Bible Study Romans 12:1-8 copy from my website

Bible Study Romans 12: 1-8

Process for studying a passage or chapter of the Bible

1. Pray to open - Volunteer
2. Read Romans 12
   1. 1 - 8 - Volunteer
   2. 9 - 16 - Volunteer
   3. 17 - 21 - Volunteer
3. Reread vs. 1 - 2
4. Write out verse 1 for memorization, if you finish early, then write out verse 2 or start memorizing.
5. Take 5 minutes to read verses 1 - 8 again Write notes and questions that you can share with the group.
6. Discuss verses 1 - 2
   1. What does it mean to present our bodies a living and holy sacrifice?
   2. What does the word "holy" mean?
   3. What is it talking about to not  be conformed, but to be transformed? 
   4. What is renewing your mind?
   5. How does it apply to you?
7. Reread verses 3 - 8  
   1. What is verse 3 saying?
   2. What is the body imagery about in verse 4?
8. What do verses 6-8 talk about?
   1. What gifts has God given you? and how are you using them?
   2. What gifts do you see that other members of this group have?
9. Admonition - Use the gifts you have for blessing, but avoid becoming proud, because of them.
10. Next Week's Homework

• Memorize Romans 12: 1
• Read Romans 14 as often as you can
• Read Romans 13 - 16 at least once.
• Write down at least 1 question and 1 insight to share.

The notes below were my notes from the time in the Bible study that we had yesterday:

Romans 12: 1 - 2

"I urge you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

God's will - good, acceptable and perfect

Sound judgment of self based on faith level 

all different, but one body

What is/are your gift/s?

9 - Hate evil, cling to what is good

11 Not lazy. but fervent

12 rejoicing, persevering, devoted

13 contributing, giving, hospitality

14 Bless, don't curse

then went back to group discussion

Someone in the group brought up this discussion verse 1 - Body and Spirit not separated - God focuses on the whole being

Every single moment an offering

We then ran out of time and I shared the rest of the questions and that I would send them out to the group and closed in prayer.

Copy of Save Olympic Wrestling from 1stthingfirst.ning.com

This is a group that I was added to by a friend that I want to share with you. Many of you probably have very little connection to wrestling, you may not understand the sport or even watch it, but for me it has had a deep impact on my life.

I started wrestling when I was 7 or 8 and wrestled competitively up through my freshman year in college. Though I never pursued competing in the Olympics, it was always that goal far off that could be a possibility if I or others put the commitment into reaching that goal.

I have had the opportunity to coach wrestlers who have gone on to be national champions with both stories of joy and of immense sadness. The sport of wrestling has had bad points as well as good points over the years as many other sports definitely have.

The school where I attended for college has dropped the sport as they looked for a more lucrative sport to replace it. Now the Olympics are considering dropping the sport as well. I will speak out for the saving of Wrestling.

It is a sport where just about anyone can participate whether small or large. It gives a place for those who may not be big a level playing field as they compete against people who are their own size. For me this was important as I would never have been big enough for sports such as football or basketball, but wrestling gave me a chance to excel.

Please speak out and consider joining this group.

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Dylan Thomas

Thanks for reading this.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/160048430814195/

Thoughts on life and changes

God is Good!

I have not written a post in about a month or more, but wanted to write one today.  Life has been fast and furious as I have been working on the creation of a Christian Social Network.  It has not been a straight path forward and at times, my resolve has been tested.  I am thankful for the many connections that have been made over the past three months and look forward to continued contact in the months and years ahead.  We have a website name and it is going to be developed as God sends resources and time to the people that are involved.  The domain is 1G1C1B.com it is in very very early stages, but will be gradually updated over time.  I am planning to have a blog available on there very shortly and will probably move my blog over there once it is ready.  1stThingfirst.ning.com will be up for maybe a month more, but will soon be abandoned as the limitations that we found in it led us to decide to pursue another route.

God has given me amazing opportunities to be involved in people's lives and to communicate His truth to them.  He has given me opportunities with both believers and unbelievers in Church, Community Group, Focus, Bible Study, Discipleship Group, FamilyWorks Ministries, and a Hindi Congregation, and Child Evangelism Fellowship.  The list is long of the opportunities.  Someone this week commented on the need to focus in my efforts and so I may seek God's direction on how he wants me to focus my energy in ministry.

The greatest need I see that I might be able to fill is in relation to Child Evangelism Fellowship.  They are having focus cities that they concentrate on each summer now for a two week stretch.  Last year was Minneapolis St. Paul.   This year is Denver and next year is Portland.  This is an area that I see a huge need that I think God has gifted me to contribute to filling that need.

My experience with Child Evangelism Fellowship is extensive as I went to camp as a camper from 7-12 years old.  I experienced assurance of salvation while at a CEF Camp, Camp Good News, when I was 11 I believe.  When I was thirteen and through the rest of Middle School and High School I served with CEF during the summers in middle school for three weeks each while attending Christian Youth in Action.  In High School, I served as a summer missionary for CEF for three entire summers.  I cannot put into words the impact that it had on me, but it is a lifelong impact that still impacts me and my faith.

My favorite quote outside of biblical quotes comes from a missionary story that I taught while in CEF.  "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply."  Hudson Taylor.  This quote has challenged me recently and encourages me as I seek to follow and love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.  I trust that God will provide as I do what He calls me to do in His way.  Sometimes that is difficult to discern if we let things of this world distract us from our first love.  I am truly seeking to listen to what God says while listening to counsel that sharpens my thinking.

Did I mention, 'God is sooo good!"?

I am moving this weekend to a beautiful new place that I think will be a great blessing.  It was provided so quickly and will be less expensive than my previous place.  One of my friends lives there and I have gotten a chance to visit with the others there and it looks to be a blessing in my life.

As I am writing this, Oh how He love us is playing in the background.  What a great song to hear.

May you have a blessed day!

Grant

Bible Study Method Romans 12: 1-8

I have migrated my Blog over to my new website.  You can find it here.

Of Hair and Drains

This post is a little different than some of my others.  In some ways it is more personal, because it deals with some of my fears and of hopes.

For the last ten years, I have had a variety of health issues that I have had to deal with.  Some are life changing while others are just nuisances.

Perhaps the most blatant and life changing was the discovery of some Bipolar characteristics.  Ten years ago, I went through a manic episode that had impacts that radically changed my life and direction for a number of years.  I won't go into all the details here, but will hit some highlights.

I was completing my Master of Divinity Program at Western Seminary, interning with the Singles Ministry at Greater Portland Bible Church, working as a long-term substitute for Hillsboro School District, and spending a lot of time with friends.  Things seemed to be going very well.  I was enjoying what I was doing and doing a lot of very interesting things.  I was very involved in a ministry that I believed in and thought I could impact in positive ways.  I was getting rid of habits that had plagued me for many years.  I was seeking God.

However, there were some flaws in what was happening that I hadn't realized were there, or didn't know the significance that they had.  I started to function at a very high level.  I was adding new activities left and right. But, I was sleeping less and less.  I would go to bed late, and then get up early, completely energized without the ability to fall asleep again.  Sometimes, I would lie in bed for 3 to 4 hours or more, trying to fall asleep without success.  I had mostly given up video games, but I was still playing a college football game on Nintendo that sometimes kept me up for hours.  (By the way I got pretty good at it.)

Just before I had a nervous breakdown, I had a couple of days where I might have slept an hour or two, or perhaps this might be considered to be part of the breakdown I don't know.  From my perspective at the time, I thought that I was hearing from God and that everything was great.  (More on this later)

Towards the end, I got very suspicious of some of the people who had been my friends and was looking for connections.  The Sunday, I went into a hospital, I went to Church and wanted to wash everyone's feet like Jesus did for his disciples, but that wasn't part of the schedule.  I got a friend to help me and then called everyone in.  My pastor became concerned and brought me in to talk with him another pastor on staff and a good friend.  They asked me what was going on and I, in a broken fashion, explained what was going on.  My pastors then took me to get me checked out and for the next week I was in a mental ward of a hospital. I would be happy to share that experience with you if you would like to discuss it, but won't go into it at this time.

Coming out of the hospital to a new reality was very difficult.  School was done except for one more paper and part of my internship, which I was excused from by my pastor so I could focus on healing.  I am sure this was wise at the time, but it left me with a huge void.  I had been filling my time with Church activities that were gone.  A Bible Study that I had been attending also had finished.  One activity that continued was Focus, an international student ministry that I had recently joined.  This was a breath of fresh air in a very difficult time in my life, and became an area of blessing and is in my current life as well.

After Summer, I decided to move back to Coos Bay after a recommendation from a mental health provider. This became a huge blow, as I was separated from my friends who were a huge support.  My Church was gone and I didn't connect very well with the Churches that I tried back home.  This started my funk period that lasted for quite awhile.  I got to my parents house and started looking for jobs.  There weren't many opportunities for jobs in education, where I had worked for many years.  I got a job at ACS that lasted for 4 days, with my new medicines I couldn't handle the 4 O'clock mornings, which would have been difficult for me in any circumstance, and I quit after 4 days.

I got a job driving a taxi, which was kind of fun, but a little stressful to be driving so much.  One day, I agreed to go in early, the previous day, I had seen a mental health professional who had changed my medication to a different one to try and help me with my sleep problems.  That night I took one of the pills along with my regular medication, but couldn't sleep so after midnight I took another.  Eventually I got to sleep, but had to get up earlier than normal.  On my way to work I was having trouble keeping my eyes open and so was driving very erratically.  I didn't pull over, as I should have, but made it to work.  When I arrived there was a policeman who had been following me that was there with me.  He gave me a sobriety test, which I failed miserably, and then took me to the police station.  I was kind of in shock, but went and took a nap while waking up.  After getting out, I took a drug test for my cab company, which I passed, and went home with a ticket for DUII.

After some consideration, I did not fight the charge, but decided to do the diversion program instead, which was cheaper, and kept me from having to plead guilty, while still taking care of my problem.  Looking back, it might have been more a result of sleep problems than the drug interaction, but I will probably never know the exact cause until heaven.

I eventually quit the cab company, before everything was resolved, and went to work for South Coast ESD. Staying awake at work became a constant problem as Sleep Disorders that were discovered later came into play.  After a few years, I got a job at Siuslaw High School and moved up to Florence.   This was a good step for me as I got to live with my brother Neil's family and went to their Church.  God healed me a little bit in community over the next year, but there were still lots of problems that I had.

The second year that I worked for Siuslaw School District, I commuted from Coos Bay, which I would continue to do for the next three years.  I once again was having trouble staying awake on the road, and struggled with being tired.  During this time, I got a few tickets and one of them was for swerving into the other lane.  After that one,  I talked to my boss and then was able to pull over with permission from them if I needed to in order to stay safe.  This helped immensely and I finally was taking responsibility for my driving.

During this time, I decided not to return to Siuslaw School District the following year.  I got a letter from DMV that I needed to take a sleep study to check on my ability to drive safely.  I  took that sleep study and it discovered two sleep issues.  Sleep Apnea that was fairly mild and Daytime Affective Disorder, Sleep Apnea prevented me from getting restful sleep and Daytime Affective Disorder kept me from getting tired.  It was a complicated issue, but at least I knew what was going on.

I dismissed it as finished and went about my plans, not really doing much different except changing my sleep position.  I was also drinking a red bull in the morning during this time to help wake me up, but this caused some problems in my heart rate and so was an added concern.  I started taking a medication for hypothyroidism at about this time too.

When Summer came, I stopped drinking red bull and my irregular heart beats went away.  After Summer I decided to move and ended up moving to Portland on Halloween 2010 with one complication; the dmv had suspended my license for medical reasons and so I had a car, but no license.

Thus began my Portland funk time.  I moved in a condo that a friend owned and spent about 165 out of 168 hours during each week at home.  I continued in my computer game playing habit, but just at a more elevated rate.  I didn't connect with many friends at this point, but one or two stood by me.  I started to go to Focus again in December, which gave me one outlet during the week.  I had a few friends over from that connection, which opened up new friends for the first time in a long time.

During that time of my life, I met Scott, a friend from Focus, and while hanging out learned he was going to go to Door of Hope on Sunday.  I  invited myself along and went and loved it!  But, there was still an issue.  I didn't bother to look up how to go there again.  That Summer I volunteered with FamilyWorks Ministries ESL Program, which took me out a few more times a week and got me used to taking the Max and the buses.  After Summer I got a job tutoring.  In October, I went to Door of Hope for the second and third times, learning the bus route home on the third one and thus started on my present path.

In February of 2012 I joined a community group at Door of Hope.  God was healing me spiritually at this time.  I gave up netflix and computer games for a little while.  After Community Group ended, I went back to  a computer game, but felt miserable, and went into a Summer funk.  I was more active, but still not happy nor healthy.

In October, I went back to a community group at the same house (Everett's) where I had went the previous winter.  I realized my need for some changes and talked with my friend, Bryson, and decided to change.  I gave up computer games again, which is my current state, and found a job.  This affected my eating habits as well as I started to eat healthy.  I was on uncharted territory in that realm.

One other thing that had happened previously, was that I had started to lose hair, both from a couple bald spots on my face and from my head.  I could tell I was losing it from hair all over the place and the drain, which will bring us to a couple of images.  My doctors had no idea what the cause was, and just some potential treatments, one of which I started but inconsistently.

So enter eating healthy, Salads, meats, whole grains, vegetables - Something that hadn't been in my diet.  I actually liked them and had the time to make salads since I wasn't glued to a screen.  I am two months into this change and have the following things to report:

• I actually get tired at night, before taking my medications.
• I eat great food!
• I have come up with some great tasting meals that I might try to sell rights to.
• I am working on a New Business.
• and Hair:

I don't have a pre-shot for these, but let me tell you there was tons more hair in the past year and a half.  This wasn't something I expected, but has been a side effect of eating healthy.  The hair on my beard is also starting to fill back in.

God has put me in a good place, and is making things in my life new.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, if you have gotten to the bottom to see this.

Sabbath Part 2

In this post, I examine the use of Sabbath in the Gospels, and especially, the teachings of Jesus that relate to the Sabbath.  I will try to give a biblical view and look forward to any comments that you might have on the topic.  I will do one more post to look at the Sabbath in Acts and the rest of the New Testament.

Matthew 12: 1 - 13
At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath."

But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions; how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?  Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath, and are innocent?  But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice," you would not have condemned the innocent.  For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

And departing from there He went into their synagogue and behold, there was a man with a withered hand.  And they questioned Him, saying, "Is it lawful  to heal on the Sabbath?"  In order that they might accuse Him.

And He said to them, "What man shall there be among you who shall have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it, and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."

Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!"  And he stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.

My thoughts on this passage:
Clearly, people are more important in these examples in this passage than the rules relating to the Sabbath.  Jesus gives a couple of examples that show that the person is very important, and that how one relates to people seems to take precedence over the Sabbath law.

• If someone is in need, then it is okay to meet those needs on the Sabbath.
• If an animal is in danger, then it is okay to help it.
• The example of David shows that sometimes there might be exceptions in the application of the Sabbath and its principle.
• God cares so much about people!

Compare the previous passage to Mark 2: 23 - 3: 5 and Luke 6: 1 - 6: 12

Matthew 24: 20
"But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath."

My thoughts:  Clearly there is some special distinction for the Sabbath for the followers of Jesus as they are told to pray that their flight not be on a Sabbath.

Matthew 28: 1
Jesus was raised after the Sabbath, which led to a change in practice for the early Church of when they worshiped.

Mark 1: 21-  28, Luke 4: 31-37
And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach.  And they were amazed at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  And just then there was an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, "What do we have to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have You come to destroy us?  I know who You are the Holy One of God!"  And Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice, and came out of him.  And they were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, "What is this?  A new teaching with authority!  He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately the news about Him went out everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.

Jesus healed and taught on the Sabbath.  Teaching on the Sabbath was a common occurrence for Jesus and He was always willing to heal.  The next passage in Mark and Luke has him healing Peter's mother in law, which would have also been on the Sabbath and Jesus also healed many others.  He continually did good on the Sabbath, healing the whole person through his teachings and physical actions.

Jesus presented himself in Nazareth on the Sabbath,  See Luke 4: 16 - 30

Luke 13: 10- 17
And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.  And when Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your sickness."  And He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was made erect again, and began glorifying God.  And the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the multitude in response, "There are six days in which work should be done; therefore come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day."  But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead him away to water him?  And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?"  And as He said this, all his opponents were being humiliated; and the entire multitude was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

I love this story!  It shows Jesus heart for those who have a need.  He didn't care about formalities.  He cared for the woman who had been bound by something that no one else had been able to cure.  He saw that she needed something that He could give, and He gave it immediately.  Sabbath day?  That was no deterrent to Him.  He showed love and compassion on the Sabbath.

In some way, this was keeping the Sabbath.  For Jesus never sinned as we are taught in Scripture.  Clearly helping someone in need does not break the Sabbath.

Luke 23: 54-56
And it was the preparation day and the Sabbath was about to begin.  Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed after, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.  And they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.  And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Thought:  The followers of Jesus continued to keep the Sabbath after Jesus died, and before He was raised.

John 5: 1 - 47  In this passage Jesus heals a man who is waiting by a pool to possibly be healed.  He had been sick for 38 years.  For many this is longer than their whole lives up to this point for me it would have been most of my life.  The man is hopeless because someone always gets to the pool first.  Jesus sees the need.  He asks a question, verse 6 "Do you wish to get well?"  The man answers in a way that I would paraphrase like this, 'What's the use?"  If I hope, I am just going to be disappointed.  My circumstance is unfixable.  But Jesus has power and volition and He says to Him verse 8 "Arise, take up your pallet, and walk."  And guess what?  The man does it and is healed, but there is one wrinkle.  It was on the Sabbath.  The Jewish leaders were incensed that Jesus would heal on the Sabbath day.  They had missed the entire purpose of the Sabbath.

In verse 17 Jesus gives a response; "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working."  He emphasizes that He is related to God the Father and that doing good is not something that He nor the Father will stop doing.  This enraged the Jewish leaders.  Jesus goes into a message in the rest of John 5.  Please, read it.

John 7: 21 - 24  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one deed and you all marvel.  On this account Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath you circumcise a man.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath that the Law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Thoughts:  It isn't about looking righteous, but about acting in a right way.  Do we act in a way that demonstrates our love for God and for others?

The next passage is awesome as is the man's response!  Please look it up and read it!
John 9: 1 - 41
Jesus comes upon a man who has been blind his entire life.  He tells his disciples that the blindness is not a result of the man's sin nor of his parents sin, but to demonstrate the works of God.  Sometimes our afflictions aren't caused by us or others, but are brought about to somehow show God's greatness and grace.

Jesus heals the man by making mud with his spit and then telling the man to go and wash.  The man obeys immediately.  He is immediately healed, but once again this was on a Sabbath so enter the religious leaders.

The man tells them what happened and how he was healed.  His parents come in and confirm, that he was blind from birth, but leave him to answer himself because of fear.

Verse 10-11 Therefore they were saying to him, "How then were your eyes opened?"  He answered, "The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me. 'Go to Siloam, and  wash"; so I went away and washed, and I received sight."

The Jewish leaders continue to have issues with Jesus and keep asking the man who he thinks Jesus is.  The man gives his response in the end of verse 17  And he said, "He is a prophet."

Verses 24-34
So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, "Give glory to God, we know that this man is a sinner."  He therefore answered, "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know that, whereas I was blind, now I see."  They said therefore to him,  "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again?  You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?"  And they reviled him, and said, "You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.  We know that God has spoken to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.  We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him.  Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.  If this man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they put him out.

This man's backbone is so strong!  He speaks the truth to the religious leaders, but they refuse to listen.  He is unashamed and rightly so as Jesus has just done what for man is impossible.  The man is unconcerned about what they will do to him.  He just knows that whereas he was blind, now he sees.  His life has been changed forever by the touch of Jesus.  The way Jesus interacts with him in the next passage is also awesome,
35-41  Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, "And who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.:  And he said, "Lord, I believe." and he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind."  Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, "We are not blind too, are we?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, 'We see," your sin remains.

Jesus meets the man,, shares who he is, and gives the man a new life direction.  Jesus allows the man to worship him.  Then those who think they see realize that Jesus words judge them and Jesus tells them that thinking they understand prevents them from truly seeing.

Lord, give me eyes to see!

Thoughts on Blue Like Jazz

My thoughts on  Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

Part of Penny's story pg. 48

"Yeah.  There is a part in Matthew where Jesus talks about soil, and He is going to throw some seed on the soil and some of the seed is going to grow because the soil is good, and some of the seed isn't because it fell on rocks or the soil that wasn't as good.  And when I heard that, Don, everything in me leaped up, and I wanted so bad to be the good soil.  That is all I wanted, to be the good soil!  I was like, Jesus, please let me be the good soil!"

That is totally the desire of my heart, as well.  There have been times in my life when I definitely wasn't living like the good soil, and that at times made me guilty, and questioning.  Now, I not only want to be the good soil, but I want to be the good soil that produces a hundred fold.

PG 107 Quote  "But the trouble with deep belief is that it costs something.  And there is something inside me, some selfish beast of a subtle thing that doesn't like the truth at all because it carries responsibility, and if I actually believe these things I have to do something about them...."

When we stand up for what we believe there will be a cost.

Luke 9:62  Jesus said, "no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

We must be willing to pay what it costs to stand for Jesus.  Jesus calls us to be better than second guessing disciples.

Page 185  Bill's quote to Don bottom of the page
"Don," he said.  "If we are not willing to wake up in the morning and die to ourselves, perhaps we should ask ourselves whether or not we are really following Jesus."

So convicting! and very though provoking

Page 224-225 tells of  a story about a person named Nathan.  It emphasizes that at Reed college he is completely accepted regardless of peculiarities, while at any given Church, he might be made fun of.  This is very convicting and brings up the question of whether I would be one of those who accepted him as he is or one who would make fun of him.  Thanks for bringing this topic up Donald Miller!

Final Thoughts:
I read the book after I watched the movie and enjoyed both of the experiences.  Like a friend mentioned, if you want to do both, watch the movie first or you might not appreciate the movie as much after you read the book.  The book is fantastic and well worth the read.

I didn't get his permission before writing this, but tried to be accurate to what he said.
Here is a link to the author's Blog:  http://storylineblog.com/

Sabbath Part 1

So what is the purpose of the Sabbath anyway?  It is one of the 10 Commandments, but many just view it as incidental.  I don't agree.  I think God established it for a very specific purpose.  One of those reasons is that we really need it.  So on this post, I will explain some of the reasoning behind why I think it is necessary.

First I am going to mention a few Scriptures that talk about the Sabbath:

Genesis 2: 1-3  Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.  And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.  Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Even God took a Sabbath's rest.  He started the set apart day.

Exodus 20: 8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle, or your sojourner who stays with you.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day, therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

God put it in the 10 Commandments.  There has to be a reason.  It has the longest explanation in the 10 Commandments, taking 4 verses.  Probably an important Commandment.

Exodus 16 : 23-30  Then he said to the, "This is what the Lord meant:  Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, a holy Sabbath to the Lord.  Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning."  So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered and it did not become foul, nor was there any worm in it.  And Moses said, "Eat it today for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field.  "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none."  And it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.  Then the Lord said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions?  See the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day.  Remain every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."  So the people rested on the seventh day.

God even made His provision Sabbath dependent.

Leviticus 25: 1-22  The Lord then spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a Sabbath to the Lord.  Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard.  Your harvest's aftergrowth of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year.  And all of you shall have the Sabbath products of the land for food; yourself, and your male and female slaves, and your hired man and your foreign resident, those who live as aliens with you.  Even your cattle and the animals that are in your land shall have all its crops to eat."

'You are also to count of seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of the seven Sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years.  You shall then sound a ram's horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land.  You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants.  It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.  You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines.  For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you.  You shall eat its crops out of the field.  On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property.  If you make a sale, moreover, to your friend, or buy from your friend's hand, you shall not wrong one another.  Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend, he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops.  In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the the fewness of the years, you shall diminish its price; for it is a number of crops he is selling to you.  So you shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.'

'You shall thus observe My statutes, and keep My judgments, so as to carry them out, that you may live securely on the land.  Then the land will yield its produce, so that you can eat your fill and live securely on it.  But if you say, "What are we going to eat on the seventh year if we do not sow or gather in our crops?"  then I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring forth the crop for three years.  ' When you are sowing the eighth year, you can still eat old things from the crop, eating the old until the ninth year when its crop comes in.'

God promised to provide for them when they kept the Sabbath and the Jubilee years.  He wasn't going to leave them in want, but was going to bless and build their faith.  Do we trust God enough to rest and trust?

Jeremiah 17: 19 - 27
Thus the Lord said to me, "Go and stand in the public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as in all the gates of Jerusalem; and say to them, 'Listen to the word of the Lord, kings of Judah and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem, who come in through theses gates:  'Thus say the Lord, " Take heed for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.  And you shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers.  Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction   But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me," declares the Lord, "to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will be inhabited forever.  They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord.  But if you do not listen to me to keep the Sabbath day  holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I shall kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched."'"

Jeremiah was the prophet who warned Judah and the Jews of God's coming judgment.  He is known as the weeping prophet.  The leaders of Judah in Jerusalem did not heed him and then God sent them and the people into exile for 70 years.  10 * 7 years.

God clearly had a point of emphasis in the Old Testament Law for the Sabbath.  In part two I will examine New Testament Scriptures and how Jesus and the Apostles interpreted and reapplied the Sabbath principles for the followers of Jesus.

Life without Regrets

It seems like all through my life.  I have had positive times and negative times.  In just about every period of my life, there has been some area of my life which was out of whack.  Was life going well?  There was that secret that I just hadn't bothered to tell others, because if they knew the area of sin, then they would think differently of me and maybe in a disappointing way.

Regardless of what that sin was at the specific time; it kept me from sharing with others the real me.  Because, I couldn't handle their disapproval, nor the disapproval of God.  That was a big one.  I always felt that God disapproved of me, because of some area of sin.  Whether it was dealing with what I watched or fed my mind, how much time I spent on computer games, or some other factor; it robbed me of joy and left me in permaguilt.

This was the case until about a year ago.  A friend Scott had invited me to Door of Hope and I went.  This should have been the start of healing, but it wasn't, because, I didn't take the 2 minutes to look up the bus schedule the following week.  So another 6 months passed before I went back.  Then I went the following week and it became a regular thing.

A few months later, I joined a community group.  I had mainly been out of community for the past 9 years, and had greatly missed it.  Life as a lone gun is not all its cracked out to be.  Gradually, I healed as I got to share and listen to others stories in relation to their faith.  I started to give up habits that were causing me regrets.  Jesus started changing me and I started to believe that He really loves me, regardless of whether it was a good or bad day.  I started to want to obey Him, because I loved Him.  It felt so good!

Then came the end of community group and disappointment, I gave back some of the gains that I had made and fell back into old habits.  The joy, which I had felt, disappeared and permaguilt returned.  Computer games took a prominent role again on my time schedule, yet I longed for the closeness with God that I had started to experience previously.

However, God did not leave me in that place.  New hope appeared with the new community groups that came in the fall.  At first, I couldn't go because of a conflict, but as soon as I could, I started going again.  A few weeks in, I gave up computer games again.  Voila!  I have time.  I found a temporary job that I badly needed at the time, and my sleep patterns got better, though this area is not totally fixed yet.  I started to try and eat healthy after about the fiftieth reminder, encouragement or admonition.

Suddenly, there were no more habitual areas of sin, that God had previously pointed out to me.  Sure sin is still an area that I can briefly encounter, but as soon as it appears, I can confess it to God, and POOF!  It is gone.

Which leads me to where I am now, deeply in love with God, following Jesus wholeheartedly, investing in the lives of others, and living without regrets.  God is so good!  Giving up the things that stand in the way of your relationships with God and others is so worth it.

Do I still have regrets?  Sure, but none that I currently have are related to how I am currently living nor of my current failings.  I have given them to Jesus, and He is able to bear those burdens; just as He bore the cross.

John 8:36
"If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed."

Frisbee Golf in Freezing Fields

"I won!"  Quote made by my friend Scott on my behalf.

It was a fun day of enjoying God's creation with nary a cloud in the sky.  We played at Blue Lake Park, which we found on this website:  http://www.oregondiscgolf.com/.  It was the first time either of us had played on the course and my first disc golf outing of the year.

The first thing we noticed when we got out of the car was that it is stinking cold in January.  As our hands were freezing, we went to the first whole and through our discs.  We actually started on the 8th whole since parking at the park was 5 dollars and we were cheap.  But, there was street parking near whole 8 so we started there.  The fairways are mostly fairly narrow, but there is fairly good area on both sides of the fairway where you can find your Frisbee without too much problem if you are willing to brave the thorns.

We played fairly steadily on the course, while talking about life, others and cold hands.  The Frisbee only went into the creak once, I won't tell you whose, and we got it out with the third stick that we tried so no lost Frisbees which is always nice.  We were able to finish before dark and I saw some cool Houses on the river on the way back.

Scott showed me an incredible view of Mount Hood.  I took a picture that I will try to add, when I can get the cable to connect my phone to my computer.  The picture might be a little blurry, but was the best I could do with my phone's camera on zoom.

All in all a good day and I am looking forward to more Disc Golf outings as a couple other friends left comments that they might want to play another time.

Psalm 19:
The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.  Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard.  Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world.  In them He has placed a tent for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber.  It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.  Its rising is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit to the other end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.  The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening  the eyes.  The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.  They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors?  Acquit me of hidden faults.  Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins,; let them not rule over me.  Then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression.  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Two for the Price of One

I love meeting with Christians and brainstorming.  Today, I got to have three separate meetings with Godly Christ Followers.  What a blessed day it was.

First I met with Jonathan, who is on staff with Focus.  We talked about discipleship and how it could look in the Focus Ministry that is such a vibrant ministry of Christians from many different Churches and staff who are from a variety of mission organizations.  It is a blessing and a good picture of how the Church's mission does and should play out.  We discussed how to make a systemic discipleship format for this current ministry.  Nothing was decided, but it was a blessing to be able to begin the conversation and consider possibilities.

Next I met with my Pastors Josh and Tim and was able to express a little bit about my current idea for a business.  It was a blessing to hear Josh's heart and words of counsel and warning.  The time sharpened my focus and enlightened me to the idea of patience and to waiting on God's timing and blessing before going forward.  It is easy in life to rush ahead and forget God's direction and leading when we consider plans.  It is easy to proceed without prayer, but I was reminded today of the need to seek God in this venture rather than to just rush ahead.  Thanks Josh and Tim if you read this.

The last meeting of the day was with Laki and Amber and we discussed the creative aspect of the endeavor that I feel God leading me too.  It was awesome to be able to share my ideas, my heart, and the potential vision that God has given me as well as to listen to two Godly, Christ-Focused friends bring their perspectives and expertise to the ideas that were shared.  Their insights and counsel were very insightful and thought provoking and completely changed some of my thinking while making the ideas more clear.

Through these conversations, I believe that God has lain on my heart a vision for two distinct opportunities.  I ask for prayer that God would direct me in which to focus on first, whether to focus on both, and if I don't focus on both, who to pass the torch to so someone else can run with the idea.

Your prayers and comments will be appreciated.

First Fruits

Offering First Fruits

Deuteronomy 26: 1-11

"Then it shall be, when you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and you possess it and live in it, that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, 'I declare this day to the Lord my God that I have entered the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.'Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God. You shall answer and say before the Lord your God, 'My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; but there he became a great, mighty and populous nation. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, and imposed hard labor on us. Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders; and He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O Lord have given me.' And you shall set it down before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God;and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the Lord your God has given you and your household.

My Current Thoughts

This passage relates to my current thoughts on what God is calling me to do with my business idea.  I believe that God is asking me to give it to Him as a type of First Fruits.  How that will look, I don't know for sure yet.  The First Fruits is a beautiful type of offering to God in my opinion.  It acknowledges that all God's blessing is from God and gives a portion of what God has given back to God.  It was a commanded form of offering from Deuteronomy that the Israelites were supposed to do.  

Growing up, my parents would give first fruits of the fruit that came from our fruit trees.  They would take the fruit to our Pastor as a gift.  The first years crops was sacred to God.  This is how I feel about the idea that God has given to me.  I believe that it is sacred to God, and I am going to give it back to God.  Whether that means that I lay it all before God, or give the first seven years to God, I have not decided yet, but that is currently my thoughts on the matter.

I totally believe that God is able to bless my life even if I give back to Him the best idea that He ever has given me.  God is a big God who can bless me beyond all that I ask or think.  Today, I am trusting that after I give to Him, that He will bless me.  Whether that is riches or something else remains to be seen.

Giving it all away

Mark 10:17-31 NASB

And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and began asking Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'  And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good except God alone.  You know the commandments, Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'"  

And he said to Him, "Teacher I have kept all these things from my youth up."  And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property.  

And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples.  "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!  And the disciples were amazed at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them.  "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!  "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were even more astonished and said to Him, "Then who can be saved?"  Looking upon them, Jesus said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."

Peter began to say to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You."  Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last; and the last, first."

This passage challenges my thinking at this time.  I am considering starting a business or a non-profit and these words keep coming back to me.  Jesus asked the rich young ruler to give it all away.  He asked his disciples to leave father and mother and everything they had known or had just to follow Him without looking back.  He said, No one who has put their hand to the plow and then looks back is worthy of me. Luke 9: 62.

Does this mean that even before starting a business that would have the ability to make me rich, that I have to give it away.  I am asking God and those whom I respect to comment on this as I make one of the bigger decisions of my life.  "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever lose his life for my sake will find it."  Matthew 10:39

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal."  Matthew 6:19

So what should I do?  Please comment.