1. I gave a presentation tonight that I volunteered for two hours before I gave it.

2. I shared in part the founders story and then told people how they could volunteer.

3. Telling someone else’s story is not easy.

4. It is easier if you make it your own story as well as theirs.

5. There is a Gospel parallel somewhere in there.

6. Both are hard to do faithfully to the original story. I hope one day that I can do both faithfully and well.

7. I’ve decided that is time to get serious about memorizing scripture. I downloaded the Bible Fighter Verses Memory App.

8. I’ll soon be ready for the UFC cage match.

9. Maybe not so much on 8.

10. My day started at 6:00 am and has finally quieted down at 9:31 P.M. “Golden is silence.” – Yoda.

Bonus: Old post on Groundhog Day. Apparently Punxsutawney Phil stated there is going to be six more weeks of winter. It was 70 today here in the Wilmington area.

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1. I am about to turn 32 in less than a month. A young man who is 22 has gone viral speaking on subjects like religion, fantasy, sex, and marriage. I’m glad God in his mercy has not let that happen to me. Should we encourage young men to take global stages to share their faith?

2. Young men pontificate on what older men meditate on. This is a lesson that I am learning and taking to heart.

3. My daughter told me we could order something on amazone. She insist that is how it is said.

4. I have looked for a week for my Adobe Photoshop install disc. Spent half a day retrieving a serial (yes legally) and getting it to work, which it didn’t want to. I couldn’t find the disc to save my neck. I just found it in the couch cushions.

5. Today I designed an insert that is going to in to every Chick-fil-A in Wilmington. I was told as a kid that doing art was a waste of time.
What do you think about the insert?

6. I know someone that today cleaned their office and found junk mail from the 1980s. Yet people joke about my office. All my unopened junk mail is at least from this decade.

7. I’m listening to Mumford and Sons radio station on Pandora and all it seems to play is Dashboard Confessional. I wonder if I can Mumford if I created a Dashboard station?

8. I just saw my wife’s Facebook status. It is “Eila just ran upstairs to get back in bed singing “dum, dum, dum…another one bites the dust…” Train a child in the way they shall go…

9. Twitter will not let me sign in to their service with their app. How weird is that?

10. I can’t think of Friday now without hearing this.

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1. Today I had planned to get up and start P90X, instead I overslept till 7. Our son woke up several times last night and when my internal clock went off I chose the snooze option.

2. I had breakfast with my kids before work which was awesome. That normally never happens.

3. I had a meeting at work that was suppose to start at 10 AM. It started at 10:30 AM when they got there. I told them that I only needed 5 minutes of their time. The guys I met with spoke for 45. Their internal clocks must have been on snooze. Really nice guys though.

4. My wife found some awesome barn lights for our church plant’s new building and for our house on craigslist.

5. Unfortunately we were late getting to the place to meet the person selling them.

6. We were also late to lunch at Red Robins with my in-laws. We never go out to eat at lunch so that was really a nice treat.

7. I am amazed how much my kids have grown in the last few months. My little man actually sat still for most of the time. How amazing is that?

8. At dinner tonight we had good friends the Vanderfords over for dinner. It was fun even with our combined five kids acting collectively spazy.

9. My wife for the first time hemmed three curtains after she was shown how to hem. My wife is so quick at learning stuff like that, which is awesome.

10. Getting children to bed that haven’t napped isn’t fun. I wish Protestants had a patron saint for whining kids. Oh wait, we do. It’s called parents.

1. I’ve been reading the Elephant Girl: a human story, a novel by Jane Devin. It is about a girl who was abused and now one stood in the gap for her. My first thought while reading was where was the Church?

2. I’m glad I work at the Yahweh Center. It helps kids 5 to 12 not have to write stories like Jane Devin. I work as their IT department. It isn’t directly working with kids but I’m really blessed to use my skills to indirectly work there.

3. I’ve been thinking about Paul analogy that the Church is like a body. Cue Casting Crowns.

4. Why is it that whenever I hear Casting Crowns, I think of Third Day? On a aside, how awesome would it be if Green Day became were Christians?

5. No body wants to be the support system but a body dies without it. God reminds me that every time something gets broke at work.

6. How do people with advanced degrees that cost 40K break a printer by getting out a paper jam exactly 1 month after the warranty dies?

7. If the Church is the body that means it has two hands, feet, ears, nostrils, and eyes but only one mouth. So why does it make sound outside of where it is suppose to?

8. I wonder if Paul was thinking about including a section on who makes up the excretory system in the Church but left it out?

9. We had a potluck at work. I’ve worked at the Yahweh Center for like five years. This is the first year where there where more than two guys working in my building which was awesome. We talked about men’s things. I had forgot what that was like at work. I now have people to share the joy of bacon with at work.

10. The potlucks are going to be monthly. How awesome is that?

11. Today I learned that you can wrap bacon around green beans. Where has that been all my life?

12. I recorded my pastor today talking about our new church plant.

13. As a bonus, I got my first check for working in pastoral ministry again. It’s been three years. I kind of am in awe that God is using me, again. I’m a pastor to families and children.

14. I’m starting back on P90X tomorrow morning. My foot has healed so I’ve ran out of excuses.

1. I’m a seminary student, again.

2. I think the Chicago Manuel of style owes Kate Turabian a apology.

3. I have not missed Kate.

4. No Apostle once ever foot noted their quotations. They all had massively successful works.

5. Jesus never used Turabian. Shouldn’t we do like Jesus did?

6. I began seminary education as a Arminian leaning Baptist in a seminary that avoids the “Calvinism issue” and am ending as a Presbyterian. How did that happen?

7. My blog ate my original post on racial reconciliation. Apparently it was that bad.

8. I’m updating my blog’s look. How does it look?

9. They say it take 21 days to form a habit. I’ve been writing for 24 days straight. How am I doing?

10. Seriously got to decide what I want to do educationally after the masters. Suggestions?

Bonus 11. How old were/are you when you knew where you thought God wanted/wants you to be in your life and doing what you think he wanted/wants you to do with your life? Were you right (as far as you know)?

1. He’s obsessed with Veggie Tales. I’m pretty sure he thinks Larryboy is the unofficial fourth member of the Trinity. He is one of the sweetest kids ever, when not demanding Veggie Tales.

2. He thinks oatmeal with cinnamon and brown sugar is a gourmet meal. He may be right.

3. The boy consist of four parts milk, two parts peanut butter and bananas.

4. When he’s eating something super messy we put a smock on him and call it his big boy cape.

5. My son is potty training. It’s funny hearing a two year old say “Go potty!” with such gusto as he runs to the potty.

6. NEVER walk out of the bathroom with a two year old on the potty unless you want to see what happens to a third of a role of toilet paper.

7. He refuses to spit after brushing his teeth. Instead he just smiles and laughs.

8. Tonight he “read” his book It’s Time for Tom to me for the first time. Then I read it to him.It’s on amazon here.

9. I’m thinking of carrying him to Everest, sponsors needed, to become the world’s youngest climber. You laugh? You’ve never seen him scale a counter or table.

10. Every night when I get to put him to bed I sing to him. I sing the inversions of two morning songs that we have sung to he and his sister. Song A is one that my mother sang to me as a child. The morning version of Song B is one my wife’s mother use to sing to her. I made up the evening version of song B. Hopefully making lasting new traditions.

A. Good night to you, good night to you. The moon lights in our faces, we are all in our places, what a wonderful way to end our day.

(morning version: Good morning to you, good morning to you. The sunshine is in our faces, we are all in our places, what a wonderful way to begin our day.)

B. Settle and reflect, settle and reflect, and give God the glory, glory, child of the Lord.

(morning version: Rise and shine, and give God the glory, glory, rise and shine and give God the glory, glory, children of the Lord).

veggie tales image credits

“Words mean things, and if we’re concerned about hijacking a word we ought not hijack it on the other side of the road but use it the way the Bible does. “- Jared C. Wilson

This not a fully fleshed out treatise on meaning and words and so forth. It is some quotes ruminating in my mind. Hopefully they will ruminate in yours.

I’m hoping to share that the meaning of words have a power in them and we should use them humbly. Especially when talking about God and things pertaining to him, yet even when they are communicating more mundane things.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”- Proverbs 18:21

What we say should be things that ultimately bring forth good results. Amazingly our words, written and spoken, have eternal consequences especially when the words overlap in to the realm of God, eternity, and life. Yet, we need to have a sense of humility about our words. Travis Trasher, a writer, states that our words should not be put on a pedestal by us. They are always in the process of changing as we grow as communicators. We need humility to realize that we are ever so fallible and fail-able.

But chances are you’re imperfect like the rest of us, and so are your words.
The magnificent thing is that those words can be made better. They can be polished and smoothed out and rearranged and perfected.
Always remember. They’re words. They’re just words. -Travis Trasher

I’m writing on this blog regularly now in large part not because I want to learn how to blog or because I simply want to write. It is not even ultimately to get people to enjoy my writing. Honestly though, I hope you do. I want to learn how to use words well. Why? I love God and his people including those who love Him and especially those who do not love him yet as they should. I want to learn to write winsomely and powerfully while balancing it with humility. I desire to speak about eternal things and the things of this life to draw people to God and his people. I do not love God at all like I should, though I really want to do so. I want my words to show love that is grounded in grace and truth. I want my words after they have been considered to have been a fruit worth eating and fruit to be shared.

Words are meaningful. Our words though are ever so fallible. How do we balance these two truths?

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1. My son who just turned 2 is potty training. In the store yesterday my wife bought him a few pairs of toy story underwear. How is he old enough for this?

2. My son thought it would be cool to wear his underwear on the outside of his pants. Think Harvard will be ready for him come 2028? My wife’s going to ask why not UNC?

3. Did you know that rubber expands when it’s cold?

4. Did you know that you can’t put the outdoor whole house water filter on if the rubber gasket expands?

5. Did you know Lowes is open till 9 PM on Friday night?

6. Did you know they don’t carry rubber gaskets that fit outdoor whole house filters?

7. Did you know that know that they do sell the outdoor whole house walter with the rubber gasket?

8. Did you know that a “gentleman does not boast? When you’re a lion, you don’t have to roar.” Saw that on twitter. Charlie Sheen needs to memorize that.

9. Did you know that “A theologian is someone who “watches their language in the presence of God.” Nicholas Lash does.

10. Has Rebecca Black effectively done to Friday what Rick Astley has done to url links.

11. Bonus, it’s Friday the 13th. Boo.

So, what’s my goal? It’s a petition from King David to God. I want to make it too.

It’s from Psalm 119:32, simply put it’s to run after God, when God makes it possible.

I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!

Here’s Calvin’s thoughts on what this means.

The meaning of the prophet is, that when God shall inspire him with love for his law he will be vigorous and ready, nay, even steady, so as not to faint in the middle of his course. His words contain an implied admission of the . . . inability of men to make any advancement in well-doing until God enlarge their hearts. No sooner does God expand their hearts, than they are fitted not only for walking, but also for running in the way of his commandments. He reminds us that the proper observance of the law consists not merely in external works,—that it demands willing obedience, so that the heart must, to some extent, and in some way, enlarge itself. Not that it has the self-determining power of doing this, but when once its hardness and obstinacy are subdued, it moves freely without being any longer contracted by its own narrowness. Finally, this passage tells us, when God has once enlarged our hearts, there will be no lack of power, because, along with proper affection, he will furnish ability, so that our feet will be ready to run.

My goal for 2012 is to hope that God will enlarge my heart to make it capable of his good uses and not my own. Basically, I want to have a heart useable by God. Often, my heart isn’t big enough because it’s to small. It’s still seeking after God’s foot stool. Here’s what St. Augustine had to say in his Confessions.

Narrow is the mansion of my soul; enlarge Thou it, that Thou mayest enter in. It is ruinous; repair Thou it. It has that within which must offend Thine eyes; I confess and know it. But who shall cleanse it? or to whom should I cry, save Thee? Lord, cleanse me from my secret faults, and spare Thy servant from the power of the enemy. I believe, and therefore do I speak. Lord, Thou knowest. Have I not confessed against myself my transgressions unto Thee, and Thou, my God, hast forgiven the iniquity of my heart? I contend not in judgment with Thee, who art the truth; I fear to deceive myself; lest mine iniquity lie unto itself. Therefore I contend not in judgment with Thee; for if Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall abide it?

My part on this is I’m going to read the Bible through and work through Calvin’s Institutes which is just a summary of Christian faith. Want to join me? Feel free to keep me accountable. I need it. Regardless, I recommend on giving up resolutions unless you really think you can keep them. I’d suggest putting them off a few weeks and see if your still interested in doing them. If so, do them. If not, then you wont be condemning yourself for failing yourself. It’s okay to give up your resolutions. Pray and ask God what he wants you to do. It’s okay to wait on the Lord. It might make all the difference.

Quotes: David, Psalm 119 Esv Bible.
Calvin, Commentary on the Psalms
Augustine, Saint (2006). The Confessions of Saint Augustine (Optimized for Kindle) (Kindle Locations 81-86). Kindle Edition
Art St. Augustine by Sandro Botticelli

I left early to get to church today so I could get it back. It was exactly where I had laid it down after doing the kids service last week during Christmas. I was overjoyed getting it. I held it. I read through it throughout the service like a kid sneaking a comic in to 9th grade British lit. At the end of the service I laid it on the communion table. I went to help a guy move some stuff and when I went back to get it, it was gone! I hope someone returns my little black book, it has the secrets of my life in it. Granted, I could get another if it isn’t returned for whatever reason but I’d miss my copy of my Bible.

My current little black book is my 2nd to go M.I.A. The first was stolen at Bible College in Seminary. True story.