.........Where you ought to be.

BOOK
I've been out of the abbey two days,
I've beaten a Lawman senseless, I've
fallen in with criminals... I watched
the captain shoot a man I swore to
protect.
(the hard part)
And I'm not even sure if I think he
was wrong.

INARA
Shepherd...

He is shaking a bit, tearing up.

BOOK
I believe I just...
(a pained smile)
I think I'm on the wrong ship.

INARA
Maybe. Or maybe you're exactly where
you ought to be.


Above is a transcript from the first episode of Firefly. A space western by Joss Whedon.
The Conversation between Book (Preacher) and Inara (Prostitute) is just after a long day aboard a pirate vessel.

Do we sometimes feel like Book?
.... I know I do.
We have to live in the moment and be a light within the darkness.

....More here later.

Yep, looks empty to me.....

The Annual Easter Post 2009

Every year I always post on Easter Sunday. It is the most important date in the Christian church. It is the day we celebrate Jesus coming out from the grave. It is the day when God sticks it to the devil. The day sin is conquered. It is the day the scriptures are fulfilled. It is the day I stand and declare that is my God. That is my Jesus. My Savior. The one who sacrificed himself for the lowliest of people, myself.

That's My King.

Sunday's Coming.

He is RISEN!

Miller's Point of Poetry in the Bible

I have recently been reading the book "Searching for God knows what" by Donald Miller. It is a wonderful book discussing Spirituality and the Bible. In my readings Miller's view of the Bible's poetic structure and how it brings the words within scripture to a level that touches the Soul of a human being. Miller describes how we in a world of spelled out agendas and to do lists prefer our religion to be more rigid and listed out. The "do" and "don't" lists of right and wrong. He writes of a scenario of where a man writes down his love's qualities on a piece of paper and passes it to her over dinner. Sure, the lists reads of all her beautiful characteristics, but will probably just pass it off and will not be remembered or feel it move her. However, if he were to write a poem describing her qualities she will most likely be wooed and will be touched by the effort and the beauty of the poem. She will be touched. The Bible uses these poems in the same manner to touch our very soul and bring text to life.

I knew before reading this insight by Miller that poetry touches us in places deep within us. However, upon meditating on this concept I have begun to realize my love of the King James Version even now as I have moved on to other current versions of the Bible. The poetic language the King James Version is written in brings so much of the text on the page to life in a way that strikes your very soul as beautiful and meaningful, almost as if the text is alive....

Remember when you first meet that special someone and words didn't seem to describe that person, but poetic language seemed to get your point across. It is kinda like that.

The truth is that the Bible and those that wrote it couldn't put it all into words either. So, they used poetic language to touch our souls and help us understand a being and wisdom of a creator that is out of this world.

Coffee and Conversation

yum! Coffee and Conversation, two things I enjoy very much.
I live for conversations and coffee. I believe that conversations
with others about topics we care about help us learn more about
the topic and ourselves. We learn so much from talking to others
even the closed minded learn something every now and then.
Hopefully, that they are closed minded.
Conversations helps to awaken our brains to others opinions and
beliefs. It help us get to know each others cultures and personalities.

Now to my point....

Waken, is a conversation that my church and I have started as part of a college ministry. The concept is that college students meet with me at a local place, such as a coffee shop and we will discuss about things of a spiritual nature. God, Holy Spirit, Human suffering, war, spirituality, sex, and how it connects us to each other
and God.

I feel that through discussion in an open and relaxed atmosphere we can all learn
more about ourselves, our religion, and the things we have never even considered.

Coffee and Conversation is the best way to get to know people. People are the church of God. Jesus tells us that we are to fellowship with believers.

In my opinion coffee and Conversation is the perfect church. In a Coffee House.

Lightening the way

This weekend I have been on a senior high boys retreat with my church, Trinity UMC. It was awesome. . We were on the lake. We had some great discussions, talks, and workdays. I am really blessed that I get to work with and be around such great people and kids.
However, on Saturday night it started raining and thunder and where there is thunder there is you guessed it lightning. The lake house we were staying in had some covered porches and provided us a great view of the lighting displays that were taking place.
So, sometimes the strangest things or maybe just the simplest things in my life give me ideas and cause my brain to tick. Lighting. Yes, this phenomenon that I had seen all my life kicked my brain into jump-start.
This weekends talks have been about being men, becoming warriors, Shepherds, and lovers. We have had talks on covering how Jesus was to lust and my talk which is stepping up. The step up talk basically challenged us as men to care, love, and meet needs for others. Whether they are here in our local community, schools, or if they are halfway around the world. This weekend…with the lightning caused this to come over my brain.
Have you ever watched a lightening storm? The bolts of light streak across the stay in patterns that seem random and majestic. The lighting goes in any direction it wishes. Sometimes it is streaks or one big flash or a web.
I am amazed by its power. The thunder it produces as it splits the sky can rumble the earth. The lightening itself can start fires when it strikes the earth. Lightning is powerful.
As Christians we should be like riders of these majestic nature occurrences. We should be powerful, majestic, and free. Free to go where we need and do what we need. We should be a light to the dark lands. We should rumble the earth when we strike the problems of this world. Problems being, Hunger, suffering, slavery to name some. We should be the leaders in which everyone else follows. It is hard to ride lightening. It is hard because you never know where it will strike first. However when you see a thunderstorm coming you bed there will be some storms in it. Locate the storms of this world. The evil and oppression and be the light. Help light the way out of the dark places. To the boys I said this. “Lightning, it is powerful, majestic, and dangerous. So should we as men with God on our team be to darkness”.
So, may you come to be the light in the dark places. May you shake the earth in your actions for good. So ride people, ride.

A white horse gets up out of the mud and shakes it off...

Yes, I know. I have not used this in awhile. I know I've said it before, but I am going to start using this again.

If you are wondering where that title came from it came from my dad. He was a preacher and one of his favorite stories to relate how we sin and how we should still remember that God loves us and His grace is with us. De would use this story.

A white horse falls in the mud, but he gets up shakes it off and keeps going.

Simply put. I'm the white horse. I've got problems. I've been slacking. I've fallen. I've failed. I've lost site.


Now I'm getting up. shaking it off. keeping focused

Stronger...
Better...
More determined...
Equipped...
Prepared....
Driven....
Inspired....
Filled up...


In other words. Let's get it on... words on the blog that is.