What do you want to be when you grow up?

So I was thinking yesterday about a question that most of us have all been asked.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Ok, raise your hand if you've hated hearing this question. I mean seriously! EVERYONE asks it. Or now that most of us are older the question is: "So what do you do?" Shoot most of us are still trying to figure out what the heck we want to be when we grow up. Then it started to make me think about, as a child, what I wanted to be when I was older.

Wanna know what it was? ........A singing astronaut veterinarian. Yep! Can't make this stuff up folks. That's what I wanted. You know what? Now that I think about it, no one ever said that I couldn't do that or that it was a stupid idea. Unfortunately not all are so lucky and for those people my heart breaks. However, somewhere along the way we throw away our "childish" dreams and we try to have grown up professions.

When did we lose ourselves? People became so concerned with who we were going to be that by the time most of us get to college we haven't a stinkin clue! We have students that are triple majoring or that change their major multiple times to try to find the perfect fit. Most of us will fall into the category that I fell in which is by the time of graduation you have a moment to stop and think. Crap. I need a job.

So what's the answer. I have no idea. I said I just thought about this yesterday. I wonder though if we should stop asking kids what they want to be though. I don't know. Maybe not. Just a thought though. I didn't need an adult to ask me if I wanted to be a singing astronaut veterinarian. Please! Adults aren't that creative.

Food for thought. Nothing more really.

Raise My Ebenezer

So I know I say this probably every time I write something, but I really haven't done this in a while. I mean like actually write a real post. So here is just a little bit of what I've been learning lately.

Recently I've been thinking about how I would love to...you know the old cliche..."move on to big and better things"

While I am extremely thankful for having a job I just want to start moving towards my dreams. I suppose I am doing that, but at times it just feels like I'm trying to run through molasses. Know the feeling? Perhaps I'm inpatient. I just want it to happen now! I've always been that way a little bit though.....ok a lot bit.

As I was analyzing my work habits, spending habits, etc. I realized that I am not being the best steward of those things. No, not enough that people would take notice. In a lot of cases probably not even enough that people would see anything wrong with them. While I'm not anywhere near going bankrupt I have noticed that I'm much more quick to buy a $5 latte than save it for house repairs. Or go out to dinner with friends rather than stay in and save to possibly buy a coat for someone who is using newspaper as their blanket rather than the plush afghan I nap under. I suppose, as most do, I feel if I have money in the bank then I'm doing something right.

The other day I was talking through some of these things with a friend. Ok I was actually texting it because, you know, texting is totally the new face to face relationship. As I was sharing my thoughts to him he exclaimed to me "Raise your ebenezer!" I wasn't too sure what he was wanting me to do. I'm not sure he knew why he instructed me to do so either. However, it led us in an interesting direction of conversation. We started to talk about the old hymn where that line is sung. The line comes from the bible verse 1 Samuel 7:12

Then Samuel(A) took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen[a] and called its name Ebenezer;[b] for he said, "Till now the LORD has helped us.

Samuel lifted a stone as a mark for what God had done. It was a symbol, a defining point.

Well while I don't have a giant rock to lift up in the air I do have this blog. I hope that in writing this I will think back and remember it and what God has been teaching me when faced with the little decisions. Do I buy a latte and a muffin or an entire bag of coffee that I can make at home that will last a few weeks? Do I go out to the movies or do I rent one for a dollar? Yes they seem like small and meaningless decisions, but I think these are ways to be smart for one and more importantly to honor God in the small things.

After thinking through these thoughts I was reminded of the parable of the talents. We are trusted with time, money, resources, talents and we are most certainly responsible for what we do with them. So:

HERE I RAISE MY EBENEZER!

Desert Song

A friend of mine posted this video. I just wanted to share it as well. How often do we feel overcome yet we are still called to worship a God who is never failing.

Download My Friend's Music!

So I've known one of my closest friends, Nathan Smith, for almost 8 years now. He is insanely talented. He plays guitar like a magician and has an incredible voice. I'm truly blessed to have such a friend as him. His talent truly amazes me. He recently put on his blog a couple songs that you can download. Please go there and support him.

For those of you who don't know I am a photographer so I am often snapping random pictures of my friends. I'm sure it can get annoying. Thankfully no one has kicked me in the teeth or anything yet. Here is a shot that I caught of Nathan. This is the album art that you'll see when you're downloading.

It's here!

After several calls, email, and frustrated breakdowns....IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!

I gave in.

So I finally did it.  I became a follower.  Go ahead.  Call me a conformist. 

Incomplete Trinity

So I've been reading the book Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin.  Its directed towards worship leaders.  I think its a great book for anyone to read though addressing the worship time of the musical portion of corporate worship.

The chapter I just finished was focused on the role of the Holy Spirit.  Something that he said particularly struck me in how I've been feeling lately.  The quote said:

"Paul reminded the Philippians that 'we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh' (Philippians 3:3).  Part of his intention is to communicate our need to rely on God's power rather than on our own when we draw near to Him."

Lately I've felt as though when I come to worship God I can't "feel" Him.  This chapter has caused me to question whether or not when I come to worship God if I try to do so apart from the Holy Spirit.  I wonder how many times we come to worship the true God incompletely.  If we try to worship the Father through the Spirit yet forgetting Christ are we not in the wrong?  In my case if I try to worship the Father through Christ yet without the power of the Holy Spirit have I missed God in complete identity?  Have we allowed the mystery of the trinity to cause us to miss His complete identity?

A message from Jon Macarthur.

An excerpt from one of Jon Macarthur's message's on his site. To read it in it's entirety, go here.

Only God has the capability to fill our life with song. Only He is the one who can save us and redeem us. And as a result of that, we are in tremendous debt to Him. And that is exactly what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:12 and 13.

Let me read those two verses and then we'll look at them, talk about them; see if we can't apply them to our hearts. Romans 8, verse 12:

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do kill the deeds of the body, ye shall live."

Two very, very important verses. And I trust the Spirit of God to be our teacher, tonight.

To begin with, let me say that I want you to know that the things that I teach and the things that I preach in the Word of God are very personal things to me. This is not an exercise in theatrics. This is the commitment of my own heart. I take the Word of God very seriously. And I believe that before I can ever be so bold as to apply it to your 1 if e, I have to apply it to my own 1 if e. And so, I find myself in the text of every sermon of every lesson and no different here.

This is not just a message to you; it is a message to me. And it is a very important reminder that I am in no debt at all to the flesh. For that's a part of the life of deadness that I no longer am engaged in, thanks to Jesus Christ. And so, I owe the flesh nothing. But I am in debt, and that's implied here, I am in debt to God with a tremendous debt. And that's really what I want us to understand tonight.

This week as I was thinking about my own responsibility to be the kind of man God would have me to be, whether or not I was the pastor of a church or not, I was drawn to read a book which has a way of confronting my soul and it's an old book, in fact it was written in 1656. 1 have a current edition, I want you to know. It's been republished many, many times. The title of it is The Reformed Pastor and it was written by a pastor by the name of Richard Baxter. And he says this, on one page, and he speaks to those who are pastors.

"Take heed to yourselves lest you live in those sins which you preach against in others and lest you be guilty of that which you daily condemn. Will you make it your work to magnify God and when you have done dishonor Him as much as others? Will you proclaim Christ's governing power and yet condemn it and rebel yourselves? Will you preach His laws and willfully break them? If sin be evil, why do you live in it? If it be not, why do you dissuade men from it? If it be dangerous, how dare you venture on it. If it be not, why do you tell men so? If God's threatenings be true, why do you not fear them? If they be false why do you need righteously troubled men ... why do you righteously trouble men with them and put them into such fright without a cause? Do you know the judgment of God that they who commit such things are worthy of death? And yet, will you do them?

"Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself. Thou that makest thy boast of thy law through breaking the law, dishonorest thou God. What, shall the same tongue speak evil that speaks against evil? Shall those lips censor and slander and backbite your neighbor that cry down these and the like things in others? Take heed to yourselves lest you cry down sin and yet do not overcome it, lest while you seek to bring it down in others you bow to it and become its slave yourselves. 0 brethren, it is easier to chide at sin than to overcome it," end quote.

I find that a very important warning in my own life. And Baxter went on to say, "Many a tailor goes in rags that makes costly clothes for others. And many a cook scarcely licks his fingers when he hath dressed for others the most costly meal."

Honestly

So I know that I haven't blogged in some time. I don't really know that that is a problem considering I'm not sure that anyone actually reads this, but lately my head has just been so flooded with biblical teaching that I'm wrestling to sort through it all and just absorb as much as I can. Hopefully I can sort through some of it soon.

Christmas Poem

This is a poem I wrote around Christmas time for a service
A poem from the perspective of Joseph at the birth of Christ:

God, what are you doing?
I don't understand.
I'm trying to trust in your mighty hand.
She is just a child, I'm a coward at best.
Have you looked around, have you seen all the rest?
Why did you pick her, why did you pick me?
Why have you chosen it us to be?
I'm supposed to provide a place for us to stay.
You weren't supposed to come this way.
But now here you are, I feel such a fright.
A child in a trough, yet the marvelous light.
You've asked us to hold this helpless babe who will one day be mighty to save.
Father give us the strength to follow in faith.
Surround us with prayer from your holy saints.
Now what do we do? Take one day at a time?
I don't feel that brave no matter how hard I try.
What is there left to do on this silent night, but to sing to him sweetly and to hold him tight.

Sweet video

I found this video on someone else's blog , who saw it on someone else's blog. I just couldn't pass it up though. It's pretty amazing.

Worshiping when you don't feel Him.

These are some thoughts that God laid on my heart in a conversation with a friend.

"So I was thinking about why it feels so devastating at times to not feel that closeness with God. If I am interpreting His word correctly it seems that His way of loving us is by letting us experience Him. So when we don't feel that closeness, we don't feel loved, often times leaving us not wanting to be loving. Maybe thats why it causes us to not feel motivated to worship. The thing is that we love because He first loved us. So our response is from that one incomprehensible act which wasn't just loving us once, but is in a constant state of love. So our worship shouldn't be out of reaction to every small feeling we call love, but from that one act that is continual love."

Happy New Years

The morning after a freakishly long night of rock band.

An apple a day

So if you don't know already I am trying to start my own photography business. Several months ago I was able to purchase my very own SLR camera, but unfortunately the computer that I was working on was just not cutting it. So I decided to go for a little upgrade. I don't have any pictures of it that I took myself, but you get the idea.