Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Prayer
Mark and Tina Sonnier are good friends of mine from my church in Lafayette. They have a son named Matty who's also the cuttest and most adorable little boy. He's been recently diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and isn't doing well.
Please be praying for Matty, Mark, and Tina. Thanks!
Please be praying for Matty, Mark, and Tina. Thanks!
Labels: Prayer
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
God, Was I Smoking Crack? :)
"God, are you sure you called me to seminary?!" Haha!
That's the question I asked myself at 2:45am Tuesday morning as I finished an open book quiz that was due by 8am Tuesday morning. 1 quiz... 4.5 hours of reading. I can't wait to see what it's going to take to prep for the final.
What's even funnier than that question alone, was that after talking to more people after class, was that I wasn't the only one asking God that, haha. Of course it was wayyyyy late into the night and I really don't question my call here, haha, I was just shocked at the amount of reading required in this one class.
So this post's purpose is basically to say... Blogging will most likely be cut back dramatically.
But you never know, I met get some blogging done during a boring class :)
But on a serious note, I would appreciate your prayers for me and school and work. I did land a job at Outback Steakhouse here in town. I'm in training right now, but as soon I pass the menu test and complete training, I'll be waiting tables there about 20 hours a week. I'm intentionally not working at a church here for the beginning of my time here b/c I want to get out of that church bubble and be around non-chirstians more. So please pray for my witness their with employees and customers. And please pray for school. It's going to be a tough semester as I learn the ropes here and try to figure out what the hek my professors are talking about. I truly covet your prayers.
Other than that everything else here is going well. I'm still doing a lot of church hopping and loving it. I'm going to try to blog about that and interesting things that I learn in class as often as I can find time.
'Till then... peace out!
Oh, everyone was asking me if I made a snowman when it snowed last week. I didn't, but my neighbors did...
That's the question I asked myself at 2:45am Tuesday morning as I finished an open book quiz that was due by 8am Tuesday morning. 1 quiz... 4.5 hours of reading. I can't wait to see what it's going to take to prep for the final.
What's even funnier than that question alone, was that after talking to more people after class, was that I wasn't the only one asking God that, haha. Of course it was wayyyyy late into the night and I really don't question my call here, haha, I was just shocked at the amount of reading required in this one class.
So this post's purpose is basically to say... Blogging will most likely be cut back dramatically.
But you never know, I met get some blogging done during a boring class :)
But on a serious note, I would appreciate your prayers for me and school and work. I did land a job at Outback Steakhouse here in town. I'm in training right now, but as soon I pass the menu test and complete training, I'll be waiting tables there about 20 hours a week. I'm intentionally not working at a church here for the beginning of my time here b/c I want to get out of that church bubble and be around non-chirstians more. So please pray for my witness their with employees and customers. And please pray for school. It's going to be a tough semester as I learn the ropes here and try to figure out what the hek my professors are talking about. I truly covet your prayers.
Other than that everything else here is going well. I'm still doing a lot of church hopping and loving it. I'm going to try to blog about that and interesting things that I learn in class as often as I can find time.
'Till then... peace out!
Oh, everyone was asking me if I made a snowman when it snowed last week. I didn't, but my neighbors did...
Labels: School
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sermons
"Truth and Light" January 6, 2008 East Bayou Baptist Church
This sermon is based around Gen 3:11 and how we can easily live our lives based on lies and darkness and how we need to expose those things and live our lives based on truth and light.
"Can God Be Trusted? Part 2" July 23, 2006 East Bayou Baptist Church
This is a sermon about how when we're tempted there is more at stake than what we originally think. our faith is at stake. Check out the entire series via MP3s at eastbayou.org.
"Our Trusting During God's Testing" June 28, 2006 East Bayou Baptist Church
This sermon is about what to do when life is just tough and there seems to be no progress.
This sermon is based around Gen 3:11 and how we can easily live our lives based on lies and darkness and how we need to expose those things and live our lives based on truth and light.
"Can God Be Trusted? Part 2" July 23, 2006 East Bayou Baptist Church
This is a sermon about how when we're tempted there is more at stake than what we originally think. our faith is at stake. Check out the entire series via MP3s at eastbayou.org.
"Our Trusting During God's Testing" June 28, 2006 East Bayou Baptist Church
This sermon is about what to do when life is just tough and there seems to be no progress.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Almost Game Time
I had orientation today. Classes start Thursday.
Orientation was interesting. We opened up by singing a couple of hymns. That was the first time in probably, i don't know, maybe 10 years, that I've sung out of a hymnal.
For the first time I got to hear Paige Patterson, the seminary president speak. I really enjoyed it. He said some interesting things...
"Seminary is going to be your boot camp for ministry. And I'm your first drill Sergent."
"I want you to graduate from here exhausted."
"We're going to push you just short of a mental breakdown. But don't worry, we're going to stop and pray for you right before you have it."
Of course he was joking when he said the last one... I hope.
He also said some awesome things about keeping spiritual disciplines while we're here and how inportant that was. I really enjoyed listening to him. He seems real down to earth.
Classes start Thursday. Here's what I'm taking...
1 hour of Spiritual Formation II with Dr. Williams
3 hours of Biblical Hermeneutics with Dr. Wolfe
3 hours of Basic Old Testament I with Dr. Mitchell
3 hours of Contemporary Evangelism with Dr. Mills
Orientation was interesting. We opened up by singing a couple of hymns. That was the first time in probably, i don't know, maybe 10 years, that I've sung out of a hymnal.
For the first time I got to hear Paige Patterson, the seminary president speak. I really enjoyed it. He said some interesting things...
"Seminary is going to be your boot camp for ministry. And I'm your first drill Sergent."
"I want you to graduate from here exhausted."
"We're going to push you just short of a mental breakdown. But don't worry, we're going to stop and pray for you right before you have it."
Of course he was joking when he said the last one... I hope.
He also said some awesome things about keeping spiritual disciplines while we're here and how inportant that was. I really enjoyed listening to him. He seems real down to earth.
Classes start Thursday. Here's what I'm taking...
1 hour of Spiritual Formation II with Dr. Williams
3 hours of Biblical Hermeneutics with Dr. Wolfe
3 hours of Basic Old Testament I with Dr. Mitchell
3 hours of Contemporary Evangelism with Dr. Mills
Monday, January 15, 2007
Yep
The New Gardener
Here's an excerpt from Rob Bell's book, Velvit Elvis. I like this kind of stuff a lot.
It's such a letdown to rise from the dead and have your friends not recognize you.
The writer John tells us that Mary saw Jesus after his resurrection but did not realize it was Jesus. Jesus asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said...
I love that line "thinking he was a gardener". It is so loaded. Jewish writers like John did things like this all the time in their writings. The record what seem to be random details, yet in these details, we find all sorts of multiple layers of meaning. There are even methods to help decipher all the hidden meaning in a text. One is called the principle of first mention. Whenever you come across a significant word in a passage, find out where this word first appears in the Bible. John does this in his gospel. The first mention of the word love appears is in 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son." We then discover that love is first mentioned in genesis 22 when God tells Abraham to take "your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love" and offer him as a sacrifice. John is doing something intentional in his gospel: He wants his readers to see a connection between Abraham and his son, and God and God's son. John's readers who knew the Torah would have seen the parallels.
Back to the empty tomb and Mary's inability to recognize Jesus. She mistakes him for a gardener. Where is the first mention of a garden in the Bible? Genesis 2, the story of God placing the first people in a... garden. And what happens to this garden and these people? They choose to live outside of how God made them to live, and they lose their place in the garden. Death enters the picture and paradise is lost.
John tell us that Jesus is buried in a garden tomb. And Jesus is mistaken for a gardener. Something else is going on here. John wants us to see a connection between the garden of Eden and Jesus rising from the dead in a garden. There is a new Adam on the scene, and he is reversing the curse of death by conquering it. As one writer put it, "It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." And he's doing it in a garden. He's reclaiming creation. He's entering into it and restoring it and renewing God's plans for the world.
Jesus is God's way of refusing to give up on his dream for the world.
It's such a letdown to rise from the dead and have your friends not recognize you.
The writer John tells us that Mary saw Jesus after his resurrection but did not realize it was Jesus. Jesus asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said...
I love that line "thinking he was a gardener". It is so loaded. Jewish writers like John did things like this all the time in their writings. The record what seem to be random details, yet in these details, we find all sorts of multiple layers of meaning. There are even methods to help decipher all the hidden meaning in a text. One is called the principle of first mention. Whenever you come across a significant word in a passage, find out where this word first appears in the Bible. John does this in his gospel. The first mention of the word love appears is in 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son." We then discover that love is first mentioned in genesis 22 when God tells Abraham to take "your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love" and offer him as a sacrifice. John is doing something intentional in his gospel: He wants his readers to see a connection between Abraham and his son, and God and God's son. John's readers who knew the Torah would have seen the parallels.
Back to the empty tomb and Mary's inability to recognize Jesus. She mistakes him for a gardener. Where is the first mention of a garden in the Bible? Genesis 2, the story of God placing the first people in a... garden. And what happens to this garden and these people? They choose to live outside of how God made them to live, and they lose their place in the garden. Death enters the picture and paradise is lost.
John tell us that Jesus is buried in a garden tomb. And Jesus is mistaken for a gardener. Something else is going on here. John wants us to see a connection between the garden of Eden and Jesus rising from the dead in a garden. There is a new Adam on the scene, and he is reversing the curse of death by conquering it. As one writer put it, "It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." And he's doing it in a garden. He's reclaiming creation. He's entering into it and restoring it and renewing God's plans for the world.
Jesus is God's way of refusing to give up on his dream for the world.
Labels: Scripture
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Saturday, January 13, 2007
It's Only Physical
Awesome sermon by Andy Stanley in a series called "Twisted."
Click Here then go to the sermon on 11-5-06. I'm not a big fan of the short film in the beginning but skip to the sermon if you want. It's awesome.
Check out the whole series if you can. And you can buy the MP3s for like $3 a sermon and throw them on your ipod. That's how I listen to them.
Click Here then go to the sermon on 11-5-06. I'm not a big fan of the short film in the beginning but skip to the sermon if you want. It's awesome.
Check out the whole series if you can. And you can buy the MP3s for like $3 a sermon and throw them on your ipod. That's how I listen to them.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Reinventing the Phone
Here's Steve Job's Keynote Presentation where he introduces the new iPhone.
You can watch the whole keynote by clicking here
Click here to see the website with all the details of the iPhone
You can watch the whole keynote by clicking here
Click here to see the website with all the details of the iPhone
More Blog Love
View From The Lens. It's an awesome photography blog.
Click here to check it out...
viewfromthelens.blogspot.com/
Click here to check it out...
viewfromthelens.blogspot.com/
Labels: Blogs
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Tell Me Who I Am For Me
I thought this was interesting. I had 2 job interviews this week. In one of them I took this survey about what type of person I am. They emailed me the results later. It was a really quick survey so it's kind of freaky how accurate some of the things are. Check it out...
Real Life Management Survey Results
You tend to be an organized, structured person who likes details and is task-focused. You require stability and security in making your choices, as well as in doing things and working on projects. Much of your work is dedicated to the benefit of others.
You genuinely care about people, and you want to make a difference in their lives. However, insensitive and/or illogical people try your patience. You want things done on a timely basis, and you place a great deal of value on people doing what they say they'll do. You measure a person by his/her word, unselfishness, and credibility.
At the same time, you like to have fun. People enjoy being with you because you are dependable and trustworthy, and you are happiest when you're with friends you trust. You probably make a good manager or leader because you are willing to serve others.
At work, money is not necessarily your primary focus. And boring, intellectual conversations are something you do not enjoy at all. Instead, you have a bias for action, implementing a process and seeing to it that others benefit. You prefer to get things done, and let someone else worry about the bottom line.
In managing your personal finances your focus is not really on money, unless it's for the security of your family. You can manage a budget well enough, but you don't particularly enjoy it. You'd prefer that someone else worry about that.
As for your lifestyle, you tend to maintain pretty good habits, even if you occasionally indulge in a few carbs and a burger with fries. You welcome a somewhat structured approach to fitness, but following a very restrictive diet and intense exercise program would not appeal to you.
The biggest stress in your life tends to come from people you perceive as disorganized and/or insensitive.
Real Life Management Survey Results
You tend to be an organized, structured person who likes details and is task-focused. You require stability and security in making your choices, as well as in doing things and working on projects. Much of your work is dedicated to the benefit of others.
You genuinely care about people, and you want to make a difference in their lives. However, insensitive and/or illogical people try your patience. You want things done on a timely basis, and you place a great deal of value on people doing what they say they'll do. You measure a person by his/her word, unselfishness, and credibility.
At the same time, you like to have fun. People enjoy being with you because you are dependable and trustworthy, and you are happiest when you're with friends you trust. You probably make a good manager or leader because you are willing to serve others.
At work, money is not necessarily your primary focus. And boring, intellectual conversations are something you do not enjoy at all. Instead, you have a bias for action, implementing a process and seeing to it that others benefit. You prefer to get things done, and let someone else worry about the bottom line.
In managing your personal finances your focus is not really on money, unless it's for the security of your family. You can manage a budget well enough, but you don't particularly enjoy it. You'd prefer that someone else worry about that.
As for your lifestyle, you tend to maintain pretty good habits, even if you occasionally indulge in a few carbs and a burger with fries. You welcome a somewhat structured approach to fitness, but following a very restrictive diet and intense exercise program would not appeal to you.
The biggest stress in your life tends to come from people you perceive as disorganized and/or insensitive.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Saturday, January 06, 2007
My Song for 2006
This was probably my favorite and most influential song for me last year... mainly b/c of one line in it.
You know how songs spark memories? This song reminds me of it being 11:30 pm, barely any cars, cool weather but not cold, and me running through River Ranch with this song on repeat.
You know how songs spark memories? This song reminds me of it being 11:30 pm, barely any cars, cool weather but not cold, and me running through River Ranch with this song on repeat.
Friday, January 05, 2007
My new years eve fun/drama! :)
So I was hanging out with my new friends from LifeChurch for new year's eve. Needless to say it was interesting, haha.
I'll jump straight to the good part. The area of Fort Worth where most of us live is pretty densely (sp?) populated, so we drove a good 20-30 minutes to find the nearest fireworks stand outside of city limits. We eventually found one. But we knew we couldn't pop them back in city limits.
Soooooooo, we ended up pulling down a street in the middle of no where that had fields of dry grass on both sides. So literally we just stopped on the side on the road and about 7 of us just started popping fireworks, haha. Innocent right? Ha! Well I fire one bottle rocket and it lands in one of the fields and quickly goes out.
Then I was reminded of a story involving a friend of mine. When I was in middle school, maybe younger, there was a field at the end of our street. Well one time a couple of guys I went to school with were popping fireworks in this field and caught it on fire. Legal charges were presses against them and the whole nine yards. It was terrifying for theses guys.
Well after my first bottle rocket hit the field and went out, I shouted to everyone, "Hey we've got dry fields of grass on both sides of us. Let's not shoot anymore bottle rockets b/c if accidentally light one of the fields on fire, 2007 is nor going to be a fun year."
Then one of my friends quickly responds, "Oh, don't worry, it rained like yesterday."
That was the infamous statment with which we now make fun of this friend with. "Oh, don't worry, it rained like yesterday." HA!
So, I put my bottle rockets up, b/c the risk isn't worth the reward right? and I stick to lighting the fireworks I could control closer to me.
Well about 10-15 minutes later, another friend is about to light a bottle rocket. But this is a little better bottle rocket than normal ones. This one not only flys, but right before it finishes flying it shoots 2 big sparks out, haha. SO, he takes his fancy bottle rocket and shoves the end of it in the ground and lights it. Well, he shoved it in a little too hard and after it lit, it didn't go anywhere and just sat there trying to take off. Then right at the end it finally gets itself out of the ground and goes about 15-20 in the direction it was pointed. Well when these 2 sparks that come at the end shoot out, they're suppose to shoot out when the rocket is 30 feet in the air, NOT 5 feet on its way back down.
And so we all thought, "Oh, that wasn't that eventful." And then about 2 seconds later we see small little fires where the 2 sparks at the end had shot out. And we think, "Not a big deal. Friend #1 said it just rained." Haha. Then we're all watching and the flames start growing. And growing. And we all start yelling! Then the funniest thing happened...
Without any hesitation, of the 7 people out there, 4 of them RUN BACK TO THE CAR TO LEAVE!!!!! haha! And me and 2 of the other guys immediately start sprinting towards the 2 flames, haha. So I go to one of the flames and the 2 other guys go to the second flame. During the sprint there, I'm yelling, "Don't catch yourself on fire! Don't catch yourself on fire!" And at the same time I'm thinking, "OK, how am I gonna put this thing out?! How am I gonna put this thing out?!"
And so when I get to the first flame I just take off my pea coat that I'm wearing and start beating the flame, haha. And I win pretty quick. Then I look at the other 2 guys (one of which was the one who so eloquently said it rained the previous day) and they're both stomping on their fire and they can't put it out, haha. And one of them has the funky shoes on that totally look flammable, so I'm waiting to see his shoes catch on fire. So I yell at them to back off, and then I take a couple of swings at it with my pea coat and finally it goes out.
We turn around and the rest of the group is sitting in the car, and we all just bust out laughing.
What is now a hilarious story, could be something that you're all reading about us in a paper. Ahh, good times :)
My accomplices...
I'll jump straight to the good part. The area of Fort Worth where most of us live is pretty densely (sp?) populated, so we drove a good 20-30 minutes to find the nearest fireworks stand outside of city limits. We eventually found one. But we knew we couldn't pop them back in city limits.
Soooooooo, we ended up pulling down a street in the middle of no where that had fields of dry grass on both sides. So literally we just stopped on the side on the road and about 7 of us just started popping fireworks, haha. Innocent right? Ha! Well I fire one bottle rocket and it lands in one of the fields and quickly goes out.
Then I was reminded of a story involving a friend of mine. When I was in middle school, maybe younger, there was a field at the end of our street. Well one time a couple of guys I went to school with were popping fireworks in this field and caught it on fire. Legal charges were presses against them and the whole nine yards. It was terrifying for theses guys.
Well after my first bottle rocket hit the field and went out, I shouted to everyone, "Hey we've got dry fields of grass on both sides of us. Let's not shoot anymore bottle rockets b/c if accidentally light one of the fields on fire, 2007 is nor going to be a fun year."
Then one of my friends quickly responds, "Oh, don't worry, it rained like yesterday."
That was the infamous statment with which we now make fun of this friend with. "Oh, don't worry, it rained like yesterday." HA!
So, I put my bottle rockets up, b/c the risk isn't worth the reward right? and I stick to lighting the fireworks I could control closer to me.
Well about 10-15 minutes later, another friend is about to light a bottle rocket. But this is a little better bottle rocket than normal ones. This one not only flys, but right before it finishes flying it shoots 2 big sparks out, haha. SO, he takes his fancy bottle rocket and shoves the end of it in the ground and lights it. Well, he shoved it in a little too hard and after it lit, it didn't go anywhere and just sat there trying to take off. Then right at the end it finally gets itself out of the ground and goes about 15-20 in the direction it was pointed. Well when these 2 sparks that come at the end shoot out, they're suppose to shoot out when the rocket is 30 feet in the air, NOT 5 feet on its way back down.
And so we all thought, "Oh, that wasn't that eventful." And then about 2 seconds later we see small little fires where the 2 sparks at the end had shot out. And we think, "Not a big deal. Friend #1 said it just rained." Haha. Then we're all watching and the flames start growing. And growing. And we all start yelling! Then the funniest thing happened...
Without any hesitation, of the 7 people out there, 4 of them RUN BACK TO THE CAR TO LEAVE!!!!! haha! And me and 2 of the other guys immediately start sprinting towards the 2 flames, haha. So I go to one of the flames and the 2 other guys go to the second flame. During the sprint there, I'm yelling, "Don't catch yourself on fire! Don't catch yourself on fire!" And at the same time I'm thinking, "OK, how am I gonna put this thing out?! How am I gonna put this thing out?!"
And so when I get to the first flame I just take off my pea coat that I'm wearing and start beating the flame, haha. And I win pretty quick. Then I look at the other 2 guys (one of which was the one who so eloquently said it rained the previous day) and they're both stomping on their fire and they can't put it out, haha. And one of them has the funky shoes on that totally look flammable, so I'm waiting to see his shoes catch on fire. So I yell at them to back off, and then I take a couple of swings at it with my pea coat and finally it goes out.
We turn around and the rest of the group is sitting in the car, and we all just bust out laughing.
What is now a hilarious story, could be something that you're all reading about us in a paper. Ahh, good times :)
My accomplices...
Labels: Funny
My Running Stats for 2006
I was able to track all of this on NikeRunning.com. It's a free online running log. It's very cool. Check it out.
My Run Stats for 2006...
Total runs/races = 98 runs & 2 races
Total miles = 399.02
Total time spent running = 55 hours 55 minutes 17 secs
Total avg pace for all runs = 8:24 m/m
Slowest run = 2 miles in 19:19 avging 9:40 m/m
Fastest run = 5 miles in 36:28 avging 7:18 m/m
Most miles in a month = 85
Most miles run in a week = 27
Most miles run in a day = 9 miles
My Run Stats for 2006...
Total runs/races = 98 runs & 2 races
Total miles = 399.02
Total time spent running = 55 hours 55 minutes 17 secs
Total avg pace for all runs = 8:24 m/m
Slowest run = 2 miles in 19:19 avging 9:40 m/m
Fastest run = 5 miles in 36:28 avging 7:18 m/m
Most miles in a month = 85
Most miles run in a week = 27
Most miles run in a day = 9 miles
Labels: Running
Switchfoot!!!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Change A Word
I seem to have misled quite a few people, and I understand why. When I posted about someone making a donation "for" my tuition, I should have said "towards" my tuition. Their donation didn't cover my entire tuition, just a portion of it. But the donation is no less appreciated :)
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