relevance

Hip-Hop artist shai linne from LampMode Recordings had this quote posted on his blog that I found very interesting and thought provoking. Read it, ponder it, and give me your thoughts.

"Being relevant should lead to more of an offense, not less of one. Relevance assumes clarity...clarity for an offensive message."

grace & peace

the 15th, Brisk, Leaves, Mr. October, and Brews

Here are some of the reasons why October is my favorite month of the year!

* My beautiful brides' birthday (October 15)
* Weather turns brisk and cold.
* Leaves begin to change and fall.
* Playoff baseball
AND
* Oktoberfest Brews

Jayhawk football VS. Jayhawk basketball

Not quite sure if you've heard in the news about the fist fight between players from the KU football team and the KU basketball team. All the articles I've read so far have been extremely vague on the issues revolving around the fight and in my opinion completely over hyped. All I know is that it had to do with a girl and Tyshawn Taylor (sophomore guard for the Jayhawks) broke his thumb punching somebody (I guess he didn't know that you are not supposed to close your hand over your thumb). However, come on gentlemen, this is the kind of stuff that happens at the U (University of Miami) and it can't be a good start for your run to return to the Final Four and hopeful National Championship!

Worthy of Passing Gehrig

At Yankee Stadium on Friday night, Derek Jeter passed Lou Gehrig and became the all-time hit leader in Yankee history. His 2, 722 hits in a Yankee uniform was done with class and professionalism. I am in no way a Yankee fan but I am also not a Yankee hater either. I respect them as an organization and love their history...one that is unbridled by any other organization.

I really enjoy reading biographies on baseball players. I have read about Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Joe DiMaggio, and am currently reading about Leroy "Satchel" Paige. But one of the best biographies I have read is of Lou Gehrig called "The Luckiest Man". Lou was an incredible figure in baseball history as well as a great family man. Though I obviously wasn't around during Lou's playing days, since reading his biography Lou Gehrig has become one of my favorite baseball players in baseball history (if you are allowed to have a favorite player of whom you've never seen play).

When Derek Jeter came to the Major Leagues in 1996 he quickly caught my attention. Growing up I always had a fond liking of shortstops and 2nd basemen. One of my favorite ballplayers growing up was Ryne Sandberg and his doubleplay mate Shawon Dunston. As a shortstop myself, it was only natural for me to take a liking to Derek Jeter. In high school I bought a #2 Yankee jersey (which I wish I still had) and began following Jeter as a player. I have been impressed with his style of play throughout his career. He has always been solid statiscally and has always proven himself to be a guy who hustled and played as team player. I respect that in a baseball player above anything else.

So as Derek Jeter stands alone atop a great list of New York Yankees as the all-time hit leader, I cannot think of anyone more worthy of passing a worthy man himself, who said while facing his dying ailment, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth"

Scripture memorization with my bride

My wife and I have been working through memorizing Scripture together over the past couple months. The passage that we chose to commit to memory is Romans 8:26-39. It has been a very rich and rewarding discipline for us as we sense us growing closer to together as well as in our walk with the LORD. The following is my recitation of Romans 8:26-39 (I promise that I am not copying it)

Romans 8:26-39 (ESV)

"Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined, He also called, and those whom He called, He also justified, and those whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, with Him, graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charges against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died, more than that, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who is indeed interceding for us? Who shall separate from the love of the Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or sword? As it is written, 'for your sake we are being killed all the day long, we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any thing else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Amen and Amen

somewhere in middle America

It has been over two months since my last post.

Could it really be possible that I have nothing to say? Hmm. Thinking..... What has happened in the last two months of my life...............................................................................?

Oh yeah, my wife and I moved to Omaha, NE where we will reside for the time being. Omaha is the city where my wife grew up. Omaha is the city where her parents live. It is the city where I got married. It is home of the College World Series, Omaha Steaks, and Mutual of Omaha. It is somewhere in middle America. I never thought that I would call it my home.

It's a good place to be!

simplicity of a game

I recently visited Cooperstown, NY to take in the history of America's Pasttime. As I walked through the halls of the musuem and read about ballplayers and teams that brought the game to the next level, I was awestruck at the sheer simplicity of the game of baseball. From sandlots, to alleys, Major League stadiums, to little leauge fields, the US, to the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Japan, the sights, sounds, and smells are all the same and it all breathes simplicty. From the crack of the bat to the ball smacking into the leather, from the laughter of children to the STRIKE! call of the umpire, from the aroma of popcorn and hot dogs in the stands, to the spit and grime of sunflowers in the dugout, it is all the same and it all gives life to the game of baseball.

Two Amazing Words!

"Preferring anything above Christ is the very essence of sin." -john piper from When I Don't Desire God.

O how all too often I prefer things above Christ. I prefer things that just don't satisfy. I prefer pleasures that leave me feeling empty when, "at God's right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Ps. 16:11).

This morning I read Exodus 32 and the account of the golden calf. I was struck by the abrasiveness of the act of idolatry. Not only did Aaron and the people of Israel worship this idol but they attributed it as 'the god who brought them out of the land Egypt' (32:4). Throughout Exodus & Leviticus we read that YHWH establishes His relationship with the people of Israel by declaring that He was the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt (Ex. 20:2, Lev. 22:32-33, Lev. 25:38, 42, 55, Lev. 26:13). In fact, when YHWH establishes His commandments for the people of Israel He establishes them on the very basis of His person (who He is) and His redemption (what He has done)..."I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Ex. 20:2). Why should you obey and follow these commandments? Because I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!

Though I considered this act in Ex. 32 abrasive and cold-hearted, I must look inward and see how I am led astray by my desires and pleasures that are plugged into false vines. In the very same way that the people of Israel said that the golden calf was the god who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so I, when I sin, declare that Christ is not enough for me at this moment. O how wretched I am!

"BUT GOD....being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ"! (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Thanks be to God for the two words, "but God".
In these two words there is:
freedom
deliverance
power
grace!

BUT GOD

More than gold

The law of YHWH is perfect [blameless],

reviving the soul;

The testimony of YHWH is sure,

making wise the simple

The precepts of YHWH are right,

rejoicing the heart

The commandment of YHWH is pure,

enlightening the eyes

The fear of YHWH is clean,

enduring forever

The rules [just decrees] of YHWH are true and righteous altogether;

more to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold

sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

by them is your servant warned and in keeping them there is great reward.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight

O YHWH, my Rock and my Redeemer!

-Psalm 19:7-11, 14

May my mouth speak

I will extol You, my God and King, and bless Your name forever and ever.
Everyday I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of the might of Your awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of Your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The LORD is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made.

All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, and all Your saints shall bless You!
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and tell of Your power, to make known to the children of man Your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your domain endures throughout all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works.
The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season.
You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works.
The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them.
The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.

-Psalm 145

Convicting, challenging, questioning, revealing

I just finished a book by Brian McLaren entitled "Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope". The book was very compelling and often convicting. I can't say that I agreed with everything that Brian talked about, but truthfully, I'm not necessarily sure that you should agree with everything you read, but that's neither here nor there. My purpose of this post isn't to dissect the book or even write a review on it as I am still processing a lot of it's contents. There are two things that stuck with me over these past two days that I have been contemplating and mulling over. They are both quotations from the book that recently I found very convicting, challenging, questioning, and revealing to how I look at my faith.

"Sadly, in too many quarters we continue to reduce the scope of the gospel to the individual soul and the nuclear family, framing it in a comfortable, personalized format--it's all about personal devotions, personal holiness, and a personal Savior. This domesticated gospel will neither rock any boats nor step out of them into stormy waters. We have in many ways responded to the big global crises of our day with an incredible, shrinking gospel. The world has said, 'No thanks.'" Everything Must Change, ch. 28 p. 244



"Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness and pride of power and with its plea for the weak. Christians are doing too little to make these points clear rather than too much. Christendom adjusts itself far too easily to the worship of power. Christians should give more offense, shock the world far more, than they are doing now. Christians should take a stronger stand in favor of the weak rather than considering first the possible right of the strong." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a sermon on 2 Cor. 12:9

poem

My brother (who finds things that he deems important and writes them here) gave me a book for Christmas which is a collection of poems and writings from a young, emo, punk kid named Bradley Hathaway. Along with the book came a 14-track CD of Bradley performing his poems. The book is actually very enlightening but I enjoy listening to the poems. Since I don't claim to have any type of poetic ability I wanted to share a particular poem that sort of met me where I was at this particular day....

"The Celebration Wedding"

This is for the ones whose HOPE is falling

And you no longer hear your Savior's calling.

This is for the ones whose BACKS are turning and that Passion-filled HEART you once had has stopped burning.

This is for the ones ABANDONED
Now all alone with no solace
and you think that you're STRANDED.

This is for the EMPTY, by life branded
that Had a vision that took leap
but it never landed.

THIS IS FOR the ones who are PLAGUED by those mysteries in life
And you feel Torn inside by this mind and spirit strife.

This is for the ones whose desire to do good is ALWAYS OUTWEIGHED and you don't do as you should.

This is for the ones whose mistakes are too many to count and the GUILT on your chest just continues to mount.

This is for the ones who've been done wrong by SINS
At the coRRuPTed hands of perverted men.

HOLD ON.
HOLD ON.

BECAUSE SOON WILL COME THAT CELEBRATION WEDDING
AND BUNDLES OF RESTORATION WILL BE OUR BEDDING.

SOON WILL COME THE CELEBRATION WEDDING
AND BUNDLES OF RESTORATION WILL BE OUR BEDDING.

The TRUMPETER is taking a breath
The GUESTS are taking their seats

The BRIDE is putting on a veil

The FATHER is making last-minute preparations

there's TEN THOUSAND time TEN THOUSAND ANGELS waiting in HOLY Expectation

The readied GROOM is ready

SOON WILL COME THE CELEBRATION WEDDING

If you are hurting, your hurt will cease.

If you are restless, you will find peace.

If you are empty, you will be filled.

All of these doubts and questions they'll be stilled.

If LIFE for you is just too trying, your tears will dissipate.
There won't be anymore crying.

If the ONLY thing you know is shame
you will be CLEANSED
and never again feel the same

If you can't see straight

FOCUS,
persevere,
and wait...

SOON WILL COME

THAT CELEBRATION WEDDING
and bundles of
COMPLETE RESTORATION will be our bedding.

-Bradley Hathaway

the sport that I love

My favorite sport is baseball. I love playing it (though rarely these days), watching it (Fox Saturday baseball), listening to it (Pat Hughes and Ron Santo), and of course, going to the ballpark to take in the sights (ivy on the wall, sun up in the sky..), the sounds (crack of the bat hitting the ball), and the smells (hot dogs and beer). Recently however, my attitude towards the game of baseball has been tainted by the Major Leaguers who feel the need to use performance enhancing drugs to get an upper hand. This has been very discouraging to me because not only am I big fan of the sport itself, I am a big fan of Major League Baseball. The recent breaking news that Sports Illustrated released of Alex Rodriguez testing positive in 2003 was a huge shock to me. Not only did I happen to think A-Rod was a great player, but I even pulled for him to be the one to break Hank Aaron's (notice how I don't even mention Barry Bonds) HR record. After Bonds surpassed Hank Aaron on the record sheet with a big asterisk next to his name, Alex Rodriquez was supposed to be the guy who was going to clean up the sacred record by surpassing Bonds. Now, it looks as though his numbers are tainted and that is very frustrating as a fan. Not only is Alex Rodriguez named in this news release but there are 103 other Major Leaguers who tested positive as well. How in the world do I continue to support this?

Peter Gammons, baseball analyst for ESPN, held an exclusive interview with Alex Rodriguez regarding his postive test of using performance enhancing drugs in 2003. To A-Rod's credit, he has come forward and apologized and I respect that very much. During the interview, A-Rod definitely came across as emotional and genuine and that says a lot to me.

Whether or not A-Rod told the complete truth, I still give him a lot of respect for making the effort of first off, confessing that he used steroids, but also apologizing to the fans. This still doesn't, in my opinion, negate the fact that he 'cheated' but it does clear up any ill feelings I may have towards him. That is something that can't be said for Barry Bonds and Mark McQwire, who continue to deny any use or even "talk about the past", but hopefully they will do some thinking while behind bars to the tune of maybe they should've done what A-Rod did.

But still, I am in a dilemma because it seems as though the game that I love and the league that I love watching has changed. It has changed so much that players are going out of their way to put harmful substances in their bodies just to boost numbers. I think the thing that frustrates me more than anything is that baseball, specifically Bud Selig, knew that this was going on and turned a blind eye to it.

There's still a lot to be uncovered and a lot to be said but right now, at this very instant, I still love the game of baseball and I am hopeful that one day the Major Leagues will get back to being, America's Pasttime. Until then, should I continue to pour so much time and energy into rooting for these guys? I guess, only time will tell.

I've posted a Kansas Basketball update + some thoughts on the game that I love on illreezon. Read it here.

Snow day!

I realized just before writing this entry that this will be my first post of 2009. Wow, where have I been? It's been well over a month since I last blogged. I should have a lot to talk about right? Well, on the contrary. The only thing that is on my mind right now is snow. I received a phone call at about 5:32 this morning letting me know that school was cancelled for Rachel. Though I found it enjoyable to wake her up and let her know this joyous news of a snow day, I am a little jealous for I still have to go into work today.

But as I look out my window the snow truly is beautiful and I am brought to mind the passage in Isaiah 1:18,"though your sins are as scarlet,they shall be white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." I love the imagery that is used. The whiteness that I see out my window is beautiful and pure. The snowflakes glisten on the trees, and the fresh covering of white on the grass is like a blanket.
Oh, how I marvel at the grace of the LORD. From scarlet to snow, from crimson to wool!

Though I have to work today Rachel, enjoy the SNOW day!