Doug Van Pelt

I've Got An Idea...

...and it came in the shower. For some reason, that's a great place to think and come up with creative ideas. Maybe it's the isolation and the redundant duties (shampoo, shaving, soaping) that make my mind find things interesting to think about. When I have a problem, it's usually in the shower or in the car on the way to work that I find ideas. Today my challenge is how to find a way to make a "buy 1 get 1 free" offer good with our subscription on the website (as advertised in the new, Nov/Dec issue). One thing that I realized is I could always save my code in a text file, so if my "experiments" don't work, I always have a backup that I can revert back to.

While I was waiting for my car to get fixed this morning, I called the tech people with our website's shopping cart, and got another idea. Lord willing, I'll have that thing up and working with this new offer/option today. I also need to start getting prepared for the next (Jan/Feb) issue. I'll work on placing and laying out all the stories turned in thus far.

In reading the Scriptures, I came across the story of Jesus eating at Zacchaeus' house in LUke 19. I vividly remember the "Sunday School song" I learned about this "wee little man." But I'm also always impressed by the effort Jesus made to show Zacchaeus his signifigance and value. This man's instant and practical repentance always jumps out at me, too. He gave half of his possessions to the poor on the spot. Jesus declared that "salvation has come to this house today." That's pretty cool. I'm also challenged by the parable Jesus told there about the Ten Minas. I wonder how I would do with something to invest for the Lord. I also wonder how I've done with the talents and things He's given me. And I wonder how I will do with those things now and in the future. It takes risk to invest things. It's sticking your neck out and risking loss, humiliation, injury, whatever. But these are things that He will shepherd us through. I'm encouraged and challenged to do that with my business, HM Magazine. I need to invest and spend money and time on marketing this magazine.

22 Acacia Ave

Listening to a NWOBHM band on the way to work always gets you in the mood for some rock magazine work. This song was on the album that I once wrote "could be responsible for the Christian heavy metal movement..." because it was branded evil and gave musicians of the faith a reason and motivation to create. It was The Number Of The Beast album by Iron Maiden. Some members of the band were involved in a car accident during the recording of this album, where they either hit a vehicle with nuns in it, or they swerved to avoid nuns and had the accident (I can't remember), and the repair bill was 666 pounds. The song "22 Acacia Avenue" is about a prostitute, and I wonder about the poor souls that live on such a street in various locations and wonder if people graffiti their homes or some such nonsense. This is why movies often use the 555 prefix on telephone numbers, so they don't ruin the life of some hapless soul, who might be named Jenny and have the number 867-5309.

:?)

Every time a noise rumbles past, I look out the window, waiting for that white truck with the letters Fed Ex to pull up and a courrier slaps an overnight envelope in my hands. Inside would be a pair of tickets to see U2 tonight. As each hour passes, I wonder if this'll be a disappointing day of no delivery. Guys I know will cry tonight, as they will be moved by one great rock band. Perhaps it will be like church at a moment or two. It should be fun.

"CHECK OUT THAT COOL GRAPHIC DESIGN IN THE NEW ISSUE OF CCM!" You won't often hear me say that (I've probably never said it), but on page 90 of the November issue (which includes a review I wrote of the new Project 86 album), there is an amazing ad with text forming the outline of a guitarist (using the mask feature in Photoshop). It's very cool. I wish I'd have done it.

Okay, Luke 18 tells a great story / parable about persistent prayer. There's a widow who keeps coming and coming to a judge (whom Jesus referes to as "unrighteous"), who relents to this woman just to stop her from bothering him. "...And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly..." I think Jesus is inviting us to pray. He's asking us to bring our cares and concerns to Him. I trust Him. I have a strong belief that anything (or at least most things) that are off-kilter or out of His will become apparent for what they are (sometimes "wants" instead of needs, and sometimes selfish desires instead of wise choices), and in those cases I can alter my requests in mid-prayer.

Right now I'm going to pray a narrow prayer: 'Lord, please protect my friends and I with Your mighty angels as we travel to Houston to see U2. I pray that You would also protect our families while we are gone. Thank You for U2. I pray that you would bless them. Thanks for seeing my parents safely home on their return trip this morning. In Jesus' Name, amen.'

Sin, Faith, Duty

It is funny to hear how Jesus responds to some of the questions He's asked. At the end of Luke 17, after He'd just described the times in which He'd return, they asked Him, "Where, Lord?" And He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."

That is so odd.

The heading in this Bible has the phrase: "Sin, Faith, Duty." This chapter also has the story of ten lepors who were healed. One of them stopped as soon as he realized he was being healed and rushed back to praise God and throw himself at Jesus' feet. Jesus asked out loud, "Weren't there ten of you? Where are the other nine? Your faith has made you well. Rise and go." I sure want to be that person, even though he was a "stranger," a samaritan, who thanks God along the way for the miracles big and small.

I also enjoy the teaching Jesus does in this chapter about servanthood. He basically says, "A servant should understand His place and not expect brownie points for his/her good deeds." This is especially a good thing when God works through us. We should humbly understand that it was just God working through His servant and we aren't to become a celebrity just because God used us. Praise is good and a building up thing, but if we are on the underside of an employee/employer relationship, not getting the praise for a job well done shouldn't make us resentful. We are just doing our job.

I Feel Like A Webmaster

...or as Bob Seger would put it: "I feel like a numba..."

Yesterday ended with a wonderful bang. By God's grace (and the careful website structure and templates left by D. Allen; and the easy to navigate structure of kingcart.com), we were able to upgrade our webstore to be a credit card merchant fulfillment place. What that means is our checkout process is a lot more user friendly and open to more options (like Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and Paypal... when it used to just be paypal, which not everyone uses). There was so much room for error and I really didn't want to crash our store and have us down for days for repairs. I'm so thankful and happy that it's worked out. It really stretched me to tackle it and it feels so good to be on the other side.

I'm looking forward to "being on the other side" of our office move. We (Charlotta, Sam, the kids and I) went to spy out some potential land yesterday. Here are some photos.

Luke 15 tells some wonderful parables about the kingdom of God and underline how much God values and cares for us. The "Prodigal Son" story is one of my favorites (probably because I was a "Prodigal Son" myself). It's always interesting to try and dissect a parable like that, because when someone makes up a story, they usually have a reason for every detail of that story. When you create something out of nothing, each detail is chosen or not chosen according to the whim of the storyteller.

I love how the prodigal son made up an excuse (a line) or a speech to give his father, about not being worthy to be called his son... When he started giving that speech to his dad, his dad interrupted him and called for the best robe, a ring, sandals, and a fattened calf... The robe seems to speak of identity and covered any shame that his failure might've brought him. The ring was probably like a signet ring, which could be used in town or wherever to buy goods on credit. It was like the father was giving him a family credit card "until he got back on his feet." The sandals are something, apparently, that slaves did not own. He probably returned without shoes, so this was an identity thing as well as a practical thing. And killing the fattened calf was for a big party to celebrate. That is so cool.

Not good enough for the manure pile

Jesus said:

"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor tfor the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to heard, let him hear."

When Jesus ate at the home of a prominent Pharisee, He was being carefully watched. A man with dropsy was there. I wonder if he was "planted" there as a healing trap? Or if he was just there; or if he came to be healed by Jesus. Jesus asked if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. No one answered, and so He healed the man. Then He asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?" The answer is an obvious "Yes," but they were afraid to answer in the affirmative and thus align themselves logically with Jesus. As long as they denied the truth there, they could remain behind their "wall" of their false universe. If they accepted one truth, it would destroy the foundation of their belief system and they'd have to follow Jesus.

I can relate to that. Once someone realizes or puts faith in the fact that Jesus did miracles and was indeed the Son of God, then the only proper response is to worship Him. There's not really a middle ground of, "Oh, well, yeah, He is going to judge me one day, but I can just hang loose here and kind of ignore Him in the meantime." Not really. With the acknowledgment that He is God comes the responsibility to treat Him as such. We still have a choice, but it is a defiant one.

The cost of following Christ can be challenging, but I can say from experience that it's been worth it for me.

Don't Tell Anyone...

I'm always amazed and impressed that God has entrusted His kingdom to goobers like us. In Luke 9, for example, Jesus sends out the 12 disciples with the authority to cast out demons and cure diseases. Not too long after that three of them are caught up in a cloud with Jesus, where Moses and Elijah appeared. Peter said, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters -- one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Luke even put in a parenthetical statement that Peter "did not know what he was saying." It's so funny how we can be so off the mark, yet it is so wonderful that we are the exact people God has chosen. He knows about our weaknesses, our "character flaws," and yet He chooses us. He loves us. It's a great love story, and it's true about every one of us. Someone knows the real us, and yet still chooses to be in a close, intimate love relationship with us.

It's interesting how the Gospels repeat an instruction several times. It's the "don't tell anyone about this" instruction. Sometimes when Jesus healed someone, He told them that. It was repeated when Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do the crowds say I am?" They replied with the popular answers, "John the Baptist, Elijah, and still others." And Jesus asked, "But what about you? Who do you say I am?" And Peter affirmed that He was "the Christ of God." In Luke 9 we see Jesus "strictly wanring them not to tell this to anyone." Then He told them about His impending suffering and death, and even resurrection. It's obvious in hindsight that His instructions weren't permanent. It's not like they weren't ever to tell anyone, but for a time period.

The most common theory that "explains" this is a practical one -- that Jesus wanted His popularity to remain at a minimum, so that He could minister freely and travel from one place to another without gut-squishing crowds that would be nearly impossible to penetrate and travel through. The more people that knew about Him, the harder it would be to move around. If I heard a rumor that the Son of God was on the earth, I would gladly consider travelling from Holland to Israel to see for myself, and many others would probably do the same.

There may be other reasons for this as well. One lepor who was healed was instructed to go to his priest (who, as the Tourniquet song testifies, practiced a function where he administered the "Test for Leprosy."). This would also serve as a testimony to the priests, who had probably only heard about lepors being healed (as there were very few in Old Testament times), and there was a lot of it happening now. Every time a lepor came to the priests healed, it was another sign that God was up to something. I guess it's not a total shame that these priests didn't catch on, because if they would've they never would have crucified their King. A greater purpose was served (for all mankind) and this three year period of "ministry" that Jesus spent on earth is fascinating to look at.

After the "Mount of Transfiguration" happening, the disciples who saw it kept it to themselves. This may have been for the practical reason that others would mock them and think them insane if they told anyone.

The day that I "came back to the Lord" (as my life story is like a "Prodigal Son" story), I experienced an incident that involved demons and the power of God. My friend, who was apparently attacked by demons in a painful/sickness way, was later healed when we prayed to Jesus to help him. Shortly after my friend was seemingly "filled with the Spirit" and able to answer any questions. He didn't "speak for God" at any great length. In fact, one of the only things he said was "not to tell anyone about these events." That seemed kind of reasonable at the time, but later after we got home he had me read a chapter out of Phillipians. I'd read it, and he'd say, "keep reading it," implying that I'd keep reading until I "got it." After reading it twice, my mind began to wander and I thought to myself, 'I really can't tell anyone about this.' At that exact moment, my friend jumped with joy. "You got it!" It felt like he was reading my mind or something. I'm not sure when the time period of keeping it to myself was to wear off; but sure enough, about as reliable as old Goober Peter himself, I was eagerly telling my old pot-smoking party friend Bill back in Austin a couple months later all about my experience with the demons attacking my friend. 'Surely this will have an impact on him and he'll get saved,' was my naive thought. Instead, I got a smirk, a chuckle, and a complete dismissal.

I don't know. I'm not really responsible to "lead people to Christ," but just be His "witness." All a witness does is tell the "court" what they saw. Some witnesses are "torn apart" on the witness stand and some are discredited. The metaphor should probably only be taken so far, but we probably can assume that sharpening our "witnessing skills" is a good idea. And we can safely conclude that saving someone is God's job, and we are enlisted as an active part of the process, but only so far. We cannot choose for someone else. We cannot force anyone to repent.

I've often felt kind of guilty over "spilling the beans" about this demonic attack story. I've felt like I let God down. However, I never really "beat myself up" over it, because apologizing to God and asking for forgiveness brings forgivness; plus I never really understood the purpose of the whole "keep it quiet" thing. Maybe it was so I'd forget about the details leading up to my repentance and focus instead on making the repentance genuine and life-encompassing. That was surely far more important than any theatrical surroundings or experiences. Emotions and experience are powerful, but they do only get you so far... Another thing that helps me feel "off the hook" is realizing that an instruction to keep quiet" isn't necessarily a life-long instruction. It might be for one day, one week, one month, one year, one decade...

Maybe for me it was so that my walk with Christ wouldn't be founded or based upon an experience that could later be discredited. How do I know if it was really demons attacking my friend? I didn't see anything spiritual. I didn't smell any sulfer. Maybe setting my feet on the Word instead of an experience has given me a more solid foundation? I don't know. I certainly feel a lot more comfortable and "free" to talk about my relationship with Christ and the challenges God's Word gave my soul the night I "came back to the Lord" than I do talking about some invisible spiritual warfare. Maybe it's because I've seen or heard about so-called frauds like Rebecca Brown, who's apparently lied about her involvement in witchcraft and a baby-harvesting racket to sacrifice babes to Satan. Then there's Mike Warnke, who confessed to "stretching the truth" a little to make his testimony more exciting. Irregardless of all the sensationalism and outright lies spoken in the name of evil and spiritual warfare, I believe that evil exists and there are demons that are active in the world today. While I don't think "there's a demon under every bush," as the laughable cliche states, but I do think there's a lot of demons under a lot of bushes, so to speak. I don't go out of my way to seek them, or spend hardly any time at all even considering them, but I do have a serious belief that "I'll know what to do if I ever do encounter them (and that is to stand in the power and Name of Jesus, knowing that my identity is in Him and there is nothing to fear).

When it comes to the dramatic and theatrical side of spirituality, I get turned off by the sensationalism of the spirit world, as well as the innaccurate portrayal of this realm via Hollywood. How many times have you seen a scary movie where a priest gets pushed around by a demon? I've often wanted to see a movie about a couple of college or high school aged boys who were filled with the Holy Spirit encounter demons and have them dismissed matter-of-factly with the unquestionable authority of the Name of Jesus. This is one reason why I was tickled to see the movie Constantine. Even though this guy was like a rock star exorcist that didn't exactly exhibit a deeply surrendered life to Christ, he nevertheless dismissed demon spirits with an authority greater than them both. This, I believe, is a far more accurate portrayal of spiritual conflict. The believer trusting in Christ and the power of His Name has dominate authority and power at his/her disposal; which will take care of evils spirits.

"No Comment!"

Those words, along with "the Heisman" pose are a real letdown. And it really stinks that our comments function on our website is broken! Arrgh! I am endeavoring to install a new shopping cart system on our website today and maybe I can figure out how to fix this comment thing, too.

Jesus' teaching in Luke 6 are like those in Matthew 4-6, commonly called the "Sermon on the Mount." His Words convict me. I have a friend who borrowed something of mine and he's had it since May or so. It's frustrating, but His Words basically tell me to chill out and not demand it back. These are practical guidelines to help break us and keep us free from the bondage of materialism.

I couldn't stay asleep last night, and so sometime around 3-something am I started talking to God. It seems I've had a string of bad luck lately, and I determined to do the one thing I had a choice of -- my response. It's pretty easy to get depressed and throw my own pity party (usually those invitations get politely turned down, hehe), and get angry. But I could choose to praise the Lord in spite of my circumstances and just "deal with it" that way -- with joy. If any of my recent negative circumstances (the most recent of which is breaking the sideview mirror on my VW bug backing into my empty trash can in the street) have anything to do with an unseen enemy (which totally might not be the case), then my response is the one thing that would defeat them and keep my head in a good place.

Perhaps this is like building on a good, firm foundation. I really made a concerted effort and commitment to praise the Lord in the middle of bad circumstances. For example: Swinging a hammer and hitting my thumb, making it throb with pain. Saying, "Praise You, Lord" instead of something negative. "But why?" a voice might protest. "That's lying. That's not what you feel in your heart. You are just faking a response out of guilt or religious duty!" I would say, "Not true! While my heart or emotions might be ready to react in anger and pain, I can choose to say whatever I want. If I so choose to praise God, then my heart and emotions will actually learn to obey my decisions and soon my heart will be right there, too." It might seem weird, but I full-on believe that and trained myself to act that way. Maybe I've gotten a little rusty in my training lately, because I see the cares of life and whatnot getting to me more than I think they should. I'd sure rather be a little more joy-filled and easy going. Perhaps re-applying this lesson to my life will help.

If I have some complaining to do, I know that God welcomes me and I can "bend His ear" any old time. Usually the outcome of those conversations is I end up seeing how narrow-minded, self-centered, and foolish I am. Hehe.

My Server is Failing Me...

The COMMENTS section has been out/disabled/non-functioning for a week now. My emails requesting help have been unanswered.

sigh.

...

In Luke 5 we see Jesus calling His disciples. What's amazing about Simon's experience is that a miracle happened. Jesus instructed him to go out in the deep water and throw the nets in. He did so and the catch was so great that his boat and another that came to help both started sinking. "Don't be afraid," Jesus said after Peter fell at His feet and asked Him to go away from his sinful self; "from now on you will catch men."

Simon left everything and followed Him. That means he left a fishing career that was on the cusp of miraculous catches! But maybe that was a one-time miracle. And, better yet, he saw many more miracles that blew that one away.

It's a good thing to follow Jesus. I remember when I sensed the Lord was asking me to make a choice. James 4:4 was screaming at me that "a friend of the world was an enemy of God." I couldn't sit on the fence and think I believed in Jesus and have most of my actions deny that belief. For me, the cost immediately involved a change of lifestyles. No more premarital sex, no more marijuana smoking (or cooking with minute rice, or any recreational drug use), getting drunk, and living "for the world," which was equal to living for me. It was a tough choice to make, because I knew I had to be serious about it. I couldn't say, "Okay," and then fall back into that routine again a month later. It was a real deal. I'm so thoroughly thankful that I did. Later on other things that were ingrained in my sinful self were spotlighted by God for transformation. Things like honesty, pride, and the de-throning of the "Convenience God," which for me meant things like helping someone else out even if it cost me or was "inconvenient."

I still remember that night back in 1983 when I "came home" to the Father's arms, like a prodigal son. A couple months later, when I was back in school at Austin, I felt the cravings to get high one more time (which would've turned into several more times, I'm sure). I remembered that I had flattened a "bud" and kept it inside a Yes album. There was still a bong in my house, so I got the bud out, put it in the bowl, filled the bong with water, and held the lighter in my hand. I wanted to get high one more time, but yet I didn't want to go back to the vomit that I had left behind. I sat on the back porch, one flick of the lighter away from drug use, but I kept calling out to the Lord to help me. It wasn't the first prayer that "did it," or the second. I can't remember how many times I cried out for His help, but it was a lot. Finally, the help seemed to arrive with a rush of confidence and I stood up, poured out the water, tossed the bud in the trash can and got rid of the bong. It really felt like that was the last desperate attempt by hell's evil side to trap me with weed. Passing through that temptation really felt like a peak had been passed, or a threshold crossed, or a bondage broken. I haven't had another serious craving nor touched recreational drugs since, and that's been over 22 years now. Thank God.

As I read on in Luke 5 I see the story about the paralytic that was lowered through the roof so he could be healed by Jesus, Who was now very popular and surrouned by crowds. It reminds me of a pretty cool graphic novel I read last night, called Marked. It had the friends of this sick guy use a crane (it was a modern adaptation of the Gospel of Mark). It's always neat to see a creative re-telling of these Gospel stories, because little important details will stand out to one artist, who can emphasize them or shed "new" light on them. I love it.

If anyone wants to leave a comment, the best we can do is email me one.

Demons, the Devil, and Evil

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, "where for 40 days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them He was hungry."

I'll say. The first temptation Satan gave of "the big three" temptations we read about in Luke 4 was related to His hunger. "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."

It's so lame that he attacked the core identity of Jesus, but Satan is no dummy. Jesus answered him back with Scripture: "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"

It's so lame that in the song, "We Are The World," the prophet Michael Jackson (prophet? shouldn't we call him something else? maybe so) sang, "And God, Who turned stones to bread..."

Wait a minute there, Mister Thriller. God did NOT turn stones to bread. That's what Satan wanted Him to do. What Bible are you reading, pal?

On the sabbath Jesus was found (where else?) in the synagogue, where He read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah (a true prophet, not some pop star), which said:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
because He has anointed Me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim freedom
for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

After He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down (everyone watching Him all the while, I'm sure), He sat down to start teaching.

It's cool that He was able to do this. We don't hear of Him going through an anointing process or being raised in the Levitical priestly ways, but He was referred to as "Rabbi" and He was teaching in the synagogues. He must've taught with great knowledge and, as we read, with "great authority." It's interesting that we don't read of the Law Teachers telling Him, "Get out of our synagogue! You have no right to teach here!" He was popular and He was given a role in the synagogue. Very interesting.

Anyway, He began that day by saying, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Wow. That did it. It says that "all the people of the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove Him out of the town, and took Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way."

I wonder what His countenance looked like as He walked through the crowd. Was He using His hands and forearms to get through the crowd like a determined person at a packed show? Was He looking in the eyes of various people, burning them with His love? Did He look angry, keeping His eyes set in front of Him? Did He hurry?

He went to Capernaum, another town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, "Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destory us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of God!"

Jesus replied sternly, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. This must've really freaked the people there out and filled them with awe and respect for this Man, Whom the evil spirits obeyed like He had authority over them.

He did and still does have authority over them. And He specifically gave His followers this authority (and more) to cast out demons and heal the sick. He calls us ambassadors, and like ambassadors of today, they are given the authority of their governing body.

The Story Of Douglas...

The current issue of AP (Alternative Press) Magazine has a "virtual panel" of people talking about and discussing Christianity and punk rock. They broke up each panelist's statements into a section called "The Story of..." followed by the name of the person doing the "talking" or story telling. In a similar way, of course, the Gospels were written. The Gospel of Luke was written by a doctor (he also wrote the book of Acts), which explains his attention to detail and his particular "angle" on things.

I've read the book many times, but starting in chapter 1 I'm often so anxious to get to the story of Jesus and His life, ministry, and death and resurrection that I pass over the interesting details about Zechariah and Elizabeth and their desire to have a child. The details about Zechariah's angelic visitation are uncanny:

"...Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear."

I love Luke and his details. He was the one who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, of course, wrote that a certain man lived on Strait Street (in the book of Acts).

The angel of the Lord told Zechariah that his old wife, Elizabeth, will bear him a son, and he is to give this son the name of John. "He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth..."

This was not an easy thing to believe, for not since Abraham and Sarah had an old woman had a child when she was passed her "childbearing years." But if it did take place, it would be easy to agree that this child would bring joy and delight, even causing others to rejoice at their "good fortune." However, the angel goes on to declare that John will be "great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth."

Wow. Now that is an amazing thing. In those times God's Spirit wasn't as liberal and free/accessible to God's people as it is in this age (the "church age of grace"), at least according to my limited understanding of theology. This was one of the miraculous and revolutionary moves that God did for His people later -- after the resurrection and the Day of Pentecost.

It's funny that Zechariah didn't believe. Perhaps it was the same angel messenger who overheard Sarah laugh at the pronouncement that she would have a child. Perhaps this angel had a long memory and a bit of a vengeful streak? That could explain why he was quick to "punish" Zechariah by keeping him mute until John was born, "because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

All Zechariah said was, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years?" He was, in essence, I guess, asking for a "sign" that this would take place (as if seeing an angel wasn't a sign enough).

Another interesting detail was that, after Elizabeth became pregnant, she remained in seclusion for five months. "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days He has shown His favor and taken away my disgrace among the people." Indeed.

I love what happened later...

But first we hear about the angel Gabriel being sent to Nazareth. Before there was a hard rock band named Nazareth ("Miss Misery," "Love Hurts," the curiously named "Hair of the Dog"), there was a town in Galilee. The angel went to Mary and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

It's hilarious how Mary responded: "Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be."

Those details are priceless.

"But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the Name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.'"

Now this was some amazing news. God was going to give Him the throne of His father David? Gabriel was a little more lenient towards this human than the other (?) angel was towards Zechariah: "'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?'" The angel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and that she would be "overshadowed" by the Most High. "So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God." And the angel told her that even her relative Elizabeth would have a child soon, "For nothing is impossible with God."

Mary had a good response to all this: "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

"At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit."

Isn't that amazing? It seems to figure that God would get Elizabeth involved, since she was "involved," but wow...filled with the Holy Spirit? That's another amazing pre-Pentecost filling...

"In a loud voice she exclaimed: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!'"

Now, it is always a good idea to pay attention to someone and the first words out of their mouth when they are suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit... She immediately declared how blessed Mary was. Indeed. It's funny to see perhaps a needling/ribbing to Zechariah for not necessarily believing that what the Lord said would be accomplished... It is cool to see a messianic foretelling here: "...why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Wow. Once again the identity of this Man -- Jesus -- was explained. Yet it was so hard for people to believe in Him while He was on earth. Even the disciples... Even John the Baptist (this same John who was filled with the Holy Spirit) had wondered out loud and asked Jesus questions about His identity and role.

In hindsight it is always a little easier to understand, but one thing is clear: we humans are dense and dumb animals.

Mary had a wonderful response to Elizabeth's Spirit-filled declaration. She had one of her own, which is a beautiful song we sometimes sing (John Michael Talbot did a fantastic adaptation of this). It says later on in chapter one that Elizabeth had her baby and finally Zechariah was able to talk when he affirmed that the baby's name was to be John. It says: "The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, 'What then is this child going to be?'"

That must've been a cool time -- knowing that something was up. It reminds me of those Omen movies, where people figure out that the anti-christ has been born. Another unrelated thought I have while reading these passages are the couple references to "the hill country." Austin, Texas and the surrounding communities to the West are called "the hill country." I sure like this place.

Zechariah was also filled with the Holy Spirit and has his own little prophecy. He declared that God was bringing salvation and that his little son would be a prophet, "going on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him." John was a man after my own heart, as it says he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.

In chapter two we see more (irrelevant?) details: "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)" In my mind, it adds to the validity and the authenticity of the Bible as historical text. The very inclusion of small details, like politicians, places, even streets, gives the book a contemporary feel that can be investigated and confirmed.

Luke mentions that Jesus was Mary's firstborn, which is another clue that she was not a "perpetual virgin" (but that's a side issue, to be sure).

Those shepherds who were out in the fields at night (which kind of time stamps the action as other than December 25, according to weather, climate, etc, but that's another side issue). When angels came to talk to these shepherds, suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared and praised God. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests."

I think the angels and heavenly hosts were excited. They had a greater grasp of what was happening. This whole incarnation thing was going to change all of creation, and they kinda new it.

The shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." Even though the message came from angels, they refered to the ultimate messenger behind the message as "the Lord." Maybe we would do well to believe and assume that some of the messages we get are indeed "from the Lord."

When the shepherds came, it must've impressed Mary and Joseph. It says that "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." I wonder how strongly (or weakly) she believed (or doubted) about the validity of these words for the next 33 years. That's a long time to hold on to a promise. It really is. It's also a short time, and the sorrow she must've felt as her firstborn Son was tortured and killed must've been intense. It will be neat to see her in heaven and perhaps be with her and hear her stories about that last "passionate" week of her Son's life on earth. She is a blessed woman, and I would love to give her a hug and even weep over the agony of that terrible day. I don't know if that will happen, as the Bible talks about joy and "no more tears" in the kingdom to come, but it also says that Jesus retains the marks of His sacrifice, and those joy-inducing marks are also sorrowful and real. So maybe we will be able to enjoy the dynamic spectrum of emotions there (and not just joy and happiness always).

Verse 21 seems to indicate that Jesus did not receive His Name until the 8th day of His life -- His day of circumcision. Does that mean that He was nameless for 7 days? I guess it does. That's even more normal and real and human, then, isn't it? It must be true that this little baby was vulnerable to disease and the threat of murder from King Herod. He truly did identify with us and our frailties and weaknesses. Just as there was a time when his dad followed a warning in a dream and fled in the night to Egypt, so his dad must've at some point grabbed his son and pulled him into a ditch or a shelter from an impending storm or danger. Surely there were hazards in Galilee's daily life that Jesus and His parents had to look out for and protect Him from. Isn't that a paradox? God was protected by two normal parents. Wow!

I love the story of Simeon that appears in chapter two as well... He was a righteous man who was also filled with the Holy Spirit (I tell ya, there was an epidemic going on there ... of the Holy variety!). The Holy Spirit (Who also happens to be God) told Simeon that he wouldn't die before he saw the Lord's Christ. When he was handed Jesus to be consecrated before the Lord, he took Him in his arms and praised God, saying:

"Sovereign Lord, as You have promised,
You now dismiss Your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
which You have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to Your people Israel."

Wow. This was another chance for normal people in Israel to get a glimpse into what God was doing -- that an Incarnate God, a Messiah, was among them. Besides the "electricity" that buzzed due to the miracles of the adult Jesus later, I bet the buzz from this excitement was still somewhat around even 25 to 33 years later. I bet that made it a little "easier," if you will, to believe in His message and identity. It was truly a "magical" time in history. I get excited when I think that I may be living in the "Last Days" when Jesus will return. I can only imagine the excitement they felt -- with all these signs and messages. Wow.

I love prophets and prophetesses. After Joseph and Mary had Jesus blessed and consecrated to God from a life-fulilled priest, this prophetess came up to them "at that very moment" and gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Wow!

I sure like to welcome prophets and prophetesses. I am as leary as the next guy (I guess), but I also have a big place in my heart for them and want to hear God's voice from whomever and wherever it comes. There is a passage that says, "He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward." (Matthew 10:41) That makes it an even better attitude to keep!

The often-told story of the 12-year old Jesus is also found in this bountiful second chapter of Luke. After realizing -- a day into the return trip -- that Jesus was not with their caravan of relatives and friends, they went back to Jerusalem to look for Him. It took them three days to find Him (and that 3 day reference is always amazing how it pops up time and again in Scripture). When they did, it says "they were astonished." This was one of those mixed feelings, because His mother also scolded Him, "Son, why have You treated us like this?" Any parent can relate to the joy mixed with anger of finding a lost child who has wandered off. You are glad they are safe, but you want to put "the fear of God" into them so that they don't wander off again. Even though Jesus kind of stood up for Himself and said, "Didn't you know I had to be in My Father's house?" He also submitted to their parental leadership, being obedient to them. That is a good man (and a good son).

What a treasure of truth! And I only scratched the surface of those two chapters! Wow.

Last night I finished and sent to Kinko's the latest issue of Heaven's Metal Fanzine. I wrapped it up and sent it off via email sometime around 3am. This might be the last issue of Heaven's Metal Fanzine that's printed at Kinko's, as our printer gave us a really low bid on printing them up there in Michigan. If we go that route, the current subscribers to Heaven's Metal (only) will get their copy of Heaven's Metal stitched and a "supplement" to their copy of HM. It'll actually save us money on postage, time, and effort to do this.

Now it's time to follow-up on all the stories for the Jan/Feb issue of HM, most of which are in progress. I'm really digging on some cool new music lately. The new Demon Hunter is great. The new P.O.D. is really good. I like it better than the self-titled album that came out in 2003/2004. And the new album from HIM (my guilty pleasure) is a wonderful sonic pleasure.

Peter Wept

Mark 14 recounts the last hours of Jesus life before He was killed on a cross. Prior to the Last Supper, a woman came in with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head. When some of those present made protest about the cost of that perfume and how the money made from its sale could be given to the poor (more than a year's wages), but Jesus rebuked them. "She has done a beautiful thing to Me...I tell you the truth, wherever the Gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

Wow. She did something awesome! Jesus affirmed her act of worship, and she seemed to be the only one that had been listening to Jesus. It was almost like he was repeating: "Hello! I'm going to be handed over and killed, but I will rise in three days." But no one besides this woman seemed to pick up on it.

During the trial of Jesus before the Sandedrin, He just stayed silent. I can't imagine the anguish He felt. "I am overwhelmed with sorrow, to the point of death," He told His disciples.

One time I read that passage and wept. I convulsed with tears, shaking, and just let it all hang out. Good thing I was alone in my apartment. I was just feeling sorrowful, but the confirmation that Jesus could indeed relate to my sorrow -- and even more so -- just melted me and comforted me. He is definitely a high priest Who can sympathize with our weaknesses. He's been in our shoes. He knows what we're going through. We are not alone.

There is some deep sorrow going in in the small town where I live outside of Austin. Every year Hutto, Texas has a celebration called "Olde Time Days," where booths are set up of crafts, businesses, food and drink. There's a parade, which my 7 year old daughter was in with her dance class. We watched the parade from the side of Hwy 79, which was coned off for about a mile for the parade route. Midway through the parade we saw and heard the fire truck and ambulance that were downtown speed off. We all thought, 'There must be a fire somewhere.'

Come to find out later that one of the floats had a precious 12-year old girl fall off and get killed. She died before she could reach the hospital. I remember seeing their float (it was filled with a bunch of junior high age girls for an organization of Future Leaders, who often volunteered and helped with childcare). The mother of that girl has helped out with the city and school, and is well known. I cannot imagine the suddenness with which their grief lept upon them. Her parents, I'm told, were up at the new middle school waiting for this float to stop and drop off the girls. So they must've been within sight of the accident and known something horrible had gone wrong. Apparently she stood up, fell, and was run over by the float's trailer. As a parent, it sends shivers down your whole body, knowing that it could have been your child. Grief is one of those things that it's good to share. Community is life and it's often not any more important than it is in a time like that. Families at their church are likely to do little things to support this family, like bring them meals for the next week or two, and maybe do some lawn care or even just sit there and keep them company. It doesn't matter who you are, what color your skin is, or how you dress -- when there is tragedy and it's time to grieve, community being family takes place. It crosses cultural barriers.

New Potential Album Cover Designs

Okay, if you've been reading this blog lately, you know what I've been doing lately -- designing a new album cover for the re-release of We Are Not Ashamed, an album my old band put out in '92, but was butchered in mastering (IOHO). The first turd cover was rejected (at first, but still being considered), so I've put together a couple of options.

Take a look here and tell me what you think.
NOTE: The helpful people at our server disabled some functions that were causing our site to be slow and (perhaps coincidentily) our comment function is no longer working. So, to give me some feedback on which cover you like the best, just email me.

Thanks!
:?)

LET'S CALL THIS ONE: "BUTCH"

LET'S CALL THIS ONE: "BLURRY BUTCH"

LET'S CALL THIS ONE: "HEATED DISCUSSION 1"

LET'S CALL THIS ONE: "HEATED DISCUSSION 2"

LET'S CALL THIS ONE: "ORIGINAL"

LET'S CALL THIS ONE: "DUANE THE BATHTUB"

[You should be able to click on any of the thumbnails above for a pop-up window of a larger image to open. What do you think? Which do you like the best? Why?]

To some you're an outcast...to others just a square....

So why in the world am I quoting my own lyrics?
I'm a loon.
I've been having fun, too, putting together the packaging and mastering a re-release of the We Are Not Ashamed album. It originally had 17 tracks, which these will sound a little better; and there's 18 bonus tracks (hopefully all that will fit). The album cover might change. Here is an image of what I designed (but was rejected by the label, who didn't want to be associated with a turd).

...

Okay. In Mark 12 we see Jesus once again teaching and once again the teachers of the Law are trying to trip Him up. Jesus had a great answer for every question, much to the delight of the crowd. It must've really frustrated those Law teachers... At one point He told everyone a story about a man that planted a vineyard. He went away for a journey, renting the vineyard to farmers. At harvest time he sent a servant, who they beat up and sent back empty-handed. This happened again and again and again. Finally, he sent his own special son, whom he loved very much. 'Surely, they won't beat my son,' he thought. But the men figured that if they killed the son then they could get teh inheritance. What fools. They killed the son. The owner of the vineyard would react by killing them and giving the vineyard to others. He capped off the story by quoting the Scripture, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes."

It's interesting how the Law professors reacted. They wanted to have Him arrested, because they knew He had spoken the parable "against them." They were too afraid of the crowd to do anything, though, so they went away. I've often wondered, 'Why couldn't these people figure it out? Jesus was making Himself out to be the Son of God, the Messiah. Why couldn't they see it?' The parables spoke powerfully against them and the direction they were going and the path they were on. They really blew it. I hate to think that they were used as pawns in a greater cosmic game, but God is outside of time and knew how it would go down. Killing the Master's Son...that's some stupid and scary behavior.

I wonder if Jesus was alluding to the motives of His would-be killers. Did they think they would get God's inheritance or blessing by killing this Messenger? I don't know about that, but they surely thought they were doing God a favor by killing Jesus. How misguided was that? Man, the resurrection sure was awesome and a great resolution to a sad story! (understatement of a lifetime).

...

okay...now back to the turd.

Mark

Mark 4
Man, I could've used this Scripture yesterday! One thing that is amazing about the Word of God, it's how it stabilizes us and brings us peace. When we are reading a passage about controlling our tempers and on the way to school or work we happen upon a fistfight that we break up, it's like we're equipped to handles the obstacles we face. If a friend approaches us with sad news, sometimes we have "water" in our "well" that we can pour out for them -- whether it's empathy and compassion or actual comforting words. The Bible instructs us, equips us, and gives us a grounding so that we don't have to ride an emotional roller coaster throughout the day. We can be "anchored" by God's Word.

Jesus' parable about the "sower" gives us much food for thought. I'm concerned about not being "thorny" soil, which Jesus likened to the worries of this life being nearby -- the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the Word, making it unfruitful. Perhaps the way to not have thorns in my soil is to make sure it (my heart, my mind, my soul) gets "plowed up" by regular meditation on God's Word. Some people are good and disciplined about reading God's Word. They do this on a consistent basis and they are a regular joe. I admire them. Their outlet for ministry is often friends, co-workers, and people that happen across their path. This is the healthiest person, I think. Then there is the "professional" or "vocational" minister, who studies God's Word because it is their job. A lot has been said about that motivation being off a little bit and how that can become dry and routine; but you know what? They are still in God's Word on a consistent basis and God is still blessing them and that. Just because the situations may not be "ideal," does not take away from the power of the Word and its effectiveness. Whatever it takes to get us into God's Word is a good thing.

This consistent study and meditation (just reading and pondering quietly) of Scripture is so healthy and will probably make the "soil" of our hearts good, so that the "seed" of the Word grows healthy and strong (and produce a "crop" that is 30, 60 or even 100-times what was sown).

I admire Jesus and how He was so calm in the midst of the storm that "happened" at the tail end of Mark 4. His disciples were freaking out. Meanwhile, Jesus was sleeping. He trusted that His Father would take care of Him. How I want to be like that. Sometimes it's a friend or a stranger or even a sign on a wall that "makes" me like that, because "it" reminds me that God is in control.

Have you ever seen (or been) a "hanger-on" or a "wanna-be?" You know the type: they somehow get backstage and get to hang out with the members of some great band. When they pass by a line of people waiting to get in, they have a prideful look on their face, like they are better than the rest. Like they are somehow "rock's royalty?" Well, that hypocrisy is sick, and it stinks. I think even the followers of Jesus got this way. In Mark 10 a guy called "Blind Bartimaeus" keeps calling out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet.

"Shut up!" They probably sneered, just like the backstage queen who sneers at an autograph seeker that's trying to "pry in, invade, and steal" her time with the band.

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." I am reading into this, but I can almost sense an attitude of, "You better appreciate this, cuz the important Man is giving you some attention (that we want all for ourselves)." Jesus asked him what he wanted. He replied, "Rabbi, I want to see." Jesus healed him.

No Devotion This Morning...

and what a day it was...

first we went and looked at some property.
it wasn't what we were dreaming of, but it was darn good
and a great price.

come to find out later that it has just recently been taken off "the listing," meaning someone has just put a contract on it or it was a HUD given to a Katrina victim. I don't know. That's a disappointment.

Then our email server kept dragging real slow (it probably meant slower load times for any of our web pages, too).

And then the record company re-releasing an album of my old (poopy) band contacted me and rejected the cover art I'd been working on. I might post up a jpg of it later.

sigh.

Mark 3 Times on the Ceiling

Mark is an on-the-go book, with lots of action. If you're a parent and wonder which book of the Bible to read to your kids (and want something that'll keep their attention), choose Mark. It is always action.

In Mark 3 Jesus heals someone on the sabbath in the synagogue. This really gets some people mad. Jesus withdrew with His disciples to a lake, and a large crowd followed. The people were crowding Him to the max, because the healing power of God was flowing. It's interesting how the evil spirits saw Him and they fell down before Him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." It's interesting that He told them to shut up. You can't trust an evil spirit, so don't give him a microphone. I guess that's one thought on the matter.

One thing that always stands out to me is how evil proclaims the truth of God. Isn't it odd how skeptics act like no one religion is right, how they're all made up myths to construct a universe that we can explain, blah blah blah. What about evil spirits? What about their insistence that Jesus is the Son of God? What about Satanists having a direct hatred towards Christianity? Sure, you can't trust an evil spirit to tell the truth, but these examples of them cowering in fear are a powerful testimony.

Later on in the chapter we see Jesus calling His 12 disciples. This translation (NIV) states that Jesus designated them "apostles" -- that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

It's funny that he gives them new nicknames. Simon now goes by Peter; and James and John were now Boanerges, which means "Sons of Thunder." What an awesome nickname (but it could also be so loud and extreme that it was sarcasm. Who knows? Maybe they were wee little pipsqueaks who benefitted from such a name; or perhaps they were radical, active, tough guys who befit such a name.

The teachers of the Law later accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of the devil, because he was possessed by Beelzebub. Jesus answered their illogic with the question, "HOw can Satan drive out Satan?" He went on to state that "all sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. BUt whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." Then it immediately comments, "He said this because they were saying, 'He has an evil spirit.'" That's something to take notice of (and stay far away from).

Later on in the chapter we see the family of Jesus coming down to "take charge of Him" and basically bring the lunatic back home, where He wouldn't cause any more trouble. The crowd told Jesus, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for You." The text implies that He doesn't even get up to see them. "Who are my mother and my brothers?" He asked. Then He looked at those seated in a circle around Him and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! Whoever does God's will is My brother and sister and mother."

That is such a strong statement that seems to give some balance and insight in how we should honor Mary and see her in her place in God's kingdom (as honored and important, but not elevated above us who believe).

I would do anything for love...but I wouldn't do that

At the end of Matthew's Gospel, we read about the resurrection of Christ, how the two Mary's went to the tomb and found an angel, who told them that Jesus had risen. The soldiers were pulled aside by the chief priests (who at this point should've repented and become followers of the risen Jesus) and paid big bucks to them to keep their mouths shut about the angel, the earthquake, etc, and instead repeat a story about the disciples coming to steal a body away. Talk about ridiculous stories...

Mark's Gospel starts right in with the action about John the Baptist. My pastor has recently been teaching out of the first chapter of Mark, and he mentioned some interesting things.

First of all, he mentioned that Scripture reveals that John the Baptist didn't know that Jesus was the Messiah until later, so his comments in Matthew 3 about, "You're the Man!"

"No, YOU are the man!"

(just kidding) but they did argue about how John thought that Jesus should baptize him and not he baptize Jesus. Jesus told him to "permit it at this time." So, if it's true that John didn't know that Jesus was the Messiah at that point, why did he act like he shouldn't baptize Jesus? The answer is cool: because he knew Him. Even though Jesus had not been revealed to John as the Messiah, they were related and the reputation of Jesus must've been that He was a "righteous dude," and John probably made his argument based on that alone -- plain old personal goodness -- personal "holiness" -- a consistent "walk" that impressed those around.

One of the comments that John made about the one coming after him was that he was not worthy to untie the sandals of this person. Apparently, in those days slaves were to do anything for their masters, but they would stop short of untying their master's sandals. It must've been gross to get that close to someone's stinky feet -- someone who walked everwhere on dusty, dirty roads. This was just too low to go, and slaves weren't even forced to do it. That is how unworthy John was making himself out to be in comparison to the Messiah -- that he wasn't even worthy to do the most degrading, humiliating task for this Person.

Wow.

I am turning over a new leaf today. I am endeavoring to wait until 4pm to check my email. This is so I will control my work and progress on the magazine, instead of being "enslaved" by my inbox. Here's hoping it frees me up to accomplish much more on a daily basis. I'm tired of working real hard but not feeling like I'm accomplishing much. This is my solution to that problem. I hope it works.

What does "Zoe" mean?

That's a great question. It's a Greek word that was used to write the Gospel of John, where Jesus said (10:10): "...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The Greek word for life used there was "zoe," which is the "abundant life." Another Greek word used elsewhere in the Bible was "bios," which is more like biology, or physical life. The "zoe" life is apparently the God-given life, or abundant life.

But I have to tell you, when I looked this up in the Strong's Concordance to verify, I was not seeing "zoe" listed as the word. I have to question the teaching I've rec'd about this many times. I'll post my findings here when I do.

In Matthew 24, the disciples of Jesus are showing Him a bunch of buildings in a city, and He states that "not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." This apparently happened around the turn of the first century. Then He was asked about the "end times" and He explains the warning signs and the "abomination of desolation." He makes a reference to the times of Noah, where people kept right on eating and drinking, living "normal" life and then the flood came. He described His return to be like "a thief in the night," and warned His followers to "keep watch."

He tells a story about the "faithful and wise servant..."

He describes a servant who keeps on doing his job while his master is away. He also describes the same servant choosing to be wicked, saying to himself, 'My master is away for a long time,' and then he beats the other servants, gets drunk and whatnot. When the master returns suddenly, this guy is cut to pieces and assigned a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I tell ya, that servant used to be me. I accepted Christ at age 11 and then slowly but surely fell away from God. I thought to myself sometimes, 'He won't return for awhile...probably 1988, 40 years after Israel returned as a nation, so I have some time to party...' I sure am glad I stopped "playing games with God" and surrendered to His title, His place, His lordship. Yes, it's a process, but there is also a decisive breaking point where we can say, "I surrender."

Sam's Sacramento Wedding

Sam, our beloved current intern, went to Sacramento last week for a friend's wedding. It was funny that both of us were in the same distant city. Anyway, Matthew 22 features the "Parable of the Wedding Banquet."

[Speaking of Sam, he's having car trouble. I'm outta here for a while... I'm back.]

"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come..."

Okay, the King of Kings, God in the flesh is telling us what the kingdom of heaven is like here. So the details in the parable mean something, of course. It's interesting that the main character is a king. The central element to a kingdom is the king. The king rules over and serves people. It's cool that this story involves a celebration -- a banquet. It's not talking about slavery or a group of men in the belly of a ship, churning the oars to make it go. It's describing a banquet for a wedding. It's always cool to see "kingdom talk" that mentions a son. It's like Jesus was wanting to reinforce the concept that God had sent His Son to save the earth. It's interesting that not only are people part of the story (in addition to a king and his son), but "servants" are brought up. I wonder if this would apply to the prophets that foretold the Messiah, or people like John the Baptist and later on the disciples. Maybe all of those. Maybe it's refering to us -- servants of God with a message to spread, inviting others to the "wedding banquet."

It's interesting and frightening that the invited guests who refuse to come anger the king in this story. Perhaps that is a clear picture of judgment towards those who refuse the offer of reconciliation that we as servants are to spread. In so many ways, converting to Christianity is so positive. It's a free will opportunity to respond to forgiveness from the One Who truly has power to offer it. The type of lifestyle that a convert is expected to live is not bad, either. Who wants to continue stealing, lying, killing, and commiting adultery? Obeying the Two Great Commandments (loving God and loving others) are "easy" when the Holy Spirit regenerates or resusitates our spirits and give us the special holy "zoe" abundant life power. It's not really that crazy of a concept. If we could make this choice and live that way on our own, most people would probably choose it. So refusing God's offer of reconciliation seems kind of insane.

I don't know. What do you think?

The Greatest Of All Time

Muhammad Ali was a great fighter. It was so fun to watch him fight and entertaining to watch him play around with the media and his opponent.

The disciples of Christ came to Him and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire."

What is it about children that Jesus is saying is so essential to life? Is it their innocence? Is it their playfulness? Is it the fact that they are only occupied with what's going on around them -- not stressing about bills or external politics far, far away...? It's probably bits and pieces of each one of these things that make up the child-like-ness that Jesus is telling us to have. These attitudes are certainly possible for us, but as adults it takes an effort to think like a child or act like a child. It's probably not childish things that God is refering to here (as He brings up "putting away childish things" in another scripture passage), but the humility that children exhibit.

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

While it may sound lofty, I think that there are an awful lot of precious people who cling to the Words of Christ and walk in such a humility that it effects the people around him/her in a very positive and life-changing way. I think there will be large groups of "great" people in the kingdom. While sin is in the world and there's much to be done, there are some beautiful people of love out there making a difference, and doing it like a humble little child.

What if...?

In Matthew 19, we read about a man that came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

"Why do you ask Me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One Who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

"Whic ones?" the man inquired.

Jesus replied, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neightbor as yourelf.'"

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"

Pause.
Why did the young man confess that he still lacked? Why didn't he say, "Awesome! I've done it. Rad! Thanks, man!"
It's obvious that he knew that he still lacked something.

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me."

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Can you imagine if he would've done that? Perhaps he would've breathed new life into the band of people who followed Jesus. Perhaps he would've become the 13th disciple. Or perhaps he would've rec'd the choice when the 11 replaced Judas. Who knows what this guy might've turned out like had he taken Jesus up on His offer.

I wonder what kind of regret he lived with, knowing he didn't want his goal bad enough, and so he gave up on it. Perhaps we can see him in heaven if he chose to follow Christ later...

The Least Of These...

Jesus said, "Whenever you've done it to the least of these, My brethren, you've done it unto Me." The "it" He's talking about is help, whether that's visiting someone who's sick or in prison, feeding someone who's hungry, giving water to someone who's thirsty, clothing someone who's naked, or meeting a need.

How does that motivate you? I'm not sure, but most of the time I think about this my heart wells up and I'm not thinking about inconvenience or how I'm "put out" by whatever it is I'm giving or doing. It becomes an act of helping a fellow human being, a fellow traveller, a fellow struggler through this journey. Even if someone does not trust Jesus and we can accurately determine theologically that his/her father is the devil, that doesn't make it okay to watch them suffer, does it? Love is unconditional, or it's not really love.

I had a good time in Sacramento at Youth Specialties last weekend, and would like to share some of it, which I plan to do after I "catch up" on some things pending.

You Tth Specialties

It's been neat to interact with so many youth workers here in California. The first day or two I only had mild interaction with the people who were up on the music scene. That last couple of days have been better, talking with folks who are very much into the music scene and familiar with HM. We have our work cut out for us, in growing our circulation and getting the word out on what HM Magazine is. For so many years, I "coasted" on our own momentum, not bothering to market and expose ourselves to new people all the time. The gap of time between then and now, however, has been used well in improving the product, so now as we go out more and introduce ourselves to people, we have more of a solid product to offer.