Nietzsche Was Right

   That's a crazy statement, isn't it?

   I mean, coming from me. 
 
   Not long ago, the Newsboys came out with a song, "God's Not Dead". Then there was a movie. Mr Nietzsche was mentioned in the movie as an atheist. Nietzsche gets a lot of credit for being a bold atheist. I don't know if Nietzsche was an atheist or agnostic or any other $6 word you can come up with, but, I think he was frustrated. Spiritually. All this current notoriety made me think, "Why would he say that? Who is this guy?"
   Google!
   Mr. Nietzsche was the son of a minister. A minister that was dedicated and committed to his church. So, I'm pretty sure, he was taught about God, Jesus and the Spirit. He certainly had knowledge of the Bible. He may have even been a believer. I don't know. But, one thing for sure, he was very critical of the Church. Not so much so God. More so Christianity and how God and Christians related to each other and with those outside the faith. He displayed anger and displeasure with God which makes me think he wasn't really an atheist. He believed in God enough to want to argue with Him.
  Near as I can tell, Mr Nietzsche said "God is dead" three times. The first and infamous time was in a short story called "The Madman" from the book The Gay Science. The story is of a man running through town searching for God. "I seek God! I seek God!". The townies begin to mock him and then this angers the man for which he says, "God is dead! And we have killed Him!"
  This is interesting. Mr Nietzsche's claim to fame is "God is dead", but, no one remarks what comes after that. He goes on to tell that it was ..."you and I" who have killed Him. Further more, he asks who can wipe away the horizons? As if to say you can ignore, disregard God, but, He is still there. "Does empty space breathe upon us?" We can't see Him but He is there. What brought this on?
  Let's look at what was happening in Germany at the time Mr Nietzsche wrote this. From the late 1870's in to the early 1900's, Germany was much like our late 1960's. Things were happening very fast. Economic change. Ideology change. Social changes. Spiritual changes. The industrial revolution was taking off. Modern science was escalating and people were becoming more skeptical of religion.
   The Catholic church was prominent in Germany, but, alas, could not keep up with the times. Socialism was on the rise and it had the church in its cross-hairs. For a brief moment, Catholicism rose up equally, but could not sustain. The government made laws and regulations directly at the church. Religion became wildly unpopular.
   So, I don't believe Mr Nietzsche was an atheist. At worse, he was a cynic. He was saying, in my opinion, all things considered, we have dismissed God from our lives and replaced Him with, well, whatever suits us. Because, later in his story the Madman asks,"Is not the magnitude of this deed too great for us? Shall we not ourselves have to become gods, Merely to seem worthy of it?" The answer is yes. If we are to remove THE God from our life what are we to do but become our own god.
  Mr. Nietzsche wasn't saying that God was dead or nonexistent. He was saying that God was dead in our hearts. The Madman is the one that was labelled old fashioned. Stuck in the past. The towns people were the "modern" people. The ones that put no value in the old ways of life. That belittled traditions and values. That looked to themselves before looking up. Much like now.
   Look around. Who is #1? Me. No, me. Please don't wear that shirt. It offends me. I need my safe space. Your opinions are not mine, therefore, you do not matter to me. We try to one up everybody and everything. Better phone, better car, better shoes, better house, better job.  
  The story ends with the Madman saying that by the time they notice what they have done, it may be too late. He then takes it one more step. Perhaps a step over the line. He goes into the churches claiming the same as he did in the town. They lead him out and rebuked him. His reply was always the same because they too were just as guilty.  He called them murderers of God. "What are these churches now, if they are not the tombs and monuments of God?" Nowadays we call it playing church. Some call it being a cultural Christian. Living by a set of standards, morals. Appearing to have it together because you worship better than they do. Instagramming your devotions. "Diving deep in the Word today." Religion.  
   1 John 2:4-6  If someone says,"I know God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love Him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. 
   Many people will say they believe in God. Many will say they go to church. Many will say they worship and they give. And, sadly, many will say that's good enough. "I'm a good person." Compared to who? The god you worship is you and you're banking on that?
Matt 7:22 Jesus says, "...many will say to me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons...performed many miracles in your name!' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from Me..." 
   God wants your heart and this is why we try to run from that. We don't want Him to see it. God will get in there and be like, "Oh, this is nice. I like this. Hey, uhm, what about this over here. What's this in this dark corner?" Then we're all,"Hey, whoa... don't be lookin at that. That's my comfort zone right there. That's where I can still be accepted. Come over here, where I post verses on Facebook." 
   Don't get me wrong. Stuff like that is good, but where is your heart in that? Is He alive in your heart? Or is God dead and you are your god? Is church where you go to renew your affection for Him? Or is it a tomb or monument you visit once a week? Is God dead to you? It's a valid question. No matter what you think of Mr Nietzsche.

I Heard the Bells

I was at the mall to do some Christmas shopping. As I was entering, I heard some yelling and I thought I heard the name "Jesus". As I got closer, more yelling and a man approaching in a bright yellow shirt. On his shirt it read in big bold letters, "REPENT! JESUS IS COMING!". Not far behind him were 3 police officers. Not mall cops. Actual policemen.

I got inside and folks were still in a murmur of what had just occurred. One of the officers came in behind me and gave a nod to a group that appeared more disturbed than everyone else.  I put the pieces together and thought how sad. He has good intentions but going about it the wrong way. The result was a poor representation of Jesus.

These are hard days. Terrorist, wars, politics rule the news and most of is bad. Folks being offended by "Merry Christmas". It's a holiday pageant rather than a Christmas pageant. School choir directors changing the words from "O holy night" to "O solstice night". Craziness. 

When I was finished with one of my transactions, I said "Thank you. Merry Christmas." The gal looked up at me and replied in a soft voice as if sharing a secret, "I can't say that, but, same to you." And smiled. 

Later, I was sitting, sipping my mocha and texting my wonderful wife, an attractive couple were coming my way. I noticed them because thet looked like they just stepped out of magazine. One of those If you had a lot of money you'd look like this magazines. Except, they didn't look happy. In fact, they looked downright PO'd. At each other. Sure enough, as they walked by me, their words for one another weren't romantic let's say. 

This is Christmas, yo! 

When I got to my truck, this song was on the radio. It was written during the Civil War. Our nation was not at peace. The real meaning of Christmas was not on the collective minds of its peoples and the song raises that point. But, look at the end of the song. As the nation is at war with itself then, and much like we are today, it raises the point of hope...  

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,

And with the sound

The carols drowned

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,

And made forlorn

The households born

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. 

God is in control and proved it with the birth of Jesus. Jesus, with the one purpose of saving us from ourselves. Born to die so that we may live. 

So the world is mess, people seem crazier than ever and things look bad all over. We have a God that loves us and a Savior with outstretched arms saying "Trust Me, I got you"

Amen

Marriage

Divorce is fruit of bad roots. Most marriages begin in lust or being in love with being in love. You need to find the one you are compatible with. Unconditionally. People don't seem to understand that. Marriage is not, no matter what you believe, just a commitment to the other person. It's a commitment to God that you love that person as Christ has loved the church. That's how it was designed from the beginning. No matter what you believe. So, maybe you married the "wrong" person. When you married that person, they became the right person and now, you must be the right person for them. Marriage is work. Hard work. Not magic. Marriage is communication. Not assuming the other should know everything I'm thinking. Marriage is open and sometimes painful. No secrets. NO SECRETS. I'm referring to "normal" marriages, for lack of a better word. I understand that one must seek outside help for an abusive relationship. I understand your safety and childrens safety are of priority. But, even then, with Gods help, a marriage can be saved and flourish. It's a matter of the heart. Only God can intervene there. Every story is different. You can't just throw a blanket on it and say there's your answer. But, no matter what is in the past, you can change the future. Be open and slow to anger. Breathe. Listen. Pray for help. Ask for forgiveness. Be forgiving. You are a team. Not 50-50 but 100%-100%. All in. One more thing. Find an older mature person of the same gender as you that has a good marriage that you can go to. Someone who has beaten the typical challenges of life and marriage. One who is walking upright and true with God. Not your stupid friends at the bar. Not the ones that talk bad about their own marriages and try to give you advice. Someone you can respect and trust.

Mi Familia

It's been awhile, I know.
It takes time to do these things. Lame excuse. 
My biggest blog fan, my sister, went to be with our Lord recently. So, this blog is dedicated and inspired by her. 

Blood Family
When my sis was preparing to leave us, my niece sent me a message that read, "...You may want to come now." I was at work and just finished lunch. My boss just happened to be walking by me and asked if I was ok. The answer was "My sis is dying." With out hesitation he told to go. As I was packing up my stuff, he said, "It's sad, but it seems the only time family comes together is for weddings and funerals."
Those words were in my head as I was driving and I thought that's not true.
In my family, anyways.

My parents were always about family and that's how they raised us. Family first. We haven't been together like we were when all the kids were younger, but, we did get as many members we could for this or that or no reason at all. The no reason at all times were always the best.  

Also, we'd come together in different ways, when things went bad. You know those things. Drama things. We'd work through them with Mom and Dad at the helm. We are a Christian family but we are NOT a perfect family. Fear God, trust Jesus and follow bible principles. Things work out. And we stick together because when all is said and done, that's your family. 

Adopted Family

It was good see all the lives my sis touched over the years. So many of them showed up for her wake.

It wasn't unusual for my parents to take in people. Don't judge, just love. That was passed on to us kids. My sis took in many people for many reasons. As do my wife and I. 

We have 6 kids. Yeah, I know. Anyhow, with all them, they have friends and we've had a lot of "adopted" kids. I say adopted because when we take them in, we don't just let them flop down and leave. We love on them and make them part of family and nobody leaves without know the Jesus has for them. That's the least we can do. And certainly no one leaves without doing the dishes. 

The reward is when those kids, most of them grown and doing their thing, will call or send a Facebook message. "Thinking of you today"' "Happy Birthday" or "Do you remember...?" If any of you are reading this now, we love you all and still think of you often. 

Gods Family
1 John 3:1
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we would be called children of God...

Probably my greatest family is my spiritual family. I say greatest for a few reasons. The most obvious one is they are world wide. 

When my sis left, I got messages and texts from South Africa, Mexico, Florida, Cali, Texas and many others. People I'm not related to but know me because we share a relationship through Jesus. All believers telling me they were praying for us. Prayer. People around the world lifting up my family in prayer to our God the Father, asking for peace in our hearts. That's so awesome.

A couple weeks ago, my Mom calls to say my Dad is on his way to the ER for chest pains. While I'm sitting next to him, I get a text. It's one of kids in our group. She says "I was just thinking of you guys. How can I pray for you today?"  Not 5 minutes later, a little gal we sent to South Africa texts,"How can I pray for you today?" Instantly, a dozen or people are praying for my Dad. From as far away as South Africa to right down the road. Folks, that's a God thing. No one knew we were there Except our pastor and didn't spread the word. 

The Spirit gives you a nudge and you act. They were nudged and acted. I can't imagine going through life without my spiritual family. My blood family are awesome. Don't get me wrong. But they are a limited number and sometimes you need an army. I have an army. A holy army. With an almighty God as a Commander in Chief. 

We have a weekly prayer group, I have the youth group and of course the church itself. Then, there is all those missionaries I have come to know. All my fellow believers that I grew up with. Then there is the prayer groups that all of them belong to. It just goes on and on. The largest, most dysfunctional family you will ever meet and you can be a part of. Because we are just as messed up as you and need a loving Father that will take you just as you are right now.

Ephesians 1:3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,...just as He chose us in Him before the foundations of the world, that we would holy and blameless before Him. In love, He predestined us to the adoption(family)...In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His GRACE which He lavished on us.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by GRACE you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT OF GOD; not as a of works, so that no one may boast. 

Just Admit you need Jesus in your life, Believe He died for you and rose again 3 days later and Confess you are a sinner that you want to follow Him. No hocus pocus. No 6 week class of purification. Nothing weird. Just trust. 

Right now. Where you're sitting reading this. Admit, Believe and Confess. Then get a hold of me somehow and let me know you are now part of the family. 

Love you, Sis. I miss you so much

Til We Meet Again

I don't much care to say "goodbye". It's so final. So I will never see you again-ish. I usually will say "see ya" or "later". Sometimes I'll let out a "bye" and that's as close to an actual "goodbye" I will have.

But, in the same, I don't like long "goodbyes" either. That just makes it more agonizing. Long "goodbyes" come when you have been with somebody that is very close and you will be separated for a long time and that's hard to think about so you just want to hang on to this moment and embrace...look at the ground...kick the dirt...say, "Yup"...

That's the worst.

It's like a band-aid. Rip it off, man! Get it over with!

Recently, we have had to say goodbye to a couple of people. My wife's grandmother passed away at 90-something years. I didn't really know her and when family began to share stories about her, wow,  I really didn't know her. She was a prankster and a servant and a lady... Really, an amazing woman. She was also a believer that loved Jesus and knew where she was going when she died and everyone knew it. She also wasn't into saying "goodbye". But, rather, "See you later". As in, "I'm going to be with the Lord now. I will see you there, too".

Today, we had to say goodbye to another friend who was not here quite as long as grandma. Which is another hard pill to swallow. I hadn't talked with him for awhile but, I knew his daughter and had a Facebook connection with her. She is a dear friend and was in our wedding. One day, I get a message that he doesn't have long to live and if we could pray for him. That's not a message you want to receive.

I don't know what has been going on in this mans life for the last 29 years but, I do know what he did for me 29 years ago. He was one of the men, outside of my own family, that looked me in the eye and said, "I have your back". I knew I could go to him with anything and he'd be there.

I was young, married and with a baby and confused. I didn't know where to go or what to do. His daughter encouraged me to go talk to him about a job. I didn't want to do that. She said, "GO". So I did. He gave me a little project to do. Transferring drawing notes over to the drawing changes. Lettering. He said you have 3 days. Now, it's all done on a PC. Then, it was a skill.

I worked on it... Did my best....Worked on it again.....Made it better... Did it again...

When I took it back to him he told me to shut the door. He looked at it. Made some low noises like a doctor makes. Looked at me. Looked at the drawing. Then he rolled it up and said with his trademark grin, "This is really bad."

The thing about this man is it could always be worse. Then he would find something funny about it and move on. After he basically popped my bubble, we sat there for about an hour and he told me things about goals and family. Getting my priorities right and how God needs to be involved in all that. To never give up and learn from screwing up. To love and more importantly, have fun. Enjoy the things you have and not worry about the things you don't have because in the end, they really don't matter. Family matters and how well you loved them matters.

You never walked away from this man feeling low. He always encouraged you. Made you feel good about yourself. That was evident in the stories shared about him today. Like I said, I don't know what went on in the last 29 years, but when we had that talk, he was a man of God then and I believe he was a man of God in his last days here. So, it's not "Goodbye" , it's "Til we meet again, Sir."

One funny story
There was a group of us that were notorious for shenanigans. We would TP houses, fork lawns, put cars on blocks, whatever. If anything was going to make this man angry, it would be falling victim to us. And we had never seen him angry.

One day, a buddy and I had a plan. We had figured out how to jimmy the garage door open and get in the house. Once inside, we were going to TP his daughters room. We figured out a time when no one would be home. In the middle of a beautiful sunny day, we did our thing and open the door only to find this man and his trademark smile standing there with a fully charged garden hose. He soaked us. We scrambled back to the car the whole time he was laughing. Oh, man, he loved to laugh. At us. As far as I know, only the 3 of us ever knew what happened. We never did get him. Somehow, he always knew. Hmmm....

Baseball, Coffee and God

    A certain Sunday school teacher stood before his class and placed a large, empty pickle jar on a table. He then dropped a baseball into the jar and asked,"Is this jar full?" With puzzled looks on their faces, they shook their heads.
   He then dropped in a bunch of golf balls. "Now is the jar full?" The young people began to chuckle and replied,"Yes...", not knowing where their teacher was heading with this. "Are you sure?" he asked. Some changed their answer and reasoned their choices.
   As they discussed, the teacher brought out a bag of corn and poured it in the jar. The kernels filtered down into the gaps between the golf balls and some reaching the baseball. "Now is the jar full?".
  They all agreed that now the jar was full and nothing more could go into the jar. With that, the teacher then brought out a cup of ground coffee and poured it into the jar. He then gave the jar a couple taps and the coffee settled down between the corn and golf balls leaving no room at the top of the jar. Patting the coffee down so that it was even with the top of the jar, he asked,"Now is it full?"
  "YES!" they exclaimed exasperated by this nonsense.
  "You see", he explained,"if this jar is your life, you have a full life. The ground coffee is the stuff that doesn't really matter. It's like Facebook. There's stuff there that grabs your attention and occupies your time, but, it really doesn't matter in the long-run.
   "The kernels," he continued,"are the the things that do matter. Your material needs. Clothes, money, job or school. Things you should care about but shouldn't obsess about.
   "The golf balls," ignoring the comments about obsessing over clothes,"are the important things in your life. Family, relationships, your health. These things require your attention. Although, most of the time, these are the things you take for granted. When was the last time you really noticed your parents? Took out your ear buds and asked them about their day?"
   "And the baseball?" someone asked.
   "The baseball is what we take for granted the most." Pointing to the baseball in the jar, the teacher continued, "Although the baseball is a huge part of our life, we give it the least amount of attention overall. The baseball represents our relationship with God. In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus says,   
²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?... ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." 
   "By 'seeking' Him first, all the things in your life fall into place. I'm not saying it will all be butterflies and cupcakes, but, you can have order if you start your day with seeking God first. Pray, read your Bible. Sincerely seek God"
   With that, he pulled out another jar just like the first. He then poured a cup of ground coffee in the jar. Followed by a bag of corn and the same number of golf balls as . Not all the golf balls fit in the jar and 2 or 3 fell to the table.
  "What about God?" a young man asked.
   "Exactly Jesus' point! If you aren't putting God first in your life, where does He fit in?!"

How about you? Is your life full? Are you occupied by the things that don't matter? How do you start your day? With God or coffee? 
  
  
  
  

Am I Better Off?

I apologize for the length, but, to simply say "no" wasn't enough.
In a way, that's kind of a silly question. It did make me think about not only the last 4 years, but a little beyond.
I'm in the construction biz which is up and down as it is. Office furniture and conference tables. A feast and famine scenario. I was settled into my "career" at the end of the Reagan era. We had alot of business. Buildings were going up and needed to be filled with stuff. This was the beginning of the first G Bush term. People were trying to configure PCs into their desks. A trend was forming.
In late '90, the raid on Iraq began and the phones stopped ringing. Just like that. Staff and hours were cut back. After the Gulf War, it was a slow go but steady. I survived a few layoffs, bought a house, had some kids and went to Disneyland. In '92, my company was bought by a larger company. It was rocky at first but I can say at the end of those 4 years, I was better off.
Two years into the Clinton era things were going very well. More business, more work and more overtime. The "dot com" boom had begun and we were out in front. So far out that my company had the corner on modular furniture and the big boys were gunning for us. That was a good feeling. The business still went up and down but I still had a job. Was still paying bills and had decent health insurance for the family with a combination of my work and my wifes coverage. At the end of those 4 years, I was better off than the previous. Things were getting better, but, that was the peak.
With Clintons 2nd term, things began to slide. The boom busted. All those dot-com'ers went bankrupt and their furniture was going to auction for pennies. It was almost new. Why not? Manufacturers were in a scramble. It became a survival of the fittest. Who could produce the most on the least. I was supervising night shift and doing quite well at it. But when you have 2 shifts and need to start cutting back, the first to get hit is the extra shift. This was the beginning of my digression. When I took over the night shift, we had 80+ workers on the floor for both shifts. When I was brought back to days, we were down to 30+ on the floor and my wage was $2 less. With each month after that we lost a few more here, a few more there. The company began utilizing temps because they are expendible. Did I mention we were a union shop? Yeah. It didn't make any difference. If the work isn't coming in, then the people go. Union or not. The competition were dropping left and right, too. Somehow, we were hanging on. At the end of those 4 years, I don't think I was better off.
Enter Bush #2. There was a glimmer of hope. At least the stock market thought so. Business picked up a bit. we were coming up with new products and a new market, GSA. Government accounts. We were filling up military bases around the world! Well, the U.S. and Guam. Anyhow, we were busy and maintained between 25-35 people on the floor.
Then the towers came down. The phone stopped ringing again. We limped along for a few years. No lay offs but cut back on hours. At the end of those 4 years, we were hanging onto our house. I wasn't better off.
The era of hope and change. To put hope in a man, any man is ridiculous. But there was change. A big change. My company couldn't hang on any longer and shut down. For the first time in my working life, 27 yrs, I was jobless. I had to apply for unemployment, write a resume, fill out applications, online. Everyday, 5 times a day, for 10 months. Not one of them panned out.
I got a job when my former boss went to a company and he brought me in to help him. It's not what you know. It's who you know and what they know you know. Don't burn bridges.
Now, I have a job, I hate, making $3 less than I was 4 years ago with worse health coverage for more money. We still have our house and 2 cars that run. But, am I better off than 4 years ago? Economically, no.
What does this mean? I don't know. I simply answered the question. I do know I am not putting my faith in the government. Or a party or idealolgy. I'm not even putting faith in myself. The only one constant I could count on was God. He was always there. He always provided. When the money was coming up short, I would get some sort of side job that would cover expenses. We have a church family that was always praying, keeping an eye out for jobs or bring us groceries. Our true family supporting us through a variety of ways. All bundled in a faith in God. You say, "Well, you got unemployment." That ran out. I was hired my last month of UE. That's God. Not me. Not the government. Not a man.
Romans 8:18-28, 31-34
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

I'm sorry but I can't jump on this Kony band wagon. Is this a horrible tragedy? Yes, but, we can't even take care of our own backyard. Nothing can stop this short of a NAVY SEAL with sniper rifle. Meanwhile, we have a president and a herd of politicians advocating the killing of babies in OUR country. Shouldn't we be seeking justice for them? They too have no voice. Let's all link arms, flood Face...book and demand for the justice of a crazed killer half a world away, all the while turning a blind eye to the "legal" genocide happening just a few blocks from your own home. Reset your priorities. If you really value life that much, then stand up for the ones who are being dropped in a bio waste bucket day after day in THIS country!! http://youtu.be/7y2KsU_dhwI

Employee Of The Month

I enjoy seeing Employee of the Month pictures. There they are, smiling, happy, proud of themselves for whatever. Sometimes, they will have a little diddie as to why this person earn such prestige. "Bobby went above and beyond cleaned every window in the store yadda yadda yadda..." Other places are sort of ridiculous. You know they only have 6 employees and yet they have E-O-T-M. Your odds of getting it twice are pretty good.

Last night, at youth group, we had a missionary, Ethan Molsee, come and hang out with us. He shared the what's and why's of being a missionary. He and his family are going to Togo. Ethan had an interesting story and said all the missionary things you would expect him to say. But, he said something that stuck with me. He doesn't feel qualified for what he's about to do.

That surprised me. I don't think I have ever heard any missionary say that. At least not so plainly. "I'm going to go here and do this and hopefully do that. I'm super excited and it will be challenging..." But,"I don't feel adequate for the job but this is what God wants me to do." Hm

It made think of a couple things. First, I thought of Star Trek. "To boldly go where God tells you to".  Cue music. The other thing was our last trip to Tecate. I honestly felt the same way. I am not qualified for this task. I was nervous. Especially as things started going sideways. (see TKT 2011 blog) And when Theresa took ill, ooo boy!!

Back to Ethan. He followed that by saying, it just means he needs to trust God more. So true. Quite often, we get into a situation and think, "Holy crap!! What am I doing? How am I going to get out of this? What are people going to think of me?" All of those statements are messed up. It's not about you and only people who don't think say things. When God puts you in a situation and you know you are there because of that, it only matters what God thinks of you. He trusts you enough to put you there. Trust Him enough to get you through it.

I follow the mantra of "If you want something done right, do it yourself". That means TRUST NO ONE!!. In Tecate, that wasn't going to work. I had to put all my trust in Him. From the start. Not half way through the week. From the time I asked, "Who wants to go to Tecate?". And I did, sorta. Honestly, my all wasn't all until Steve and I hit the road and the trip was amazing!

To keep Jesus as our focus, my leaders and I would meet each morning and just talk stuff through and pray. On our last day we summed up the week and shared what we learned from it. This is when Emily said the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. With tongue in cheek, I would end all my e-mails with "Your Fearless Leader".  With everything that happened that week and all the things that we had to alter she expressed how I truly was their fearless leader. I'm not sharing this to say "Look at me" but, rather, that should be our goal or motivation in life. That at the end of it all, when we meet Jesus face to face, He can say, "My Fearless Leader. Nice job." Then lead us over to wall of pictures. Above the pictures is a heading, "Good and Faithful Servants". An eternal employee of the month if you will. Then He says, "Look over here" and pointing at one picture, you look and it's you. Not of you smiling, happy, proud of whatever. You painting a wall in Tecate or feeding a homeless person in the streets of Seattle at 1 a.m. Sharing the gospel with the person next to you on a plane. Taking a classmates hand when she tells you that the boy who said he'd love her til the end of time won't have anything to do with her now that she's pregnant.

In the trenches, trusting Him. That's a wall I want my picture on.

 Listen to this song by Phil Laeger and Aaron Shust

Gimme a Heater

Sometimes, you have a cup that's half full and has gotten cold. I worked with a guy that had funny euphisms(?) for coffee. He would be asked how do you like your coffee and he'd say, "Hot, black and sweet. Like my women." He'd also say, "Gimme a heater." when his cup was half full and just needed to be warmed up.

So, you don't need a whole cup. You have some in there. You just need that extra little bit to get it. I heard a song the other day by Brandi Carlile called "Before It Breaks" click this> http://t.co/QasDRiB

In the song, she says she can make her own mistakes and, whoever she is talking to, should let it bend before it breaks. I heard that and my brain snapped. I got my heater.

Recently my oldest daughter got married. Big holla-balloo. The boy she married I wasn't too keen on. I was hard on him. Like really mean. He didn't go away. My boys got after him. He still didn't go away. My daughter says to let her make her own choices. (see where this is going?)

He really went through some crap and stayed. That shows some character. At the reception, we passed a microphone around and let people say things about and to them. My boys each said something and the two oldest got a little choked up. The boy was accepted into our family at that moment. I don't if he realizes that but the words they shared were huge for me.

Family is a big deal for me. I'm the youngest and wasn't to smart, but I had a family that was there for me. Even when no one else was. My family backed me up. I tried to instill that into my kids. Right or wrong, standing up or on the ground, you be there for them. On that day, my kids showed me they paid attention.

I don't know what the song is about. I just know those words heated my cup. "Let it bend before breaks" Don't keep it from bending or you'll never know just how far it can bend before it breaks. Listen to it again. I love how she puts so much passion into her songs.http://t.co/QasDRiB And my niece made her clothes. Cool, huh?

TKT 2K11

Hola!
OK, it's been awhile. We went to Mexico! It was a total blast. Our theme this year was "Fan the Flame" from 2 Timothy 1:6-10. ⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ⁸ So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. ⁹ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.  I could probably summize it in 2 points. 1) Your relationship with God doesn't end at "Amen" and 2) Are you putting your trust in God or do you keep Him at arms length?

We had a few firsts this year. This was the first year we didn't finish a job. The 2nd floor was a bigger project than we thought. But, that's ok. I don't think there was anything different that we could have done to finish the room. If we had another compressor and 2 more guns...It doesn't matter. It just needs the finish work and they have people to do that. There's more to that I'll share later.

The other big first was a medical emergency. That was exciting!! And out of left field. It started with Emily giving us a jolt. She's 2 or 3 months pregnant and told me she was "spotting". OK. I have 6 kids and dealt with every kind of scenario there is, so, I wasn't too worried. But, it caused me to think, "What if something does happen? How do we get out of here in a pronto fashion?"

Another first, I had a laptop with internet connection. I contacted a friend of mine who is a 911 dispatcher and she told me what to do. Cool. No problemo. Emily rested and was fine. Two days later however, Theresa had a stabbing pain in her side and was vomiting. No bueno for sure. After a few questions and not the right answers, we hauled her out of there to the border. We knew what to do and God got us to a hospital in Cali and all was well. Amazing.

We dragged a trailer behind the van this year. Literally, dragged the trailer. A friend of mine let us his use his trailer. Great! This is going to make things so much easier! Well, right around Eugene, we noticed the tires were wearing down. BAD. It turns out the axel is off a bit and the wheels weren't rolling straight. We were dragging one at a slight angle and burning the tread off.

For the trip back, we loaded as much in the van and as little in the trailor. We made it home. It's still under warranty so my friend is getting it taken care of. We should pray for that situation.

Moriah was a champ!! She's 16 or 17 and took on the childrens program. We thought we would have 200+ kids, but, when we got down there, we found out they were still in school. So, I believe the most we had was 70. The thing is, we lost our translator and all we had was Letti, the Pastor's wife. She doesn't like translating and sometimes runs off to find more kids. Moriah worked through all that. She was in complete control and only once came to me with a problem. What impressed me the most about Moriah was her whole character throughout the week. She was able to do all that and still be a teenage girl. Some of you might be thinking so what but those of you who know her know exactly what I'm getting at.

It is so important that teens especially teenage girls just be teens. With the crazy world we live in these days, teens tend to take on too much and they completely miss out on really enjoying being a teenager. I believe they call it "drama". Too much drama. It made me so happy to see her and the other 2 teen girls just be teen girls. Giggling and being goofy and when it was time to be serious, they were ready. All 3 of them were a true blessing to have on this trip.

Which brings me back to 2 Timothy. Who are we trusting? You can't fan the flame if you are trusting you. We need God to have successes in our life. As the verses read, He didn't give us timid hearts. Get out there! Go and go with God! Make your life mean something. In this video, I have Josh Wilsons song "I Refuse". Too many times I didn't move. I let someone else do what God wanted me to do. Enjoy the video but absolutely ask yourself, "How is your flame?"

                                                              Click here >TKT 2K11

Stamp Card

Most coffee stands have stamp cards or punch cards. Each time you roll up and get a drink, you get your card stamped for each purchase. After so many, usually 10, you get a free drink. What a glorious day that is! I use my freebie when I don't have enough money to buy a drink. I would imagine alot of people do that.

What is really special is when you forget you have a freebie. The thought enters your head of having a delicious latte but alas, you have no money. A frown forms and sad music plays. Then you think, "I have a card!" The sun shines, birds sing and your all smiles again. Happy days, happy days.

The antagonizing part is from stamp 1 to stamp 10. Unless you are one of those that gets a drink every day, unlike me, it probably isn't a big deal. I get a drink on occasion. When I'm out and about and I see a stand. I only visit stands. Corporate coffee just isn't the same. Stands are personal, friendly, neighborly. Some are too friendly. It's a little un-nerving to order a coffee from a naked 19 year old. No bueno.

I digress.

It takes me awhile to fill a card. In someways, I have to work at it. Mostly because I'm tight. C'mon, at $5 a drink, that adds up. So, I need balance. To get a drink is an event. A special treat. Or, an excuse to get a stamp.

Life has it's stamp cards too. Especially if you have kids. The difference would be, you don't know when the free drink is coming. God gives you a card and holds the stamp. Sometimes, the stamps are doing a school project that you really have no idea what you are doing. Sometimes a stamp could be driving a kid here, then there, then back over here. Showing up for a school event unexpectedly. Praying with an unsaved co-worker. Inviting nieghbor kids to church. 

Stamps can also be very difficult. Standing up for Jesus at work. Enduring ridicule or jokes from classmates. Confronting a friend that has strayed only to get anger and rejection. Or when your kids think in their 3 or 5 years of adulthood, they, somehow, have gained more wisdom and knowedge than you. I'm not saying I'm smartest guy in the world or even on my street, but, I do know a thing or two about a thing or two. These occasions usually lead to arguments and/or silent treatments. Silent treatments are the worst. That's when you think, "Where is my free drink?!"

Last night I got my free drink. 

Keep doing what God wants you to do and get your stamps. When the time is right, God will give you your freebie. Birds will sing and the sun will shine. 

If you haven't got your free drink yet, maybe you aren't getting any stamps. What you done for God lately? 

Straw No Whip

The weekend was great.

Saturday, six youths and I drove to Seattle for the Rock and Worship Roadshow. While we were there we found out some others were there,too. That was cool but our little group stayed together and partied. Well, that is until Jayk found his friends from school, so he went and set with them. He later joined us for Mercy Me.

Ok, the R&WR is several bands that travel the country and all seats are $10. They wanted to keep the price as low as possible so families can go out and have a good time. These are good bands too. Mercy Me, Anthem Lights, Matt Maher, Jars of Clay, Lecrae, 1000 Foot Krutch and The Afters.

Different genres with the same theme-worship. 17,000 people celebrating our Savior with rock music. 17,000 people singing, bouncing, dancing, praising our Lord! Just a great experience. Bart Millard, lead singer of Mercy Me had an excellent message of "it doesn't stop here". We can all cheer and sing and get warm and fuzzy about the concert, but, there is tomorrow. We need to be this way all the time for our God. If not, what's the point?

Everyday is a battle to keep our relationship with Jesus open and honest. When we're with 17,000 of our brothers and sisters, it's easy. When we step out into the real world, well, are you still as excited as you were at the concert? Are you praising and worshipping, thanking God like you were in that arena?

I almost always get a 20 oz triple mocha with a straw and no whip. I don't like whip because it cools the coffee too quickly. Also, when you order whip, they don't fill your cup as much to make room the whip. So you are basically shorting yourself when you have whip. 

I use a straw for a couple reasons. It's too hot at first. As it cools, everything settles to the bottom. I use the straw to stir it up. I'm usually driving when I get my drink and I like sipping while I drive. It only takes one bad experience to develop mannerisms. One day, I got my 20 oz triple mocha with a straw no whip on my way to a job site. While on I-5, I picked up my 20 oz triple mocha with a straw no whip and as raised to my mouth to take a sip. The cup buckled and the lid came off and I was wearing my 20 oz triple mocha with a straw no whip. Needless to say, I screamed. Now, I use a straw.

Don't live on whip. You're shorting yourself the full drink. Use a straw. Keep it stirred up. Enjoy your drink. Sip it and relax. Don't be thinking, "I got this" and have the lid pop off. With out Jesus stirring your life, you may get burnt.

Freeze Dried

It's snowing! Well, sorta. In Washintons' Puget Sound area, we have what is called a convergence zone. Apparently, it runs from the Canadian border to the Oregon border. I think it's an excuse for the weather people so they don't have to admit they really don't know anything. It's all guess work.

Anyways, it snows like nobodies bizness in places while the sun beams down in other places. Thats the way it was here for awhile. All of Washington was in a panic. Here where we are, glorious sunshine. Then when it did snow, an inch, at the most. We have icicles now. Those are neat.

The kids are on break and tonight, we are having a movie night for the youth. When there is no school, we don't have YG. It used to be nothing would happen. Just a week off. Then I shared how "back in the day" my YG would get together for unofficial youth events. We would make up reasons to get together. They were unofficial because no youth leaders were around. Usually, we were at someones house and their parents were there. So, we weren't totally unsupervised. Man, we had some fun.

One of kids thought 'why can't we do that?' and now we have movie nites. Which is very cool. I go and one of the other leaders go but, it's still all them. The real reason why we go is because we just like hanging out with them!

I hope the snow doesn't stop anyone from going.

Drip Brewed

You know how you make a pot of coffee? The old fashioned way. Not those one cup things or an espresso. A drip brew coffee maker. You pour in the coffee grounds, the water and hit the button. The aroma of the grounds. Yes, I said aroma. Then the thing gurgles a little bit. You walk away.
Soon, you can smell a pot of coffee in process. You know it's not ready, but, whatever you're doing, you want to go to it. Holding back a little, you occupy your mind with your Farmville or shaving or the news. Then that aroma hits you to wake you up again.
There it is, a pot of black heaven. Liquid buzz, joe, java, the good stuff, morning mud. Whatever you call it, that first sip is everything to get your day started.
Can you tell I like coffee. I drink too much, though. I'll down a pot before 11 am. Serious. It's my addiction.

I digress.

My life has gotten fairly interesting as of late and reminds me of drip brewing coffee. The anticipation of what will be. It's just that I don't know what will be. Kinda like I recieved a bag of ground coffee with no label.
So, in the coming days, I will try to be more diligent with my updates and together, we will find out what's brewin'.

My Girls

At last! The long awaited Girls video. It took so long because I was waiting that perfect song. But all I've heard is, "Where's our video?" Well, here it is. The song is "Stop Time, Stand Still" by Ben Wakeman off his EP "I'm the Same As I Was" I hope you enjoy it. Kirra and Kaley will always be my Daddy's Girl and Baby Girl. I love you both very much.

My Boys

Every now and then a song comes along and it's like someone hooked speakers up to your heart. You think, "Yeah. If I knew how to articulate words, that's what I would say." You use the word "articulate" because that's the only big word you know.

Anyhow, I stumbled on this song at http://www.noisetrade.com/ and it just hit me. This is what I would say. I have never heard of this this but, he is an amazing writer with an amazing album. His name is Phil Laeger and the "Honesty" is the album. Please look him up. He deserves the acknowledgement.

I think sometimes that we wait too long to say what's on our hearts because we don't know how or think it may sound silly. Then, when it is too late we think,"Wow. I wish I had said something." Well, duh! So did they!

At the risk of sounding silly, here is my way of telling my boys I love them and I'm proud of them.

Remember...

If I were thinking, I would have put this up a week ago when I wrote it. Better late than never, right?

Sept. 11, 2010
Truely a sad day in history. I remember where I was when I heard the news. I remember the look on our faces and the hollow feeling in my gut. How quiet it was the rest of the day at work. How we watched the news that evening in silent horror and amazement. Then, something I don't ever remember seeing before that day. We became a nation of one. The girls lit candles and stood by the road. People honked and waved. You couldn't look anywhere without seeing Our Flag waving. You could look a stranger in the eye and he'd give a smile and a nod of acknowledgement as if to say,"We're in this together". This became our wake up call to get our act together. Without a doubt, 9/11 was our worst day since Pearl Harbor, but, 9/12 was our best. Remember that day. Remember the ones we lost. Remember their families. Remember the ones that gave their lives to prevent more from being taken. Remember we are one nation, under God, indivisible.

Hmm

We are coming up on the 1 year anniversary of the closing of Magna Design, my former company. It's an odd feeling knowing that it has been almost a year that I haven't been securely employed. Sure, I did that stint at Watson in Poulsbo, but, I knew that was just temporary. More temporary than I thought as it turns out. Never the less,a blessing. That company is struggling and if I had signed on as a true employee, I would have been cut by the end of the year. Also, from what I hear from people that stayed, I would have been miserable. So, it was a good thing.

Well, what have I been doing? Getting by mostly. I've been increasing my presence around church and picking up jobs here and there. The 2 big things I'm currently working on are the Tecate trip in June and starting my own table refinishing business.

I'm getting pretty excited about the Tecate trip. The people that are going and the projects that we are planning are going to be alot of fun. We have a few first timers coming along and thats always fun to watch them through the week. It's an eye opening experience to say the least.

The table business is big because that's income! I'm hoping that it turns into something that I can bring others into and help them out. I'm getting a web site up and it's coming together nicely with the help of my bro-in-law. You can get a peek at it now at www.bornagaintables.com. Born Again Tables- giving tables a new life. I chose Born Again Tables because people make furniture personal. A table will be given to them from a grandma or someone and it takes on a life of it's own. There is a history to it that is meaningful to that person. Sometimes, the table is worn or scratched from it's journey through time and needs a little fix here or there. Reglued or sanded down and stained and finished. This is alot like people. Titus 3:4-7 says,"⁴But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, ⁵he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, ⁶whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." As we go through time, we get dented and scratched and beat up a little bit. But we have hope in the "rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit" and "by His grace" we can start again from right where we're at. Being born again we can be refinished. Our story is the same, but, because of Gods grace, we can say," My scratches have been fixed. My dents removed and now I am a new work because Christ has removed all my damage from the past." That's a great story. This is my before and this is my after. So, like God works on us to bring out our real beauty, I work on tables to bring out their intended beauty.

Please visit the web site. Pray for our trip to Tecate, Mexico. You can donate monies for the trip. A few of the kids need help raising funds.

Listo Para Cristo (Ready For Christ)

Some would think that "Listo Para Cristo" is a statement of death. Like you are ready to to die or you are ready for Christ's return. After this past week, I would have to say it means to be ready to experience Christ at any given moment.
Last week was our 51st Missions Conference at Bethany Bible Church. We had 2 missionaries, Pastor Chuy Leon and his wife, Letti and Dr Jackson, president of Evangelical Baptist Missions. Since the Leons and the missionaries are from Mexico and Peru, our theme was South of the Border. Fitting, right?
Anyways, our original phrase was "esta preparardo para Cristo?" Then Pastor Chuy says,"What is this? Easier to say "listo para Cristo"" He's right. It is easier. It makes more sense now, too.
Sunday, Tim and his wife, BarbaraLee, spoke about mentoring. Finding that person that gets it and being their guide. Monday, at prayer group, both Tim and the Leons stressed what sets us apart from all the other religions is our love. I believe Paul also said that "the greatest of these is love". If we just love on people, ask nothing in return, they will see Christ in us. Don't need seminary for that!
Tuesday night with another prayer group, we had Steve Frerichs from Peru. This is when stuff gets really cool. Steve was a last minute add on. He called up one day and said that he was going to be in town and was wondering if he could come by and share whats been happening in Peru. Steves dad was a long time friend of Bethany and died recently. Although we don't support him monetarily, we let him come in now and again. This time, it just so happens to be our conference. He didn't know. So, we said why not. Pastor wasn't to hip to it and almost didn't go because he wasn't feeling good. But, evening came and felt a little better and a little obligated. So he went.
Steve shared whats going on with Peru and told us he's started working with their professional soccer team. A sports ministry. Then he shared how there are all these little towns in the hills with at least one guy in each town that is sharing and teaching the word. If they could, for one weekend a month, meet with those guys, all at once and mentor them. They could then go back and be more effective. How cool is that? Soccer guys in the city. Bible school in the mountains.
Then Steve gave a great talk out of Matthew. Keeping our eyes open and looking down for those people that need to lifted up. So awesome. Well, now Pastor is all excited! He wants more of Steve. Turns out, Steve has nothing else planned for the rest of the week. He comes Wednesday for AWANA and translates for the Leons. Perfect! Dr Jackson is to come Thursday for the teenagers but has an engagement in Tacoma all day and then all day Friday. Pastor calls him and says,"Look, we have you Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. Stay in Tacoma, relax, we'll see you Friday night." So, we bring in Steve for the teens. Another excellent talk on "what are your idols?" Things they never thought of before. Are you getting it now? "Listo Para Cristo"
Enter Dr Jackson to tie it all together. He told us, through life, God is always with us. But, there are times that we can say that He really revealed Himself. Those are the times that we need to(here it is) be ready for Christ. Wow. At some point, often many times, God is going to tap you on the shoulder and say,"This is it" and we need to be ready! Ready to mentor. Ready to love. Ready to teach. Ready to serve. Ready to live. Ready to die for Christ.
Listo para Cristo?