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Outlaw in Training

joesnake — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:41:02 +0000

The word “outlaw” elicits thoughts of Josey Wales or even Robin Hood. These men had were not law abiders, but arguably had noble causes. Men who stick to their principles, even to death. Jesus Christ is also an outlaw. Whereas in a movie an outlaw might take an admirable stand, their inevitable result is bloodshed and ultimately death. Sure, a shootout makes for a great end, but Butch Cassidy doesn’t get out alive. Consider Jesus: a mysterious character that even his closest companions could not figure out, he was infuriating to the religious establishment, and died a criminal’s death. Blowing around like the wind, the only person that seemed sure of his mission was Jesus himself. As the blind man he healed said, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." Although Christ is an outlaw in almost every sense of what we’d believe an outlaw to be, his end isn’t death or bloodshed, but rather love and life. Amazingly, Jesus calls us to life his same lifestyle. What would our lives look like if we didn’t live by the norms and rules of the day and instead focused on loving others? Jesus died for out sin so we could be free to be outlaws like him. Jesus’ way is outside of the box, outside of the city gates, outside of the world’s way of life. God’s plan has a different a fulfilling way to live. Paul writes that as Christians, we’re “taught by God to love one another”. I am praying that Jesus can show me how to become more of an outlaw when it comes to loving my family and friends. I know that God wants to teach me how to love the people at the nursing home we are volunteering the way that they need. An outlaw doesn’t get caught up on themselves, as has always been my tendency. I pray that God can give me the same outlaw spirit to love and not be conformed to the world’s way that Jesus has.

Outlaw Post--Eli

Elli — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:07:06 +0000

While writing a letter to one of my dearest friends, my pen moved swift across the page fueled on inspiration of emotion.... until I came to the part where I had to explain the reason for my most recent motivation to live: Outlaw love. My pen stopped, which is connected to my hand which is the instrument on my body that best maps out my thoughts from ideas to words that normal people can understand. (lol im so avant garde) Thus, my mind stopped as well. How exactly can I describe what being an outlaw is? which lead to: what is an outlaw? Which lead to a speedy collapse of my whole world (dont worry people, it happens daily.) I couldnt word it exactly and my poor friend wouldbe been stuck reading the words "bad ass," "lovely,"JESUS," and "cant explain" in complete disarray. But, instead of giving up, someone erged me to reinvestigate what it means to be an Outlaw. Obviously, I would say the most precise example & definition of what an outlaw is is simple: Jesus. As I fumbled through some passages looking for verses for the 'Outlaw verses' assignment (which i was too tempted just to type THE WHOLE FUCKIN BIBLE in 76 font) I reread Jesus' life in the gospels. It occured to me that all this time we had been saying how outlaw JC was, I was sitting there nodding my head & thats all... But, looking back through with the question "Outlaw?" in my head, I realized JC was badass... I mean I really felt like I was actually discovering it for myself. And what stood out to me about how bamf outlaw Jesus was the most is how he knew it. Thats right. He straight up told his followers (in matthew) you are going to get hated on by the world because of me... This answered an even more confusing question of mine: what is Outlaw love? How the tish do we DO that? When I read this passage in Matthew, it opened my eyes to how fearful the world is. I didn't know how to describe it till my dad said fearful at family night but hell yeah, they are scared shitless especially when they come face to face with an outlaw bearing the sword in one hand and love in the other. (Another point that struck me was when JC said he didnt come here to make peace, he came here as a sword. He came to cut our world apart and and show us what we are so scared of.) But back to love... I couldnt describe Outlaw love... I mean I LOVE LOVE! All kinds of love. I weep everytime I read Sense & Sensibility! I am all about love! But outlaw love, i think, is a combination of two factors I have yet to unearth: Love & Authority. Yeah, yeah 'Love authority' i know i know... but this is different... kind of. Outlaw love is loving someone outside of their boundries. Not 'i guess ill love them' or 'if thats okay with you,' it is just like Jesus did, learning & teaching & saying no & saying yes & enjoying gpd's gifts & depending on eachother & doing whatever it takes to love eachother no matter how wrong you are... how uncomfortable you are... how lazy you are... how strange the other person is. And it is all relying on God... It's a completely different way of loving people. I think I'm pretty wrong but that's my impression of what it is so far. I haven't loved many people with this 'Outlaw love' mind set... because I just discovered this formula... I'll let you know how it goes. Outlaws love to love. They enjoy what god gives them (ecclesiastes) and learn from eachother.... Being an outlaw isn't being hard & alone. It's quite the opposite. But with the mentality to pierce through the layer of fear people have over their heart with the power of the man Jesus Christ in your heart. It's so simple yet no one gets it... It's one of the oldest ways to live life yet nobody remembers... It's Jesus.

Lifting the Weight

jon_h. — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 10:13:02 +0000

This short story (http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html) is quite a sad tale, I remember reading it in my English class a good number of years ago. This man was blessed with many gifts, and was made into a criminal for basically being born. I respect his boldness to oppose the laws against him just to show people who were still in chains what it's like to break free. His short-lived display of courage went unnoticed, and soon after everyone forgot about him. I hope you begin to see why I am making this story my focal point here. Jesus Christ fits this guy's life spot on, even to the point of the world trying to cover it up as though it never happened. This is exactly what he calls us to do, and his message is very simple: break free from your chains. Galatians 5:1: It 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. 2 Corinthians 3:13-18: We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 2:15-16: For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. Harrison Bergeron did to his audience what Christ calls us to do to our audiences! He THREW off the shackles of his world and showed the people what it's like to live in freedom. The JOY is immeasurable to his inexperienced crowd, but they saw something unseen to their ignorant eyes. There was such BEAUTY and POWER with everything Harrison did before the system came in to stop him. This is exactly what Christ did and wants us to do, because there is such beauty, power, joy, excitement, and freedom behind his message. This is what a lot of my experiences have summed up to. Taking steps in my walk have really opened doors to the real beauty of God's love and wisdom. I urge you to be more involved with your word, for it drips with such amazing insight, you'd have to be blind not to see what God has set out for us, his beloved children.

The Rubicon

kmccallum — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:56:30 +0000

Rubicon is the new spy thriller on the AMC channel with compelling artistry, but who knows if it will ever be anything but a mystery wrapped in an enigma? Darlene wants me to watch it with her. It takes a snapshot of the deep longings of the heart, and Dar loves to have her heart tickled that way. But do the writers understand the mysterious currents running through our collective unconscious as well as her husband does?

The opening scene is a grey-brown winter day on a New England estate, a mom and kids running across the lawn, while the cameras zoom into the English Tudor mansion towering in the background…through the window, the rooms, and on grey face in the shadows. It’s a recognizable actor, the dirty cop in Scarface. He cost a pretty penny, it’s not low-budget, I think.

He comes out of the dark shadows and looks out the window at his wife and kids, waves and smiles, then blows his brains. They didn’t pay too much for that appearance.

They killed him in the first few minutes

It gets more paranoid. “Not every conspiracy is a theory,” is the slogan. What gives it an edge is the loneliness of the main character. His wife and child were killed in 9/11. He works in a nameless spy agency, against unknown enemies, and his only friend dies in a train wreck, but it maybe it was a murder, who knows?

It strikes me these writers understand the loneliness that runs so deep inside, and the fears, anger, worries, memories we cannot share.

We forget how widespread the loneliness is. The nightmare of it is in dealing with the paranoia alone.

The name is paranoid. The Rubicon is a river near Rome marking a boundary no Roman legions could pass without Senate approval. It was the Senate’s safeguard against a coupe by ambitious generals, like Julius Caesar, the general who did cross the river and named himself Rome's first Emperor. In their infinite wisdom, the Senate did not anticipate that someone might just lead his legions across the river anyway, and who could arrest him?

"But nobody has crossed the Rubicon for a thousand years!" a startled Senator exclaimed. They trusted the mysterious power of tradition to control minds, which usually works, until a Caesar appears. What is that power traditions hold?

Jesus Christ did the same thing, but different. He too rejected the religious traditions that lock people's minds, but Jesus actually won against the guardians of tradition. Julius lost.

The Senators secretly drafted a new resolution to close the Rubicon loophole by stabbing him in the back (30 times) as he entered the Senate chambers—without his legions. They can always get you, if not this way, then that. It sounds paranoid, but not once you meet someone like Brutus, the mind behind the conspiracy.

Julius never saw it coming. "E tu Brute?" were his last words. Every first-year Latin student knows it means, "You too, Brutus?" Despite his brilliance and courage as Rome's greatest conqueror, who could out-think, out-maneuver and destroy the best armies in Gaul, he could not see betrayal in the heart of his best friend.

When traditions are challenged, people like Brutus get terrified beyond reason. He jettisoned his loyalty to Julius because he was more loyal to Roman tradition, so he assassinated his friend.

Funerals make great paranoid events.

Jesus faced the same fanatic traditionalists, and they too conspired to murder him in an illegal “trial” held secretly at night, breaking many traditions to preserve the traditions Jesus threatened. Yes, it is inconsistent, but it worked—for a few days. In their infinite wisdom, the Sanhedrin did not anticipate the resurrection, like the Senate did not anticipate the Rubicon loophole, but how can anyone anticipate a resurrection? (Well, they did have Isaiah’s prophecies from centuries earlier.)

Jesus won against the Titans of tradition through his love, whereas all the legions and fear commanded by Julius could not hold the loyalty of Brutus and the Senate. The disciples of Jesus remained faithful and they loved him and died for him. They lost all the security of their Jewish identity when Gentiles swarmed in the Jesus Movement, and they were rejected by countrymen, neighbors, sometimes families and friends. Jesus bred an amazing loyalty that even surpassed the security of cherished traditions.

This is how to win against conspiracies and enemies of all kinds:

I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. John 15:15 (NLT)

…He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. John 13:1 (NLT)

It’s the paranoia. The writers of Rubicon touched the paranoid thing deep inside everyone, whether we know it or not. Paranoia creates the rabid fanatics of tradition, like Brutus and the Senators who would assassinate Rome’s best general to preserve tradition. People cling to dead, institutional religions because they feel safe, although bored to death. People keep working dead-end jobs because they feel safe, and people tolerate gross sexual abuse in families because they fear losing the security of a family, despite the abuse.

Paranoia is everywhere, in everyone, and Hollywood makes good money with Slasher films and dramas capitalizing on it. Madison Avenue markets paranoia, like the fear of bad breath, rejection, new car safety features, and they create a host of new fears that now rule the modern mind.

The Rubicon writers nailed it: “not every conspiracy is a theory.” Conspiracies surround us, everywhere. Friends talking behind friends backs, parents who plot how to catch their kid doing something, the whispers between kids, and even at school and work the administrators conspire how to control their underlings. The motivation for our Constitutional freedoms of the press and speech is the defense against conspiracies.

Paranoia is everywhere

Loneliness intensifies paranoia. In a loveless world, paranoia rules. In God’s world, love rules. That’s the difference between the worlds of Julius Caesar and Jesus Christ.

So You Think You Can Dance?

Kalie — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:55:00 +0000

The playground antics of elementary-school boys are at once comical and revolting. As miniature men, they compete relentlessly, and turning down a dare is social suicide, with effects that reverberate through high school. Eating bugs, jumping from the jungle gym, tackling in football, and chasing girls are some of the main events. As I observed the other sex as a child, I regularly thanked God for making me a girl. Second-grade feminism declared “Girls rule, boys drool!” and I staunchly advocated this position. My contentment subsided as gender relations became more confusing in middle school. Guys, as the boys were now called, still seemed repulsive and retarded. But they also seemed to have it so much easier. Everything that was complicated for girls—clothes, hair, thoughts, feelings, friends—seemed simple for boys. And they didn’t even have to worry about make-up, bras, or tampons. I was bothered that girls were supposed to wait for guys to “ask them out,” even though I would never have the confidence to ask someone. In high school I added to my list of complains the fact that women were supposed to submit to their husbands, and had the dirty work of bearing children. I wasn’t sure how to reconcile my views with the Bible’s take on marriage, so I vowed never to marry. And as if it would do any good, I wished I was a boy, although I was not gender-confused in the clinical sense. I must confess, my behavior wasn’t very consistent with my wish. I wore dresses nearly every day, had long hair, and obsessively read women authors. I even prayed that if God wanted me to marry, He would not make me endure a bunch of boyfriends, but that I could efficiently marry the first guy I dated. Graciously, God said yes, and I said yes at the young age of twenty. But what does a wife who doesn’t want to be a woman do? For I was still harboring ingratitude about my identity. I was glad about being female because I loved Neil and liked being his wife. By the time I got married, I understood biblical submission is not degrading or subservient, and biblical leadership is not pushing people around. I trusted that Neil would be a good leader most of the time, and I was willing to learn how to follow him. Often, I learn what submission is by practicing what it isn’t: making significant decisions without talking to my husband, or worrying about matters he said he’d take care of, or getting defensive instead of listening to him, or being mean instead of forgiving. Almost five years later, I feel increasingly grateful to God for my identity and His design for women and marriage. For me this appreciation could only come from experiencing how deeply fulfilling it is to follow a man who is committed to the Lord. To any woman who is contemplating marriage, please don’t marry a man you wouldn’t want to follow. If you don’t think he is worth following (because he doesn’t consistently follow the Lord), then think again! Marriage is like ballroom dancing. There’s a reason the man leads. Both people can’t lead the dance, or it wouldn’t work. The partners would be constantly stepping all over each other’s feet and bumping into walls. Instead of creating art, they would just create bruises and scars on one another. Wives cause the same effect in marriage when they try to control their husbands through fighting and manipulation (and I am often guilty here). And men must learn not to fight back for control, but to win the wife’s respect through sacrificial love. Marriage as God created, as the Bible describes in passages like Ephesians 5:22-32, is as beautiful as ballroom dancing. Two people learn to move fluidly, purposefully, and with unity. Each partner has a different role, a unique function in the dance, but neither is more valuable or essential to the routine than the other. As Elaine Stedman emphasizes in A Woman’s Worth, men and women are absolutely equal before God, but in His wisdom He made different functions for each. Sometimes the partners move in perfect unison, but often they perform complementary parts. Each person’s moves complete the other’s, connecting to form shapes, lines, and meaning that could not be accomplished alone. And wouldn’t it look awkward if the man performed some of the feminine steps? Wouldn’t it be unattractive if the woman hoisted the man into what should be intricate and beautiful lifts? Anyone woman has tried partner dancing knows how much depends on the man. A woman doesn’t even really need to know how to dance well if the man is a good leader in the dance. I have performed steps I don’t even know while paired with an experienced dancer. All I needed to know was the basic steps and style of the dance, and to be willing to follow. In marriage, a woman needs her own personal walk with the Lord, and should know the Word and how to serve others. But with these basic elements, the husband’s leadership can take her new heights of faith, hope, and love. Just lean into his arms, feel the beat of the Holy Spirit, and let your husband sweep you off your feet into spiritual growth. Now I am glad my husband carries the burden and sacrifice of leading our marriage. Leadership is a huge responsibility, as I’ve experienced in serving others. Servant-leadership certainly isn’t about being in charge, bossing people around, or getting your way. Instead, in marriage both partners have the authority to serve one another. But the husband has a special responsibility before God to lead his wife spiritually. And the wife has a special role to make it easy for her husband to lead. Since getting married, I’ve found it easier to follow God by serving others, largely because of Neil’s leadership. Professionals make very difficult dances appear effortless. And a good marriage is the result of much diligence and sacrifice. Find marriages worth looking up to and ask the couple what makes it work. I remember asking wives for examples of submission before I got married, and this helped me understand what the concept meant in everyday life. My attitude toward having children has also changed, and now I feel privileged that I will one day experience the special connection only a woman has with her children. Just as God gave me the desire to get married when it was time, He has provided me with a yearning to have children. I encourage women of any age to let God continually reveal His design for You, because we were created to reflect God’s image in a unique way.

The truth may scare you, but everyone loves a happy ending

Elli — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:27:25 +0000

When I come to that point I have a choice. The room is flooded with voices, energy vibrates throught limbs, those little white squares are chatting away through a smile that leads to a window of uninterrupted noise. It is positively enjoyable, but not for me. I am standing on the edge of a cliff, not bothering to acknowledge the nothingness I am about to get stuck in. My head is filling with thoughts of loneliness and disregard which exit through my eye sockets are pitiful tears. There is no point. I am never going to get what I want. Emotion is my best friend for it will never turn me away when I come for self pity. My thoughts carry emotion through my veins to consume my whole very being. By the time this happens, on lookers just comprehend a very black hole sitting alone on a couch. Very unattractive. I see the stares I recieve and look at my reflection, how pathetic. The very weakness of my image makes me plunge into an even further state of self pity. I can't stop now. As i sit on the edge of the cliff, I lean forward. I can feel my grip loosen on the gravel under me. My hair swings against my damp cheeks. The cold wind swoops up to me from the black pit, pushing me, pushing me... the voice wakes me up. I dont flinch, just my eyes flicker open. My body about to dangle over an entire moment of depression. My eyes open, and I realize what I am about to do. I see the tears, I hear the angry words coming from my mouth. I feel the heart ripping loneliness of knowing what I put myself through but trying to blame others. I see my homeless form lying in bed, willing itself to sleep but unsuccesful because it knows the morning wont bring sunshine... I see what is in for me if I decide to plunge into the shattering shadows. Hope destroyed... if even for one night. I see it and I lean back. I lay myself down on the solid ground which never seemed so warm before. The soft vibrations call to me and happy light is beckoning from every warm smile in the room. I make it official. I stand not looking back to the deep crevase of my mind but forward to the open arms of those sweet souls waiting to forgive and forget whatever mistake I was about to make... I made my choice. It isn't easy ignoring yourself especially when you value what you say. I know I talk about making a choice to be happy a lot... well, I just took you through what that choice is. What it is like to decide to be positive and not focus on the dangerous thoughts of self. I experienced this tonight. I was very far in, even got to the point where I sat on the couch alone. But then I thought to myself: is this one little thing really worth ruining my night? Is it really a big deal? No and no. I had over exaggerated one thought that spread like a weed through my head and heart (and boy, those two can be real convincing when they are working together, lemme tell you.) The sad truth is I go through this A LOT... My mind spins these webs I love to follow because the main focus is, you guessed it, ME! But , that is me being negative because I used to give in every time. I look back and wonder how many nights i ruined because things werent going my way... Now, I feel the difference. And its a difference. Going against my mind and heart scares me.. but that just proves I cant do it. Theres something else inside me that pulls me away from that ledge... the spirit. I dont know if I will ever never be depressed but I havent in the longest time. And I have someone to thank for that. Someone I owe credit of all my relationships and every night of fun to. He showed me the otherside of things. Helps me see the result if I do give in. His love turns me around. And His body walks me away. I am so happy I dont waste my time in my dark thoughts anymore. Cause, lets face it, that was pathetic and disguisting. They were so time & energy consuming, I have said I'm done. This is what makes me happy now. Having a good time & loving instead of hating every second of my life and being selfish. Its a change but firstly a choice... and I couldnt make it or make it through alone.

The Nature of the Outlaw

Rick Yoerger — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:57:51 +0000

“Outlaw” Characters: Katrina and I went to see Robin Hood last night. What an “outlaw” – and this is just the pre-quill. I think it will become more evident in the sequel. He does live outside the law of the land. However, he seems to be a man strongly guided by principles. What’s impressive about characters in movies like Robin Hood, or Outlaw Josie Wales, is that the main character seems to be mysteriously “marching to the tune of a different drummer”. Their actions seem to be deeply controlled by their world view – that is, how this particular person views the world around him and what he believes about it. Out of this world view are formed guiding principles. You want to know what that is that’s driving them.

The Words of the “outlaw” in the movie Outlaw Jose Wales: Jose Wales was an outlaw in the eyes of the ruthless Union soldiers. They we’re the ones who raped and pillaged everything he had been working for in this world – his wife and family. He sided with the confederates because he knew it was the red legged Unions who did the evil deeds. When the rest of the confederates gave themselves over to the “clemency” of the union soldiers, he rode on, becoming an outlaw in the eyes of the union. They set out to hunt him down. The principles Josie lived by, were later revealed in a conversation with the Indian chief Ten Bears. Apparently, Wales reputation preceded him even into the Indian Nations because the chief said, “You are the gray rider who would not make peace with the Blue Coats, You may go in peace”. But Josie, caring for more than him-self, sided with those friends he had found along the way. This is how he responded: “I recon not. I’ve got nowhere to go. [Chief: “Then you will die”]. I came here to die with you… …or live with you. Dyin’ ain’t so hard for people like you and me… it’s livin’ that’s hard… when all you really care about has been either butchered or raped. Governments don’t live together, people live together. With governments you don’t always get a fair word or a fair fight. Well I’ve come here to give you either one… or get either one from yah. I came here like this so you’ll know my word of death is true… …and then that my word of life is then true. The bear lives here, the wolf, the antelope… the Comanche… and so will we. We will only hunt for what we need to live on, as the Comanche does. And every spring when the grass turns green in the spring and the Comanche moves North, you can rest here in peace… butcher some of our cattle for jerk beef for the journey. The sign of the Comanche will be on our lodge. That’s my word of life. [Chief: And your word of death?] It’s here in my pistles and there in your rifles. I’m here for either one. [Chief: These things you say we will have… we already have.] That’s true! I ain’t promisin’ yah anything extra. I’m just sayin’ I can give you life and you’re givin’ me life. And I’m sayin’ men can live together without butcherin’ oneanother. [Chief: It’s sad that governments are chiefed by the devil tongues. There is iron in your words of death for all the Comanche to see, and so, there is iron in your words of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of Ten Bears, carries the same words of life and death. It is good that worriers such as we meet in the struggle of life… or death. It shall be life.] And so it goes, they cut their hands and become blood brothers! Ha, ha. But, my only point in all of this is… outlaws live by a single minded focus based on principles – at the least the kind of outlaw I’d like to be. Outlaws for Jesus, is just fine with me. We march to the tune of a different drummer. Those against us don’t understand. They need to be informed – “…how will they know without a preacher?” “Outlaw” Characteristics: • Have a keen sense of most important things standing in the way of attaining the goal. • Have a willingness to abandon the law of the land when it conflicts w/supreme goal. • Are often one step ahead of their adversaries. • They “march to the tune of a different drummer.” • They do the unexpected – tend to be unpredictable. • Operate during the day or night – basically always have the same agenda. • Consistently operate on a value system that trumps all others. • Have a single minded focus. • Are opportunists good at seizing the opportunities that present themselves because they are constantly ready for them and looking for them. • Easily shed barriers which interfere with the goal. “Outlaw” Verses in the Bible: By night: Acts 18:9-11 Trusts God Acts 26:4-8 Not easily intimidated Escaped: Acts 16:27-30 Does unexpected things, love opportunist Hebrews 11:32-34 Counter cultural, willing to "take the heat" for sake of goal 2 Peter 1:4-8 "marching to the tune of a different drummer", exhibits Godly tenacity Slipped away: John 5:12-13 Have their own timetable and agenda Scattered: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 Channels 'rightious mammon' for the cause 1 Peter 1:1-9 Scattered but set appart from the status quo by grace of God 1 Peter 1:13-16 Single minded focus Conformed: Romans 12:1-2 A logical way but not this worlds way - non-conformists Romans 12:9-21 On board with God's kind of love not the worldly way Overcome the world: John 14:16-24 Deep association with a "ring leader" that's out of this world Marching to a Different Tune: 2 Pet. 3:9 God is “not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” and be saved. Prov. 14:12, 16:25 “There is a way that seems right to a man, But it’s end is the way of death.” This is the way it can be with those who profess saving faith in Jesus Christ. To the extent we throw ourselves over to God’s view of this world and what is most important to Him, is the extent to which our actions will be controlled by Biblical guiding principles and the result being others, believers and unbelievers alike, will “see” a difference. Our actions will attest not unlike Christ’s actions - Himself. He was viewed as an “outlaw” by the established institutions of His day – first and foremost by the religious ones! If you’re not on board with the Kosmos’ status quo, you’re an “outlaw”! These guiding principles are sometimes revealed to others through seemingly bizarre actions. The thing is, they aren’t so bizarre when the underlying world view driving them is understood. In our case, with Christianity, we’re dealing with the truth delivered to us by God Himself - A truth about our world that can, and does, rock the foundations of our own world views. And it’s a truth about our world that can guide what we say and do – If we let it. It rearranges our value systems so that we know what “hills we are willing to die on” with our kids, friends, neighbors and work associates. I’m challenged by that! “The Isaiah Apocalypse” – God Will Burn It Down, Then Raise It Back Up: I wanted to highlight two contrasting world views described by God Himself. Isaiah 23 is all about the pride of man, and his dealings about the face of the earth contrasted with God’s loving agenda. Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 say the same thing, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But it’s end is the way of death.” D.A. Carson describes how much of the world lives, this way – “Isaiah’s prophesies against the nations started in the east with Babylon (ch. 13) and ended in the west with Tyre in Phoenicia. Tyre was a major trading center with a large sea port. Man’s kingdom epitomized. It was a very wealthy and very evil place. Whatever the historical pressures that brought about Tyre’s destruction, Isaiah wants us to know it was the Lord’s doing. In the end, her sin is not money but pride: “The Lord Almighty planned it, to bring low the pride of all and glory and to humble all who are renowned on earth.” This passage is comparable to the one who describes the man who built his house on the sand, as opposed to a rock foundation. The rock foundation is, of course, about the man who lives his life for Christ and plays a role of building God’s kingdom. If we build on the sand, we build into man-made kingdoms. When the storm comes (ie when the Lord comes back for those who are saved), that storm washes away everything the worldly man has built and he is left with nothing! Yes there will be an end! There will be a final accounting! His delay illustrates a “tune” and timing that’s different than ours. It also illustrates His great forbearance (2 Peter 3:9). Have I adopted this vision – really? When He does come back it will be the end of things as we know it. What is the point? What Kind of people should we be (2 Peter 3:12)? Those of us who have come to Christ understand and know when we are building on what’s most important to God. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:16) I believed I’ve sensed this most, when witnessing to other people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (that great illustration of God’s love). God is a game changer. The World’s View - “Outlaws” Defined (Referenced at Wikipedia): 1. An outlaw or bandit is a person living the lifestyle of outlawry; the word literally means "outside the law ". Though the judgment of outlawry is now… romanticized, outlaws became stock characters in several fictional settings. This was particularly so in the United States, where outlaws were popular subjects of newspaper coverage and stories in the 19th century, and 20th century fiction and Western movies (Outlaw Josie Wales clip). Thus, "outlaw" is still commonly used to mean those violating the law[3] or, by extension, those living that lifestyle, whether actual criminals evading the law or those merely opposed to "law-and-order" notions of conformity and authority (such as the "outlaw country" music movement in the 1970s). 2. Law[4] is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions.[5] It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people. Writing in 350 BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle declared, "The rule of law is better than the rule of any individual."[6] The System For Progress? (more Wikipedia) “In a typical democracy, the central institutions for interpreting and creating law are the three main branches of government, namely an impartial judiciary, a democratic legislature, and an accountable executive. To implement and enforce the law and provide services to the public, a government's bureaucracy, the military and police are vital. While all these organs of the state are creatures created and bound by law, an independent legal profession and a vibrant civil society inform and support their progress.” But of course the Royal law of Christ, from our Father in heaven, trumps any other law man can produce. In the Eyes of Satan, we are outlaws and bandits stealing lost souls out of his darkness and pointing the way to God’s light (Isaiah 24:14-23, Revelation 21:23). People apart from God die together, while the people of God are free to learn real love and live together – for eternity.

Dammit! It’s the Cuss Police!

kmccallum — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:54:47 +0000

Please note: dammit technically is not a cussword because:

It is not a four-letter-word;
it is not a real word (it is a compound of two words);
the embedded cussword is spelled with two “m’s”, not “mn”.

Is this not silly? Such are the mental gymnastics the Cuss Police must hurdle in the quest for cuss-free perfection. Although Jeremiah wrote an excellent article about this issue at the NeoZine, I've come to understand the real struggle is between the Cussword Canon and the Urban Dictionary.

“Allow Me to Introduce Myself”

Allow me to pierce my own ego publicly before proceeding with this dirty-word business by acknowledging my own legalism and self-righteousness. I have dragged Christians away from their faith; I have committed shameful and even criminal acts; I have actively campaigned against the One who saved me, stumbled Christians, abused my good parents, and the list goes on. With such a history, I know what it’s like to play the self-righteous Christian, condemning others with vitriolic rage for sins far-less damaging. I cannot assign all that dirt to “my misguided youth”, because it was God’s grace that rescued me from folly, not the so-called wisdom of age. With that in mind, please understand there is no ground for me to claim superiority over the Cuss Police, my fellow-Saints. My own hypocrisy enables me to see others struggling with it. I was given a piece of freedom, so I freely offer to pass along the liberty of God to any Saints burdened with Cuss Police responsibilities. This week at the Xenos Summer Institute, certain young provocateurs wore shirts declaring, “CUSSING IS NOT A SIN!” Clearly they were baiting the Cuss Police, but not to antagonize or insult—if cusswords covered their shirts, they would be antagonizing, yes. Their shirts stated a doctrinal position, just as other shirts at XSI carried slogans and causes ranging from poverty relief to women’s rights. The discussions triggered by their pro-cussing-cause seemed friendly enough. Their willingness to listen was evident. Kay Arthur took the bait, a keynote speaker. My son Kyle was wearing that shirt, and Kay grabbed his arm and quoted scripture, “Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.” This 76-year-old saint was kind and relational, and allowed Kyle to explain he was not advocating taking the Lord’s name in vain. (There is a difference between swearing and cussing.) Her intentions were good and her efforts to understand were honorable, even if she was baffled. “I felt he needed to know what he was actually doing,” Kay told me later. I thanked her for this highly-justified cause (he does need to know what he’s doing). Later, in her teaching, Kay said, “I don’t give a damn!” (Someone claimed she said “bitch”, which I don’t know.) Interestingly, her slip-up escaped Cuss Police censure because it was an appropriate and judicious use of cussing. It seemed like natural speech.

The Cussing Conundrum

Here is the cussing conundrum: if Kay Arthur cussed, if the Cuss Police didn’t notice, and if we all employ an “appropriate and judicious use of cussing” at times (do we not?), why is it still a big bugaboo? The shirts worn by those provocateurs seemed strident at XSI only because Christian ethics are woefully culture-bound to the 1950s and out of touch with the changing world, and I can prove it. BUT FIRST, please be advised: language can be devastating and cruel when it takes the forms described in Ephesians 4:32 and 5:2, where it says our speech should not be degrading. (See Jeremiah's article for details.) Loving Christians must be differentiated from the unloving world in their speech. Christians should be the last people on earth to degrade God or Jesus by treating their names like trash. And any language—cusswords, gossip or railing judgments—which degrades the loving Christian witness is foul stuff. Hopefully these caveats make it clear we should never advocate the indiscriminate use of violent, degrading, or sexually-abusive language. Christians cannot act like drunken sailors looking for a fight (apologies to any navy people, like you, dad, if you're reading this—it’s just an expression). What escapes the notice of culture-bound Christians are the changes in English since the 60s. I am old enough to remember when cusswords were used for pugnacious reasons by violent people. Today cusswords are also used as friendly slang words, and not abusive words. (A polite example might be, “Hey, Mo Fo!” But please don’t use that indiscriminately…it can result in a black eye, depending on the recipient.)

Canonized Cusswords?

[Note: for those unfamiliar with church-words, 'canon' means 'church rule', or 'church standard'. 'Canon Law" refers to the body of decrees and papal bulls made by Institutionalized Christianity through the ages. 'Canonized' means some church council made some rule about something, somewhere, at some time, and it's supposed to carry a pompous, implicit threat. ] All cusswords are vernacular, meaning they are slang, and not part of formal English. Slang words in all forms are inappropriate in educated, cultured discourse or public speaking venues, (nobody says, "Hey, y'all!" in a public speech) and this truly confuses Christians who normally speak in cultured discourse, and therefore believe any cussing is inappropriate. But Christians overlook the online Urban Dictionary, used by the profane (non-religious) world. It carved a popular niche untouched by the Oxford English Dictionary, the usual friend of Christian parlance. The Urban Dictionary defines vernacular, and because slang changes so often, this Internet dictionary keeps pace. So the Urban Dictionary is the place to understand the cussing world, not the Oxford dictionary, which can only standardize English, and avoids slang.

Since cusswords are vernacular, by definition, the vernacular can turn cusswords into non-cusswords.

It is that simple. There is simply no biblical list of cusswords, period. This is not a doctrinal debate, people. The frustration for the Cuss Police is the complete absence of any authoritative list of violent, abusive, foul, or obscene words. As soon as such a list is produced it will become quickly outdated as slang changes. Not all the words change their meanings quickly, but the list itself is a moving target. This is the absurdity of canonized cusswords. Rather than lists of “dirty” words, God gives us principles of loving intercourse (cultured minds understand the clear meaning here--use the Oxford dictionary). Since loving intercourse is “the goal of our instruction,” the Bible says (again, using the Oxford dictionary). What those friendly provocateurs should have written on their shirts was this:

“CUSSING IS NOT A SIN, USE LOVING INTERCOURSE INSTEAD!”

Now that slogan would provoke far more interesting conversations, because the Cuss Police would get confused about which dictionary or cussword-canon defines intercourse! (Do you know?)

Weightier Portions

Christians stuck with a cussword canon are probably not doing a good job of interacting with the changing world, because the culture has no such canon. It is understandable when really old Christians like Kay Arthur, my mother, and others from the WWII generation fall behind in the changing world. They may never appreciate the fine use of slang (although Kay is making remarkable strides). But for those of us highly-engaged with the contemporary world, cuss-phobia is clearly addressed by the Bible:

When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. 1 Corinthians 9:21 (NLT)

It means drop the religious lingo around non-Christians. It is bad enough when Christians carry a cussword canon from the 1950s, but quite another thing to impose the outdated canon on non-Christians. Not only does it guarantee alienation, it is a clear violation of scripture. Some Christians think cuss-phobia is a testimony for Jesus, which is ironic, if not tragic. In reality, non-Christians chuckle about cuss-phobic Christians. Christians get teased when they “slip” and cuss not because their witness was blown, but because they deserve to get ribbed for excessive pickiness and cuss-phobias. When reaching out to non-Christians, we do not act lawlessly, but “I obey the law of Christ,” Paul says. It means we stand firmly on God’s definition of love, and maintain a loving, relational disposition as our witness. Imposing outdated vernacular standards on non-Christians is neither loving or relational. Christianity Today recently published an article about the “Lord’s name in vain” issue, where the writer makes the profound point this injunction concerns not merely using His name in expletives, but the need to honor His name:

As with all commandments, we keep them not just by avoiding certain behaviors but also by doing good works. So we are reminded to pray, praise, and verbally give thanks to God for his goodness and to call out to him in times of trouble. We must work to ensure proper teaching and employ God's name in defense of truth and goodness. Hemmingway, Vainly Naming the Name

Being Different

The power of the Christian voice is evidenced by our divergence from the surrounding culture. This is repeated often in the Bible, but I love the original version of this concept:

Leviticus 11:44 (NASB) 'For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth.

“Consecrate” and “holy” simply mean “different.” This is so cool: stay away from “the swarming things that swarm…” He sure knows how to picture it! There is a godly and ungodly way to “be different” from “the swarming things.” The Godly difference should be attractive, “the aroma of Christ,” where, “They will know you are my disciples by your love.” Non-Christians are drawn away from “the swarming things,” so degrading and oppressive. We cannot add to their burdens Christian cultural stigmas wrapped in the pretense of cleanliness. The ungodly Christian difference is poisoned with hypocrisy, and non-Christians are both confused and repelled by it. Christians must repudiate this reputation for hypocrisy and petty morality, so “you shall not make yourselves unclean.” Paul offers tremendous insight to this issue:

Likewise urge the younger men to control themselves. Show yourself in all respects a model of good deeds, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.”

Radical stuff!

Martyrdom

Kate — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 01:07:30 +0000

I've been reading the Jesus Freaks Martyr book and just finished reading a story about how a few young children were ready to die for their faith because they knew it was the truth. Sunday school children. When they were asked to denounce Christianity for Islam, they replied:

"We will remain Christians because this is the truth."

In our country we don’t even suffer from hearing about our Christian brothers and sisters getting martyred. We don’t even understand the concept of being under heavy persecution. These children did. And they were ready to die anyway just because they would not deny Jesus. This makes me feel so compromised with the world because I do not take advantage of every moment for the Lord, but instead I find that most of my day is consumed with thoughts of myself. So, what did these kids understand that I don’t? How could they live their lives with so much integrity? Perhaps it's because they were under persecution that they understood that there is nothing else worth living for. "Nothing else worth living for." We keep using that phrase, but do we really understand that? Do we live it out in our lives? I think not. If I really understood that there is nothing else worth living for except for the Lord and His gospel, then how come it's so easy for me to put off praying and watch a movie or do something else instead? Why reading the Word, where I could get the strength to live this type of life, is so easy to procrastinate about? Why I schedule the rest of my life before I think to "schedule" the Lord in? Why watching movies and working on my hobbies and talking to friends is so much more appealing than spending time with the Lord? Why? Are you ready to die for what you believe? Would you die for the gospel? When I ask myself this question it never makes much of an impact or provokes a lot of thought because we are not faced with this choice in America, the "land of the free." So what does it mean for us to "pick up our cross and follow" Jesus? Michael Tait put it very well:

"Our mission may not involve hanging on a cross, being jailed, or being burned at the stake here in America, but we have other, more invisible obstacles. Ours is a society built by pride, materialism, and dedication to the status quo. In a world built of free will instead of God's will, we must be the Freaks. While we may not be called to martyr our lives, we must martyr our way of life. We must put our selfish ways to death and march to a different beat. Then the world will see Jesus. "

So maybe a more appropriate question for me is: are you ready to give up the life you want? Are you ready to give up your things? Are you ready to give up your money? Are you ready to leave EVERYTHING behind and follow Jesus? If we gave up all of our rights and all of our expectations and all of our possessions, wouldn’t we be living the life of an outlaw that Christ calls us to? 1 Tim 6:7-11

⁷For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. ⁸If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. ⁹But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ¹¹But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

Those kids gave up everything they had, and they were blessed. They were reviled by the people of this world but by the end of the day there were crowned with the crown of righteousness. Our trials may last for a longer time but when we walk this way we, too, will end the 'day' with a crown of righteousness for leaving what we had or what we could have had behind and being willing to suffer for the Lord. 1 Pet 4:14-16

¹⁴If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; ¹⁶but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.

A High to Never Forget...

tsmith — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 06:24:39 +0000

So were finally on the way home. Five dudes in a car with two hundred miles still ahead of us. My heart is beating to the sound of Closer by Nine Inch Nails, I haven’t felt such a high in quite some time. I feel great now but I know in a few hours I will come off my high and must get back to the burdens of life, my drug you ask? Well in order to understand that you must first understand the past two days of my life. Two days ago we (Adam, Kyle, Paul and Me) loaded into Adams car, a few bags, almost $5000 in electronics, about ten pound of fried chicken and the hope of the joy that was to come our way. Our destination was New York where we would meet up with my friend Scott from college and spend the next 48 hours with. The trip on the way to New York was a blast; we talked about music and girls and what was in store for us. Adam must have eaten at least half the chicken we brought, it seemed like every time we changed highways Adam asked for a few more thighs or legs, and of course we made him eat the occasional biscuit so he would get some grain in him too. Finally we reached Scotts house, this is where the joy begin. It had been almost 2 months since I have seen Scott my heart was abounding in joy. We finish up catching up and then headed out to buffalo. We reached the inner city and you could see sidewalks filled with businessmen, but within the next few hours the nightclubs would be packed. After what should have been a short ride, if Adam didn’t drive 10 miles in the wrong direction, we arrived at out destination The Buffalo Christian Center. We walk inside the huge 5-story building, a converted gentleman’s club, the heat nearly suffocates you. We walk into the basement and are greeted with hugs from people that were soaked in sweat from the earlier days work. Despite the suffocating humid air and hard day of work everyone had a smile on their face. This band of 15 high-school students, 3 college students, and 4 or 5 adults had given up their week to go into inner-city buffalo to help with a summer mission camp for 1^st -5^th grade kids. Immediately we being talking about what happened that day and were informed of story’s ranging from fist fights to sweet bible teachings. Including the occasional cry invoked at the memory of the salvation earlier that day. You could instantly feel an increase warmth in the air, not because of the lack of air conditioning but because the warmth that was overflowing out of the hearts of these people, out of my friends. We continued talking for another 20 minutes before heading to Niagara Falls. Despite getting separated a few times (Adam likes to make wrong turns) we get to the falls and peer at the majesty of nature. You can see a beautiful red sunset behind the Canadian skyline with the most intense waterfall in the immediate foreground, a sight that words cannot just-fully describe. I take turns taking with various high-school students and hear even more stories of the day. I can begin to feel my heart reluctantly melt, as I contemplate the love I know Jesus feels for his creation. Shortly we return to the Christian Center where I hastily lay down for a nap in the gym. Where I was forcefully woken by a one of my friends leaping onto me within the hour. I sit up and watch as everyone is playing floor hockey, in the stuffy windowless gym. Frankly I’m surprised no one passed out from heat exhaustion, all the guys had their shirts off and all the girls in tank tops with their hair pulled up. This group of guys and girls had spent the whole day dealing with 60+ 1^st – 5^th grade kids and still had the energy to play a 2 hour long game of floor hockey in at least 90 degree heat. What was so amazing is there was still nothing but loving smiles all around. There was a sense of freedom and enjoyment that is rarely seen in kids anymore. I should tell you about more about what these students had to deal with earlier that day. The main point of the trip was to serve some lesser privileged kids during the summer. This includes a Varity of activities including, swimming, putt-putt golf, billiards, arts and craft time and the daily bible study and worship service. There was a ration of about 2 college or high school students to nearly15 high-energy kids. While watching over 1 or 2 kids can be hand full I can’t even begin to imagine the stress of watching over 15 5^th graders in the middle of summer in an overly hot building. Even after such a crushing day of work with so many kids the energy of the high-school students was still overflowing. It wasn’t just the energy that was noticeable but the warm thankful hearts. At one time I was also a high-school student and I know I would not have enjoyed participating in this love-centered sacrifice yet these high school students did. On the way back to Scotts’ house that night my heart was overflowing with amazement. I was amazed because of the huge sacrifice that was being made on behalf of reconciling kids with their creator. The next day was a continuation of the same loving sacrifice as the day before. I departed the Buffalo Christian Center with a high that was unsurpassed by any drug, a high that was induced by witnessing the loving sacrifice of my friends.

My Last Blog, Ever

kmccallum — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:26:27 +0000

I may be murdered tonight, so I'll write this blog just in case. If I don't return from Bow Wow Beach, let everyone know I was murdered, and let them begin dredging that pond for my body. No, I'm not kidding (very much). Bow Wow beach is a little fishing pond in Stow which was recently opened up for pooches to poop on the sandy beach and frolic in the water scaring the fish. It seems innocuous enough, but beware! Lurking beneath this doggie haven are the simmering tempers of crazy pet-owners waiting to burst against innocent fishermen (and boys). The last time I went there with Connor, my 14-year-old son, we were trounced-upon by five red-faced, livid dog owners shrieking at us for endangering the lives of their dogs! Their rage went from non-existent to mob violence in a flash. It started with a livid (BIG overweight) grit striding quickly towards Connor and I with his (BIG overweight) wife and white poodle in-tow: "Are you crazy? What do you think you're doing? Don't you know fishing is not allowed here?" he was shouting at us as he approached. "I am on the Parks and Recreation board, and you can't fish here!" "But it was the Parks and Recs people who told me I could fish here," I said, holding a worm in mid-air, frozen by the sudden outburst. "That's a lie! Who told you that?" he yelled. (By now he was in front of me.) "Brian Kelly..." I started to say, but the man's (BIG) wife suddenly put her face about 12 inches away from mine (not exaggerating) and yelled, "ARE YOU GOING TO LEAVE OR DO WE HAVE TO CALL THE POLICE?" Then another HUGE grit (about 6' 5", 350 lbs) suddenly appeared from behind: "Who do you think you are? You can't fish here! It's posted 'No Fishing' here!" "There's really no reason to get angry, I'm not trying to cause any trouble here," I said, trying to calm these imposing figures down. Connor was shell-shocked, his mouth was open. "Call the police," the fat man said to his fat wife. "I'm calling the police," she said as she pulled out her phone. "You're endangering these dog's lives," the biggest gallute said. "Wonder if one of your hooks hooked our dog?" "But that's why I'm fishing away from the dogs," I said (they had approached me, keep in mind). "Are you going to leave or do I have to break that pole?" the biggest, fattest grit of all said as he lunged at my son to grab his pole. Connor ducked and ran to me. "Connor, let's get out of here," I said, packing up our stuff. Another man (not fat) appeared from behind me, "You can't fish here!" he said. I noticed another woman (thankfully, thin and smallish, the only one I could probably survive a blow from) appeared behind the line of fat, big grits. She was showing her support by nodding her head quite energetically. "It's not illegal to fish here, and it's not posted 'no fishing,'" I said as we were walking away. "I've called the police," the fat woman said. "Good! I hope they get here quick!" I said, and took Connor's hand, leaving the park. But amazingly, they all followed us out of the park with their dogs! By now I thought we were possibly not going to make it to the car. This was a mob action underway. I though of African-Americans who once lived in fear of lynch mobs just like this. I could see how mob action can get crazy without any provocation at all. I was a little surprised to see it from a "pooch mob." When the cops showed up, they interrogated me, ran checks on my license and car, sternly forbade me from smoking my pipe (we were standing in an open parking lot), and finally told me to leave immediately. Even though I explained the insane scenario, the violence, and asked for police protection, they continued to harass me and said little to the mob waiting in the background (lawbreakers--all of them--without leashes on their dogs, I might add). I told the cops fishing wasn't against the rules. "The rules are posted right over there," I said. Guess what they said? "You go online and find where it says you can fish here." I was flummoxed. "But, you're allowed to fish iunless it's posted otherwise," I said. "Right?" (And, of course, it was not posted "No Fishing" at Bow Wow Beach). "You need to go on the Parks and Rec site to find out if you're allowed to fish here," the cop said. "But how can I find a rule that doesn't exist?" I asked. "Aren't we allowed to do things unless the law says otherwise?" Not according to this cop. He was grabbing his billy club by now, so I just thanked him and left. But now I know better: having talked with my Parks & Rec connections, we are allowed to fish. So fish I must. And at Bow Wow Beach, too! "But why fish there?" It's a good question. The answer is simple: it's stocked regularly, but nobody dares to fish there because of the pooch owners, and this is probably the best fishing spot in all northeast Ohio! Normally I don't reveal my secret fishing holes, but in this case I think my chances for survival will increase if more fishermen show up at Bow Wow Beach. So if I disappear, or if my body is found swinging at the end of a rope at Bow Wow beach, let it be known beforehand: I am a victim of Bow Wow Beach pooch violence. Go read about Bow Wow Beach at their Web site here.

Be Ye Outlaws

Kalie — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:38:12 +0000

God delivers an outrageous command in Leviticus 11:44: “Be holy, for I am holy.” But it’s impossible to be like God, so why did He command this? Unfortunately this isn’t just one of the “those Old Testament” things we can ignore under the New Covenant, because Jesus repeated it in even clearer terms: “Be perfect, as Your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). And Peter echoed it is as well: “it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY” (1 Peter 1:16). What are we to do with this formidable demand for God-like perfection?

Before the command, God provides a little context in Lev. 11:44: “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.”

The word consecrate, like holy, is a churchy word, and we hardly have any sense of what it means outside a religious setting. Holy and consecrate are from the same root word, which means to be set apart. The connotation is being set apart for a purpose. I could say I consecrate my stove for cooking. I don’t use my stove as a table, or a cutting board, or a chair. (I do sometimes use it as a drying rack, I’ll confess). To be holy means to be set apart. And God is saying, “Set yourselves apart for my purposes, because I’m the LORD your God. I’m really important to you, so why not live for me?” Such a request only makes sense. Being set apart is being separate and different. God is “holy” because He’s so vastly different from us. For starters, He’s perfectly loving, a trait no human can claim. But we can learn to love more like God does, which is why he calls us to be separate and different. The high divorce rate indicates people do not understand how to love, and pop culture confirms this. Countless song lyrics, movies, and television shows reflect the selfish demands typical of modern love: “I need your love” is the theme, and that desperate plea dominates in families and friendships as well as romance. God offers a way far different from the selfish love-taking which surrounds us. We can learn to give love instead of taking, and not in response to selfish demands. So He sets us apart from selfish taking, and sets us apart for selfless love. But none of these synonyms for “holy” do justice to the full meaning. The idea of this verse is closer to “Be ye outlaws!” (KJV-j/k). Societal outlaws are separate because they act outside the norms of society (laws). They reject the rules, and consequently are set apart from others (prison). Until caught, they live on the margins of society, banded together with fellow criminals who are the only people willing to associate with them. In this close-knit community, they establish ethics and leadership different from those of the larger society. Sound familiar? The description has an uncanny resemblance to the early Christians of the New Testament. But they would be appalled at the dirty cultural baggage the term “Christian” has acquired, so let’s use “the called out ones.” This is what the Bible calls them, since God called them out of the world system, to be different, separate, set apart, “called to be his own holy people” (Romans 1:7). In other words, they are called to be outlaws. The called out ones don’t follow the normal ways of their secular counterparts. They obey the laws of the land so long as they don’t contradict their Leader. But these Jesus freaks admit to following a known criminal: “this Man…you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put him to death” (Acts 2:23). Only the lowest criminals were crucified, but such was the fate of their King. Even when the formal laws are obeyed, the called out ones are a subversive group undermining the unwritten laws of power, greed, and self-first. In fact, their manual says not to conform to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2). Instead, these outlaws follow an different ethic, called the Greatest Commandment, the Law of Liberty, or the Royal Law. Romans 13:10, 13 summarizes the one law of the outlaw: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law….Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Laws are superfluous when love is present; love fulfills the law, and then it goes beyond it with “joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). While the called out ones live as part of normal society, they have their own marginal community which they like to call “The Body of Christ.” Working together, they have special roles assigned by their Leader and they all need each other to survive, just as human organs are interdependent (Romans 12:5). The following passage describes this community well:

“We are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as scum of the world, the dregs of all things” (1 Corinthians 4:11-13).

Such was the standard of living among the first called out ones. They were constantly being arrested, beaten, and thrown in jail. Their property was seized unlawfully and their leaders were executed. They were literally outlaws, persecuted for worshipping a criminal through a lifestyle of love. But why did the authorities punish them for such an innocuous cause? Because love is actually quite dangerous. God’s way of loving threatens to “upset the world,” as the early outlaws did (Acts 17:6). Love is so different from the world’s business as usual, because it breaks down barriers and ignores demands disguised as rules. The early outlaws hung out with the prostitutes, criminals, demon-possessed, lepers, paupers, and other scum of society. They ripped down ethnic, social, and gender barriers and challenged the idol worship and temple prostitution which fueled whole economies. They refused to follow the rule to settle down and build a kingdom for yourself on earth, and instead worked to grow God’s kingdom by introducing people’s to His grace. And “Christians” today are also called out to be outlaws, living in the world, but not following its rules and ways. We’ll look at more verses about this lifestyle of outlaw love next.

My Life! Or Is It?

sherri — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:42:45 +0000

I grew up in a Christian home. I had a mother, father, older brother then 11 years later, 2 more brothers. My parents are Christians. I grew up in a southern Baptist church. We had a close family and a few close family friends. I can now understand why people of the world cringe when people say that they are a Christian. As a Christian we had to keep secrets hidden, and there were a lot of them. There were things that we never spoke of. We had to put on an appearance that we were good and that we never sinned, especially on Sundays because that was known as the Holy Day. As a child I learned that lying was OK, if it was for the right reasons. But as a child I was not able to determine what was right or wrong. As I got older I knew the difference but then had to keep things hidden because of the shame that I felt inside and was afraid that I would be judged by people. After all we do live in a very legalistic world weather you were in a bible believe home or not. When you hear the story of my life maybe you will understand. I was about 6 years old when my father started to sexually abuse me (this is my first recollection of the abuse). I have a few memories of the abuse, but I know that there are some that I can’t remember. I was also abused by other men. This happened most of my childhood life but stopped before I became a teenager. I didn’t have many of my own friends because as you can guess that once they spent the night at my house they never came back and that was because my dad would come into my room at night and abuse them. I always pretended that I was asleep and all I could think was that I was glad that it was them and not me. I felt much guilt about feeling that way. They would never say anything to me either but they never came back to my house. I found out a few years ago from my mom, who I had just told about what happened to me as a child, that my dad’s father used to abuse his daughters. That gave me the explanation why my dad did this to me. This doesn’t excuse what he did but in my mind it helped me understand why he did it. The effect of this abuse had major consequences for when I got older. When I was 14 years old I became sexually active. I dated a guy who was 18 when I was only 14. I had sex with him and hated it but had it anyway to feel loved (because that’s what I thought love was). I basically would have sex with any guy who wanted it just so I would feel loved. I got married when I turned 22. I met my former husband when I was 18 years old. I thought that I wanted to marry this man but the truth (which I didn’t realize at the time) is that I wanted to get out of Akron and start a new life. He seemed to be a good man but as the years went by he was abusive in another way, mentally. He would tell me that I wasn’t thin enough (back then I looked anorexic). He would also tell me that I didn’t wear my make up right or my hair wasn’t styled right. He also told me what I could or couldn’t eat. I was with him a total of 8 years when I left him. I left him for another man who was married and who at that time also seemed like my savior from my ex. He treated me like I was the only woman in the world. He made me feel loved. He also left his wife for me. That being said, that relationship didn’t work either. I remember that I was in the hospital with a collapsed lung and he was out with another woman and cheating on me. So I was now single, living alone for the first time in my life, and around 26 years old. I met a younger man (18) I started dating him and I got pregnant. In my mind I was going to have this child and raise it by myself. I knew that he was too young and wouldn’t be able to handle this kind of responsibility. We broke off the relationship and I had a miscarriage. The next guy I met in a bar, we had sex and I never heard from him again. I got pregnant and I can’t even remember this guy’s name. But again I had another miscarriage. I had many more sexual relationships with men. I finally met Rich (my husband). We met at Scandinavia (the meat market without booze). This relationship started off different. We started off as friends. We talked to each other everyday, we worked out together, and went to movies with friends. Finally one day we decided officially to date one another. After 1 year we decided to get married. Life seemed great, at first. Rich used to abuse alcohol and drugs. He had quit for about 5 years before he met me. On our wedding night he bought some marijuana and we smoked it. This totally ruined our first night as husband and wife. I was so high that I fell asleep. Rich started smoking pot just here and there at first then it went to every day then 3 to 4 times a day. Our marriage sucked. Then one day this guy at our old gym kept telling Rich about God and kept handing him bible tracks and in the basement of the house that we were renting he accepted Christ as his savior. A few months after he accepted Christ we started coming to Xenos Christian Fellowship and I started really learning what the bible had to say without all of the legalistic views. Even though I gave my life to Christ many years ago I decided to rededicate my life to him and we started serving in the high school ministry in Bedford. I also got re-baptized and my father came to my baptism. I remember standing there giving my testimony about my promiscuity and seen my father standing there crying. I think he knew at that moment why I did the things that I did. But we never spoke of it. My father died before I had a chance to talk to him, which I sometimes still regret. The reason I regret it is that I never got a chance to tell him that I forgave him and that I loved him. I am trying to teach forgiveness to my 10 year old daughter. I told her that if she cannot forgive those who do her wrong then she will never be able to truly love others. If it wasn’t for Rich getting saved we probably would not be together today with a beautiful daughter and the wonderful life that we have now. After all these years, and all the different men in my life God has showed me a lot about what real love is. It first starts with God. I was looking for love so hard I would have and did do anything to get it and I never and I mean never felt like I was really loved by any of the guys that I was with. I always hoped that each time that this is going to be the person who would make me feel loved and it never happened. I didn’t even feel this way with Rich until after he had accepted Christ into his heart. He had started to change his life in a good way. When I seen this I knew that in my heart that I needed to get to know who Christ really is. I know that I have repeated my self here but I think that it is really worth repeating. The first place you need to look for love is from God. He is the only one who can give the fulfilling love that you need. He is the only one who will never let you down. The only way you can even understand the love that God has for you is to start reading the bible. It took me many years to learn this and a lot of counseling (I spent about 2 years in counseling at Xenos in Columbus), it also took a wonderful group of other abused women (I went to a special class called the GRACE group which stands for Gods Redemption of Abusive Childhood Experiences), and one of the important ones is a great body of believers, and God was the one who put me here. When you are deeply involved with a great group of people who believe in Christ, you have deep relationships with these people who will speak into your life, and that doesn’t always feel good when people speak truth into your life, but I know that these people really love me. Paula (my best friend) went with me to Columbus when I did my counseling there. She knows the darkest secrets of my life and still loves me in spite of them. Like a lot of other people in this church. I am accepted for who I am not what I did in the past. Christ forgave me for all of my sins, past, present and future sins. And that is how I am treated here by these people whom I have grown to love. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, Here I am! I stand at the door and knock if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him and he with me. All you have to do is say Jesus I want a relationship with you and I accept your death on the cross to cover my sins. Open your heart to hear what God has to say, and believe me this was not an easy task for me. God worked long and hard for me and there are no words to express the love that I feel from God. I spent years ignoring Him and blaming Him for what happened to me as a child. I know more now about God’s love and I still have a lot more to learn. I thank God everyday for all that he has done for me and given me. Does this mean that every person who struggles with sex has been sexually abused? No. God made us in his image and who is God? God is love and that is why all humans search for it. It is how he made us. But if we do not get this love from our parents, friends, boy/girl friends it is a vicious cycle. The fact is we will never find the love we need from another person. We can only find the fulfilling love that we need from God. After we find this, the rest will be given to us. Freely! For any fathers out there that read this, I would like to encourage you to love your daughter. You will have the biggest impact on her and you will be the one that teaches her how to love. That doesn’t mean buy her what she wants and give in to what she wants. You might think that this is what will make her happy and for a brief moment it will. But what she needs is you to love her how God loves us. Yes, this also means discipline. It doesn’t feel good for either of you but God says in Proverbs 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son (daughter), but he who loves him (her) is careful to discipline him (her). You see if she doesn’t get the love that she need from you, she will look to other men/boys to fill that need. So ask yourself now, do I love my daughter the way she needs to be loved? Spend time with her, have a regular daddy/daughter date night, no matter how old she is. Amani (my daughter) looks forward to this with Rich. Listen to what she has to say and if she says things to you that are hard to hear don’t get defensive! If you listen and I mean really listen she will know and love you for it. Don’t try and force things out of her either, this will only keep her closed off to you. Some of out best conversations started when we were playing a game of cards or just playing with toys. It’s never too late so start now, be patient and give it time. So that is my story of my life and the reason it says “or is it” is because the life I live I no longer live for myself but I now live for Christ. The one thing that I know is that through all of this, that even though God knew what was going to happen to me before I was born, it still hurt him to see me go through this. Every time I cried, so did He! He loves me so much that he came here to be born as a man so he could die for me and have a relationship with me and he can use this terrible thing in my life for good. So if there is anyone that has any questions or just needs an ear to hear I am willing to talk to you or just listen, but realize I cannot fix you. Only God can. From Delashmut's teaching on Ephes. 3 he quoted Tim Keller from his book Witness. “There are hands out there that only you can hold. There are people out there that only you can reach. There are hearts breaking that only you can heal. Your race, your ethnicity, your gender, your sorrows, your experience, your age, your everything... God made you like a fingerprint, and there are certain people out there that God wants to touch through you, and they’re not going to be touched without you. So go...”

Pajamas: A Question of Christian Liberty

lbeech — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:37:54 +0000

I ran across the most intriguing Facebook discussion today. Perhaps intriguing isn't quite the right word. Perhaps outrageous would be more descriptive. A popular pastor posted this as his status:

I will never understand the people who go to the store in their pajamas. If we wanted to see u in them we would come to your house.

This status caught my attention, for I have long desired to walk about openly in my super cheerful pj's. I still desire to indulge my youthful exuberance - to take a walk on the wild side in my bright blue, cherry patterned flannel night shirt and long bottoms. PJ wearing has always brightened my day when the going gets tough. I liken them to comfort food for the soul. Little did I realize that this behavior was controversial or at least difficult to understand. So I followed the Facebook comments to this posting. Much to my surprise, the Christian community has a lot to say on this topic. The public commentary concerning this topic was mixed. Many took the side of the misunderstood pajamas wearers. They heartily extended their support to those sporting flannel sock monkey apparel through understanding that many find shopping more relaxing while in their comfy clothes. One anonymous man commented why he thinks people publicly wear pajamas:

I think it's because it's nice and relaxing. Which it is and also who cares how a person looks when they go to the store it's not like anyone needs to impress others with how they dress. As long as they are comfy in it.

Another, less understanding, stated that donning nightwear during the daytime in public is a sign of the downfall of society:

The downfall of the American society: a lack of propriety by people who are too lazy to spend all that time and effort putting on real clothes before leaving their house. (Secretly though, it's not that hard to get dressed once you're over age five and have mastered those tricky buttons and zippers.)

One even attributed wearing pj's to the store as unloving (yikes):

To all those who have made comments about public pj wearing as it relates to Christian liberty:
I'm not casting stones because I stand guilty of this faux pas myself. That being said, I believe part of loving your neighbor as yourself is having good manors, tact and decorum. Good manors and the like are more about treating people around you with respect, not necessarily making yourself look good. By treating other with respect, you show them you love them, thereby obeying Christ's commands.

So if the aforementioned comment is accurate, it seems that Christ commands us to not wear our jammies to the store. It offends people and is in poor taste as well as being unloving. (Egads!) I suppose that it could be said of anyone wearing any outfit - any outfit you don't approve of. Surely, that homeless woman with the Kroger's shopping cart could find something more appropriate to wear while strolling through campus. You know the lady I am referring to - the one with the unkempt hair and the support stockings that keep falling to her ankles. I am sure her attire has offended many - after all that faded daisy house coat has got to be from the 50's. When was the last time she laundered those clothes? Geez. She needs to be more loving and put on something less offensive. (I wonder where Jesus' brother James would seat this woman at his church gatherings.) That being said, not only could our attire be unloving since it offends, but public pj wearing is also an heart issue and a sin issue if we are to believe what another person posited.

wearing pajamas to public is not a pajamas issue but a heart issue. there's sin in being lazy and in not loving your neighbor. and there's also sin in caring about what people think of you. both could be an idol.

Okay, so now I'm really confused. If I wear pj's outside of my own home, then I am being lazy and not loving my neighbor. I have offended others by not respecting them with my attire, so I better choose carefully what I wear. On the other hand, if I care what others think of me, then now I have sinned yet again. So many rules. So many differing opinions. So many fallible humans to please. Help! So I ask, "Why not please God?" Why not be free from all these petty rules? Why put ourselves under some arbitary regulations when we have been bought with a price? Have we not be set free? Have not the bonds of slavery been released? Galatians 5:1 says,

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

So, idk. Why make a fuss about what someone is wearing? Honestly anymore I just appreciate that someone is wearing clothes. So will I make a trip to ACME in my jammers? Should I dare to offend? Or should I live under the law of liberty?

What would you do?

Feeding My Facebook

kmccallum — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:50:05 +0000

Well thanks to my good buddy David Kyle, technical guru extraordinaire, I was able to rather easily publish to my Facebook Wall from my rather well-known Remonstrance at NeoBlogs, from my online magazine at NeoZine, and from my online teachings at our Podcasts site. We don't need silly Facebook to see this super-RSS feed, of course. It's available at www.go.neoxenos.org/keith.rss . So Mr. Kyle (not Kyle, my son) pointed me to the Social RSS on Facebook application which does the Facebook part. ((Technical note: I used Yahoo pipes to collate, sort, and massage the RSS feeds.)) Speaking of Kyle my son (not Mr. Kyle), did you notice his facebook page is www.facebook.com/biblestudy ? That address seems rife with potential... Hey NeoBloggers! You all have RSS feeds at your blog:

the RSS feed for your articles is http://yourblog.neoblogs.org/feed/
the RSS feed for your comments are at http://yourblog.neoblogs.org/comments/feed/

Just replace "yourblog" with...guess! And finally, here is the prodigious output from it:

Okay, I admit it. I'm a freak.

lbeech — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:03:38 +0000

Jesus Freak. Though they'd never say it aloud, that's how my family perceives me. I suppose it's our dirty little secret. As a college student of the 80's, I abandoned the Lutheran church of my youth and defied convention by attending a non-traditional church. Not only did I "attend" meetings at this non-denominational church, but I also began to study the bible on my own. I started telling people what I learned about Jesus. I wanted to live my life for Jesus. It was exciting. I was alive. In fact, Jesus had changed the direction of my life. I could no longer keep silent. I had to tell people what Christ had done for me and what He had to offer them. My raw zeal was unsettling for those closest to me. Once my family accepted that this change was not some passing fancy or childish whim, I began receiving Christian placards and knick-knacks as gifts. One wedding gift, a wall clock bearing the inscription "We are one love together," typifies a common born-again stereotype. My faith had been reduced to refrigerator drivel. (Sigh) But worse than framed platitudes is that my family considers me to be a religious extremist. Honestly, that makes me cringe. Who in their right mind wants to be known as or called an extremist? Not me. You see, I want people to like me, but more importantly to like Jesus. I like to hear what is going on in folks' lives. I want good things for those I care about, and nothing could be better than knowing Jesus. I don't always talk about my faith. No one likes a pushy person, but when I do talk about Jesus, I hope that people will want to listen - to just give him a chance. After all, if I am sharing Jesus with you, it's because you are important to me. So, if that makes me a "Jesus Freak," an extremist, then that's alright with me. Or so, I console myself. One problem though, religious extremism has been blamed for societal ills for as long as religion has existed. There are historical reasons for this. From the brutal child sacrifice of the Chaldeans to right-wing acts of terror against abortion clinics, from Colonial slave trade to American racial segregation, from the savagery of the Spanish Inquisition to the near genocide of Native Americans, and from the Salem Witch Trials to the exploitation and oppression of women, such terrors and destruction are all done in the name of religion. This list could go on ad nauseum. Indeed, these atrocities have all been committed in the name of religious fundamentalism. That sort of terror is what typifies extremism. But is this a fair assessment? In the article, Taming Religion, Mark Galli, senior managing editor of Christianity Today, addresses the trend to tame the religious extremists of today, whether of Islam or of Christianity. He observes the perception that both religions, practiced to the extreme, are a societal threat both to democracy and to religious freedom. Indeed, the horror and mayhem of "9/11" confirmed this assertion. This is not just a view held in the United States, but worldwide. Galli remarks,

Many Africans are concerned about religious extremism, including within their own faith. Indeed, many Muslims say they are more concerned about Muslim extremism than about Christian extremism, and Christians in four countries say they are more concerned about Christian extremism than about Muslim extremism.

In the Galli article, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, a senior Russian Orthodox Church spokesman, concludes that the danger with religious extremism is that it "results in deaths." In his editorial, Galli agrees. He points out that a particular extremist from Galilee died as a result to of his extremism. In fact, Galli goes as far as to call this Jesus of Nazareth, The Extremist. (Jesus, an extremist. Say what?) Galli further notes that many extremists "take care" of themselves. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. dared to stand opposed to segregation. King dared to equate this civil injustice with "sin," calling it "unrighteous." He dared to stand by the truth of the Bible. Defiant, King brought God's perspective into the political arena. His extremist actions of civil disobedience and protestation led to his own death. (I see where Galli is going with this.) Christians agree that Jesus was wise - a man of peace. Milk toast moderates pick and choose what parts of scripture are valid. Galli points out that Jesus, The Extremist, did not just bring words of peace and joy. He brought words that separate and divide.

"I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." (Matt. 10:34–35)

Or words like:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matt 6:19–20)

Pretty divisive words, huh?

Radical Living Gets Noticed

Jesus was an extremist, and so were those who followed him, men like Peter, Paul, John, and the rest of the apostles. More extremists followed their path of radically living out what they preached. Many deaths resulted. Remember the Christian martyrs like Stephen who died in Jerusalem, or the thousands more who died in the Roman Colosseum, or still yet, those who were burned at the stake for putting the Bible in vernacular language, men like Tyndale, another extremist. More deaths followed. What about those Christians who are today's martyrs? Those extremists are reportedly imprisoned and slain in places like China, India, and all throughout the world for their beliefs. More deaths will surely follow.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 1Peter 4:12

Seemingly, man must suppress the piercing words of the one true Extremist, Jesus Christ. People use various methods to hold down this truth. They use force to stuff it down - to silence it. Perhaps, they fear its power to change. It's power to give civil equality to all regardless of race or gender. For the the Bible tells me, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female." Some kill those who proclaim it, while others mock and make fun of those who follow Christ. Yet more, use clever scholastic means to distort the truth. They pick and choose what is relevant or worth living, because if one had to live as Christ did and as he preached, then the life that one believes he is owed would be impossible to live. Botta bing, botta boom. So much for Western individualism and the pursuit of happiness. Many reason, "Oh, that nice, lamb-hugging Jesus really did not mean that I need to love my neighbor as myself." But what if he did? Then what? That means a life lived with the interests of others being foremost. You are no longer the center of your own life. In The Wrath of Khan, Spock once said, "The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the one." Looks like that dear, old Vulcan was on to something radical. The audience swoons at his nobility. Spock too was extreme. It led to his death. Something that extraordinary, that fantastic must lead to verifiable deviation from the path most taken. People take notice when you live out what you say you believe. People can tell when you take the path less trodden. If you're like me and want to tell the "Old, Old Story of Jesus and His Love," don't be embarrassed to stand out. Tell His Story. If friends and family think they're insulting you by calling you an extremist, wear the label "Jesus Freak" with honor. Know that you are in good company with people who just can't keep quiet about Jesus - people like the apostles and those currently persecuted and imprisoned for their faith. People whose stories are told in the Jesus Freaks Books by dcTalk.

Or if you will, consider this middle-aged, house wife and mother of four boys. I like to talk about Jesus. If people think that I am a tad too consumed with Jesus, or if they have the need to snicker at how I live my life for Jesus (By no means do I have this down. I'm still "hot mess." ), then I am okay with that. I'm better than okay, I'm freaky with it! My name is Lisa and I'm a Jesus Freak.

Testify!

kmccallum — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:21:40 +0000

Once-upon-a-time, not so very long ago, Christians once testified about Jesus, their hero. This video shows how cool it is...

The Kosmos

kmccallum — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:34:46 +0000

Normally, "Kosmos" is a word often used in the Bible to denote the World System -- a rather unfriendly place. But our friend Mr. McLaren seems to think it's heaven on earth! If you were at Woodstock, it makes sense...

Who will set the captives free?

lbeech — Sat, 08 May 2010 01:47:49 +0000

In case you haven't noticed, your kids don't like going to church with you. They're bored out of their minds. Many of those teens who do attend can't wait to move from out under your scrutinizing gaze. Just wait and see. Give your graduate just two or three months away at university, and they're gone. That's because they've been gone for a long time, only you never knew it. There are books and studies wholly devoted to this Western Christian tragedy, such as Ham's book, Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it. We as parents want so desperately to impart our faith on our children. I know that I do. I naively believe just because I live out my faith in daily life that my beliefs will be my children's beliefs and that my God will be their God. But, personal experience proves it just ain't so, just ask my mom. I was raised in a God fearing home. I learned the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I studied the Lutheran catechism, learning that by faith alone is one saved. I followed all the rules, a dutiful daughter, a disciplined student, and a model citizen. I appeared to love God, country and family with all my heart, just a couple of problems, freedom is intoxicating and human hearts are easily led astray. Only two months at The Ohio State University and I was caught up in the excitement and freedom of campus living, a way of life that had nothing to do with God let alone the beliefs of my parents. A new exciting world had opened up before me and I was diving in head first - no toe-dipping for me. The great big world had proclaimed its message of freedom to me. No more oppression, no more imposed rules, no more boring, irrelevant church or stained glass Jesus. This captive had been set free. The "world" had made new proselyte. Who once lived as found, now was lost and loving it. Now as a parent of four boys, ages 16, 14, 12 and 10, I can't help but wonder, "What will become of my children's faith?" Will they flee the church as I once did? What will happen to them as they venture out on their own? Will they too plunge head long into the thrilling darkness of campus living? Are they biding their time awaiting their jail break? Ponder that. Whether you know it or not, the world is proclaiming its "good news" to our young collegiates. The world says, "You are free. You are no longer are bond to the rules and traditions of your family. Knowledge will enlighten you and set you free from your ancestral bonds. Look how shiny and dazzling this place is. There is nothing that you cannot accomplish or experience." Wake up. Your children are captives. They are either imprisoned by your parental rules and obligations or by the delights of the world. They are enslaved and oppressed by you, mom and dad. They are blinded by the dazzling beauty of this world. They have been caught - hook, line and sinker.

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14-15

And the truth shall set them free...

Even if the youth hear the truth, will they understand? If they understand, will they even care? Is "truth" still all they need to be set free? Today experience is desired more than truth or knowledge. This was also true in the 1960's. People were fed up with their parents ways and the oppression of the established systems. The young were sick to death of the truth, or so it seemed. The Beatles said it best, "All you needed was love," coupled with a sweet joint, good friends and some occasional LSD. Experience life in the moment, no strings, no regrets. Put a flower in your hair. Who will set the captives free? This is a good question. I wish I had a good answer. Perhaps, we could look to the 60's - to the Jesus Movement. Out of that movement, a young hippie stepped forth to proclaim the good news. His name was Lonnie Frisbee. He was empowered by the Spirit to set the youth free from the slavery of LSD, eastern mysticism, the occult, and the other captors of the day. Lonnie was a flawed young man, who had a drug history and an secretive struggle with homosexuality, yet God still used him in powerful ways. His ministry of"kerygma" cut the youth of the day to the "quick," as evidenced by mass baptisms. He proclaimed the good news and the youth rejoiced in it. They were convicted and repented and came to Jesus. Calvary Chapel and Vineyard both have strong historical ties with Frisbee. At Calvary, Frisbee proclaimed Christ and Chuck Smith equipped the converts. A new denomination rose from their combined ministerial gifting. Not only was Lonnie a key leader in establishing Calvary Chapel, but he was deeply involved in growing Vineyard. Both evangelical church movements are tied heavily to the ministry of the charismatic Frisbee, who was empowered to supernaturally proclaim truth and to reveal freedom to those who so desperately longed for liberty. In this clip Lonnie gives a testimony. His soft spoken demeanor and the authencity of his message reached into the longing hearts of the hippie generation. He proclaimed Christ. Those deemed too far gone and lost came into a relationship with Jesus. Witness what joy that young movement exuded.

So I started telling other people. I wanted everybody to experience the experience of Jesus Christ. That when I first got turned on to doing drugs, I thought that was the truth and so I turned others onto drugs. But when I found the real truth, I really started spreading the gospel. It didn't all happened with a big gigantic crash of thunder and lightening and then I was enlightened, but it was listening to his voice through his word as he spoke to me and then being obedient to what I read and obedient to His Spirit, as he led me these series of what seemed to be coincidences in my life started happening in my life and there became so many coincidences that I realized that wasn't anymore room for coincidence. I started telling everybody about Jesus, and that resulted in I lost everybody. I lost my parents and my brothers and my friends, all my friends they just left me. They marked me off as a fanatic. And I was crazy and I flipped out on another trip, like maybe what I did on LSD, except that this lasted. I was real and it was solid and it changed my life. ~ Lonnie Frisbee

So, then who will set the captive youth of today free? Who will proclaim the favorable day of the Lord? I wonder, will this generation's young have ears to hear? Are they able to hear the truth in a culture where truth is relative? I'm sure people, like Chuck Smith once said the same of the dirty hippies of his day. Remember - and see what the Spirit did. Open your hearts and lend an ear. Hear what the Spirit says. The captives can be set free.

UPLOAD TEST

jrumel — Fri, 07 May 2010 00:54:22 +0000

Have you chosen wisely?

morscher — Sun, 02 May 2010 17:54:57 +0000

I just finished reading Mark Mittelberg's "Choosing Your Faith: In a world of spiritual options" (Tyndale: 2008). Mark had spoke at Xenos Summer Institute two years ago (http://www.xenos.org/xsi/index.htm - look in the 2008 archives for Mittelberg's teachings) and I figured, since this years XSI is right around the corner, that I better get this book finished (I'm only two years behind). I'm very glad I did. As implied in the title, this book is about how people choose their faith, what some of those choices are, and why choosing to trust Jesus Christ is the best and only real option. I found this book to be an excellent read and highly recommend it. The first half of the book is about how people choose their faith. Mittelberg comes up with six approaches to the faith choice: ○ The relativistic faith path - belief that there are differing truths that are based on personal perception and experience… truth is perspectival (p. 22) ○ The traditional faith path - probably the most common, the passive reception of truth -- a hand-me-down religion that has never been critically examined (p. 45) ○ The authoritarian faith path - similar to tradition, since it is passively received, however, here it is an issue of submission to a religious leader (p. 60) ○ The intuitive faith path - real perception resides in feelings and instinct (p. 83) ○ The mystical faith path - based on claims of an actual encounter with a supernatural entity (p. 102) ○ The evidential faith path - logic and experience -- reasoning of the mind combined with real-world information that we gain through the five senses (p. 129) It is important to realize your "faith path" because you may be deceived. Or you may believe things and even if there are true ( I'm using "true" in the absolute sense) you don't really know the basis for your belief. This leaves you in the very precarious position of not really knowing what you are talking about and either being susceptible to being persuaded to believe or accept something wrong or at the very least just be a poor or unconvincing witness. The second half of the book concentrated mostly on the evidences for belief in a personal God and in particular Jesus Christ. Mittelberg called the lines of evidence "arrows" because they point to Christ. He went through twenty of these arrows which included the design argument and other similar arguments to arguments for the Bible as reliable and the best source of truth to fulfilled prophecy to the change and testimony of the disciples and testimonies of many people throughout history. Though these were not exhaustive treatises, they did illustrate the main lines of evidence for belief in Jesus and he also provided references to many sources where you could dig deeper if you wanted to. Near the end of the book he dealt with some barriers people put up towards belief which I also appreciated. You often encounter these (e.g., "we don't know enough", "inconsistencies in the Bible", "suffering in the world") when talking to folks about God. Sometimes they are raised as actual issues, sometimes as a smoke screen. What I found most enjoyable and intriguing was the way Mittelberg wrote about these approaches. It was very conversational and not weighed down with philosophical ramblings. Yet, he didn't skimp on some of the tough issues or nonsensical beliefs some people have. He very straightforwardly, yet graciously, challenged various beliefs based on inaccuracies and/or false claims. He also introduced the reader to logic (something you don't see every day) in a very practical way. For example, with respect to the tradition faith approach, "somebody's parents and teachers have to be wrong"… "opposites cannot be true"… "law of noncontradiction is an inescapable reality" (p. 50). There is much to learn from Mittelberg and you can tell that he's conversed with many different types of people from Mormons to Muslims and New Agers to hard-core atheists. Also, I think he brings some degree of levity and much realism to the whole aspect of witnessing. The fact is that most people don't really have a whole lot of basis for what they believe. Why should we operate out of fear when trying to witness? Why not show people what the basis or implications for their belief is in a non-threatening way? We have the truth - or at least we have the opportunity to get to know the truth if we choose to. Others need to know the truth, after all, that's what we are here for. My only real critique is that it had cost too much ($19.99 new). I understand that the guy has to make a living. But, I don't understand why Christian book publishers charge so much for books that are excellent resources for Christians to get equipped with for the ministry of reconciliation. I see now that you can get used copies for about $5 plus shipping on amazon.com. I'd definitely do that if you are interested.

tramp

anele — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:54:55 +0000

No. I will not write this blog about my last blog for these reasons. 1) I don’t know how 2) That was a long time ago so I don’t really feel that way anymore or at least don’t relate to it as well. 3) i like it the way it is. 4) I am trying to learn how to not do what everyone wants me to do. I am a people pleaser. I want to do and say everything anyone tells me. If you do not tell me specific directions I assume what my directions will be and I follow those. I feel guilty all the time because I am always breaking someone’s assumed or unassumed directions. “If I break my directions you might not like me anymore or you will be angry with me.” If a person says to me, “Hey I want to talk to you.” My palms start sweating and I got over every possible thing that I may have done wrong. Conflicts make me physically ill. I shake and tear up. Im afraid you will leave. Its my standard. In reality I am flauded and I will never do it right. Right now Im thinking about not publishing this cause I know it isn’t right. Someone will disapprove. I really liked ruth’s teaching at the serpent team retreat. She used the story of David and goliath to show how god can help us conquer our fear. How can I be so attentive to man and be so fearful of what these people say when I have an awesome loving god behind me?! I should be trying to follow what god will is for me! Someone shoot me for saying this… But its like im a whore running around trying to please all these different men but I need to be serving my husband, God, and thinking about his will for me. Okay weird example but that’s all I could think of. Thanks for reading. I hope I haven’t scarred you for life ;)

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (2010)

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:09:47 +0000

BUY IT ON ITUNES!!!

Young adults are less religious

jhughes — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:33:18 +0000

Well, tell me something I don’t know. This story appeared on the front page of USA today or online at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-04-27-1Amillfaith27_ST_N.htm “Most young adults (18-29) today don’t pray, don’t worship, and don’t read the bible.” Thom Rainer, who wrote Breakout Churches, is now a pollster (among other things) with LifeWay Christian Resources. He says: "the Millennial generation will see churches closing as quickly as GM dealerships." These results are similar to many other reports (e.g., Pew Charitable Trust, Barna Group, Already Gone, The Last Christian Generation). This crisis is involved in the “Youth Exodus Problem” described by Frank Turek on his website (http://crossexamined.org/problem.asp). About three quarters of Christian youth leave the church after high school. When added to the never-churched Millenials, you end up with a profoundly non-Christian generation. I know, this is such old news that it’s hard to muster the enthusiasm to read any further. But my question for today is what is anyone doing about it? The church doesn’t care. Go read Benson Hines e-book Reaching the Campus Tribes and you’ll see that the majority of attempts to reach the 18-22 (read “college”) age group are spear-headed by parachurch organizations and not any particular church. The church mostly doesn't care. College students leave for school, they don't give money, they only need a holding pen, and they're not going to take over when they grow up. Churches don't invest there. They invest in young families. The major parachurch organizations are not going to succeed. Campus Crusade, Intervarsity, etc. are not going to prosper. They are hamstrung by their “everyone raise support” business model. Raising money from churches and individuals is doomed if, to be crass, the church is losing market share so fast that we’ll be closing churches “as quickly as GM dealerships” (Rainer). Furthermore, they are more likely to gather up and protect the Christian kids than they are to win the lost. For example, at Kent they have no solid numbers on conversion growth—only vague ideas. Sometimes they view the extension of high school "youth group" for a few more years as their role on campus. Finally, Christian faculty are non-existent or preoccupied. The least Christian group in America is University professors. A majority have a negative view of evangelical Christianity (53%). University professors prefer Mormonism and Islam! Mormonism is a cult, and Islamic extremists kill people. Christian extremists don't fly airplanes into buildings or strap bombs to themselves, but the Christian faith is more disagreeable than Islam? So the “center of gravity” of this group is overtly hostile to Christianity. What about Christian faculty? If they listen to the guidance of Campus Crusade, Intervarsity, etc. they’re busy with spiritual disciplines, integrating their scholarship with their faith, and other navel-gazing time sucks that aren’t evangelism, discipleship, or equipping. What are these things? Personal sanctification? Professional enrichment? Sounds like "fiddling while Rome burns." Christian faculty have no role in campus ministries except perhaps "faculty advisor" and "guest speaker." If churches were wiser, they'd comission any of their members who land an academic job as tent-making missionaries, provide some support, and demand a full report! Don’t look to the faculty to stem the tide. I’ve said it before: being on the faculty is so alternately self-indulgent and enslaving that most are feathering their own nest or workin’ that treadmill like a rat trying to survive the experiment. What is left? Maybe all we have left are the students. Impossible as that may sound, it makes a great deal of sense. When all allies have abandoned a people-group, they ought to take matters into their own hands. Missions groups were forced from China, and the Chinese Christians were forced underground. Now there’s 100 million Christians in China. Maybe this is exactly what the doctor ordered for the American campus—nobody else is going to do it.

Get Angry

kyle.m — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:33:20 +0000

Get angry. You are always being lied to in this system. Systems built upon systems in this world exist to deceive and prevent the masses from seeing the truth. We live in a world that even denies there is truth. Any hot trend, any huge name brand image, movies and popular music are created to make you conform. We so easily fall victim to the lies provided with a smile from huge corporate figures, who know how to disguise themselves so well. They know how to effectively manipulate the masses to accept a new idea that is as fickle and flighty as the last. Fact: people will pay a large sum of money for a specific brand, not because the product is superior, but because the name itself is somehow powerful enough to make you feel good and accepted. Fact: A large percentage of music today is pumped out quickly and easily. There is no need for an “artist” to even make their own music. We live in a world where a pop star can say “superman that ho” and “my swagga is a hundred thousand trillion” and we worship them for it. We call it talent. Fact: Sex sells. Sex on the T.V. Sex on the internet, Sex everywhere. Sex has become a bodily desire that needs slaked. Much the same way that we drink water when we’re thirsty, eat food when we’re hungry, we have sex when we’re horny, no strings attached. The result are hollowed shells of people who have shared everything they have with so many people. I have yet to see a study that suggests this is a life strategy that works. Fact: You are the center of the world. This is the ethic that our culture tells parents and teachers to pass down to their children. You are special and important- why?- I don’t know, you just are. People are introduced to the world’s system with huge inflated egos that cry out “Everything I say, do and feel is important, so respect me!” Again, no studies have proven this to be a successful parenting strategy. Kids go into the world and are then crushed by how unimportant and meaningless they are. Fact: Your job doesn't care about you. You slave in labor to make money for the greedy old men at the top of the food chain. The people at your work don't love you. You could be gone the next day and everything would work just as smoothly as if you were there. Management tells you you're important, but they just want to squeeze out every last drop of your cheap sweat they can. Fact: This system always lets people down in the end. Fame, money and power, the three things offered by the system, do not lead to happiness and fulfillment. This is confirmed by testimonies from power-holders such as Kurt Cobain, Ernest Hemingway, Hunter S. Thomson, Bob Dylan, Alice Cooper and Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, the latter three of whom all turned to Christ for fulfillment. This is the system that people give up everything for. Satan built it, I hate it, God hates it and he’s going to burn it down. But for the time being, I will rebel against it. I will be hated, but I am unafraid. I will be rejected, but I’m not looking to be accepted. I will be hurt, but I will be healed and strengthened. I will become strong, but it won’t be because of me. I am dead, and it is Christ who is alive in me. There is my identity. I am free and I can see. So this is a call to the misfits. To the people who do not have a place in the realm of the evil one, listen to the call of your maker who loves you. Embrace your place as a king in an everlasting and radical kingdom of love. Fight the system. This is a call to the crushed. Rise up and be healed! Take up the mantel of courage offered to you and strike back against the system. Equip yourself with the sword of the word of God and kill the lies. This is a call to the restless, the bored. Know that you are involved in a universal spiritual battle. Do not settle on living a mediocre self-centered Christian life of pseudo-spirituality. Join the revolution Christ came to offer and learn true excitement and significance.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

So think critically and question everything the system tells you. Do not blindly accept the things of this passing and dying world. They are so trite. Use the system’s power against it. Don’t be another favorable statistic on the boards of fat cat marketers. Don’t let them molest and take advantage of you. Don’t love the world because it certainly doesn’t love you. The world is death and it wants to kill you, so Get angry.

Choice 1

Elli — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:33:53 +0000

Every person feels emotion; the difference between each person is how great the feeling is. One person can feel sad, while the person sitting next to them is enduring the most intoxicating, overwhelming suffering the sad person could not begin to understand. Many of the less emotional call the sweeping emotional people drama queens when, in reality, they could not imagine such a terrible hurt. Here, we stepped into the life of Emma, who suffered from what she thought was a disorder, almost drove herself crazy every time she felt that emptiness creep into her heart. And her story begins… Emma enjoyed being alone. She had friends, she had many friends she just did not mind having her own time once in awhile. Her friends did not understand her. Sometimes they would look over her after a joke was told to see a shade of the coldest blue instead of a glowing orange that was evoked from the laughter in the group. Other instances, she would be happiest of all shining yellow above all of them. She knew she was feeling everything different, she just could not understand the reason. Teen hormones were always thrown out there by her mother as the reason for the problem. Her sister had often times called her bipolar. Her father was oblivious just as the rest of her family, she knew how to put on a mask. Lately, Emma was feeling worse. All around glum. She stuttered and lost interest in everything about her. She had become more quiet than usual and was not willing to open her heart to anyone. She was convinced she was depressed but refrained from letting any doctor or counselor help her. On a Tuesday, her least favorite day, she walked the halls of her high school staring out onto the sunlit grounds almost smiling. These were the days she lived for during the god-forsaken school year. She felt a hand round her waste and looked at it curiously. “Hello sunshine,” said a slight voice above her. She turned to smile at the tall boy who had seemed to absorb the sunlight quite nice. “Scott, good morning!” Emma breathed, her heart racing. She could her face had taken on a red skin tone as he wrapped both of his arms around her. She was not one for public displays of affection, she found they were slightly immature and honestly disgusting, but, he was behaving and it was a sunny day so she gave in. The two did not always have opportunities like this; they were on again off again for the past two months, which in Emma’s mind was much too long for a high school relationship. Most days, it was a challenge to look him in the eye. She often used her thick brown hair to shield her eyes from his searching spotlights. The two continued to walk down the hall. “You look like you are doin’ okay today,” said Scott trying to be careful with what he knew was a bomb that could explode at any second. “Yeah, well it happens,” Emma replied in a distant voice. She was quite annoyed at the almost psychiatric remark. She didn’t need taken care of like so. “How are you?” They continued their simple conversation, both of them holding onto their hard outer shell, neither one letting in a little light. Around noon, she was with her friends on their way to the common area to sit and eat. She listened to Sam, Amber and Jane squabble about weekend plans and gossip that had occurred at Matt’s party Saturday night. She peered around, looking for Scott in his flannel to maybe provide a little bit of more sophisticated information than who puked on who, but she knew better than to hope he was eating lunch at lunch… She walked with them down the hall to Sam’s locker, near the library. The artwork caught her eye, she was slightly troubled they had framed the pieces already; she saw several of her own works placed in front. She quickly and quietly removed the paper nametags that attributed the artist in front of her paintings before her friends could notice. She continued her day like this, semi-distant with not much to say. She would never expect the events that would happen that afternoon, assuming it was just another miserable Tuesday. She returned home and ran to her room at once. She collapsed onto her bed with a sigh of relief, turned Linkin Park on and fell asleep almost instantly. She never dreamt, she awoke from a black sleep at sunset. Her room illuminated and shadows stretching across her cluttered floor. She didn’t move but smiled in the silence. When the sun had fully set, she willed herself to move. Emma sat up and froze. Something creaked through the darkness which was now entirely soaked through her room. She waited and started to move again, then she heard a hand on the doorknob and her heart escalated. It slowly drifted open. Emma couldn’t move. Her eyes glued to the shadow beyond the door, trying to make any shape out from the wooden door. Then a deep voice punctured the silence. “Emma, do not move, do not worry. I am here to your benefit. I am here to help,” said the deep voice. “Uhm, ok?” Emma replied, still extremely tense. “You are different, Emma. The way you think, what you feel you are different but you are not alone,” continued the voice. The deep tone was soothing and reassuring, every moment she felt more and more relaxed as the room became much more pleasant. “You are at the stage of your life where you are finding what you can do the most. You are capable of many things. Emma, you are special but not alone,” the stranger seemed to be finished. She could have been annoyed if did not feel so relieved. “What, exactly do you mean when you say what I can do?” Emma said. “Your emotions are just the beginning of your findings. Your philosophies and feeling amount to a passion within you where you will be able to transfer what is in your mind so others can experience it… physically,” the voice said softer, there was movement in the darkness but it remained in the deepest dark. “You have memories of this happening, memories where you may have been frustrated with the simplicity of someone that you had them feel it…” Emma looked down, reeling through her thoughts trying to think of what he could be saying. She was twelve; Sam was sitting across from her chatting and chatting. Emma felt an overwhelming pain to share her feelings, like they were bursting out of her. Sam would not be quiet; she could not even try to care. Emma grabbed Sam’s waving hand and she pulled it back crying. Sam had seen images and felt an overwhelming heat but not burning, though, she was sure she could have inflicted more pain. Emma remembered all the times she was so mad at Scott that as soon as she touched him, he left immediately. Every time this happened, she was alone. “And you say I am not alone?” Emma said desperately. “That is where we come in,” said a new voice with a slight giggle from behind that one. There was a flash and her eyes went array. She focused her eyes and found she was not alone. There were four people in the room with her. The closest was a woman with a bright smile. She looked harder, and found the woman was not so much a woman but a girl. She looked no older than Emma yet, when she moved her head to smile, her hair shimmered gray streaks in her brown hair. She also had a mask hanging loosely round her neck. Behind the woman’s stunning smile, her face was worn and almost old, though it the frail skin did not register to Emma at first. Next was a very normal young man. He did not smile; he did not seem to look her way. His eyes were down but once he felt her glare, he looked up. Emma took a huge gasp as soon as his eyes met hers. The eyes felt like spotlights, swirling green and yellow that no shadow could cover. She felt the warmth increase as her muscles relaxed on her bed. It was a very hard task to look away but curiosity got the better of her. To his right was an older man, who looked about his twenties. This man did not look normal at all; he looked like a male model crossed with a body builder. His black shirt stretched across his chest, which, at a closer look, seemed to be pulsating. He smiled extremely warmly at her. The last individual was behind the three of them; his face covered in darkness, all Emma could make out was a silouette. They were all wearing black. Emma sat there taking in breath slowly and letting it out even slower. “So,” she finally said, “you are all… special?” “Yup!” said the other woman in the room. “My names Peyton.” “And I am Phil,” said the muscular man. “This is Tommy.” He pointed to the young man, his eyes sinking lower to the ground. “You can call him Slug,” he said, motioning to the dark man in the back. “That’s right. We are all ‘special’ in a different way. Each fueled by a psychological sense that is frankly unexplained,” said the dark voice, protruding from Slug. “Phil started with the most compassion and character which fueled him to take on a hero role. His body followed suit, as observed—“ “Yeah, his heart is too big for his head,” interrupted a giggling Peyton. “Peyton emotes something extremely unusual. She has such a strong happiness about her, she took that power and energy to harness it into pleasurable physical abilities humans are not capable of. Speed, for example,” said Slug. “The more she laughs, the faster she goes,” said Tommy quietly. Peyton giggled and winked at Emma. “Tommy is our newest find,” Slug continued. “You will find he does not speak much for what he is spectacular at is listening. He listens deep into your heart to where he can read what you are trying to portray, mind reading to an extent. “Quite the opposite of what you are capable of. Your ability is fierce. Do not be discouraged by this, each one of these people came to me not knowing how to control themselves. The reason we are here is to offer you assistance,” Slug stopped, waiting for an answer. Emma contemplated. Super heroes. There were superheroes in her bedroom. They were saying she was a super hero. “What… what do you do?” She asked Slug rather timidly. She felt like she was violating a law by asking but she needed to know. “I do not do anything,” He said in a slightly more monotone voice, still dark. “I have been in the shadows all of my life. I watch my surroundings and understand. That is all I do.” “He is genius,” said Tommy even quieter, the first time he has said anything. “And you basically are superheroes?” Emma said almost frightened. “What we do is harness our talents and use them to help humanity,” explained Slug. “This is a depraved world. Some people experience emotions just as we do and they have two options. One, if they are capable of thinking deep enough, they can use their emotion to an extent for good. Two, they refute and reject any sign of encouragement or help. They then cannot control their feelings and wreak havoc in crime to every soul around them. Not many people choose the first option, it is a difficult step. The people who do, however, have a responsibility to stop the people who have turned in the wrong direction. And that, is what I am asking you. Will you join us?” The others stood stiffer, all staring at her, awaiting a response. Emma struggled in her mind. She felt her face fell hard. She was no Superman. How could she be capable of something so honorable and extraordinary when she had so many evil thoughts that could make anyone cry? She felt as depraved as the ones with evil motives around the city. She became so frustrated, tears made their way to the forefront of her eye. Peyton let out a gasp after some minutes as Emma wiped a tear from her eye. “Whaa…?” She began and looked down. “Your hand,” Peyton said in awe just as Emma realized what everyone was staring at. Her hands were glowing with a layer of flame. Frustration. She looked back up to see the three of them staring at slug. She saw him give a slight nod to Tommy and Tommy approached Emma slowly. He sat down so he was eye level with her, taking her hand in his, showing no fear. He lifted her hand, examined it then darted his eyes to hers. At first, she tried to look away. But the sunshine in them was so welcoming. She stared back. “You are not a dark being,” he said extremely soft, almost a whisper. His eyes swirling softly, almost into a smile. “You are not hopeless. You are entirely capable of everything we are. See?” He slightly smiled, motioning at her hand, which extinguished instantly. He set it down gently, still in his. “Know that I understand everything you are feeling. You can trust me. And I know you are capable of controlling everything you have discovered.” She never broke his gaze. His words sank in. She had never had anyone say that before, she had never had anyone care as much. “And remember,” he said once more, probably finishing shifting through her mind, “you are not alone.” “Yes,” was all she said. Emma did not question what the decision had entailed, she did not care. She felt as though she had finally found somewhere she belonged and there was no question to reject the offer. Tommy’s mouth turned into a full smile. “Come,” he said. They stood up together and were surrounded by the two others smiling warmly. Peyton clamped her on the shoulder, portraying the largest smile. Phil swept her into a hug, she felt his heart beat faster, hers did the same. Tommy had never let go of her hand and, as soon as she was out of Phil’s arms, led her to Slug. She could make out indents of eyes, mouth and a protruding nose all of the features dark. She saw his mouth open, “Welcome, we have much to do.” With a jab and a flash, Emma’s room emptied leaving no inhabitants.

New! Picasa Web Albums!

kmccallum — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 07:03:20 +0000

You can display a Picasa Web album on your blog now.To automatically insert photos from PicasaWeb into one of your posts, just make a link to one of your albums on a line by itself. Don't just paste the URL into a blog post; you need to actually link the URL (so it is clickable). The URL looks like this (it will by default): http://picasaweb.google.com/username/albumname

username is your Google (PicasaWeb) username
albumname is the name of an album

The default settings are pretty good, but you can change them by going to your Dashboard, and under "Settings" you'll see "KB Picasa".

Xenos Invades California!

kmccallum — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:36:05 +0000

An exploratory party of brave volunteers scout out California universities and surrounding areas. Here is their pictorial report. http://picasaweb.google.com/mccallumk/SantaCruz

Speak to your Heart

trina — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:20:51 +0000

I often find myself struggling with negative thoughts in my mind. Usually about myself, how I'm not good enough or wise enough or smart enough, etc. I came across a lecture by Luther on Galations and in reading it I found this very insightful way to deal with the temptation to fall back into living by the law. He says: 14 So learn to speak to one's heart and to the Law. When the law creeps into your conscience, learn to be a cunning logician-learn to use the arguments of the gospel against it.Say:

"0 law! You would climb up into the kingdom of my conscience, and there reign and condemn me for sin, and would take from me the joy of my heart which I have by faith in Christ, and drive me to desperation, that I might be without hope. You have over-stepped your bounds. Know your place! You are a guide for my behavior, but you are not Savior and Lord of my heart. For I am baptized, and through the Gospel am called to receive righteousness and eternal life.... So trouble me not! For I will not allow you, so intolerable a tyrant and tormentor, to reign in my heart and conscience — for they are the seat and temple of Christ the Son of God, who is the king of righteousness and peace, and my most sweet savior and mediator. He shall keep my conscience joyful and quiet in the sound and pure doctrine of the Gospel through the knowledge of this passive and heavenly righteousness."

How awesome. I was sharing this struggle with Katie D. and she had this to share: "I think we all have to come to grip with the fact that our flesh is not eradicated when Christ comes into our heart. And, in fact, it seems to become more determined to distract us from the goal of knowing Christ and loving people. I have learned over the years when negative thinking comes in, I just have to close the door on the thoughts. In my mind, that is literally what I do. It is like opening a door and seeing a horrible mess. I can either decide I have to go in and clean it up, or slam the door shut and do something more productive. So, which way will I spend my emotional energy?...trying to clean up the impossible mess, or build something constructive?" I thought this was good insight on dealing with my negative thinking!

Cliff 3

Elli — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:06:39 +0000

This is going to be short, I have 20 minutes left in class. I have been experiencing a lot lately. I thought, at first some of it was bad, then it was good then bad, now I'm pretty sure it is a good change but I will never know. One change is basically my whole personality. I have forever been the melancholy stuck in a ditch with no friends all alone. Until this year. Now, I am either the melancholy in a ditch (not as severe) or as happy as a sunny day. And trust me, it is entirely new. It may have been the first years of high school, myself taking it 10x harder than necessary. I remember praying that I would become more able to function without being crazy and to be, well, happy. Of course I was happy. I had spurts of happy and I had no reason to hate... but it was never long term. But this year, man have things changed. I thought, at first, it was something with my body and growing up.. you know teen hormones and shit, but then it stayed. I wasn't entirely oblivious to the reason, though it didnt hit me that this change could be spiritual & relate to my walk. I have been learning a lot about walking with God this year. In the fall, I was extremely down. Excited about a new year but when I failed with much outreached and was rejected over and over, I felt completely and absolutely useless... hopeless. Carrie & I were reading over Walking in Victory then...or just finished... im not sure. Of course, I skimmed the pages, got something out of every chapter but I did not uinderstand this idea of having an identity in God or a significance at all. I had completely convinced myself as a bored high schooler that i was smaller than a sea horse in the big ocean which is.. everyone. I would express my feelings and my mom would pray for me, this "breaking" i was going through. At first, I was bitter at these words. I was bitter at everything, questioning why me?!? Why do I have to suffer these feelings... no one understands me. To cut a couple months, a lot of tears and even more regrets out of the time line: I was wrong. After we read some of Walking in Victory, we started going through the love ethics articles. As we read, my mind had to grasp these totally abstract concepts that I had never heard of before, growing up in a christian home i was very surprised by this. But one thing remained the same, since one of the first sit downs with Carrie, she always brought gratitude to my attention. Encouraging me to have a gratitude journal or think of things I am grateful daily or try to show someone I appreciate them, serve them. My mom also took many tries at making us appreciate what we have. Whenever I pushed and yelled, she would send me to my room to write down ten things I am thankful for. I specifically remember hiding in a corner for a long time with piece of paper numbered down to ten. When I heard her coming up the stairs, i wrote something like NOT MY MOM on the paper in big purple letters... I hate those kind of memories. I still have many emotions but they aren't evil anymore. I can be down but I have an extreme on the other end of the spectrum. And it lasts. My sister said to me yesterday that she sees more sanguine in me than phleg. This wasn't a huge surprise to me, I expected a change over the past couple of months that I didn't know what it was. I have been mel/phleg but now, i think i am leaning towards mel/sanguine... Maybe not completely, but I'm so happy. Over Florida confirmed my happiness. I had doubts the beginning of the vacation that it wouldnt be as great. then, something that never happened before happened: a voice in my head told me to shove it, I'm here, aren't I? Enjoy it! I think my prayers are getting anwered... it is intense. I am so grateful because I have a lasting significance. I think I may have said this before but I want people to understand the meaning behind those words. Being me, I dont know what I think and I dont know which way is up and down. I drive myself crazy and always end up being the victim. But, when I hear the truth THE TRUTH, it brings me to reality. God's word pulls me back showing me where I am and what I am to him. I know I am still this fucked up person in this dirty place but I also know how God sees me. How I am his child and how he waits for me to join him in heaven... how amazing is that? I thought this change was bad at first because I wasn't feeling all the feelings i usually felt. At first, I had no motivation to write and I was still sucking with outreach... But, i think this is a step I had to take to understand walking with God. It is no longer so... black and white to me. I appreciated the classic beauty... but, now it is colorful. Vibrant and such a beauty I want to stare at it all day but also wan to go out and share it. But, it has happened so fast that I don't know if I should be saying it has happened yet. I hope that everyone learns apart of where they stand with God. It is a deep connection of love and grace that I cannot begin to put into words, even with how little I know. It has inspired me to read the Bible instead of Harry Potter, cry for joy rather than self pity and love people, even the annoying ones, rather than spending time alone. I have to thank my friends for this change. They have been very patient with my crazy personality and their personalities have definitely shown me what it is like to be happy instead of sad the whole time. I have to thank my carrie for relentlessly taking my bull and dealing with my thoughts and slowness with such care I didn't know could come from such a choleric. I have to forever thank my parents for loving me and how I am. What more can I say other than I love you. I don't deserve a body of Christ like this. I like to call them family... You guys look after me so much & Are super inspiring. I thank my sister for being my best friend and sharing her struggles with me so I can learn with her. And for letting me cry on her shoulder when I needed her. and all the word vomit. And of course I am entirely beyond words with how I feel about God, my father. I would be nowhere without you, Lord. Thank you

Why Not Brag About a Son?

kmccallum — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:55:47 +0000

Christians aren’t supposed to be big braggarts, or so they say, but can I make a big hullabaloo about my son Kyle’s scholarship and award ceremony? I certainly never received any scholarships or award ceremonies throughout my academic career, and neither did my scurrilous brothers, so maybe I can cheer up old grandpa & grandma this way – there’s still hope for the McCallums after all! (Darelene was High School valedictorian, so the Termans probably consider this normative.)

Much like his mother, Kyle carried himself with respect and decorum throughout the 90-minute ordeal while chiding the old man occasionally for disruptive behavior.

He won a Michael Taylor Public Relations scholarship based on academic achievements, his portfolio, and an essay they read to the crowd. I couldn’t help but hear, “I grew up in a home that valued communication…” Maybe that line didn’t win the scholarship, but it sure won a place in his old man’s heart!

McLaren Revolution

kmccallum — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:10:55 +0000

McLaren explains the practical benefits of "Everything Must Change." It's pretty lame.

The Beauty I Saw Tonight

kmccallum — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 07:15:15 +0000

It wasn’t the blossoming sunset that stunned me so much; not the orange-red flower opening across the sky, nor the orb of shimmering gas; not the petals of fire sprinkled over the waves; not the ocean swallowing it all.

It was in the mirror I saw majesty, a burst of glory passes, I nearly missed.

It was my youngest son Connor I saw in the side-view mirror, an adolescent with a collection of processing-disorders. (Corpus Collosun Norton-34, I'm told.) I saw him tenderly walking on stones with bare feet. His arms were raised and waving as he kept his balance on tip-toes. His hands held and waved shoes in the air. “What a knuckle-head,” I thought fondly. “My son.” A van passed Connor, backed-up, and a rear door opened. Justin, my great college disciple, jumped out and hoisted Connor like a bag over his shoulders and disappeared into the van. I kept staring when it was an empty dust cloud. I was frozen inside the beauty of God. I nearly missed it. The exploding colors ahead and the dust cloud in the side mirror left His fingerprints in my heart. What pierced me deeply was a flash of compassion for a silly, barefoot boy.

Insane Resentments

The power that surrounds us! Who could live without God’s kindness? How many times we miss it. Worse yet, how many times we see only a dust cloud and dismiss God’s compassion, or worse yet, lash back because it still isn’t enough compassion? This is not trite. Some burdened with ingratitude stumble into a dark pit and may never escape, so deep is the despair:

Because they neither acknowledged God nor gave thanks, God turned them over… Romans 1:26

Worlds are created, orbits set, and the heart is encircled with resentments. They swirl and collide and form complex insanity. "What is happening to us?" we ask each other. "Our humanity is dying," we respond, secretly. Is it really so difficult to give thanks to God? God “turned them over” to the gravity of aloneness. Drifting from God is hope diminishing and disorder increasing. It is random collisions of hearts choked by resentment, creating more resentment. So ugly are resentments, nobody dares advertise them, nobody warns, then unsuspecting others taste the poison. Pass it on. Yes, this is insanity. Poison bred among unreal demands and ignorant demands, God says. We may disagree, but our view is clouded. Who dares question the reality of their own resentments? Quite the opposite, resentments obsess us whenever we dare consider them. Obsessions with unreal, ignorant demands. So useless, so insane.

Beautiful Gratitude

But God never lets go without leaving fingerprints inside the heart—a memory, a moment, a good cause for hope in Him. Mostly He touches the world through His Body. That community is where a selfish, lost pagan named Justin was transformed into a compassionate heart towards an irrelevant boy named Connor. I see it all the time: "the older will serve the younger," God said. ((Romans 9:12. A prophecy concerning Israel and Esau, but I use it as a poetic picture of discipleship.)) It isn't by chance, it isn't natural, but it is His beauty at work cleaning poisoned hearts. There is a young girl in our ministry who recently opened her heart to Jesus. When I met her I was overwhelmed by her story so filled with tragedy it was impossible to grasp. But it was her thankfulness that stunned my heart. Her tragedy made TV news. A judge was compelled to put her and five siblings up for adoption when neighbors complained and Children Services discovered the neglect and squalor of these suffering children. The children were compensating, with the older ones caring for the young, but of course it wasn't nearly enough. The state was forced to cut their last threads of love because nobody could adopt so many kids at once. When their estranged aunt saw the news story, she realized it was her sister’s children. So the aunt with her husband adopted all six children and preserved their last thread of love--their love for one another. At this point, merely six years old, this little girl made a vital connection with life. She knew this was the kindness of God at work, and she began attending church services whenever she could tag along with someone else. Now in college she tagged along with her Christian roommate to the Identity Project where she found Jesus, the Savior who kept those shattered children together long ago. Thankfulness prepared her heart. How did she find thankfulness in that station? The answer is beyond my understanding, but I did understand I met a courageous soul when I met her. So many other souls I’ve watched floating into the darkness where resentment thrives! In my Connor’s young life worlds are forming orbits and circling his heart with thankfulness and hope or fate and bitterness. If can I pass any wealth to Connor, it will be the beauty I saw tonight.

California Adventure: The Universities

morscher — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:44:16 +0000

After returning from our Oregon expedition, we set out to visit two more campuses. We went Wednesday to UC Santa Cruz, a most picturesque campus set in a grove of redwoods. The school is on the north side of Monterey Bay. It really was an amazing layout including its own outdoor amphitheatre set within a large cavern buffeted by Redwoods. Unfortunately this week is midterms week at UC campuses so the student population is low. We did talk to some professors and student. We are planning to return to Santa Cruz to meet up with Ian and hopefully Lambert to get a more inside look at Santa Cruz possibilities so more to come about Santa Cruz. On Thursday we headed out to Sacramento to visit UC Davis (just west of Sacramento). Our new friends the Shearers and Doug Krieger live in Sacramento and pointed out to us that there are more students per capita in and around Sacramento than anywhere in the US. Davis is a very cool college town and reminds you very much of the Ohio State scene near campus. Davis itself has about 30,000 students and some Christian presence. It too was a sprawling campus and has some very cool places to have informal open bible studies. There is considerable off campus housing and the whole city is essentially geared towards the college. We then went over to the Shearer’s house in Sacramento to meet with a bunch of their peoples, especially students. There were at least twenty people there, many in college or of college age (from 19 to 26). Most go to Cal State Sacramento (Sac State – we didn’t make that up, that’s what they call it) or a community college. Keith gave an amazing teaching on some of our convictions and observations about reaching out to this generation, the ineffectiveness of the church and many of the hang ups that the Christians have to get over in order to really love (what Jesus calls us to do) those who are lost. It seemed like many were into what we had to say about some of the trappings of the worship service and petty things the church concentrates on at the expense of actually being able to connect with people. It was quite a spirited night with much discussion, a definite sense of providence, and many varied views – from charismatic to end-times. The Doug’s and Sita are sweet saints and we were treated with great hospitality and warmth and it was so cool to meet the young folk, some of whom who have come from the gang culture. We were there until nearly midnight and didn’t get back to our hotel until after 1:30 AM. We left there not sure what to make of everything, but excited; the need for prayer is great. We know that we can work with these folks, provided that some of the minor doctrinal beliefs do not get in the way – which we don’t think that great an issue considering the spirit of these brothers and sisters, and that they perhaps can start something sooner than later with the people they now have.

Go Love Someone

j. ramsey — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:51:57 +0000

We're Shooting Ourselves in the Head

There is a grievous misunderstanding in the modern church that Christ calls us to revolution of action and that there is where He stops. It is similar to Israel’s misunderstanding that the Messiah would overthrow governing bodies and establish a kingdom on earth. Christ calls us to so much more than a mere revolution of behavior- he calls us to a revolution of the heart. God’s Word tells us “I will give you a new heart…” in Ezekiel 26:36 and, by the look of things, it has been reworded so that many read it, “I will give you a better behavior.” This unnoticed editing has done so much damage. It has weakened the power of the Gospel because the Christian, when focused on behavior, is unconcerned with those who are perishing (1 Cor. 1:18). We have allowed it to remove the spiritual potency of the weapons of our warfare (2 Corinthians 10:4). It has reduced the capacity of the Christian from taking every thought into captivity to taking every action into captivity for the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). We have allowed ourselves to believe that the righteousness our good behavior displays is ours. We have forgotten how Isaiah put it so eloquently in his chapter 64,

…all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.

Here, Isaiah tells us what our righteous acts really accomplish: We shrivel up, the wind sweeps us away, God hides his face and we waste away. Maybe they aren’t so good after all? I think a lot of fellow believers have the opinion that our behavior, whether good or bad, has some over-arching reach that affects God’s opinion of us. For example, you do a bad thing and God is displeased. He frowns and shakes his head. He cries. You may hear from other Christians about how God is disappointed with you. You made God cry. You should be ashamed. On the other hand, you may do a good thing and feel that you made God smile. He’s up in heaven, nodding his head approvingly. He wants to give you a high-five! These two views are both caricatures but, to some measure, they are also popular ways of looking at the consequences of the things we do. We tend not to think about our behavior in a context of love relationships with people. We think about it in a context of making God smile or cry. It is easy to completely forget about loving other people with that at the front of your mind.

What Just Happened?

Paul talks about why God sees us as righteous in the book of Romans. He makes it clear that our deeds do not affect God’s opinion of our righteousness:

But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” (Romans 4:5-8)

How we should feel upon being declared righteous without deserving it is blessed. Paul quotes David’s opinion of the situation as well: “Oh, what joy for those…” So when you think about being declared righteous, you should feel joyfully blessed. You should not feel like you have something left to prove, or that God declared you righteous because he knew you would make up for it in the future with your good behavior. The last line of that passage indicates something that many people may find terrifying: we have a record. Not just any record, either. A criminal record. Those same people may feel there is something not quite right about being declared righteous when they didn't do anything to deserve it. I think this touches on a key part of what it means to be a weak, fallen person: we like to feel as though we deserve everything God has given us. So we go off and try to live a life of good behavior. We do this with the purpose of showing God we were worthy to receive all he has given us. But this is pointless because Isaiah already made it clear that our righteous acts are like filthy rags. Are we going to accept God's gift of pure garments and try to reimburse him with torn, filthy, worn-out cloth? They won't prove anything other than our unworthiness to receive the gift in the first place. Further on in the same chapter of Romans, Paul uses Abraham as a prime example of someone

...being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness- for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead (21-24).

It is so vital to realize that those words “were not written for him alone, but also for us!” are written for us! The same righteousness that God credited to Abraham so long ago is also credited to us. We have that same standing because of what God chose to do, not because of anything we ourselves have done. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not for a minute saying our behavior doesn’t matter. I’m only saying it doesn’t matter in the context of self. And far, far too often a church will lecture sternly from the podium on the personal merits of good behavior. This is yet another area of wholly misguided teaching, because good works are only good insofar as “…they see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). A lot of Christians seem to think that ‘good deeds’ are just good, no matter what. If that was true, Jesus probably would have said “…they see your good deeds and praise you.” So you could sum up the understanding of many Christians to be: People should notice how well-behaved and nice I am, and that I always speak in a civil tone because that is true Christianity. They couldn’t be more wrong as a Christian. The church seems to believe that self-discipline is a valid way to connect with God and to really commune with Him. Or, to sum it up in a line I heard last February from a former pastor of a traditional, fundamental church, "The secret to Christianity is trying to be a little better each day." Lectures on the topic of Christ’s perfection in action abound. He never sinned! His behavior was perfect and that’s why God accepted him as the sacrifice for sin, so we all must strive for perfect behavior too, because that is Christ like! The church couldn't be more wrong, either.

The Only Perfect Sacrifice that Ever Talked Back to Mom

Well isn’t that true, though? Wasn’t Jesus perfectly well-behaved? He wasn’t. He caused some measure of grief for his parents, according to Luke 2:48-50. Imagine yourself coming in late at night. Your mother and father have been waiting up for hours. They’ve looked everywhere and called all your friends. Just as they’re ready to call the police, you come waltzing in. They just gawk at you and say “We were worried sick! Where were you?” Imagine their response if you replied “Didn’t you know? I was busy doing God’s work.” The Bible doesn’t elaborate on what Mary and Joseph did when Jesus gave this response, other than to say they didn’t understand. Another time, when Jesus is older, he attends a wedding with his disciples and his mother. His mother asks him to perform a miracle. She wants more wine and figures He is just the guy for it. He responds with “Dear woman, that’s not our problem…” (John 2:4). That’s a damn cheeky way for a well-behaved person to talk to their mother! When it came to his closest relationships, Jesus wasn’t afraid to mix it up, either. He didn’t try to exude social nicety. No one could possibly argue that it was polite of Jesus to tell Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!” in Matthew 16:23. Pretty rude, don’t you think? But it was completely necessary, since Peter had just finished trying to discourage Jesus from talking about his own crucifixion, saying “Heaven forbid, Lord! This will never happen to you!” Jesus knew his purpose. A lot of Christians don’t know theirs. They aren’t sensitive to the Holy Spirit and frequently are confused about their purpose and mission. They would certainly never follow the bold example of Christ and tell even their closest, Christian friends “Get behind me, Satan” if the situation demanded it. Evidence of Jesus being a ‘bad boy’ is most evident with even a cursory glance at how he interacted with the religious leaders of his day. They hated him and he knew it. These were the most respected leaders of Jewish society. They were the men with the money, power and popularity. They set status quo. Their influence was far-reaching. Then here comes Jesus, a country bumpkin from some backwater little corner of Israel who starts telling them things like “You cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition…" (Matthew 15:6) and that “Only an evil and adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign" (Matthew 16:2). Jesus saves his strongest language for these respected leaders. In Matthew 23:25 he tells them “…you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!” He follows it up in verse 27 with a similar onslaught of rudeness, saying, “…you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.” If Jesus really, truly wanted Christians to be nice people, he sure doesn’t set a good example.

A Real Example to Follow

That is why I don’t think that is what he calls us to do. I think Jesus came to tells us to love people, regardless of who they are, where they are from, how they treat us and whether or not we like them. Jesus tells Peter to do this in John 21:15-17:

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love (agapao) me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love (phileo) you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love (agapao) me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love (phileo) you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love (phileo) me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love (phileo) you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”

What is interesting about this passage is that there are two kinds of love at play. There is the love Jesus wants Peter to have for him and there is the one Peter actually has. When Jesus starts off the conversation by asking “Do you love me?” the Greek word for love used there is ‘agapao,’ which means ‘to love dearly.’ When Peter responds by saying “You know I love you,” the Greek word for love used there is ‘phileo,’ which means ‘to like.’ An illustration might help. We’ve all had experience with those pointless relationships that happen in high school. If you were never in one yourself, chances are high that you had a friend or two who did and they may have talked about it with you. Usually the problems that centered on a particular girl or guy had to do with these questions: “Does she like me or love me? And if she only likes me, does she like-like me, or just like me?” Jesus doesn’t make any distinction here. There is one category of devotion. However, even when Peter makes it clear that his devotion only goes as far as liking Jesus, Jesus tells him to go ahead and feed the sheep anyway! Jesus wants to use that! But he also wants us to grow in our love and change. He wants our ‘liking him’ to become ‘loving him dearly,’ which can only happen in the heart. He even had love for his most bitter enemies. In Mark 3, Jesus is about to heal a deformed man’s hand. The Pharisees are watching to see what he does, because it is the Sabbath and they want to see if he ignores their laws. Before breaking their laws and healing the man, “…he looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hardened hearts.” That almost seems contradictory, doesn’t it? How can you be deeply saddened by someone who makes you angry? A lot of Christians don’t understand the struggle Christ is involved in at this point. It is a struggle of the flesh, embodied in the Pharisees, versus the spirit, embodied in Christ. Many times in contemporary Christianity, the struggle is seen as one of flesh versus flesh.

The Secret War

An often overlooked facet of the Christian life is that the struggle is not flesh versus flesh but is flesh versus spirit. In the book of Galatians, Paul offers advice to those who don't know how to deal with this bizarre war:

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. (5:16-17)

Paul goes on to list what he calls the ‘sins of the flesh’:

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these…”(5:19-21).

Then he contrasts these sins of the flesh with their godly counterparts, the 'fruit of the Spirit:'

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (5:22)

I fear that so many Christians have blurred the lines between the sins of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit that the categories have become ‘good behavior’ and ‘bad behavior.’ When you examine these two lists, you may notice a few interesting things. First, notice that the ‘Spirit’ by which these fruits are produced is not our spirit. It is not a spirit of self-discipline. It is only by God’s Spirit that these can be produced. Second, notice that the activities which follow ‘sins of the flesh’ are largely action- oriented. They describe actual physical behavior. Then notice the ‘fruit of the Spirit.’ Although these certainly have behavior which is connected to them, Paul does not make a list of loving actions, joyful actions, nor kind actions etc. I think the reason that he does not is given in verse 25 of this same chapter, “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” He assumes that the revolutionary Christian is already being guided by the Holy Spirit! And when that guidance is understood and followed, those fruits are produced naturally. They don’t come about as a result of manipulating the sins of the flesh to look nice! Conversely, we can assume that sins of the flesh will be produced by a Christian who is not following the Spirit’s leading in every part of their life. That is not to say they are completely rejected by God, only that their witness and their ambassadorship (2 Cor. 5:20) will suffer greatly. Third, you need to understand that there are two 'trees' growing in you: flesh and Spirit. The only thing the 'flesh tree' produces are sin. The only thing the 'Spirit tree' produces are fruit.

But I Already Love Evvverryyyoneee!

Love is a principle aspect of healthy, mature Christian life. You can have all the good deeds and nice behavior it is possible to dream up but without love, they’re useless for any purpose other than to mask deeds of the flesh. Obviously that deduction is drawn from Paul’s explanation of love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, although I think a majority of Christians seem to believe the ‘love’ he talks about is defined as general, generic feelings of good will. For example, you ‘love’ the cashier at the supermarket. You ‘love’ fellow drivers on the road. You ‘love’ all these people when you don’t know their names. You couldn’t be more wrong. Again we need to explain the kind of love Paul is talking about here:

If I could speak all the languages of earth and angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing (1 Cor. 1:1-3)

The word ‘love’ that he uses here is the Greek word ‘agape,’ which means to have a brotherly (or sisterly) love, affection, good will, or benevolence toward someone. But its word origin is the same idea that Jesus and Peter talk about in John 21- agapao, to love dearly. I’m not saying that it is wrong to love the cashier or fellow drivers, or that you can’t. But to interpret that kind of love as the ultimate way to live out what Paul is talking about is the same as cheating yourself out of opportunities to become truly Christ like.

The Obvious Secret

Without the context of authentic relationships with people, love cannot abound as Christ wants it to abound. He does not want to see us limited in our relationships by worrying about good or bad behavior. It is true that our behavior plays its part in leading people to Christ but that behavior is most fruitful when it is close and personal and we have invested our time, effort, sweat and blood into that relationship. When we sacrifice, when we admonish, when we exhort and rebuke, it means something. When we are willing to go to the front lines and challenge our friend who is involved in a detrimental lifestyle apart from Christ, we love them. When we encourage a fellow Christian struggling with some sin of the flesh and let them know that they are not alone and share our own struggles with them, we love that person. When we share the Gospel with those around us, ignoring the fact that it may be awkward, they may dislike us. But we have actively loved them. When we exhort other believers around us to rally for the cause, or identify a troubled area of Satan’s influence, they benefit and we love them. James says that “Faith without works is dead and useless” (2:20), but we have just seen that works without love are useless too. In 1 Corinthians, Paul says “Three things will last forever- faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Works aren’t even mentioned. To some degree I think they can have an eternal effect, but the works themselves just don’t last, because they don’t do anything without love.

The California Adventure – Elaine et al

morscher — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:05:38 +0000

We were super psyched after meeting with the three JF’s (Jesus Freaks) the day before and we wanted to visit Elaine Stedman on Monday; however, the trip is a long one (over seven hours to Medford Oregon) and we were a little apprehensive because she is pretty old and we’re quite the posse. But Elaine assured us we were welcome (she cooked for us the day before a multicourse meal) and we figured it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity so off we went. We went up the direct route through the middle of California. The drive was long but there was great fellowship and many cool sites. We went by Mount Shasta – a large volcanic-formed mountain which still has a glacier on it. Mark got many great pics. We made it to Elaine’s at about 1:00 PM – right on schedule. We were greeted with overwhelming warmth. In addition to Elaine were three of her daughters, Lynn, a former elder of PBC and Ken (from Michigan) a worship leader who currently teaches on worship at Pacific Bible College. We were well fed and had great fellowship. There were many interesting discussions surrounding Ray, the early days of PBC (F), living by the New Covenant, reaching the lost, the worship service, the importance of buildings… to name a few and not without some healthy debate. We were all sort of amazed that we all came together like this and definitely figured the Spirit is behind it. We stayed at Elaine’s for probably four or five hours and on our way out visited Ray’s grave with Elaine and her oldest daughter Sheila. It was a beautiful late afternoon and we enjoyed a good time of prayer at the gravesite before we headed west to the coast. Though pretty old, small in stature and with her voice failing, Elaine was warm and possessed a spiritual depth that compelled you to listen. It will be hard to top the visit with Elaine at al. We then went to the coast to take the scenic coastal way home and stayed overnight in Crescent City CA, just south of the Oregon border. The coast there looks like something out of a calendar with a rocky coast, waves crashing, and light house. Unfortunately it rained on the way home so the scenery was diminished somewhat, but even so, the redwood forests were quite amazing as well as what we could see of the coast. We made a stop in Arcata, which had a “hippy” community, to look around and get some lunch. It was a bizarre place which extolled the use of marijuana and multiple pagan beliefs. It felt absent of life – very similar to the feel at Berkeley. It was a stark reminder of the world we live in and why we are here. A stark contrast to the heavenly fellowship we experienced the day before. We eventually got back to San Fran late that night – the scenic route was a rather long route. One theme that seems to resonate in all our discussions so far is that God is up to something. There is a sense of unrest out here amongst these veteran revolutionaries, similar to what was sensed back in the seventies. The world is messed up, there is no purpose, and only the Lord holds any real answers. It really is amazing to see the hope and sense of expectation in the eyes of these older revolutionaries and then to think that perhaps the Lord wants us to have a part in it. As we look for open doors we turn today to Sacramento and the JFs. We are hoping to meet with them in the next couple days to see the lay of the land and discuss the spiritual forces for good that seem to be aligning themselves there. Stay tuned.

The California Adventure: Berkeley

morscher — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:20:05 +0000

The five NEO Xenoids arrived Saturday afternoon to a sunny San Francisco to see what the Lord may have in store for us on the left coast. We got to our hotel on the bay and started putting together a plan of action for the week. The first stop on our adventure was a visit to Berkeley on Sunday. And what an adventure it was! We met three Jesus Freaks who drove up from Sacramento (about 100 miles away): Doug Shearer, his wife Sita Shearer and their longtime coworker Doug Krieger. These guys were in the middle of so much that happened at Berkeley and played a huge part in the Jesus movement that flourished in the 70’s. They gave us an extensive tour of the campus and surroundings. We spent all day walking up one side of the campus and down the other, seeing some of the famous sites of the “Free Speech” movement and their former ministry hot spots. It was such a blast to hang out with these three spiritual powerhouse. Even though these saints were in their 60’s, they proved more than up for the task and their joy and enthusiasm was contagious. Especially Doug Kreiger, though ill with bronchitis, did not want to miss the opportunity to meet us. In fact he seemed to outpace us and was always leading us on to the next site to see. We found out later that the Shearers had to take Doug to the hospital on their way home to Sacramento. The atmosphere at Berkeley however is a very dark one. We searched the campus for evidence of a Christian influence and found practically nothing. There was one “Veritas” Christian group for graduate students and the next closest thing was a Seventh Day Adventist group? From the posters and advertisements, it seemed like every other Eastern religious, New Age, earth-cause, sorcery, or activist group had a presence at Berkeley, but not Christianity. It definitely felt like we were walking through the dark alleys of the devil’s stronghold. One of the things that has given us some pause about Berkeley as a target is the absence of student contacts there. In order to start or get involved in a college-based ministry we feel an open door would be at least a few students who want to work with us (similar to how we’ve started things at KSU). Nothing is certain, but this is our initial impression both from going there and discussing things with many of our contacts. There is still much more to investigate. We are looking at other universities. Santa Cruz south of the bay is one possibility. Even more promising may be Sacramento itself. More to come on these fronts as well as our very edifying meet with Elaine Stedman and some of her family and friends on Monday.

Jesus Freaks Return to Berkley

kmccallum — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:04:59 +0000

Instructions: scroll through the image list, below -- hit the "i" (info) button to read the picture description. [flagallery gid=2 name="Picture Gallery" skin=nightclub]

Wolven Legacies

jrumel — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:26:23 +0000

In the dead of night I tread the path as usual. Everything's familiar; the trees, the chirp of local insects, the cold earth beneath my pads. It's too peaceful! Like the war isn't even happening! Nobody's found us yet, I should be thankful really. After all, who'd expect Wolf Kin to live in the treetops. I reflect on past days. Slavery, torture, execution, genocide, murder! Magic, love, freedom, trust. They're all parts of my past in one way or another, a part of me in ways. I can't dwell right now. Not tonight anyway. I have watch duty, no slacking off like last time. Surrounding check complete! On to step 2: track check. None on this side of the Dazzle-Wood. Funny name right? The humans saw fit to name everything at first glance, without regard for anyone else's opinion. It stuck better than Snag Root Sky Spring, though the forest is less dazzling since the fairy population dropped. It's best the humans don't know about the Spring Tree anyway. My third check is for signals in the distance. One signal fire to the south, "... Need... Shelter... For... Children..." Humans of course, we refer to our young as pups... usually. "... Need... Food... Badl..." That's disturbing, a signal interrupted? Children involved? Some one has to check it out. "Trouble, Tim?" I turned to see Spike hanging upside down from a tree branch, smiling as usual. That goofy hair of his hanging a near foot in length. To any human he'd seem a silhouette, a shadow at this late time. Though I could easily define his every detail; his loosely worn shirt, his over-sized pants, his brown eyes and each of the light brown hairs on his head. "Yeah, I think a caravan has fallen under attack! I think children are in danger!" I turn to rush toward what was now a pillar of smoke. "Hold up. YOU intend to fight?" Spike couldn't help but laugh. It's true, I'm not known for physical strength. It's not common knowledge that I even HAVE strength. "It's a few Human Hunters. They shouldn't be hard to get rid of." I lied through my teeth. They'd need to be forced to leave, and that's where being passive fails. The pillar now read as a bunch of clumped smoke. Either a kid got hold of the signal cloth or someone's being fried. I rue the thought. The clumpyness subsided. A brief cringe was all the invitation Spike needed. "Nah, not with me on their tails, they won't." He smiled even wider, "Let the others know what I'm doing. I'll be home before breakfast." A quick flip from the branch and he was ready to go. His hair remained in form, it was a mystery how his hair stayed that way. Before I could remark he was gone. A few moments brought a loud whoop. He found his target. There must not be many to deal with. Another whoop revealed that he was fine on his own. Fight Freak! Back to the list; surroundings/local: nothing of interest, Tracks: none, surroundings/distant: a few other fires breathed light smoke upward. Camps of some sort. Well, home calls. A quick report should get some aid for any victims that Spike helped. I hope they're okay. ---------- It's colder than usual. It's mid-summer and I'm used to the blistering heat this time of year, but this was different. Something was wrong. I touched the trunk of a nearby tree. My hand left a funny imprint in the fuzzy moss. I stood watching it reshape itself; two, three, four. Four seconds. I pondered this for only a moment, I can't waste time checking the temperature. I came to the Spring Tree, a beautiful sight if your not in a hurry. All that's left to do is get to the canopy. The trunk being covered in moss made climbing difficult for any species to accomplish, that is, if they didn't know the forest. The first tree due North was like a ladder; we had carved out sets of holes to climb up on and when the moss hung over our little staircase-to-the-sky we let it be. We were the only ones that knew. I did a quick sweep to check if I was followed and then bounded up the tree skipping every other step. I breached the canopy in moments. The smell of fresh boiled beef wafted about. All was in order, save for Spike being in his usual spot. A loose weave of bridges and tree houses lay across the lower canopy like a net and the upper canopy spread out above like a leafy, cloudy blanket. The Spring Tree gurgled with a fresh burst of water. Home. I wish we never had to leave. I wandered across the bridge to the Spring Tree. It's thick, hollow trunk was our source of water. The spring made the local trees strong, they never withered or wilted. A group of traveling monks worshiped once a year and left tribute to the "Spirit of Earth". If only they knew what they thought was an Earthen marvel was a spring of water. Oh, the foolishness of humans. I drank my fill from my wicker weave bowl. The off-green liquid was cool and refreshing. Our first thoughts on the color was stagnation, but that thought was remedied awhile back when Shane was too stubborn to walk to the stream. I allowed myself a sigh. Back to the assignment. I hung my bowl for the spring to replenish and walked across the village to the sky-lodge, whoever was up would be there. I quickly delivered my report and stood outside. A quick meal would be lovely about now. Our traps were set for birds, bats and any other flying animal. But odd things had a tendency of making their way into the traps. I checked our immediate inventory for a snack of sorts. A few squirrels hung together in the first snare panting heavily, the fear in their eyes. They knew they were someone's next meal, but not mine. I continued through the variety of choices. A few birds, one bat, more squirrels, a griffin, a fairy- I stopped in front of the fairy. Her tiny frame was trembling, a few woven blades of grass and a pair of soft white feathers barely kept her concealed. "Am I your choice? Is this now the fate of mine to become a single morsel to satisfy your-" "Oh hush," I said softly, "I have no taste for you. Just wait here while I get a snack. I'll be back for you in a moment." She seemed to take it wrong. As she fell and wept I proceeded to browse the cages, a mid-sized bird of gray and brown caught my eye. I ran my finger along the cages edge. "She's a mother," The fairy interrupted, "if i could satisfy you would you release her so she may tend to her young?" I pulled the latch on the cage and released the fowl. I turned to see the fairy's composure drop, clearly she spoke without thinking. "I haven't seen a bird of that sort before. It would be a shame if it was the only one." I attempted a comforting grin but my menacing Wolf Kin appearance put a damper on that idea. My canine teeth shown in her eyes. She proceeded to cry. I'm obviously not getting anything down tonight. I grabbed the handle of her cage and walked across the bridge. She sat silently weeping the whole way to the "niche". I opened the door to reveal a few hundred fairies flitting about freely in and out of the canopy. "Happy now?" my frustration was evident. I was greeted with many whispers and a few onlookers as I opened the cage door and reached in. I felt her recoil as I gently wrapped my fingers around her, paying careful attention not to harm her delicate wings. "The tree is mostly hollow, you should be safe as long as you remember the tunnel routs. Talk to the others and they'll explain." I set her on a branch near the door and simply left. I'd barely shut the door when Shane was upon me. "Did you release our food again?" He held up the cage that the large bird was in, "Damn it, Tim, you know we don't catch much as it is!" I turned to walk away but he stepped in front of me. His white locks glint in what moonlight came through the upper canopy. His human face was in a scowl and his wolfish ears twitched in irritation. He was waiting for a response. "I really don't want to talk about it. I'll just go hunt something come morning." He just sat there a moment, "Well, as long as you compensate it's fine, huh?" "There you go!" I was done with the discussion. I grabbed the closest tree and slid down the slick, mossy trunk. I walked back to the edge of the woods. I would check on Spike and see what else needed be done. Rose snuck up next to me. She wasn't from this region. She wasn't human but she wasn't Wolf Kin either. More feline than anything else, her species had no name here. "Hey, Wolf." She always called me by my last name, it drove me nuts. "Yes?" "I heard Shane yelling at you and I thought I would cheer you up." She brushed up against me. I was not in the mood at all. "I need to check on Spike. It's been awhile he-" "Should be fine!" She cut me off, "Edgar sent backup after you reported the fight. Stop worrying!" She brushed up against me again, this time slower and more deliberate. "I'm still going to check." I took a step and turned. I gave her a quick kiss and I said, "Run if someone comes that isn't me or the others." She hated being left alone and she loathed being ignored, but she crept into the brush at the forest's edge without a word. I hurried off where the signal fire used to be. The camp was a mess. I avoided the fire pit for fear what I'd find. I checked what tents were still erect. The first tent was a bloody mess of children and wolf kin alike, some of which I recognized. A closer look revealed that the young were all half breeds, enslaved by man and hated by Wolf Kin. Half breeds like Shane. All I smelt was blood, nothing moved. I moved on to the second tent. It was a lime green interior with papers strewn about. Other than the obvious mess this tent was untouched. Was this a slave camp? I found that the third tent held shelter to the wounded, everyone gasped and a few struggled to move their torn limbs and escape my presence. I didn't see Spike. Some of the victims seemed stabbed in one way or another. Lightly running footsteps caught my attention. I turned to see who it was. A small halfbreed child. He staggered back when he saw me, then ran with haste from the camp. A second pair of footsteps followed, these were heavy feet. I readied myself. A large man with a pitch ax ran around the corner. He flinched briefly then lunged at me screaming! I stepped in grabbing the wrist with the ax. A single twist and it was broken. I felt the bones separate beneath his flesh. I choked down bile, but followed through. I took a few steps back to catch my breath. He was screaming, "YOU FILTHY CREATURE!" and "THE MONSTER TOOK MY HAND!" his hand lie limply, wobbling like a hinge. A shard of bone stuck out. I closed my eyes and then all went quiet. I opened my eyes to see Spike. He pulled his pike from the now silent man's neck. "That can't be the most you can deal with." He glared at me with such wrath that I nearly cried. Something happened during the fight. Later after sunrise, Spike spoke with Edgar. I overheard that he was the only survivor from the rescue group, and why he was so upset. When he started fighting off the Human Hunters the slavers started killing the children, someone had recognized him and wanted to hide the evidence. They piled the bodies and then prepared to burn them, the few that Spike could save ran off into the night. That night was a bitter massacre, luck and skill spared Spike and Spike spared those few in the third tent for whatever reason he had. I walked slowly across the bridges, wandering aimlessly here and there. I wandered over to the spring tree. My bowl was filled so I had myself a drink. Still cool, the spring must have spouted recently. Long sips. I needed to calm my nerves. The bowl was empty. I sat on the edge of the platform. Rose walked up next to me and sat down. I could see she was mad at first but she just sat down next to me. Tears streaked my fur. I held her closely and it was just us. We both stood and walked together, the cold wind blew but we stayed warm. ---------- I woke late afternoon. I still hadn't eaten. Hell, even those scrawny squirrels would taste good about now. Rose snuggled in close to me. I kissed her gently on the forehead before getting out of bed. I watched her breathing for a moment before leaving. A single moment of peace in this world of turmoil is always welcome. I made my way to the trap house where I was met by Seth. He didn't have a name when we first encountered him. His name may change again by next week in the way it does. I simply call him Smith. "Tim, you must have stepped in it this time. I've been directly ordered to keep you from the trap horde. What is going on?" "I set a bird loose last night. I didn't think Shane would have gone this far though." "This is Shane we're talking about, you should know better than anyone how hard it is for him to trust anyone. Don,t take it to heart, it's just who he is." "Yeah, I keep telling myself that. So, since I'm officially banned from the horde would you mind grabbing me a bite for breakfast?" "Breakfast? Are you on night-watch again?" Seth walked inside and began rummaging around. "No, I'm off hunting today. I told Shane I would replace what I released so I'm going to keep my word." "Ah, so you had another one of THOSE arguments." The sound of cracking bones came from inside. He was breaking a few necks so I wouldn't have to. "I hope you don't mind squirrel today, we're a bit flooded of 'em." Another loud snap told me I was having seconds whether I like it or not. "That's fine." I really didn't care. Any food was welcome about now. A third neck crack. Now Smith was just going overboard. A fourth. A fifth, and a sixth. Smith emerged with his bounty of squirrel, holding one last living squirrel in his left hand. SNAP! A few last breaths and it was gone. "How do squirrels breed like rabbits?" He strung the last squirrel to the others and stuffed them all into a satchel. "I brought a few extra for you to have through the night, you can use them for bait if nothing else." "And that means you have no excuse to come back empty handed." Shane snuck up on us while we were talking. His eyes shown a cold gray, devoid of the shear fury displayed the night before, though his usual scowl remained. "Just catch what you can. I'm lifting the ban when you get back." "Fair enough, though my word should be all you need." I took the sack o' squirrel from Smith. My hunger was getting the best of my mood. Shane stared me down for a moment then tossed a skin to me. "Spring water for the road." Smith chuckled and ducked back into the trap horde. My wolf kin ears caught him mumble "Weirdo". Shane must have heard him, too. He let a smile sneak to the surface. I decided to make a joke out of it. "Well, I'm off to catch a meal or two. See ya later, Weirdo." Smith peeked awkwardly through the doorway. "See you when you get back," Shane glanced over at Smith, "Weirdo". Smith hastily retreated back to safety. ----------

Official post #1

jrumel — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:38:49 +0000

Well, first off I'd like to thank Keith for building this blog for me. Expect random, expect emotion, expect furries, expect fanart, expect fanfiction, expect anime/manga, expect chaos.

bio

kmccallum — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:15:56 +0000

I was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1956, the son of an Baptist "PK" ("preacher's kid") who was a navy captain late in WWII and rose to international prominence as an electrochemist at Battelle, a Columbus think-tank. The "PK" married an "MK" ("missionary's kid") who was born and raised as a Quaker in the mission field in Kenya. So my fate was set... I've been teaching the Bible and planting churches since about 1981, beginning in Xenos in Columbus, and now in northeastern Ohio at KSU and Akron University. I'm an OSU Buckeye alumni (journalism), post-grad from Ashland Seminary, and a voracious student of life. Visit the NeoZine to check out my recent writing efforts and commentary on the state of Christianity today, or listen to some of my teachings at the NeoXenos Podcast site. From '83 to '91 I served duty at Columbus Xenos as a Central Teacher, a Leadership Class instructor, and an elder ("one of the boys"). My family has always played a pivotal role in church-building and missions work for generations. While I was in high school, my two older brothers started the fledgling "Fish House" ministry on the OSU campus during the "Jesus Freak" days. I helped by running the printing press someone donated to print underground student newspaper called "The Fish", and enjoyed going down on campus to hand out the paper and talk with people about Jesus Christ. But it was they who really "evagelized" me, and I spent a few years doing whatever dopers do best... When that was done, I returned to working with the Christian Ministry which was starting to take off by 1980, and it exploded into "Xenos" during the 1980s. Them were heady days! We saw so many people coming to meet Jesus at OSU and the surrounding areas, we were splitting home churches every year or two. It was while I was undergoing training for teaching the Leadership Classes that I met the most beautiful and intelligent (and sweet!) lady anyone can hope to meet on this planet: Darlene Terman. As we started dating, they nicknamed her "The Terminator" because she was, of course, the woman I married in 1984. Together we had four children (but one miscarried), so now we tend three boys. Both Sean and Kyle are deeply immersed in our church-planting efforts here at KSU, where Kyle is a student and also serves as a young (but competent) deacon in the movement. Connor loves the ministry too, but he's still in Junior High, so we'll see what happens there. What is so amazing is that our oldest and youngest sons are seriously handicapped, but the life of the Body of Christ here is so vibrant, they simply thrive with love relationships. Sean is old enough now to drink beer (and make it), and he provides wonderful volunteer services at the Salvation Army and our North Street poverty-relief program, in addition to working at Giant Eagle, so he's amazingly productive. In '91 I began moving towards extra-local church planting and began traveling around the state, teaching and supporting our fledgling church-planting efforts in Dayton and Cleveland (and sometimes in Cinci). I was bored with Columbus, not because Columbus is boring (even though it is), but because I knew I had a stewardship which required attention: I was so lucky to be raised in a missionary's family and to be a part of the most exciting movement I've ever seen, I simply couldn't "retire" in Columbus holding such knowledge; my conscience wouldn't allow me to. So I re-entered the secular realm to work full-time programming and building Point-of-Sale systems for retailers, and this became the "tent-making" skill that kept the family fed no matter where we ended up moving. God took good care of us, because I experienced the good fortune Joseph enjoyed and prospered in my field. When we decided to move to Cleveland (or rather, "drafted"--does anyone really volunteer to move to Cleveland?), my San Diego-based employer offered to employ me while I worked out of my house, which provided us with the flexibility to launch a new ministry. But in 2005, as the company's fortunes declined, I was eventually laid off and then went to work at the Cleveland Federal Reserve programming their "Federated Identity" project. (And that's all I'm allowed to say about it--they are touchy about security!) Fortunately our Cleveland work was really taking off, so I started working full time in this ministry teaching, leading, and building our NeoXenos Webs. Now? I'm busily fomenting revolution--my favorite occupation of all I've tried.

Lent Picking

lbeech — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:20:13 +0000

It must be the Lenten season, right? Turn on the television or the radio. McDonalds promotes its filet-o-fish sandwich. The campy wall bass now calls out via cell phone to those seeking a "meatless" repast. The local news reports on people heartedly devoted to completing the Northeast Ohio fish fry circuit, after all you only have forty days to partake in all that battered, fried goodness. So many parishes to hit. So little time. People suddenly are giving up the things they love. Some deny themselves sugar, others "smokes." Denying oneself pleasure is the object of the season. Then there are those who cease to consume meat. One will abstain from all meat including fish for 40 days while another will substitute red meat with fish on Fridays only. People seem to pick and chose what they do. Are there rules? I've asked people why they abstain from meat, substitute fish on Fridays or why they give up anything during the season of Lent. Most people answer that don't know why they do it. It's just what one does during this time of year if you're Catholic. Many evangelicals say that they just like the idea of giving up something for the Lord. My favorite reason for abstinence comes from those who have no religious motivation. They just want to fit in with their Catholic and well-meaning Protestant friends. It's fun to fit in. I grew up in the Lutheran Church. I had little exposure to this concept of giving up something for Lent. Lutherans observed the Lenten season and were encouraged to solemnly consider Christ's sacrifice and our relationship with our Savior, but did not practice fasting (honestly, I never met a Lutheran who would willingly give up a meal). It wasn't until I attended the public high school that I came into contact with this idea of seasonal abstinence. (How fitting that this season was the forerunner of bikini season). At first, I was rather perplexed by the Lenten practices. Quickly, I warmed up to the idea that I could do something for God to show Him just how great I was and how much I loved Him. I had always been drawn to the idea that somehow I could validate my devotion to the Lord through some act of my will. What better way to prove your love than to impose self "suffering." I found this ritual completely delightful. The bonus was that as a teenage girl, I could refuse to eat and it would be considered godly and not psychologically unhealthy. Godly devotion trumps parental concern. I win and get to serve God. What could be better? That was the perpective of a teenager who struggled with a border line eating disorder, but is it much different from how Lent observers reason today? Seriously, how does giving up something benefit God? What can man do for the Lord that God lacks? It seems that people who observe Lent through self denial are well intentioned. They desire to worship the Lord and to honor Him. Many seem very sincere in their abstention, sincerely mistaken. The Lord himself points out the folly of misguided human tradition.

Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote. Isaiah 29:13

Jesus rebukes the religious people of his day in Mark 7: 7-8.

"Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”

No where in scripture does Christ command that his followers participate in a 40 day fast of remembrance commemorating his death and resurrection. The only rituals which Christ instituted are communion and baptism. Now people have told me that fasting is a way to draw near to God. They say that spiritual disciplines are a means to see more clearly the way and will of the Lord,"For man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Perhaps they are onto something. Didn't Jesus fast for 40 days and nights in the desert prior to entering his adult years of ministry? Didn't Jesus, who happened to be God, do battle with Satan in the wilderness, weilding the word of God as his only weapon? Perhaps this is the goal of eating fish on Fridays? Yes, clearly I am Lent picking. My main beef (he-he) with Lent is not that people want to be near to God or even that they have a need to reflect on what Christ accomplished on the cross. Those are good things to consider. What vexes me is that people, through human rituals and observance, are trying to be righteous before God through their own efforts. This is just plain madness. Paul raved about this foolish tendency in Galatians 3.

1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. ²I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? ³Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

Christianity is all about freedom. Freedom from sin. Freedom from "works" and the law. Freedom from slavery. Freedom from death. Galatians 5:1 reads:

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.

So, let's not deceive ourselves during this traditional season of penitence. We are not bound by rules or regulations, nor do we need to observe special seasons and festivals. Each day we live in Christ is a victorious feast of community in relationship. The rules have been abolished. There is no need for filet-o-fish advertisement campaigns. No longer a need to fill McDonald's coffers with slave money. We are free to eat meat - free to dig into a Salisbury steak dinner on Friday. I say free the fish!

Cliff 1. 3/2/10

Elli — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:20:14 +0000

So, i started writing and this is what came out: "I haven't written in awhile because I literally haven't been thinking. I got a new job which is great but I totally functioned out. Someone once told me thatif I were to work, I would feel better. I doubt that person would be reading this so I'm just going to say that I do feel better. The long hours on my feet make are helping me lose weight, that's always a plus. The opportunity I get to be with so many different people daily is amazing and I get lots of money. So yeah, I feel great! But someone asked me today how I feel. And I honestly didn't know and made up some bull shit answer. Then as I was thinking, all of these emotions came flooding out that i haven't touched in two months. So i'm going to type some and you can make what you want out of it. For one, nothing is the same anymore. I feel like I am sprinting through opportunities and jumping straight over problems that should be solved. There is no rest or break and I feel like I just want to enjoy it while everyone else is 30 seconds ahead of me. Is it really just me? We used to hang out and talk till midnight with nothing planned, just conversation. We used to celebrate eachother and cry into one anothers shoulders. We used to hug eachother-boys and girls-as brothers and sisters, not as crushes and lusts. So what happened? I feel so far away from where I started and where j started isn't anywhere near where I should have been. It's so different which is okay. But it's just so different. And it might be because they left. They all went on to be adults, looking back at first but now not even a glimpse. And it was fine at first but now I just want to grab them and ask them what do I do? It's so fdifferent without you here. I never appreciated you fully but now I wish you all were back. And now that I wish it, you wouldn't dream of it. You look at me like I'm the same emotional child I was. But I'm not psychotic anymore, just crazy. And you are so much older but I can grow up. And you know so much more but I can learn. And sometimes I still expect you guys to care, until I have to remind myself that they have their own problems and that they don't use Twitter anymore." ...then i pressed publish and my computer freaked out... so it didn't publish. thank god. now, i am going to publish my feelings, the ones that are significant. and to do so, i have to start with this verse: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thankfulness, present your requests to God. phil 4:6 this is my favorite verse right now. my parents were are always throwing it at me and i would never listen, until i sat down and read it myself. the first time, i was frustrated. i gave my problems to god and nothing happened, right?! then i gave up and continued freaking out, all by myself, worrying alone. put everything on my back and woe is me. then i read it again. and i thought again. and i thought again. and i thought again. and i thought maybe, maybe it will work. maybe. and i was like, god