September 2010
2 posts
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"Fear not, little flock..."
“…for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
This verse (found in Luke 12:32) has woken me up all week. It’s been haunting me like the melody of a song to which I’ve forgotten the words. It is His desire to give us the Kingdom. What he asked us to pray (Thy Kingdom come) he also desires to offer.
Have you ever felt like your...
GEAUX TIGERS. Two days and counting...
I just realized that game day is two days away. I need to purchase some body paint, stat.
August 2010
13 posts
Mormonism and Biblical Christianity ->A post from... →
With the rise of people like Glen Beck as political voices in the public sphere, Mormonism (or the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints) has come under the microscope for a lot of people. I cringe when I think of people turning to these voices as synonymous with the orthodox Christian stance, and I found this article that lays out the major differences between Mormonism and Christianity....
Sabbath and Mission -> a link to some thoughts by... →
Brian is a friend and one of my Old Testaments Professors at Asbury. His framework for mission, especially in the reading of Scripture as Missional, has deeply impacted me, and his upcoming book will be a must-read for me down the road.
In this particular post, he ties together some ideas about Sabbath and Mission that are worth repeating. Here’s a small sample:
In the ancient world,...
Public Phone Etiquette- a post from You Are A... →
A great article on setting boundaries on use of your 4G space phones. Feel free to send this to friends you think may benefit from reading it. The Rubik Cube rule is a great litmus test.
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Producing Art: One Priest's Take On It →
I found this on Scott Erickson’s blog; he’s a resident artist at a church in Houston. Yes, you read that right: a church has a resident artist. Why spend the resources on this kind of position/venture? His art may answer some of that question, but this quote from today by Daniel Berrigan, Jesuit Priest and activist, that he posts answers it much more clearly:
I can only trust the...
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Sermon Prep: Daniel 5:1-31
I’m preaching again soon- this time on the story of Daniel, King Belshazzar and the writing on the wall. This summer’s journey through some of the great points in the Old Testament narrative has been pretty amazing for the people at Hope, and it’s put me in a place to preach texts that either have never preached from or would not usually choose. In this case, it’s both.
...
WatchEpilogue to the LOST saga. I love this show.
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Fighting the Urge to Belong
For those who’ve followed along both here and at other blog sites/FaceBook, the Hope Mission trip to San Pedro Sula was incredible. As I’ve talked to people from the team, it is still hard to put into words what we saw and experienced. Debriefing this experience will take a while, and the real impact of this trip will more likely be seen in our lives than in our stories.
As I’ve...
I’m chasing the Aaron Strumpel...
July 2010
26 posts
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“I know that I have began to sound like a broken record, but this week has been...”
– Bo Cracraft, a fellow team member here in Honduras. Read more here.
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His Provision Will Be Seen
Yesterday was another incredible day in San Pedro Sula. Each day we’ve been here, we’ve been in different situations of ministry where service or testimony ended up being tailor-made for our team. It reminds me of how the Lord lead Israel through the desert, going ever-before them by pillar or cloud.
For example, one of our stops yesterday was at the town square. There, it is usually...
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Limes, Avocados and the Coming Kingdom
“The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32)
We’ve been neck-deep in the agricultural teachings of Jesus this week, and this particular...
San Pedro Sula, Day Two
Yesterday was an incredible day here. We spent our morning at a retirement home, praying with residents, listening to their stories and sharing with them. After that, we went into two different schools and gave testimony, sharing how life with Christ has transformed us as people. At one of the schools, we saw 12-14 kids profess Christ as Lord. It was a profound and beautiful sight, as tears ran...
“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your...”
– Paul, 2 Corinthians 4:5-7
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Safe in San Pedro Sula
As the post title reads, we’re here.
The flight schedule was easy, and everyone traveled well; we even had no issues with the barbacoa-egg-and-cheese tacos at the Houston airport. May the Lord bless us with such regularity all week…
Pray for us as we play and share tonight at Las Casitas. Las Casitas is an all-girls orphanage of about 80-90 girls; tonight, we are playing with...
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The Cover Lovers →
If you enjoy music, and then enjoy that music being redone by other musicians, then check this site out. The Passion Pit remake of The Smashing Pumpkin’s “Tonight, Tonight” is a good taste of the goods being delivered here.
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Postings will continue shortly...
…but probably not until Monday. My parents have been in, and we’re having a blast running around the area. That being the case, I’m not near the computer to give the 2.5 readers I have the ramblings I usually do (and since one of those readers is my mom, she’ll get the scoop directly).
Pray for me as I preach sunday, and I’ll be back to blogging after the weekend....
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The Fuerst Shall Be Last →
Sometimes in life, you meet people whose perspective and passion infectiously collide with your own and leave you better off. I’d say that Tom Fuerst is one such person. I had the blessing of working with Tom on the Worship Design Team at Asbury Theological Seminary, and now that he’s moved on to pastor in Florida, I’ve become increasingly happy that he leaves some of his...
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Describing David
I’ve begin sermon prep for next Sunday; with Jeff in Phoenix, I’ll have the opportunity to preach again, and I’m pretty excited about it. The story: David and Goliath.
In my study yesterday, I got stuck on some contextual reading in 1 Samuel 16. After his disobedience and the annointing of David by Samuel, King Saul is tormented by an evil spirit, and he seeks someone to play...
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A Poem By Thomas Merton
O SWEET IRRATIONAL WORSHIP Wind and the bobwhite And the afternoon sun. By ceasing to question the sun I have become light, Bird and wind. My leaves sing. I am earth, earth All these lighted things Grow from my heart. A tall, spare pine Stands like the initial of my first Name when I had one. When I had a spirit, When I was on fire When this vallley was Made out of fresh air You...
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a trustworthy statement...
Monday, I had the priviledge of being a part of the ordination of Joey Fink’s ordination; he serves on staff at a Presbyterian church in Wichita, KS, but came to faith and calling through Hope in his younger days. It was a really special an intimate time with them, and I’m excited for he and Nicole’s future in ministry.
During the ordination process, I kept thinking about a...
The Throne Room or the Kingdom →
This is a great post on worship and what it means to lead it; when you think about worship, what sort of relationship do we present between the presence of God and the world we live in?
Check it out.
June 2010
25 posts
“Grown Men, have you ever wondered why your dad or grandpa was ALWAYS awake...”
– From youreagrownman.com
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Learning to Kennel
Over the last two days, I’ve been learning (through trial and error) to crate train Scout. She’s a mixed breed, but part of that mix seems to be border collie, which means she’s smart and learns quickly, and that helps, as I’m not much of a dog trainer at this point. But it’s interesting to read on the dog psychology behind kennel training and how it works.
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Scout SweetDee Causey
Picked her up yesterday. She’s pretty much the best dog ever. The End.
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The Pillow Tie
I was going to post a number of links that I found that were of interest. But then I found this on Pete Wilson’s blog and figured I was done.
“Let me introduce you to the pillow tie.
Let me show you how this works.
Step One: Access inconspicuous valve.
Step Two: Gently bite the base and inflate in less than a minute.
Step Three: Nighty nite.”
—Father’s...
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