Back On The Grid
Okay, I've been neglecting to post for far too long. So I got my family settled into our new house (not all the way unpacked yet) and then I got an offer to go learn the art of primitive tracking. I am an avid survivalist and outdoorsmen so I jumped at the chance and got to spend 2 weeks tracking footprints in the woods. It was a great skill to learn as there are very few people left who know how to do this and I can't wait to show the kids some of these techniques. Hide and Seek will never be fair again!!
I also had another great opportunity. My daughter invited me to attend a father/daughter dance and luckily it was the day I was coming home. So I literally got off the plane, drove home and showered and off to the dance we went. It was her first dance and I showed her some of the old mans moves as well as the "Electric Slide" and the "Cha-Cha Slide." The highlight was slow dancing with my little girl to "Butterfly Kisses."
Big Thanks again to Dante for keeping the Legacy Dad Boat afloat while I'm off on hiatus.
The Pen is mightier than the sword
'The pen is mightier than the sword' was coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in for his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy, 1839: True, This! - Beneath the rule of men entirely great, The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold The arch-enchanters wand! - itself a nothing! - But taking sorcery from the master-hand To paralyse the Caesars, and to strike The loud earth breathless! - Take away the sword - States can be saved without it! Bulwer-Lytton may have coined the phrase but he was preceded by several others who expressed essentially the same idea: George Whetstone, in t, 1582, wrote "The dashe of a Pen, is more greevous than the counterbuse of a Launce." In Hamlet, 1600, Shakespeare gave Rosencrantz the line "... many wearing rapiers are afraid of goose-quills and dare scarce come thither." Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy, 1621 includes "From this it is clear how much more cruel the pen may be than the sword." Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to Thomas Paine in 1796, in which he wrote: "Go on doing with your pen what in other times was done with the sword."
Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Ephesians 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
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I am writing this blog entry on the basis of a really good friend of mine who announced that he killed his facebook account. Yes, that is true, he has stopped his use of facebook. The mere thought of stopping "communication" through the internet probably has some of you in pure panic. Don't fret! I am not here to be judge or jury of the blogging community. The only thing that I would like to ask you all is this: Is the fruit of the Spirit present in your walk, your words, your pen? If not, what are you doing then.
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Galatians 5 puts it this way: Life by the Spirit
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. ------------------------- The danger that we share with this hi-tech world are real and un-relenting: Gossip, Slander, Fornication, Adultery, Lies, Hate, Malice (do I need to continue?). All I am saying is this: Test yourselves and your motives. If you do not see any fruit in what goes in through your eyes and/or ears nor any fruit that comes out of your mouth and/or actions, then confess this to God and cut off that which offends you. Fruit for thought! Have a blessed day...
Esse Quam Videri
Esse Quam Videri- "To be, rather than to appear"
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Galatians 5 1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Mathew 10 32"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Philippians 2 14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out[c] the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
James 2 8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"[a] you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said, "Do not commit adultery,"[b] also said, "Do not murder."[c] If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! 14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
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So what will you do, then, whom will you serve? We can choose to be happy with the gift of salvation and try to coast to the finish line and say, "Thank you Jesus for your miraculous gift!" Or we can say that we want more. We can decide that we want to finish this race looking toward the prize when we hear Jesus hopefully utter the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
I do not want any of us to create this illusion of grandeur that we are better than we really are. Be careful with that assumption, because God will judge the secrets of all men. It is through Christ that we are sanctified and he calls us to live holy lives and to go and disciple others.
So here is the bottom line: As for me and my househould we will serve the Lord. So what about you? Esse Quam Videri - do you choose to be a Christian or rather prefer just to appear to be. Whatever you choose, remember that you cannot choose to serve two masters, what do you have to let go? Who are you going to have in your life hold you accountable? Are you reading God's Word daily? Are you praying regularly? Are you making time for God in your life?
When the World looks at you? What do they see?
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Warning Against Refusing God
HEBREWS 12:14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears. 18You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned."[c] 21The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."[d] 22But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."[e] 27The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our "God is a consuming fire."[f]
Faith, Hope and Love
Faith, Hope and Love
"And now these three remain,faith, hope and love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 Faith, hope, and love, are the only things that have the power to change yourheart. They are the only things that are eternal. It is easier to understandexactly what hope is by first examining hopelessness.
What is life without hope? How often is the word “hope” used? For instance, I hope that I pass thattest. We hope that we can beat thatundefeated team. I hope that I wake upon time tomorrow for that big day…all we have is hope? Can that be, is that it? Or is there more to life than just hope? Why are we born with this predisposition ofright and wrong? Why do we have thispreconceived notion of the heart and sensitivity toward an infant who isdefenseless or toward the person who is the victim and not toward theaggressor? I want you to go back andthink about the last time you needed hope in your life. Was it a time of desperation, or a time forno other lead but for hope?
What do Faith, Hope and Love havein common? The answer is complex, yetvery simple. They are the only thingsthat our eternal in this life. Besidesour creator, God and the beings that he created, what else is eternal? Faith, Hope and Love are more than justemotions, they are a life-song. Supposeyou have a relative or a dear loved one who is sick and/or seriously hurt. Suppose the doctors cannot answer what thecause is or if the diagnosis will be treatable. Suppose that they can treat the ailment, but they may have this diseaseor this disorder for the rest of their life- what then? Clearly, there has to be more than just thefact that we were born, that we will live a certain time on this earth and thenwe die and as ashes to ashes we are no more. What then, where do we go? Isthere more? There has to be more becausewe would not be hard-wired with the heart that we have. We would not be tied to the emotions that wehave, nor would we care about the littlest details in our life.
I have faith that God createdme. I have faith that God is in controlof this life and this world and that in the end every knee shall bow and everytongue shall confess. I have hope thatGod so loved the World that he gave his only begotten son, Jesus, who was bornof a virgin and lived a perfect life on this earth and shared and suffered ashe was both God and man. I believe thathe was crucified on the cross as an innocent man and that he paid the price atCalvary for my sin and yours. I havefaith and hope that he rose again on the third day and conquered death. I have faith and hope (Romans 10) that becauseI believe this that my name is written in the book of life.
So where is love? God so loved the world (Agape love) that hegave his only Son for you and me. I lovethat a God, who created me, would want a relationship with me and that he waswilling to send his son, a perfect lamb, as a sin offering to be in my placefor a death and punishment that I deserve. That is what I would call no holds barred kind of love. Love takes hope and faith and wraps it intomeaning and understanding and gives you security to know that God is real andhe is the one who gave us these three eternal emotions.
This past Saturday, my wife wastaken to the hospital for a life-threatening disorder that we are still tryingto diagnose. They believe that have thecause to what happened to the kidney and the muscle tissue, but they are notcertain to the connection to the liver and what is causing the breakdown inmuscle and why the liver is highly elevated. This is the point that some would reach despair. Some would argue as to why bad things happento good people. I always find thatstatement as very thought provoking, because when you say good people are wecomparing ourselves to other lower life forms here on earth or are we trying tomake a comparison to God and suggest that we are good enough to measure up tohis goodness? In either case, I amspeechless and I am full of tears as I look at my 5 year old son, my three yearold daughter and my 21 month old daughter and trying to love them and providefor them and to take care of their every need.
I am emotionally bankrupt. I have given everything to my three childrenand all of my hope and prayers and tears to my God. To my redeemer I say that there is nothingimpossible with Him. I have asked theHoly Spirit to intercede for me with my needs and my desires. I do not know where this medical case isgoing or where life will take us, but I do know this- Our God reigns and Hislove is more than enough. I hope that hewill answer my prayers. I have faiththat his will be done and I have love that nothing will ever separate me fromGod’s love and that because of his great, miraculous gift (His son Jesus) thatwhenever my time on this earth is through, that I will be in heaven on my kneesconfessing that He is God and His will be done. My heart hurts, my eyes are sore from tears and my body aches from theheaviness of the unknown. However, Iknow that my Father in Heaven will provide for all that I need. That his hope, faith and love in me is allthat I will ever need and that the wife and children that he has blessed mewith will be with me for all the days of my life.
Man behind the mirror
Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you, 
before you were born I set you apart."
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When was the last time that you looked in the mirror and truly reflected on who you were, where you came from and what kind of man that you are. Are you delusional in the sense that you feel that you are a man's man and that you rule your world. Are you an imposter, that is, someone who is someone completely different than what the reflection in the mirror shows. What I mean is, do you see yourself like noone sees you. Do you present yourself to the world as someone who you know you really never could measure up to be. Let's take it in a different way; let's suppose that you have it all and that you find yourself staring at someone who is truly empty. Yes, you may have a lot of friends (or acquaintences). You are deemed as confident and in control of your destiny, but deep inside you realize that you are emotionally bankrupt. Have I touched a nerve. Okay, how about this? Suppose you have a nice job, a wonderful wife and beautiful children, yet you find yourself living a dual identity. If the world could open up your deepest, inner-most thoughts they would be shocked of what would be found: A liar, a fake, a hypocrite. Maybe even an addict, someone addicted to porn, or someone who is in over his head in addicitons and/or debt. Okay, so now we are getting to the deepest, inner-most part of our reflection and now it is time to pierce those inner thoughts, who am I?
Job 7: 17 "What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, 18 that you examine him every morning and test him every moment? 19 Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant?" Who am I God, and what is your will for me? What kind of man do you want me to be? How can I forget my past? What does love have to do with any of this anyway? Through all of this life, you know me Lord, you knew me while I was in my mother's womb?
The time of reflection has just begun. Now for the next step, be honest with yourself. Find a Barnabus and a Jonathon in your life and trust them to walk along side of you. Have them encourage you and hold you accountable to whatever commitments you have made (or in some cases, what vow you have made). Most importantly turn toward the Word of God, the Bible and read daily. Pray continually and begin a relationship with the one who does examine you and has said that you are worth His love. For God so loved you that he sent his son Jesus to pay for your sins and to save you.
What are you waiting for?
wordless wednesday
