Traveling

First person perspective of the New Orleans situation

http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/

Something passed along from my co-worker. Figured people would like to know exactly what to pray about.

For all those who think they suddenly have premium because of this nice new toolbar when entering information…

http://www.xanga.com/item.aspx?user=marc&tab=weblogs&uid=337756991

(I wonder how many will be disappointed someone didn’t give them premium?)

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

— Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV) —

When was the last time, the Word of God played this role in my life? A standard for training. Using it in spiritual warefare… A living and active weapon that has a mind and objective all it’s own? What does it mean to be the bearer of such a weapon and how should it be used?

=+= Links that make you go hmm… =+=

Speaking truth with love

Alone in the USA

Adult Toys @ Amazon.com

Only divorced applicants need apply???

This is interesting…

Anyone else read this book?

(I’m still reading…)

“This may be the hidden tragedy of the gender gap: without men shouldering their share of the ministry load, women are feeling trapped, overworked, and underappreciated. Some are actually leaving the church beacuase of these feelings.

Women cannot and should not be the pack mules of modern Christianity. Men need to take their rightful place in the church. But as we’ve seen, many men don’t feel they have a rightful place in today’s church. Changing the perception is the first step to bridging the gap of participation.”  – pg 69 –

All About Love – Steven Curtis Chapman

We’ve got CD sets and videos, radio and TV shows
Conferences, retreats and seminars
We’ve got books and magazines to read on everything from A to Z
And a web to surf from anywhere we are
But I hope with all this information buzzing through our brains
That we will not let our hearts forget the most important thing

Is love, love, love, love, love
It’s all about love, love, love, love, love
Everything else comes down to this
Nothing any higher on the list than love
It’s all about love

Now they’re fighting in the middle east
And they’re fighting down on Seventh Street
And there are fights in my own house on given days
It’s like something’s lurking deep inside
That Can’t seem to be satisfied
But life was not meant to be lived this way
‘Cause it’s true for every man and woman
Every boy and girl
That our only hope for living here together in this world

Is love, love, love, love, love
It’s all about love, love, love, love, love
Everything else comes down to this
Nothing any higher on the list than love

This is the reason we were made
To know the love of our Creator
And to give the love He’s given us away
Yeah, the Maker, and the Father, and the God of everything
He says to love, love, love
He says love, love, love
Love, love, love
‘Cause after all, it’s all about love

Gods says love, love, love, love, love, yea yea
It’s all about love, love, love, love, love (love love love)
Everything else comes down to this
Nothing any higher on the list than love
‘Cause after all, it’s all about love

That’s right, yeah (laugh)
Woo!
It’s all about, yea yea
It’s all about
All about love, love, love, love, love
It’s all about love, love, love
Yea it’s all about love love love
It’s all about love love love (yea love)

After all don’t you know?
That it really all comes down to love
After all don’t you know that
Gonna tell you what it’s all about, yeah
Yeah, it’s all about love
Yeah, it’s all about love, yeah
It’s all about love,
Love, love, love

=== === === === === === ===

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

— Mark 12:27-31 (NIV) —

English redefined…

with now 350 ways to tear down & destroy….

and a tenth of that to build up, People who speak Americana have to work hard to speak lovingly…

Encourage and build up!

Dad, clean your children of unclean lips. Help us to speak words of truth and love. Thank you for each opportunity to bring others closer to you. In Jesus name, Amen.

To hope or to calculate…

Have you ever thought on how hard it is stay hopeful to the very end? Whether to hope for a miracle in impossible odds or to become cold and calculating. Just hoping for something sets you up for a disappointment. You cannot hope in something without putting your heart into it. To root for the underdog. For a hero to walk away after defeating the all-powerful villian…

Or is it better to be cold and calculating… To figure out the probabilty of something before you place your bet. To measure out the strengths and weakness of the situation and to throw your weight with the “winners.” To crush the weak. To build a coalition of the strong and smart. To rise above the rest in cool, calculated moves…

What kind of hope makes a man step out of a boat to try and walk across water?
What kind of cost to calculate when following Christ?
What kind of hope pits a young shepard boy against a seasoned warrior in battle?
What kind of calculations can account for the Holy One?
What does it mean to say to God, “I’m ALL IN” and to put all your chips into His hands each and everyday?

I desire mercy, not sacrifice.

mercy (murs) n.  

1. Compassionate treatment, especially of those under one’s power; clemency.
2. A disposition to be kind and forgiving
3. Something for which to be thankful; a blessing
4. Alleviation of distress; relief

[Middle English, from Old French merci, from Medieval Latin mercs, from Latin, reward.]  

sacrifice (skr-fs) n.

1. a) The act of offering something to a deity in propitiation or homage, especially the ritual slaughter of an animal or a person.
   b) A victim offered in this way.
2. a) Forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.
   b) Something so forfeited.
3. a) Relinquishment of something at less than its presumed value.
   b) Something so relinquished.
   c) A loss so sustained.
4. (Baseball) A sacrifice hit or sacrifice fly.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sacrificium : sacer, sacred; see sacred + facere, to make; see dh- in Indo-European Roots.]

Bible Passages:

God’s response to the love of man
Lord of the Sabbath
The sick need a doctor

=== === === === === === ===

I’ve been gnawing on this for about a month w/o being able to come up with a clear concise idea of what this means… Maybe because I’ve been feeling like a Pharisee. Any thoughts?

hmm… for you xangans yes, I’m still alive here.

Status update:

I haven’t posted anything in ages. I haven’t written anything besides sermons for quite awhile in my little book of thoughts. I haven’t done a personal bible study in over 2 months. Sleep schedule is screwy. Work is blah. Currently reading Isaiah in my mission to finish the entire Bible. Finally learning to take better control of my finances (yay for Quicken!). Plenty of ideas moving in my head, too bad none of it is coherent. Writer’s block? or maybe I just need to do a free thought writing exercise… anyway, hope you guys are doing well.

P.S. I’ve quit reading for awhile, seems I need to refocus again. We’ll see how things pan out.

Dear Xangans…

I will be out of the office from Tuesday June 28th till Tuesday July 5th. I will probably be unreachable via phone calls, emails and xanga comments. If you are really desperate, I might be found at Creation… somewhere. Who knows… maybe I’ll even bump into some of you guys there.

Good news and bad news. Bad news first: I haven’t done a good bible study recently. But good news is, I’ve finished all the whining, pleading and groaning that is Psalms. So I’m currently on Proverbs in my quest to finish my bible from cover to cover. I’d stop and do a bible study, but I’m afraid if I stop, I won’t start reading again and instead will go back to picking random pieces of New Testament for my readings. Anyway, hope you guys are doing well in your walk with God and God-willing, I’ll be back and refreshed after 6 straight days with no ringing phones.

Until I come back… some more links~

In defense of “pretty people”

Manhood confused (I’m not alone !)

and an interesting article about the development of civilization…

Eminent domain gets karmic?

“Girlfriend wanted, apply here.”