check "yes" or "no" (conclusion...?)

Here's what I'm believing:

In order to truly love someone as God intends we must love as God loved.
In Jesus we see the fullest expression of that love. Therefore we are to love like Jesus loved.
While God has had to make some difficult choices where His love towards one pales in comparison towards another ["Jacob I have loved, Esau I have hated" paraphrased Mal. 1 or Rom. 9], God being in the very nature love - cannot help but love.
Love protects with a fierce demonstration of love. Jesus once referred to God has a mother protecting her offspring (Mt. 23). Therefore one can conclude that righteous anger towards anything that would destroy what is loved isn't necessarily "hatred", but in comparison towards the love it is. (I must be careful here as we are getting into a place of defining words...so dangerous in our postmodern/deconstructive world).
These are thoughts that probably should be flushed out more, but for the sake of brevity I'm going to assume you understand the argument I'm making and move forward.

Now my beef, as of late, is "I love them, I just don't like them". I really don't think that statement is possible.

Now being able to distinguish between the sinner from sin is important. God hates sin. But it was in our sinfulness that God was moved to send His son to die for us. It was when we were most offensive towards God that He demonstrated His love toward us. When we were in our least like-able state Jesus was born, He died and He rescued.

If forgiveness is being able to truly desire the best for someone else, then I believe that love is to truly like who that person is, despite their flaws, and desiring what's better for them too.

Not that not-liking someone is an admission of wanting harm to come on them, but neither is it an admission of wanting the greater things for them as well.

Jesus spoke to the connection of our thoughts with our actions. He said that if we lust in our heart we have already committed adultery. I think we can make conclusions from this teaching. If we covet - we have already stolen. If we hate - we have already murdered. If we do not trust God - we have committed idolatry (putting faith in something higher than God). If we don't like someone - we hate them.

To love like Jesus I think we must see a person as God sees them, created uniquely and with purpose and value. Significant. Beautiful. Treasured.

Can I like someone enough to love them?

I'm not there yet, but this is my new standard.

I'd love to hear your thoughts?

Bracketology

I showed off my bracket this week and it came back to bite me in the end (ha ha that's a play on words).
UCLA lost tonight by Memphis and North Carolina was crushed by Kansas.
Those were my final two teams. All in all I had a pretty good tournament run and surprised myself this year.
And as far as who will win between Memphis and Kansas...I have no clue!

irony

Sports Illustrated published this photo on their website today and had the same thought that I immediately conjured up.

Pamela Anderson shields her son’s eyes from the gyrations of the Los Angles Lakers cheerleaders.

Quote

"Faith is a vision that your destiny is to be absorbed in a tremendously creative team effort under unimaginably splendid leadership on an incomprehensibly vast plane of activity through ever more comprehensive cycles of productivity and enjoyment and that is what eye has not seen and ear has not heard that lies before us in the prophetic vision." (Dallas Willard)

(Used in a message given by John Ortberg, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, February 24, 2008)

How Did This Happen

How does a big ol' music mogul like Jay-Z allow a photo like this to be published by People magazine. Surely they could have found a less embarrassing photo.

The Pig Bank

According to the group Citizens Against Government Waste, in their annually published Pig Book, the total for this year ear marked items on the national budget is $17.2 billion spread across 11,610 “pork barrel” projects.  Some of these projects include:

• $211,509 for research on olive fruit flies in Paris, France
• $1,950,000 for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service in New York – earmarked by Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY)
• $3,000,000 in research into shrimp.
• $98,000 to develop a walking tour of Boydton, Virginia
• Go to the website to the CAGW website to read more.

ABCnews presented the earmarking down by the three remaining presidential candidates

1. Hilary Clinton with 281 ear marks totaling over $296,000,000
2. Baraak Obama with 53 ear marks totaling over $97,000,000
3. John McCain has never requested an ear mark.

Proposal

Deuce - Here is that video I told you about.
Do it once - Do it right!
Good luck Todd.


p.s. I've posted this before.

Digital Holograms

This is awesome!
And should have an almost immediate impact in churches. Especially as the multi-site phenomenon continues.

Need a New Life?

If you feel that you are in need of a new life, maybe you'd like to buy Ian Ushers. He is selling his life on ebay. His entire life - house, vehicle, job, friends - everything! The bidding starts at $1.
This is an incredible story. And thousands are gravitating towards and encouraging his cause.
Why?
Why would so many people desire to have a complete fresh start?
Why would so many people be willing to leave everything for something new?
Why would so many people feel a connection to a Ian's situation in life?

Ian reasons that if he couldn't have his old life, than he wants nothing to do with it. It requires a complete abandonment of his old life and accepting a brand new one.

This is only one more reminder to me of how much I love my life with Christ. And one more reminder of how much I desire to leave everything else behind and die to self. And even one more reminder of the price that Christ paid for me.

Bracketology

I can't believe I haven't posted my bracket at all in the past two weeks. Usually by the Final Four I my bracket is in complete ruin. I may have one team left in the Tourney, but this year it's different. This year I have 3 out the four teams left still. Awesome!
My strategy is that my Final Four must have a total of 5 to 8 (in terms of rankings).

So the chaos of the Final Four weekend have already begun to descend upon the city! It's exciting. Hopeful this year I can catch a glimpse of Dickie V.

Recent listenings

• Mark Moore - Seeing Evil More Clearly, his text Revelation chapters 12-20. It’s an extremely thought provoking message on the systemic evils in our world today and our response as believers in light of the Rev. passage.
• In addition to Mark’s sermon (Mark who serves on the faculty at Ozark Christian College as a professor of New Testament and Hermeneutics) I began listening to Mark’s Life of Christ class lectures. I took several classes with Mark while attending Ozark, but only one of his LoC courses (out of four). Mark is a brilliant preacher, thinker, instructor and communicator.
• Dave Stone, at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, - Who’s Going To Love Me from their series on the “I Am” passages in John. His text was from John 10 and his answer to the question Who’s Going to Love Me? is the Good Shepherd. Dave read a passage from Ezekiel 34:12,16 that I haven’t caught before. At the end he preformed a monologue from the perspective of Simon of Cyrene.
• Jon Weece, from Southland Christian Church in Lexington, KY - continued the B.R.E.A.TH.E. series with Thinking A Whole New Way. I really like his illustrations with the shoes. “With God’s help, take your everyday ordinary life…(Romans 12, MSG)”
• Mike Breaux - finished the B.R.E.A.TH.E. series with Encourage Others with My Life and Story. If you’ve never heard Mike preach, you need to. Mike was born to preach. Quoted, C.S. Lewis said “God whispers to us in our pleasures, but He shouts to us in our pain.” This is a great recap sermon leading to challenging words about sharing our lives/our stories.
• Kyle Idleman, at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY, - What’s Going to Satisfy Me? from their series on the “I Am” passages in John’s gospel. When I was a freshman at Ozark Kyle was a senior. I was enamored with him and tried to be around him when I could. I envisioned that four years of Ozark would mold me and train me to be like Kyle. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on what angle your looking at life, I wasn’t transformed into the spiting image of Kyle. And as polished as Kyle is now, this is exactly what he was like way back then…amazing.
• Kyle also preached the Easter service using the I Am the Resurrection and the Life statement to answer the question Who is Going to Save Me?
• Randy Frazee, my new senior pastor, preached this past weekend at Oak Hills, and he showed up at Journey Fellowship for our evening service as well.
• Mark Buchanan (author of my favorite books) preached his Easter sermon entitled “I can’t believe it!” Mark suggest three reasons people don’t believe. 1. cynicism. 2. bitterness. And 3. it’s too good to be true.
• Doug Fields - Determining What Matters Most from a new series called One Month To Live. He asked us to make a couple of list, (1) What are your one month values?, (2) What would you do if you had one month left to live and how would you actually live those out?
• Jud Wilhite was a guest speaker at Saddleback back in August and he preached Passport to Freedom.
• Dave Stone – The Moment of Truth: When No One Is Looking. Used the story of Daniel resolving not to defile himself.
• Jon Weece – Series: Grace Anatomy, Message: Neurology...Jesus on Brain Surgery

Politics '08

I don’t like to spew too much about politics, because I know very little and have way too many opinions. I do like, however, to read about politics to some degree and enjoy friendly discussion/debates (just not to the point that someone’s feelings get hurt, which is almost always).

Anyways I reveal all of that because I read this interesting interview with Karl Rove today. Karl Rove was the chief advisor to President Bush since his days running for governor of Texas, recently he has resigned and is pursuing other opportunities.

I think he is an incredibly interesting and polarizing figure. Many see him as the evil genius or the conservative savior. I don’t know about either of those. But I would agree that he is someone who just “gets” politics.

Read the interview and see what I mean.

I’m really curious about the off-the-record parts.

What’s your opinion of the man and his thoughts?

-tsh-

check "yes" or "no" (part 2)

I know that God loves everyone, but does God not like anyone?

Question and Link

Mark Moore asks (and answers) this question on his blog:

Does Confession of Sin bring Physical Healing?

Are you feeling sick?
Do you need to confess anything?

Headline

Turner Teams With Churches Despite Christianity 'Loser' Comment

Once a Critic of Christianity, Turner Is Joining Churches in Anti-Malaria Efforts

 

Opening Day (For Me)

Major League Baseball official got under way on Sunday, but for me as an Astros and Rangers fan things really got going yesterday. 

Sure Opening Day officially began in Japan last week, but I am refusing to acknowledge such a poor decision. 

So if Monday was any indication as to how the rest of the season will progress I have 322 more games of disappointment. 

 

Astros (0-1)

Lost 4-0.  The sad thing in this game is that Oswalt just got out-pitched by Peavy.  It doesn’t help when the Astros’ supposedly upgraded their offense and still dropped an egg.  You can’t win games in you don’t cross the plate.  Even with a bad outing by Oswalt they only gave up four runs. 

 

Rangers (0-1)

Lost 5-2.  More sluggish offense.  I expect the pitching to be bad, but to be able to compete they are going to have to score more than 2 runs every night. 

 

Other Thoughts

Mets vs. Marlins.  I’m curious how many Mets players make more per year than the entire Marlin team ($21 million)

Cubs vs. Brewers.  I love that the Cubs lost. 

Tigers vs. Royals.  Kinda surprised that this is how the Tigers get out of the gate.  High power offense out pitched by the Royals bullpen?

Rays vs. Orioles.  If the Rays weren’t in the East I’d say they would make the playoffs.  However as of yesterday they are in first place!

 

Out of Context

I get really annoyed when people quote scripture out of context, especially really obvious passages.

For instance, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people quote Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them."
- First: it's often misquoted. Usually people say something like, "Where two or more are gathered I with them." It's just not the same. If you're going to quote it - memorize it.
- Second: Clearly when the passage is read in its whole context it's about Church discipline or rather brotherly reconciliation. It's not make a statement about the nature of God, Jesus is giving authority to those seeking healing and forgiveness.
and
- Third: When people misquote and pull out of context this text they are making a huge theological error. Is God ever not there? Is God not with you when you are alone? Do you have to be with someone in order to experience God's presence.

How about you? Are there any passages that you often here out of context?

Quote

"I don't drink liquids of any kind. That's the Devil's temperature."

Insight into Trevor - I agree with the above quote.

Asking For Help

I seem to have a problem with my side page element in my blog covering videos.
I'm not very techno-inclined and really need some help.
If you know how to widen these page elements or the space between the blog post and the side elements I would be forever grateful.
Thanks,
-trev

2 Minute Date

This is pretty doggone smooth.

I have a great feeling about Stella (Sarah Chalke). She just may be the girl with the yellow umbrella.

FYI - The song is "Thirteen" covered by Elliot Smith.