Song of the Week

The follow up to my latest post.

MxPx, or Magnified Plaid--as they were called originally, was one of my favorite bands as a teenager. "Chick Magnet" and "Move to Bremerton" were two of their bigger hits, but one of their best songs in my opinion is "Middlename." It starts off with, "Emotion is my middlename!" Hey--it goes right along with my latest post! How about that...

Highs and Lows

I know I'm not the only one that experiences the emotional roller coaster of life. In fact I know that there are others that face higher highs and lower lows than I will ever face. And when I think about this it makes everything that I am going through seem trite in comparison. Still I am up against the lowered energy in the emotional depressing times and the hyper-activity that accompanies the moments of emotional joy.

What I am learning is that it isn't a bad thing to be emotional but it is definitely trouble when I become subject to my emotions. I can't let them control how I respond in my relationships with my spouse, friends, or acquaintances, or allow them to distort my view of Christ and what he has accomplished in the lives of Christ-followers like myself. The identity that I have in Christ is more important and more substantial than any emotion I could ever experience here on earth, whether it's thrilling joy, fierce anger, or extreme depression--Christ still holds my true identity as a Christ-follower.

Romans 8:15-17 reminds us that Christ-followers have been given a Spirit of sonship--that we are God's children. God's children are led by the Holy Spirit not their emotions. As I keep reminding myself of this I hope that someday it will get through my thick head and I'll stop falling prey to being led around by the frailty of my emotional state.

This isn't the end of me being emotional at times (sorry Jolene) but I hope to not be controlled by them. Instead to filter my emotions through the lens that God the Father sees me through--as a son controlled by His Spirit. Not expressing the fruit of unbridled emotions, but the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Speaking of Sex...

So the next couple weeks at church I get to talk about sex. That can be pretty awesome or somewhat scary to the people who are actually going to listen. It's actually awesome and scary to me too, thankfully I am just preaching the same message that comes from God's Word so there shouldn't be anything to be fearful about--still I am greatly anticipating the moment(s). I hope you are too!

As I've been researching the subject (insert funny joke) it's crazy to think about how sex crazed our culture is. Do you know that the porn industry revenue in 2006 was estimated at 10-14 billion dollars? That's more revenue than pro baseball, football, and basketball combined. That's more than what our country spent on foreign aid last year. Words like depressing, shocked, and sickened probably don't even begin to express our emotions when we hear this. Maybe it doesn't surprise you...

Corinthian culture had a saying that Paul used quite often in his letters to the Corinthians, "Everything is permissible for me!" Paul responded by saying basically that while it may be permissible not everything is beneficial--and it could lead to being mastered by something (addiction). American culture's slogan might go something like "Do what feels good--as long as it doesn't hurt anyone." Well, pornography hurts people. Pornography hurts the user in untold mental, psychological, emotional, and spiritual ways. It hurts the relationships that the user has with other people, specifically with their spouse and their children. It hurts the women who are abused and objectified.

Most importantly sexual sin (whether it is pornography, fornication, homosexuality, anything outside of marriage) hurts our relationship with our Creator who formed us for a committed union with him and a committed union with a spouse of opposite gender.

"Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever--the kind of sex that can never 'become one.'"

1 Corinthians 6:18 (The Message)

I hope Christian men and women start to stand up and seek becoming one with the Master (Jesus) and one with their spouse--in all areas of life. I hope men and women realize that their bodies are meant to be "living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God", not as something to be given in worship to something else. Sex and lust are basically acts of worship. As Mark Driscoll would say--"worshiping the created instead of the Creator." (you should check out his "Real Marriage" series)

I want to end this post with a message to the guys. If you have an issue with lust, man you are not alone, but it is way past time to deal with it. Talk to someone about it, get help, repent, and know that it is hurting a lot of people, most of all, it is hurting your relationship with Christ. Stop worshiping the created and start worshiping the Creator.

Song of the Week

It was a long Thursday-Saturday, but it was capped off by a great Sunday. The song of the week comes from Michael W. Smith, "My Place in this World". It's a little cheesy, but I love it--here it is:

The best line is "If there are millions down upon their knees, among the many can you still hear me?" Who hasn't wondered or asked this question to/of God? Thankfully we know that he does hear us--and he responds to us.

Next week we might move out of the 80's and 90's. Might.

Created By Him, For Him

The Methow River in the Big Valley Unit

Deer hunting in early September has its challenges--and it begins with the heat. Sometimes reaching 90 degrees and almost always in the 80's it is hard to archery hunt in the early season without sweating. Most of the time we hunt early in the morning until about 9 or 10am and then head back to the cabin to chill until later in the evening. Most times we don't even get back out into the field until 4pm or so, sometimes later. Who wants to kill a deer in 80 degree weather? You'll end up spoiling a lot of meat if you don't hurry up and dress it out. Of course I haven't had that problem the last couple of years...

Sometimes though I just can't wait to get back out hunting even if it is hot. I don't have much time to deer hunt with my schedule so I have to take every opportunity. I've never had any luck in seeing deer when I've left early--in fact the one time I left early last year I ran into a bee's nest.

But even though I don't normally see deer I've had some great moments out in the field in the heat of the day. I vividly remember one afternoon that I stayed out in the field all day. I was in the Big Valley Unit near Winthrop and I was sweating profusely from the morning sun under the camo gear and face paint I was wearing. It was now nearing noon or so and I was tired, but I didn't want to leave for fear of missing an opportunity to arrow a deer. I decided to head towards the river.

As I neared the river I could feel a slight breeze which felt so good. I sat on the rocks near the river put down my bow (like I would really see any deer!) and pulled out my Bible from my backpack. I began to read from the first chapter of Colossians. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him."

I was sitting by a beautiful river with Canada Geese flying over me and a Belted Kingfisher sitting on the cable line that stretches over the river. Salmon were swimming in front of me and somewhere in the woods were White-tailed and Mule deer. I had seen bear tracks earlier in the morning and a pair of Wood Ducks flared from a nearby pool. "For by him all things were created...". All of these creatures were created by Him for Him. And there I was, stretched out on the rocks with my shirt now off basking in the sun by the Methow River. That's where it hit me--I was created by Him for Him.

Just as Jesus is at the center of everything and anything ever created--the animals, the church, the visible and invisible--He also deserves to be at the center of who I am. Colossians 1:21--"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation."

So I just laid there for a few hours meditating on the supremacy of Christ and how I ought to stay firmly entrenched in the peace and hope that His supremacy offers me. I didn't get a deer, but I received a moment with Christ that will last my entire life.

Song of the Week

Here's something to look forward to every Monday night--that's right, the song of the week!

Social D's cover of "Ring of Fire" will start us off. One of my first ever CD's was Social Distortion's 1992 release "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell." I managed to keep that one hidden from my parents for awhile. For fun feel free to share the CD you first remember listening to in the comments.

Disclaimer: Not a good thing by the way to hide stuff from your parents. Mom, if you're reading this--I actually think you will like this song!

Enjoy!

Hearing

Bewick's Wren--gotta love the white eye stripe

Sometimes I get really frustrated when I'm out birding. Just the other day I was out with my friend Kevin and we were looking for Bewick's Wrens on the Poppoff trail (the south part of the Greenway). I knew that we were in an area that was perfect for Bewick's--thick brush and lots of cover. I had seen many here in this same spot before. These wrens are pretty common on the Greenway but I'm always searching for them; they are hard to spot because many times they stay deep in the cover. So this time I pulled out my Iphone and started playing the Bewick's Wren song--usually this will bring them out to to the top of the foliage so that they are easy to spot. No luck.

Now, I didn't have any luck because I couldn't see them. But, my friend Kevin started pointing in five different directions because he was insisting that he heard multiple wrens respond to my call. This is the same guy that as we are walking along he hears the Black-capped Chickadees and the Golden-crowned Sparrows. I'm the one that takes the notes on what we see and "hear" so I just have to go along with it because eventually I spot them--so I don't really doubt Kevin's ears.

Sometimes I can hear these birds, but not anywhere close to Kevin or some of my other birding friends. It's unfortunate but years of duck hunting, shooting shotguns at close range, and heavy metal cranked all the way up have done some damage to my hearing. Sure I can always pick out Mallards and Canada Geese when they are making noise, but I still miss Bewick's Wren which is a pretty noisy bird--I should be able to hear it and know it.

The thing is--I probably do hear the Bewick's Wren, I just can't identify it. I don't know it. I know Mallards, I know Canada Geese, I know Wood Ducks, I know American Wigeon--my ears are trained as a duck hunter to know these. For some reason my lack of hearing doesn't inhibit me from hearing these birds.

It's the same thing with hearing God. I've heard people complain, seriously doubt, and sincerely question whether they could or would ever hear God. For sure God is speaking--just like the Bewick's Wrens really were singing. Maybe it's not our lack of hearing but it's our lack of practicing to listen to his voice so that we really know it. In John's Gospel he writes "the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out...the sheep follow him because they know his voice." Know His voice? If we don't know God's voice than how easy it would be to fall prey to the thief who wants to steal, kill, and destroy! The thief will masquerade as the Shepherd--we ought to be careful and learn how to know and discern God's voice in our lives.

How do we do that? Well just like if I want to learn the call of the Bewick's Wren I have to wait and listen for it. And listen again, and listen some more. I ought to look at it's sonogram and count the syllables. Discern whether the tone is high or low pitched. When does it sing the most? When is it quiet?

We discern and know God's voice by spending time listening to it in the Word. And more time in the Word. Pray and be still and wait for his voice. Waiting is vital. Being patient is key. Ask him questions and trust that you will receive answers. Compare those answers again to God's Word. More than anything, trust that He will speak and begin learning to listen and to hear.

Psalm 29:4--"The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic."

Why I Preach

Last night I was at the church while the music team was practicing and a lady and her daughters came into the church to use the bathroom. She seemed to look familiar to me but I couldn't place where I had seen her until she called me "the Preacher." Yes, she had visited the church a couple months ago. I wish I could remember everybody, but that will never happen.

Anyways, I still have never gotten use to being called "the Preacher." Probably never will. I always have considered myself more of a pastor than a preacher--but that's another post and a bit of semantics I guess. But a big part of being a pastor is preaching and right now I am reading a book on how to do it better. I'm actually re-reading it. Don't say I need to read it three times.

"Communicating for a Change" is written by Andy Stanley who, if I had to choose someone, would probably be the pastor I most like to listen to. He isn't flamboyant, but he is passionate. He isn't extreme, but he has a burden to see the Holy Spirit change people and he preaches like it.

In the book he talks about having a goal when preaching. Some preachers preach with the goal to "teach the Bible to people." Others "teach people the Bible." I agree with him that both of these goals are insufficient--their main emphasis is information transfer. Our goal as preachers has to be much more than that. The goal Andy, and I, have in mind when preaching is this: "to teach people how to live a life that reflects the values, principles, and truths of the Bible." That's why I preach, and why sometimes I'm even called "the Preacher."

The Beginning

Everything has a beginning. Beginnings are usually pretty fun and exciting--because there exists the possibility of the unknown and the emptiness of drudgery has not yet set in. This is the beginning of something I hope does not become a drudgery but an outpouring of my thoughts that yields new perspectives, ideas, and dreams in myself and others. I'm not sure what I will post on here, but my plan is to share how God is speaking to me through His Word as well as some flippant posts about birds, music, and sports. We'll see how this begins...