BLOGGER - Knowledge Base - What is Atom?
Just when you thought you knew what ATOM was.....
How many BLOGS or WEB LOGS do you TRY to keep up with? If it is more than two then you NEED to get with the program and install a Newsfeed reader or RSS Reader so that you can SUBSCRIBE to all of your favorite BLOGS. When you have the urge to read or catch up on your favorite drivel spots all you do is fire up the program and have it refresh the newly syndicated BLOGS. Then you just go to the BLOG that shows a change. I use BLOG EXPRESS and it is VERY easy to install and use. Just a thought folks..... Ok, back to ATOM, enjoy this article....
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
What does our doublewide look like?
I WAS going to share BEFORE and AFTER pictures of the "cleaning" experience BUT someone "family" had 51 images sitting on the digital camera and it was OUT of memory to add more. #$%^%$&*(*&^%$. Somehow, I am the ONLY person in this family that knows HOW to remove the pictures off the camera and export them to the main computer....
ANYWAY, I did my thing today and transferred the older pictures off the camera and made room for the new ones. The following pictures are the AFTER pictures of a clean doublewide trailer. Wahooooo
I know, I need to take the mattress and bed fram leaning up against the porch to the county dump.... I will do it soon!!!
MyDoom - ZDNet: Reviews
MyDoom - ZDNet: Reviews
PLEASE BE AWARE of this latest computer virus... UPDATE your virus signatures TODAY and do a full scan of your system if you have NOT done so recently.
Thanks
PLEASE BE AWARE of this latest computer virus... UPDATE your virus signatures TODAY and do a full scan of your system if you have NOT done so recently.
Thanks
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Riddle me this batgirl.....
I posted this in our Happy Days and Special Times Yahoo group just now and thought I would share it....
Dont tell anyone BUT I am cooking my own breakfast. I can not remember the last time I attempted this. It is funny but I watched the cat "sparkles" sneak up on the pan that had the Jimmy Deans MILD sausage sitting waiting to be cooked. She did not seem to have a taste for raw sausage. haahahahahaha
Who is smarter, man or cat? I can hear the laughter now.... I captured aforementioned feline and tossed her outside. Little did I know she made a bee line for the open window by the STOVE. Guess who pops in for ANOTHER visit for the biscuits? Guess who got whopped upside the noggin and recaptured? Yes, sparkles was seeing stars and landed on the front porch and I made a bee line for the second window asap....
It is AMAZING what you will eat when you are hungry.... Yes, I am eating my own cooking. I hope I survive.... Hey ladies. Riddle me this.... I guess I should have said, Riddle me this batgirls....
Why does Katy leave broken egg shells IN the carton with the rest of the GOOD eggs? Why is it when I banged the egg on the stove this morning it did not break at first? Stubborn Egg or just Food Lion eggs are tougher than the typical egg? Are they feeding the chickens too much iron or what?
Dont tell Katy but I got her the most favorite thing in the whole wide world. If you were to seperate her from this one drink she would have to be admitted to the psyche ward at MUSC.. 1 Point for James! Yeah.... Good thing I dont have to buy diamonds or provide an endless supply of cash to make this woman happy... Well, sometimes she does want software for the computer....
Question. How many of you power washed your trailer in the FREEZING Cold yesterday? Raise your hand so I can get a head count.....
You dont live in a trailer? You are not stupid enough to go out in the freezing cold to power wash your trailer? Well, I guess I was the only one to do this. Our trailer was transformed from something that looked like it came out of a Boggy Creek Monster Movie to a sparkling light grey double wide. It only took me 2.5 hours and two layers of clothing to finish the front. Luckily for me I had 4 layers of clothes on and two sets of gloves. I looked like the Coca Cola bear all dressed up for the Artic.
It must have been quite a spectacle actually. The next door neighbor's children kept making trips out to watch me commit this total act of lunacy. They problem went home and told their mother that my mother never taught me to stay in out of the freezing cold and not play with water.
Yesterday was my first day off in about two weeks. I was faced with two options. Stay in the house and be depressed about junk in my life or just forget about it and go do something. I voted to ditch the depression mode and just go do something that I could actually accomplish. Have you ever been there? Well I was there yesterday and even though I looked silly and froze my proverbial tail off I atleast did something productive and have something to show for it.
No, I am not finishing the POWER WASH the trailer task today. I get to work 3 to 11pm tonight in the freezing cold as I baby sit the parking garage down at the County Office Buildings for Charleston County on Meeting street. No, I do not have to stay in the cold. I actually only spend 30 min per hour out in the parking garage. PTL for that. Can you imagine finding someone in a stairwell curled up asleep because that is the warmest place you can find to sleep? Just when I thought my life had pathetic moments.
Ok, what are YOU doing right now and why have you NOT been posting in here? I know, you are busy. All of us are busy. We also need each other. Share your wacky stories with us so we can LAUGH... God, KNOWS we all need to laugh.... There are too many horrible things going on for us to CRY about. If you are happy tell us. If you are DEPRESSED, for goodness sake , share it with us so we can all be depressed TOGETHER. AFter all misery LOVES company. Just promise me you wont stay that way for long. That really sucks. Ok, are you having a PITY party? Are your children driving you crazy? Are they eating you out of house and home and feeding the neighborhood children the REST of what is left in the pantry?
Hope to hear from you soon.... Yeah that is YOU....
Love ya Katy, Kristina, Justin, Jeremy and Jessica... Yes, I love YOU tooo.....
Hugs
Dont tell anyone BUT I am cooking my own breakfast. I can not remember the last time I attempted this. It is funny but I watched the cat "sparkles" sneak up on the pan that had the Jimmy Deans MILD sausage sitting waiting to be cooked. She did not seem to have a taste for raw sausage. haahahahahaha
Who is smarter, man or cat? I can hear the laughter now.... I captured aforementioned feline and tossed her outside. Little did I know she made a bee line for the open window by the STOVE. Guess who pops in for ANOTHER visit for the biscuits? Guess who got whopped upside the noggin and recaptured? Yes, sparkles was seeing stars and landed on the front porch and I made a bee line for the second window asap....
It is AMAZING what you will eat when you are hungry.... Yes, I am eating my own cooking. I hope I survive.... Hey ladies. Riddle me this.... I guess I should have said, Riddle me this batgirls....
Why does Katy leave broken egg shells IN the carton with the rest of the GOOD eggs? Why is it when I banged the egg on the stove this morning it did not break at first? Stubborn Egg or just Food Lion eggs are tougher than the typical egg? Are they feeding the chickens too much iron or what?
Dont tell Katy but I got her the most favorite thing in the whole wide world. If you were to seperate her from this one drink she would have to be admitted to the psyche ward at MUSC.. 1 Point for James! Yeah.... Good thing I dont have to buy diamonds or provide an endless supply of cash to make this woman happy... Well, sometimes she does want software for the computer....
Question. How many of you power washed your trailer in the FREEZING Cold yesterday? Raise your hand so I can get a head count.....
You dont live in a trailer? You are not stupid enough to go out in the freezing cold to power wash your trailer? Well, I guess I was the only one to do this. Our trailer was transformed from something that looked like it came out of a Boggy Creek Monster Movie to a sparkling light grey double wide. It only took me 2.5 hours and two layers of clothing to finish the front. Luckily for me I had 4 layers of clothes on and two sets of gloves. I looked like the Coca Cola bear all dressed up for the Artic.
It must have been quite a spectacle actually. The next door neighbor's children kept making trips out to watch me commit this total act of lunacy. They problem went home and told their mother that my mother never taught me to stay in out of the freezing cold and not play with water.
Yesterday was my first day off in about two weeks. I was faced with two options. Stay in the house and be depressed about junk in my life or just forget about it and go do something. I voted to ditch the depression mode and just go do something that I could actually accomplish. Have you ever been there? Well I was there yesterday and even though I looked silly and froze my proverbial tail off I atleast did something productive and have something to show for it.
No, I am not finishing the POWER WASH the trailer task today. I get to work 3 to 11pm tonight in the freezing cold as I baby sit the parking garage down at the County Office Buildings for Charleston County on Meeting street. No, I do not have to stay in the cold. I actually only spend 30 min per hour out in the parking garage. PTL for that. Can you imagine finding someone in a stairwell curled up asleep because that is the warmest place you can find to sleep? Just when I thought my life had pathetic moments.
Ok, what are YOU doing right now and why have you NOT been posting in here? I know, you are busy. All of us are busy. We also need each other. Share your wacky stories with us so we can LAUGH... God, KNOWS we all need to laugh.... There are too many horrible things going on for us to CRY about. If you are happy tell us. If you are DEPRESSED, for goodness sake , share it with us so we can all be depressed TOGETHER. AFter all misery LOVES company. Just promise me you wont stay that way for long. That really sucks. Ok, are you having a PITY party? Are your children driving you crazy? Are they eating you out of house and home and feeding the neighborhood children the REST of what is left in the pantry?
Hope to hear from you soon.... Yeah that is YOU....
Love ya Katy, Kristina, Justin, Jeremy and Jessica... Yes, I love YOU tooo.....
Hugs
Winter is upon us
Actually winter has been upon us for atleast 30 days if not longer. Temperatures have gotten down to 26 degrees thus far and last night they were forcasting feezing rain and sleet. Luckily for us the ground temperatures were at 44 degrees so the rain we got did not stick and freeze. Schools out in Orangeburg County close as well as technical colleges but Charleston County, Berkeley County and Dorchester County schools are open for business as usual. I cant tell you how disappointed the rug rats were this morning when we opened the door and pointed the way to the school bus.
I had a day off yesterday for the first time in two weeks. Wahooooo! I was bummed out a bit about stuff and so I decided I would not spend my day depressed in the cold. I still spent the day in cold temperatures but since I had already borrowed the commercial pressure washer from a friend of mine I bundled up into four layers of clothing and washed the green slime off of our trailer. I managed to get 2 layers of the clothing soaking wet and after 2.5 hours of FUN the trailer turned from green to light grey again. It really looks so much nicer clean. LOL....
I finished washing the trailer on the front side and no sooner had I put everything up and changed clothes did it start to sprinkle. I was surprised by UPS arriving with a package for me. Inside I found two packages of French Vanilla coffee. Yum Yum... What a treat that was. Then the rain REALLY started coming down. Yuk and double Yuk....
The second WONDERFUL event yesterday that helped to beat off depression is that two of my FRIENDS worked out a deal where I could get a Compaq Ipaq Pocket PC with tons of accessories to go with it for the incredible price of 120.00. I would imagine that with all of the goodies and the Pocket PC that I would have had to pay around 350.00 to 400.00 for everything. Thanks to my friends I will have this newest TOY in the next day or two and I did not have to pay for it. Wahoooooo. What the heck IS a Pocket PC you might ask? A pocket PC has an operating system just like your computer does and even though it is no where near as powerful as the computer I am typing on it does have the ability to run Pocket PC versions of Microsoft Office applications which means you can put some of your more important Microsoft Word , Excel, powerpoint documents on your Pocket PC and view them. You can also read Microsoft Reader Ebooks, view jpg images etc. There is a ton of stuff you can do with the device such as synchronize your MS Outlook contacts and email. My friend Patty uses a Sony Clie PDA which enables here to carry PDR type information on it for quick reference at the hospital.
Bowling. Gosh, I did not do that well last night. I bowled a 130 average over all which means I did ok since my over all league average is 130. Maggie came out with an attitude last night after several weeks of doing badly and bowled an average of around a 155. We wound up losing 3 and winning one which was not too cool since we recently wound up in 3rd place out of 22 teams. We were 8 games out of 1st place so we have a LOT of work to do to catch up to them. The league does not end until April so we have plenty of time to catch up. I am sure after last nights performance we probably dropped a spot or two.
I had a day off yesterday for the first time in two weeks. Wahooooo! I was bummed out a bit about stuff and so I decided I would not spend my day depressed in the cold. I still spent the day in cold temperatures but since I had already borrowed the commercial pressure washer from a friend of mine I bundled up into four layers of clothing and washed the green slime off of our trailer. I managed to get 2 layers of the clothing soaking wet and after 2.5 hours of FUN the trailer turned from green to light grey again. It really looks so much nicer clean. LOL....
I finished washing the trailer on the front side and no sooner had I put everything up and changed clothes did it start to sprinkle. I was surprised by UPS arriving with a package for me. Inside I found two packages of French Vanilla coffee. Yum Yum... What a treat that was. Then the rain REALLY started coming down. Yuk and double Yuk....
The second WONDERFUL event yesterday that helped to beat off depression is that two of my FRIENDS worked out a deal where I could get a Compaq Ipaq Pocket PC with tons of accessories to go with it for the incredible price of 120.00. I would imagine that with all of the goodies and the Pocket PC that I would have had to pay around 350.00 to 400.00 for everything. Thanks to my friends I will have this newest TOY in the next day or two and I did not have to pay for it. Wahoooooo. What the heck IS a Pocket PC you might ask? A pocket PC has an operating system just like your computer does and even though it is no where near as powerful as the computer I am typing on it does have the ability to run Pocket PC versions of Microsoft Office applications which means you can put some of your more important Microsoft Word , Excel, powerpoint documents on your Pocket PC and view them. You can also read Microsoft Reader Ebooks, view jpg images etc. There is a ton of stuff you can do with the device such as synchronize your MS Outlook contacts and email. My friend Patty uses a Sony Clie PDA which enables here to carry PDR type information on it for quick reference at the hospital.
Bowling. Gosh, I did not do that well last night. I bowled a 130 average over all which means I did ok since my over all league average is 130. Maggie came out with an attitude last night after several weeks of doing badly and bowled an average of around a 155. We wound up losing 3 and winning one which was not too cool since we recently wound up in 3rd place out of 22 teams. We were 8 games out of 1st place so we have a LOT of work to do to catch up to them. The league does not end until April so we have plenty of time to catch up. I am sure after last nights performance we probably dropped a spot or two.
Sunday, January 25, 2004
Runt Ro- I have my childrens heros confused
I am glad that my sweet wife helped me to see the error of my ways when she wrote me an email and told me Mr. Rogers died last year and Captain Kangaroo is the gentleman who died and was 76 years old just this week. OOOPSSS. I feel like a baby boomer for sure...... Thanks honey for the quick save with my writing. Writing is always 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. Luckily for me I have a couple of folks who have a sharp eye and a keen sense of dates and who is who that can keep my brain on the right track.
James Moffitt
http://www.jesus-connect.net/jcmoffitt
moffittj@bellsouth.net
James Moffitt
http://www.jesus-connect.net/jcmoffitt
moffittj@bellsouth.net
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Blog comments and other drivel
Ok, Haloscan is nice especially since it is free. However, I do not get email notification of WHEN someone leaves a comment on one of my blog entries. That sort of bites... Oh well, maybe one day when finance pick up a little bit I can afford to upgrade to their premium service and get all the bells and whistles...
New England Patriots are favored as winners by 6 points against the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Silly people... Dont they know that the Panthers are going to BURY the Patriots under a rock.... LOL....
I am off Monday and I am SO looking forward to it. What am I going to do on my day off? I borrowed a pressure washer from a friend and I am planning on washing all the green junk off of this trailer. The trailer has been LONG over due for a bubble bath. I probably wont have any bubbles but the pressure washer will knock that junk right off of it. Wahoooo the house will go from GREEN to GREY in a matter of hours. Neat huh?
Monday night is always a treat since that is the night that I attempt to hit the head pin and knock down all 10 pins at once. Last week I bowled a 156 average in three games and the week before I bowled a 152 average. Considering that I have a 129 average for the League I am getting better as time progresses. Too cool!! My goal is to bowl several games over 200 so I can add to my ABC patch collection.
Have you ever used Incredimail? Go to http://www.incredimail.com and download their email client. A friend of mine is using it and has had a lot of FUN with it. So, I was encouraged to give it a try. The last time I used it I had some technical difficulties that I just decided not to live with so I went back to Outlook. I still have everything backed up in Outlook and I still like the PIM functionality of the application so it will never go away completely. Incredimail is cool because it has all sorts of email stationary, animations etc etc. Check it out!!
Captain Kangaroo died at the age of 76. Children all over the world are mourning that death. Ok, maybe not children today, perhaps the baby boomers are feeling the grief more? I found out today that the Martian rover is having hardware and software failures. Apparently the darn thing must be running American hardware and the Operating System must be Microsoft Windoze. LOL... They are saying that the darn thing has been rebooting itself 60 times in a specific time period. I forget what the time period is but I wonder if it has a screen that shows the Blue Screen of Death every time it goes to reboot itself? I think the project cost something along the lines of 4 million dollars. That figure seems sort of low actually. Anyway, what a shame. We landed it, it crawled off the launch pad , sent back some cool pictures, sampled some soil and found evidence of water and then died..... I wonder if the second rover that is about to land will die as quickly? I hope it had Linux Redhat installed on it and not Mickeysoft.....
Have you purchased The Purpose Driven Life book yet? If not, why not? LOL.... Wow, this is an incredible book... I highly recommend it to ANYONE that wants to give their spiritual walk a super charged boost. How many books do you read, put on the bookshelf and then forget the contents or worse yet do not allow the contents to change you for the better? Does that sound like something we do to our bibles? We take it off the shelf, dust it off and then take it to church every Sunday. What do we do with it during the other 6 days of the week? Does what we read in the pages of our bible change us from the inside out ?
Once you have finished the 40 Days of Purpose in the Purpose Driven life book then I would recommend your picking up a copy of the Purpose Driven church. I am reading that book as well and while it is geared for pastors and lay leadership everyone in the church ought to read it.
New England Patriots are favored as winners by 6 points against the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Silly people... Dont they know that the Panthers are going to BURY the Patriots under a rock.... LOL....
I am off Monday and I am SO looking forward to it. What am I going to do on my day off? I borrowed a pressure washer from a friend and I am planning on washing all the green junk off of this trailer. The trailer has been LONG over due for a bubble bath. I probably wont have any bubbles but the pressure washer will knock that junk right off of it. Wahoooo the house will go from GREEN to GREY in a matter of hours. Neat huh?
Monday night is always a treat since that is the night that I attempt to hit the head pin and knock down all 10 pins at once. Last week I bowled a 156 average in three games and the week before I bowled a 152 average. Considering that I have a 129 average for the League I am getting better as time progresses. Too cool!! My goal is to bowl several games over 200 so I can add to my ABC patch collection.
Have you ever used Incredimail? Go to http://www.incredimail.com and download their email client. A friend of mine is using it and has had a lot of FUN with it. So, I was encouraged to give it a try. The last time I used it I had some technical difficulties that I just decided not to live with so I went back to Outlook. I still have everything backed up in Outlook and I still like the PIM functionality of the application so it will never go away completely. Incredimail is cool because it has all sorts of email stationary, animations etc etc. Check it out!!
Captain Kangaroo died at the age of 76. Children all over the world are mourning that death. Ok, maybe not children today, perhaps the baby boomers are feeling the grief more? I found out today that the Martian rover is having hardware and software failures. Apparently the darn thing must be running American hardware and the Operating System must be Microsoft Windoze. LOL... They are saying that the darn thing has been rebooting itself 60 times in a specific time period. I forget what the time period is but I wonder if it has a screen that shows the Blue Screen of Death every time it goes to reboot itself? I think the project cost something along the lines of 4 million dollars. That figure seems sort of low actually. Anyway, what a shame. We landed it, it crawled off the launch pad , sent back some cool pictures, sampled some soil and found evidence of water and then died..... I wonder if the second rover that is about to land will die as quickly? I hope it had Linux Redhat installed on it and not Mickeysoft.....
Have you purchased The Purpose Driven Life book yet? If not, why not? LOL.... Wow, this is an incredible book... I highly recommend it to ANYONE that wants to give their spiritual walk a super charged boost. How many books do you read, put on the bookshelf and then forget the contents or worse yet do not allow the contents to change you for the better? Does that sound like something we do to our bibles? We take it off the shelf, dust it off and then take it to church every Sunday. What do we do with it during the other 6 days of the week? Does what we read in the pages of our bible change us from the inside out ?
Once you have finished the 40 Days of Purpose in the Purpose Driven life book then I would recommend your picking up a copy of the Purpose Driven church. I am reading that book as well and while it is geared for pastors and lay leadership everyone in the church ought to read it.
The Purpose Driven Life - 40 Days of Purpose - Day 19
Day 19- Community requires commitment
Verse - We understand that love is when we realize that Christ give his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. 1 John 3:16
Question to consider - how can I help cultivate today the characteristics of real community in my small group and my church?
Cultivating community takes the following:
Commitment
Honesty
Humility
Courtesy
Confidentiality
Frequency
The following statements stood out to me as I was reading this chapter about each characteristic mentioned above.
HONESTY
We cultivate fellowship in our community with the choices and commitments we make.
You will have to care enough to lovingly speak the truth
Real fellowship depends on frankness
The tunnel of conflict is the passageway to intimacy in any relationship
Thoughtless words leave lasting wounds.
HUMILITY
Self importance, smugness, and stubborn pride destroy fellowship
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others.
COURTESY
Respecting our differences
Considerate of others feelings
Patient with people who irritate us
Community has nothing to do with compatibility
The basis for our fellowship is our relationship to God
CONFIDENTIALITY
Only in a safe environment of warm acceptance and trusted confidentiality will people open up and share their deepest hurts, needs and mistakes.
Gossip is spread by wicked people, they stir up trouble and break friendships. Proverbs 16:28
FREQUENCY
You must have frequent, regular contact with your group in order to build genuine fellowship.
Relationships take time
A small group covenant should include the following characteristics
Share true feelings - authenticity
Encourage each other - mutuality
Support each other - sympathy
Forgive each other - mercy
Speak the truth in love- honesty
Admit our weaknesses - humility
Respect our differences - courtesy
Not gossip - confidentiality
Make the group priority - frequency
Fellowship means giving up our self centeredness and independence in order to become interdependent.
The way that I can cultivate the characteristics of community is by practicing each of them in every relationship that I have. That will take some courage on my part because ti will mean that I will need the Holy Spirit to enlighten me as to which characteristic is missing in the relationships that I have. I will need to practice courtesy with those people who are fearful or scared of going to a deeper level with their relationship. Perhaps I have already been practicing honesty and humility and that might be what scares people off. I desire deep and meaningful relationships. I want to give and encourage others and I need to be willing to receive these characteristics of community in return.
It is always easier to practice these on others but not so fun to allow others to extend the same to me. It is easier to focus on known failures and weaknesses but a bit painful for someone to speak truth about something I am not immediately aware of. Receiving truth into ones soul can take enormous amounts of courage and humility. I feel that I need to grow in the areas of mercy, courtesy and frequency.
As I study this book I am painfully aware that I am lacking in true biblical fellowship or community in my life with regards to a small group or the local church where I serve. Community and biblical fellowship only happens superficially. The largest common denominator for our church body is time. We get together 2 hours per week at the most. You can not expect community or deep meaningful relationships to happen in a corporate environment. I am also reminded of the fact that there is a difference between the attendees at our church and the church membership who have made a commitment to play their part in the ministry at our church.
The scariest part of all of this is that I am fearful that if I were to start advertising the need for folks in our church to read this book that one of two things will happen.
The first thing would be that some people will read this book and nothing will change externally. In other words, they will probably get something out of the words in the book but it will not move them enough to make changes. Perhaps that is because they as a church attendee are happy with the status quo and don't want to see anything change. The church attendee may be in a rut and comfortable with what is going on. The second type of person will look at the book as an attack against tradition and the denominational culture they have been raised in. They will see my promotion of this book as pointing a finger and rocking the boat.
What good is knowledge if it is not applied to our lives and changes made? Would someone please get me a LARGE bandage?
Verse - We understand that love is when we realize that Christ give his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. 1 John 3:16
Question to consider - how can I help cultivate today the characteristics of real community in my small group and my church?
Cultivating community takes the following:
Commitment
Honesty
Humility
Courtesy
Confidentiality
Frequency
The following statements stood out to me as I was reading this chapter about each characteristic mentioned above.
HONESTY
We cultivate fellowship in our community with the choices and commitments we make.
You will have to care enough to lovingly speak the truth
Real fellowship depends on frankness
The tunnel of conflict is the passageway to intimacy in any relationship
Thoughtless words leave lasting wounds.
HUMILITY
Self importance, smugness, and stubborn pride destroy fellowship
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others.
COURTESY
Respecting our differences
Considerate of others feelings
Patient with people who irritate us
Community has nothing to do with compatibility
The basis for our fellowship is our relationship to God
CONFIDENTIALITY
Only in a safe environment of warm acceptance and trusted confidentiality will people open up and share their deepest hurts, needs and mistakes.
Gossip is spread by wicked people, they stir up trouble and break friendships. Proverbs 16:28
FREQUENCY
You must have frequent, regular contact with your group in order to build genuine fellowship.
Relationships take time
A small group covenant should include the following characteristics
Share true feelings - authenticity
Encourage each other - mutuality
Support each other - sympathy
Forgive each other - mercy
Speak the truth in love- honesty
Admit our weaknesses - humility
Respect our differences - courtesy
Not gossip - confidentiality
Make the group priority - frequency
Fellowship means giving up our self centeredness and independence in order to become interdependent.
The way that I can cultivate the characteristics of community is by practicing each of them in every relationship that I have. That will take some courage on my part because ti will mean that I will need the Holy Spirit to enlighten me as to which characteristic is missing in the relationships that I have. I will need to practice courtesy with those people who are fearful or scared of going to a deeper level with their relationship. Perhaps I have already been practicing honesty and humility and that might be what scares people off. I desire deep and meaningful relationships. I want to give and encourage others and I need to be willing to receive these characteristics of community in return.
It is always easier to practice these on others but not so fun to allow others to extend the same to me. It is easier to focus on known failures and weaknesses but a bit painful for someone to speak truth about something I am not immediately aware of. Receiving truth into ones soul can take enormous amounts of courage and humility. I feel that I need to grow in the areas of mercy, courtesy and frequency.
As I study this book I am painfully aware that I am lacking in true biblical fellowship or community in my life with regards to a small group or the local church where I serve. Community and biblical fellowship only happens superficially. The largest common denominator for our church body is time. We get together 2 hours per week at the most. You can not expect community or deep meaningful relationships to happen in a corporate environment. I am also reminded of the fact that there is a difference between the attendees at our church and the church membership who have made a commitment to play their part in the ministry at our church.
The scariest part of all of this is that I am fearful that if I were to start advertising the need for folks in our church to read this book that one of two things will happen.
The first thing would be that some people will read this book and nothing will change externally. In other words, they will probably get something out of the words in the book but it will not move them enough to make changes. Perhaps that is because they as a church attendee are happy with the status quo and don't want to see anything change. The church attendee may be in a rut and comfortable with what is going on. The second type of person will look at the book as an attack against tradition and the denominational culture they have been raised in. They will see my promotion of this book as pointing a finger and rocking the boat.
What good is knowledge if it is not applied to our lives and changes made? Would someone please get me a LARGE bandage?
The Purpose Driven Life - 40 Days of purpose - Days 17 & 18
Day 17- I am called to belong not just to believe
Verse to remember- In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:5
Question to consider- Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to Gods family?
The following principles taught within this chapter are very important and a good reminder to me as I learn how to focus HOW I am involved in helping to build the church through ministry to fellow believers. I believe that I am very involved in what Christ is doing to build the local church we are attending. My wife and I are committed to using the gifts that God has given us to bless others in any way that we can. However as my understanding of WHAT ministry and worship really is I am learning HOW to GROW my perspective of ministry and what I can do to be better at what God has called me to do.
The Church meets the five deepest needs:
Purpose to live for
People to live with
Principles to live by
Profession to live out
Power to live on
Gods purposes for his church are identical to his five purposes for you
Worship helps you to "focus on God"
Fellowship helps you to " face life's problems"
Discipleship helps you to "fortify your faith"
Ministry helps you to "find your talents"
Evangelism helps you to "fulfill your mission"
" The difference between being a church attendees and a church member is commitment. Attendees are spectators from the sidelines, members get involved in the ministry. "
" Jesus has not promised to build your ministry , he has promised to build his church"
We are commanded to do the following "one anothers"
Love
Pray
Encourage
Admonish
Greet
Serve
Teach
Accept
Honor
Bear burdens
Forgive
Submit
Devoted
" Today's culture of independent individualism has created many spiritual orphans - "bunny believers" - who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability or commitment. "
Day 18- I need others in my life
Verse - share each others troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Gal 6:2
Question to consider - What one step can I take today to connect with another believer at a more genuine, heart to heart level?
The following Quotes from this chapter stands out for me.
"self-pity dries up sympathy for others"
"you cant have fellowship without forgiveness"
"you must make allowances for each others faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember , the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others" Col 3:13
The best way for me to connect to others for the purpose of genuine fellowship is for me to invest more time into the lives of people around me. I need to make myself available and encourage others to find the time to connect with me. The oly agenda that I should have during these times of connecting is to be open to whatever the Holy Spirit leads us. Listening to others and allowing them to share their heart is a powerful way to build trust and further communications. I need to be more willing to look beyond any obvious rough edges or obvious sin so that I might see the good things in a person that will allow us to have something in common and make a connection. It is so much easier to seek out people with the same interests and commonalities. God created each one of us with such diversity and just because someone is not just like me does not mean that their differences are bad or negative.
Verse to remember- In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Romans 12:5
Question to consider- Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to Gods family?
The following principles taught within this chapter are very important and a good reminder to me as I learn how to focus HOW I am involved in helping to build the church through ministry to fellow believers. I believe that I am very involved in what Christ is doing to build the local church we are attending. My wife and I are committed to using the gifts that God has given us to bless others in any way that we can. However as my understanding of WHAT ministry and worship really is I am learning HOW to GROW my perspective of ministry and what I can do to be better at what God has called me to do.
The Church meets the five deepest needs:
Purpose to live for
People to live with
Principles to live by
Profession to live out
Power to live on
Gods purposes for his church are identical to his five purposes for you
Worship helps you to "focus on God"
Fellowship helps you to " face life's problems"
Discipleship helps you to "fortify your faith"
Ministry helps you to "find your talents"
Evangelism helps you to "fulfill your mission"
" The difference between being a church attendees and a church member is commitment. Attendees are spectators from the sidelines, members get involved in the ministry. "
" Jesus has not promised to build your ministry , he has promised to build his church"
We are commanded to do the following "one anothers"
Love
Pray
Encourage
Admonish
Greet
Serve
Teach
Accept
Honor
Bear burdens
Forgive
Submit
Devoted
" Today's culture of independent individualism has created many spiritual orphans - "bunny believers" - who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability or commitment. "
Day 18- I need others in my life
Verse - share each others troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Gal 6:2
Question to consider - What one step can I take today to connect with another believer at a more genuine, heart to heart level?
The following Quotes from this chapter stands out for me.
"self-pity dries up sympathy for others"
"you cant have fellowship without forgiveness"
"you must make allowances for each others faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember , the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others" Col 3:13
The best way for me to connect to others for the purpose of genuine fellowship is for me to invest more time into the lives of people around me. I need to make myself available and encourage others to find the time to connect with me. The oly agenda that I should have during these times of connecting is to be open to whatever the Holy Spirit leads us. Listening to others and allowing them to share their heart is a powerful way to build trust and further communications. I need to be more willing to look beyond any obvious rough edges or obvious sin so that I might see the good things in a person that will allow us to have something in common and make a connection. It is so much easier to seek out people with the same interests and commonalities. God created each one of us with such diversity and just because someone is not just like me does not mean that their differences are bad or negative.
Sunday, January 18, 2004
Day 16- Life is all about Love
Verse to remember- The entire law is summed up in a single command. Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:14
Question to consider - Honestly, are my relationships my first priority? How can I ensure they are?
Relationships are high on the priority list but probably not at the very top. I am a people person and I thrive being around people. I have been told that "people do not know how to take me" so perhaps I am not the type of person that folks want to surround themselves with. I love interacting with people but I am not social butterfly. I do not thrive on superficial blather. I do not mind breaking the ice and talking about trivial things to get further in a conversation but once I learn that the folks are not willing to talk about "heart matters" I can get bored pretty quickly. I also have a problem with saying what is on my mind when it gets there. I usually do not pull any punches and while I understand how important it is to be politically correct and tactful I still have some work at knowing when to be that way and when not to be that way. A friend told me that I get too deep too fast. I get too up front and personal and in your face too quickly in relationships. I have been told that I expect way too much out of a relationship. I guess that I am the type of person that you either love or you hate. People that are more skilled at relationships than myself and have the ability to look beyond my rough edges are able to find out who the REAL me is and they sometimes choose to stick around. For those folks like myself that find it difficult to look past the irritating , frustrating rough edges of others I guess they just blow me off and get out of the way. I need to take a lesson from that thought in that I too need to find a way to be more patient with irritating, frustrating people with rough edges. I have not arrived nor am I perfect and without fault. How can I expect everyone else to be perfected and able to provide perfect harmony with me when I am not? The toughest part of love is learning to love the unlovable. It is so much easier to love someone that has the same priorities, drive, ambitions, faith etc. Unselfish love is that which takes a sacrifice to deliver. Only through the power of God can we find that "Phileo" love that only He can give to reach out and love someone that is difficult to approach for whatever reasons.
The only way that I can ensure that relationships are my top priority is to examine how I spend my time. What I spend my time on the most is what I love. I need to evaluate how I spend my time and remove some of the "time eaters" that rob me of valuable relationships. I find that I spend a lot of time going between the computer and the television set. I lovingly call the TV the "idiot box" because it allows me to disengage my brain and allow myself to be "entertained". Instead of being entertained I need to use some of that time more responsibly by developing closer relationships with my wife and children. I do not consider myself to be emotionally absent like some fathers we might know but I do need to find activities and moments of down time that I can appropriate to spend with my family. I can show my family more love by spending more time with them and getting to know them better. As for relationships outside of the family unit I need to pray and ask God to show me those people that I can invest my time in. I need to be a "Paul" in the life of a younger man who might need to be mentored and I also need to put myself in the position of being a "Timothy" to a man older and wiser than myself that can mentor me. I spend some quality time via the Internet investing time into the lives of men through e-mail and bulletin board systems. I need to spend more time away from the Internet and more time investing my life with others in the community in real life that God has placed me in.
Verse to remember- The entire law is summed up in a single command. Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5:14
Question to consider - Honestly, are my relationships my first priority? How can I ensure they are?
Relationships are high on the priority list but probably not at the very top. I am a people person and I thrive being around people. I have been told that "people do not know how to take me" so perhaps I am not the type of person that folks want to surround themselves with. I love interacting with people but I am not social butterfly. I do not thrive on superficial blather. I do not mind breaking the ice and talking about trivial things to get further in a conversation but once I learn that the folks are not willing to talk about "heart matters" I can get bored pretty quickly. I also have a problem with saying what is on my mind when it gets there. I usually do not pull any punches and while I understand how important it is to be politically correct and tactful I still have some work at knowing when to be that way and when not to be that way. A friend told me that I get too deep too fast. I get too up front and personal and in your face too quickly in relationships. I have been told that I expect way too much out of a relationship. I guess that I am the type of person that you either love or you hate. People that are more skilled at relationships than myself and have the ability to look beyond my rough edges are able to find out who the REAL me is and they sometimes choose to stick around. For those folks like myself that find it difficult to look past the irritating , frustrating rough edges of others I guess they just blow me off and get out of the way. I need to take a lesson from that thought in that I too need to find a way to be more patient with irritating, frustrating people with rough edges. I have not arrived nor am I perfect and without fault. How can I expect everyone else to be perfected and able to provide perfect harmony with me when I am not? The toughest part of love is learning to love the unlovable. It is so much easier to love someone that has the same priorities, drive, ambitions, faith etc. Unselfish love is that which takes a sacrifice to deliver. Only through the power of God can we find that "Phileo" love that only He can give to reach out and love someone that is difficult to approach for whatever reasons.
The only way that I can ensure that relationships are my top priority is to examine how I spend my time. What I spend my time on the most is what I love. I need to evaluate how I spend my time and remove some of the "time eaters" that rob me of valuable relationships. I find that I spend a lot of time going between the computer and the television set. I lovingly call the TV the "idiot box" because it allows me to disengage my brain and allow myself to be "entertained". Instead of being entertained I need to use some of that time more responsibly by developing closer relationships with my wife and children. I do not consider myself to be emotionally absent like some fathers we might know but I do need to find activities and moments of down time that I can appropriate to spend with my family. I can show my family more love by spending more time with them and getting to know them better. As for relationships outside of the family unit I need to pray and ask God to show me those people that I can invest my time in. I need to be a "Paul" in the life of a younger man who might need to be mentored and I also need to put myself in the position of being a "Timothy" to a man older and wiser than myself that can mentor me. I spend some quality time via the Internet investing time into the lives of men through e-mail and bulletin board systems. I need to spend more time away from the Internet and more time investing my life with others in the community in real life that God has placed me in.
The Purpose Driven Life Chapters 10-15
Chapter 10- The heart of worship is surrender
Verse to remember- surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes Romans 6:13b
Question to consider- what area of my life am I holding back from God?
Several quotes from this chapter got my attention
"There are three barriers that block our total surrender to God; fear, pride and confusion."
"to have complete control - is the cause of so much stress in our lives. We struggle with God."
"You know you re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your own agenda and control the situation."
"surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him."
"the most difficult area to surrender for many people is their money"
As I think about lack of faith and trust equating to not surrendering totally to God I think of my past and some of the issues or circumstances that I can look back at.
In the past 24 years I have worked in the following occupations and held positions within the occupations.
Psychiatric Technician
EMT and Nursing assistant
Roofer
Longshoreman/ Stevedore
Security/ Law Enforcement
Information Technology
In the last 24 years I have been married twice with my current marriage lasting almost 14 years and going strong. Due to the last 15 years having been spent in Information Technology and because I spent 8 years in Law Enforcement we have moved at least 24 times or maybe more. Is there no wonder that I want to settle down in one occupation and live in the same location for longer than 2 to 3 years? I/ we feel that we need stability. Our children need stability. All these years I have attempted to find steady and lasting employment. Perhaps my lack of a college degree has something to do with that? My parents tried to teach me the importance of having a college degree when I was still living at home but in all my wisdom (at the age of 18) I yearned to be outside of their realm of authority and influence and wanted to be my own man and do my own thing. So I dropped out of RN school and did my own thing.
When I was in my early 20's I felt a very strong calling to ministry. I did not feel called to pastor a church but rather to Christian ministry. After my divorce and coming from the SBC denomination all hopes of ministry were flushed down the toilet. At the age of 42 I look back at the last 24 years and wonder if I have been rebellious in more than one area of my life. I became a Christian at the age of 17 when I asked Christ into my heart out in the woods of Quinlan Texas as one of my friends father led me to a saving knowledge of Christ by a chopping block. I began to understand the need for Christ to be the Lord of everything in my life and not just my fire insurance card when I was in my mid 20's. When I compare my life to other friends that I know it appears as if they have their life in order and my life appears to be a ship wreck floating out in the harbor.
Waiting on the Lord and surrendering my will to God has been a pursuit since I got serious about the Lord being Lord of all. I spent quite a few years trying to figure out how and why I needed to quit making decisions through intuition and gut feelings. I have a natural tendency to be spontaneous and do things on the fly. I guess that I have always equated success to having stability and that stability would equate to stable income and finances and that would guarantee a safe and secure family. Perhaps I still need to learn how to totally surrender all and let go of the things of this word, especially its wisdom and let God do what He wants with my life.
Chapter 11 - God wants to be my best friend
Verse to remember- Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him.
Question to consider - What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to him more often throughout my day.
I spent a lot of time doing activities and tasks that require me to tune in with the Holy Spirit and converse with God and meditate on his word or research what Gods word says about a specific topic. The following statements from the book have special emphasis.
"if you are seeking an experience of his presence through all of this, you have missed the point. We don't praise God to feel good, but to do good. Your goal is not a feeling, but a continual awareness of the reality that God is always present. That is the lifestyle of worship."
So to become a BEST friend of God I need to learn how to perfect the skill of talking with God about every day tasks or events as well as meditating more on his word.
I find that the worries of this world can sometimes overwhelm me and drag me down into the pit of helplessness or give me the feeling of hopelessness. Instead of allowing the circumstances to control how I feel through emotional responses I need to learn how to consciously channel those things to God and ask him how to deal with them. Sometimes I spend so much time during quiet time repenting of sin and fearing God that I forget that God wants me to be his best friend. God cares about every single detail of my life. I know that but somehow I still compartmentalize God with regards to WHEN I spent quiet time or let him into my life.
Day 12- I am as close to God as I choose to be.
Verse to remember - Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. James 4:8
Question to consider - What practical choices will I make today in order to grow closer to God.
The following comments in the book are of importance.
"You must work at developing your friendship with God." "I must choose to be honest with God." "Complete honesty- about your faults and feelings. " "Bitterness is the greatest barrier to friendship with God." "I must choose to value what God values".
There are times during my typical day that I am aware of God but I am passive in regards to communicating with him. I need to quit seeking to be emotionally happy and constantly entertained during moments of down time. Instead of doing something just to pass the time and experience momentary pleasure I need to pursue God passionately. Prayer, meditation and talking to God honestly about my feelings on a regular basis and not just when it is my scheduled quiet time with God. God desires to be a full time friend and not someone that needs to fill a time slot in my Day Timer.
Day 13 - God wants all of me
Verse to remember - Love the lord your God with all your hart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30
Question to consider - Which is more pleasing to God right now- My public worship or my private worship.
When I originally wrote my answer I missed the "MY" portion of public or private worship and thought it was asking "which" form of worship was more pleasing to God. I will go ahead and run with my thoughts on that question and then answer the original question below.
My thoughts on WHICH type of worship is more important to God.
I believe that God is interested in both private and public worship. I also believe that God looks past our method of worship and examines our motives for worship. As this chapter and book states the acts of worship are far more diverse than just singing choruses of music on Sunday morning. God wants us to worship Him thoughtfully, authentically and passionately. I have to remember that when I make an effort to minimize my desires and wants and put the needs of God and other first and foremost that I will have many different ways to worship God. I have always said that a tithe is much more than 10% of my income. I believe that our tithe and or worship is time, talents and money.
My thoughts on "MY" private and public worship.
I believe that MY definition of worship has been radically changed by reading the definition that is given in this book. I believe now as I look back that there have been times when I thought that I did not worship God in a pleasing way that in fact there have been times that I have worshiped him both publicly and privately and have brought a smile to his face. I think that there are times when I am in the spot light of public ministry no matter what role I might be playing that I am more conscious of how I APPEAR to others than I should be. I have always attempted to be sincere and authentic with my worship and have never had a problem with being REAL or passionate. Where I need to improve with regards to worship both publicly and privately would be to seek out new opportunities for worship now that I have a NEW definition of WHAT worship really is. It is much more than what happens on Sunday morning or during a specified church program.
Day 14 - God is real, no matter how I feel
Verse to remember - For God has said, I will never leave you, I will never abandon you. Heb 13:5
Question to consider - How can I stay focused on God's presence, especially when he feels distant?
The following statements had special meaning and relevance in my life.
"God is real, no matter how you feel"
"But circumstances are not always pleasant"
"The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during at trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant"
"We grieve Gods spirit and quench our fellowship with him by disobedience, conflict with others, busyness, friendship with the world and other sins."
"God can handle your doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion and questions"
I can attest to the fact that my circumstances in the last three years have played havoc with my emotions and at times my faith. I could relate to Job even though my trials were not as severe nor did my faith always reflect his total trust in God. My trust in God was seated in total ignorance of my circumstances and a loss to know what else to do other than to cling to what I knew. I knew I keep coming back to the statement that the "purpose" is not about me but it is about God. It is so much easier to be obedient, fruitful, content and happy when the circumstances of life are going my way. When I continually seek to be emotionally satisfied I limit my perception of Gods desires to my immediate circumstances and how I feel about them. I can allow those situations to rob me of my joy.
I can stay focused on Gods presence by doing the following.
A. Communicate with God and tell him how I feel
B. Focus on who God is and not my circumstances
C. Trust God to keep his promises
D. Remember what God has already done for me
Day 15- I was formed for Gods Family
Verse to remember- his unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ Ephesians 1:5a
Question to consider - how can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?
A. Showing genuine concern for their well being
B. Loving them selflessly just as I would want to be
C. Thinking less of my own circumstances and pursuing healthy relationships
D. Investing time, talent and resources into the lives of younger believers
E. Allowing myself to be trainable and teachable to a mentor
The Purpose Driven Life Journal Entries 3-9
Chapter 4 - Made to last forever - Thinking about my purpose.
Point to ponder - There is more to life than just here and now
Verse to remember- 1 John 2:17 - This world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.
Question to consider- Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today. The following quote from page 37 struck a chord with me.
" When you fully comprehend that there is no more to life than just here and now, and you realize that life is just preparation for eternity you will begin to live differently. You will start living in the light of eternity, and that will color how you handle every relationship, task and circumstance. The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears."
I have heard of people that were so heavenly minded that they were of no earthly good. We are in this world, passing through and aliens to the worldview around us.
Perhaps there needs to be more of a balance. Maybe we are so earth centric that we loose sight of eternity. One of the things I need to stop doing is to stop limiting myself with regards to my mental or spiritual potential. How many years have I wasted in ministry because I bought into the church mindset that says only licensed and ordained ministers are qualified to "minister". I need to stop filtering my spiritual and ministry purpose through the light of denominational legalism and cultural and/or tradition. I know that I have not been called to the office of a Pastor. However there are other spiritual gifts within the body that do not require me to be a pastor, ordained or licensed. What do I need to start doing? I need to start becoming more radical with my faith. I need to be more willing to take some risks. I need to quit worrying about my personal security bubble or whether my being spiritually fruitful for God will infringe on my creature comforts. How ill the hurting and spiritually dying and ignorant ever know about Christ if I do not tell them? How many people in the community that God has placed me in are lacking or hurting or headed for hell because I am not willing to take a risk? What is more important in life? Is it being politically correct and making sure you don't upset someone or is it more important to deliver the good news of Christ in a spirit of love, compassion and humility? I need to start being more effective with every resource (time, talent and money) at my disposal to becoming fruitful for Christ.
Chapter 5:
Point to Ponder: Life is a Test and Trust
Verse to remember: Luke 16:10 a- Unless you are faithful in small matters you wont be faithful in large ones.
Questions to consider: What has happened for me recently that I realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?
Recently my life metaphor has been viewed as survival. Katy and I have found ourselves going day by day reacting to the stress, trials and tribulations with the mindset of surviving. "We are in survival mode" has been our response when folks asked "how are you doing?". I like to say " I am" vs I am not, or "one day at a time" meaning that I am hoping to just survive that day with its crisis and make it to the next one. I like the following statements on page 43. " God tests my faith through problems, tests my hope by how I handle possessions, and tests my love through people." "God left him alone to test his character to reveal a weakness, and to prepare him for more responsibility". "Most people fail to realize that money is both a TEST and a TRUST from God. How many times in my life have I realized that God did not bless me with more than what He has because I probably could not be trusted with it. OUCH!!!!
Recently I would say that God has been testing me through the loss of a child to cancer and the loss of regular income and employment. The greatest matters that God has entrusted to me are the following.
To be faithful and obedient despite my circumstances
To be the type of husband that Katy needs, one who is a spiritual leader, Christ like and less selfish
To be a good father to my children and reflect the character of God to them through my actions.
To be faithful and fruitful in ministry both online as well as the local church.
Chapter 6: - This world is not our own
Verse to remember - So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
Question to consider- How should the fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?
The first thing it should do is change my perspective of life. My life metaphor should change. I should begin to invest my time, money and talents into things that have eternal value. I need to invest in my family, my local church. I need to equip my children to be aware of their purpose and how to be able to recognize that purpose and walk it out in practical ways. I need to quit worrying about what standards that other people judge me with. I should be more passionate about other people knowing Christ on a personal level.
Chapter 7- It is all for HIM
Verse to remember - For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory. Romans 11:6
Question to consider - Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of Gods glory?
On page 54 we are reminded of the following need with regards to God's Glory. " We are commanded to recognize his glory, honor his glory, declare his glory, praise his glory, reflect his glory, and life for his glory." I can recognize the glory of God on my daily routine by being more aware of those things, events or people who reflect the glory of God. Sometimes it is easy for me to compartmentalize God in my life. In other words there are scheduled moments in time where I focus primarily on the character of God and pursuing him in Christian disciplines and activities. Then if I allow myself to get entangled in the things of this world I begin to loose sight of the importance of viewing my world through the eyes of a believer. When I view a situation in life I can either look for Gods glory in it or I can look for opportunities to use that situation as a way to make me more secure, comfortable or happy. I need to spend more time pursuing the glory of God present in other people and do less measuring of them through my world view. If I only see the negative, bad or faulty side of a person then I will be blond to what God things are present in that person reflecting Gods glory. I need to be less condemning and critical of myself and allow God to show me his glory reflecting through those things he has done in my life through the years. I need to slow down and re evaluate all of my life centric tasks so that I can be in a position to take the time to find Gods glory and enjoy him to the fullest.
The following brings Glory to God
We bring Glory to God by worshipping Him.
"God wants our worship to be motivated by love, thanksgiving, and delight, not duty". How many years have I spent viewing the act of worship as what we do on Sunday morning before the sermon when we sing praise and worship music? This book tells me that I can worship God in these ways and bring God glory when I do them. We are reminded that worship is a lifestyle of enjoying God, loving Him, and giving ourselves to be used for His purposes.
We bring Glory to God by loving other believers
The book states "Christ is not just a matter of believing; it also includes belonging and learning to love the family of God." Loving the family of God takes time, sacrifice and a willingness to extend grace and mercy to both the loveable and the unlovable. We find it so easy to love those people whom have the same ideals, philosophies, lifestyles and doctrine. How can we extend grace, mercy and love to those children of God whom we struggle to identify with because we perceive some rough edges?
We bring glory to God by becoming like Christ
That is easier said than done. The process of sanctification should happen on a daily basis and it usually requires that I exit my comfort zone and take some risks that will test my faith. 2 Corinthians 5:17 describes this daily process.
We bring glory to God by serving others with our gifts
The book tells us "Each of us was uniquely designed by God with talents, gifts, skills and abilities" "God did not give you your abilities for selfish purposes."
We bring glory to God by telling others about him.
We bring glory to God by telling others about him. Why do we fail to tell people about who Jesus is? Are we ashamed of God are we afraid someone may ask you a tough question or even worse ridicule your faith? Are we too busy earning money to pay for our extravagant lifestyles and that leaves no spare time to share the good news of Christ with our neighbors and friends? I need to purpose in my heart each day to find creative ways to inject some passion and enthusiasm into my life so that people will want to know more about my Jesus. How can I tell anyone about my Jesus when I allow the circumstances of my life to rob me of my joy in the Lord and his promises? The answer is I can not share the joy of the Lord or his good news when I am constantly focusing on negative circumstances.
Chapter 8 - I was planned for Gods pleasure
Verse- The Lord takes pleasure in his people Psalms 149:4
Question - What common task could I start doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus?
The two things that come to mind would be work and domestic duties around the house. As a husband and father when I manage to find the desire to do domestic chores I know that I am serving my family. If I were to do those tasks as if unto the Lord then it would be an act of worship as well. My work can be an act of worship if Christ is the center focus of how and why I do what I do to earn money. I am an ambassador for Christ in the workplace and if I view my job as a way to serve and worship God and my fellow man then God will be pleased.
Chapter 9 - God smiles when I trust him
Verse to remember- The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love. Psalms 147:11
Question to consider - Since God knows what is best, in what areas of my life do I need to trust him most?
I need to trust God more in the area of finances. I need to trust God more with regards to my circumstances. I need to trust God more with regards to believing His word that states that those that trust in Him as Lord and Savior will be in Heaven. As I walk through the grief process of loosing a child to cancer I sometimes struggle with having faith to believe that I will see Jessica again one day. I have been told by other Christian brothers that I have trust issues so maybe I need to trust God to give me the ability to trust other people and their motives and intentions. I tend to react with the spirit of being from the "show me state". You show me you have pure intentions through your actions and then I will believe you. I suppose that is why trust and faith go hand in hand.
Point to ponder - There is more to life than just here and now
Verse to remember- 1 John 2:17 - This world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.
Question to consider- Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today. The following quote from page 37 struck a chord with me.
" When you fully comprehend that there is no more to life than just here and now, and you realize that life is just preparation for eternity you will begin to live differently. You will start living in the light of eternity, and that will color how you handle every relationship, task and circumstance. The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears."
I have heard of people that were so heavenly minded that they were of no earthly good. We are in this world, passing through and aliens to the worldview around us.
Perhaps there needs to be more of a balance. Maybe we are so earth centric that we loose sight of eternity. One of the things I need to stop doing is to stop limiting myself with regards to my mental or spiritual potential. How many years have I wasted in ministry because I bought into the church mindset that says only licensed and ordained ministers are qualified to "minister". I need to stop filtering my spiritual and ministry purpose through the light of denominational legalism and cultural and/or tradition. I know that I have not been called to the office of a Pastor. However there are other spiritual gifts within the body that do not require me to be a pastor, ordained or licensed. What do I need to start doing? I need to start becoming more radical with my faith. I need to be more willing to take some risks. I need to quit worrying about my personal security bubble or whether my being spiritually fruitful for God will infringe on my creature comforts. How ill the hurting and spiritually dying and ignorant ever know about Christ if I do not tell them? How many people in the community that God has placed me in are lacking or hurting or headed for hell because I am not willing to take a risk? What is more important in life? Is it being politically correct and making sure you don't upset someone or is it more important to deliver the good news of Christ in a spirit of love, compassion and humility? I need to start being more effective with every resource (time, talent and money) at my disposal to becoming fruitful for Christ.
Chapter 5:
Point to Ponder: Life is a Test and Trust
Verse to remember: Luke 16:10 a- Unless you are faithful in small matters you wont be faithful in large ones.
Questions to consider: What has happened for me recently that I realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?
Recently my life metaphor has been viewed as survival. Katy and I have found ourselves going day by day reacting to the stress, trials and tribulations with the mindset of surviving. "We are in survival mode" has been our response when folks asked "how are you doing?". I like to say " I am" vs I am not, or "one day at a time" meaning that I am hoping to just survive that day with its crisis and make it to the next one. I like the following statements on page 43. " God tests my faith through problems, tests my hope by how I handle possessions, and tests my love through people." "God left him alone to test his character to reveal a weakness, and to prepare him for more responsibility". "Most people fail to realize that money is both a TEST and a TRUST from God. How many times in my life have I realized that God did not bless me with more than what He has because I probably could not be trusted with it. OUCH!!!!
Recently I would say that God has been testing me through the loss of a child to cancer and the loss of regular income and employment. The greatest matters that God has entrusted to me are the following.
To be faithful and obedient despite my circumstances
To be the type of husband that Katy needs, one who is a spiritual leader, Christ like and less selfish
To be a good father to my children and reflect the character of God to them through my actions.
To be faithful and fruitful in ministry both online as well as the local church.
Chapter 6: - This world is not our own
Verse to remember - So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
Question to consider- How should the fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?
The first thing it should do is change my perspective of life. My life metaphor should change. I should begin to invest my time, money and talents into things that have eternal value. I need to invest in my family, my local church. I need to equip my children to be aware of their purpose and how to be able to recognize that purpose and walk it out in practical ways. I need to quit worrying about what standards that other people judge me with. I should be more passionate about other people knowing Christ on a personal level.
Chapter 7- It is all for HIM
Verse to remember - For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory. Romans 11:6
Question to consider - Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of Gods glory?
On page 54 we are reminded of the following need with regards to God's Glory. " We are commanded to recognize his glory, honor his glory, declare his glory, praise his glory, reflect his glory, and life for his glory." I can recognize the glory of God on my daily routine by being more aware of those things, events or people who reflect the glory of God. Sometimes it is easy for me to compartmentalize God in my life. In other words there are scheduled moments in time where I focus primarily on the character of God and pursuing him in Christian disciplines and activities. Then if I allow myself to get entangled in the things of this world I begin to loose sight of the importance of viewing my world through the eyes of a believer. When I view a situation in life I can either look for Gods glory in it or I can look for opportunities to use that situation as a way to make me more secure, comfortable or happy. I need to spend more time pursuing the glory of God present in other people and do less measuring of them through my world view. If I only see the negative, bad or faulty side of a person then I will be blond to what God things are present in that person reflecting Gods glory. I need to be less condemning and critical of myself and allow God to show me his glory reflecting through those things he has done in my life through the years. I need to slow down and re evaluate all of my life centric tasks so that I can be in a position to take the time to find Gods glory and enjoy him to the fullest.
The following brings Glory to God
We bring Glory to God by worshipping Him.
"God wants our worship to be motivated by love, thanksgiving, and delight, not duty". How many years have I spent viewing the act of worship as what we do on Sunday morning before the sermon when we sing praise and worship music? This book tells me that I can worship God in these ways and bring God glory when I do them. We are reminded that worship is a lifestyle of enjoying God, loving Him, and giving ourselves to be used for His purposes.
We bring Glory to God by loving other believers
The book states "Christ is not just a matter of believing; it also includes belonging and learning to love the family of God." Loving the family of God takes time, sacrifice and a willingness to extend grace and mercy to both the loveable and the unlovable. We find it so easy to love those people whom have the same ideals, philosophies, lifestyles and doctrine. How can we extend grace, mercy and love to those children of God whom we struggle to identify with because we perceive some rough edges?
We bring glory to God by becoming like Christ
That is easier said than done. The process of sanctification should happen on a daily basis and it usually requires that I exit my comfort zone and take some risks that will test my faith. 2 Corinthians 5:17 describes this daily process.
We bring glory to God by serving others with our gifts
The book tells us "Each of us was uniquely designed by God with talents, gifts, skills and abilities" "God did not give you your abilities for selfish purposes."
We bring glory to God by telling others about him.
We bring glory to God by telling others about him. Why do we fail to tell people about who Jesus is? Are we ashamed of God are we afraid someone may ask you a tough question or even worse ridicule your faith? Are we too busy earning money to pay for our extravagant lifestyles and that leaves no spare time to share the good news of Christ with our neighbors and friends? I need to purpose in my heart each day to find creative ways to inject some passion and enthusiasm into my life so that people will want to know more about my Jesus. How can I tell anyone about my Jesus when I allow the circumstances of my life to rob me of my joy in the Lord and his promises? The answer is I can not share the joy of the Lord or his good news when I am constantly focusing on negative circumstances.
Chapter 8 - I was planned for Gods pleasure
Verse- The Lord takes pleasure in his people Psalms 149:4
Question - What common task could I start doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus?
The two things that come to mind would be work and domestic duties around the house. As a husband and father when I manage to find the desire to do domestic chores I know that I am serving my family. If I were to do those tasks as if unto the Lord then it would be an act of worship as well. My work can be an act of worship if Christ is the center focus of how and why I do what I do to earn money. I am an ambassador for Christ in the workplace and if I view my job as a way to serve and worship God and my fellow man then God will be pleased.
Chapter 9 - God smiles when I trust him
Verse to remember- The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love. Psalms 147:11
Question to consider - Since God knows what is best, in what areas of my life do I need to trust him most?
I need to trust God more in the area of finances. I need to trust God more with regards to my circumstances. I need to trust God more with regards to believing His word that states that those that trust in Him as Lord and Savior will be in Heaven. As I walk through the grief process of loosing a child to cancer I sometimes struggle with having faith to believe that I will see Jessica again one day. I have been told by other Christian brothers that I have trust issues so maybe I need to trust God to give me the ability to trust other people and their motives and intentions. I tend to react with the spirit of being from the "show me state". You show me you have pure intentions through your actions and then I will believe you. I suppose that is why trust and faith go hand in hand.
Go Panthers Go!!
I took a couple of pictures of the County Office Building Annex where I work and thought I would share them with you. Trust me, it is not exciting but atleast you can see where I spend part of my time.
Saturday, January 17, 2004
It appears that I have been successful in ripping out the Blogspeak code and inserting the new Haloscan code and republished my Blog Site. I have not had the time to look at the functionality of Haloscan so hopefully it is as user friendly as what Blogspeak provided for us. I also hope that Haloscan does not charge for this service. If they do the functionality will be coming back out.
What a beautiful day in the neighborhood. I almost wish I was on the 5k run with the rest of the ATHLETES this morning. Just the thought of running down the street makes my heart skip a beat. actually, if I did try to run down the street my heart would probably just explode and they would have to call 911 for the beached whale lying in the middle of Meeting street. I guess I will just stick to walking the parking garage for exercise and maybe next year I can think about something more strenuous. LOL....
Good morning world!! It is a nice crisp 32 degrees in Downtown Charleston this morning and I am coming to you live from the Charleston County Office building where I work Saturday from 7 am to 3pm. Apparently there is a 5k run that kicked off this morning on Meeting street so that means that I am not the only one that is awake this morning.
I got an e-mail from a service called Halonscan which apparently has taken over the hosting for Blogspeak Blog comments. Harry wrote his blogspeak customers and told us that his hosting ended sooner than he expected and Haloscan has taken over those responsibilities. I will probably need to add some code to the Blogger template before the comments section will come back on my blog. The blog entries that were on blogspeak were imported into Haloscan so once I add this functionality to my blog your comments will show up again.
I am on day 17 of the 40 days of purpose devotional which is from The Purpose Driven Life series by Rick Warren. I will post some more of those entries soon. Have you gone through this devotional series yet? If not I would highly recommend your doing so.
Katy and normally would be in Myrtle Beach SC on a Renissance Weekend get away hosted by Happy Days and Special Times in Charleston but I have to work weekends now. So, priorities and responsibility sucks. Instead of being in Myrtle Beach I am working which in and of itself is a good thing considering I spent most of 2003 unemployed. I am still pretty much broke but atleast I can pay a bill here or there and child support is being paid and I am staying out of jail for now. THAT is a HUGE benefit along with the health benefits of walking around in a 9 story parking garage once an hour. Who said life was not fun. LOL....
Ok, speaking of work perhaps I need to quit flying this keyboard and start my next round.
Have a good weekend.
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Monday, January 05, 2004
Who let the dogs out ??
How many DOGS are there should be the question ? Lets see, we have Angel and Sammy. They LOVE to bark and carry on because I guess that is something that just comes naturally. They bark at anything that moves and if they can make something move that normally does not move they will do that and bark anyway. Once they get bored at creating their own amusement they then bark at Fergus across the street who is Nurse Shannon's dog who has been abandoned in Chuck's yard for the last several years. Fergus and Sammy and Angel all love to holler back and forth and back and forth all day long if given the opportunity. I have found that if I schedule a SFE (scheduled flyswatter event) on Sammy's short little body that it tends to cause him to stifle the noise. Tracking him down and actually hitting him with the flyswatter can be an aerobic event. The fact that I know I am going to have to chase him around and around the tree sometimes causes me to be lazy and just threaten him from the porch. Sometimes that works and sometimes it does not. I am glad that he can not get on the Internet and read my blog. That would just ruin it for me altogether. Oh yes, lets not forget the mutts up the street. They like to bark all hours of the day and night and all that needs to happen to set them off is for the wind to move one single leaf on ANY tree located within 20 square miles of their back yard. Is it still unlawful to kill someone else's dogs? Most days I don't want to kill the neighbors dogs (or birds for that matter (snicker) but I would like to find the mute button. Can I find some pills that will instantly mute the dogs in the neighborhood? You know, they open mouth to bark and NO SOUND comes out.
I need to research that immediately. I thought about buying a dart gun and some tranquilizer darts but that would mean that the event UDE (unscheduled dart extraction) might be seen by a neighbor and then the local police department would have to have an UV event (unscheduled visitation) which we certainly dont need.
Now that I am sharing my lovely story about the CND (canine noise dilemma) I am reminded that atleast one of the children (not mentioning names) (yet) (snicker) from our little commune (SLC) (slumlord commune) down at the bottom of our hill (gully?) has taken barking lessons from the dogs. Instead of barking though the child stood in the middle of the street the other day (OMG) (@v@) and screamed at such a regular and high pitched interval it caused a UCC (unscheduled child chasing) by yours truly. Luckily for the child I was having visions of all the calories that I was going to have to burn to get off my rear end , put on my shoes and launch myself out the door, across the porch, down the stairs and over the ditch. Gosh, that would have been worth video taping huh ? Luckily for me I counted the cost and just inserted my ear plugs (STILL heard the child anyway) and tried to tune them out.
I have to share another event with you. Are you surprised? Angel is experiencing a OMGIAIH event (Oh my gosh I am in heat) which in turn has caused a OMGIAHE (Oh my gosh I am horny event) for Sammy. Things have been interesting around here lately. Can you imagine Sammy running all around the house chasing Angel for all he is worth with tongue hanging out? (not going any further with that mental picture @@). I think that the hormones have gotten to poor Angel though because we saw her turn the tables by starting to chase Sammy around the house and taking on some male tendencies that I probably wont bother with describing. (@@) Lets just say that we have had to make sure that we have all had to resort to wearing tennis shoes, knee high socks and knee pads just in case Sammy comes running around the corner of the house and mistakenly identifies one of us as a 60 pound Lab.......
Meanwhile back at the ranch we can see a cloud of dust in the distance as the herd of saber toothed space chickens are headed in our direction. I can see that Paul Bunyon is going to have to run fetch the gun so we can defend ourselves..... Maybe Nurse Shannon and the REAL man in her life can learn how to kill and pluck SPACE CHICKENS......... I wonder if they are edible??
My dogs are barking
No, I am not talking about Sammy or Angel even though they do tend to bark on a regular basis. The dogs I am talking about are my feet who are not very happy with me at the moment. I spent the last three days working a 3 to 11pm shift at the County Office Building which included making rounds in a 9 story parking garage. I can not begin to tell you how much fun that was. NOT..... I know, I am reminding myself of the fact that it IS a JOB. I was scheduled to work today from 3pm to 11pm BUT I will be bowling tonight instead. I advised my company that I go to church Sunday morning and bowl on Monday evening and that I can work OTHER hours during those days. Nevertheless they scheduled me anyway. I called the on call supervisor at 6:30 am on Saturday as I was headed to a 7 am to 3pm shift and woke him up to advise him of my NEED to be off today so I can bowl. He was not too happy that I called him at 6:30 am. Oh well.... The joys of supervision at a security company. heheheheheheh
Lets see, now for the fun stuff. We experienced the following events this morning before we got up to start our day.
UAD = Unexpected Appliance Death
UTW = Unexpected Trip to Wallyworld
UBA = Unexpected Bill Arrival
SHS = Scheduled Hammering Session
Katy was awakened by our Terrier Sammy at 6 am wanting to experience a UPB (Unscheduled Potty Break) so she got up and let him outside to do his business. Then Katy attempted to initiate a SCP (Scheduled Coffee Percolation) which failed miserably in a UAD (see above). That in turn caused Katy to experience a URTPIB (unscheduled Return To Prone Position in Bed) where she lamented the fact that the light was on with the coffee maker but no one was home. At this point I am awake faced with having an NDC event (NO DARN COFFEE) which in turn meant that I would soon experience a UTW (see above please). Once we meandered back from WallyWorld I went to the mailbox (huge mistake) and experienced the UBA (see above) and then wandered back down the hill to be advised by Katy that she needed to experience a SHS (see above) so that she could hang some pictures.
I dont know if I can handle any more scheduled or unscheduled events at this point. Hopefully the coffee will be ready and I can get on with the rest of my day. LOL....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
