Christa and the kids came home today. To give Christa a break, I took Caleb to Barnes and Noble to read a couple of books. i brought some Johnny Ca.sh to listen to-Caleb's favorite music.
"Ghost Riders in the Sky" came on and I told Caleb it was my favorite Johnny Cash song. Caleb asked me if ghost riders in the sky were real. I told him no. He then asked me if they were real to Johnny Cash in the place he was after he died.
Uhhhh...how do you answer that??
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Remembering a Johnny Carson quote
I enjoyed a Martini tonight on our front porch while reading Anthony Trollope's "Framley Parsonage".
I hadn't had dinner yet and I remembered a famous quote by Johnny Carson...at least it was attributed to him.
He said, 'Happiness is finding an olive in the bottom of your Martini glass when you are hungry".
By they way, Martini should always be capitalized.
I hadn't had dinner yet and I remembered a famous quote by Johnny Carson...at least it was attributed to him.
He said, 'Happiness is finding an olive in the bottom of your Martini glass when you are hungry".
By they way, Martini should always be capitalized.
Monday, March 24, 2008
CHrista and the kids gone
Christa and the kids went to visit her parents in Orange County for a few days. It seems like an ideal time for them to visit for several reasons. First, if we do end up moving to Wisconsin, this might be the last time that she is there for a while. Her parents have not seen the Caleb and Regan since last June, which is an eternity for a little girl like Regan. When they last saw her, she probably wasn't even rolling over. Now she is practically walking and her vocabulary is starting to grow. her fater's health also seems to be going downhill a bit and Christa might not have many more opportunities to see him. Last, because I was unemployed at the end of last year, we didn't get to go down for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's good that Christa gets to spend Easter with her family.
So I'm spending time cleaning the house, watching movies that Christa probably wouldnt want to watch and organzing all of the small group material for spring quarter. A couple of days without Christa and the kids is okay, but after that it is a matter of WHERE ARE THEY???????
So I'm spending time cleaning the house, watching movies that Christa probably wouldnt want to watch and organzing all of the small group material for spring quarter. A couple of days without Christa and the kids is okay, but after that it is a matter of WHERE ARE THEY???????
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Bad preaching vs weak preaching
A comment was made on my post about Christian minimalism to the extent that minimalism is the result of bad preaching. I disagree. It isa not bad preaching but weak preaching.
When I think of bad preaching, I think of Fred Price, Benny Hinn and their ilk. Those who (intentionally or not) distort Scripture in order to make it say what they want it to say. On points of theology they are just plain wrong. That is bad preaching, in my view.
Weak preaching is something totally different. This i preaching which fails to challenge our lives, confront our sin or convict us of our need to be righteous. many seeker-sensistive churches fall into this. Preaching about sin is not often done and if it is done, it often gives subtle comfort that those in sin may indeed remain there.
There is a church which I am familiar with in which the application from the sermon can often be boiled down to 3 things. Read your Bible. Pray. Be in fellowship. Yes, all those things should be done and done well, but when this is the depth of the application, there is something wrong. These people may read their little devotional book, say grace before meals and get together with friends from church and think they are doing God's will. The application of Scripture to their lives never goes beyond this because the man in the pulpit never goes beyond this.
When I think of bad preaching, I think of Fred Price, Benny Hinn and their ilk. Those who (intentionally or not) distort Scripture in order to make it say what they want it to say. On points of theology they are just plain wrong. That is bad preaching, in my view.
Weak preaching is something totally different. This i preaching which fails to challenge our lives, confront our sin or convict us of our need to be righteous. many seeker-sensistive churches fall into this. Preaching about sin is not often done and if it is done, it often gives subtle comfort that those in sin may indeed remain there.
There is a church which I am familiar with in which the application from the sermon can often be boiled down to 3 things. Read your Bible. Pray. Be in fellowship. Yes, all those things should be done and done well, but when this is the depth of the application, there is something wrong. These people may read their little devotional book, say grace before meals and get together with friends from church and think they are doing God's will. The application of Scripture to their lives never goes beyond this because the man in the pulpit never goes beyond this.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Zack
10 years or so ago, George, Matt, Brygy and keith led a man named Zack to Christ. George and I even got to baptize him in the bay. Several years ago Zack disappeared. Poof! Now I know why
Zack surfaced last night after about 6 years of silence. We talked for 2 hours...mostly about him and what is going on in his life. Here is not the place to detail the happenings in his life, but suffice it to say that his life is pretty messed up and much of it by his own hand (according to Zack) One of is main regrets is that he didn't reach out to his old friends, who all still care for and love him, when things wee starting to go sour. But he finally did...getting touch with George who sent his info to me and I sent it to Matt, Keith and Bryguy.
As much as is going on with Zack, he needs to know that God's grace is beginning to reassert itself in his life. All of his friends have and will accept him again with no strings attached, and the love and fellowship which will flow from that will help him to climb out of his hole.
The parable that comes to mind is The Prodigal Son. This son was not fully healed until he made his way back to home, but his healing began when he woke up in the pigsty. That is where Zack is, waking up in the pigsty and realizing that it is not the place for him. It might be a little way of a slow way back for Zack because of the damage in his life, but you are never too far gone for God to heal you of the sins of your past and to make you into who He wants you to be.
Zack surfaced last night after about 6 years of silence. We talked for 2 hours...mostly about him and what is going on in his life. Here is not the place to detail the happenings in his life, but suffice it to say that his life is pretty messed up and much of it by his own hand (according to Zack) One of is main regrets is that he didn't reach out to his old friends, who all still care for and love him, when things wee starting to go sour. But he finally did...getting touch with George who sent his info to me and I sent it to Matt, Keith and Bryguy.
As much as is going on with Zack, he needs to know that God's grace is beginning to reassert itself in his life. All of his friends have and will accept him again with no strings attached, and the love and fellowship which will flow from that will help him to climb out of his hole.
The parable that comes to mind is The Prodigal Son. This son was not fully healed until he made his way back to home, but his healing began when he woke up in the pigsty. That is where Zack is, waking up in the pigsty and realizing that it is not the place for him. It might be a little way of a slow way back for Zack because of the damage in his life, but you are never too far gone for God to heal you of the sins of your past and to make you into who He wants you to be.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Things are heating up in Wisconsin
The ministry opportunity at Jacob's Well in Eau Claire seems to becoming better by the day. Christa had a long talk with Lori, the executive pastor's wife last night about what life in Wisconsin is like. Lori and her husband Steve moved there from Dallas in January, so they are still in the midst of some transition issues. They talked for about 90 minutes or so.
Steve and I talked to today about the salary package and it in very competitive. Actually it's a bit more than I would have expected and would let us live pretty decently out there. They are in the final stages of putting together the airline tickets, rental car and hotel for our stay out there.
God is up to good things
Steve and I talked to today about the salary package and it in very competitive. Actually it's a bit more than I would have expected and would let us live pretty decently out there. They are in the final stages of putting together the airline tickets, rental car and hotel for our stay out there.
God is up to good things
Monday, March 17, 2008
Tahoe trip with Caleb
Caleb and I spend the weekend at lake Tahoe sledding in the snow. My friend Chris came also and brought his son Will (nicknamed Maui and he won't let anyone call him anything else) who is about 4 months younger than Caleb.
On Caleb's first run down the sledding hill (him in front and me in back), we wiped out, flipped over and Caleb ended up with his face covered in snow. He immediately said that he was cold, wanted to go home and didn't ever want to see snow again. Well, that lasted about 3 minutes. Then it was back up the hill.
We learned earnly on that when Caleb was in the front of the sled, we would wipe out and he would have his face covered with snow (The Abominable Caleb). So we switched positions so that I got the faceful of snow every time. But we didnt wipe out again.
We ended up leaving a little earlier than maybe we wanted to on Sunday. Maui and his dad had a couple of pretty bad wpeouts back-to-back and that kinda soured him on doing anymore sleddding.
It was fun to watch them wipe out. It reminded me of the old Road Runner cartoons. When the coyote would fall off a cliff, he would get smaller and smaller until you saw just a little puff of smoke as he it bottom. So it was with Chris and Maui. They would be sledding and getting smaller and smaller down the hill when all of a sudden I'd see a little puff of snow near the bottom. Yep, they wiped out again.
I enjoy these weekend times with Caleb. We did the snow trip last year also. I want to take him camping this summer also. I wanted to do a quick backpack trip with him, but we might not be around the Sierras this summer to do that.
On Caleb's first run down the sledding hill (him in front and me in back), we wiped out, flipped over and Caleb ended up with his face covered in snow. He immediately said that he was cold, wanted to go home and didn't ever want to see snow again. Well, that lasted about 3 minutes. Then it was back up the hill.
We learned earnly on that when Caleb was in the front of the sled, we would wipe out and he would have his face covered with snow (The Abominable Caleb). So we switched positions so that I got the faceful of snow every time. But we didnt wipe out again.
We ended up leaving a little earlier than maybe we wanted to on Sunday. Maui and his dad had a couple of pretty bad wpeouts back-to-back and that kinda soured him on doing anymore sleddding.
It was fun to watch them wipe out. It reminded me of the old Road Runner cartoons. When the coyote would fall off a cliff, he would get smaller and smaller until you saw just a little puff of smoke as he it bottom. So it was with Chris and Maui. They would be sledding and getting smaller and smaller down the hill when all of a sudden I'd see a little puff of snow near the bottom. Yep, they wiped out again.
I enjoy these weekend times with Caleb. We did the snow trip last year also. I want to take him camping this summer also. I wanted to do a quick backpack trip with him, but we might not be around the Sierras this summer to do that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)