Family/Friend Friday --- The Future of Blogging

Well, I started this about 9 months ago to keep family and friends updated and share some stories from the past and videos from the present. As we begin a new year, I need help with the future of this blog --- I need to know what family and friends want to to write about, not write about, how often to blog, etc, etc, etc. So I'll take the next few weeks off and come up with a plan for 2009. So please put all suggestions in the comment box. Some possibilities:

Media Monday --- stuff going on in the world and thought/discussions on it

Funny Friday --- some of my favorite joke and funny videos

Who's Who Wednesday --- interviews with some of my family and friends so you can get to know them better

None of these have been decided yet, which is why I need your suggestions! Until I start blogging again in 2009...Let me know what you want to hear about...

Theological Thursday --- What Child Is This?

Merry Christmas! Today we celebrate the birth of our Savior...the day that God sent His only son into the world to die for our sins (John 3:16). Why is that so important? Heaven is a perfect place, and none of us are perfect (Romans 3:23), so none of us deserve to go there (Romans 6:23a). This child's future death on the cross is our only hope for salvation (John 14:6). We can't do it by our good works (Ephesians 2:8), it is a gift from our loving God (Romans 6:23b). So as you reflect on the birth of Christ this year, remember that His birth was followed by His death so that you might have eternal life through a personal relationship with Him. A far better gift than those discussed on Tuesday's post! So what child was this...a child that would not only change lives but change eternity!

And as I have been reflecting on the Christmas story this year, I've noticed how backwards we are in our culture today. The Magi traveled many miles (possibly 1,000's) and responded to the Christ Child with joy, worship, and gifts. Today, people expect God to look for them, explain Himself, prove who He is, and give us gifts. He has already given us the greatest gift of all --- shouldn't our response be more like that of the Magi?

Enjoy your celebration of the birth of our Savior!

What's Up Wednesday --- Decmeber 24th

We are leaving today to head to Pennsylvania to spend Christmas with family. There will be the final 2 blog posts of 2008 on Thursday and Friday this week and then I'll take a few weeks off and decide what 2009 blogging will look like (and you can offer suggestions on Friday and all next week in the comment box for Friday). In the meantime, here is another fun holiday you can celebrate...Tossmas:

Time Warp Tuesday --- Best Childhood Christmas Gift

When I was 13, I knew exactly what I wanted to save money for --- a Go Kart. My friend Mark had one, and we were tired of taking turns and wanted to ride the trails together! So for the Christmas of 1988, all I wanted was money. I had it set in mind that if someone bought me a gift that year I would return it to add the cash to my Go Kart fund. I had it all figured out that I could save every penny I made (including asking for money rather than chocolate when Easter rolled around) and have my Go Kart by my birthday the following summer.

Every year for Christmas Eve we went to my aunt's house in Punxsy. I was thrilled when I got money from some aunts, uncles, and grandparents....and no presents. It was exactly what I was hoping for! When we returned home that evening, I opened the door to find a Go Kart sitting on our living room floor! My dad was able to buy a used one, which ended up being a wise thing as I would run that thing through mud, snow, over jumps, through puddles, etc.

On Christmas Day, I got Mark and we rode through the snow and on the trails behind our house for a good part of the day, and I loved it! The trail behind our houses was probably 1/4 mile long, so it wasn't long before we got bored with it began venturing out through the alleys, roads, etc. We would ride about 3 miles up the alleys to the elementary school --- until one day a policeman pulled us over and said if he caught us again he would fine us and take our Go Karts away! In any case, this was my favorite childhood gift and served me well until I turned 16 and upgraded to a car.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD GIFT? (Add it to the comment section).

Magical Monday --- Magicians-In-Training

This week we have to say goodbye to 2 of our neighbors --- Victor and Victoria (pictured above playing a board game in our apartment on Saturday). They are from Cambodia and their dad just graduated from seminary last week. They have been in our building for the past 3 1/2 years.

Both of them are aspiring magicians! Every time I see them, they want to learn a new trick. I have been impressed with Victor and how quickly he can learn a trick and begin to fool people. Unlike most kids, a single trick can keep his interest for a long time. After we practice together and he gets a trick down, he'll go knocking door-to-door to show anyone who is willing to watch.

Victoria is younger (only 4 when they moved here, but now she is 8), and she also learns fairly quickly...although she has a REALLY hard time not telling everyone how she did it hahaha. Every time I would go out on my Trikke, sit outside, take a walk, play tennis, etc --- she would always appear out of the blue and be ready to participate in whatever it was I was doing no matter how dull. She was even excited to help fix our burnt out headlight in the car!

They are great kids and we'll miss them a lot! But who knows...we may see them again someday on stage!

Family/Friend Friday --- Final Day of Work

Well, today is my final day working at Ashland Seminary. I am still an "employee" until December 31st, but all the offices will be shut down over the next 2 weeks for Christmas and New Years. I really enjoyed working at the seminary...especially because of the people I got to work with! Two of my favorite co-workers were Jill and Renae who worked out front in our building. Renae (on the left in the video) is the administrator for the entire building and the whole place would fall apart without her. Jill (on the right in the video) has been my assistant for Pastors of Excellence for the last 3 years, and gets most of my job dumped on her now! Does that mean she can boss herself around???
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We've had a lot of fun times together...eating steak dinners at Malabar Farm, playing Ping Pong at Mohican Resort, Having Ice Cream Socials in the Hallway, Making Comic Strips Out of People in the Building, Sneaking Free Lunches from Other Departments Using Our Building, etc --- All during work time! (hmm...no wonder they don't need me anymore!).
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The best memories I recall was Jill's surprise birthday party we had (I think she is the only employee in seminary history to actually be surprised!), and the day Jill went home early, and Renae and I rigged up her desk chair to collapse the next morning when she came into work (which it did). In any case, since our building is separate from the main seminary campus there were many days it was just the 3 of us (and Paul joined us to start a new program about a year ago which you will see him on the Christmas gift in the video as well as Gene --- the head of our building). Yesterday I was blessed (and Jen got to come to) with a "surprise" (about 25 people told me about it) going away party by, of course, Jill and Renae. Here they are opening their Christmas gifts...

Theological Thursday --- Mistakes in the Nativity

This time of year, many people put up a nativity scene like the one above to reflect the birth of Christ...but there are several things that may not be theologically accurate in the way we think about Christ's birth and the events and time-line surrounding it. Consider:

1) The Season --- Although we celebrate Christ's birth on December 25th, the day was only selected to give Christians a reason to worship the true God back in the 4th century while Pagans had celebrations for theirs (which was around 12/25). We know that shepherds would not have been out at night during the winter, and since Luke 2:8 says they were the night Christ was born, we know He wasn't born in the winter. Many scholars place the month as either April, or more likely, September. So there would not have been snow as indicated by the nativity in the above picture!

2) The Wise Men Part A --- Nowhere does the Bible say that the visitors bringing gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh where men. It only calls them "Magi" which is probably a sect of priests (which would make them men), but Magi could also refer to "Medes" so we can't be sure none of them were women. So if your nativity scene has all men surrounding the birth, it may be theologically inaccurate.

3) The Wise Men Part B --- Nowhere does the Bible say that there were 3. Church tradition named the Magi as Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, but that is nowhere in the Bible, and even if those names are accurate, there is no telling if they were the only 3 Magi there. We know they brought the 3 gifts, but those gifts could have been brought by 2 Magi, 50 Magi, 17 Magi, etc, etc...we really don't know. So if your nativity scene has exactly 3 Magi, it may be theologically inaccurate.

4) The Wise Men Part C --- Nowhere does the Bible say that the Magi were even at the birth of Christ (it actually says the opposite). Matthew chapter 2 starts out by saying, "After Jesus was born" the Magi went to King Herod in Jerusalem. King Herod then decrees that all infants under the age of 2 should be killed (Matthew 2:16) which indicates that Jesus was no longer a newborn and at least several months have past. So if you have the Magi in your nativity scene at all, it is most likely theologically inaccurate as they didn't come until several months later.

5) The Wise Men Part D --- Nowhere does the Bible say how much of each gift was brought to Jesus by the Magi. Although each gift does have theological significance (which maybe Jen will talk about on her blog), they are also very valuable. But why is that important? Well, in Matthew 2:13-18 we find Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus running to Egypt to avoid Herod's child killing decree (which lasted until Herod died about 2 years later). How in the world could a poor family like Mary and Joseph afford to hide in Egypt for 2 years? Those gifts were important!!! Though very valuable, to survive on them for 2 years would require a lot. So if your nativity scene has the Magi holding only "tiny" gifts, it may be theologically inaccurate.

6) The Outdoor Manger --- Nowhere does the Bible say what the "manger" was like. The phrase, "There was no room for them in the Inn" (Luke 2:7), is very much misunderstood. The Greek word used in this verse is κατάλυμα and the only other place in the Bible it is used is Luke 22:11 and is the "guestroom" being prepared for Jesus and His Apostles for the Last Supper. An "Inn" is used in the story of the Good Samaritan (who put the injured man up with his own money) and that story uses a different Greek word --- πανδοχεῖον. So most likely Joseph and Mary were denied a stay in a guestroom (not an Inn like the Super 8) and had to stay in a separate part of the house with the animals (hence the manger) --- which Mary would have been required to be separated from the others due to her "uncleanliness" from bleeding from childbirth (Leviticus 12:1). In any case, if your Nativity has a shabby log shack like the one above, although they were still a far cry from deluxe accommodations, your nativity may be theologically inaccurate.

So just some thoughts about what we traditionally think about the birth of Christ vs. what the Bible says. But one thing is clear in both the Nativity Scenes we use today and what the Bible says...there was a baby born that day that would change the world (and that's what is really important to this story!!!). Come back next Thursday (Christmas) and find out who was born and why He was so special.

Anything I missed? Disagreements? This is my longest post...anyone actually read this far?

What's Up Wednesday --- December 17th

1) I am officially done with Hebrew 1 and got an "A-" for the class (probably better than I deserved). Looking at some of my old assignments, it is a good thing I wasn't the one that translated the Bible into English or we would be doing and believing some crazy stuff! Hebrew 2 which will run from Jan 5 - March 15 will be my final class and I will graduate with my Master of Divinity.
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2) Trying to out do my dad and brother-in-law Ron (see Friday's post about my Trikke) Jen decided to do a head-first dive down about a dozen steps at the Grove City College Chapel. At first she was just sore, then she was convinced she had internal bleeding, so we went to the Dr.'s who said she is fine. I only saw the tail end of it, so unfortunately I cannot give her an accurate score and she'll have to do it again.
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3) The magic show on Sunday went well and they asked me to come back again next year (if possible). I also have a magic show this week on Friday night.
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4) My dad is still recovering from his fall. Although thankful he did not have to go through surgery, he still has a lot of pain. They moved their month-long Myrtle Beach vacation from the month of January to the month of February. If anyone needs a last minute Christmas gift for him, he'd love a gift certificate to the ambulance company to pay for his trip from DuBois to State College.
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5) This is my final week of work at the seminary. I am officially done on December 31st, but since we are closed down the final 2 weeks of the year for Christmas, Friday will be my last day. Check out this Friday's blog post for a video about the people in charge around here!

Time Warp Tuesday --- A Trip to Radio Shack

Last week during my magic show, my sound system decided to die. Fortunately the place I was performing had its own system I could plug into, but I knew my upcoming show over the weekend did not have its own and I needed to get one. So Thursday night I went to our local music shop and did some wheelin and dealin and traded my broken system (which he will attempt to repair) for smaller one at a discounted price. While I was trying my stuff out at the shop in the new system, I realized that I had the wrong adapter for my microphone system (it was giving it too much power) and needed to get a new one of those too...but the music shop did not have any.

So Friday I headed over to Radio Shack for a new adapter. The salesman looked over everything they had and wasn't completely sure which adapter would fit. He ended with, "Well, I am pretty sure this one might work...you can take it home and try it and if not, bring it back". Well, I had to leave that night for a show and didn't have time to mess around so I asked if I could bring all my stuff into the store to try it out there and if it worked I'd buy it, and if not I would look somewhere else or try and different one. He agreed.

So I lugged all my stuff in and set it up, and the adapter worked perfectly! Then I had to take down all my equipment and take it out to the car. During this process, I am not sure if the salesman was done for the day, went on break, or was in the back...but in any case he wasn't around anymore. I took the adapter I had tried up to the new salesman at the check-out to pay for it. He took a look at it and said, "Oh, this is an open product...you get it for 1/2 price". I explained that I was the one who opened it just to try and make sure it worked and that I said I would buy it full price if it did. He responded, "Our policy says if the box is open at check-out we can only charge 1/2 price". So I got a pretty good deal.

Now I'm thinking...we could really use a big screen TV. I think we'll go to Radio Shack, but we better open it up in the store first and try it out there to be sure it works before we lug that thing home!

Magical Monday --- The Sword-Thru-Neck

Those of you that have seen my show probably remember my head box...the box that an assistant would place their head in and 9 swords would be thrust into the box with the finale of having the person's head disappear. Well, that trick is on its last leg (and hopefully someday I can pass it down if any of our nieces or nephews really get into magic), so I have replaced it with a "Sword-Thru-Neck" trick. It is much smaller and easier to carry...I am just looking for the right jokes and ways to make it fun. Here is a clip from yesterday's show...if you are wondering what happened to the boy that starts the trick out, he had second thoughts about midway through the trick...

Family Friend Friday --- The Trikke

Above is a video of Jen's sister Julie riding my Trikke. I bought it on e-bay soon after we moved to Ashland as a fun way to exercise. You basically propel yourself through your body movements...its a cross between a scooter and roller blades. After some practice you can climb small hills as well (but forget about those Pennsylvania hills!!!). In Ohio, we have the perfect landscape for a Trikke. As Steve would say, "I stood on a speed bump to get a view".

Riding the Trikke requires 2 rules...(1) Do Not Slam on the Brakes and (2) Do Not Let Any of the Wheels Go in the Grass. Breaking either of these rules will end in disaster. There is a huge list of neighbors, family, friends, etc who have fallen off for ignoring these two important rules. Most memorable were 2 family members:

Ron --- Jen's sister Joni's husband jumped on and almost immediately allowed the back wheel to touch the grass, and he did quite a nice belly dive over the front handle bars and onto the cement. I could only give him a 9.5 out of 10 though since he didn't quite stick the landing. My only regret is that I wasn't filming cause I'd be collecting my $10,000 from America's Funniest Home Videos right about now.

My Dad --- On a visit to Ashland, my mom and dad wanted to try out the Trikke. My mom stayed on flat land and went in little circles. My dad decided to be braver and climbed the only hill in Ashland. As he started down the hill, the path branches off a few times, and of all choices he could have made as far as which path to take, he chose the only one that led to a set of steps. As soon as he saw the steps, he broke rule #1 and slammed on the brakes causing a nice front somersault over the handle bars and into the grass. He also didn't quite stick the landing, but I'll give him a 9.7 (slightly edging out Ron for the gold) because of higher technical difficulty on the launch.

Anyone want to try for a 10?

Theological Thursday --- Ten Minas

Well, I was going to begin a series on Christmas for my Theological Thursday, but something else happened this week that was very encouraging that I wanted to share:

Back in the beginning of August, I was teaching in a class at church about the treasures that God has blessed us with. It was tied into the story of the 10 minas (about 3 months wages) out of Luke 19. The main point of Jesus' parable is that we are to not squander what God has given to us (money, talent, gifts, etc) and all of them should be used for His glory. In a parallel parable in Matthew 25, Jesus gives out different amounts to each person, but the one who only has 1 mina has just as much of an opportunity to invest it for God's glory as the person with ten.

I ended the class that day with a challenge...what can you do with "a little mina". I gave everyone in the class $5.00 and instructed that this was to be prayed about and used in a way that would impact the Kingdom of God (I know, I know...all our money should be used in this way, but this was more of a symbolic "what can you do with only $5.00 if you are completely focused on God with it" kind of thing). So class ended that day and we all went about seeking direction for the maximum impact we could make with such a small amount.

So one day a "pop-up" came on my computer screen at work...this was very strange since all our computers block pop-ups. It was a site for "prison pen pals". It had a database of 1,000's of prisoners from across the nation and their address in prison. I knew that this was what God wanted me to do, but how would I pick which one(s) and what exactly would I send?

After several weeks of praying, I settled on two people from the site that God led me to. Several years ago I purchased a case of "More Than a Carpenter" books by Josh McDowell and still had several copies left over (I had already handed out the majority of them). In any case, this book very clearly presents the Gospel message...and best of all I got them for only $1.50 each so it fit within my tiny budget. Along with the book, I sent a long letter giving my own testimony and that I was dedicating myself to pray for them every single day for a month (which I did).

On Monday I received a card from one of the prisoners I sent the book to in California named Chena. In it she talked about how she was going through a "dark valley" at the time she received my package and how much she needed it. She said she had accepted Christ and was Baptized (though not real clear if that was before or after the book). The best part is many of the other prisoners saw the book and letter and are anxious to read it as well!

That brings me to the point of my post (which I haven't completely processed yet)...what if I treated all my money this way? What if I treated all the gifts and talents God has given me this way? What if all Christians did the same? Who knows...Chena may be a prison chaplain someday and impact 1,000's of lives --- maybe somebody who borrows the book from someone who borrowed the book will be the mother of the next Billy Graham...with the power of God, there is really no boundaries and as I felt very led to these particular prisoners, I have no doubt amazing things will come as a result.

If all this can stem from just $5.00, what could happen with $50.00? 500.00? 5000.00? Isn't it worth giving it all to God for His glory?

What's Up Wednesday --- December 10th

A lot going on this week...
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1) My dad got some great news...no surgery! He went from being in the emergency room in DuBois (thinking his replacement and knee bone was a complete mess) to being sent to State College by ambulance for the possibility of emergency surgery to being told the replacement was fine but the bone needed surgery Tuesday morning. Then, with further X-rays and tests they found that the bone was fusing and healing cleanly by itself. What an awesome God we serve!
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2) Our job interview went great, and we loved the place! They kept telling us we would find out on Tuesday if we got the job, but at the end of the second day, they let us know they were interested in us pending background investigations. So as long as there isn't anything I don't know about Jen's past, we should be in good shape...but as always you don't want to bank on anything until the papers are signed.
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3) As part of this background check, we have a private investigator coming to our house tomorrow. We were thinking this would take place sometime in January, but he called on the phone and said, "I'm coming to your place..." --- not really a question whether he could or when we preferred him to, but more of a "you better be home" kind of thing.
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4) Tonight I have my Hebrew 1 final exam. That will give me 144 credits. 148 and I graduate with my Master of Divinity! I only have to take Hebrew 2 winter quarter and should graduate on March 15th.
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5) The magic show on Monday night went great! It was for one of Jen's bosses at the health department (who is part of a private physicians practice). He isn't too happy that we may be leaving Ashland soon...and Jen's other boss is actually making some calls trying to find me a job and trying to keep us here.
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6) We will be going to DuBois this weekend...my cousin Troy is getting married on Saturday.
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7) I was also able to schedule a show on Sunday while we are in DuBois for a Christmas party.
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8) In the midst of all this, I have a retreat going on this week for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It is held at a resort about 30 miles away and I have been traveling back and forth each day (I get a call at 9:00 am each morning to get a list of things I need to bring down).
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9) There is a "Woot Off" going on today...so Joni you better get your "Bag of Crap"! As you saw from Monday's video we got over $100 worth of stuff for only $3.

Time Warp Tuesday --- The Cats

Growing up my great-grandma always had cats. When it was time for her to move out of her house and into a small apartment, she gave me one of them. My first job was to pick a name for the cat. After thinking long and hard, I decided to call him "Kitty". Kitty was an outdoor cat (except in the winter) and would follow me everywhere I went. In the morning, Kitty would walk down to the bus stop with me and sit there with me until the bus came. He was very friendly and loved to sit on people's laps and was always purring.

It wasn't long before Kitty took an interest in a stray female cat in the neighborhood which we also adopted. My name for that cat..."Kitty Kitty". Kitty Kitty was also very friendly and loved to sit on people's laps and purred a lot as well (but she never followed me around the neighborhood like Kitty). Neither of these cats were ever mean...and they went through a lot with visits from little kids, the mauling by kids at the bus stop, etc.

One day my uncle Mikey came for a visit and we were out on the porch. He asked if Kitty and Kitty Kitty were nice cats, and of course I said yes. He reached down to pet Kitty Kitty and she immediately bit him on the hand. So after having her tailed pulled, being swung around in the air by kids, sat on, etc, etc, etc over the years, I guess Kitty Kitty had enough. Either that or Mikey had just performed the greatest trick I had ever seen.

Magical Monday --- Another Bag of Crap

We were able to win another "Bag of Crap" from Woot for $3.00...if you've missed previous posts, you can get anywhere from a Big Screen TV to complete junk. Most people get a box full of stuff worth about $100 (last time we received about $25 worth of stuff...a "GoDuster" worth $20 and bath salts worth $5). I happened to be in front of the computer when this item came up a few weeks ago and it sold out in less than 3 seconds (as always). Here is what we received...

***Please pray for my dad this week as he fell while he was hunting and broke his knee (he just had both replaced last year). He is currently in State College waiting for surgery (probably tomorrow). I will update on "What's Up Wednesday".

Black Friday

In my hometown (DuBois), you have to be part of Black Friday to believe it! Even the years I've spent in Pittsburgh...the after Thanksgiving shopping there has nothing on DuBois. Maybe it is the fact that DuBois has 50,000 people jammed into 5 stores where as Pittsburgh has 200,000 spread out in 200 stores. In any case, DuBois on Black Friday is not the place to be!

For some reason I let Jen talk me into driving her to some stores on Black Friday while we were in DuBois last week. The video above only tells 1/2 the story...the inch by inch travel time...the 1 hour drive to go 1 mile...but this was taken around 2:00 PM. You multiply this by 100 and you get the 6:00 am to 10:00 am craziness!

Growing up when I had no money, I would go out on Black Friday only if I would save at least $100. That amount has climb significantly over the years and now stands at $500. But several years ago, there was a computer I wanted at Walmart that would save me a bundle. With the store opening at 6:00 am, I journeyed out of the house around 5:15.

Big mistake! The Walmart parking lot was already completely full, as well as the McDonald's lot on one side, and the bowling alley lot on the other. The line wound all the way to the back of the main lot further than I could see. By the time I got parked and made my way to Walmart it was 5:55 and the store would be opening soon. With the size of the line, I knew it would be hopeless in getting my computer unless I came up with some sort of plan.

So here's what I did...my grandma used to work in the fabrics department there, and I would drop her off or pick her up for work at a little used side door. I figured I would just go stand in front of that side door and act like I was waiting for it to get unlocked (figuring nobody would unlock it) and then just "merge with the traffic" at the main door, knowing it would be way faster than standing at the end of the endless line.

About 10 seconds after I stood at that door, a sales associate came. I thought I was going to be told to go to the end of the line, but she unlocked my door. I was the first one in the store! I went straight back, grabbed my computer, and thought this was going to be the world's fastest in-and-out in Walmart history! Unfortunately the main doors had been opened as well by now and within seconds I was surrounded by 1,000's of people! Shoulder to shoulder...you just couldn't move! It took almost an hour to drag that computer back to the front of the store and check out.

So that's a summary of Black Friday in DuBois and my "mini triumph". Hopefully Jen will tell you on her Blog someday the Black Friday at Sears in DuBois that made her cry --- she fell victim to the DuBois madness! Above all, Black Friday in my hometown requires patience. As I talked about yesterday, advent is all about patience and waiting...but thankfully Black Friday falls just before advent and does not apply. hahaha

Theological Thursday --- Advent

This week began Advent --- The anticipatory waiting for the birth of the Messiah. Waiting is very difficult in our culture. We have E-Z Pass toll booths that you don't even need to slow down for on the highways, extra windows at the fast food drive thru to get you on your way faster, self check-out lines at the grocery store (as if we can do it better and faster), "Jiffy" Lube, "Quik" fill, online shopping, faster internet, 7-minute abs workout (now condensed to 2-minute abs), my personal favorite from Pensacola, FL...the drive-thru funeral home (pictured above), etc, etc, etc. Point is, our culture hates to wait!

I wish our churches would put more value into Advent as we eagerly wait and look forward to the day of Christ's birth. It is a much needed slow-motion in a fast-forward culture! Nobody understood this better than 2 people in the Christmas story --- Simon and Anna (Luke 2:21-40). Both were very old and had waited many years for the day that Messiah would be born. As Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, Simon immediate grabbed Him and began praising God (vs. 28-32). This also shows amazing patience in Mary and Joseph...after all, what would you do if some guy grabbed your newborn and starting swinging him around?

So this Advent season, don't be afraid to slow down and wait. As the culture wants us to be busier than ever over the next 20+ days, keep in mind the charge of the Psalmist to wait for the Lord above all else (Pslam 27:14). Here at the seminary, many of our foreign students laugh at our Nativity Sets...little baby Jesus is in the manger even though it isn't Christmas and He "hasn't been born yet". One of their many cool traditions is to set up the Nativity, and keep baby Jesus out until Christmas morning --- and that is something they wait for in anticipation every year. Shouldn't we do the same?

What's Up Wednesday --- December 3rd

1) Jen and I will be traveling to Pennsylvania tonight for a job interview on Thursday and Friday. There are blog posts that are completed and scheduled for tomorrow and Friday, so even though I won't be around, be sure to still check out those day's post!
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2) After our interview we plan on stopping to see Jen's sister Julie, husband Keith, and their 3 kids. Congratulations to them as we recently found out they are expecting their 4th. If they can keep up this pace, 10 years from now, they may have a baker's dozen!
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3) Sunday night we have our advent service at the church. Check out tomorrow's Theological Thursday for more on advent.
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4) I have a company magic show Monday night for a Christmas party. This will be the first of 3 scheduled for the holidays.
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5) Next week (Mon - Thurs) I will be running a retreat for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes senior staff. They are coming from all over the country, so please pray for their safety. This will be retreat #2 of 6 for them.

Time Warp Tuesday --- Thanksgiving 2008

Magical Monday --- The Long Distance Trick

Here is the "old" version of the trick. We updated it to have someone select an "invisible card" (basically just naming any card they want) and by calling my uncle Mike (also a magician) he is able to name the card.

Family/Friend Friday --- The Toolbox

When I was in Junior High, I had to take metal shop. We had a few different choices of what we could make, and I decided I would make a tool box for my dad. So throughout the semester I made a toolbox, painted it blue, and presented it to my dad. My dad filled it with some tools, and it sat on the shelf in his tool room for years.

Several years later when it was time for me to go off to college, my dad wanted to put together a toolbox that I could take with me. So he empty out the blue toolbox I had made him and started filling it up with all the essential tools I may need. When he was finished, he handed me the toolbox and said, "Here you go...Johnny (my brother) made this toolbox for me years ago. It's not very good, but it should hold up". I responded, "Johnny didn't make that for you, I did!"

After a moment of silent thinking he replied, "Oh, then I meant it was the greatest toolbox I'd ever seen".

Well, I think the first statement (his honest opinion hahaha) was more accurate...the thing fell apart just a few weeks after I went to school.

Theological Thursday --- Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his people,

the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

What's Up Wednesday --- November 26th

1) We will be leaving tonight to travel to DuBois for Thanksgiving. We look forward to sharing Thanksgiving dinner with my mom, dad, grandma, aunt Mary Lou, Dana, Jim, and the kids.
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2) You can still check my Blog tomorrow and Friday. They have been created already and are scheduled to post at 8:00 on that day.
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3) We will be returning to Ashland Saturday night so we can do the Sunday Service at the detention home.
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4) The FOCUS retreat went very well (see yesterday's video)...we had a great time catching up with new friends, teaching what God put on my heart, and getting some quiet time to connect with God.
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5) Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!!!

Time Warp Tuesday --- FOCUS Retreat 2008

Here is a video from this past weekend...

Magical Monday --- A New Trick

Well, I was hoping to post a video of "The Long Distance Trick" my uncle and I came up with last week, but we haven't had a chance to film it in action yet (hopefully sometime this week so I can post it next week!). So instead, I played around with a new trick. When I was younger, I used to challenge myself to learn 1 new trick per week (many of them I would invent using my imagination). When I got into high school, I read a book called, "The Professional Amature" which probably had the most influence on my magical career than any other book. It premise is that most magicians know and can do 1,000 different tricks at an average skill level. The mark of a professional is they focus on 20-30 tricks that they can do to perfection. That started me down a path of perfecting my favorite handful of tricks to the point I could do it better than the vast majority of other magicians (my magic club in Pittsburgh was my standard --- and when I won Magician of the Year there twice, I knew I was on the right path!) and it has served me very well! It did however de-motivate me from learning new things (unless they were really good!). So instead of learning something once a week, its been more like once a year. I missed those old days of learning new stuff (just for fun), so here is something new I played around with. It won't make my act, but it was fun!

Family/Friend Friday --- The Plants

As you read this, I am on my way to our retreat in Pennsylvania. It is a great time to connect with God and old friends. We all look forward to this every year (and start planning for the next year before the current year is even over!). My first retreat was in 1999, and I've only missed one (while I had to do a show out of state). Jen and I also met for the first time here in 2001.

CONFESSION TIME:

As I was thinking back over the different retreats, there was a little "practical joke" that stuck out that happened back in 2000. The pastor that was leading the retreat brought a pot with a dead plant in it (as a representation of what sin can do to us). He talked about it all day Saturday and said we would look on Sunday morning at how God can transform us.

Well, that night after the pastor went to bed, we (ok, mostly me) took the dead plant and pulled it out...dirt and all, and replaced it with a very live and vibrant plant that was in the castle (the castle is full of them!). I assumed the pastor would know that it was a joke (as I am sure it wasn't even the same type of plant), but first thing Sunday morning, he went on and on and on and on about the transformation that had happened in that little plant overnight (he really thought it was the same plant!). About 1/2 the group knew what happened, but he was so thrilled, nobody had the heart to tell him.

So there you have it. The 2000 "Miracle of Majesty" was really the "Mischief of a Magician". I'd like to blame my dad for this one...he taught me and would have done the same thing.

Theological Thursday --- Let There Be...(Part 2)

Last Thursday we looked at the method God chose to create the world...Speaking! He could have done it any way He desired, but I believe God chose this method to show the power of words. Consider, with words alone you can make somebody laugh, cry, angry, happy, upset, excited, etc, etc, etc. You can also with words alone curse God, praise God, use His name in vein, or worship Him. You can also lie, gossip, slander or honor, encourage, and build up. Our words have power! And what an awesome illustration of that power in the Creation Story! The Biblical writer James (Jesus' brother) captures the power of our words in chapter 3:

By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!

One word of caution...although our words have power, they must also be followed by our actions. If we profess to be a follower of Christ, our character should be moving in a direction that reflects Him more and more as we mature in our faith. And as powerful as our words are, our actions can many times override them. I leave you with 2 quotes showing the necessity of actions to accompany our words. The first is from Saint Francis and the second one is a little saying from Ralph Emmerson I see sitting on Jill's desk everyday:

Preach the Gospel at all times and, only if necessary, use words.

Your actions speak so loudly, I can't hear a word you are saying!

What's Up Wednesday --- November 19th

This week is our FOCUS retreat. FOCUS is the Bible study we used to attend in Pittsburgh (where Jen and I met). The group no longer meets on a weekly basis, but we still have our yearly retreat/reunion at Christ's Castle (pictured above) in Franklin, PA. This will be my 4th year in a row leading the retreat, so they either really like my teaching or really like that I am cheap! In any case, this year I am teaching on the Foundations of an Abundant Christian Life based on John 10:10. In a study of how Christians change, the formula that has been shown to be most effective is:

Retreat + Revelation + Relationships = Transformation

So we set up the weekend to allow for a lot of time for recreation (all of Saturday afternoon) and relaxation (Retreat) and each 2-hour session will involve 45 minutes of me teaching followed by 30 minutes of guided individual time for a spiritual exercise (Revelation) and ending with 45 minutes of small-group process time (Relationships). I understand that my only job is to position people to be changed by God (as He ultimately does the transformation, not me)...so above praying for me, pray that God would work in the lives of everyone there. You can pray for Jen as well since she is one of several small-group leaders this weekend.

Time Warp Tuesday --- Smoking Ladies

95% of people addicted to smoking had their first cigarette before the age of 18.

I remember hearing this statistic from the Surgeon General as I was studying to be a health teacher in college. Then I thought, "What about the other 5%"? And I came to the conclusion that the other 5% were the little old ladies that played BINGO in my hometown on Wednesday nights.

Like most Catholic Churches, my church had a weekly BINGO game in which the vast majority of the crowd was little old ladies and they all smoked (seemed to be a requirement!). As a kid I went with my mom a few times to play. It was always like walking into an ashtray and these women were very serious about their BINGO!

One thing that always annoyed me when we went is my mom reminding me of the "Postage Stamp". It is a way to get BINGO that is different than the normal vertical, horizontal, or diagonal ways. Basically it is when you cover any of the 4 corners on your card (making it look like a postage stamp I guess).

So one night we go to play BINGO and I was surprised that my mom didn't remind me about the postage stamp. So midway through one of the games, as a joke, I covered one of the corners of my card (making a postage stamp) and said, "Hey mom, too bad this doesn't count as a BINGO". She glances over at my card, see the fake postage stamp I made, and thinking it was real she yells at the top of her lungs, "BINGO!!!"

Well, everyone starts clearing off their cards, making the "I'm so upset it wasn't me" sighs all the while I am trying to tell my mom it was just a joke and I didn't mean for her to yell "BINGO". One of the workers came over to check my card, realized it wasn't a BINGO and announced that everyone should just keep playing. Well of course many of them had already cleaned off all their cards for that game and we got the evil eye from every old lady in the room with the look of, "You idiot, even the nursing home people can play this game correctly".

So that brings me to another conclusion...what makes this final 5% of the population start smoking? It is people like me, ruining their precious BINGO game.

Magical Monday --- A Long Distance Trick

My uncle Mikey (who taught me my first magic tricks) and I used to do shows together. We would volunteer for youth groups, nursing homes, etc...but it has been many years since we've worked together. As I was thinking about that, I figured with the way technology is today that we could still do magic together...long distance!

Magic is only limited by your imagination, so I came up with an idea that I thought might work and gave him a call. He liked the idea and we worked out some details and we decided to give it a shot yesterday. So I did the Sunday Service as usual at the County Detention Home. As always, I show the teens a magic trick before I leave. So here is how the trick went:

I pulled out a deck of cards and shuffled them. One of the teens randomly picked a card, and we placed it faced down on the table (I didn't look at it, nor did he, or anyone else in the room). I pulled out my cell phone and gave Mikey a call. I told him someone just picked a card, the card was face down on the table, nobody (including me) had looked at it yet, and before we looked, I asked him to try and guess what it was.

In the room with us is always 2 guards...there is also one watching us on camera from down the hall. At this point in the trick, the guard watching on video came sprinting down the hall as they had to "see this in person". After a few jokes and playing around with the kids over the phone (that's Mikey!) he named a card. We flipped it over, and believe it or not, it was the card Mikey predicted! The teens (and the guards) all went nuts...they couldn't believe it!

It was great to work with my uncle again! We decided to keep this trick going (and who knows, maybe get it published in a magic book)...so anyone who wants to see it, hand me a deck of cards, and as long as Mikey's home to take our call, he'll do it. I'll try to do it again some day this week for our neighbors, and have Jen videotape our new "Long Distance Magic Trick" and post the video next week.

Family/Friend Friday --- Janet's Birthday

Today is the birthday of Jen's mom (Janet). I couldn't ask for a better Mother-in-law! She is always very kind and giving, especially when she lets me and Jerry (Jen's dad) go golfing every time we are together and the weather is nice!
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Among the many special talents Janet has are cooking, drawing, painting, sewing, etc, etc, etc. One of the most popular items we own is a quilt she made us for our wedding that has our baby pictures, college logos, etc. Over the past week or so, I have been mentioning something in my office that gets the most attention by visitors. It is a replica of the building I work in which Janet made for me for Christmas a few years ago. It it perfectly done! People always ask where it came from and can't believe what a great job she did! The director for my building asked if there was any way he could order 100 of them to give to donors, special guests, etc (and I am sure he wanted to keep one for himself too!). Now that she is retired, she may want to consider?!? Below are some pictures of the building I work in as well as the replica Janet made. Can you tell which of the 3 are real and which are Janet's...

So Happy Birthday Janet! Jen and I put our dance lessons we took a few years ago to good use and did the "Birthday Dance" from the era you are used to. Take a look below...

Janet's Birthday Dance

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Theological Thursday --- Let There Be... (Part 1)

The creation story in Gensis 1 is an amazing example of God's order in this Universe. Consider the "6-day creation" and how days 4-6 correspond perfectly with days 1-3.

Day/Creation

(1) Light ---------------> (4) Sun, Moon, Stars

(2) Water and Sky ---> (5) Fish and Birds

(3) Land ---------------> (6) Animals and Man

Some theologians believe that the sole purpose of Genesis 1 is to show both God's power and His order over chaos (it is to be taken completely figuratively). Prior to God giving Moses the Creation account, the belief back in that day was the Egyptian Creation Myth called Enuma Elish. It has several "gods" fighting and ultimately 1 being sliced into two pieces that divided and created the heavens and the earth. It's very chaotic and God's truth (as contained in the Biblical Creation Account) shows order, power, and control.

Other theologians believe in a literal 6-day creation (the 7th day was for rest). It took exactly six, 24-hour days for the Earth to come into existence. Fossils, carbon dating, etc can be attributed for by either God creating the Earth slightly aged (which they say would make sense as the Garden of Eden wouldn't have started out with nothing but seeds), or the impact of Noah's flood which would have caused extreme damage and ageing to the Earth.

Some theologians also believe that each day of creation does not represent 24 hours (as the sun and stars weren't even created until day 4 they will argue), but rather each day represents thousands of years. As Moses says in his only Psalm, "For a thousand years in your sight is like a day" (90:4).

I'll let people way smarter than I am determine which one of these are true, and although I have a belief on which one it is, that is not the point of today's post. All this was to lead into the one thing we can know about how God created the world (what method He used). As God, He could have waved a magic wand, spit, breathed, or even just thought the world into existence. But let's look at how he decided to do it...

And God said (וַיֹּאמֶר --- my Hebrew coming in handy!), "Let there be"...

Out of all the ways God could have created the world, He chose to create it by speaking! Why is that important? Well, come back next week and we'll take a closer look...

What's Up Wednesday --- November 12th

1) This week is Janet's birthday (Jen's Mom)...look for a post about her on Family/Friend Friday!
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2) It's been a hard week at work...with a loss in endowment (because of the stock market), lower enrollment, lower retention, overspending, etc --- 52 people lost their jobs here yesterday and everyone else had to take a pay cut ranging from 3% to 6%.
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3) We are getting very excited for next weekend's FOCUS retreat. I will be teaching 4 sessions that are about 2 hours each. I am finished with 2 of the 4 (the hard ones!), and the others should fall into place this weekend. This retreat is always a highlight of the year as it is time away with God as well as old friends.
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4) This weekend will be busy. I am going to an eschatology (end times) seminar on Saturday as well as a party for our class at church. We call it "Thanksmas" as we combine Thanksgiving and Christmas. We'll have a Thanksgiving meal and then open some gag gifts together. On Sunday, I'll be going to the detention home as usual. Last week we had a great discussion!

Time Warp Tuesday --- The Shot Heard Round Pittsburgh

There is a plaque on my wall in my office that was given to me by my aunt Rose Marie that reminds me that something special happened on November 11th, 1999...exactly 9 years ago (but that still isn't the most popular item in my office...more about that later this week)! The city of Pittsburgh (where I was living) had unusually warm weather that day (very similar to the warm weather we had last week)...so some friends and I decided to hit the local golf course. To appreciate the story and the moment, you have to know a little bit about the people who went that day:

Steve --- My roommate at the time. We had just moved in together a few months before and he loved my little putting machine (although he never golfed on a real course before). So this was his first day to ever play. It was very evident on the first hole when someone asked him to mark his ball (to put something flat down like a coin so it doesn't interfere with someone else's putt) and when he was told it meant to pick up his ball and put something in its place, he picked up his ball and set down his car keys. Steve could always hit his 5-wood perfectly straight, 120 yards. Unfortunately it takes him 5-6 shots to get to his "sweet spot" of 120 yards away.

Eric "Dice" Miller --- Our next door neighbor from "Bawston". We loved his signature line of, "You've gawt to golf early so your ball can break the moornin dew". We called him "Dice" in comparison to Andrew Dice Clay, the comedian who loves to let the 4-letter swear words fly...and Eric had the Boston 4-letter words down pretty well! It was funny the day we talked him into going to church with us...he threw on his Budweiser T-shirt and sat in the very front row. I also remember on a slow day of golf when he drove his ball on a par 3 when the group ahead of us was still on the green...Eric's ball bounced right through the guy's legs (he had his back to us) which started a swearing and shouting match that almost resulted in a fight. Don't get me wrong though, Eric was a GREAT guy and we always enjoyed spending time with him --- although I will never tell the story of the time we were on the radio together!

Zolton --- I know very little about Zolton other than he worked with Steve. He was from another country, but I don't remember where??? He had a very strong accent and I remember eating with him at the Lube and he got the suicide wings. With a beet red face and sweat pouring down, he kept saying, "Deez are goowd, Deez are goowd!". From what I understand, when Steve talks to Zolton, he still mentions what happened 9 years ago...

We were walking around the course having a good time. For how nice the weather was, it wasn't very crowded (although there were some people behind us). We walked up to a par-4 which was only 259 yards (most par 4's range from 280-400 yards). So I knew if I could really get ahold of my ball, I could get it on the green.

When my turn came, I gave it a good smack, and knew that it would make the green. It bounced up on and started curving toward the hole. I figured there is no way to get a hole-in-one on a par 4 as it is next to impossible to get one on a par 3. But much to my amazement (and obviously a ton of luck), the ball dropped into the hole! That set off the following events:

Me --- I ran a "victory lap" to nowhere. I don't really remember much other than I was excited and running in circles and felt like the guy in Chariots of Fire.

Eric --- "Holy @#%! I don't &$^#*% believe the *#&%)$_# ball just went into the &#$*@! hole!!!

Zolton --- "Holwee Cowl" "Holwee Cowl" "Holwee Cowl"

And to put a damper on the party...

Steve --- "I don't get it...is that something that doesn't happen very often?"

Magical Monday --- A Bag of Crap

A couple months ago, I became a fan of Woot, a website that sells electronics at very discounted prices (http://www.woot.com). It lists only 1 product per day (starting at midnight), and it gets frustrating because I don't stay up that late and if it is a "great deal", the product is sold out by the time I check first thing in the morning (some items sell out within 10 seconds!).

Every few months they have whats called a "woot off day" where they sell more than 1 product in a day at even a higher discounted price. They put on one item after another until it sells out (ranging from 2 seconds up to 1 hour). You can download a little alarm that goes off when a product sells out to warn you a new item is coming. On a "woot off day" a few months ago we were able to buy a recordable DVD player that sells on Amazon for $250 for only $35 and a leather Nike ipod case that sells on Amazon for $30 for $0.99 for 2!

All this brings me to the point of one item they sell. It's called a "Bag of Crap". Basically they are trying to clean out all the "leftovers" from items that never sold out. People have gotten boxes full of ipods, computers, big screen TV's, while others have gotten random wires and junk. A "Bag of Crap" is only $0.99 so it is worth the risk...however it sells out immediately (less than 2 seconds) cause everyone wants one. Well, last "woot off day", my alarm went off and the "Bag of Crap" showed up and I immediately hit the "buy" button and was able to get one! As I tracked the package while it was being shipped, it was taking several days as it went slowly from state to state. Well, I had visions of my shipment being on an "Oversize Load" truck with police escorts. Jen and I were excited when it finally showed up on Friday. So what was it?...check it out...

Family/Friend Friday --- The Closet

I was going through old posts to see who I haven't said much about on Fridays, and one that stuck out was my sister Dana (pictured above with her family). Her name gets mentioned a lot around here as she bought me a "Talking Jesus" and people love to come into my office and get the "Word for the Day" from Jesus. He is currently on one of my office tables with arms straight in the air (signaling a TD) in honor of football season. There is only one thing more popular in my office (given to me by another family member) that I will tell you about next week.

Growing up, my sister had the bedroom in the house with no closet. So she kept many of her clothes in the closet in my bedroom. With the "80's hair", she required a lot more time to get ready than I did. So every morning, she would walk in my room, wake me up by turning on my light, and stand in front of the closet. And when I say "stand", I mean she would just stand there and stand there and stand there and...it took her forever to decide what to wear. I thought that was pretty abnormal, but I married someone who is the same way (go figure). I would get mad and turn out the light...she would get mad and turn it back on. I would slam the closet door on her and she'd start yelling. This happened every morning! Why we just didn't switch rooms, I'll never know --- ok, maybe it is due to the fact that I stapled baseball cards (all 4 corners of each individual card) to every square inch of my door, or that I had written in marker the name and phone number of everyone I knew on my wall, or that my room was covered with nailed up "Nintendo tournaments" I had with my friends, etc, etc, etc --- in any case....nobody wanted my room!

So one morning I hear my sister's alarm go off and I felt pretty awake. I got out of bed and stuffed some pillows and blankets in my place to make it look like I was still in bed. Then I went into the closet and waited for my sister to come do her 20-minute, "What will I wear today" routine so I could jump out and scare her. Well at some point during my waiting, I fell back asleep in the closet. To make matters worse, for some reason, Dana never came over that morning (she must have picked out her clothes the night before...why didn't she do that every night???). So about 10 minutes before I had to be at school my mom is knocking on the door wondering where I am at.

Obviously I was a little late for school that day. When I arrived my teacher asked why I was late. I said, "Oh, I was trying to scare my sister". He said, "Ok, it's nice to hear a good excuse every so often...I like that one".

Theological Thursday --- A New President

Well, the elections are over and we have a new president. I am sure many of you are happy and many of you are very upset with the new choice of leaders. But as we discussed in my blog post Tuesday, leaders are only in place and only have power because God in His perfect sovereignty has allowed it (John 19:11, Romans 13:1). So it is ok to disagree with policies, ideas, etc from our new president, but to complain about the president is to complain about God. I tend to believe that God knows what He is doing and doesn't need my help! So what should we do as Christians? What we should ALWAYS do --- PRAY! (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

Can you imagine the difference we could make if we would spend as much time praying as we do complaining? And now, more than ever, we need to pray! So what should we pray for? Well, 3 things stick out in my mind:

1) President Obama --- In his heart, man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps (Proverbs 16:9). Pray for the Lord's hand to be very evident in his life. We know (based on past voting records) that he has supported things that go directly against God's Word. But we also know that God can use him in any way that pleases Him...so pray that God's glory would be known throughout our nation because of God working through Obama. Remember what God did with Saul (who later became Paul)? If not, read Acts 9 --- don't you think God could do the same to Obama if He chooses?

2) Obama's Decisions --- The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision comes from the Lord (Proverbs 16:33). Obama is currently putting together his cabinet and the men and women who will have a huge influence on him as president. Pray that he (under the sovereignty of God) would make wise godly decisions and surround himself with believers who fear the Lord. Also pray for God's truth to win out on moral issues of abortion, marriage, etc.

3) Our Decisions --- Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Pray that Christians everywhere would get there house and life in order (from an e-mail from Jen's dad yesterday!). Pray that we would choose to trust God in all things. Pray that we would stand firm like Joshua who chose to trust in God when things got tough and the easy thing to do would be giving in with the others (Numbers 13). Pray that we would always stand for truth and not compromise.

So again, I think it is very safe to say that Obama is not the end of the world (unless that is God's plan), nor is he the perfect man. He's got a very tough road ahead of him so instead of complaining about God's choice let's unite in prayer, get our own lives in order, and be living sacrifices for Him (Romans 12:1).

What's Up Wednesday --- November 5th

1) I have my second big test tonight in Hebrew. Now that I have been to about 1/2 of the classes, I am semi caught up, but still a little lost! Look at the chart above and see how hard it is to tell the difference between the dalet vs. res and the he vs. het (especially when they are hand-written!).
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2) These next 2 weekends are free (other than the usual Sunday School, Church, Detention Home)...and we are definitely looking forward to it as beginning in 2-weeks until the New Year we will be overwhelmingly busy and traveling. So this is our calm before the storm! I am using most of this time to prepare for a retreat I will be leading back in PA in a few weeks (I have to prepare for 4 sessions...about 2 hours each).
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3) Elders meeting is tonight (I'll be heading over as soon as I get done with my test). We usually go until around 10:30 or 11:00, but I am hoping to get out early as I am tired from watching the elections last night!
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4) The wedding reception for Jen's brother went really well back in PA over the weekend. I got to be the "MC" for the event (only for about a 5 minute speech), but I told his wife Kerby that as the newest member of the family, she can do these little jobs from now on!

Time Warp Tuesday --- Who Would Jesus Vote For?

Well, today is finally election day (and my mailbox will be far less stuffed!), and I have been reflecting on the question, "If Jesus were here on Earth today, who would He vote for?" We can narrow the question down to just a few choices:

1) Jesus would not vote but want us to vote

2) Jesus would not vote and would not want us to vote

3) Jesus would vote for McCain

4) Jesus would vote for Obama

5) Jesus would write someone in

Well, I think we can immediately eliminate #1. The Gospels clearly show us that every time Jesus asks us to do something, He does it as well. Things like loving others, obeying the Father, paying taxes, being Baptized, etc, etc, etc...if Jesus said it, He did it. So if He would want us to vote, He would vote as well.

Taking a look at choice #2, it helps to look into the politics of Jesus' day. He lived in a society where the government was FAR worse than ours. Unfair taxes, death for disobedience, oppression, etc was the norm for His day. Even as the King of Kings (who could have changed things in an instant if He wanted to), His only stance on politics was, "Obey and pay your taxes". However, Jesus did not have the opportunity to vote since the government back then was a far cry from a democracy. Jesus always took advantage of opportunities in His society such as speaking in the synagogues, teaching in public squares, and being involved in daily life, and as part of that, I believe He would have seen voting as a privilege and a way that we can honor God.

So if Jesus would vote today, who would He vote for? Well, I think it is pretty clear that He wouldn't expect perfection. After all, in choosing His closest followers He picked (among others), a traitor (Judas), the uneducated (Peter and Andrew), the governmental terrorist (Simon the Zealot) and the cheat (Matthew the tax collector). In the Old Testament, God used murderers (Moses) and adulterers (David). So perfection isn't the standard here.

I also don't think Jesus would be a "single issue voter". You hear people today say Christians should vote for the person against gay marriage, or the one that will take care of the poor, or the one that will give to faith-based programs, etc, etc, etc. I think He (and we should as well) look at all the policies of each candidate and determine which one would bring the most glory to God. The only Scriptural warning I would give is when Jesus tells us to "feed the hungry, clothe the naked, take care of the poor, etc", He uses a 2nd person singular verb in the Greek. That means YOU (personally) are responsible for taking care of these things, and not leaving it up to or expecting the government to handle them for you.

No matter who wins, take heart that He is in TOTAL CONTROL. Jesus told Pilate, "You only have control over me because it was given to you from above" (Jn 19:11). Romans 13:1 also teaches that there are "no authorities except that which God had established". So even though I will not tell you which candidate I believe comes closest to aligning with God's Kingdom, I do encourage you to use your privilege of voting today. So let's take part in being used by God to put into place His choice...look at all the issues, spend some time in prayer, and vote for the best AmeriCain.