Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Rats and Death



My son's rat died a few days ago. The poor thing developed a tumor in her throat and gradually faded away. The last few days were very tough watching her suffer. She finally passed away on Saturday after a very courageous battle for a rodent.
Lem was devastated and had a hard time dealing with his little pet's death. It hurt his mother and me to watch him try to figure out his emotions. He has been strong about it although he has shed many tears over the past couple of days.
Death is a painful part of life. One that was brought about by our own doing. We begin dying the moment we are born. It is a sobering fact of life that one day we will face our own mortality. We as Christians believe there is life after death, but I am convinced that most of us do not really trust that this is true. If we did, would death be as troublesome to us as it is?
It is okay to mourn at the passing of a loved one, but shouldn't we celebrate more? Knowing that they are in the arms of their savior should be a comfort to us. Perhaps we should mourn for the ones left behind, but rejoice and throw a party for the one who passed. I have told my wife over and over that I want my funeral to be a party, full of clowns balloons, and music. Celebrate because your glad I'm gone, or because I am with my Jesus. I don't care the reason, just celebrate!
But I digress. My son has handled the death of his rat well. And although Jasmine was nothing more than a mere rodent, we will all miss her. God bless you ratsky.
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Monday, December 29, 2008

Pastor Terry Hershey

I first was introduced to Terry Hershey back in 1992. He was one of the speakers at the now defunct Jesus Northwest in Vancouver, Washington. He spoke on intimacy and gave one of the best talks I have ever heard. Below is an excerpt from his book "Jesus In Skin". I hope you enjoy it and please check out his website at http://www.terryhershey.com .

"This little boy was having nightmares. You know, the bad kind where you have to go to mama. It's really no use going to dad because he just says, “Go to mama.”
“Mama, mama, I'm having nightmares!”
“It's OK honey. Here's what I want you to do: I want you to go back to your room. I want you to knell down by your bed. I want you to pray to Jesus and he'll fix it.”
“OK, mom.”
He went back to his room, knelt down by his bed, prayed to Jesus, got back in bed and he had more nightmares. All mamas out there, you know this story. Back and forth to mama all night long, six times: “Mama, mama, I'm having nightmares!”
“I know, honey.”
“I know mom. I'm going back to my room. I'm going to kneel down by my bed. I'm going to pray to Jesus and he'll fix it. But before I do that, can I just lay in bed with you and have you hold me?”
“Well, sure honey. Why?”
“Because sometimes, mama, I need Jesus with skin on him!”
I understand where he's coming from. And it reminds me of a story in the Gospel of Matthew. A very strange story actually. Jesus is talking to a large group of people and his mother and brothers come to visit him. And Jesus, who is the PR man's nightmare, says the thing that you don't expect him to say. He pretends he doesn't know his family. He does an amnesia thing: “Who is my mother?” And the disciples are thinking, “Lord have mercy! He's been in the sun too long.” And then Jesus says something extraordinary. He points to the people in the crowd, just the people who there and says, “This is my mother. This is my brother. This is my sister.” If Jesus meant that, it's going to change the way we live, that we are literally linked. Now he's not making some theology about the nuclear family. He's not saying this is the way you treat your mother and brothers and sisters when you go home for Christmas or Thanksgiving. He's saying something more profound and that is this: that if we really are brother and sister then no one, no one is on a faith journey alone. No one.
If that's true, if we really are brother and sister, then it literally changes the way we live. But if it's true, then that means there is going to be some good news and bad news with this which is at least better than the sermons I got when I was a kid. Those sermons were bad news and then more real bad news! But this at least has some good news. But we'll start with the bad news first.
If Jesus meant that, we are really brother and sister, Mother Teresa said it best. She said that one of the reasons we don't have peace in our time is because we have forgotten that we belong to one another. So bad news number one: none of us can make it alone. Now this is bad news because we live in a culture that we pride ourselves in self-sufficiency, self-reliance, we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. When we're flat on our back we shake our fist at the world. We can handle it, thank you very much! I mean even as a country we do this whole “we can do it.” None of us can make it alone.
Bad news number two: if we really are brother and sister, then guess what? We've got to quit keeping score. Now that really is a problem because in this culture our value, our worth, our very identity is predicated on keeping score: what we do, what we produce, what we achieve, what we accomplish, and how busy we are, anything that's newer and faster and more up to date. And then what happens is if our paradigm for our value and worth is keeping score, then we're no longer brother and sister and we see one another as competitor or adversary. And then I spend all of my energy because I'm keeping score, I spend all of my energy putting you down or trying to lift me up. And I use a lot of conversations talking about us and them. The problem is this: if our paradigm is keeping score then we're scared to death to be real with each other, to be ordinary.
There's a great story about a Sunday school class of first graders. The kids were acting up so the teacher tried to settle them down: “Kids, kids, kids, kids, kids!” she said. That's how you can tell you've taught Sunday school too long! “Kids, kids, kids, kids, kids!” She said, “Let's play a game. I'll describe something to you, you tell me what it is. It's a furry little animal with a big bushy tail and it climbs up trees and stores nuts in the winter.” Nobody said anything. She said, “You are a good Sunday school class. You know the right answer to this question. Furry little animal, big bushy tail, climbs up trees and stores nuts in the winter.” Finally one little girl raised her hand. The teacher said, “Emily?” Emily said, “Well teacher that sounds like a squirrel to me but I'll say Jesus!” If we're really brother and sister, a squirrel can just be a squirrel because we have nothing to prove and no one to impress.
Which leads to the third piece of bad news and that is this: if we are really connected, if we are really brother and sister, if we are on this faith journey together then that means we're going to be connected to some people we don't like, people we didn't choose, and people who are different. Here's the extraordinary irony. Some day, because we are brother and sister, someday God's grace will touch you, will touch me through someone I did not choose and someone I least expected. And some day God's grace will touch someone else, some one different through me in a way I did not anticipate.
You see, when I look at that person who is different I need to recognize that God did not put them on this earth for me to change or for me to convict or me to save. God put them here for me to learn from, listen to, to challenge and be challenged by, and to enjoy together this dance called life.
OK. That's the bad news. Now the good news. Three pieces. One: if we really are brother and sister, then we don't need to pretend we've got our act together! We can literally do this: whew! Why? Because if we're brother and sister there is nothing to prove and this is not a race or a contest or a beauty pageant. Which leads to good news number two and three and that is this: we can receive from one another without keeping score and we can give to one another without expecting a pay back.
Where I live in Seattle, there is a program in a town called Bellevue called Buddy ball. Now, Buddy Ball is a program for baseball that mixes able-bodied children with children with disabilities. It was started by an extraordinary woman named Beth Campbell. She started it for her own son who is ten, who was not allowed to play in—and I love the way we say it with kids—he was not allowed to play with “normal children” in Little League. So she started Buddy Ball. He had a variety of disabilities and it's called Buddy Ball because if you can't run, a buddy runs for you. If you can't hit, a buddy hits for you. If you can't throw, a buddy throws for you. You've got to go to a Buddy ball game! It's an extraordinary thing to see a kid in a motorized wheelchair as he gets to go by himself, to see a kid in a motorized wheelchair trying to stretch a double into a triple. It's a hard thing because he raises his hands to cheer. When he does the wheelchair stops. You've never seen such joy. I'm quoting from the Seattle Times now and it said this...oh, I have to say, you have to know the rules of Buddy Ball and one of the rules is it is against the rules to strike out! Once you get six strikes, you automatically get to go to first. I know a lot of you are saying, “Hey, I could have played baseball that way!”
I gave a talk once to some professional psychologists and ministers and I talked about getting six strikes and going to first. And this man was so angry because he got in my face and said, “How dare you teach that kind of freedom to children!” I said, “Sir, you could use more roughage in your diet!” We're scared to death when we live by grace instead of keeping score. And the Seattle Times says this: when that son gets to first, it says he doesn't stop there. It says, but he doesn't go to second either. It says he runs into the crowd and he hugs everybody. And then it goes on to say this: “It is what sports can be. People running and jumping and playing because nobody's keeping score because nobody cares.”
And I say to you, it is what community can be. Some place where we can run and jump and play because at least for a minute or a day we quit keeping score. Why can we do that? Because we know that essentially we are brother and sister, we are connected and we are not ruled by fear and we are not ruled by score. And in the end because we are connected, we can literally be Jesus in skin.

From "Jesus In Skin" by Terry Hershey


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Friday, December 19, 2008

Is Anyone There?


Although I enjoy writing this blog and would continue to do it whether or not anyone reads it; I would like to take roll call and find out if anyone actually does. If you do ever find yourself looking this way could you at least leave a comment and let me know. It would be greatly appreciated.


Merry Christmas.


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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Now You Can Smell Like the "King"



"Burger King has introduced a new cologne that has the fragrance of "flame-broiled" hamburgers. The scent is supposed to really "turn on" the women. Here is a snippet from NBC's Today Show.

The way to a man's heart may be through his stomach, but the way to a woman's heart — according to Burger King — may be through a new meat-scented body spray.
While fast-food chains aren't exactly best known for selling signature
fragrances, on Sunday The Home of the Whopper rolled out a men's body spray called Flame by BK. The 5-ml bottles are available for sale in Ricky's stores in New York City and on a dedicated Web site, firemeetsdesire.com.
If you're salivating for a chance to marinate yourself in flame-broiled flavor, relax: The experience can be yours for just $3.99 — a small price to pay for some seriously mouthwatering mojo. "-Sarika Dani


read the full article here

Would you want to smell like a Burger?
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Why Does He Get Good Press


Chuck Colson recently wrote an article where he discusses the difference between Buddhism's idea of celibacy and Christianity's idea. The funny part of it all is that if a Christian espouse this kind of lifestyle, it is considered old fashioned and out of date. But when the Dalai Lama discusses it, he is saying something profound! here is a slice of what Mr. Colson said in his article.

"A prominent religious leader recently said that sex, however pleasurable it might be in the short run, leads to long-term trouble. He argued that celibacy is the way that leads to “more freedom.”

If you’re thinking that the leader was ridiculed for his comments, think again. The Associated Press described him as “waxing eloquent.” It probably helps that the “him” in question was the Dalai Lama."
...

read the entire article






Thoughts and comments...
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More Memories

In my mind, we had only lived in our new little apartment for just a short time. But frankly, I really don't know how long we had lived there when this next event happened.


One of my favorite memories of being younger, was my mom reading to me every night. I loved books from an early age and wanted her to constantly read to me. She read to me on a nightly basis, although sometimes reluctantly.

On one particularly occasion my mother was reading to me my favorite book-"The Ginger Bread Man". We were sitting on the couch cuddled next to each other. We were about half way through the book when something strange began to happen. My mom stopped reading and was silent for a small period of time. I looked up at her and it seemed to my four year old mind that she was going to sneeze. She motioned (at least that's how I interpreted it) for me to move away. I stood up from the couch and watched my mom fall down on the cushions as she began to convulse. Her eyes rolled back into her head, she foamed at the mouth and made low growling sounds.

As a small child, alone and watching strange things happen to my mom, I was scared beyond belief. I didn't know what to do! There was a wall dividing the dining room from the living room. Not knowing what else to do, I ran to the other side of the wall and cried as I listened to my mom lying on the couch having convulsions.

Although it seemed like an eternity, it was more than likely just a few minutes. My mother came to after coming out of her seizure. She was disoriented and could barely hold an intelligible conversation. She asked me what had happened and I told her as well as a 4-year old vocabulary could muster. She hugged me and said we should get ready for bed....

(to be continued)
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Here is an interesting video about calling in "gay" to work. I guess it is their way of protesting the passing of proposition 8 in California. My question is, if you call in "gay" to work are you admitting that it is a sickness....Just a thought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynd30mghrVM&eurl=http://news.google.com/nwshp?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&feature=player_embedded
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Reflections on the Past

Recently I have been blogging about my experiences at the Christian bookstore. I think I will take a break from that subject and concentrate on some of my memories from when I was a child...



I was the product of a marriage that lasted less than two years. I was born in Bozeman, MT in 1974 and less than a year later, my mom and dad seperated and consequently divorced. Due to some physical ailments my mom suffered from, my grandparents, who were living in Idaho Falls, ID, took the trip up to Bozeman and moved my mom and I down to Idaho.



We were able to find a little studio apartment in what some call "the hood" in I.F. Now, of course, this neighborhood was nothing like living in South Central L.A., but it was bad enough. Auto theft, murder, and drug pushing were the norm in my apartment alone!



A few years later we were able to move into the little house that was located behind our current apartment. It was a tiny one bedroom converted garage. It was constructed completely of cinder blocks and was deathly cold in the winter. The only heating apparatus was an old style gas furnace that was stationed right in the center of the house. Consequently, only about a 10 foot radius ever was sufficiently heated. The place was small, cold, and located in a run down part of town. But we considered it home and stayed there for six years.
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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Sick Kids

My daughter is very sick today. It breaks my heart to see something so delicate, so ill. She woke up with a very high temperature, sore throat, and a slight cough. She has no voice (i wish Keenan suffered from this problem). She can barely squeak out what she needs.
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Friday, December 5, 2008

Christian Bookstores Part 3

On a particular occasion, the soda fountain was "hoppin". We had every table full and a family just walking in the door. This family was rather upstanding in the community as they ran a chiropractic clinic. The family sat at the bar and began to order sandwiches for the whole group. Now, you need to understand that this family was not your typical 2.5 kids. Because of my location, the average size of a family is much larger. This group consisted of six kids and of course both parents were there as well.

I took the orders and began to systematically tackle the awesome task of making all the sandwiches at the same time. The goal, obviously, was serve all the sandwiches without much delay between them.

Before starting the other sandwiches I decided to make the grilled cheese sandwich for the mom and get it cooking. The other sandwiches did not need to be cooked and would not take as long. I plugged in the electric fry pan and began spreading mayonnaise on the others. After a few minutes I went back to the pan to check the temperature, and realized that I had failed to turn it on after plugging it in. I grunted just a little bit realizing my mistake, turned it on and proceeded to build my other michaelangelos.

A few minutes later the pan was ready to warmly caress the bottom of the first slice of bread. I carefully and lovingly laid the slice down and and layered it with a tasty piece of Cheddar cheese. I turned away to finish up the other sandwiches that were waiting to become masterpieces in their own right.

Fifteen minutes after starting all of the meals for this fine family, I finished seven of the eight sandwiches. I suddenly realized that the grilled cheese sandwich was still simmering away in the electric fry pan. I rushed over to see what kind of disaster awaited. I picked up the sandwich to discover that the bread was as black as night. After contemplating for a fraction of a second to just scrape the burnt crust off and serve it, I thought that perhaps this was not the best customer service and changed my mind quite quickly. I hastily tossed another piece of bread with a slice of cheese on the the grill and went to apologize to the mother for the length of time she was having to wait for a measly grilled cheese sandwich.

Five minutes later, it was time to serve the sandwich and be done with this family and this sandwich that was proving to difficult to get from pan to person. I grabbed a spatula to transport the sandwich from pan to plate....I didn't quite make it to the plate. The sandwich slipped off the spat and when "splat" on the floor. I was in shock. It had taken twenty minutes to get to this point and now, once again, I had to start from scratch.

I once again apologized to the mother (who was only sitting three feet from this fiasco) and began to try to make her another one. I put the sandwich on the grill, made sure the pan was on, carefully watched it so it wouldn't burn, and then delicately put the sandwich on the plate and daintily handed the mother her sandwich. almost thirty minutes after starting her tiny little grilled cheese sandwich, I finished. She was very considerate and did not have a bad word to say. I gave the sandwich to her for free.

There were many other fun experiences at the soda fountain like counting out $5 worth of penny candy, cutting my finger on an egg shell, spilling milkshakes on people, giving a person a banana split and forgetting the banana, and cutting my hand wide open while making a sandwich in front of the sandwich owner.

next time; part 4 of Xian bookstores.
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Thursday, December 4, 2008

Christian Bookstores Part 2


The little bookstore opened its doors in June of 1995. It opened to some fanfare. It was located in an historic building in the center of Idaho Falls that had been the home to a drugstore and soda fountain for over 30 years. We tried to keep some of the charm of the place, the most obvious one being the soda fountain. The front of the store would sell the books, the center consisted of the music and gift sections. While the back would host the soda fountain with local ice cream, sandwiches made fresh and of course our huge shakes for a buck fifty. We even had to know the old soda fountain terminology like "mud", "chocolate cow" etc. It really was a nifty place with a lot of nostalgia for those of the baby-boomer generation especially.

tomorrow...stories from the soda fountain....
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Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Christian Bookstores Part 1

In the mid 90's I had the privilege of working in a Christian bookstore here in Idaho Falls. It was a local "mom and pop" bookstore run by some fantastic people that became near and dear to my heart.

When I first heard that the bookstore was about to open, I was truly excited. The only other Christian bookstore we had in town was run by a crotchety old man that cussed all the time and complained about all the "damned" kids that would come in and run around in his store. I really wanted to work at this new bookstore but did not know how to get a hold of the owners. So, I went up to the store and slipped a note under the door telling them about my qualifications. Those consisted of having incredibly useless knowledge of about every kind of Christian music one could imagine.

After a couple of weeks went by, I became convinced that I would never hear from and thus ending my thought of landing my dream job. Not a day later, I received a call from the owner who wanted to give me an interview! I was ecstatic, thrilled, and determined to land this job.

After another agonizing couple of weeks, the owner called me up and extended an offer for a job. They were looking for someone who about music and someone they could train up to be an assistant manager. He thought I fit the bill well enough and he wanted to give my a chance. I could barely contain my excitement. I couldn't wait to start. I promised him that he had made the right decision and I would be a person he could count on.
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Monday, December 1, 2008

Update

This weekend was very trying. The co-worker that I talked about in the last post killed himself on Friday evening. I am full of emotions that are proving hard to sort out. They range from sadness to anger to confusion as to how this could happen. I am going to the funeral tomorrow which will not be fun. Funerals are never fun, but when they are conducted by a certain religion, they are truly aweful.

Please pray for his family and especially for his four beautiful children that he left behind.
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Monday, November 17, 2008

Why Does God Use Losers?

This weekend was an interesting one for me. I have a friend at work that is going through an incredibly hard time in his life. He has lost his business, his house, and now his wife wants a seperation. He is devestated and distraught. On Friday night he confided in me that he almost comitted suicide last Sunday. With all that is going on in his life and the lack of sleep that comes from working two full time jobs, he was unhinged mentally.

He has only known me for six months and we only know each other through work. But, for some reason he chose me to confide in. Instead of going to his church or his close friends, he asked me for advice. I was stunned and completely at a loss for words. All I could think of was to grab him and step into the beer isle (we were at work) and begin to pray for him. I don't know what was stirred in the supernatural, but I am glad I let the flesh fall aside for once and let God give the advice.

Things did not miraculously change that night for him. He did not get his house back, his business wasn't restored, and his wife has not come back yet. In fact, things between him and his wife have gotten worse. But I have to believe that things were at least started in the spiritual realm and God has sent his angels to do battle.

Why did my friend choose me to talk to? Why did God choose to put me in this place at this time? I hate my job. I hate who I am. I am not a good Christian. I am not a good example. I know Jesus uses losers all the time. That is humbling. I don't think he should be able to use me, but I want to be ready when he does.

Please pray for my friend.
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Friday, November 7, 2008

Congratulations Billy Graham for your 90th birthday. You have been used by God in mighty ways. You have touched many peoples lives and have advanced the Kingdom of God.

If you haven't read the book Master Plan of Evangelism, please find a copy and read it. It is great book explaining how we can change the world in just a few years. Just by leading one person in the salvation prayer once a year, exponentially the whole world could hear about Jesus in just a few years.

Billy Graham has been a wonderful evangelist. But you and I can affect more people in a shorter time if we all truly felt the call of the Great Commission.
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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Images




This is the picture I was talking about in the last blog entry. This, for those of you who don't know is Che Guevera. He was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary who was friends with Fidel Castro. And of course the cult of personality followed him around as well.




This is the image I saw on peoples t-shirts and banners. The imagry is striking.

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Thoughts on the Election

I watched the election on Tuesday night knowing the inevitable was about to happen. The candidate that I did not personally vote for was nominated as the president-elect.

Just like everyone else, I am excited that the dream that Martin had came to fruition just a few short decades after the turbulent 60's. We have went from blacks not even able to use the same water fountain in some parts of the country, to a black man being elected to the highest office in the land. It was an exciting thing to be able to turn to my children and say that no matter what their background, they can be anything they want to be in this great country. I applaud Senator Obama for his tremendous victory on Tuesday.

Now, having said that, there are many things that concern me about what I have witnessed the past few days after the election. I have so many thoughts rolling around in my very tired brain that I am not sure if I will be able to share them effectively. I know for a fact that I won't be able to do it eloquently. Please bare with me as you read on.

When it became clear that Obama would be the winner of the election, people began to celebrate in a way that I have never seen in my short life. I have only been alive during the terms of 6 presidents, and only 4 that I am old enough to remember. Even when the victory was so overwhelming when Reagan was re-elected, I never remember celebrations of the variety witnessed on Tuesday night. There were people from coast to coast, raught with excitement, demonstrating their emotion as if their favorite sports team had just won the championship, or as if we had won some sort of war. The raw emotion that I saw on many black faces discouraged me. Not becuase of the accomplishment of a black man being elected to the WhiteHouse, but because it became apparent that many people voted for him (whites included) based on the color of his skin. Now you may call me racist or ignorant or whatever, but to vote for somebody (or not vote) based on the color of his skin, is one of the shallowest things I can think of. How is the melanin a qualification for intelligence or lack thereof? Why to this day does it govern how we act or react to situations? People are cheering that this election proves that racism is dead or dying in our country. I propose that it is alive and well. It is just manifesting itself in a different way.
Another disturbing image was the banners and shirts I noticed that had the face of Obama embelished by multiple colors. He had this Stalin-esque or perhaps Che Gueverra like pose to him and it seemed as if there was perhaps some sort of cultish worship happening. Obama is an engaging man and can be someone who can inspire leadership. But does that make him a good leader? Some of the most engaging leaders in history have been evil dicators who killed millions of people. Some of these leaders are infamous...Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Castro, Pol Pot just to name a few. And on the reverse side of this, many of the greatest leaders were meak and mild in nature. Lincoln, Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Theresa. The cult of personality reigns supreme and we like sheep are sucked in because they make us feel secure with their promises, thier nice smile, and their engaging personalities.

I have many other thoughts racing through my head as I write this, but I will sign off with just a few more things. Although I am nervous for the future, I do intend to respect the will of the people. I will pray for our new president. I will pray for his safety, his dicerment, and for God's hand to be upon him as he leads us into the future. It is an uncertain time, and we not only need a strong leader, but we need Jesus. The bible tells us who puts leaders in power, and even though we may not be able to see what is going on, we know and believe that "He has the whole world in His hands." After all, we as Christians do know the ending right?
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Thursday, August 28, 2008

Thoughts on Church

I have always been rather a skeptical human being, but have always believed that there had to be something bigger than me.

I was saved in a youth group when I was 16. The youth group was really an all city youth group that had more kids from other churches than the one that sponsored it. It was an amazing group and an amazing time in my life. I have heard many people comment about those years and how they wish the group now had that kind of fire. I am not sure what made it so special but it was definitely unique.

The church that sponsored the group came from a cessationist background. Which didn't mean much to me when I was 16. In fact it took me many years before I ever heard the term. But basically it means that they didn't believe the gifts of the Spirit were for today.

As I got older, I began to feel as if there was something more to this faith than I had yet to realize. That led me to a group in Montana that just so happened to be affiliated with Assembly of God. Now AG churches were of the opposite spectrum of the one I was saved in. They believed that the Spirit moved and did great works today and if you weren't "slain in the Spirit" at least once a week, you were not holy enough.

I began to realize that this was extreme as well. There had to be a middle ground somewhere.

While attending the group in Montana, I was introduced to music that was being made by a group of churches that called themselves the Vineyard. It would take me many years to find out truly what they were all about, but eventually I learned that the whole goal of the Vineyard was to find that "radical middle" as they called it.

I was fascinated by the movement and followed them for years before I ever attended one of their churches. I was deeply interested in the Toronto Blessing that engulfed a small Vineyard church in Toronto. The Blessing spread world wide and involved many churches. There was criticism about the types of manifestations that were happening. Many people outside and inside the Vineyard Movement felt that it was going too far. Consequently, there were many churches that left the movement and embarked on their own journey of faith.

Having spent the last ten years in the Boise area, I have had the privilege of being part of the Vineyard family in Boise and the rest of the Treasure valley. Tri Robinson is an incredible man that has managed to grow one of the biggest churches in the valley. Because of this, he along with Rich Nathan of the Columbus Vineyard have tremendous influence within the Vineyard movement and its direction.

Since the Toronto Blessing, Boise Vineyard and the Vineyard movement as a whole has shied away from most charismatic activity. They are afraid of abuses and thus don't want to participate at all. It seems as if the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. The radical middle is being missed for a style no different from Baptists or other mainstream evangelicals.

I am by no means proposing that we need to have some sort of charismatic happenings every meeting we have. But, what has set the Vineyard movement apart from many other denominations is its willingness to be a part of what the Spirit is doing. Could it be that if John Wimber was still alive, he would say goodbye to the movement he created and find where the Spirit is moving?

Wimber used to say that a movement has life for only about twenty years. The Vineyard is working on about twenty-five at this point. And I think John was right....
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Monday, August 18, 2008

Getting Settled


I think we are finally getting settled in our new house. At least we can walk across the floor without stepping on boxes or miscellaneous items that haven't found a home yet.


We are planning going to Yellowstone this weekend with the family. It will be the first time my children have seen the park and I am looking forward to seeing how they like it. They are excited, but scared. They are terrified that you won't be able to walk around with running into buffalo or elk. Although that is true to some extent, it obviously isn't as bad as they think!!


Next week three of my four chillens start school. Lem is 4th, Brayden 3rd and Abi is going into kindergarten. How did I get old enough to have a 4th grader!!! Time just keeps on moving.


Have a blessed day everyone.


P.S. Still haven't quite figured out what some the light switches go to....such a weird house.
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Thursday, August 7, 2008

Have We Changed?

I was reading Romans yesterday and went over the section that dealt with what people were like when they had denied God. Now keep in mind, this is a person that was writing about a civilization that existed 2000 years ago. Of course now we are more advanced than that. We have become more cultured and intellectual. We are definitely not as barbarian as those who lived two millenia ago.

Lets look at a few words that Paul used to describe people in his own time and how they are so far removed from anything we are today.


And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct.
Rom 1:29
They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips,
Rom 1:30
slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
Rom 1:31
foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
Rom 1:32
Though they know God's decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them.


Now I don't know about you, but I am so glad that I don't live in that society. They must have been awful. Thank God for enlightenment and advancement. We are so much better off. That is my thought for the day. Feel free to comment.
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Unpacked?

No. Not even close. We have so much crap. And even though we have a pretty big house, we have nowhere to put it.... Such is life.....
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Thursday, July 24, 2008

We Are In!


We have done it! We have finally moved into our new house. We spent our first night there yesterday. It was soooo nice to have a quiet, smoke free house to lay my tired head. Now it is the fun process of unpacking and finding a place for everything. Please pray that will happen.
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008


We are moving all the big stuff over to our new house tomorrow. It will be the first night we have spent in it. There is something exciting about that. We have already managed to make a big mess in the lawn with all the pruning we have done. We have cut down two cedars and a pine tree that was right next to the door. The kids love it. They are happy to be able to play outside and ride their bikes. Jackson hasn't quite figured out what we are doing yet, since we keep on bouncing from house to house.

Oh yeah, still haven't figured out what all the light switch do. If you want to investigate, feel free.

God bless ya'all
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

New House

Ahhh yes,

The joys of buying a new house. Now we have to move all of our stuff into it. I guarantee it wont look so big when we are done. One consolation is that we don't have half as much stuff as when we moved from Middleton.

I had a great birthday. Went down to Pocatello and hung out with my friend who just so happens to share the same b-day. we played laser tag. It was awesome. What better way to bond that shoot at somebody over and over again. It was a blast...(pun intended).

BTW, if anyone likes playing with light switches that apparently do absolutely nothing, then by all means stop by for a visit....

Oh and take my new poll....
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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Edwards Family Update 7-2-08


I just wanted to take this time and wish all my friends and family a wonderful Independence Day. Even with all of its problems and dysfunctions, this is still the greatest country on earth. We need to continue to protect our freedom for generations to come.
It has been a very crazy year for the Edwards family so far. Of course, as I say that, I realize that they are all a little bit crazy. We have managed to settle back in our little home town of Idaho Falls. We really do like it hear. There is a lot less stress and hassle than Boise. We do miss our little neighborhood in Middleton. They were a great bunch of people that supported us through a lot. We wish nothing but blessings on that little community.
The kids made it through a full school year of Dad being their teacher. It was crazy, stressful, and extremely gratifying to see them excel and blossom throughout the year. Lemuel will be going into fourth grade in the fall, Brayden second, and Abigail will be entering kindergarten. It is hard to believe that my oldest child just turned ten! Where did those ten years go? Didn't I just graduate from high school myself? I know it has been said many times, but time really does fly. When you start to realize that your getting to a point that soon there will be more years behind you than ahead of you, it messes with your thinking.
Kimberly is embarking on the start of her career. After months of pursuing working for one particular company, her persistence paid off. She was offered a job with Potandon Produce which she started on the first of June. Her official title is Food Safety Assistant. She will be touring local potato packing companies that package produce for her company to make sure that their standards are up to par. She may also have to travel overseas in the future. It is exciting to see her happy and beginning to assert herself in her new position.
I am embarking on my real estate career here in South East Idaho. I have managed to make one sale so far, my own!!! But at least I can say that I have 100% client satisfaction to this point! Now I wouldn't be a very good salesman if I didn't put a plug in for myself. If you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell a home in the near future, let me know!!! But I digress.
Well that's about it for now. In another six months I shall give you another update.. And who knows what the future brings or where God will lead us next. But we trust in the name of the Lord our God and will go wherever he leads.
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Friday, June 27, 2008

Supreme Court Ruling on Gun Control


The Supreme Court took a courageous albeit controversial step towards establishing what the words of the Second Ammendment mean to people and their individual rights to own guns.


I believe that what the Supreme Court decided yesterday, was properly interpreted from what the founding fathers meant. They strongly believed in the individuals right to own guns. There was never any question in their minds that people in a free country should have the right to protect themselves from tyranny. Tyrrany from England then, tyranny from our own government now. The founding fathers always thought it a good idea to make sure the government did not have too much control (a reasoning that we have moved away from since). They remembered the Boston Massacre, they remembered the bloody revolution that gained this country its freedom.


As we celebrate Independence day this year, we have one small victory to be grateful for. The victory of the Second Ammendment prevailing at the highest level of our courts. Long live the Bill of Rights.
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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Lem's Birthday

Yesterday my oldest child turned 10. I cannot tell you how unbelievably proud I am of him. He is the kindest most compassionate 10 year old I have ever met. He is thoughtful and always thinking about others.

Case in point. His dad is a joker. Lemuel has been wanting a Nintendo DS for months now. So yesterday I gave him one for his birthday. But, before I gave him the actual gift, I decided to give another prank gift. It consisted of a paint roller brush and a Pokemon card. He opened the gift up and asked me what it was. I told him and he said thanks and that he liked it. All the while fighting back tears because it wasn't his game player. After my little joke, I immediately grabbed the other gift and gave him the real thing. It was perhaps rather cruel But I am amazed how well he handled himself. It was very mature.

I pray that Lemuel continues to be compassionate and becomes more and more like the meaning of his name (Consecrated to God).
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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Has Christianity Become an Industry

This article appeared in the Tennessean. It was written by Norman Summerlin. I couldn't have put it better myself. I remember going to Degarmo & Key concert and only paying $2. Try going to a Third Day concert and paying that much today.... Read on.



If you would allow me, I would like to preface my question with a statement. I do not have any problem with the free enterprise system. I fully agree with most that if you provide a service, you should be fairly compensated for it. Although, I will say that the term "fairly compensated" has a very different meaning to each individual.

But what if the service you provide is for the sake of someone else? If the sole purpose of what you do is to promote someone else's lifestyle, to encourage and improve the lives of others, what does "fairly compensated" mean? Especially if the person you are working for has already agreed to provide you with everything you need or desire.

My question is W.W.J.C.? What would Jesus charge? Looking at the life of Christ, why did he give up all His glory to become a man and walk the Earth among us? Was it to impress us with all sorts of miracles and wondrous signs? No, it was to save us all, from a deadly fire if you will, to forever live a life of total happiness that we were made to live.

During His time among us, is there any record of Jesus healing a blind person, then sending them a bill? Did He ever agree to come to a town to speak, but only if He received a certain amount of money and had certain fruits and water in a private area where the only access was by personal invitation? He did have expenses, didn't He? After all, he left a carpentry business, and His entourage gave up profitable careers to save us.

If you witnessed an accident and the vehicle caught fire, would you save a child, strapped in the carseat, only after the parents agreed to pay you? Or if your neighbor's house caught fire in the middle of the night. Would you run over to wake them and get them out, then expect to be paid for it? If we, as human beings, not just believers, heard of anyone doing such a thing, they would become outcasts off the face of the planet. But is "Christianity" heading down that same path?

I have loved music my entire life. I grew up listening to, and singing along with, the rock groups of the 70s. I, along with other kids, would envy the bands and their lifestyle. Traveling the world, money everywhere, adoration of millions of fans. After becoming a Christian, I became aware of Christian music.

At Tuesday night bible study, my friends and I would sing along with The Imperials after the lessons were done. The Imperials showed me that Christian music was not only good, but that in singing along, I could be sharing the same messages from Sunday mornings in a different way. I started searching out and listening to all styles of Christian music. Although I still enjoy listening to some of the classic rock of my youth, I mainly listen to Christian artists now. It was a great thrill to me to be able to meet and thank Armond Morales and Dave Will a few years ago for the effect their music had on my life. I would not be where I am in my faith walk if not for Christian music.

Which leads me back to the original question. W.W.J.C.? Two of the most successful Christian singers/songwriters would no doubt be Keith Green and Rich Mullins. Both of these men could have been multi-millionaires if they focused on being "fairly compensated" for the talents God gave them. Both men focused more on the message than the money and were rewarded greatly for it. How many artists today be willing to give their albums away as Keith Green did? How many would give their money away and live on the average salary of working Americans as Rich Mullins did?

Now, am I saying that it is wrong for artists to be paid for their efforts and talents? Not at all! But as a listener, especially a non-believer, how easy would it be to believe and follow a message of trusting God with and for everything in my life if the messenger is not. I have been told directly by some artist's managers that I would never get an artist to appear without paying thousands of dollars and agreeing to a list of riders first. In the early days of performing Christian music, most artists (some still do) would appear by taking a "love" offering. Now you are lucky to get a ticket for less than $35.00 each. It makes it very difficult for a family to attend themselves, much less bring non-believing friends and family.
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Saturday, June 7, 2008

The Struggle to Have Faith

I have been a Christian for 20 years now. And there is part of me that says I am no different than the day I was saved. I struggle with the same things, I sometimes I feel that act the same selfish way, and I wonder what truly has changed.

From day one, I have found it difficult to develop a daily devotional habit. I read the bible fairly often and I also have extensive education in theology. But my question remains...how much of it has infected my heart.

Frank Perretti in his book THE OATH uses vivid description in his attempt to show the physical damage sin does to the heart. He talks about a black gooey substance that starts as a black spot and begins to spread as sin and bitterness encompasses that person. This is not the kind of infection I want but sometimes feel permeates my soul.

Lord take my heart today. Wash it clean with a newness that only you can give. I am tired of trying to live up to a standard that I can't reach. I am scum. I am evil. I am loved. I am saved. Holy Spirit touch my soul today.
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Thursday, May 22, 2008

Prayers for Steven Curtis Chapman

Just heard on the news that Steven Curtis Chapman lost is five year old daughter yesterday. It seems his teenage son was backing out of the driveway and did not see his little sister and ran over her. I am one who has been deeply touched by Steven's music over the years and the least I can do for him is pray grace on his family during this very troubling time.
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

School Is Over

Today was the final day of school for my kids. It was a long and sometimes stressful year trying to teach both Lemuel and Brayden. And although we are planning on entering them in public school next year, I will miss helping my kids learn and unluck their potential. There is something rather fulfilling about teaching your kids and watching excel in things. I would recommend to anyone if they had the time and the patience, to seriously think about being part of their children's education.
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Wednesday, May 7, 2008

My Life and Christian Music






When I was fifteen, I was invited to a church youth group. Before this time, I had went to church approximately 5 times. I knew about God, but most of my ideas were rather skued growing up in a strong LDS community.



The person who had initially invited me to youth group, Brandy, introduced me to Christian music. He recorded me a tape full of WhiteHeart songs from albums dating from "Emergency Broadcast" on back. So it was nothing really hard and rocking. I asked him if he had anything else that might be a little on the harder edge. At that point, he handed me a tape by a group called Petra. The name of the album was "On Fire!" From the first second (fired up!!!!) I knew I had finally found something that could rival what I was listening to on MTV. At least it had electric guitars! Petra soon became one of my favorite bands ever and still holds a special place in my heart. Not only was their music pretty cool (for the time) but it had a strong biblical message backed up by bible verses that you could reference. I dare you to find a band that does that anymore.

Up next...Jesus Northwest



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Thursday, May 1, 2008



When I was about 13 years old, my aunt in California sent me a tape of a band named Mylon and Broken heart. I was not a Christian at this point and was rather skeptical about this Christian rock music thing. After listening to the tape, I must say that I wasn't very impressed. There was something about the songs that just didn't seem to flow very well. Being 13, I really didn't know how to describe it, but now looking back I realize that the songs just weren't well produced. I think part of it too was Mylon had his roots in Southern Gospel (as well as writing gospel songs for Elvis) and he really wasn't that good of a rocker. He was an excellent evangelist and singer but not that great of a rocker. However, having said that, there were some hilights with Mylon and I really didn't even think about the fact that his music and Christian music in general would have a tremendous impact on my life.
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

My Life & Christian Music


I was thinking the other day about how I became addicted to Music in general and most specifically Christian music. I believe it goes back many years and really took heart when I was about 15.


At the age of 4, my mother bought me my very own phonograph (yes I am from the record player generation). Since I did not have any records of my own, my mother let me borrow three albums from her own collection. They perhaps had not much significance to her, but I thought they were great.

1. The Troggs "Wild Thing" (wild thing i think i love you... but i wanna know

sure... you would know this song if you heard it)

2. Buffalo Springfield "Self Titled" (featuring the song "For What It's Worth"

The lyrics are "there's something happening here, what is ain't exactly

clear.... Again another song you would know if you heard it)

3. The Electric Prunes "I had Too Much To Dream Last Night" (really

cool album but I have only met one other person who has ever even heard

of the band)


Being an only child, I did not have many other distraction, so I would lock myself up in my bedroom for hours and play these records over and over again. My mom bought me a few 45's from the DI which kept me entertained as well. But most of my musical tastes and knowledge came from my mom and what I heard on the radio. My mom, of course, was a product of the 50's and 60's and as such most of her musical collection (which is rather extensive) is from that era. I also went to a 50's reunion concert at the Holt Arena (then known as the Mini Dome).


My first true contemporary rock album was Survivor "Eye of the Tiger" which to be quite honest was not that good in my humble opinion. But the eye of the tiger was great! The first real album I got was Tears for Fears "Songs from the Big Chair" Now this album was AWESOME. I cannot tell you how many times I spun that disk. This record opened up a whole new world sonically for me. I realized that music could have many different flavors, and they didn't just have to be what you heard on the radio. Some of the best tracks on the TFF's album never made radio play.



To be continued....
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Saturday, April 26, 2008

New Indy Movie! Ya Baybe!!!!

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Friday, April 11, 2008

Wel..

Kim and I have decided to not move after all from this place. We haven't really wanted to move away to begin with. But with the job that Kimberly has it does require her to move. After some serious soul searching and question our motives, it seems as if this where God wants us for better or worse. So having said that, Kim needs a new job. If you know of anything, let her know.

And...i am back selling real estate. If you know of anyone who is considering buying or selling, let me know. It does not make a difference where they live.

blessings


check out my real estate blog www.southeastidahorealestate.blogspot.com
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Friday, April 4, 2008

New Blog

Hey everyone, I am finally up and running in the real estate business once again. If you know anyone who is buying or selling, let me know. Even if they are out of state, I can still refer them to a trusted agent anywhere in the country.

Check out my new real estate related blog www.southeastidahorealestate.blogspot.com

Blessings
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Friday, March 14, 2008

Back At It Again

Well the time has come to jump back in the real estate game. I have reduced my hours at Sam's club to part time which will give me ample time to see what I can do with my license. I will be working with the Century 21 "Greater Lanco" office here in Idaho Falls. If you are looking to buy or sell or know somebody who is, let me know. I will let you all know more in the future.
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Friday, February 29, 2008

Larry Norman 1947-2008

Larry Norman, one of the pioneers of Jesus music in the 1970's passed away this week. He will be remembered as one who was too Christian for the secular industry and way too political for the Christian music scene.

I remember when a tribute album came out of Larry Norman songs in 1995. The record company issued as a tribute to the songs of Larry Norman and not a tribute to him. He was way too contraversial and people did not like the fact that he made people uncomfortable.
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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Questioning God

Is it wrong to question the existence of God? Is it wrong to wonder if our prayers are actually heard by someone or something?

I have fairly rock solid faith, but I would be lying to you if I said that I never doubt. It seems that since I have been a christian for almost twenty years, I would not have these these kind of questions and doubts. But that's simply not true.

I find consolation in John the Baptist doubting whether or not Jesus was the Christ. here is this man who had preached radical repentance to the masses. He had the humbling privilege of baptising his cousin and witnessing the Holy Spirit coming down in the form of a dove. He also heard the voice of God saying that Jesus was his son in whom he was well pleased. But yet, after all this, he sat in prison awaiting his impending doom wondering if he had been right.

I guess if this man had doubts, I shouldn't feel so guilty for having my misgivings and doubts about whether all this is for not.
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Wednesday, February 6, 2008

North Korea "Worst place to be a Christian"

According to Christian Today North Korea is the worst place to be a Christian for the 6th year running. North Korea has a horrible human rights record that has been prevelent since Kim Il Sung took over 5 decades ago.
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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Mensa Words

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.



Here are this year's winners. Read them carefully. Each is an artificial word with only one letter altered to form a real word. Some are terrifically innovative:



1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

2. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

4. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

5. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

6. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

7. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

8. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

9. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

10. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's, like, a serious bummer.

11. Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

12. Glibido: All talk and no action.

13. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

14. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

15. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

16. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

And the #1 pick:

17. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an a**hole.
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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Prince Caspian!

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Heath Ledger Dead

3:45 pm

Heath Ledger found dead in a New York Apartment of an apparent drug overdose. Sad waste of a 28 year old life
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Monday, January 14, 2008

Violence Against Christians in India

Christian Today is reporting that there has been tremendous violence against Christians in the Indian state of Orissa. More than 95 churches have been vandalized and over 750 homes belonging to Christians have burned to the ground.

Officials in India are saying this is the worst violence ever to occur since records were kept. The violence was instigated by extreme fundamentalist Hindus.
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Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Too Tired

It's amazing how your brain processes things when it is sleep deprived. I can't seem to be able to have a coherent thought at all. It is all choppy and when there is a word that I want, I can never think of it. Or I will try to say a certain word and something different altogether comes out.

I am hoping that this will not go much longer. I don't know if I can physically take much more.
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Saturday, January 5, 2008

Playoffs

Seahawks kicked some major bahooey. But next week they face the Packers. I am really nervous that it will end up as it did last time they faced each other. I really like the Seahawks and would not be disappointed if they win, but it would be really awesome to see Favre in the Superbowl again.
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Persecution

After some protests from Christians in India for reasons that I didn't quite understand, 7 Christian teenage Girls have been reported missing. The are presumed murdered by local Hindu radicals.
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Thursday, January 3, 2008

Iowa Caucus

Well the Iowa Caucus is the week in Iowa of all places. This marks the beginning of the 2008 election season in earnest. I have been following the campaigns on a very superficial level, in some ways protesting that fact that things got started so early this time around. It seems as if President Bush had barely taken office for his second term and the candidates were off and running. RIDICULOUS.

So will it be a democrat or a republican who will inherit the White House this time around? My gut feeling is that it will be a democrat, although the winds of change can blow at a moments notice.

This election is very important to the future direction of this country. It is always important, yes. But for the first time since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we will have a new person in the
White House, with new ideals and new goals for the future. Our future safety relies on picking the right person for the job.

The unfortunate dilemma in my opinion, lies in the fact that I don't think there is a clear cut good choice for 2008. Every one has some small strong points, but nobody jumps off the page with gleaming credentials. Giuliani might be strong on defense as well as Thompson, but Thompson is an actor and the G man has horrible morals. Frankly nobody on the Democrats side will even begin to support our military.

So who do we vote for as president from a Christian perspective? Conservative Evangelicals would have you believe that it is a sin to vote for somebody that does not have an "R" after their name. Those people are dangerous and full of bahooey. We need to vote our conscience and vote American.

Any comments on my ramblings, please let me know.
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