Inspired by John Adams

I'm still a little fuzzy on the details but unbeknownst to me I became an adult with adult interests. (If you don't believe me then please refer to my earlier use of the adult's only word 'unbeknownst'). Up until recently, the only books I read for fun involved choosing your own adventure, cowboys, Navy Seals or a ruddy reckless young wizard. Lately however I have been fascinated by reading biographies of famous people. Currently I am reading a great biography on John Adams.

I am only a couple of chapters into it but one story that is sticking out to me is as follows:

After years of hard work and sacrifice Adams finally becomes a practicing lawyer. During his very first case defending the plaintiff he is humiliated in court and loses his case on a technicality for not filling out the brief correctly. He is very embarrassed, his client is pissed off and the whole town of Braintree (small town where Adams lives) knows of his blunder. Frustrated and upset Adams goes home that night and writes in his journal, “It is my destiny to dig treasures with my own fingers.”

Adams' found out early on that any prestige or success he had in practicing law was going to come through a lot of sweat and hard work.

I too want to share this conviction of Adams, “It is my destiny to dig treasures with my own fingers.” However, sometimes I read scriptures like Jeremiah 29:11and think that I can just play Xbox until a miracle happens. Yes, God does have plans to prosper me (whatever that means) but, if I am not careful, I can easily fall into the trap of perpetually waiting for God to bless me and the ministry he has called me to rather than being faithful with the gifts, talents and abilities that he has entrusted me with. What do you think of what Adams says?

“It is my destiny to dig treasures with my own fingers”

How does this apply to how you practice your faith?

what does a closed door really look like?

Acts 5:41 shares that after some of the disciples were whipped and beaten for preaching in the streets they left their jail cells rejoicing and pumped because they had been found worthy of suffering for Jesus. Up until recently I had always read this passage and thought it meant that I should rejoice when I am persecuted for Jesus (which, in all honesty has never really happened in my life) So up until now I have always tucked away this lil tidbit “rejoice when persecuted” and put it up on the mental shelf next to all my other “good to know” factoids. Watching Man vs. Wild has taken up tons of mental shelf space....If I ever get cornered by a hissing cobra in Madagascar I totally know what to do..... However, yesterday I was reading through the book of Acts and a new revelation hit me:

The first century church considered it an honor to be persecuted for “The Way” They rejoiced because they had been found worthy of suffering for Christ. How different the early church responded to obstacles and persecution than I currently due as a privileged North American. I view obstacles or ridicule of my ministry as God intervening to “close doors.” The first century church viewed obstacles as concrete evidence that they were in fact experiencing God's favor.......Man have I got it backwards.....

WTD part 2

Ok, after reading my last "WTD" post my wife told me I had to go check out the blog, "Jesus needs new pr" If you haven't been there yet it is absolutely awesome. Anyhoo.....I stole this youtube clip and it too is absolutely awesome....but in a different way. Enjoy.





Leave it to us Christians to get a little to enthused about sharing our faith....Do you know of any other random Christian Crapola?

Daily Bread

I know I just started blogging and all. But I had to take a break for a few days. I needed to yell at the big guy and I was a little too volatile to be sharing my thoughts via the web.

In my inaugural post I mentioned receiving my “daily bread.” Sometimes my daily bread sucks...I don't want bread, I want a toasted chicken carbonara from Quiznos.

Man I think sometimes the Exodus Israelites get a bad rap. All of us 21century haters look at those guys and say, “You had manna and quail everyday, a fire in the sky at night to keep you warm and a cozy cumulus cloud during the day to keep the scorching sun off your backs. God gave you everything you needed but yet you still worshiped idols??? You donkeys...” I say to myself that I would never be as flaky as those pansy Israelites.....

Except here I sit, with all bling that a cracker like me can handle and yet I still find myself frustrated with God for not giving me more...Please God don't make me go drink some bitter water.....the bile in my throat is penance enough, forgive me Father for losing sight of you. I truly am grateful for my daily bread and you are so generous with your provision.

King Solomon and I are totally alike, he also struggled with only being content with his daily bread, check out what he wrote in Proverbs 30:7-9

“Two things I ask of you, LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

See? I am totally just like Solomon, except without the harem, prestige, wealth and olive tan skin.......Yep, that's right...just like Solomon.

Do you ever find yourself complaining and unsatisfied with your daily bread? What do you do to put yourself in an attitude of gratitude?

Job-Schmob

I think that spending my afternoon reading blogs in my pajamas is the 80's equivalent to eating bon-bons and watching soap operas. I needed a good blog jam session after my morning so far. Re-structuring my resume can get a little tiring after a while.

Since the "recent job history" as well as the "education" section of my resume screams fundamentalist bible thumping evangelical to the untrained eye, it is a little difficult tailoring my work experience to fit common day marketable job skills. For instance trying to make my knowledge of 2000 year old Koine Greek make me sound bilingual hasn't been working out so well.

Just this morning I got off the phone with a job agency, the gal asked me what my previous work history was, I said that I have a master's degree in Theology and I worked as a youth pastor at a church and she replied, “while working there did you have any heavy duty machining training or dye casting experience” (seriously, that was her immediate response) um, no but I can definitely hold my own in a foosball tournament or watermelon seed spitting contest...

There doesn't seem to be much need in the secular world with someone with my unique set of talents...who knew that being able to stuff 18 marshmallows in my mouth while still saying the words “chubby bunny” wasn't an actual job skill?

For now I will just keep waiting tables at “The Keg” and trying not to pester my wife too much as she works from home. (She is sitting 8 feet from me but I'm not allowed to talk to here when she's in “the office bubble”)

Me having to ask Ruthy how to use the camera in order to set up this "office bubble" shot almost got me put in a timeout.

WTD

What The Deuce?!?

I can't help it, sometimes I get offended when I see people blaspheming Jesus. I try not to let it bother me and for the most part it doesn't. But every once in a while I find my self more hurt than I think Jesus would be when it comes to others making fun of God.....Didn't Jesus himself say “blessed are you when people persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

But truthfully, what bothers me more than the crude Jesus humor found in stores like Hot Topic and Urban Outfitters is the utterly ridiculous Jesus crapola that can be found in Christian stores everywhere.....take for instance the following....

Really? and were supposed to believe that these are just Jesus pajamas and not the beginning of some junior kkk club

Seriously....WTD?

This comic excerpt was taken from a 1970's bible tract about preparing for the rapture....

For reals though, I cannot believe this next one made it through the "Quality Check" at Christian-Craps-R-Us

If these ceramic figurines were sold at Hot Topic or Urban Outfitters I would be a little offended. But "Jesus groping kids" can be found at most Christian bookstores....

Have you seen any really bad Christian craps out there?

I Double Dog Dare you

Dozens of times the authors of the Psalms cry out to God for help. Without fail they always report that God answered them. One of my favorite examples of this is Psalm 107:9-14 “In the midst of darkness and deepest gloom, while a prisoner suffering in iron chains...i cried out to you oh God and you brought me out of my deep despair....” (paraphrase mine)

God is always faithful to answer with help. The problem is that we don't always want the “help” he provides.

Below is a journal entry I wrote on Jan. 19^th (5 years ago today) I had just quit my job, sold my car and gave away everything that I owned that wouldn't fit in my backpack. Inspired by Jack Kerouac's romanticism of life on the road I began hitchhiking across the US and was currently stranded outside of Santa Clara CA.

“...The more desperate for a ride that I got the less I cared about what people thought of me or how I looked while I pleaded for rides. As my day long wait for a ride turned into dusk, and the thunderclouds loomed like a schoolyard bully breathing down my neck threatening to kick my ass as soon as all the parents were gone, I couldn't help but feel silly about the lengths I was willing to go to in order to find physical comfort. When it comes to temporal things like being stranded overnight in a rainstorm, I was willing to go to any lengths to find solace. I accosted old ladies, tried to bribe truck drivers and pleaded with members of horrified family vans in order to find relief. However in matters concerning spiritual comfort I will only sometimes humble myself before God, and never in the presence of others...”

When Jesus left this rock he gave us three things; Holy Spirit, Scripture and Church (community).

Don't hide your desperation, find someone you trust allow them to help and ask for a ride.