i'm wondering how closely knit the activity of nehemiah 3 and the attitudes of nehemiah 4 are.

chapter 3 is the rundown of who worked where. it reads like a genealogy from numbers or something. so and so worked at such and such ... next to them, whatshisname worked... etc. etc.

i think there are some crucial elements at play in chapter 3, the most significant being community. and i think the contagious community and efforts of chapter 3 allow for the confidence and hope in chapter 4 (where the israelites arm themselves and prepare for attack WHILE still working... some with a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other!).

a problem i see with believers today is the desire to live nehemiah 4 without living nehemiah 3. let me try to explain...

recently, our high school students had a spring weekend. (most people would recognize it as a disciple now.) the reason we call it spring weekend as opposed to d-now is that it was purposed for outreach. ideally, the homes are full of unbelieving students that our churched students have invited. you can't disciple unbelievers, ya know. (which leads to an entirely different set of blog posts!)

over the years, however, we've seen less and less unchurched students attending. (i realize this does not fall squarely on our church students, it falls pretty shapily on me, as well.) for all intents and purposes, the weekend HAS become a d-now. this year we did service projects rather than recreation and our students did a great job of diving in and working hard.

experiencing that weekend, reading nehemiah and feeling the conviction upon my own life made me wonder how many believers (again, including myself) are willing to hop on a plane, cross a border or cross a town to do ministry but aren't willing to go next door, or down the hall or across the room. i feel we want to stare down adversaries and let God champion our battles like in nehemiah 4 without knowing our neighbors and working in our own back yards like in nehemiah 3.

i'm pretty sure the chapter 3 lifestyle allows for the chapter 4 victory. in chapter 3 you work side by side in community, you work where you live and you work on whatever needs to be done. in chapter 4 the community and unity from chapter 3 come to mind, i imagine, helping to drive out fear and lead to trust and increased faith in God.

when nehemiah exhorts the people to remember their great and awesome God and assures them that He will fight for them, i can't help but think of the faith we should live with. today, we believers press on and "fight" with assurance in Christ's completed work and unity like that in chapter 3 is promised through the Holy Spirit!

praying for more selflessness and neighborly willingness to fuel some hope-filled, faithful ministry!

thinklings moot-ichlorian counts:

rod: 35,000

bird: 28,000 with tolkeinian pipe (20,000 without)

bill: 21,500

shrode: 19,000

blo: approx. 18,500 (never around long enough to calculate)

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

2 Timothy 2:24-25

so, even when i'm right, i can still be wrong? dangit.

i wanna give a shout out to the year 1985. it was, pop culturally, a really transformative year for me. not the actual year, per se, but what came forth from it. such as...

ronald reagan is sworn in for his second term





we are the world
i love the description on this particular youtube upload: "its by michael jackson and a couple of people. and its super touching :]"

compact discs

the dairy queen blizzard

the tv show growing pains

a ton of great movies, including a few of my absolute all-time faves:

spies like us






fletch




back to the future




the goonies

some killer cartoons:

m.a.s.k.




thundercats




wuzzles






and one of the biggest, eternally insignificant, influences of my entire life: the nintendo entertainment system

1985... my hat's off to you. (readers, if you're not standing and applauding by now, i worry about you and am sad for you.)


honorable mentions: microsoft windows 1.0 is released (figured that might draw some jeers), teen wolf, disney's gummi bears, jem

any time i enter into a theological discussion on here, i am wary. regardless, i have some thoughts/questions about spiritual gifts for you.

i've noticed in myself and in others that, over time, spiritual gifts seem to "change" and not just via those surveys you can take to tally your giftedness. (i understand that most of those surveys are easy to "fix" or predict because you can answer towards the outcome you think is true about yourself.) but still, we usually believe those answers to be true about ourselves. i used to score more highly in exhortation but now high in prophecy. some other gifts remain as front-runners though. my questions are these:

-do our gifts really change? does the holy spirit really gift us differently at different times of our lives OR do our preferences simply change over time and we tend to do what we like to do?

-have any gifts we find "rising to the top" been with us since conversion but simply rise and fall at different stages of life/ministry?

-does the bible mention this rising and falling of spiritual gifts in our lives?
-if not, how do we justify it?

-can we lose gifts entirely?

-are the gifts we see consistently throughout our lives the true spiritual gifts and the ones we see rising and falling just our human preferences and abilities... (a lost person can take those surveys, too, and score highly in several categories)

-would it be more beneficial to survey OTHERS about our spiritual gifts?! ha

anyway, just some thoughts. we'll be addressing some of this, specifically, at our high school retreat next weekend but i'm wondering these things myself!

our student ministry's promo videos now have a home on youtube! check them out here. (copyright infringement probably abounds, but please don't call the popo... paul quoted other writers in the bible.)


here are a couple of my faves (and not just because i'm in them... promise):



*couple of insider jokes that aren't too hard to "get" here: adam really hasn't interned with us or lived in houston since 2005 but was home for some special occasion when we made the video and riley is 18 now (and not 3 feet tall).

and (after that) if you're tempted to think we're not original:

ok, so just a quick update... watch me for the changes and uh, try to keep up...

my home computer died, great christmas with the fam, good to see my bro, becky, and the girls, pleasant "surprise" visit from my cousin justin, got to moot (missed the last one) and even tried to participate in non-movie discussion this time, uncle danny brought the best tasting smoked turkey i've ever tasted and rambled entertainingly about texas history as usual, new year's in dallas (avatar, the village church, lame bowl game), da bomb's wedding in arkansas, back to work (not an easy adjustment), replaced dead computer, washer and dryer should be coming tomorrow, too, grades from the fall finally in (not too shabby), cracked some cases at the college partay last night after abs.com and, of course, national championship tonight!

i won't go so far as to call those all the highlights because there were great moments that i'm sure i'm forgetting/leaving out. i know you feel like you were right there with me! now go hunker down as God debunks global warming...

3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ""Abba", Father." 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Galatians 4:3-7

yes, christmas is a reminder of the extreme humility with which the Lord engaged our world. subjecting Himself to humanness wasn't JUST a means to sympathize with us more fully, though. (but that is kinda ridiculously awesome icing on the cake)

christmas is a celebration of the incarnation. and the incarnation is the sunrise of God's great redemptive plan. the fall in the garden cursed mankind, so the redemptive plan couldn't simply consist of sacrificing the divine Son. a man had to pay the price to satisfy the penalty of sin. enter the incarnation. fully divine, fully man. fully divine in order to forgive, judge, and save. fully man in order to pay the price and be tempted in every way that we are.

incredible. ridiculous. i'm so grateful that God is God and i'm not! that He didn't change the penalty of sin or set aside any of His attributes to redeem us. rather, in His passionate pursuit of us, He engineered an amazing plan of reconciliation. and though He didn't cancel the penalty of sin, He did trump the snot out of it!

it's in understanding this great truth that we can echo the song of the angels and say, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased."

*note the peace of christmas is the peace among men with whom God is pleased, and without faith it is impossible to please God. you do the math. it's no surprise that "christmas cheer" doesn't bring lasting peace.

this post is categorized under "fyi" because:

i'm not a "music guy," i don't think. i can't really carry a conversation about bands or music other than pop culture trivia or what i may have seen on behind the music. like van halen (i think) demanding only certain colored M&Ms backstage or lynyrd skynyrd's infamous bus crash and the fateful flight of buddy holly, the big bopper and ritchie valens. i can usually sing a song about any situation in life because my brain is an unexplainable steel trap for useless information, but that doesn't make me a music guy. i can't play music (other than what i remember from my JH trombone days!) so i can't critique music. i know what i like (most of the time), what i don't and what i'm just ok with.

that being said, i like the following:

Pomplamoose. the girl might freak you out (as she did my brother) but you can always just listen and not watch. i consider her/their sound very "Westburian," as in having musical qualities like my friend, jenny westbury (you can check out some of her music here, but don't scroll down as her "friends" have posted foul language on her page). still waiting for her to really unleash similar music genius on the world.

i would have embedded their O Come All Ye Faithful video (it's awesome), but my brother and the thinklings have done so already. check out their youtube page and get free mp3s from their myspace page.




DOXA. this is the latest project from my previously posted about friend, matt tipton, and other friends who are ministering in the greater seattle area. they are a really talented bunch with great hearts and the desire to exalt the name of Jesus Christ with the talents they've been given. check out their album here.

yesterday marked the end of my second semester of seminary and i've now accumulated one semester's worth of hours! ha

it's a little weird being a student again, i must say. and as i think i've mentioned before, i used to say "i never have to ______ again" with reference to studying for exams/quizzes/etc. , doing homework, papers and the like. famous last words, of course.

in a couple of my classes there were guys graduating this semester. kudos to them. i can't even imagine being that close to finishing.

"one [semester] at a time, sweet Jesus"

if a ministry/bible study/church/etc. is "not deep enough," how would you define that? what = deep, in other words?

i have my thoughts, of course, but i'd like to hear yours!

ken ober died over the weekend.

even though my brother (the only person, i'd guess, who reads this AND knows who ken was) probably already knew of ken's passing, i decided to mention it.

he hosted remote control on mtv back in the day. great pop culture game show that helped launch guys like adam sandler and colin quinn.

(oh, bird probably knew of ken, too.)

-watched sneakers this past weekend and realized it's pretty similar to oceans' 11. not sure why i never made the association before.

-i read this post on the thinklings and just wanted say that, like andrew (though for different reasons), i've had to fight the urge to hate it. it's the "monty python and the holy grail syndrome", i think. it's a great movie. it's WAY over quoted. and it can sour people's opinions when the tidal wave of quoting comes after the initial release and surge of the movie, when the "true fans" saw it. i remember watching the trailers/clips online before the movie opened. genius stuff, i thought. i have to remind myself that just because it became the proverbial beaten dead horse to like/quote it, doesn't mean the movie itself is not still great.

-i find the polar express/3D christmas carol animation really creepy. i don't want to watch any movies that utilize it. really hope it's not the future of animation.

-it's not as fun to remember a funny movie quote in everyday context when the people around you don't know what you're talking about, as it is when there is someone who knows what you're talking about. (i know this goes without saying, but a lot of things that "go without saying" get said anyway)

yesterday it was:
"coming through! got a package people!"

and today it was:
"ventura."
"yes, satan? oh, i'm sorry, sir. you sounded like someone else."

strangely both from ace ventura, which is not something i quote every day, honest, BUT still something you'd think people would recognize.

-i'm not excited about avatar. i haven't really watched any previews, just a few seconds here and there. i keep picturing jar jar binks when i think about it...

so, i have finally "completely" moved into my new house. this isn't my first night to stay here, but it is my first night with ALL my stuff. it's been a LONG process from day one of finding this house for sale. lots of frustration, lots of surprises, but i really can't complain. i'm blessed to even have the opportunity. it has come a long way and still has a ways to go but i'll leave you with a couple of cosmetically different "before" and "after" shots for dramatic effect. i may detail more of the innards later...

BEFORE




AFTER




THE MONEY SHOT



i'm also telling myself that now that i'm "settled" in, i'll be blogging more frequently...

i may be getting old(er) but i'm still young in SOME senses. this was confirmed to me the other day when my mom had me set her DVR for tuesday night to record all her faves. she later commented that it's her favorite night of tv.

i thought to myself, "self, tuesday is the void of the tv week*. it's the one night i could go without and not think 'i missed such and such.' funny that it's her favorite." i ASSUME it's a generational thing. could be wrong i guess.

mom, you read this blog. wanna set me straight in the comments section? ; )


on the other hand, i do like to watch monk and psych with my parents on fridays. next thing you know i'll be wearing black socks with tennis shoes and shorts (like my brother...)




*tuesday used to have house, right? but now it's on monday? i guess tuesday has AI when it's in season. still, thursday is the king of the tv week... not tuesday.

some of you know or may have heard (or read on here, can't remember if i've posted about it... it's been so long since i posted anything) that i bought a house. this is my first house, so apparently that makes this a bigger deal.

it's a definite fixer-upper and is still in process of being fixed up. because some serious work had to be done before moving in, i have yet to move in and have been staying at my parents' house (isn't there some saying about "you can't go home again"?). i'm so very grateful that i have parents who are able and willing to welcome me back. anyway...

i DO plan on posting some before and after type pictures of my house because i gots to give the people what they want. ha

anyway, just wanted to post because, even though it's been official in many ways, it's almost official by way of me moving things/myself into it!

please note that the title to this post means that i thought a certain thought was interesting, not that i came up with an interesting thought!

i heard matt chandler mention something in a message the other day that i thought was interesting and then read pretty much the same idea in something for class, i think (there are a few sources, so please forgive me for losing track).

the thought is this (and i REALLY hope i don't butcher it):

GENERALLY speaking, there are many people who subscribe firmly to darwin's theory of evolution and the idea that survival of the fittest has moved living organisms to where we are today who ALSO take fervent interest in social justice causes around the world. it would seem that these two thoughts are in contradiction to each other. if survival of the fittest is a trusted and necessary way for life to advance, then why obstruct the process by lending a hand to the impoverished? does evolution not dictate that those without who cannot should be let alone to be overtaken by those who have and can? the apparent logic to this sentiment seemed profound to me. and if i hadn't read it randomly after hearing it on a podcast, i wouldn't have posted about it, i'm sure.

now, again, i'm speaking in generalities as i can't knowledgeably contemplate the ins and outs of evolutionary thinking... nor social justice minded thinking. for someone who tries to view the world through a Christocentric, Biblical lens and does NOT hold to views of evolution or social justice (apart from the Gospel), it may be really easy to consider the thought stated above and say "yeah, what are they thinking?"

maybe i'm missing that while people believe that evolution got us here, they don't also believe that it's an approved method of moving forward.

anyone out there have any thoughts on this?

mule train came up on my ipod this morning. it always reminds me of this:

several dudes from my umhb days are getting together this weekend under the banner of a cWc reunion to hang out, shoot the bull, laugh, and, most likely, make fun of each other like 11 year olds (i say that approvingly). i'm really pretty bummed that i can't make it. it was originally scheduled for a friday night, but was, obviously, moved to a saturday night.

with a fixer upper waiting to be fixed up, church on sunday morning and the like, i knew this trip was gonna be a no-go for me. i haven't really stayed close with those guys (sadly, and to only my own fault, i have trouble staying close with anyone) but a few of them were some of my best friends/roommates from a great time in my life. always fun to be around, as far as i remember anyway!

the cWc for those of you who must live under a rock, is the Crusader Wrestling Corporation, of which i was the Commissioner. all of my buddies were athletic and daring, so they took care of all the backyard wrestling while i put my skills to use on the mic, announcing matches and belittling wrestlers (different parts, one body, right? we all have our calling!). it was pretty awesome. there are some highlights here. the "pay-per-views" were non-school events that drew more people than many school events. it was fun to be a part of and made all the more fun because that group of guys was so close. camaraderie was rampant. it didn't matter that j-witt wrestled by a different name every time he came out, or that mike drew a beard on his chin with a marker, or that chris thought he killed his own brother with a misguided lawn chair to the head. at the end of they day, it was good times. and i know they'll have a good time saturday night.

i'm sure they'll recycle the same old stories about campus hi-jinks from back in the day but will now also sprinkle in showing off pictures of their kids and whatnot. it's cool to see where God has led many of these guys. coaches, pastors, husbands, businessmen, dads, army helicopter pilots, etc. i'm glad i got to cross paths with them and hope to again some day.

the cWc

my promo pic (autographed copies = $10)

# 1 - pretending certain scriptures only apply to non-believers

i don't regularly read stuff christians like so this topic may have been covered there and i wouldn't know it. plus that blog is on like # 7,897,583 ... so chances may be good.

i was thinking about this a week or so ago when listening to some Christians talk about the sin(s) of others. i am DEFINITELY guilty of this very often, but it's easier to notice in other people. i started thinking about Romans 3:23. i think we, as believers, tend to apply that verse to non-believers only. just because we're saved, doesn't mean WE still don't sin and fall short. we've been reconciled by Christ, but WE still fall short. i know, as believers, we want bad non-Christians to become good Christians, like us. but we often start to ignore our sin in the process.

it's the age old problem of thinking we're better than the lost because we're saved. newsflash, believers: there's a difference between ignorant (uneducated, don't know any better) and stupid (know better and sin anyway).

i don't know if this is making sense. it made sense to me before i sat down to type it out!

yesterday, i taught on revelation 3:15-20. this passage also contains a verse we like to apply to non-Christians, only.

`Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.'
Revelation 3:20

we like to use this verse as an invitation to the lost, but this message in revelation is to the church. Christ's dinner invite is to believers! i don't think there's undo judgment being passed off with this verse like we're prone to with the romans passage. but i think we're missing out on the greatest "guess who's coming to dinner?" ever!

as john piper put it:

It is addressed to lukewarm Christians who think they have need of nothing more of Christ. It is addressed to churchgoers who do not enjoy the riches of Christ or the garments of Christ or the medicine of Christ because they keep the door shut to the inner room of their lives. All the dealings they have with Christ are businesslike lukewarm dealings with a salesman on the porch.

But Christ did not die to redeem a bride who would keep him on the porch while she watched television in the den. His will for the church is that we open the door, all the doors of our life. He wants to join you in the dining room, spread a meal out for you, and eat with you and talk with you. The opposite of lukewarmness is the fervor you experience when you enjoy a candlelit dinner with Jesus Christ in the innermost room of your heart. And when Jesus Christ, the source of all God's creation, is dining with you in your heart, then you have all the gold, all the garments, and all the medicine in the world.

i know there are probably myriad other verses that Christians like to apply only to non-Christians, but these two popped up over the last couple of weeks.

feel free to list/explain more in the comments!