The Size Of The Manual

Okay, so today I'm a little excited, which is good because it started off bad (long story, don't worry, it doesn't matter). My programs I ordered for my home studio are in.

Two programs, each in it's separate box. Big difference, one box is about 4x as thick as the other box. So I open the two up. The thick box is huge for only one reason: the manual. Both have regular sized CD's, both have little warranty cards, but the one program has a manual that is 768 pages, all English. It's just massive. It even weighs a lot.

So why does that get me even more excited? My friend Chad used to call me "The Manual Man" because he knew if he couldn't get something to work, he'd give me the manual and in a half hour or less I'd figure it out. Manuals make sense to me. It tells me what I need to know.

So I look at this manual, and I love it. The first thing going through my head is just how big it is and that can only mean one thing. The program must be amazing! If it is this complicated and the manual is this big, it means this program is capable of so much more than I anticipated. It must be able to do almost anything. And I can't wait to start reading it to see everything this little piece of software can do.

And then it hits me (and consequently brings me here to write this). Why don't people, myself included, always feel this way about the Bible? Whenever they look at it they see how big it is and think, meh, too much to read. Too hard to understand. Too much stuff I'll never use. But that's what great manuals are like! They have so much more than we could ever think to use because they're that profound. And here we are, with this great manual for life, complete with FAQ's, troubleshooting, and even history of some other users (what manual can say that?). So sit down with it, even if it is big. All good manuals are...

II Timothy 3:16-17 : 16All Scripture is given by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right.  17Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do every good work. (NCV)

T

Awakening

There's a new event on the calendar, forms available on the Forms page. It's called "Awakening" and it's for guys only (sorry girls, you'll be at the Re:Volve Tour that weekend). It's a time for guys to get away and be guys. Sign up today!

T

Been Gone A While

Hey all, sorry I've been quiet so long. I was gone for a week for my sister's wedding and then was delayed a little returning home. But I'm back now and everything is almost back to normal, or at least as normal they can be for me :)

So here's what I was reading today. It was a devotional about the people back in Jesus' day who told Jesus they needed signs and wonders to believe (the story is found in John 4). They couldn't take Jesus at His word, they couldn't believe the stories they heard, they needed to actually see a miracle in front of them or else they did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God.

And the devotional writer went on to say basically, "How stupid is that?!" And I agree. He even went on to describe people who know of God but do not choose to believe in God until they hit a low point in their life. "I must feel deep horror of soul, or I never will believe in Jesus." And the writer goes on to say that this is so ignorant, to think that we dictate when and how God should work. We should tell Him when it's okay to accept His love.

But it's true, we do that. I remember it best when I watched the movie Prince of Egypt in the theatre. Some of us who went to college were there, and later found out we had more friends near the back. Apparently, one friend told us, there was a guy behind her who was watching, the scene with the Red Sea parting came up and he said, "Whoa. If I'd seen that, I'd believe in God..." How stupid! It did happen! Just because you weren't there to see it means that it doesn't mean as much to you or that God's love isn't for you?

Isn't it amazing how we can take something as pure and giving as God's love and salvation and turn it into something selfish for ourselves...?

T

Calendar Mistake (Gasp!)

Okay, I messed up. I have Drink Deep (our regular Sunday Night activity) scheduled for Sept. 3rd, a holiday weekend. My bad. There will be no Drink Deep that night. Sorry for all the confusion it has caused. I have fixed it on the website, but the newsletter will be wrong too (I had to get it done early since I'm going to Canada), so ignore it, sorry, tell everyone you can.

See you all next week!

T

Castaway

That's the movie that was on TV tonight: Castaway. Now I didn't really watch it, I just turned it on here and there when I wasn't doing other things, but I happened to catch a few scenes that run together.

I know we've talked a lot about how much we have here in America, especially after going to Mexico and sponsoring our Compassion children, how we don't really need all that we have. There's a scene near the beginning of the movie, Chuck has just gotten on the island and manages to kill a crab. It's a tiny little crab, but it's meat. The problem is he can't build a fire. After a few tries, bleeding hands, all sorts of problems, he finally gets it and cooks his little crab.

Fast forward to the end of the movie. He's saved. Back in America, at a big party being paid for by FedEx. Everyone leaves and you seem him look down, picking up this huge leg of king crab, then picking up a bic lighter and flicking it a few times, realizing just how useful those things would have been.

Then, near the end, his former fiance gives him the keys to his car. On it, a Swiss Army Knife. You can totally see on his face how he took it for granted every day, but on the island, it could have saved him so much trouble and helped him do so much more.

So look at what you have. Be thankful for what you have. Then give what you have. There are so many people out there living on less than what you pay for a McDonald's Double Cheezeburger, for a Coke from the machine, or any one of the thousands of other things we buy on a whim, not because we need it, but because we feel like it, a tiny part of our day, that could feed, clothe and educate someone else.

Mommy always said it was good to share...

T

Desecrating The Temple

So this morning I'm reading from that old devotional book and it quotes a verse in Jeremiah 51 talking about desecrating sacred things. To give a little background, at the time, Babylon has sacked Israel and left it in ruins. The section is talking about how people would no longer treat God's temple as it should be, how Babylonians would just walk through it without care for Who's it was. They would enter the Holy of Holies, the room of the temple where God resided, thinking nothing of it. This really saddens me and hits me hard, for some reason it always has, to think that we take something Holy that belongs to God and desecrate it because of our ignorance, laziness or just the fact we don't care.

Then the writer goes on to say the church is like that today. Now, this is a book from England and his example was the church. Again, so you understand, the Church of England is the national church and is run by the government. That means the government can choose what goes on there and who teaches / preaches there (many nationalized churches in Europe are like this). So, that means you could go to a church where the pastor is not even a Christian, he's just someone who is a friend of a friend of someone in the political circle. Kind of sad yet true.

And then later on today it hits me. We do this all the time! Reason? Because we are now God's temple. I Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." (NLT). Every time we take who we are for granted, when we act in a selfish way, when we do something to our soul that God does not intend for us to do, we are desecrating the temple all over again just as the Babylonians did 2700 years ago. So we need to realize who we are as a temple of the Holy Living God and start living the way we should.

Kinda deep and depressing, but now you know how my day has been :)

I Peter 2:5 - "And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ." (NLT)

T

Back Into Schedule

So how's everyone doing getting back into their schedules? Even though mine hasn't really changed yet, I'm already having trouble.

I had a nice scare this morning. Lorie woke me up, I could hear the alarm going in the background, and she's going, "Troy, you're late! You have McPrayer!" Hearing the McP word makes me jump up and look around, the first thing I look at is the clock, where it says 7:16, which means that not only is McPrayer over, but people have no way to get to school and I'm now too late to get them there. I yell "crap" really loudly and am about to jump up and go, but then lie back down.

"Um, honey, it's Thursday."

So don't worry if you're not quite back in your schedule yet, none of us are :)

T

Back To School Bash

Sorry I didn't get this up last night, I was too busy picking chocolate out of my nose. I'll explain...

Last night was the Back To School Bash. Good times had by all. All being over 110 students. Now, I had made a deal with our lovely students, if they got 150 people there I would get a pie in the face. For those non-math majors out there, they are a little under 40 short from their goal.

So I said no. And the boo's started and I think someone was even crying in the back, but no. A deal's a deal. They didn't hold up their end of the bargain, I'm not holding up mine. That's how life works. Watch some Judge Judy. You'll learn.

But then someone gets the bright idea. Wait, would Troy get a pie in the face if we raise money for our new Compassion Child? So not fair because, of course, how do I say no to a starving person overseas? So I say if they raise $100 in the next five minutes, fine, they can pie me.

And this is what you get for $233.75

T

Pre-occupied

Hey all, sorry it's been a while. I really haven't had much on my mind except for Sunday since it's the Back To School Bash, so make sure you come out Sunday @ 6:00.

On a lighter note, I'm watching one of the best bands of all time playing a show in New York City thanks to the magic of internet. The funny part, the guitarist, after playing this song for 20 years like 80 million albums ago, he messed up, and it had to be when the camera was on him close up. He has to have played this song at least 4 billion times in his life and he still messed up. Give me hope :)

T

A Thankful Point Of View

This will be short, but it was something I was reading today. Many years ago there was a man named Matthew Henry, a great theologian who wrote a commentary on the entire bible (you can read it at crosswalk.com).

The story goes that one day while traveling he was robbed. That night, he wrote in his diary that the robbery caused him to be thankful for four things. "Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my purse, they did not take my life. Third, though they took my all, it was not much. And fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed."

How's your outlook on being robbed?

T

God's Plans Never make Sense Until After...

A little bedtime story for you all. Friday, Taylor, our wonderful drummer tells me he cannot be at Youth Sunday night to play drums. I email him back and ask if he will still be there Sunday morning for church. No answer. Check Saturday night, no answer. Sunday morning, no Taylor.

Now at this point I love Taylor but I kinda want to hurt hum. Just a little. At the kneecaps. But he's not there to hurt anyway. We have a full band for the first time in forever with no drummer. So we shuffle. I move to drums. But then we need someone to lead. Wes gets to do that. Now another small problem. Wes doesn't know all the songs well enough to lead, so we have to do some shuffling of music as well. All sorts of problems. Right now, Taylor's kneecaps are probably itching wherever he is.

And then it happens. Our time of corporate worship, good. But then Wes sings his special music he was scheduled for, an old hymn from years gone by, and God just hits him. Hits him hard. He's crying while singing. He lifts his hands (this is the guy who three years ago in youth when I told the youth they could raise their hands in worship he looked at me and said, "What are we, Baptists?"). And then, the last during the last song God hits him even harder.

So Taylor, I'm glad you weren't there. I'm still going for your kneecaps, but God had a better plan, better than any of us had planned. I just think it's funny that we do our best to follow God's plan, and I honestly believe we were, we were doing what God wanted, He actually intended to mess us up just so we wouldn't be so set in our ways so something could happen.

Go God.

T

Jr. High Parents!!

A little alert for all those waiting to retrieve your offspring. The Jr. High Missions trip is expected to return at 6:30pm. That was the last update we were given.

T

Crowning The Year With Goodness

No, this expression wasn't made up by me. It's from Psalm 65:11, talking about the harvest (I read a really, really old devotional book occasionally and this was the one for today, all in old English and King James).

But it makes a good point. We have a ton of things to be thankful for, at least in Fishers. After being to Mexico you would think many people now see how Fishers is almost the polar opposite. We have everything. And I mean everything, at least material. But the devotion talked about how harvest was a time of thanksgiving, the best time of the year since it is the time God pours out His abundance on us.

I mean, really, think about it. Harvest makes no sense. Take an ear of corn. Rip off all the kernels (let's say you get 150). Plant them. What do you get? 150 stalks, let's say 5 ears of corn each = 750 ears of corn from a single ear to begin with. What kind of freakishly stupid math is that?

God's math.

So be thankful for what you have and how God made it for you. As the devotional put it:
Let us render it by the inward emotions of gratitude. Let our hearts be warmed; let our spirits remember, meditate, and think upon this goodness of the Lord. Then let us praise Him with our lips, and laud and magnify His name from whose bounty all this goodness flows. Let us glorify God by yielding our gifts to His cause. A practical proof of our gratitude is a special thank-offering to the Lord of the harvest.

T

Court TV

For those that don't know me, for some reason I have a small addiction to court shows. I don't get to watch them all that often, but today I'm at home so I got to see The People's Court with the honorable Judge Millian. I was watching I think I figured out some reasons why I am so attracted to those shows.

First, it amazes me how two different people can have such conflicting views over the same thing. Maybe it's part of our wonderful Postmodern society in which there is no truth but just everyone's personal point of view, a development I can't wait to die off but realize I have to live with for the rest of my life. A brief simple explanation is fifty years ago if you looked at the sky and said, "My, that's a beautiful green" the person next to you would go "No, it's blue you idiot" and life would go on. Now, when you look at the sky and say "My, that's a beautiful green" everyone says "I don't see that, but it must be green to you and since truth is defined by the person, whatever you say it is, it is to you".

And this is nowhere more evident than on court shows. Two people have ridden in the same car, one as a passenger and one as an owner. The passenger says it was dirty and the A/C didn't work. The wonder says it was clean and the A/C worked fine. Who's telling the truth? The stupid part is both people think they are.

This brings me to the other area that draws me to these shows. Now, after hearing two entirely different stories about the same incident on the same day in which both people were there, the judge has to figure out what is truth. Not always an easy job, a lot of discernment and patience needed. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I'm not so sure. But it amazes me that we need someone to figure out what really happened. In my mind, a judge would be used to decide how much the car was worth the other guy wrecked, not who actually wrecked the car.

The funny part is usually someone is lying, and they think they're actually telling the truth until the judge just hits them with it. Like today, some guy was saying his mom gave him money while she was suing him saying it was a loan. Again, you think there would be a clear answer, but both see something different and stick to their story. That is, until the mom pulls out a check her son wrote to repay her that bounced. Hmm... Why would he write a check to pay her back if it was a gift? And idiot keeps arguing after the check appears with his signature, etc. and says it was still a gift from him mom!

Are we really that stupid? Why can't people just tell the truth?

Psalms 15:2 - "Walk straight, act right, tell the truth."

T

And Finally Home

Yes, it's finally here. We're not in Wyoming anymore...

It was a long trip, we were a little hungry, and Stephen Ogle ate bean burritos for breakfast (please, never again), but we made it home. We smell, but we made it home.

So how have people's lives changed since we went to Mexico. Here's the way to find out. Tomorrow in church (the 30th) we will have one students share a little bit about Mexico in each service. Please come listen and support them.

As for me, I think these were the longest blogs I've done so far, and frankly, I have to be at church at 8:15 tomorrow so I'm going to bed. But thank you. It was great to relive Mexico a week later, giving me a chance to reflect on what happened. I'll try to have blogs just as interesting in the future (no promises). Read Liz's blog too, she goes to Wisconsin with the Jr. High's for their mission trip tomorrow (we're praying for them at NewSong if you can make it).

Good night!

T

Homeward Bound... Maybe...

Want to know a great way to start your day? Go to bed at midnight the night before, then wake up at 5:30 in the morning! That's right, we had to be up that early to get packed, clean up our bunks and clean up the comedor (the job our group was assigned). I think Taylor and I sprayed so much bleach our nostril hairs were white. It was nuts. But it was clean.

Then we left at 7:00 for the border. Now, we've already heard about how things go with me at the border, lots of fun. So to get all 51 people through (both our groups), Youthworks walks everyone across single file. Good plan actually. I got out all the information (boy am I glad I was organized), give each person their paperwork, and they all walk through, myself included. For sake of ease, I used only my driver's license and hoped they wouldn't ask any questions (see Tuesday about being a Canadian, not that there's anything wrong with that, but I just didn't want to be questioned again). I ended up being in line behind Matt Simmonds. So what happened? They saw Matt, asked him all sorts of questions, then waved the rest of us through. So nice. We all made it through from the time off the bus to the other side in less than 10 minutes! A record I've been told.

But then it happened. We are back on American soil, about ten feet into America, walking back onto the bus. Everyone has all their stuff and Ann is carrying a plastic bag full of bottles of soda she's bringing back for her family. And the bag breaks. Bottle falls. Shatters. Punctures Ann's foot. Then the bleeding begins. Now, it was pretty bad, but the fact that there was clear soda on the ground, it all mixed with the blood quickly and at first glance it looks like she was losing a lot of blood, so where do we go? El Paso hospital again! For those playing the tally game, we're up to four (three for our group).

So Carrie (Youthworks leader) and I end up at the hospital, eventually one more Youthworks person comes with the van (the bus dropped us off), and Ann is being checked on. She has to be x-rayed to make sure there's no glass, then is given two stitches, the pain killing needle being the part that hurt her most. But here's the part I don't understand. She's just across the border, looks down, see all the blood (mixed with soda so it looks like more) and she starts crying. Understandable. Then in the hospital, the nurse is cleaning her stitches and accidentally presses where the blood has gathered at the cut and a small geyser shoots up. What does Ann do? "Cool! Can you do that again?!" I don't think I will ever understand...

But here's the important thing. We had a lot of major injuries this week. My hope is that the hospital visits are not what we all remember from this trip! Maybe God gave some people scars so they will remember the trip, i don't know, but our students did a lot of great work and showed the love of Christ to a lot of people this week, and they learned a great deal about the world outside of a Fishers cul-de-sac and how they can help those in need across the globe. Please don't forget that!

The trip for Friday was uneventful, except leaving four hours later than planned thanks to El Paso Hosptial, x-ray division. We watched a lot of Star Wars and slept = less stops = quicker travels. The only regrettable moment, we stopped at the same TA in Arkansas we stopped at for two hours on the way down (remember the air conditioner story?). It was kind of a downer to see that place again, but then to buy a Gatorade and have the sales lady on the phone, get off and tell us all about how her husband just cheated on her for the second time and that was her friend, the woman he cheated with, on the phone!

But there was one highlight. He's going to hate me for telling this but I cried laughing, so it's here. On the way home Mike Snyder (hospital visit Wednesday) was on a little bit of Vicadin. Cool. But that made everything funny. Then Mike went to the bathroom. Every sound that came out of his body made him laugh, which made more sounds, which made more laughter, which made an entire bathroom of people laughing, which made an entire bathroom of bodily sounds, and you can guess how it just keeps escalating. Too funny!

But we were on the road, fell asleep during Star Wars IV (A New Hope) the last memory of Friday is Obi Wan telling Luke he had a gift for him from his father...

T

Actual Work?!

Yes, today we did some actual work. No playing with kids, no cooking, it was down and dirty time for my group (the groups that were doing work projects Mon. and Tues. got to play with kids today). There were two different jobs for us to do as we built Fetemine's house (the name of the guy who owns it). One was plastering, as you can see Alison doing here. The scary part is Fetemine was better than all of us at this, and could have done a much better job, but he was thankful for our help. Nice guy.

The other part we did was building a roof. Unfortunately, something happened with the group before us and all the beams were put on the roof at the wrong length (they were all different, hard to put a brace beam when only 2 of the 9 are touching), so Taylor, Stephen, Jacob and I were busy measuring beams and cutting them. There's me getting ready to use the skilsaw. Notice the plethora )for Liz and her dictionary fun) of sawdust on my head, the reason Taylor and I were allowed a second shower (ah blessed second shower!). It was during this time we realized just how hard it is to build a house in Juarez. Sure, they're not very big, but when you have really old tools, warped wood, rusty screws, well, you get the picture.

That night we went for ice cream. The Youthworks people said something to the owner about me in Spanish and he laughed. I still have no idea what that was...

Then we ended with club as usual, but the last night with Youthworks is always the foot washing ceremony. For those unfamiliar with this, basically, we reenact Jesus washing the disciples' feet. The Youthworks staff wash the leaders' feet, then the leaders go and wash all the students' feet. Always quite an emotional time, because as we go the leaders pray with the students, then the students start to pray with each other, and so on and so forth and before you know it we have a huge noise of prayer. A beautiful noise by the way. I always like the foot washing, but the one wish I had is that we had more time. I didn't get a chance to pray with everyone, something I like to do. But I don't know how much more time I'd want. We prayed for over 2 and 1/2 hours! It was quarter to midnight when we finally said, "We have to be up at 5, we need to go to bed." And there were some really moving and powerful prayers there too, things the students and adult leaders prayed that really moved me, but I won't discuss them here, that's something between us and God.

But that was the day, hard work then hard prayer. I wouldn't trade it for the world :)

T

The Universal Language Of Worship

So Tuesday night I got no sleep. None. This is not an exaggeration, I literally roller all night long. And yet for some reason, I was a little tired, but I didn't do too bad at all. Maybe it was because that morning at 6:00 I got to the coldest shower I've ever had. It was freezing, it was mucky, it was smelly, but t was one of the best showers I ever had (I had not showered since Saturday before we left, they have a water shortage in Juarez so we were limited to one to two showers and this was number one).

Why was I up so early in the Mexican morning taking a shower? It was church service day! The one day we all had to dress up somewhat respectable and worship God with the good people of Juarez in our Comedor (thanks Shawn) we've been eating in. Worship in Mexico is not dependent on Sunday morning, they have it any time they can on a regular basis, Thursday nights, Monday afternoon, or in our case, Wednesday morning. Sorry, but I haven't gotten any pictures of this.

Because I was with a detail of people that cooked (I'll get to that), we had to be there at 8:30, an hour and a half before everyone else, which also meant we skipped devotions. But that was okay, God and I had a little talk anyway. At 8:30, the comedor was easily half-full. Tell me this, when was the last time someone showed up for church an hour early just because, not for a committee meeting or to stack chairs or something, but showed up early just to show up early? At 9:30, Jenni (the woman who runs the place) got up and spoke for half an hour. I have no idea what she said outside of "Christ" and "Glory to God", but people listened for a half-hour with no problem at all. She was also fluent in English (thank God) so I was able to talk to her a little after.

At 10:00 everyone else showed up and we started our time of singing, praising and corporate worship (the time we designate as "worship" for some reason in our church bulletins). Here we are in Mexico, we don't know the language, there are no overhead screens to tell us the words, it's being led by one guy on an out of tune guitar with another guy on a Casio (Radio Shack) keyboard on the oldest sound system still working in North America, and still everyone, including our guys(!!) sang for the entire time, clapped, praised God for an hour solid, no breaks to sit down every ten minutes or whatever! I actually spent time with the little Mexican kids during it and I remember seeing one gentleman at the front, he seemed mentally challenged, having troubles with some actions, etc., but when it was time to raise our hands, he was completely focused on God. There's a lesson there...

At 11:00 was an hour of preaching time (again, when does that happen in our churches). We took up a bit of that time as we were introduced and told a little about ourselves plus the offering. Then we had a sermon in English by a Youthworks staff (the normal preacher was gone) and translated to Spanish by another Youthworks staff member. At 12:00, Jenni came up again and spoke, this time to tell people they did not give enough in the offering and they had to try harder (again, what church in America would dare say that?!). She was right though. There was only $7 in the offering, and almost all of that was from us.

We finished the service with a massive time of lunch together (the reason for the cooks). Good authentic Mexican food! We served the kids first, then the adults, then we ate while a few of us handed out food for people so they would have some food this week. It was amazing to see a church doing so much for the community. Km and I had a little talk about it, I kept feeling like our church didn't do this much, but she mentioned we did, but it was so much more behind the scenes, giving money instead of food and time. Good point.

After all this we went shopping at the Centro or "downtown". Here Juarez was much more advanced than we thought it would be. At the center of town were fountains and the most precious commodity of all, grass and trees (you can see them in the back of the picture). They were all fenced off and you were not allowed to touch them. Stephen, Shawn, Mandy and I went walking around, pet some baby bunnies, found out there was no silver anywhere for my wife, and did all the fun stuff like that.

Then we hit the second lesson in worship. This building is a Catholic church downtown right next to the first mission built in the country of Mexico. However, there are a few rules in this church. It is primarily for prayer. There is no talking allowed, period. You go in, you kneel silently, pray silently, light a candle if you wish silently, and you depart silently. All the time that you are silent there are ornate works of art all around you, stained glass, statues, and other pieces that show God's glory. It was quite a contrast to the morning. This too was worship, but instead of jumping up and down, it was introspective. Rather than doing what you can on a shoestring budget, everything here was huge and done to the absolute best of your ability for God. Another area we have no pictures from (we weren't allowed) but that's more than ok. Our discussion this night in our church time was quite long about worship and the time of "worship with a Youthworks guitar player" became "Worshipping God with all that we've got while a Youthworks guy played." Big difference.

But, in the midst of an amazing day, we had one problem. Mike Snyder, one of our wonderful chaperones, played basketball during free time and went up for a rebound, but came down on the curb. Rolled his ankle nicely and caused a lot of swelling. So, we took him to the hospital, although this time I didn't go with him (I think he was old enough to handle his own medical insurance stuff) and Matt Simmonds went with him. Running tally now at 3 (2 from us) trips to the hospital in El Paso. He even got the same doctor as Zak. Small world.

So how do you think a person's view of worship changes after a day like that?

T

Trouble Is A Brewing

What? Trouble in Mexico? Say it isn't so...

It was a long day, but not necessarily a bad one. I guess it depends on who's point of view you're looking at it from. My day started out bad anyway. I mean, I don't get much sleep as it is, like I need less. But I still didn't get much sleep at all, just enough to get me to breakfast where I loaded up on sausage (to get me through the rest of the day of course).

So here's the thought of the day. Justice. God's justice. Now think about it, what does justice really mean from God's point of view? I mean, the first thing that entered my mind when we were talking about it was Judge Judy freaking out on someone, but is that really what God means when He talks about justice? How do love and justice co-exist? Yet they do in God's eyes. Just more to ponder throughout the day (we talked about it a lot at group time in the evening). But that was our devotional for the day (look at James studying so diligently).

It was shortly thereafter I found out that Carrie, our fearless Youthworks leader in Juarez, was in the hospital last night thanks to a bug bite. It just so happened to make a really nasty bruise in the exact same spot, so it looked really ugly and she went to the hospital, the first visit of the summer for our site. That's important, tally now at 1... We also had a small problem as one of our vans we use to get all our groups to their work sites had a flat. It was fixed that afternoon, but it made for a lot of shuffling in the morning.

Kids Club was a little more fun today. First we painted a room bright, bright orange. As in you would go blind if you stared directly at the walls. Bright. So bright. My retinas are burning just from the memory of it. Did I mention bright? But then we had fun playing with the kids. I was doing crafts again, but this picture's of the song time down the hall. Are they dancing? I have no idea. I'm hoping yes.

I actually even learned a little more Spanish today. It was kind of forced on me. One of the kids showed up and told our director Stacie (the crazy white person looking at the ceiling above) they knew where one of our Youthworks soccer balls were, but the kids wouldn't give it back. Her brilliant idea? "Troy, go with him and get it back." So I do the normal thing and ask what Spanish I'll need. "Oh, none, just go and look tough." So to bully people, I'm now the first choice. Yeah, Mexico's a little messed up. But I went, two kids almost got in a fight, lots of fun. The only part that made me happy were the fighters were two tiny kids that I could lift up with one arm, while all the big huge guys thought it was funny and were trying to joke with me in Spanish. I also got killed again in soccer upon bringing the ball back. I should have left it with the other kid.

But then we had one more problem. The guy in the picture is Zak. I'm sure he wished I picked a better picture of him, but I don't care, he ticked me off. I have been at Fishers United Methodist Church for three years and have not had a single injury. Not one. Liz has had people get hurt from catepillars. Troy, still nothing. Until Zak decided to walk too close to a metal gate over a window. His left arm had a nice sized gash in it and upon request from Youthworks we needed to take him to the hospital (I told him to tough it out, but meh).

So we have to take Zak to the hospital. Only one small problem. We're in freaking Mexico! No, he couldn't get hurt in the good ol' U. S. of A., he has to get hurt in Mexico. So Carrie and I load him up in the van with the new tire and drive to the border. More background information. I never have a good time at the border. I have been stopped, I have been searched, I have been given a pat-down. It never turns out good. So we're in line and the guy asks our nationality. "American", "American", "Canadian". He looks all dumbfounded. "Canadian? Do you have papers? Why are you here?" Yes, if I wanted to sneak into the country from Canada, I wouldn't go from the Canadian side, I'd travel to Mexico and try to get across there. After pointing out the kid with the bleeding arm and the whole need for the hospital, he hurries things up a little.

Then we get to the hospital. If I ever get hurt, I am going to the hospital on Mesa in El Paso. What a great facility! And quick. Zak got thirteen stitches (yeah, the Youthworks people were right, he needed to go) and was out really quick. As in from the time we left our camp, it was an hour and fifteen minutes. Across the border, stitched up and out the door in 75 minutes?! That's nuts. And we were held up too. Guess what young man didn't have his Social Security Number on his health form? The best part was when I called his mom to get it (we work together) and she answers with, "Troy! Wait, that means this can't be good..."

So while we are gone, the rest of the group gets to go on a walking tour of Juarez, looking for things, learning about the town, etc. Alex, the guy over Carrie who met us at the hospital, is nice enough to give Zak and I a short tour as we drive home, letting us see what the other guys saw without leaving the comfort of our pick-up truck. Here's a picture of something you would have seen. A tiny little house, one wall made out of a tarp. Notice the tires too. There is no foundation anywhere here. The ground is all dirt (grass is precious, we only saw it three time, at a church, at Oscar's, and one other place I'll mention tomorrow, and all grass was under lock and key). So tires are used as a foundation of sorts all over Juarez. Hey, it's cheaper than cement. By the way, tally now at 2...

I learned one more lesson today. Since we were back kind of late, we let the guys and gals in the student ministry stay up for a bit, but they were asked to be quiet. Apparently, it is impossible to be quiet. When talking outside, our bodies are physically unable to whisper, or so it seemed. And the larger the group, the harder it was. Noise is infectious. I hope the neighbors didn't mind too much. And after this writing for today, we'll give it a rest, but this is nothing compared with tomorrow.

T

Monday - The First Day Of Real Work

That's not a joke, today was a wake up call. More specifically, a 6:45am wake up call. For those that don't know me, I only see 6:45 by staying up until then, not the other way around. The only thing that gave me strength? Cocoa Puffs. I totally forgot they turn milk into chocolate milk. Made the morning much better. That may seem like a little thing, but after no sleep, it was a big thing!

So I guess you get the schedule. That lovely breakfast takes place in the commodore (yes, like the old computer system). It's down the street from us, so we have to walk in groups of threes past the four or five infested dogs that live near there. After breakfast, we have our devotion time. Surprisingly, I got stuck on a really simple question, something I do more and more now. Rather than brush over something quickly, I ponder too long now. Here's the question: How is God beautiful? Think about it, you could get stuck for a while.

Then we went to our work sites. A little different than most places, we split into four groups, two work on houses and two do Kids Club (a nine week long VBS), but we only do it for two days, than the groups switch, so everyone gets to do a little of everything. We got Kids first (yay). That's me trying to do crafts with left handed scissors. Notice the concentration. But we did learn a few things. There's a lot of poverty here, although Juarez is considered moderate poverty, still worse than anything in America. Free education lasts until 6th grade. Once done you have a graduation ceremony. If you want to go on, you have pass really hard exams and pay a lot of money. One added catch, schools don't start to teach English until 7th grade.

I also learned some things about myself. I'm not good at soccer. Got schooled badly. I look like some movie star, but not knowing any Spanish movies and not being able to communicate (we learn French in Canada) I have no idea who. I make really ugly masks out of paper plates (their words, not mine), and most importantly, I can speak Spanish Sign Language, which is really a lot of pointing and going "Que?"

One more fun fact, we walked some kids home today. Three kids, one of which I carried on my back until he almost fell asleep. We got to see some of the guard dogs on the way home, not diseased and hungry, but in fences and very, very pissed off! He would have eaten my hand if he could. Still, we took the kids home. Their house was tiny and had a homemade fence built from shipping palates. No gate either, the kids had to climb over them to get into their own house. Reminded me of how every single house in Africa had fences and gates, no matter how cheaply made they were.

After that we had some spare time before dinner, which usually consisted of going to Oscar's, one of the little soda shops run out of someone's house that are every few blocks or our students grabbing their guitars and playing worship.

Our evening activity was a hike. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of that yet, so here's one of us hiking from the bunk house to the commodore, just to let you see a little of Juarez. This small mountain showed me a few things too. I kicked one of the small green plants with long leaves and learned those leaves are rock! I bled for quite a while (no one knew, shhh). Also, on the side of the mountain is a message to the city of Juarez that loosely translated says the Bible can save you, read it. It was written in letters painted white that are so huge, you can see them from El Paso. The entire city can see those words. Cool idea.

At the top of the mountain you see two things. Facing south you see the Bible message and cross standing over the entire city as a blessing. Facing north, you see the entire city of Juarez. Here's the funny thing. From that distance and seeing everything, Juarez and El Paso bleed together. If it wasn't for I-10 running through the middle with a huge fence a little south of it, you would think it was all once city, except for the fact that the quality of living jumps a little at that fence. The thought that we discussed after was how the people of Juarez can see America so clearly and so close, yet it's still so far away. It had to be really hard.

The last part of every night is a group time of worship, Youthworks speaks, then we break off into our churches for discussion, where we talked a lot about the impact of the first day and God's beauty, how God is beautiful even here. Family was one of the most common answers, but there are many more. We followed that up with sleep. See you tomorrow :)

T

Sunday a Mexico

So when last we left our traveling crew the air conditioning had stopped working. You have no idea how horrible it is to try and sleep on a bus of 41 people when the air conditioner is spewing hot air instead of cold (yes, it was actually hotter than outside). At 1:30 we stopped to refuel and try to fix it, a half hour gone to no avail. The only idea we could come up with, open the emergency roof hatches and keep driving. The drivers abandoned this idea about 4:30 when we stopped at three "TA"'s in a row trying to find a mechanic on duty. At the third, still no one who could work on the bus, so they called ahead trying to find a mechanic somewhere on the road.

Jump ahead 2 hours. We're still at the same TA in Arkansas and nothing, so we decide to start the bus up and leave. Somehow, after turning the bus off and on, the air magically works. We say nothing, thank God and try to sleep (yeah, right) and continue the journey. But now we have 15 hours of bus driving and everyone's sleep schedule is messed up (yes, 15 hours + 6:30 in the morning = late, add in no showers = lots of fun). The poor people at McDonald's who fed all of us on one order as we took it all to go back on the bus since we were already 3 hours late, God bless them, they must have hated us. Still, we needed to get going and get to our destination.

Youthworks was waiting for us in El Paso along with another youth group from Virginia, they had been there since 10:00am (poor forgiving people). But we made it. So the 39 of us, the 12 from Virginia and the Youthworks crew all pile in an old school bus with Minnesota plates and a really broken back seat (just the one) and we all go to the Mexican border. Before we even cross, you can feel a Mexican flavor, but that was nothing compared to Mexico.

We cross extremely quickly (Mexico isn't as worried about people sneaking in as America) and hit Juarez. The city has water running through the streets from the storms, water rushing to the Rio Grande. I remembered my old friend Mike Grafton saying how borders are imaginary lines that make no sense. It kept running through my head as this was no imaginary line. You could see I-10 clearly with cars on it a few hundred feet away, on the other side of the cement wall with barbed wire on top running along the tiny river. I was a little disappointed we didn't see Juarez in daylight first as Carrie (the Youthworks leader) said most people take it as quite a shock. Some of our guys were so shocked in the night, maybe I should be glad it wasn't daylight.

We arrive at our site, definitely not the Ritz. We live in a small compartment half-way up a hill with double sets of steel doors (this picture is from during the day). Wooden bunks in each room hold us all as close together. Because of lack of space and it being late, etc., I end up on the floor, but I'm underneath a swamp cooler. What is that you ask? Really cheap air conditioning. Basically it's a wall of hay with a fan behind it, water siphoned up and dribbling down the hay, causing the air blown to be cooler and moist. Still, after our drive, long day, shock and awe and being hot and humid, falling asleep didn't come as easily to some as others. But everyone has amazingly great attitudes, so we're not doing too bad.

Want to see the view from where we are? Tune in tomorrow (we didn't' see it until then either).

T

Juarez Blog Starts Now

Hey all, so here's what's happening. We (the Sr. Highs) returned from Juarez today, and since we left exactly one week ago, I am blogging to you what happened exactly one week after. So from here on in, we are time warped one week back. Enjoy.

It's Saturday and we left right on late at 4:30 (supposed to be 4:00), but it's all okay so far. We watched a few movies and also had some worship time on the bus. How good was the worship time? Well, I managed to break a string. That's right, we're not even to Mexico yet and my guitar is kinda useless (not really, but it doesn't sound as good).

For our worship time, I asked a whole bunch of questions about Jesus to make you think (from Group Magazine's 50 Questions about Jesus). By far the best question and answer went like this. I asked that the students actually take time and think about the answers, not just be the first to raise their hands (see blog last week) and have Scriptural proof. So I asked, "Did Jesus cry as a baby?" We got all the normal answers quoting Christmas Carols and the fact Jesus was 100% human, but then Justin VanTress said this, "In Luke 2:21 it says Jesus was cicumcised on the eighth day. That would have made me cry." Far and away the best answer of the night.

I also spent most of the trip reading that book I stole from Liz (which I finished) and it was funny how Louie told of his trip to Zimbabwe, the only other place I've been on a missions trip out of the countries (Canada and U.S.). It totally got me remembering what life was like there and thinking about what to expect in Juarez. Isn't it funny how God's timing can work out like that?

Well, at 11:30 we stopped and I started writing all this down in a notepad to remember. Most of the students were either asleep or close to (whispering, etc.), but that's not all. For some reason, the air conditioner stopped blowing cold air and started blowing hot air. As I've heard before, it makes for a good story...

Until tomorrow.

T

Blogging In Mexico

Alrighty, here's the plan. I'm not counting on wireless internet or laptops in Mexico, so I will blog every day in a notebook, then write it down exactly a week later. So next Saturday, the 22nd, will be my post from the 15th (tomorrow).

Make sense? It will. But for now, I'm off to Mexico. Pray!

T

"How?"

Sorry to those who heard this last night, but it might be good to hear again.

So here's the story. I'm reading about a pastor who prayed every day "God, bless my church." All the time he prayed it. Whenever he prayed, it came up. Never an answer, just prayed it anyway. Then suddenly, one day, in a nice, quiet voice, God answered.

"How?"

What an amazing thought! How often do we talk to God in huge, overwhelming gross generalities then wonder why nothing is happening (and wonder why we can't pray longer than 39 seconds)? God is a very specific person. If He know how many hairs are on your head times everyone, He must be kinda detailed oriented.

So let's look at a story, shall we? A man named Luke wrote this down, and hundreds of years later someone called it chapter 18...

He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts. When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on. They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is going by.” He yelled, “Jesus! Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Those ahead of Jesus told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked, “What do you want from me?”

Hello?! What do you think a blind man wants from the Son of God, someone who has been healing people all over the country! But Jesus still asked. He likes the specifics.

He said, “Master, I want to see again.” Jesus said, “Go ahead—see again! Your faith has saved and healed you!” The healing was instant: He looked up, seeing—and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God.

So next time you're praying, try being a little more specific. God may be waiting for it.

T

When Did First = Best?

This is a random observation I've made about our society as of late. One that really has started to goad at me. Since when did we equate doing something first to doing it right?

Some examples. First, I was watching the World Cup and they have the little "text who you think is the most valuable player' contest. At about half-way through the game you're supposed to pick who was most important in the match. Half-way through the game? It was 0-0. What if someone scored a goal in the second half, the only, game winning goal? They were not included. Why? Because we have to be the first to announce who the player of the game is, not necessarily make the right choice.

Another one. Politics. Who watched the last election? I did. I was a little intrigued because we do things differently in Canada. But then I noticed something. Every station had different numbers. One said Bush had won 83 seats. Another 120. Then there was Fox, which had Bush at 239 seats for the whole night until they could officially say he had won the 240th and won the election. And what's worse, these stations were making assumptions on states and counties after only 7% of the votes had been tabulated. 7%?! How on earth can you make a fair call on 7% of the information? Apparently being the first to say who won was more important than actually giving the citizens who voted the correct facts.

Let's go with one more. Science. Please understand, I love the pursuit of science, I've just learned to hate the business of science. For those that don't know, here's how the business works. Scientists have to earn grants, be it from companies or the government. So it's not based on actual information, it's based on the perceived value of the information. No one wants to pay someone for three years of research to find out that what so-and-so discovered 200 years ago is still right. So they jump the gun to try and be the first to have the slightest shred of proof so they can get funding. Example? Saturn's moon. I'm not sure if you heard this, but they took a picture of one of the moons and found energy being released. So what did that mean? To the average person, it means there's energy. Nothing more until we find out more. But in the business of science, we have to assume more so we get funding, so apparently energy under ice = water = life = aliens living on Saturn's moon that we must find (because aliens will get you money every time).

Whatever happened to finding truth, even if you are the second, third or three hundredth to find it?

T

Just How Small Are We?

To bug Liz, here's more of the book she lent me (Liz, stop reading now, I'll have it back to you before I go to Mexico).

Okay, so here's something to think about. Let's talk about your physical size. If you're reading this you're probably somewhere between 5 and 6 1/2 feet tall. Let's go with 6. That means you are 1/880 of a mile big, or .001 miles tall. That's pretty small. That means from my apartment to church, the route I travel pretty much every day, would take 11 440 of you lined up in a row to get me to FUMC. Feeling small yet?

Well then, let's not waste time and jump to the opposite end of the spectrum. It appears that we have found a piece of the universe that is the farthest point from us that we know. It is 13 billion light years away (for more info, go to http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0402/15lens/). Since our universe is only about 13 1/2 billion years old, and the Big Bang had everything moving from the center, either we moved really fast at the start or it doesn't quite work out, but that's another topic.

13 billion light years away. Let's add that up for you, shall we? 13 billion light years, a light year being the distance light can travel in a year, would then make our equation to equal you to that galaxy (depending on where on earth you start from, but you get the picture):

13 000 000 000 (distance in light years) x 5 878 482 084 580 (miles in a light year) x 880 (you in a mile). According to my trusty Windows Calculator, that means we are (=)
67 249 835 047 895 200 000 000 000 of you away from that point in space. Still feeling big?

And God's in every single inch (all
4 260 949 548 615 631 872 000 000 000 000 of them)...

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid Your Spirit?
to be out of Your sight?
If I climb to the sky, You're there!
If I go underground, You're there!
If I flew on morning's wings
to the far western horizon,
You'd find me in a minute-
You're already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, "Oh, He even sees me in the dark!
At night I'm immersed in the light!"
It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to You;
night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to You.
-Ps. 139:7-12

T

What Movie Are You In?

I'm reading a book I stole from Liz (it's really good too, sorry Liz) and it had a little line in passing that really struck me about your life being a movie.

So let's run with that for a second. Your life is a movie. Every second is being watched with anticipation by crowds. But tell me, who is the star?

This is the question Louie (the author) asked. Who is the star of your movie? And it got me thinking. Okay. I'm in a movie. But am I the focus of the movie, or am I a part of a great movie? In the terms of life, am I trying to put all eyes on me, the little actor, or are they watching God, the real star of the show?

Now there are many people each day who are the stars of their own little movies. But is it really that good? To use an old cliche, would you rather be a small fish in a big pond, or a big fish in a small pond?

It got me looking at my life a little differently. I guess we all have the choice to be Peter Summer. You know him, right? He was the star of the horror movie "The Spiral Bureau". Nothing? Come on, you have to have heard of it. Heard of him. He was the star. He was the big actor. First on the credits. Don't you want to be Peter Summer right now? After all, he's a star. He was in some other movie too. Really little part. He isn't even in the credits it was so small.

But tell me, do you think when Peter Summer is introduced to friends, do you think he says, "I was the star of The Spiral Bureau", or do you think he says, "I was in Star Wars"...

I don't know about you, but if I was given the chance to star in a movie or be in Star Wars, I'd take Star Wars every time. What about your movie of life? Wanna be the star, or let God be the star and see where He takes you...

T

Santa Or Jesus

I was reading a book by Dick Staub tonight and he mentioned something interesting that got me thinking. He in passing mentioned how the Bible ends differently than most other myths, one being that of Santa, and it go me thinking. Who do we believe in?

Let's start with Santa Claus. He is invisible. Never seen. You cannot know him. He lives far away and will never answer you back however hard you try to listen. But he will listen to you. You can write him, talk to him, but he isn't interested in conversation. The only topic of discussion is what you want from him, nothing more. And then, once a year, he answers in the form of a gift, something he hired someone else to make for you. Now how do you get your gift? You earn it. It is all based on what you did. Where you naughty or nice? The gift is all based on what you deserve. You have to do the right thing to win Santa's favor. And that is all there is to it. No relationship. No love. Minimal communication with someone who wants no communication with you. He just wants you to earn the gift he has for you.

But look at Jesus. There is no earning of love. It's already yours. He merely wants you to share in the love. To talk with Him, to be with Him. Membership into heaven is not decided by what you did. Unlike Santa's list, His list is not filled with those that did well. It's filled with those who knew Him. Jesus is more interested in knowing you and loving you than giving you what you want (sometimes He has something even better to give than we think). Jesus doesn't appear once a year. He wants to be with you every second of the year, all 30 758 400 of them. He is not distant, but is with you everywhere you go and he is a part of everything you do, if you'll let Him. Instead of earning a gift, it's all about knowing The Gift...

So which do you believe in? Switch the names around and see which one applies to your beliefs. Look at the way you pray, how you live your life, than take a good hard look and ask yourself if Jesus is merely Santa to you...

btw, I'm trying to find scenes in "The Passion Of The Christ" for my sermon Sunday. I'm purposely looking for ones that are flashbacks, not of beatings, and still, in fast forward, I want to cry...

T

Louisville Zoo

So this weekend, Lorie and I decided to get out of town and went to Kentucky (why? I have no idea, but it was better than I thought). And as always when we have free time we went to the zoo, because animals are cool.

But here's the crazy thing. We've discovered that animals like us. Again, why? Who knows. But it happened a few times, like the huge turtle that walked right up to us and let us pet him, or the orangutans that sat in the back corner while everyone else was around, but then when it was just us, came up to us, gave Lorie a kiss through the glass and put on a straw hat and did a little dance for us.

More amazing to me is to think that every single one of those animals was created by God. Do you think you could be creative enough to come up with 100 different animals? What about 1000? So far we've cataloged over 50 000 species of animals, over 1 000 000 species of insects and that doesn't include plants, viruses, or all the other living things in this world. And those are only the ones we've already discovered.

Isn't that amazing? I love the zoo...

T

Fun? = 1 More Missions Spot To Mexico

This is something that just kind of drives me nuts. One of the guys who was planning on going to Mexico, someone I really like and didn't get to go last year so I was really hoping would go, he and his mom came up to me Wed. and told me he's not allowed to go. His dad won't let him. Why?

Because he's not going to take a week off work having fun.

Someone please explain this to me. How is taking a week, losing that seven day's pay, to go work, build houses, do some roofing, teach kids, all in the blistering heat, how is that fun? This guy was making a major sacrifice to go, leaving home for a week (okay, that might not be a huge sacrifice for a teenager), leaving his friends and girlfriend for a week (no cell phones allowed on the trip, no communication whatsoever), riding on a bus for 24 hours to go sleep on a school floor in Mexico after working all day, just how is this fun?

So now he can't go, and worse yet, he's paid for the spot. So please, if there is someone else out there who can go, please take this spot. It's a shame he can't go in the first place, it would be a bigger shame if he paid for it and no one went to take his place. Who wants to come have some "fun"?

T

Lightning Bugs

Hey all, I forgot one more thing from Alive. Matt Redman led worship too and said something really profound. In England, just like here, people seem to enjoy worship, then once it's done, instead of going back to their seat or whatever to hear from the Word of God, they go to the bathroom. "Preaching is not a laxative." Anyway...

Do here's what I was thinking about the last few days. Lightning bugs are cool. I had one on my hand last night (he landed there, we chilled, good times had by all) and for the past week it's just kind of struck me, how cool are lightning bugs?

Think about it, your job is to design the universe. Make sure everything is in balance for life to take place, something you have created so incredibly fragile that if the earth's axis are off 1/10 of a degree life ends. You create many forms of life that need each other. Would you have come up with bacteria to help keep us healthy?

Then, in the midst of it all, what do you make? A bug that glows. Bright green. For only a few seconds at a time. How incredibly cool is that? How creative is God if He comes up with a glowing bug? It's absolutely amazing.

T

Back From Alive

Sorry it's been a while, but I was at the Alive Music Festival in Ohio last week with Stephen and Shawn. Following Liz's set of posts, here are some things I learned last week...

~Zippers on tents let in water if it rains enough.
~When huddling for safety in a huge tent, you have to hold the wood poles to keep the tent up and stay away from the metal poles so you don't get electrocuted.
~Ephram Smith doesn't like Batman (okay, not really, but he gave the same talk to us as he did at Ichthus).
~Toby Mac really needs to finish his new album.
~Troy really needs to get to work on his album.
~Troy also needs to start practicing guitar more again (thank you Lincoln Brewster).
~God's grace is amazing! (I can go for hours on this one...)
~Sleeping in a church van is more comfortable than you would think.
~When Stephen says his cell phone battery is low, it means he can still text a few hundred more messages.
~Instead of changing your behavior, as most Christians try to do, you should exchange your life for a new one (thank you David Nassar).
~I missed my last chance to ever see Audio Adrenaline... and I'm still okay with it. I also missed Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell... also okay with it.
~Showering on a hot day while camping isn't fun.
~There is a difference between experience and life changing experience (thank you Justin Lookadoo, or Bugaloo, or whatever your last name is).
~Even after being a Christian since birth, I still have things I need to change, I am still capable of changing those things, and I am changing.
~I have a list of songs that we need to introduce in NewSong (if you don't know what that is, ask).
~I love my wife and miss her when I'm gone, and I am completely lucky to have her.
~Even if your music sucks, you sound horrible, and I hate sitting through your 45 minutes of nothing, you can win back my respect when the guitarist backflips off a speaker while playing.
~"53900"
~People can come to a saving knowledge of Christ and start a relationship with Him at Christian Music Festivals.
~I eat less while camping. I also need to get outside more.
~Mud ruins shoes.
~God has a plan.
~Even though everyone else there is excited to see a band, that doesn't make them good.
~There are less bands out there that are 100% live than there used to be.
~Worshipping God is waaaaaaay better than listening to a punk band who's drummer can't wear a shirt.

That's all I got for now. Peace out :)

T

Why Do We Doubt God Can Do Anything?

It's a fair question. We say God can do anything, but do we believe it? I've found most people are like this when it comes to God and money, but that's another day.

Today I was reading a story in Samuel about Jonathan, King Saul's son (this lesson also applies to what we talked about at church on Sat. with Shamgar). Basic story outline. Philistines are bugging Israel (to give you background, the Philistines were descendants from Greece trying to take over the Middle East, and since Israel was the superpower there who owned the best land, they were constantly fighting) and King Saul of Israel is with a few hundred men near a Philistine outpost. They are hiding in the trees doing nothing.

Then Saul's son Jonathan decides to do something, something rash, without king daddy's permission. He says to his armor bearer, "Let's go over to the outpost. Perhaps God will act in our behalf." Perhaps?! Would you go to war with no one but the guy who carries your sword on the thought that perhaps God would help you? But then he does something a little smarter and asks God to give him a sign. If the Philistines come down and get him, he knows he's toast. If they are lazy and tell him to come to the outpost, then God will help him. Long story short, they call him up, he kills 20 of them before the other Israelites see what's happening, then they all join in and win a huge victory.

Why do we doubt God? If God can take one man and the guy who carries his shield and use them to win a major victory, what can be too big in your life that God can't handle?

BTW, that's just a little victory. With God's help Shamgar killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad...

T

Been So Long

Hey all, sorry it's been a while. For the list of excuses, we had no internet last Wed. - Fri., Lorie's parents were down Sat. & Sun. and then this week has been crazy with the Promotion Lock-In tomorrow night and the fact we're burning 6000 CD's for the Fishers Freedom Festival Parade (plus we watched all the Lord Of The Rings movies back to back in the youth room on Wed.).

Will write more after the lock-in, promise.

T

Why Do We Do What We Do?

In Romans 7 Paul says, "I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate." I read this story a few minutes ago and it made me think of that verse...

"A toothless man has been arrested for stealing toothbrushes. According to O Dia newspaper, 32-year-old Ednor Rodrigues was filmed taking seven toothbrushes from a supermarket in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. When he was approached by the police, he tried to deny the robbery - even showing the officers his toothless mouth. He finally admitted to the crime: 'I don't know why I did it. I know it was stupid. I have no teeth, what was I thinking?' " - Sunday Mail [Scotland]

In staff meeting today we were talking about how so many people hold themselves back from really getting to know God and/or serving Him because they feel stupid about what they've done, although in reality it more than likely is not as bad as what others have done, we just build it up so bad in our minds. So tell me, can you get more stupid than stealing toothbrushes when you have no teeth?

T

Shameless Audacity

Sorry, I know I blogged already today, but I'm reading a new Bible translation and I came upon this phrase, and I can't get it out of my head. I just love it.

Shameless audacity.

Here's where it comes from. Jesus is trying to explain to His disciples about prayer and He tells a story of a man who asks his neighbor for bread at midnight after the neighbor's all comfy in bed with the door locked. Jesus says that the neighbor will not give him bread out of friendship, but because of the "Shameless Audacity" of asking for it in the middle of the night, he will go do it.

When was the last time you prayed for something so big you thought you had a shameless audacity to ask it of God? Have we whittled our prayers down to nice little prayers that are easy to answer so we're not imposing on God?

To my shame I learned this lesson in Africa. I remember praying that our school assemblies would make a difference in these kids lives, that they would be changed and better off for us being there. And I remember thinking and praying, "Please God, let 10 people get it. If only 10 people would understand your love." Instead, I remember the person speaking ask if anyone there would like to start a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and hundreds of hands going up asking how (at some schools, it was thousands). I had originally thought that 10 was a nice number. How safe. How stupid. What if I had prayer for a shamelessly audacious number of people to experience God's love. What would have happened then?

T

Weapons Or Furniture?

I was reading a book by Dick Staub today. He told a story of how he visited the Dyak tribe in Kalimantan (Borneo) and talked with a man who lived there wearing a beautiful sword on his side. He liked it because it reminded him of a Dyak sword he had years ago that was lost when he moved.

What he really got from looking at the sword was its use. This tribal leader used his sword every single day, from cutting branches as he traveled through the jungle to killing poisonous snakes. That sword was his life. He needed it. Without it the jungle would have killed him.

And Dick Staub's sword hung on his wall.

The question was how many people take their Christian weapons listed in Eph. 6 and hang them on a wall. They make nice decoration but are never used. The Sword of the Spirit, or the Bible, looks beautiful in it's leather-bound case, but is never opened and read. The gospel message is a nice warm security blanket to us, but is never shared or told to people that need to hear it.

Is your faith living, or is it decoration, color added to conversation about yourself?

T

Northern Lights

Sorry it's been a few days. I haven't had any real revelations, sorry.

But I did see something today. This.

It's a picture by Mike Hollingshead in Nebraska. It just made me miss the cold white north. In Ontario they weren't nearly this bright, but the further north you go, the bigger and better they are, so when I was in Edmonton and Grande Cache, they were like this and more.

The funny part is how it's all simple physics (as Noah and I were discussing the other day). It's caused by electrons jumping around. For all the evolutionists, what point does it serve? For all the creationists, did God have us in mind when He made it?

T

What Makes Jesus Smile?

I'm sure you've been told it some time in your life. I know I have. That wonderful guilt-ridden phrase that drives me nuts (which is probably why I say it sometimes to people, just because it's so ludicrous). "You're making the baby Jesus cry..."

Instead, I want to go the other way. I hate the shame in thinking I do something to make Jesus cry, so what makes Jesus happy? I read it today. To be honest, I couldn't really find any other verses in the Gospels where Jesus is described as "happy" or having "joy" except this one.

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. - Luke 10:21 (I added the italics).

Do you see it, what makes Jesus happy? What makes Him smile? What causes Him to be full of joy through the Holy Spirit?

People who get it.

When people understand the Truth. When they start to live their lives as God wants them to be lived. When they tell others about the Truth they have found. That's what makes Jesus happy. That's what makes Jesus smile. Understanding who Jesus really is and living your life in that knowledge.

But how would that look? Can you imagine if people started to suddenly "get it" and their lives were changed? I read a book the other day where one character said there are 4 billion people on earth who say they believe in God. The other character asked why he said it that way, "say" they believe in God. The first character's response was basically "If they really believed it, they would be living differently. They would be giving to the poor, showing love, etc."

Let's do what we can to make Jesus smile...

T

Metamorphesize

More proof that even after reading the same passage in the Bible 300 times, somehow on the 301st something pops out at you.

It was actually reading someone else quoting Romans 12:2 - "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is." Now, I've read this verse easily a thousand times. I have it memorized (it's a good one to know), but it was last night for the first time I did something I've never done with this verse, and do very seldom. I looked up the original Greek transcript.

Now I should start with I'm not one of those people that carries around a Greek Lexicon and Hebrew Torah so I can get the "full original meaning". In my mind, the people who translate have already done that to the best of their ability and if I look through enough translations, I'm sure to get an idea as to what was meant. But last night was different. Primarily, the word transform there in the beginning.

You see, the original Greek, which I don't know, so I had to translate all those funny little symbols, uses a word that we have in English, but don't really have the proper function in our language that is talked about here. It's a form of the word metamorphosis, hence the title, I made a new term to apply. We're not supposed to be transform into a new person, we're supposed to metamorphesize into a new person. Transform makes me think of the old 80's toys Transformers. Move the pieces around and it looks like something new. Metamorphosis is more like a worm that turns itself into a cocoon and weeks later comes out as something completely and utterly different, a butterfly.

See, God wants us to be totally and utterly new. He doesn't want us to turn from a truck into a robot with wheels for elbows (thank you Optimus Prime), there should be nothing from the old on us. A worm has no sort of wings anywhere on its body or even in it's body waiting to come out. That little squirrelly thing completely changes so much it has new appendages that take it from the dull life of inching around a leaf to flying across meadows, opening up new worlds it never saw before. That's what God has in store for us. New worlds and depths of a relationship with Him like we've never known.

But it all goes back to the idea of metaporphesizing. We have to get completely rid of the old. Can you do that...?

T

God Is Gravy

It's a new phrase that's stuck in my head. Richard Becker said it last night.

It's our American view of God. We don't need God. We don't live each day for God. God is not the center of our lives. But He does make us feel warm and fuzzy, a nice addition to our day. He's the nice and warm brown gravy that makes our potatoes taste better.

And that's pretty much it for us Americans. The problem is it's horribly wrong, but we don't mind it and we don't confront that image because then we wouldn't feel so warm and fuzzy. It's really kind of sad. Jesus gives His life for us and how do we respond? "We don't really need You to do that, but if it makes you feel better, we'll put You minimally in our lives. You can feel good that we appreciate you and we can feel good that we have Jesus."

Shouldn't there be so much more? Oh, wait, I'm sorry. That would upset the 50% or more of you that go to church every Sunday because it makes you feel good, not because you have a relationship with Christ.

...Offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. (Rom. 6:13b)

T

A Time To Kill

It's not what it sounds like...

The other day I mentioned the show Boston Legal and Liz wrote in her favorite line from the show. They actually stole the idea of that line from this movie, "A Time To Kill", a really good movie with Sandra Bullock not as whiney as she usually is and Matthew McConaughy before he played stupid heartthrob roles (plus Samuel Jackson, Keifer Sutherland, Kevin Spacey and a huge list of other notable actors).

But there's one line with those two actors that I've always remember, it's by far and away my favorite from the movie. Matty is a married lawyer who's representing someone who has no chance of winning, Sandy is a law student who sees it in the paper or somewhere and decides to help him. Herein we enter the scene. It's late. They've both been working really hard. They're tired, and they're at his office. He has decided that he's going to spend the night.

Then Sandy asks the magic question. "Do you want me to stay?"

And Matty gives the best answer ever! "Yes... so you should go."

Where has our honest morality gone? We need more people who are willing to look at the situation and go, "This is tempting, that's why I have to get out of it." Did you know that 90% of Americans think that adultery is wrong, but 70% have committed adultery (according to one survey)?!

So how does that happen? Either they don't really care, or, the more likely answer, they didn't recognize the temptation in time and/or they didn't remove the situation. As hard as it is to seem, there is always a way out. But I don't know your situation! How can you say that? "But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." I Cor. 10:13. I used to keep that verse on a card in my pocket to help me memorize it, and to remember the truth in it.

Thank you for the godly lesson Matthew McConaughy (I don't think that phrase has ever been uttered before...)

T

Potatoes Are Evil...?

I promise, I'll get to my busy week a little later. I'm going to mention this a little bit tomorrow at NewSong, but thought I'd put a bit of it up here.

So here's the interesting piece of knowledge for today. Are potatoes evil? Well, kinda... maybe...

When was the last time you had a potato? Mine was about 3 hours ago, had some tater tots with dinner ("gimme some of your tots"). Potatoes are everywhere in our society. Almost every single fast food place in the world has them (mmm, McDonald's fries...). They are a staple food in any restaurant. The world is in love with potatoes.

For those that don't know the magical history of the potato, here's the short version. People in Peru have been growing them for centuries, thousands of years before Christ. Then, in 1537, Spanish explorer Gonzalo Kimenez de Quesada visited Peru and found them. Good old Gonzo decided to take them home since they were so incredibly easy to grow (no work needed) and people across Europe were starving.

But they didn't catch on right away. Some thought they were poisonous, some confused it with deadly nightshade (A poisonous shrub) and some even thought it caused leprosy. It took scientists telling famous people to promote them to get people to eat potatoes. But you know what one of the main reasons people didn't eat them was?

Potatoes aren't mentioned in the Bible.

There it is, the magic answer that plagues so many things that have been done in the history of man and are still going on. If it's not in the Bible, it must be evil. Can't drive cars, they're not mentioned in the Bible. Don't watch TV, it's not mentioned in the Bible (although I'm sure a little less TV would help us all). So many good things we don't do because we are the ones scared of change, but we mask it in the guise of being obedient to God. He made potatoes, didn't He? Millions of lives were saved because of this little spud.

But don't eat them whatever you do. You can only eat foods mentioned in the Bible. Is there a verse in the Bible that says that...?

T

TV Addiction

Sorry, it's been a busy week...

But here's what I learned today. I saw something I have never seen before. I'm not sure if it's marketing genius or just more proof that our society is taking a nose-dive. The sad part is it will probably sell more than it should. You ready?

I saw a fridge... with a television built into the door.

That's right. We need TV's in every room but we don't want them to take up space, so we have flat panel TV's, but that's not enough. Now there's one in the door of the fridge.

Now I understand the idea of having a TV in the kitchen, especially if you're cooking something that takes an hour, but really doesn't require that much thinking. Maybe I'm a little spoiled in my tiny apartment where I can watch TV from my kitchen because my living room is just around the corner. But to actually put a TV in the door of the fridge?

The only thing coming to mind is that scene in Back To The Future where Marty McFly is sitting with his family in the 50's and they can't believe that someone would have two TV's...

T

I Figured Out Why I Love Dilbert (God's Debris)

Tonight I spent the night reading a book by Scott Adams (the guy who writes Dilbert) called God's Debris. It was incredible. I could talk about it here, but to be honest, I don't think I could keep it under 10 000 words. You have to read it yourself. You can download it for free at www.dilbert.com.

A word of warning though. I don't agree with everything said in the book. Even the author said that. He also said that people under 14 shouldn't read it and I agree with that too. It's too mind-popping. If you are one of those people who are condemning the DaVinci Code because your own faith is too fragile to handle it, this is not the book for you. It is not a book of truth. It is a book of thinking, a book that will make you think.

Just don't blame me where those thoughts take you...

T

Is It That Hard? Pt. 2

This morning I get to work and see in my email that someone has left me a comment on my blog. It's from someone who has the Bible on DVD I mentioned earlier, and since the three people I know who read this don't have it, that means someone new and exciting is reading this. I'm not sure I can handle it...

Their comment was quite valid. "hmmm...I love movies which is why I purchased this product. I just wish they had it in the NIV version. Seriously, if the Bible on DVD helps bring someone to Christ...isn't that worth the $29? "

First of al, if it brings you closer to God, hey, all the power to you. And since you actually have the product, maybe you, anonymous reader, can give a little more information on it. My impression was that it was not a movie, rather, someone reading the Bible with the pages on the screen so you can read along. But again, anything that brings you closer to God is worth $29.

But I still have two questions. Will the Bible on DVD actually bring someone to a relationship with Christ? I see a commercial on the all-Christian network with a nice Republican looking family sitting in their living room watching pages of a Bible on TV. I have friends who don't have anything to do with God and I have a hard time seeing them seeing the commercial in the first place, then actually buying the thing to have as a Bible. When I think of going over to their place, I don't think of bringing the Bible on DVD to teach them about Jesus. I think of actually talking to them (what a thought). From my experience, tracts and little leaflets about Jesus are not as effective as people actually talking to someone and showing them the love of Christ.

My other question was more about our society than the product itself and goes back to my first post. Are we so lazy we can't even read anymore? We can't pick up a book and read for ourselves, we have to watch someone on TV read to us? Yeah, that worked when I was 4 but I've learned to read since then. How can you use the DVD as an effective tool like the Bible? If I want to cross reference what is being read on the screen with another scripture, do I have to switch discs, find chapter 21, then forward for 23 seconds? Can you do a topical study with the DVD's? Maybe it's just a me thing, but I even hate digital daytimers because you have to go through so much trouble to find what you're looking for. In my daytimer, I just flip open the page.

Annonymous commenter, whoever you are, thanks for reading and writing in. You've made me think a little bit more and like I said earlier, if it works for you, all the power to you. I just pray your growth isn't stunted by the technology and you aren't trapped in the pre-recorded DVD box of how the Bible flows together. I hope you're still reading your Bible too.

T

Scoffers

Let's set up the story...

Jesus is walking and a man named Jairus says his daughter is dying. He asks Jesus to come home with him and heal his daughter. By the time they get there, the girl is dead. Everyone says they're too late, but Jesus says it's okay, He can take care of it. Then there's this little verse.

Luke 8:53 - They laughed at him. They knew she was dead.

Have you ever cracked a joke at a funeral? It doesn't go very well. People are not in the mood. Here we are surrounded by people who watched this little girl die. Jesus says He can help, and they laugh. They laugh! There is so much unbelief that they cannot hold it in or express it, but instead they laugh. How stupid is that? The Answer they sent for says He can solve the problem, the One they were depending on, and they laugh. Idiotic.

Do we ever have that kind of faith in God? We ask Him for help, He says He can, but we still laugh because it seems so impossible?

If it seems so stupid, why did you ask Him in the first place? Not quite the action that comes to mind when I think of the word "faith"...

T

Boston Legal

Nothing really deep today, I just got to see the show "Boston Legal" for the first time in a while, and I remember why I loved that show (it's not that good when you don't see it every week, but it was still good tonight). They tackle tough issues. They make you think. They have trials that no one would touch in real life.

Like tonight's. Here's the basic premise. A woman in India lost her child because the health care clinic didn't have the right equipment. They used to have the equipment but lost it because a U.S. agent went there and saw a poster that he interpreted to be pro-abortion. Many of you may not know this, but the U.S. will pull international funding for health care if any clinic is pro-abortion, instead they promote pro-life.

And herein is the debate. One side saying the woman should be compensated for losing her baby since the U.S. pulled it's funding on a law that they don't even support in their own country. Makes sense, we have abortion here, how can we be so hypocritical to say that it's wrong for someone else to do it? (To give a little history, the original reason for the law was to stop euthanasia by countries such as China who have a limit on the children you can have thereby causing people to kill their children if they aren't men and cannot carry on the family name, etc.) But then there was the other side? Why should the U.S. compensate? Why is it our job to supply the world with everything? The U.S. gives $55 BILLION a year to help other countries, while here at home, we are below the top 50 countries in literacy, we have over 30 million people in poverty, we are $8 trillion in debt and we can't even provide for our own people that suffered in hurricane Katrina. Why is it automatically the U.S.'s fault if someone doesn't have the tools they need when the U.S. was generous to give those tools in the first place (and how dare the government make stipulations for those they give money to).

So who is right? Come on all you black and white believers with no room for grey. Which side is right? And after you come up with an answer, imagine you're not an American citizen. Who's right then?

Honestly, the saddest part in all this to me, is this. If everyone around the world who says they're a Christian, who goes to church once a month, who takes Christmas as a vacation, but still would say they believe in God, if all those people were to give the money to the church that God asks them to (10% of their income), would we have this problem? Would there be any corner of the globe without the medical supplies they need? So why are there still places that need financial aid?

Where's that black and white theology now...?

T

Wisdom Of Larry Scubelek

For those that don't Larry, he's a really nice guy, and really smart too. The other night I was working at the church's Fish Fry (mmmm...) and we talked for a bit. He mentioned about how hard it is to take his own medicine, but how you have to do it. He told someone who was going through a problem to stop worrying and give it to God, then something went wrong in his life, and he had to choose to do the same thing. If it's right for you to tell someone else to do it, you have to do it as well, right?

Well, I hit that this week. I've been trying to get my hands on a few programs for my computer to make a CD. So this week I find someone selling them cheap on eBay. Really cheap. One was an older version so I thought this guy was blowing out his old stuff. Nope. All pirated and illegal. Then all these questions ran through my head. "How can I make a worship or Christian CD with illegal programs?" "How can I make the pastors' sermon CD's will something illegal?" or my favorite "How can I tell the guys and gals at church not to download illegal stuff if I have it?"

But I'll tell you what, it was really hard when you're holding in your hand everything you need and have been waiting for for oh so long...

T

My Car

Someone's going to have to help explain this to me...

For the last two and a half years, I have spent my time driving this wonderful black Toyota Camry that was in an accident. To be frank, the hood was tied down and it came in runner up in a contest looking for the worst youth worker car in America. It was bad, but it got from point A to point B.

So a few months ago it started to get a little worse, and I really didn't want to put any more money into it, so I traded it in (they actually gave me $500 for it!) and I got a nice little red Geo Prism. Good on gas, runs, the hood opens with a switch life is good.

Fast forward to today. For two years I hoped someone would hit my car and I could get a new car from insurance money. But noooo, instead, now with my "new" car, it gets hit today. And not some major accident either. My bright red car, sitting all alone in the parking lot, gets backed into by a soccer mom not paying attention in her nice mini-van.

Seriously, you've got to be kidding me. I swear when God looks down on my life, there's a little Comedy Central emblem in the corner...

T

Theology And The Cranberries

I doubt many people who read this will remember who the Cranberries are. Few of you will remember the Irish band or one of their top hits "Salvation", but one line from it is going through my head (the one they repeat about 4 billion times in 4 minutes, that takes talent). It says, "Salvation is free".

So here's my question. Is it really free? I love how in our modern society we focus on me. Me, me, me. What does it cost me? We don't care about the slave labor that made our leather wallet from Taiwan, we don't want to know about it, we worry about what it costs me, and what will keep that cost down. We don't worry about farmers struggling day in and day out just to make, no, no worries about what it costs them for us to get our gallon of milk at Wal-Mart, we just want to know how we can get it cheaper.

Everything has a cost. One of the amazing things about salvation is it is free, to us. A price was already paid for it. In the realm of the entire universe, no salvation was not free, it's just already been paid so now we get it free. Be thankful that such a great and awesome opportunity has been given to us with no need for payment, but don't forget Who did pay for it.

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. - I Peter 1:18-19

T

Is It That Hard?

So today I'm home feeling a bit under the weather, which usually means I watch way too much TV, and I see this product on TBN or whatever it is (the Christian Network). http://www.bibleondvd.net/ It's no joke, the Bible on DVD.

At first I think this could be a cool thing, a movie of the entire Bible. No. It's the pages of the Bible with narration and the occasional picture. I kid you not. They showed a family sitting around the TV staring at the page of the Bible some guy was reading to them.

Is it really that hard? Can we not just pick up a book, The Book, and read it anymore? Do we need it on TV read to us? Are we that addicted to the tube? Yes, it's great there's another medium for us to see God through, but come on. I think we've passed the line from a bit much to insane.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch someone read the Bible to me on TV (see, it even sounds weird).

T