Living in the Past

The other day Lina and I were watching videos of Christian, my son.

Christian is about 5 months old, and we try to take as much video of him while he’s so cute and cudley. Sometimes it seems like we video tape him more than we play with him, which is why video tapes are so ironic. We record video to preserve memories, but can't experience them. What a dilemma!

So anyways as we were watching the TV, Christian kept crying on the floor.

"It's ok Christian, it's ok."

I pick him up. He keeps crying, and I keep trying to quiet him,

"Shh Christian, let's watch the TV."

I put him back on the floor and sit back in the couch. I look up at the TV and on the screen Christian is on the floor playing by himself. I look down and Christian is doing the same thing on the floor. I should have video taped Christian playing on the floor in front of the TV watching himself playing on the floor in front of the TV. That would be a classic.

Quest for Perfection

I'm reading Experiencing His Presence by Tommy Tenney (God Chasers), and on page 85 "Hungry babies just aren't intimidated by the people around them. They put their total focus and energy on their hunger and the source of their satisfaction. At the height of their hunger, they make no room for distractions of any kind. In contrast, many Christian's do their best to demonstrate their independence and self-sufficiency in public worship gatherings. They would never think of going forward in a public invitation of prayer (ouch!). Such a transparent admission of need is unacceptable because it would reveal politically incorrect cracks in their carefully cultivated facade of Christian perfection. In their determined effort not to attract any attention to their need, they've also managed to totally lose God's interest and attention! " He goes on to mention Bartimaeus, who "cried out to Jesus with all the power his lungs could muster" Mark 10:46-52, The woman suffering from an incurable and chronic blood hemorrahage, the persistent mother from Canaan desperate to win deliverance for her daughter, the demoniac possessed by a legion of demons, the desperate friends of the paralyzed man (Matthew 15:22-28). If these responses were acceptable to Jesus Christ, why would they be unacceptable in churches today? What would you do if you knew you had to capture the attention of God in some way? Bartimaeus couldn't even see the One he was chasing. He was incapable of effectively pursuing Jesus in a physical way, yet the blind beggar became the God Catcher that day. How did he do it? ...What did Bartimaeus do to arrest the momentum of the Messiah? Examine the words he sent from his heart to the ears of God. He said, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" He worshiped! With all the passion, hunger, and desperation in his being, the son of Timaeus arrested the attention of the Son of God. Radical praise brings radical presence!

From Sunday Nov 2nd 2008

Christian

Christian is growing up fast. He can already push himself up on all fours, and is grabbing everything he can see around him. He's very attracted to bright colors, especially the color red. He laughs so much, he's got such a easy-going and care free demeanor. I guess that goes for all babies, although before Christian I've had almost no experience with babies.

Halloween Party

The pumpkins were all very good, and at my table it was VERY competitive. I wish I had more pictures of the party, because everyone wore costumes and it was really funny trying to guess what everyone was. On my costume I had a picture of the 12 apostles, a picture of Monk, and a picture of the vatican....can you guess what movie that spells out? The name for these type of picture puzzles are called rebus puzzles, the most famous example would probably be I ♥ NY.

Worship Experience

Christian was very interested in Donna's performance in sign-language. He loves movement and color. I wonder what he's thinking about. They called me Curious George when I was younger because I used to ask a lot of questions and I was interested in everything. I think we have another Curious G. with Christian.

Softball

Tonight at our game was Tommy & Sarah Adams, John Noon and Pastor Gant (retired), and Kim Fike and  Lina Daniel, Chris and his brother Matthew, and Kara Melacronos. I could hear them all cheering from the field the whole time and they didn't boo us! We went 0-2 tonight, wow that was shocking. But even when the morale in dugout was low when we lost the second game, I could hear the positive people on our team whispering graceful words out loud, staying strong till the next game. Those kind of people are the best, because they're always looking forward and they're motivating you to play your best. Even if we don't win another game this season, we just have so much fun playing out there, there's a lot of fun going on, even when we lose. Ok on three...1-2...JESUS!!

Softball Game

I love our whole team. Struggled in the first couple innings versus Southeastern Engineering, first game, 11-15. We played aggressively the second game, winning 17-5 against 1st Pentacostal. Great bunch of guys on that team, the real deal. I actually liked seeing Bob O. coming out to cheer us on, made me pumped up even more to play well. We are definitely getting much better, by the end of this season we will be ready for the tournament. YEA!!

Christian at 2 Weeks

softball

So our Church played softball last night--and my legs feel crazy. We lost the first game 9-10, but we won the second! I felt like I played like junk last night, but Mike F. said he felt the same way. We all go really hard on ourselves when we make mistakes, but thankfully no one on my team thinks less or worse of anyone because of their mistakes. We're all trying to get better, having said that, I can't wait to go to practice to work on some weak points. Like holding on to the bat after the swing. Mike F. says this is a common beginner mistake, thanks Mike for being honest. I feel like a newbie. Also, I can't seem to follow the coaches directions instead of my own instincts, which is a problem. Barry says that a good coach will know your speed better than you do. If Jesus knows my abilities better than I do, shouldn't I listen to Him when he tells me to do something? The whole game was a blast, can't wait for the next game.

Prayer

During prayer last night I was changed. I suddenly realized that I needed God desperately. You see, before I met him that day in the summer of 2004 face-to-face that I was completely on the floor feeling pathetic. Since he picked me up off the ground, cleaned me up, and put a ring on my finger, I've begun to swell with pride and accomplishment, but the truth is that without God I'm still somewhere between being on the floor and on my knees, at His feet. Everything I have God has built up under me, but He's still the same, and at my core I know that my rightful place is still at his feet in worship.

Meaning of the Huge Rainbow in the Sky

When I drove to work there was a huge rainbow in the middle of the sky, or in the heavens, the kind that stretches all the way from the ground and then arcs to the ground again. From top to bottom, ROYGBIV. It was absolutely beautiful, and when I look at the rainbow it's a reminder of The Great Flood that once wiped mankind off the earth, except for Noah and his family. As I pulled into the parking lot of my work, there were many people walking from their cars to the building, and some of them were walking away from the rainbow, but they were still turning their necks around to look at the rainbow. Incredibly, I got to walk directly into the rainbow. It was like the rainbow was a huge portal that I was walking into.

"I set My bow in the cloud, and it shallbe for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth." Exodus 9:13

It was absolutely awesome to behold that giant object in the sky as I was walking under, and usually I think of it without the biblical reference in my mind, and I think about how it's a giant prism effect of nature. That's the view I was taught in schools, nothing at all to do with God's covenant to the earth, or His promise.

"And I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be

cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a

flood to destroy the earth." Exodus 9:11

I think what gets me the most about the whole experience of seeing this huge rainbow is that its so crazy amazingly obvious to the everyone who sees the rainbow that there's this huge thing in the sky. It's so colorful, and unnatural to see such a thing in the sky. God calls it His "bow". I think we should rename it from rainbow to God's bow! The heavens declare the glory of the Lord! I feel like I have to shout it. How can you not smile as you go into work after seeing that kind of thing in the sky! Remember God through your day. Think about how the heavens are declaring the Glory of the Lord. My final point being, shouldn't we too?