Gonna Make You Happy Tonight

It’s time that I reference this wonderful video.  I wish I had a venue to play this song, but alas, a Church probably isn’t the best place to sing of Distracted Matrimonial Duties.

Jamie and I love this song, but there’s always that sigh at the end the laugh as we realize, “Wait a minute, I’ve heard that [said that] before!!”

Accountability Post #15 – Whatever my game is, I’m on it!

I have a sneaky suspicion that my boxers have clashed with my shorts all day long – a “suspicion” mind you, as I would have no way of knowing that sort of thing and no one would ever be able to see that to let me know.  I didn’t let it put me off my game, though, we’re good.  

The weather this morning was bizarre!  A cool pastor I work with put it really well, “You could see Fall coming.”  It was like there was line speeding at you, and the line was the new season.  Needless to say, I got rained on while I was running.  I didn’t let it put me off my game, though.

Sometimes, as we drive through one of the intersections on the way to church, we see a man who shops at the Supermarket there.  He’s probably in his mid-thirties and clearly has a form of Downs.  He walks to and from the store, I guess from an apartment nearby, and as he goes he dances wildly to whatever music he’s got playing on his Walkman.  When he reaches the intersection, he takes the opportunity, as he waits for the light to change, to dance even more and sing even louder.  The faces of people looking on, laugh in ridicule, but that man makes me so happy.  What a clear expression of recklessly abandoned JOY!  He loves his music, and nothings putting him off his game.  He’s good.

Isaiah 21, however, is a game stopper.  It’s Ring Wraiths meets The Great Divorce in some really scary dreams that God gave Isaiah.  Babylon is always synonymous with the Corruption of the World.  Revelation 18 calls it a “dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit…”  God tears her down, and it’s the wailing day for those who gave their lives to keep her.  Whatever their game was, it’s over.

I thought you might like to see my cute computer screen as of right now… 

 

my guys!

Tough Love

I’m sitting at Starbucks on a beautiful evening, trying to write a talk for High Schoolers about the most beautiful topic in all of Human History:  Coffee.  No, not really, Love actually.  To tell you the truth, I’m really struggling with it.  The Bible says some really crazy things about Love, things that are meant to put a spot light on whomever practices them.  Things that are so contrary to our popular, social norms.  Let me share 10:

1. Greater Love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
3. Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
4. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them.
5. Love must be sincere.
6. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
7. Do everything in love.
8. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.
9. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
10. He who does not Love abides in death.

We get ideas of these things from movies and Reader’s Digest.  When someone loves like this, we put it in the news next to Teens Fight Over Football Game.  We celebrate them and forget them.

I have people that I think of in regards to most of these verses on love, but sadly and shamefully, I don’t think of the Church.

Who do you think of?

If I die in 30 seconds…

May it never be said of me, “He was the guy with the Running Blog!”

(I don’t like it that much.)

Accountability Post #14 – Watch out for the Naked People

This morning before my run, I got to go see some friends at Kirkwood High School for See You At the Pole.  Here’s a shout out to my K-Wood friends (even though, there is only one who will actually see it)!

I also saw this Bumper Sticker on the way home.

I didn't take this picture... I found it on another blog.

The blog I found this on thought this sticker was pretty great, but seriously, this is about as bad as the anti-Bush “Don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for him!” sticker.  What a grumbly nation we live in!  We’ve been given Freedom to do so much, but we use it to openly complain about our leaders.  Our leaders are not all men of integrity (…), but they are our leaders, non-the-less.  We need to follow them, but be wise at the same time (they are all human, after all).

 

Isaiah 20 is pretty strange.  For starters Ashdod is defeated by King Sargon of Assyria, and secondly God tells Isaiah to walk around COMPLETELY NAKED for 3 years!  He’s making a point through Isaiah about Egypt being led captive, and he says they’ll be lead away “both young and old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered.”  …um, ok.

But I ask you, after the initial shock factor of about a week… maybe two… where everyone is getting used to you, and you’re getting used to you, would it really be that bad to not have to wear clothes??All the freedom? Not having to match your belt to your, um, shoe laces?  Seriously though…  you don’t have to answer that.

Jesus is My Friend!

This is important.

If you haven’t seen this video yet, let me be another blogger to reference it’s Cheddar-ness.