Holiday Greeting

"Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." -Jos 24:14-15

This verse jumped out at me because of how relevant it seems to me in these days of "Happy Holidays." Is it evil in your eyes to serve the LORD and say "Merry Christmas"? Christians, we should not be saying "Happy Holidays." Which holiday, and which God are we serving and encouraging others to serve? Do we really want to wish people a Happy Hanukkah and encourage their celebration of denying Jesus as Messiah? Or Happy Muslimness? Or Happy Kwanzaa? Or maybe Happy New Year--go get drunk? The fact is, unless it is serving the Lord, it is not a holiday.

But the problem is that we Christians have become so like the world, serving the world's God (money), that the world has hijacked our celebration of the Lord's birth, and reclaimed it as its own. So when you're out shopping and the cashier says "Happy Holidays" what he's really saying is "These days are holy to our money god. This is our month-long celebration of how rich and materialistic we are. Thank you for worshiping money with your Visa."

Oh, Lord, come quickly before my cynicism makes me explode.....

2500

Today I hit 2500 miles on my bike for the 2007 season. Back in March when I first hopped on my bike, I never would have guessed how many miles I would ride. Last year I was excited to break the 1000 mile mark, and I wasn't planning on going much beyond that this year. Then I started training for a century (100 mile) ride, and started a bike-to-work contest, and continued to ride even as the temperature began to drop. So today, here I am, just hopping off my bike in 5 degree weather, bundled up in neoprene shoe covers, running pants, balaclava, and ski goggles, 2504 miles under me....and 10 to go before I get home tonight...and there's still 3.5 weeks left of the year!

100% Chance of Precipitation

The weather people are even gutsier than ever. Can they really forecast 100% chance of precipitation?

The Minneapolis forecast:

Saturday: Periods of snow, mainly after noon. High near 28. Wind chill values between -1 and 9. East southeast wind between 9 and 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible.

Lay Aside Every Weight

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us -Heb 12:1

There are many things that slow down our spiritual run that are not sin. I often think that sin is the only thing that keeps me from living the life God wants. I think this is the point of Jesus' parable on the different soils where the one doesn't produce fruit because it is choked out by the cares of this world ("As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares ofthe world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful." - Matthew 13:22). I don't want my usefulness to be choked out by cares of the world. So what weights do I have that are keeping me from running the race?

Run with the Lord

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us -Heb 12:1

Where did we ever get the idea of "walking with the Lord"? The word here is run. So we should be running with the Lord. If we aren't at least a little bit tired, that means we're not obeying this verse. It is clearly not a sprint either, but an endurance race. That means there will be some days that are harder than others, some that are faster than others. We may need to take a little rest because we've been pushing too hard. But we need to pick up the pace!

τρέχω
trechō
trekh'-o
Apparently a primary verb (properly θρέχω threchō; compare G2359); which uses δρέμω dremō, drem'-o (the base of G1408) as an alternate in certain tenses; to run or walk hastily (literally or figuratively): - have course, run.

Winter Pansies

There's one thing I really hate about this time of year. As much as I don't like Standard Time, the weather complainers are much more irritating. I try not to rant about Standard Time because 1-it is standard (Daylight Savings is just a wonderful present I get every single summer) and 2-it happens, so deal with it. Yes, it is a drastic shock to lose that hour of evening sunlight, but if it really bothered me enough to keep complaining, I should move to Indiana, Arizona, or Hawaii. Or, I could get up an hour earlier, go to work an hour earlier, and get my hour of sunlight in the evening...which is exactly what I started doing this week.

So, my other irritation are the weather complainers. Here's a simple observation: It's November, and November is always cold. Next comes winter--and it will be cold too. If you can't figure that out, you don't deserve to have a job that pays anything above minimum wage. And if you do have a job that pays above minimum wage, buy a warm coat, hat, and gloves and quit complaining about it. Or quit your job and move South.

Why the rant? Maybe it's because I just moved from Minneapolis and thought the people there complain too much...but people in Milwaukee complain just as much. The fact is, it's not even cold yet! It's not even below freezing...let alone negative. Maybe I'm just annoyed because it was 29 deg when I left my home this morning...on a bike...and I wasn't cold...because I wore a coat, hat, and gloves.

Great Commission

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
-Mat 28:18-20

What is the significance of the word "therefore" in this passage? It is tying the two sentences together--saying Jesus' authority is the reason to go. It is saying because Jesus has all authority in heaven on earth, the logical conclusion is to go and make disciples.

Most of the time when we use this sort of language, we have two parts that we're combining to get a "therefore" conclusion. For example, "I like coffee and Starbucks makes coffee, therefore I like Starbucks." This passage is different because it doesn't combine two things to get a conclusion, at least not explicitly. What would be there implicitly? What other factor(s) would go into our going? It could be "You love me and want everyone else to know me, but you can't do anything about it on your own."

So that's one possible interpretation of this passage. But I think the best interpretation is to understand the hidden piece as "and I am commanding you to make disciples." He's giving us the logical conclusion tied together with the command. We can infer a lot about the success of our mission based on the fact that Jesus has all authority, but that is not what he's saying here. The main point of Jesus' stressing his authority is to lend weight to his command. It's not a meaningless command coming from a 2-year-old. No, it is a command coming from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who hold all power of life and death, and he says "Go and make disciples."

Therefore, I (we) best make disciples.

Misinterpretation

Now the chief priests and the whole Council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, "This man said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.'" And the high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?" -Mat 26:59-62

Next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' -Mat 27:62-63

I find it funny how the Pharisees were able to correctly interpret Jesus' words after he was dead. When he was alive, they thought he was going to destroy the literal temple and rebuild it. But once he was dead, they knew he was referring to his body. Makes me think they actually knew the correct interpretation all along.

Spirit in Their Union

But you say, "Why does he not?" Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. -Mal 2:14-15

This verse jumped out at me as speaking to the mystery of marriage, of how the two become one. The phrase "a portion of the Spirit in their union" is interesting to me. What exactly does it mean? It's as though the "union" is an entity in itself, which shouldn't be terribly surprising. We use the word "marriage" to describe this frequently, but I think it goes beyond our common use of the term.

I think it is more like the legal aspect of forming a corporation. As far as the government is concerned, a corporation is its own legal entity, almost as though a new person was born under the auspice of that corporation. The corporation pays taxes like a person, can be sued like a person, can even die like a person. But most importantly, the reason the government allows and encourages corporations to form is because they can help society more than individuals can. The teamwork, cooperation, and common goals of the individuals within that corporation achieve much more than those same individuals could possibly do individually.

A marriage is the same way. If both the husband and the wife are working toward the same goal of a productive marriage, it will achieve much more than they could possibly achieve individually. Unfortunately most marriages are based on helping each other seek their individual achievements rather than seeking the achievements of the collective. It's a subtle, yet huge, difference that I'm sure others could elaborate on much more eloquently.

So where was I going with this? God has put a portion of his spirit in our marriages. My marriage is more than just a union between my wife and me. It is that union plus God's Spirit. My marriage is not just a word to describe our relationship. My marriage is a living breathing entity, a creation of God, meant to do his work.

Every Man Against His Neighbor

For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for beast, neither was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in, for I set every man against his neighbor. -Zec 8:10

Today's verse greatly challenges my understanding of God. I believe the 21st century church paints God to be so loving and patient and kind and gentle that there is little room for a jealous and wrathful God. I struggle with how God can set every man against his neighbor, and still be the God of love. I understand we are under a different covenant now, but it is still the same God who administers this new covenant. It is the same God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Oh it is good for me to be reminded that God is not a pansy, sitting on a cloud taking a bubble bath, just waiting to give everybody a big hug (not too big though, wouldn't want to hurt anybody). Yes, God is love. But he is also jealous for our love and obedience. He is wrathful toward those who are disobedient. He will have vengeance on his enemies. He disciplines those he loves. He drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea. He raises up armies to defeat his chosen people for punishment. He exiled his own people. He is a big God that cannot possibly be wholly contained in a three word sentence like "God is love."

Wedding Garments

Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.' And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."
-Mat 22:8-14

What does this parable mean? It is one of those parables that I just wonder--is it supposed to be clear to me, or is Jesus just trying to be vague and confusing?

My understanding of it is this: The wedding hall represents the collection of people we commonly refer to as the church, the people who attend and participate in a local church. The wedding garment is Christ. So this parable is about non-saved people who are active in local churches. They have no idea that they're not dressed appropriately and that God is not pleased with them.

What application must come from this?

1. I need to be gathering people, good and bad, to join me in the local church.
2. I need to help those within the church (myself included) to test themselves and verify their faith is really genuine.
   

Yet I Will Rejoice in the Lord

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. -Hab 3:17-18

This verse jumped at me today because I feel this describes my situation right now. Having a house that won't sell, I feel cut off from the fold with no church home, I don't have my usual network of friends to gain strength and encouragement.....it's a challenging time in my life. Yet I will rejoice in the LORD. It's hard, and it's an act of faith that I have to talk myself into, but I will rejoice.

Please pray for both my heart to continue to rejoice during trials and for the trials to end, primarily for our house to sell.

Fear of Death

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
-Heb 2:14-15

Fear of death is the foundation of lifelong slavery. I wonder how much fear of death still affects my life. I am not talking about being responsible to prevent death by wearing seat belts, looking both ways before crossing streets, and eating properly. I'm talking fear here. Are there things that I wouldn't do for the Lord because of fear of death? Like becoming a missionary in Liberia? Truthfully, I have trouble even thinking of situations where fear of death kicks in because I never get that far because I'm so scared of man. You usually have to make quite a few people angry with your preaching before it gets to the point of death.

Patience

For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end--it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. -Hab 2:3

This is not really talking about God selling my house...but it indirectly reminds me that God understands our timeline. He doesn't follow our timeline, but he knows that we are anxious people. He knows his timeline often seems slow to us. God is not ignorant of our perception.

Of course I don't need to worry--God will provide for me in his time. What I need is faith to trust both his provision and his timing. He often provides in ways that are different from how we want him to provide. He might not sell my house for the amount I want...but he might provide renters, or free housing in relatives' vacant homes, or just enough money to buy a new home despite a loss on the current one. He is God and knows better than I do.

Please pray that God would provide for our house...and that I would have the faith to trust his provision.

Cycling Safety

Thought this was a great point at http://www.bicyclinglife.com/PracticalCycling/VCIntro.htm

"Nobody ever died from not knowing how to play flag football. Yet we spend tax money teaching kids its nuances in gym classes, while bicycle safety is still foreign to most school curriculums." Don Cuerdon

Christ's Perfection

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. -Heb 2:10

This verse is challenging to me. It begs the question, "Wasn't Jesus perfect before he suffered?" How does this fit into my theology? I don't want to be guilty of making the Bible say what my theology says it should say. I want to believe what it truly says and force my theology to follow the Scriptures. And this is why it's nice to have an electronic Bible (my plug for e-sword)--so I can look up commentaries and see what the Greek is...


The Greek word translated "through" is:

G1223
διά
dia
dee-ah'
A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal or occasional). In composition it retains the same general import: - after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) . . . fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, for sake, that, thereby, therefore, X though, through (-out), to, wherefore, with (-in). In composition it retains the same
general import.

So the verse could mean "make the founder of their faith perfect _____ suffering."

1. for - the suffering is the reason he is perfect, but not the cause
2. from - the suffering is the cause of his perfection
3. therefore - the suffering is the result of perfection
4. throughout - his perfection is not dimineshed by suffering
5. with - he had perfect suffering

Wow. I'm glad translators have done this work for us and we rarely have to really dig in like this.

The Gill commentary says

and he is made "perfect through sufferings"; he suffered all that the law and justice of God could require; and hereby he became perfectly acquainted with the sufferings of his people, and a perfect Saviour of them; and in this way went to glory himself: and it "became" God the Father, the first cause, and last end of all things, since he had a design to bring all his adopted sons to glory, that his own Son should perfectly suffer for them; this was agreeable to, and becoming the perfections of his nature, his wisdom, his veracity, his justice, grace, and mercy.

JFB commentary:

to make ... perfect — "to consummate"; to bring to consummated glory through sufferings, as the appointed avenue to it. "He who suffers for another, not only benefits him, but becomes himself the brighter and more perfect" [Chrysostom]. Bringing to the end of troubles, and to the goal full of glory: a metaphor from the contests in the public games. Compare "It is finished," Luk_24:26; Joh_19:30. I prefer, with Calvin, understanding, "to make perfect as a completed
sacrifice": legal and official, not moral, perfection is meant: "to consecrate" (so the same Greek is translated Heb_7:28; compare Margin) by the finished expiation of His death, as our perfect High Priest, and so our "Captain of salvation" (Luk_13:32). This agrees with Heb_2:11, "He that sanctifieth," that is, consecrates them by Himself being made a consecrated offering for them. So Heb_10:14, Heb_10:29; Joh_17:19 : by the perfecting of His consecration for them in His death, He perfects their consecration, and so throws open access to glory (Heb_10:19-21; Heb_5:9; Heb_9:9 accord with this sense).

I'm going to lean toward the second commentary and agree with Calvin: "'to make perfect as a completed sacrifice': legal and official, not moral, perfection is meant."

Broken Rim

I can now offer a comprehensive review of my new airfree tires. I think the title of this post says most of it...they broke my rim!

Performance....
I went for a 12 mile ride over lunch Monday. The first thing I noticed was that they felt soft. I wasn't feeling every little bump in the road like I normally do. Since these tires were "120PSI" I would expect them to ride even stiffer than the 105PSI that I normally ride at. So that was the one good thing about the tires--they were a little easier on my arms and rear. Of course, I could just deflate my tires to 50 PSI and get the same effect. That would probably explain why when I looked at my speedometer I was going at least 3mph slower than I felt. I was working hard but only going 14mph. Granted, there was a pretty good head wind...but over the course of the ride, going both into and with the wind, up and down hill, my average speed was 2.5 mph lower than what I've been riding at...and I was working much harder than usual.

And then there's the broken rim. My old conventional tires have given me about 4000 miles with no problems besides a couple flats. Now I hit a bump that shouldn't have been a problem (a typical railroad track I believe) and end up with a cracked rim. Yes, conventional tires probably would have done the same thing if I rode them at 50 PSI. But I have an air pump and can increase the pressure on conventional tires.

Customer Service...
Airfree tires has the worst customer service of any company I have ever dealt with. That's a strong statement, but sadly true. I wish they would place me on hold so I could eventually talk to a person, but no, I have to leave a voice mail only to never get called back. They don't return emails or respond to messages left using their web site. I doubt I will ever be able to get my money back despite their 90 day guarantee...but I will bug them incessantly until they want to give me my money back.

Conclusion...
Do NOT buy tires from airfree. If you really want to get airless tires, go straight to the manufacturer Nu-Teck. And don't get the standard pressures, bump the pressure way up. I'm guessing that the 170 PSI version might start to ride more like a regular road tire...but I wouldn't give them money to try it out.

Tires Are Here

Just a quick update...
My airfree tires finally arrived. I ordered them August 13, and they finally showed up today, September 29. That's just two days shy of 7 weeks, when the website says they ship in 1-2 days and take maybe 2 weeks to arrive. I wrote a dozen emails, called a dozen times, and submitted half a dozen order updates through their website--none of my emails were ever answered, they returned one phone call, and responded 3 times to the website requests (but none of the responses were helpful).

The review.....
Unfortunately I have not had a chance to really try the tires out yet since they arrived 15 minutes after finishing a 30 mile ride. I did put them on and rode around the block. My initial impression is that they feel just like regular tires.

Recommendation......
At this point, I think I would highly recommend the product itself, but would highly discourage anyone from ever doing business with the Airfree Tires company. Go straight to the source Nu-Teck, or a different distributor.

Miscarriage Update

Steph and I are doing surprisingly well following the miscarriage. We know this was God's plan, so that makes it easier to handle.

Before we went in for the D&C, we were praying that God would give us wisdom whether to go through with the medical procedure or allow the baby to be discharged naturally. An hour before we went in, we prayed that God would make it clear, and we could turn around and cancel everything if he wanted us to. We heard nothing.

At the hospital, after checking in, Steph got hooked up to an IV to hydrate her for the anesthetic. While we were waiting for the doctor, she went to the bathroom, and PLOP! something fell out in the toilet. The nurse retrieved it and put it in a bottle for the doctor to look at. Turns out she had a spontaneous miscarriage 20 minutes before the schedule procedure. That is why we have such a peace. There was nothing we could do to prevent it.

After an ultrasound, the doctor determined there was some tissue left, so Stephanie went through with the D&C, which only took 15 minutes. The doctor's analysis of the passed tissue is that it was a blighted ovum. The fertilized egg implanted and a placenta formed, but the chromosomes never came together properly to form a baby.

Miscarriage

Yesterday we received the bad news that we will not be having a baby in April. Stephanie started to have some bleeding this weekend, so she went to a doctor. He performed and ultrasound and discovered the baby stopped developing. It isn't an easy day to be happy in the Huston household, but we are working on being transformed in the mind. We have a little extra joy in God's provision of Evie. We are able to say "The Lord gives and he takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." We know this is in God's hands and there is nothing we could have done to prevent it, so we know it is for the best. Praise God!

This is one of those days that I wish I believed in children's salvation by their parents. You know the belief that because I am a Christian my children will go to heaven. Unfortunately I don't believe that. I believe little Pele was a child of Adam, inheriting his sinfulness and under God's wrath, from the moment of conception. I like to think God has a special provision for babies...but I have absolutely no scriptural basis for that. And that is my biggest source of grief in this all--my 10 week old, unborn baby could be in hell right now.

Party!!!!

We're having a going away party tonight starting at 7:00. Come on by!!!!!!!

Before the Foundation of the World

Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority
was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who
dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before
the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. -Rev
13:7-8

This passage awesomely expresses some huge truths about God and his plan for the world.

• The beast will not achieve power by some act unbeknown to God. God is allowing it to make ware, and is giving it authority.
• God wrote names in the book of life before the foundation of the world.
• The book of life is qualified with "of the Lamb that was slain." The slaying of the Lamb was planned before the foundation of the world. Adam's sin did not catch God by surprise. The cross was not "Plan B." The cross was God's plan before Adam sinned. It was his plan before he even created Adam. I think it is even a legitimate statement to say God created Adam in order to demonstrate his love on the cross.

Airfree Tire

After a series of flats on my road bike, I decided to try out Airfree Tires. I saw mixed reviews of them before ordering, but decided to go for it. I am having nothing but annoyance with the company at this point. I ordered my tires over 3 weeks ago, and they have not arrived, despite the claim that they should be there in 12 business days. I have been trying to get in touch with their "24 hour customer service," but getting an answer is like pulling teeth. They tell you something along the lines of "everything's fine" but never actually answer the question. "Our supplier is experiencing delays" was the answer to "When will I get my tires?"

After waiting this long and dealing with this customer service, I'm scared to cancel my order. How long would it take to refund my money???????

For those contemplating buying from them during their big September sale, I'd recommend waiting. I promise to update my blog if the tires ever arrive.

Milwaukee

For those who haven't heard, I'm moving to Milwaukee a week from tomorrow!!!! (I couldn't post here until I gave my notice at work for obvious reasons.)

For the last couple years, Stephanie and I have been thinking about getting closer to family. The 5 hour drive to her parents is tough, and the 8 hour drive to my parents is just about impossible with a 1 year old. At least, it's virtually impossible to visit as much as we would like. This opportunity just came up at the beginning of July, so we decided to chase after it. And now, moving day is just about upon us.

Housing.......
We're trying to sell our house in Minneapolis. If you know anybody who's looking for a 3-bedroom, 3 bath house in the Nokomis neighborhood, let us know! We might even be willing to rent to the right person. For the last two weeks in September, we'll be living with Steph's family. Then starting Oct 2, we'll move in to her grandmother's 2-bedroom condo when she moves back to Florida for the winter. We wanted to be closer to family, and it looks like we will!

Work..........
My new company is Metavante, which is currently a subsidiary of M&I Bank. I'll continue to write software. I'm excited about the change for two main reasons. First, I will get to do newer, more marketable technologies. No more 1995 compilers with C++. I get to use the latest and greatest with C#. And second, I get to switch out of the semiconductor industry into the financial services industry. No more forced vacation time and crazy business cycles. There are a lot of other perks too....like a full gym in the building, web development, tons of opportunities, etc. Something that I'm looking forward to down the road that isn't really a big deal immediately is that this company has great retention. People actually work there for 20-30 years. That to me is a sign that they treat employees right.

Going Away Party...........
To celebrate all the friendships we've made in the last 8 years, we're having a going away party. Come one, come all, this Friday, Sep 7 at 7:00! Evie goes to bed at 8:00, so come early if you want to see her!

You May Not Ignore It

"You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them.
You shall take them back to your brother. And if he does not live near you and
you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall
stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. And
you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost
thing of your brother's, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. You
shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore
them. You shall help him to lift them up again." -Deu 22:1-4

This passage speaks quite straightforwardly to one aspect of loving a neighbor. It specifically addresses a common (at least in my life) sin of omission. I think this is quite common in our individualistic culture. I worry about my stuff, and let others worry about theirs. I was planning on relating this to how we're supposed to not just let our neighbors walk blindly into Hell...but we know that. And I have a much more directly applicable story.

I recall the time I was driving down the street, and off in the yards to my left was this dog just running crazy--like he had just escaped. Then about 2 houses down on the right, I saw a man, holding an empty leash, clearly looking for his dog. It wouldn't have been hard to roll down my window when I stopped at the stop sign right where he was standing...I even have power windows! But of course, being the lazy, selfish, sinful, "I can't spare 10 seconds" man that I am, I proceeded to roll through the stop sign and go on my merry way. When my dog runs away, wouldn't I like to have somebody at least point me in the right direction? Wasn't I incredibly thankful when my dog did run away, that some nice neighbors picked her up, looked at her tag, and drove her to my house?

Malicious Witness

If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, then both
parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the
judges who are in office in those days. The judges shall inquire diligently, and
if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, then you
shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the
evil from your midst. -Deu 19:16-19

I think we would have a lot fewer frivolous law suits if we put this into practice. If I spill coffee in my lap and try to sue McDonald's for 30 million dollars...and if I know there's a possibility that I'll have to pay them the $30 million. Well, I can guarantee that I'm more likely to say either "I shouldn't have put the coffee in my lap" or "$10,000 would cover the medical expenses, so that's a better amount to go for."

Quote of the Day

John Grimberg commenting on the 35W bridge collapse:

Jesus is not weak or distant before, during, or after such an event.
There are certainly many unanswered questions, but I'll take the strength of God
any day over fluffy notions of chance or fate.

Nothing to Say

Do you ever run out of things to say, or is it just me?

First Century

This weekend I officially joined the ranks of crazy cyclists. As though years of spandex clad riding wasn't enough to give me that title, or even 50, 60, 70 mile rides on weekends, or starting said rides at 6:00 AM on Saturdays. But now, it's 100% official as I completed my first century (100 mile) ride this weekend. And of course, the overachiever that I am, I added an extra 10 on for fun. Well, truthfully, I only added those last 10 on because my house was 10 miles away and I didn't want to sleep on the bike path.

I participated in the Tour de Tonka ride. 1202 riders chose between 15, 33, and 65 mile options. My buddies and I of course chose the 65. I realized the start and finish lines were conveniently just over 20 miles from home, making it a little over 100 miles round trip. And seeing that riding a century was a goal for the year, I had to do it! Well, the little over 20 miles turned out to be a little over 22...and the 65 registered closer to 66. So after riding about 7 hours (4 of which were in the rain), I pulled into my drive a sweaty, muddy, absolutely exhausted mess.

What did I learn from this?

1. I love cycling. I'm already thinking about my next century (sorry Steph). It probably won't be this summer since we're going to be pretty busy until winter rolls in, but if my knees can handle it, I plan to do more of these.
2. I am a proud proud man. It just killed me that my three buddies were able to keep going strong at a pace that I just could not maintain. My proud mind can't register that I had already done 22 miles more than 2 of them and knew I had 22 to go when they were done. I couldn't take into account that we passed over half the riders in the first 3 miles. And I couldn't acknowledge how many people would never even consider riding the 15 mile ride...let alone think of crazy things like 100. And I didn't remember that all 3 of my buddies have ridden centuries before, and all 3 rode longer rides preparing for this one. Oh, even in the face of a great accomplishment, it's so good to be humbled. Now, if I can only learn how to "boast in my weakness."
3. I think about cycling too much and need to get to work
   

Bridge Collapse

So the big news of the day in Minneapolis is the collapsing 35W Mississippi River Bridge. Thankfully nobody I know was on the bridge at the time, so we're all OK. I don't have a whole lot to say about it. I just wonder if they would have spent a little money on inspecting and fixing the bridge instead of building light rail or a new retarded baseball stadium...

I wonder how this will affect the housing market. Will people in northern suburbs who have finally had it with their long commute decide to buy my house? They know their commute is going to be worse in the months to come. The bridge will certainly not be replaced before the snow starts flying...

Ironically, the Stone Arch Bridge has withstood the test of time, being like 100 years old. Of course, cars aren't allowed on it.

A couple years ago, the State of Minnesota started experimental de-icing procedures on the 35W bridge. I wonder what effect those experimental chemicals had on the structure of the bridge?

God is the Sufferer

In reading the story of the prodigal son most people are impressed with all the troubles the prodigal meets; they are occupied in thinking what a bad time he is having. But that is not the point of the parable. “My son... was lost, and is found”—there is the heart of the story. It is not a question of what the son suffers but of what the Father loses. He is the sufferer; He is the loser. A sheep is lost: whose is the loss? The shepherd’s. A coin is lost: whose is the loss? The woman’s. A son is lost: whose is the loss? The Father’s. That is the lesson of Luke chapter 15. -Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life

I came across this quote yesterday and thought it's pretty amazing. It's hard for me to say God needs me, and that God is the one that has the biggest loss over a sinner. It's hard for me to see God rejoicing over a sinner passing from death to life more than the sinner himself rejoices. But I can't argue with the logic here. It goes against all my human instincts, but maybe it's true...

Sexual Immorality

Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. -Act 15:19-20

"For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell." -Act 15:28-29

After a recent conversation about sexual immorality, I thought these passages from my morning devotion were very appropriate. The comment was made "Christians put too much emphasis on sex." It wasn't terribly surprising for him to say that, as he is currently engaging in sexual immorality, so clearly he doesn't think it's wrong. But the fact of the matter is that Scripture does have a special place for sexual sin. When the Jewish believers were trying to decide whether Gentiles needed to obey the Mosaic Law, they concluded that avoiding sexual immorality (any sex outside of marriage) is more important than circumcision, tithing, fasting, etc. Surprisingly, "Do not murder" didn't make their list.

Remembered Alms

And Cornelius said, "Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.' -Act 10:30-31

This verse strikes me as a very important verse in understanding the relationship between faith and good works. Let's list everything I observe here...

1. Cornelius had at least an inkling of faith--enough to pray
2. He prayed to the true God, not to a false god
3. He gave to the poor, indicating he was devoted to what he knew
4. God honored the faith and obedience he had
5. His prayer and alms were not enough for salvation--he needed Paul to explain things to him

I'm sure the faith vs works debate will continue until the end of time, and I mean that literally. That's probably because one side of the debate sees the two as completely independent concepts, and the other sees them as too intricately united. Faith without works is dead.

Rude People

Is it too much to ask that a person acknowledge your presence when you say "Hi"? Because of the expected hot and humid weather today, I got up early and took Mowgli for a run before work. I was trying to be friendly and greet my fellow lakers with a smile and "Good Morning." Most people responded...or were clearly wearing headphones and didn't hear me. But what excuse do people have for not even grunting when you know they heard me? It's not like I went to their house and rang the doorbell at 6:45 and expected them to be cheery. They were voluntarily walking around a lake. Maybe it's just that people are so unfriendly that they just don't know how to let out a little huff of air and say "hi." Even a grunt would have been better than the "you're not there; I don't see anybody; just pretending to be alone in a big city."

Rain Righteousness

Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. -Hos 10:12

This verse has completely changed my perspective on "Prosperity Preaching." I never believed in it before, but now I do. God wants us to prosper. He wants us to be incredibly blessed beyond what we ever imagined. The only thing is that He knows what true blessing is, and it's not money, fame, or power. True blessing is righteousness. We are so corrupt and perverse that we fail to see that the worst thing in the world is our sin that separates us from God, and the greatest thing in the world is His righteousness that unites us with Him and transforms us to be like Him.

Fear and Goodness

Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the LORD and to his goodness in the latter days. -Hos 3:5
They are to fear the Lord even though they know his goodness. Knowing God's goodness does not cast out our fear. If we know the true God, we know he is an all consuming fire roaring like a lion...yet a merciful savior as gentle as a lamb. He is not one or the other, he is completely both.

Whoredom

When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD." -Hos 1:2

Isn't this a great way to open a book? Who doesn't want to read on from here? It's not because of our sick, perverted, oversexed culture that I say that. It's out of compassion, pity, and a sense of "What is God doing here?" that I want to read on. As a husband, I can't imagine what Hosea went through, not just marrying a promiscuous wife, but marrying a literal whore. He was commanded to have children...even though they probably weren't his. At least that's my understanding of "children of whoredom."

Why would God do such a thing to a person? Doesn't he love us and have a great purpose for our lives? Oddly enough, that's exactly why he does it. He is using marriage to show his tremendous faithfulness. The primary purpose of marriage is to reflect God's unfailing love for his people. In all our adulteries like Gomer, God is faithful like Hosea.

Gomer and Knee

Where does the time go? Has it really been 12 days since my last post? Sorry to my loyal readers--both of you :)

I read a good passage today that I wanted to share, but it's one I don't want to post while I'm at work. There are certain words frequently used to describe Hosea's wife that don't look good to the sniffers. No sense getting fired over my blog.

An update on my knee... It's doing much better. I know it's still a little tender, and I'm babying it a little, but not too much. I went for a 52 mile ride on Saturday and a 3 mile run Sunday, and it still felt good enough to ride to work this morning. I'm still shying away from hills and speed work, but a nice steady pace seems to be OK.

Excerpts from "A Hunger for God" - Introduction

The discipline of self-denial is fraught with dangers--perhaps only surpassed by the dangers of indulgence.

The weakness of our hunger for God is not because he is unsavory, but because we keep ourselves stuffed with "other things."Between the dangers of self-denial and self-indulgence there is a path of pleasant pain.

Know God and Take Action

He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. -Dan 11:32
Two thing:

1. The only way to resist the Antichrist is by knowing God. It doesn't say praying a pray, or going to church, or wearing prayer boxes. We must know God. This is done through prayer, study of his word, obedience to what his word says, fasting, meditating on his word, and seeking him. I often wonder whether I truly know my God. Of course there's a lot more to know, but do I know him at all? I think I do. I know his deep wrath and his tender mercy. I know the fear of the Lord, yet I also know his love. I know how he treated sinful Israel, and how he treated the adulterous woman. How do I come to know him more? Probably by giving up the thing I love so much, food, and seeking him. That's what Daniel did, and it sure seemed to work. "Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes" (9:3).
2. These saints don't just sit back and let things happen; they "stand firm and take action." The standing firm is the easy part for passive people like me (not that I'm even good at that). But action, ummm, that's a lot harder. Of course, this all goes back to point number 1. The more I know God, the more desire I will have to glorify him, to obey him, to stand firm to who he is, and to act in his will.

The Right Thing

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. -Jam 4:17

This is a hard verse for us anti-postmodern people. Is this verse saying that there is no such thing as objective sin? Is it saying what's right for me isn't necessarily what's right for you?

On some level, I think at least the last question is true. More accurately, this verse is saying what's wrong for me isn't necessarily what's wrong for you. There are clear objective sins--lying, stealing, murder--but there are other sins, sins of omission that are more subjective. The reason for this is that we have different callings.

If God is calling me to quit my job and move to Zaire, but I don't, then I'm sinning. If God is calling you to stay at your job and serve your coworkers, but you move to Zaire....well you're sinning. But at the same time, if God hasn't given you a clear call, and you don't know exactly what he's saying...then stay at your job or move to Zaire and this verse doesn't condemn you.

Anyway, how does this affect me? My (admittedly sparse) posts lately have been mostly head knowledgy with little heart. My Bible study and walk with the Lord have been quite dry for a few months, largely due to a lack of application. I've been reading the Word with more of a scholar's attitude than with a broken sinner's attitude. I've been seeking insights into deep truths rather than insights into deep sins.

So back to the point, how does this affect me? Well, how about if I take this verse at face value, and in the dozen times during the day when I think "I should..." I actually do it. I wish I could think of a specific application, but I can't, so I'll leave it at that. Lord, reveal areas where I don't do the good I know you want me to do.

14,000 Dead Babies

I just heard that 14,000 babies were killed by abortion in Minnesota last year.

• That's 38 per day
• That's 15 times the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq in 2006 (933 according to http://icasualties.org/oif/)...but which gets news coverage?
• Assuming this number is approximately constant over the last 30 years (my age)...that means 420,000 Minnesota babies have been killed since I was born.  That's more than the population of Minneapolis.
• At roughly $200 per abortion, that makes this a $2.8M industry...in Minnesota alone.

NPR and Air America

What's the difference between NPR and Air America?  I started listening to NPR a couple days ago...don't remember exactly why, but probably because I was tired of the same 4 songs being played on the music stations, and was tired of the same old stuff on the other talk stations.  I've listened to Air America probably twice as much as NPR, so I think I'm definitely an expert on discussing the differences.

1. NPR has fewer commercials.
2. NPR tries to bore its listeners to death, but Air America tries to yell and scream to prove its point
3. NPR likes British accents, but Air America prefers New York or North Dakota people
4. NPR pretends to cover the other point of view.  Air America yells at the other point of view.
5. NPR interviews scientists who agree with its view.  Air America lets unscreened people call in and prove their stupidity on national radio
6. Air America is honest enough to admit its political leanings, but NPR pretends to be neutral
7. Air America is bankrupt.  NPR stays afloat from taxpayer money.
8. NPR is on FM radio.  Air America is AM, so it gets all the crackliness from thunderstorms and driving under overpasses
9. Air America is entertaining for a few minutes.  NPR can bore you to death for hours.

Condemning God

Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? -Job 40:8

In God's rebuke of Job, he accuses Job of "condemning" God. We humans love to put God in the wrong and condemn him. Most of the time we don't do it intentionally, it's just the unrealized foundation for our arguments and questions. Who hasn't heard someone say "I could never believe in a God who sends people to Hell"? Or "Why does God allow so much suffering in the world?" "Why did God take my baby?" "Why didn't God save my marriage?" "Why am I still single?" And all natural disasters are called "acts of God."

Whenever things aren't going how we want them to, we blame God. It's not just that we attribute things to him, but we blame him. We condemn him. We say, "I know better than God, and this is bad. God is wrong."

We should be like Job. We should say, "I am sad, distraught, in pain, etc.," but we should not curse God. Was God evil for what happened in Job's life? No! When we know the full story of Satan's involvement, the glory God received by Job's response, the blessing Job received in the end, we know God is good.

Darkened Counsel

Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? -Job 38:2

Who hasn't received counsel from someone who just doesn't know what they're talking about?  This is such a stern rebuke to Job when God tells him he is without knowledge.  I am without knowledge.  You are without knowledge.  Only God truly has knowledge.  We can come up with many theories, hypotheses, and theologies, but in the end we live in a world full of mysteries.  How did God create the Universe?  Why did he choose me?  Why does he allow violence?  Why did he make a universe that he knew would be fallen and would require the death of his son (himself)?  Go read a couple hundred commentaries and philosophers' writings on these questions, and in the end, all you'll know is that we're all without knowledge.

Word of the LORD

In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. - Dan 9:2

When reading Scripture, we need to remember that it is the word of the Lord. It's not the book of Jeremiah--it's the book of the Lord to Jeremiah. Doesn't that just make you tremble thinking about it? This applies to all Scripture. The Mosaic law is really God's law delivered to Moses. The book of Isaiah is the word of the Lord to Isaiah. Revelation is God's revelation to John. All scripture is God breathed and none of it is written by the will of man, but by God.

Did not Understand

And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. - Dan 8:27

Daniel expresses my thoughts on most of his book....I "did not understand it."

Son of Man

(It's been slow going lately with vacation, not waking up early enough, being tired/having trouble concentrating during my quiet times...but hopefully, Lord willing, that's turning around.)

I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. -Dan 7:13-14

• This is Jesus. When Jesus spoke of being the "son of man," he was referring back to this passage.
• Even Jesus was presented before the Father (the Ancient of Days)
• Jesus is not the one who calls us to serve him. The Father calls us to. In handing the Father's authority (dominion) to Jesus, he changed the nature of our servanthood.

Seen From Afar

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. - Hebrews 11:13

They saw the promises from afar, yet they died without receiving them. I hope my faith is that strong. Do I see the promises or greet them? I can see much more than I did in the past, but my vision is SOOOOOOOO blurry. Lord, make my vision clear so I can see your promises by faith.

Runner's Knee

I suspected it...and now I have a doctor who confirmed it: I have runner's knee.  What I didn't expect to hear him say was that I actually have it in both knees!  I knew my left knee is bad--that's the whole reason I went to see the doctor, but my right knee?  Well, in hindsight, I'm not surprised.  Everything I've ever read about runner's knee mentions "clicking" in the knee.  Well I never thought anything of it since my knees have clicked every time I've stood up since I was about twelve.

The good news is that my case isn't very bad.  I have to say I did a good job of listening to my body on this one and seeking treatment at the first sign of a problem (well except for that clicking for 18 years) and not waiting until it was debilitating.  What's the solution?  Oddly enough, more exercise...at least different exercise.  I need to strengthen my inner thighs and stretch my outer thighs so my knee cap will track in a straight line.  I can also put on a funny brace to help--but that's just a Band-Aid, not a solution.  I can also do whatever doesn't cause pain--biking with high cadence, possibly running on flat surfaces, swimming.

Now comes the debate of whether physical therapy is worth the $15 copay.  I know what I need to do, I have a gym membership, and I know how to find all sorts of stuff on the internet...so I'm guessing I'll hold off for a while.

My hope:  Doing these strengthening & stretching exercises will balance my legs out better and I'll come out of this injury stronger and faster than ever!

Squander a Shilling

"How many of us have such a strong sense that we belong to Another that we dare not squander a shilling of our money, or an hour of our time, or any of our mental or physical powers?" -Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life, p43

This sentence has been reverberating in my head the past couple days. I can conclusively say I am not one who feels this sense of belonging to the LORD that I don't squander anything. The next paragraph after this tells of a man who was asked to play a game of cards but refused because his hands were not his own. Maybe that's taking things a little too far, but I'm nowhere near that point. Are my bike rides squandering time? Is my time spent reading pointless blogs squandering my time? How about the money and time spent renting and watching movies? At some point I need to find a balance--because we know we need to "squander time" for sleeping, but not too much...

"It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep." -Psalm 127:2

Exact Imprint of God

Gen 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness"

Heb 1:3 He [God's Son] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature

There is such a huge difference between man (us) and the Son of God. We are made in the image of God, but we are never told how good that image is. Are we an image like a fine sculpture or more like a 3-year-old's drawing? Or maybe even a modern art painting where you really have to use your imagination to call it an image of something? I would lean more toward a fine painting--one where you can tell what it's supposed to be--maybe as fine as the Mona Lisa. We are a painting with brush strokes, colors that don't quite reflect the real thing, only show from the shoulders up, shading that isn't exactly true to life.

Jesus, however, is an "exact imprint." He is closer to the real thing than a photograph at a billion mega pixels. There isn't a single subtlety of God's that is missed on the Son. His colors are true and his shading is perfect. Every hair is perfectly defined and perfectly accurate.

Slow Day

Today is one of those days that's moving at a snail's pace. Mondays are often slow, but for some reason today takes the cake.

About the only thing I can think about commenting on is yesterday's crazy weather. I never thought I would envy Alaskan weather...but yesterday I left for a bike ride and it was only 42 degrees. Apparently Up in Alaska, it was a balmy 58.

Adultescence

I just read an interesting article on the phenomenon of "adultescence," where young adults live like teenagers...through their 30's. My favorite quote:

Our culture constantly lies to us, telling us to just goof off, have fun, and
live for the next "buzz." It pretends like it's giving us something, but in
reality we're being robbed. We're buzzing ourselves numb — losing out on the
delights of knowing God and His ways, the joy of godly marriage, the beauty of
sexual intimacy as God intended it, the incalculable reward of fatherhood and
motherhood, and the blessings of genuine, responsible adulthood.

http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001217.cfm

Unbelief of the People

When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. 37Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

"Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

39Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,

40"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them."

41Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

-John 12:36b-43

Texts like this are why I believe strongly in compatibilism (a.k.a. Calvinism). Jesus did all these miracles, yet "they could not believe" (v39). There are some he reveals himself to, and others he hardens.

Stupid Chief Priests

9When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. -John 12:9-11

How stupid were the chief priests? They wanted to kill Lazarus because Jesus just raised Lazarus from the dead. Anybody else find that to be an incredibly stupid idea?

Death Penalty

"You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it." - Number 35:33

I am not certain what my position is on the death penalty, but this verse is definitely making me think more about the issue. I have always believed the Bible clearly teaches that evil doers, especially murderers, need to be removed from among us. No doubt about it, this pertains to our society: remove evil doers from the general population. It also says the murderers should be put to death. It is easy to argue that in Biblical times, the only way to remove a murderer was to kill him because they didn't have ultra high security Alcatraz-like prisons. In our day and age, we can remove murderers from the population without killing them. If the only purpose here is to remove murderers from among us, then it's difficult to rationalize the death penalty. There are other "earthly" reasons used to support capital punishment, like providing a deterrent to crime, etc., but they also don't get to the heart of the matter.

This verse makes it clear that there is more to killing murderers than removing them from our midst, sending a message to criminals, vengeance, or any other earthly reason. The death penalty was originally instituted by God to atone for the blood that was shed by the murderer. Oh, this raises hundreds of theological questions. Can Christ's blood atone for the land for that blood that was shed? As a non-theocracy, should we try to atone for the blood that was shed?

Good 13

This morning I was able to ride a pleasant 13 miles on the way to work. Ahhhhh. I successfully picked up new tubes, replaced the blown one, pumped it up, and had no problems. It was a good thing because I was really starting to go crazy. I guess I've gotten a little addicted to cardio work because I was just bouncing with too much energy yesterday. I don't think I would have been able to sleep if I hadn't taken Evie for a short ride after work yesterday. Today is very therapeutic...if I can just sit still at my desk until it's time to go home!

Frustrated

I've been riding my bike pretty hard these past few weeks, so I decided I should take it easy this week. Give my legs a break so they can recover and I can go faster next week. My plan was to back off the miles a little, and back off the intensity a lot. But I was not planning on abandoning my commute to work or quitting riding altogether.

Yesterday was a frustrating day due to the weather--at least the forecasted weather. The prediction of dangerous thunderstorms in the afternoon scared me off my bike. No sense being swept up like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, especially when I'm trying to have a recovery week. So despite the 20 mph winds, when no rain came all day, let alone thunderstorms, I was annoyed. Driving home in beautiful sunny weather was surprisingly agravating--isn't sunny weather supposed to be a good thing?

Now this morning I checked the forecast and not a hint of rain. Again, the winds are pretty strong, but that just helps cool me off so I'm not to sweaty when I get to work. The temperature dropped from yesterday, so it was pretty cool. I put on my cold weather biking gear, loaded up my pack, and hopped on my bike. As I pulled out, the wheel felt mushy and, sure enough, I had a flat. Apparently my crash Saturday had messed up my tube a little bit. Not to despair, I had a spare in my pack.

Sure, changing the tube takes a few minutes, but I wasn't in a hurry--I just wanted to ride! I took my helmet off and settled in for a tube change. I've done this a dozen times before, so it wouldn't be a big deal. I took the old tube out, put the new one in, got the tire put back on and started to pump. 100 PSI, perfect. Put the pump back in the garage. I stepped back outside and put my helmet back on and POP!!! Like a gunshot or, more accurately, a 100 PSI balloon popping. That was my last spare tube, so no bike ride for me today!

I'm determined to ride today. I think I'll pick up a couple of new tubes on the way home from work today. Then I can put Evie in the trailer and I'll haul her around on my mountain bike.

Coffee Roaster

For those who are curious about my newly found hobby of coffee roasting. Here's a picture of my roaster. It's a souped-up popcorn popper. I rewired it with some plans I found on the web to make it better. I added a simple on/off switch that controls the heater and a dimmer switch to control the fan. The variable speed fan is the key to it all. If it's blowing too fast, the beans never get hot enough to roast beyond ultra-light. If it's blowing too slow, they roast too fast and can start on fire. The big metal box on the side is a transformer to step the voltage down from 120V to the 25V needed for the fan so I don't blow the thing up!

And the metal tube coming out of the top of the roaster is a failed attempt at expanding the roasting chamber to allow more beans at a time. Unfortunately, it interfered with the inside of the chamber too much, causing the beans to not mix well, and the bottom beans were completing their roast before the ones in the top even began.

And here's a before and after of the other night's roast, a 50/50 blend of Colombia and Sumatra. The left is the green beans, and the right is after roasting--a pretty dark roast but not quite French.

Fear and Peace

"But there is also a real fear of him [God] that can coexist with sweet peace and trust in him. The key is that God himself is the one who removes his wrath from us. Our peace does not come from our removing the God of wrath from our thinking, but from his removing his wrath from us." -John Piper, What Jesus Demands From the World, p95

God is not some pansy "love everybody" God. No, he is also a God of wrath. Modern day attempts to understand God tend to overemphasize his love and minimize/ignore his wrath. I'm sure in ages past, his wrath was overemphasized, and the current state of Christianity is an overreaction to that previous overemphasis. Why can't we grasp that God is both? He is a God of wrath. He is angry with sin and sinners. He will pour his fury out on those who have spurned him, who love other people and things more than him, who disobey him. He is justified in punishing us, and this does not make him unloving; rather, it demonstrates his holiness and justice.

Why can't we understand love and wrath are not opposites. They are not like North and South where you cannot be both. You cannot walk both northerly and southerly simultaneously. No, love and wrath are more like North and East. They are complementary--not contradictory.

Sexist Inheritance

Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father's brothers." Moses brought their case before the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses, "The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them. And you shall speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.'" -Num 27:4-8

This passage was extremely interesting to me after hearing Pastor John's sermon this weekend. One of his points was how Christianity is a spiritual religion that grows by making spiritual offspring who are born of the Spirit--as opposed to Judaism which is based on physical offspring born of the flesh. This passage is about that old covenant and these daughters who are seeking to preserve their father's name. The reason God appointed inheritances only to sons (except in this exception clause) was to pass on the name.

Maintaining a family's possessions requires the use of only one gender to pass it on. Suppose inheritances were divided among sons and daughters equally. Now a daughter from one family marries a son from another and pass their possessions on to their one and only child. Now this child has inheritance from two separate grandfathers. The distinction of what came from which grandfather has been blurred. The purpose of passing the inheritance was to preserve the grandfather's legacy, but that has now been blurred. This would not have happened if it had only been passed through one gender.

Pragmatically speaking, God had to choose one gender to pass the inheritance through. I can come up with some other "practical" reasons why sons were chosen (like multiple wives), but I believe there exist deeper theological reasons. Namely, God created Adam first, God gave the covenant to Abraham, and the coming Messiah was to be male.

What does this mean for us? I see three things. One, there is a proper place for gender differences. Typically, inheritances were to only be divided amongst sons. Second, there are improper places for gender differences. Denying these daughters an inheritance would have been wrong. Third (and most important), we are under a New Covenant that is not procreation-based. Our eternal inheritance is in no way based on our gender, "For in Christ Jesus you are all sons (heirs) of God, through faith. There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:6, 28).

Before and After

Before

After - It took 2 hours, but I think he likes his new haircut. This should definitely keep him cooler on our runs around the lake.

Hastening the Coming of the Day of God

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, -2Pe 1:5

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
-2Pe 3:11-12

Again these verses are incredibly convicting about the kind of life I (and all Christians) should be living.

First, we're commanded to supplement faith with virtue. In light of all other Scripture, this is clearly not saying any other than faith is required for salvation. No, this text is written to those who already have faith and a right standing with God. This text is telling how to live after passing from death to life. It's telling us not to stop upon finding faith. Faith in Christ's righteousness is both the beginning and the end of salvation, but it is only the beginning of life! Any (so-called) Christian who says, "I have faith" but doesn't have actions deceives himself and his faith is useless. (Remind anyone else of James?)

Second, we need to have perspective. Everything in this world is going to burn up--except the work we do for the Lord. What a staggering fact! I could solve world hunger, find the cure for AIDS, stop global warming...but it's for nothing if people aren't coming to know the Lord. All those un-hungry people and AIDS victims will still die and spend eternity in hell if they don't know Christ. All global warming advances will be nullified when Christ comes and sets the world on fire.

So should I throw in the towel and stop doing anything because Christ will destroy it all? By no means, but I must be intelligent about what I do. Christ's return should motivate me to work for him, to spread his name and glory throughout the world. It should be my motivation to heal the sick and tell them of the Lord. And when I do my work, I should long for the day when I get to present my offering to the Lord. I should long for the day when he comes and sets the chaff ablaze, and the work I did endures like pure gold!

Titus and Good Works

their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, -Titus 1:1

They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. -Titus 1:16

a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. -Titus 2:14

insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. -Titus 3:8

And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works -Titus 3:14

These are a few snippets of the verses that jumped out at me today while I was reading Titus. Talk about convicting! I can sadly say that I am neither zealous for nor devoted to good works. Yes, I live a moral life for the most part, but it's sort of a passive morality. I try not to hurt people, but I certainly don't go out of my way to help people either. That is what is being commanded here. I sure hope I'm not included in 1:16 as "detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work."

500

After less than 6 months of blogging, I've hit the 500 view mark. Frankly, I'm quite surprised. Going in to this endeavor, I didn't think I would have much to say, let alone have much anybody else wanted to read.

Thanks for reading! I hope I have been an encouragement and a challenge to your walk with the Lord. I know this blogging experience has been good for me to put my thoughts down and have a little cyber-accountability.

Arctic Glass

I just stumbled upon this blog. I'm not terribly intrigued about the content--although she does blog a lot about cycling. What caught my attention were her pictures of Alaska. Breathtaking!

http://arcticglass.blogspot.com/

Naked and Exposed

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. - Heb 4:13

I read this verse in Hebrews this morning and thought it was worthy of reflection. My first thought was how humiliating that day will be. It will be like the infamous giving a speech buck naked dream. But this is even worse--it's being naked in front of God. It's not just physical nakedness, but spiritual nakedness too--all the shame of doing this bad deed, not doing this good deed, loving things more than God, etc. etc.

My second thought was much more encouraging. I remembered "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed" (Gen 2:25). We Christians are Christ's bride! What bride is ashamed of her nakedness on her wedding night? We may experience many emotions, like nervousness, but we will not be experiencing shame. Oh how glorious will that day be when we actually enjoy our nakedness in front of the Lord.

Compellingly Beautiful

"We cannot love God apart from the revelation of Jesus who changes our hearts to know God so that we see him as compellingly beautiful. . .
"The reason I use the phrase "compellingly beautiful" is to stress two things. One is that loving God is not a mere decision. You cannot merely decide to love classical music or country western music, much less God. The music must become compelling. If you don't love it, something must change inside you. That change makes it possible for the mind to experience the music with a compelling sense of its attractiveness. So it is with God. You do not merely decide to love him. Something changes inside you, and as a result he becomes compellingly attractive. His glory--his beauty--compels your admiration and delight." -John Piper, What Jesus Demands From the World p 77-78

This is a major reason I am a Calvinist. I don't believe anyone can choose to change their desires from hating God to loving God. They can merely convert, having an intellectual understanding of God, even an appreciation of his works, and living an outwardly changed life. This is very similar to how I can listen to the Beatles and appreciate all they did for rock music, sing along with songs, even say they were a fantastic band, yet I still don't truly like them.

What is required to become a true Christian, however, is not conversion but transformation. This is an internal thing that cannot be forced by our own will. No matter how hard I try, I cannot make myself become a Beatles fan. On the other hand, there are other bands that I like, deep down, without any effort on my part, I just plain like them--like Toad the Wet Sprocket. I heard a CD and said "Yes! I like it."

(Hmmm, I'm thinking a reading of Green Eggs and Ham is in order....)

I think there's a lot more to say...I haven't been very clear. But it's time to go to work, so that's all folks.

Missionary Dating

While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. -Num 25:1-3

Here's the result of "missionary dating." Some unbeliever comes along, and we say "I'll go to her temple/mosque/shrine so I'm culturally relevant, to build a bridge." Next thing you know she's not interested in Christianity at all, and we've angered the Lord. Stupid stupid stupid.

Gather Into One

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish." He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
-John 11:49-52

Is this saying Caiaphas prophesied Jesus would die to gather all God's children? Or is it saying that Caiaphas only prophesied that he would die for Israel, and the rest of this is John's explanation of how much more valuable the death is? Of course, now that Caiaphas has been dead for 2000 years, it doesn't matter a whole lot to us because we know the truth of the whole statement, regardless of whether it was said by Caiaphas or John. Just a curiosity question--any comments?

Suffering a Sign of Christ

"And he calls us to follow him in his sufferings because this life of joyful suffering for Jesus' sake (Matt. 5:12) shows that he is more valuable than all the earthly rewards that the world lives for (Matt. 13:44; 6:19-20). If you follow Jesus only because he makes life easy now, it will look to the world as though you really love what they love, and Jesus just happens to provide it for you. But if you suffer with Jesus in the pathway of love because he is your supreme treasure, then it will be apparent to the world that your heart is set on a different fortune than theirs." - John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World, p 71

How do we show that our lives are different from unbelievers'? It's through various sufferings. As this excerpt points out, that includes self-inflicted suffering or denial. This is a comforting thing for me to read since I have to admit my life does not have much external suffering or persecution. But I do know that my family's denial of an overly expensive home, no new cars, and simply living frugally does mean something significant. Oh they're not the same as being beheaded for the faith, but they do tell us that we're on the right path, albeit the first steps of the path, to true obedience. They tell me that Christ truly is our treasure and that our confessions of faith are not mere lip service. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to greater persecutions, but if it brings more glory to my Lord, then so be it!

Scatter or Gather

"Therefore, when he demands that we follow him, he means that we join him in that task of gathering: 'Whoever does not gather with me scatters' (Luke 11:23). There are no neutral followers; we either scatter or gather. Following Jesus means continuing the work he came to do--gathering a people in allegiance to him for the glory of his Father." - John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World, p 70

Ouch. Do I really gather? Does my complacency in sharing Christ really mean I'm a scatterer? That's what Jesus' words say, so I guess I know the answer. Oh Lord change me! Turn my heart and disposition to serve you by gathering people!

Enemies

And to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"? - Heb 1:13

Christ has enemies. This is such an obvious statement, but so hard for me to reckon. Of course he has enemies, and of course that means I as a little Christ (IE, Christian) should have little enemies too. Why is it so hard to grasp that and embrace it as a part of life? Why do I still, after almost 12 years of being in Christ, try to live my life without being offensive?

This, by the Lord's grace, is my 30-year-old resolution. I will stop being a people-pleaser. I will follow Christ even to the point of having enemies. Note, however, that my goal is not to have enemies. My goal is to follow Christ. In the process, I will inevitably offend and irritate people. Oh well. I would rather have my Lord tell me "well done good and faithful servant" than have people applaud me for my political correctness and inoffensiveness.

Amazing Wife

My wife is amazing. She knows me so well. A couple weeks ago, she bought me a birthday present, of course without my knowledge. Last week, completely innocently, I went out and bought some coffee beans because I was almost out. How was I to know that she was getting me coffee beans for my birthday? OK, she knows I like coffee. But how do you explain that I went to Dunn Brothers and bought a pound of Columbia and a pound of Sumatra...exactly what she did too! Yes, there are circumstances that contributed to this...like Dunn Bros is the only place we both know of to buy unroasted beans for my new hobby, and when I went to buy my beans all they had were those two origins in decaf. But still, she got me exactly what I would have gotten (did get)! She knew all those things--like I love coffee, drink decaf, want to roast the beans myself, want two pounds total, and want a little variety in there. Nicely done!

Intentional Sin

"But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him." - Num 15:30-31

What a frightening word! Just after telling the people how their unintentional sins can be forgiven, Moses delivers this message about intentional sin. There's a lot in this passage worthy of reflection.

Three statements about the character/heart of the intentional sinner:

1. He reviles the Lord
2. He despises the word of the Lord
3. He has broken his commandment

Two consequences:

1. He shall be cut off from the people
2. His sin remains on him

Oh how we Christians need to take heed of this passage. This tells us that God has always seen a difference between intentional and accidental sin. Why would that change with Christ? The distinction he would make will actually be greater. For now we don't merely despise his ministers and a sacrificed goat, but we trample the Son of God underfoot when we sin. Hebrews 6:6 calls this "crucifying once again the Son of God." I do not want to be one who crucifies Christ a second time.

Jesus Commands The Emotions

"Jesus does command the feelings. He demands that our emotions be one way and not another. . .If a feeling is proper to have, Jesus can demand it. The fact that I may be too corrupt to experience the emotions that I ought to have does not change my duty to have them. . .My moral inability to produce it does not remove my guilt; it reveals my corruption." - John Piper, What Jesus Demands of the World, pp 52 - 53

Wow. I (and probably 99% of people) assume my feelings just happen and that I'm not responsible for them. If I'm in a lousy mood, I'm responsible to treat people respectably, but I don't have to worry about my mood itself. WRONG! I am commanded to rejoice. The word "rejoice" is found 202 times in the ESV, and a quick skimming of them shows the vast majority are commands to rejoice ("You shall rejoice", "Rejoice in the Lord always" ), not a mere statement of observation ("And Jethro rejoiced"). My inability/unwillingness to control my emotions is yet another sign of my utter need of Christ.

Love Righteousness and Hate Wickedness

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. - Heb 1:9

What is the secret to gladness? Loving righteousness and hating wickedness. This is not a natural rule though, because all the wickedness in the world would naturally make us sick. This is a supernatural rule. God sees our love for righteousness and blesses us with incomprehensible and otherwise inexplicable gladness. How can it be that one who loves righteousness can find joy in this wicked world? It's because his joy is not in the world but in God! His joy is in the him who rules forever and ever with the scepter of uprightness (v7), who loves righteousness and hates wickedness (v8). It's not earthly gladness; rather, gladness beyond earth.

Possessives

This web site will be my official reference for what to do when talking about possessions of Jesus, Moses, and Miles. It basically says, "Do whatever you want." Do you prefer Jesus's or Jesus'? Do whatever!

Moses's Obedience

Thus did Moses; as the LORD commanded him, so he did. -Num 17:11
Oh I would love to have someone say about me, "Thus did Jeremy; as the Lord commanded him, so he did."

Quote of the Day

Jen Daas has some great comments in her blog. Be sure to check out this post...

'American "individualistic" culture needs to be disciplined out of our hearts so that we can be more like the church in the book of Acts.'

Ancient Rebellion

Num 16:3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?"

It's been going on for a long, long time--people denying their sin and insisting on their holiness. It shouldn't be a surprise when we see churches and especially individuals living in blatant sin but saying there's nothing wrong with it. After all, Korah managed to get 250 Hebrew leaders to join him in his revellion. We are all naturally convinced that we are OK, that our hearts aren't wicked, that our desires are mostly pure. But this rebellion is because Moses told the people "remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after" (15:39). When will we learn that our hearts are naturally wicked and our desires are naturally deceived? Following our hearts will only get us into trouble. The only way to life is by following God's heart.

Be Careful Little Eyes What You See

I have the most wonderful song stuck in my head today...

Be careful little eyes what you see
Be careful little eyes what you see
'Cause your Father up above
He is looking down with love
So be careful little eyes what you see

Superior to Angels

having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"? - Heb 1:4-5

Both the reason Christ is superior and the evidence that he is superior is his father. His name is superior. He is God's son. The basis is not focused on the begotten-ness of Christ, but on his inheritance. That means that all Christians who are adopted sons are superior to angels. One of the main purposes of angels is "to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation."