country? Shouldn't we be frantically watching election results roll in and be on our knees praying that George Allen pulls it out in VA? I would say no. We must trust in the Lord. He is sovereign over the governments of the world. As citizens we have a responsibility to vote, and as Christians we have the responsibility to have our decision informed by godly principles. After we exercise that right, we are not to worry. Be not anxious brothers and sisters. For His own purposes, God wanted Nancy Pelossi to be the speaker of the house, and he wanted Beau Biden to be Delaware's Attorney General. I plan on writing more about my political views as they relate to politics in a day or two, but wanted to put a message out to calm down those who are spitting mad right now.

Holding Out For A Hero

2006-11-02T15:05:00.000-05:00

I have been invited to a costume party on Saturday night at my friend KrebstarXXL's house. He lives there with his cousin. They throw parties 2 –3 times a year and it's always a good time. They have a room about 10x12 that they cram everyone into for dancing. They both love the Lord, so the parties are pretty safe. Even so, they don't shy away from inviting non-Christians to the affair. What a fertile ground to form relationships with non-believers that can be used as steps to sharing the gospel with them.

These parties usually have a theme involved. As I said, this one is a costume party. We are required to show up dressed as a superhero. I'm holding out for an idea of what hero to go as. I mean lets be frank, I do not have a superhero build. I'm sure one will come to me. I have noticed that Superheroes are the latest pop culture phenomenon to find its way into every part of our lives. There is a hit TV show about them, several movies recently have raked in big bucks and I even read an article the other day about a superhero appearing on a daytime soap opera. Could this say something about our culture? I'm sure some sociologist has a theory related to some political or geopolitical agenda that causes us to crave heroes. I also assume that there are Christians who would make an argument that we are seeking someone to save us. I'm not going to jump onto either bandwagon, but wanted to make the observation that there is something that causes us to find enjoyment in elevating individuals (fictional and not) to a place of hero status. We all want someone to look up to and someone who can right the wrongs that we feel powerless to oppose. I know who my heroes are, do you?

Harvey Cedars In A Nutshell

2006-11-01T22:35:00.000-05:00

Ok I was able to locate my posts form the weekend (well not really, just the pics), so I thought I would reconstruct everything here to document what I could.
*********************************************************
Timeline 9:30 Thursday Night
So here is what the stage looked like when we arrived at 9:30pm Thursday night. Its a two level stage. Outside that door is the trailer full of sound equipment and other media paraphernalia. We had a half hour to unload before they locked this building (the chapel) up for the night. It took us about 20 minutes and then we went and got some food.

Here is a picture of Tony as he is setting up his drums. They sounded really good over the weekend. I love making music with Tony.

Here is a picture of some of the guys at TGI Fridays after we were done loading up. Its funny because we came back to the same table at the same restaurant on Firday for dinner before all the kids arrived. Thats Munchie closest to the camera In the background is Corrie and Jubie.

So we came back to Harvey Cedars and went to bed. All was well, until 5:58AM when I received a text message with the attached picture. It seems that a couple of our teens (who work at a coffee shop) were at work already and want to send me a picture of them in their Gilligans Island costumes. They were sad that I wasn't there to see them in person. They get really excited about dressing up at work.

Two minutes later at 6:00AM I got this picture. They apparently had had their coffee at this point and were happy. For those of you who haven't figured it out, meet Ginger, Mrs. Howell and Mary Ann.

Well after this I got up and showered. The Tony and Paulie and Peter and I (the guys in my room) went in search of Dunkin Donuts coffee, but could only find Wawa. That was fine, I drank two 24 oz. cups and was wired the rest of the day. We all met in the chapel at 9:30 and proceeded to set up. My good friend Jim Weaver (Pastor at Crossroads Presbyterian Church) always comes and leads leader devotions for the adults on this trip and I got to hang out with him and two of his daughters for a bit. Always nice to catch up with him.

We practiced some music and then as I mentioned earlier we went back to TGI Fridays and had the same waitress. After this we got back to HC and were waiting for everyone to show up. All the Church's showed by 9:30pm and we got things started. Below are some pictures taken that first night of kids in our group. Remember these were all taken with my phone. I am in the process of trying to get other pics and will add them as they come in.

It was a great weekend. The speaker (Matt Irvin) is a missionary to London with the Hindu community there. He spoke about our everyday calling to missions right here in our own back yard and around the world. He was very real and down to earth with the kids. I was very pleased that our kids were well behaved (mostly). The biggest snag was that the bus was late picking us up on Sunday. We were so ready to be home, but didn't actually get there until 5pm. Can't wait till next year.

Just a quick note to let you know that the one of the left aint no teen. Thats an adult (ha ha aha) . Anyway, check out her blog. She goes by FancyThis.

Stress!!!!!

2006-11-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

I am so totally stressed out right now. I have so much going on. I want to stand on my desk and scream! I just decided to stop for a couple minutes and blog. Here are the things I have going on this week.

1. I am leading worship this Sunday morning at Church.
2. I am teaching this Friday night at Youth Group.
3. I have Choir Thursday night.
4. I have a college class tonight
5. I have a college student who wants to meet before Youth Group Friday.
6. I have a test on the college class Monday.
7. I am juggling 8 databases at work that all talk to each other and at this moment they seem to be speaking different languages.
8. I have a costume party to go to on sat night in which I have to be a super hero and I haven't gotten a costume yet.
9. I need to get a haircut at some point before the week ends.
10. I need to have some reports done for my boss before he leaves for Columbus tomorrow. These reports are a pain.

There......now I feel a little better. Pray for me. I spoke to some guys at Church today about the worship order that I needed to get them and I think I was a bit snippy. I really need to apologize to them.

Disappointment after A Great Weekend

2006-10-29T22:21:00.000-05:00

Adventures In Worship
I just got home form the retreat and discovered that all of my mobile blogging did not make it to the website. How disappointing. Well I am TIRED and can't go into detail about things now, but I will. Check back soon.

Later

Have Blog Will Travel

2006-10-26T18:48:00.000-04:00

Tonight I leave for the weekend. No it isn't a vacation, but it is a youth group retreat. I always go a day early with our youth pastor (now associate pastor) to help setup for the worship and media stuff. This will be my 11th year spending the last weekend in October with our kids. What a joy and a privelege. For those of you who won't be ther, check back frequently because i will be uploading and posting things and pictures from my phone. That way you may feel like you are here. See you in person on Sunday.

Later

Tivo can be an idol

2006-10-24T22:30:00.000-04:00

I love gadgets, but at the same time I am cheap. This is a struggle because I have a desire to own gadgets, but at the same time am hesitant to buy them. I have only owned an iPod for about a year (love it), and I am being driven to a point in my life where I either need a smart phone or a PDA just so I have constant access to my calendar. My parents gave me my Tivo for Christmas two years ago and I have been watching way too much television (not commercials…wooo hooo) ever since. We certainly live in glorious times technologically, but as with any good thing it is possible to corrupt it. As I briefly mentioned, my Tivo and my iPod are distractions from the things in life that I really need to be doing. I am a homeowner and when I am home I have things to do. These things are suffering. The Tivo calls and then I get distracted and lazy. This became apparent to me when the Tivo blew up two weeks ago. Suddenly I realized just how many TV shows that I recorded and then jammed into my free time to watch. In the meantime, my condo has been needing paint, my wall has a hole that need patching, my kitchen cabinets are atrocious. All this AND the lack of time spent with the Lord. All these things are time stealers from spending time reading the Bible. I have felt so convicted about this. I just got the replacement Tivo from the factory on Thursday and just hooked it up on Sunday. My challenge is to not let it become my idol and to get up and do something. I can't worship God in front of the TV. Where is the adventure in that?

Dr. Bryan Chappell and The Gospel

2006-10-23T16:24:00.000-04:00

I have to get these thoughts out of my head and onto my blog before I am too far removed form the event. As I have mentioned several times, our speakers over the weekend were excellent. On Saturday night Dr. Bryan Chappell shared with us from John 3:16. I can't remember the last time someone preached a sermon where this was their text. It was a fabulous gospel presentation. To you casual observers of Christianity, it may seem odd to tell a group of believers about the good news of Christ. You would assume that they already know. Most of us do, but we need to be reminded. We need to constantly be brought face to face with exactly what Christ did for us. This isn't because we forget our gift and need to pray the sinners prayer again. It is because we take it for granted. We grow in our faith as we are constantly challenged. We are challenged by continually remembering who we are (sinners) and who God is (savior) and what he did to reconcile us to himself. We need the Gospel everyday, lest we rely on our own works for our salvation. The sermon Dr. Chappell delivered Saturday night was concise and challenging to Christians as it would have been to a non-Christian. This time with his was a glorious declaration of God's love for the whole world and our role as his representatives and vehicle of common grace.

The follow-up on Sunday morning was quite possibly the best sermon I have ever heard in my life. Our text was Isaiah 6. In this chapter we see the prophet confronted with the Holiness of God and his realization of his unworthiness to be in God's presence. I have never heard a more descriptive discussion of the Holiness of our Lord. I was moved in a serious way. The pictures he was painting as he handled the Word caused me to again and again realize just how my sin has separated me from Christ. Then as he continued he described the hot coal used to cleanse Isaiah's lips. The majesty of the temple imagery and the provision that God made for the repentant Isaiah, were amazing. How can we respond in any other way but to worship Him and desire to be sent on His behalf as a servant of the Gospel. I can't wait to get copies of the audio and listen to them both again.

2006-10-22T15:31:00.000-04:00

What a blessing this weekend has been. It will be so hard to sum up all of the things that have gone on. In my last post I mentioned that Dr. John Armstrong spoke at the Friday night event. I just want to attempt to condense what he said about the church universal and our church specifically.

We need to be inspirational. We need to build our Sunday mornings to charge the faithful up to face the world the rest of the week. I feel that our services are pretty good at this. Our times of song and reflection are good, our adherence to the Word in the preached word is there as well. If I was assessing our body, I would say that we are safe on this action item. Although life always allows room for improvement.
We need to be invitational. We need to open the church to those who are not Christians. This is a tough one for me and many others. Now a casual reader may not understand what I am talking about, but this is really counter cultural in many ways to most of Christendom. We like to see church as our fortress, our safe haven. Parents look at it as a place where they can drop their kids off and not worry about them being exposed to the cultural sins that are running rampant in the schools, malls and neighborhoods. They don’t want their children exposed to those who are drug users, or those that smoke or curse. We create this environment that says, “you can come here, but act differently so that you will fit into our cultural requirements. You better behave. And don’t even ask to be involved in anything, unless you just want to sit in the pew.” Because everything we do in the church is under a heading where the word ministry follows a title, you have to be a Christian to participate. He drew the example of an usher. Do your ushers have to be saved? This is so completely counter cultural to the established traditions and practices of the church. We need to have a spirit of invitation, a spirit that says we want you to be here. We want you to be in this building. We can do this while also not compromising on the preached word.
We need to be missional. We need to view our lives as a mission, and our church as a mission. Not rely on the pastor, or our missionaries, or our staff to do the mission work. We need to be invitational to get the non believer in our lives, and then we need to be missional to show them the love of Christ. We need to present the gospel in this missional period of relationship. I know that there is a friction between those who adhere to the gospel as relationship and the gospel as truth. I would guess that the answer lies in a mix of both. Isn’t it amazing that as the theologians continue to debate, the Holy Spiris continues to draw men to himself. Where it isn’t our effort or knowledge, or sales techniques that save man, it is our being vessels used by God to deliver that gospel that saves. We need to be missional in our relationships, but to declare the truths in them at the same time.

I am sure that my summary lacks many of the points that Dr. Armstrong made, but I hope I caught the spirit. What a privilege to meet the man and spend some brief time with him in the van ride from the airport (even if it was late), and what a greater privelge to be ministered to by him on Friday night. I was not able to listen to him at other times over the weekend because of various responsibilities, but I will be getting the tapes and listening to them.

So this brings me to Saturday night and Sunday morning with Dr. Chappell. Let me sum it up and just say WOW and I’ll expound on that at a later time. I've got to get going to our big finale event at the church tonight. We are having a big dinner and then watching a video retrospective and then singing some great songs. Blog at you later. Oh and if your reading, let me know.

Thanks

GRPC 20th Year Celebration Day 1

2006-10-21T10:53:00.000-04:00

This weekend is my Church's 20^th anniversary. I have attended for 11 of those years, although my routes with the congregation go back farther to a different church. It was a fun time, but not in your regular "we hung out" sort of Friday night event. It started with a dinner in the Family Life Center, and then we moved to the candle lit sanctuary. There our Music Minister put on a mini concert of piano music from his recent CD. It was quite and reflective, and for those who need to be entertained all the time, it probably bored them. I found it to be a refreshing time of just being spoken to by the music. It's a amazing the sound that can come from one instrument and the hands of a man. This makes me think of the detail that God built into his creation. The little things that add depth to life are so over looked in our everyday journey. Colors, sounds, smells, the little things that come together to create our experience in this world. It makes out lives 3 dimensional and allows us to experience God through the context of our senses.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:14

How often do I just forget to look at creation and know that the Lord was in those details? Gods fingerprints were in that piano last night, in the way that two or three notes played together created sounds that could make our hearts rise and fall. We didn't sings joyous songs, or get excited by drums and guitars, but I did praise God through that music last night. I'll blog more on our speaker (Dr. John Armstrong) and the things that he shared with us later today or tomorrow. I think he really threw done the gauntlet for our church. I can't wait to hear what Dr. Byan Chapell has to say tonight.

Bye for now.

RAV

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2006-10-19T21:43:00.000-04:00

I am in airport punishment. I came to pick up Dr. John Armstrong and his flight is gonna be four hours late.

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I am home now (12:45 am). Dr. Armstrongs flight came in around 11pm and then I drove him to his hotel. I can't believe I spent 5 hours in the airport. Dr. Armstrong was a nice man, but he looked tired from his ordeal as well. The ironic thing is that, he could have driven from DC to DE and back again in the time this trip took. Oh well, now we can focus on him speaking at GRPC this weekend for our 20th anniversary. I'm sure he'll have some interesting things to say. I am especially looking forward to hearing Bryan Chapell speak. I really enjoyed him the last time he visited. Now I need to sleep.

RAV

Adventures In Worship

2006-10-18T23:23:00.000-04:00

Adventures In Worship

So at the request of some friends and fellow bloggers on other blog sites, I have removed the registration requirement from my blog. I have also added the verification step though (where you have to type the phrase from a picture in). This will help me weed out bots posting. Also, your comments will be sent to me via email for my approval. That way I can make sure that any nasty things stay of the site. So, enjoy everyone.

Funerals...I hate them

2006-10-18T11:54:00.000-04:00

I have to go to a funeral today. My grandmother’s sister (my great aunt) died on Monday after a long battle with lung cancer. My grandmother has a big family and my aunt was only a couple years older than my mom, and the two of them were really good friends. Its weird to think that my grandmothers younger sister died. It really makes me realize that as the oldest sister she won’t be around forever. I hate funerals. I really hate family funerals. You see all your cousins that you maybe see once every two years. It feels like they are really more acquaintances than family. This is sad to me, but at the same time it feels “real”. I don’t really know how to explain that, but to quote my favorite phrase of late….”It is, what it is.” We don’t dislike each other; we just don’t seem to desire relationships with each other. No common ground in life other than blood. Speaking of blood, I am getting ready to go meet my sister so that we can ride over together. I pray that I can in some way reflect Christ to those there. I am known in the family as a Christian, but they avoid the subject. I probably just avoid them, rather than confront as well. I pray that this will change. Its funny, I am listening to a random mix in iTunes and the song Instrument of Peace just came on. The lyrics that stick out:

Make me an instrument of peace

Make me a vessel of your love

Make me a minister of reconciliation in this world

Make a picture of your grace

Make me a portrait of your face

Make me a minister of reconciliation in this world

It seems that the lyrics are challenging me as I write this blog. Lord let this be my prayer.

So with that I will bog later. Have some good times planned later with some people at my favorite coffee hang out.

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2006-10-18T10:37:00.000-04:00

My parking lot. Kinda boring.

My New Blog

2006-10-17T20:02:00.000-04:00

So I have been using another blogging software, but I wanted to try something new I discovered and it has a great link up feature with Blogger, so I am trying this out for a bit to see how I like it. Here we go.

Some of my friends.

2006-10-17T16:07:00.000-04:00

So me and some of my buds (pictured above) went to a Corn Maze in Lancaster, PA on Saturday. I snapped this picture afterwards at Fuddruckers. K took some pictures while we were there with her nifty camera. If she sends them to me, I may post some of them.