Review and Excerpts

So I’ve been reading this delightful and insightful book. Have you read it?
So far I give it a rousing review.

Here’s some gems I read today:

• “I’m pouring over religious study books, desperately trying to get a handle on this topic [the Bible’s language laws] and every other. My reading list grows exponentially. Every time I read a book, it’ll mention three other books I feel I have to read. It’s like a particularly relentless series of pop-up ads. [I’ve been there, how about you?] pg. 29
• [While traveling to an Amish community] “The trip takes four hours. Incidentally, I’m proud to say that I had absolutely no urge to make a double entendre when we passed Intercourse, Pennsylvania, which I see as a moral victory.” pg. 31
• “The problem is, a lot of religion is about surrendering control and being open to radical change. I wish I could stow my secular worldview in a locker at the Port Authority Bus Terminal and retrieve it at the end of the year.” [Jacobs is confronted with the fact that living out the Bible for a year is going to bring about life changes in him that he may not have been prepared for. Certainly following Jesus has done that to me.]

I’ll keep you informed of any more brain busters.

TSH

Recommended Listen

I listened to another great sermon today.  Matt Proctor, President of Ozark Christian College, preached a sermon I’ve heard before still good and worth a listen by you too (I think he was a last minute fill-in for someone else and this was the “go-to” sermon…not bad).

 

Click HERE for the sermon originally entitled The Power of Behold.  (Click HERE for the recording I first heard back in 1999…I kinda prefer it more...but the sound quality is not as good.)

 

Some gems from the sermon, which is on Rev. chapter 1, John’s vision of Jesus.:

-          “…they (the seven churches of Revelation) have taken the Lion of Judah and they have declawed Him.  They have made him a little household pet, makes a great mascot doesn’t have to be Master.”

-          “When I got married, I wanted to take my wife Katie somewhere exotic.  So I took her to Kansas City.”  (a joke)

-          “This Jesus here, he blazes with supernova brilliance.  He speaks in Niagara thunder. This Jesus can take our planet and he can play kickball with it.  He can flick his finger and send our solar system spinning off into space.  This is the Jesus who in Genesis chapter 1, John chapter 1, takes a handful of words and he just speaks ten thousand galaxies into existence.  This is huge and holy.  This Christ is clothed in splendor and majesty and glory and authority and you don’t walk into his presence casually. And that’s why a lady named Annie Dillard said, “…if you realized how powerful is this Christ into who’s presence you come, you’d take off your silly hats… and you would come to church with crash helmets on.”

-          “Jesus is not just a smiling buddy who will just wink at our sin and let us do whatever we want.  He is a towering furious figure who will not be managed.  He is Lord.  And He is among our churches.  And He knows our sin.  And He is big enough to do something about it.

 

Make sure you listen to it all.  I can’t imagine that the number of friends that I have who read this, that one of you doesn’t desperately need to hear this today. 

 

And because Matt’s my friend and I think he’s an amazing preacher I encourage you to check out some of his other sermons HERE.

 

“Behold”

TSH

Test 1, 2 Test

I'm testing out blogging remotely from e-mail. 

Today I started reading this...

Outstanding!

 

Makes me want to read this even more.

 

Poop Lovin'

Mental Floss posted today 5 Things I Didn't Know About Poop.  I was eating some dinner while reading it, which was slightly unfortunate, but was too amazed over these facts to set down my chicken cordon bleu. 

 

For some reason I don't want to post them on my blog, so I'll let you link there yourself.

Answers (Part 3)

Continuing to answer Julie's questions.

49. books I wish I had read
so many, so very many, but here's one specifically...
I really want to read this book. You can read the first chapter on his website.

Accumulation (Part 2)

Wow!
I got a lot of responses of people begging me not relinquish my precious treasures.
Just so you know, some of that post was a little tongue in cheek...

However I do want to be the person who could easily walk away from what I hold as value. I love the story of Elisha as he chooses to follow Elijah, and how he slaughters his flock and leaves nothing behind.

I want to be that.

But be assured that the comics, and cards, and CDs (good and bad), and books are all safe and sound.

Oh one last thing...

In the ninth grade I refused to date a girl because she had longer arm hair than me. [Later I came to realize everyone has longer arm hair than me, I like the bald man of arm hair.] Seriously I wouldn't let a girl force me to get rid of "my precious-s-s-s".

Well...maybe...

Atonement

Here's a recent clip from ER.


What hope do you have to offer someone dying and seeking atonement. Do we know a real God who provides real answers?

How would you have answered this man?

Two Great Sermons

I listened to two amazing sermons today.
First Mark Moore's
The centrifugal Nature of Jesus' commands.
Mark is a professor at Ozark Christian College, and is a brilliant communicator and theologian. You should check out his website for further sermons or class lectures.
This sermon is about the call of missions and the centrality of Christ in your life.

Second Jon Weece's
Ready to Surrender
Jon is the senior minister at Southland Christian Church in Lexington, KY. Currently he is in a series entitle coming up to BREATHE. The previous week Mike Breaux (formerly of Southland and Willow Creek) taught on being broken. Jon continues with the idea of once we are broken we must surrender.

If you got a moment take a listen.

"Holy Space"

This one really made me laugh.

A Call To Singularity

A former professor of mine, Mark Moore (a dynamic speaker and thinker), posted this blog post back on Valentine's Day. If you're interested he occasionally post on his John 3:30 blog about the challenge of self-abnegation.
If you are single (living the "good life") this is worth the read.

And while I appreciate his calling for others to send a card or chocolates to a single for encouragement, I don't agree with that. Just annoying really.

BUT the rest is excellent. About the value of the single life. The chance for single-minded devotion is an opportunity for the high calling of life.

Question

I asked this question on Sunday.

What is the breakfast equivalent to chips and salsa?

You know when you go to a restaurant and they either have chips and salsa for you or you order some before the meal. But what do you do when it's still breakfast time.

Here are answers we came up with:
- french toast sticks and syrup
- some crepe-ish item with a jam (Deuce you'll have to fully describe it for everyone else again)
- biscuits

None of those fully replace the chip and salsa, but maybe you have a better idea. Please share...

A Man's Man (?)

Wasn't this a chapter in one of Max Lucado's early books?

Maybe not.
I'd hate to laugh at this guy online as it might get back to him and offend him. So I'll just chuckle.
FYI, I lived in Germany for 3 years and don't remember any of those signs.

Accumulation

In the midst of moving I've noticed that I have quite a load of junk, yet strangely I own nothing of significance or value. The Deuce and Chris also realized this as they helped me today.

Now given I had lived in the last apartment for the past three years and things tend to pile up over time, but... I don't even care for the things that I continue to maintain...um...almost.

Here's a short list of what consumes my closet, under my bed, currently on my floor and some still back at my old apartment:

• Boxes and boxes of baseball cards and collectibles.
• Boxes and boxes and boxes of Spider-Man comics, as well as a few less important superheroes.
• CD and CD cases. I haven't made the complete change to everything digital. I like having a physical copy on hand.
• DVD's. I even recently reduced what I have by a third and I still had multiple boxes to haul around.
• Books. My favorite possessions quite possible. The Deuce and Chris, I think, resent me now. I must confess that while the actual physical moving of these is tough I love the re-organizing of the books on the shelf. I get to decide how I'm going to arrange them again. By author. By subject. Will paperbacks mingle with hardcover? The possibilities are endless.
  

I'm not sure why I keep some of this stuff. None of it will accumulate value and pay for a future child's college tuition. Collectors and dealers have ruined the pure joy of most of it. I don't have the space for all of it. So why store it?
But I can't get rid of it.

My friend Rachel believes that when I someday marry, my wife will subtly get rid of things for me.
[To that future wife] "Why would you do this? Why do you already hate me?"

Actually I really want to be free from all these things. I'd love to be able to move on a whim again. To pick up one day, travel several states away or across an ocean without feeling like I've left something behind.

So if you would come by and pick up one of the above collections and promise to provide a good home for them, where they will be loved and treasured...then come on over...it's yours.

If you hurry I won't even have to unpack it.

Cool Stuff I Think I Need

This is just too cool for school. What's better than blogging. Blogging and play-doh together.









These are awesome. I'm not sure how they work, but if they do, so cool.











I really need this.







How fun to fall asleep too. I'd have to buy a CD of storm noises to go with it.













Only $15! What a steal.

I see a new extreme sport! A new way to kill myself...er...test my manhood.

Because everyone should see my poor handwriting.

Sometime my tv's just too small. This will do.

How cool are these? Finally I can take a decent photo at the sporting event. They get so mad, when you climb out onto the field. Geez.

Something needs to be done to liven up men's bathrooms. This is just too fun!

Quote

“Whoever is not satisfied with Christ alone, strives after something beyond absolute perfection.”
- John Calvin, Commentary on John

Unfortunately I've been this fool too many times in my life.
-TSH

Giddy

Seriously is it May 22 yet?

Journaling

Last night I taught our high school students.
It was kind of a two parter. First I taught Colossians 2 on bring "rooted and built up" in Christ and the freedom we have in Jesus. How because of Jesus' triumph on the cross we can live with power and authority for Christ. Not just a life of avoidance and restrictions, but a life in pursuit of being like Jesus.
Then for the past month we've been teaching through some spiritual disciplines, so I continued and taught on journalings. I love what journaling has done for my life.

How about you? Do you journal and what benefits have you seen because of it?

In my head...

I've had this line in my head for the past couple of days:

“I am full of earth and dirt and You”
- David Crowder Band, Wholly Yours

Happy Valentine's Day...

...ladies (also this is for you Deuce, in total bromance fashion)

a great ending

Recently I was thinking about great movie endings. Not necessarily surprise endings, but just classic endings. Here was my list in no particular order...
- Memento
- The Empire Strikes Back
- Citizen Kane
- the original Night of the Living Dead
- Dr. Strangelove
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- The Karate Kid
- Se7en
- The Devil's Advocate
- Sixth Sense
- American History X
- Dead Poets Society
- The Great White Hope (from 1996 always makes me laugh)
- Arlington Road (some of the most tense moments in movies)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (storing the ark in the warehouse)
- Cast Away (which direction did he choose?)
- Primal Fear (Ed Norton was brilliant!)
- Hero
- Rudy and Rocky (classic underdog...neither "succeed" but both triumph)
- Field of Dreams (he built it, he came, they came...)
- The Natural (baseball is not just a game)
- Glory
- The 40 Year-Old Virgin (singing Age of Aquarius)
- Once (i hated it, but loved it, the right ending)

I sure there are probably hundreds more, what you add to the list?