Emergency Broadcast: Book Review for "The Case For Chist" by Lee Strobel

Over Christmas break I obtained a very interesting book through a white elephant gift exchange... (Thanks Gavin!)

This book was pretty amazing, and I didn't even plan on reading it in the beginning. In short- it is a former atheist's objective journey into the claims of the Gospel, Christ, and what existing evidence (interior and exterior to the bible) says about it. What experts in the field of archeology, ancient writings, modern medicine, and psychology have to say about the scriptures.

It struck me as interesting how a lot of people would like you to believe there is little to no supporting evidence for the gospels, and if you do decide to go about that route in life, then it's mostly faith. Well, not to take away from the faith aspect, but there is a lot more historical evidence then you (or I originally) may believe...For instance-

-More then 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament exist. The closest runner up is Homer's Iliad at 650.

-Ancient historians who could care less for Christ's mission/purpose mention Him in their writings as a "sorcerer/healer."

-Historically documented change to Jewish culture. Changes so serious, they believed they were condemned to hell if they were wrong.

-No archeological discovery has ever disproved a biblical reference.

Those are just a few points, it also goes into the resurrection, (Historically documented at the time that nobody disputed that the tomb WAS empty) Christ's claim to being God, (did he claim it, and was he sane while doing so) were the disciples telling the truth and more; while also making the point that if a person doesn't want to believe...no amount of evidence will change that.

I really like one of the final quotes included by the author: "The things Christ said can not lead to the conclusion that he was just 'a good moral teacher.' the words he spoke reflect Him to be the Son of Man. Or a lunatic/mad man or something worse." (C.S Lewis)

This book has relaunched my love for reading- and I will be posting more reviews to come!

 

This Is It!

This is what I have been brought back to Hampton Roads for.

A sequence of events would probably help.

Called away from comfort/familiarity. Almost 2 years ago from today God called me out of Northern Virginia. Devastated at the time as I was hoping that would be the area He called me to permanently. As I was called from everything I knew and loved, (back to a place I knew and hated) Jeremiah 29:11 was the only reasonable explanation to what was happening- even though at the time I had no idea...For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

 God provides for Jen to be able to come down and join me. Crazy at the time. we weren't even engaged and yet she trusts God telling her to move, and me not up and deciding we weren't going to work out. A bold move on her part. But God provided for a job and place to live. A slight inclination/confirmation we are indeed supposed to be in the Hampton Roads area, but as for what exactly we weren't sure yet. But we were taught that resources (something we as people hold so tightly to, plan, schedule, and stress how to make them provide for us) are literally limitless to God; and He gives according to His will. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?


 Allows a role in work that I actually enjoy. Rough transition, but about a year and a half into it I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life. Work I want to do, and not work I feel like I need to do in order to make money. (<-- big difference) Without even realizing it, God knew that if I stayed in my current position as an outside plant fiber tech, I would have hated it and it would have adverse effects on me as a person. Doing something you hate indefinitely is a horrible idea...I'm sure an example can be found in your life (it can in mine) of what that eventually leads to. How can you work like Colossians 3:23 tells you to without being designed for the task at hand? Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Provides a church home. Not gonna lie, when first approaching the idea of finding a church down here I was so skeptical that I already resigned to the idea that we will just have to find one good enough or close enough to what we believe, because that's all that existed. Foolishly forgetting that if God called us to the area, then why would he not provide a church home?! Foolishly believing that facts and trends dictate truth, and not the other way around. He not only provided the perfect church home (Crossroads Norfolk) He actually provided two. The first one wasn't exactly for us per say, but through it we found Crossroads, and God is definitely moving in that church in exciting ways. I continue to keep tabs on what's happening in it and am encouraged by what I see! They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)

Provided relationships of impact, challenge, and life change for His kingdom. I'll never forget my final bible study with the guys at Chris's place. It was sad. I didn't want to go! But I remember when prayer requests came around to me I mentioned that I felt God called me to Northern VA not permanently, but to change and equip me for what I was leaving to do. I had no clue what it was at the time, but the amount of change I had undergone wasn't so I could just be a better person, but so that I had the tools and boldness to do His work where He wanted me to do it. Which is here, in hampton roads, for now. Just this past weekend we got to fellowship with 2 amazing couples who have already impacted us more then they probably know, and hopefully us them. 

How easy it is to look at our situation and contribute it to a random sequence of happenstance, coincidence, and fortune....Except God isn't a God of distance. But rather a personal God who draws close to those who draw close to Him....(James 4:8) Despite my MANY Flaws.

Life Lately- Boldness And A Passion Pursued.

 -Soul Surfer is a fantastic movie. Carrie Underwood is a great singer. Unfortunately, someone decided to combine the two to create that which would later result in the executive decision to have her go from speaking roles in the first part of the film, to significantly looking at things in the latter. Still a great movie though and worth a watch.

-I have recently been in a lesson about boldness from God. I think the point is- what I would miss in life if I didn't take certain steps (sometimes out of shear terror)...for instance...

•    I would never have met my wife. In fact, I constantly tell her I bet some alternate version of myself is out there somewhere watching my life and kicking himself for never asking her out as he scores his 160th Fantasy Football victory in a row. Awesome? Yes. Guinness worthy? Maybe. Worth it? Absolutely not. He knows and weeps this fact.

• I never would have experienced the moment of practicing God of This City with the lead guitarist from Crossroads, to then have the drummer unexpectedly add a beat to our session mid-song. Indescribable, and electrifying really. 

•  I wouldn't get to know people. Hear their stories, and learn from their experiences. 

-Watched the season premier of survivor the other night. Ever wonder how you would socially react on that show? I do. A few seasons back there was a guy who was really interesting socially. He lied, cheated, stole, and promised a lot of people he would take them to the end.(where your fellow survivors get to vote if you win or not) He actually did make it to the end twice (no easy task) only to be shot down by voters who saw him for who he truly was. His claim to the money was that he played the game so well he deserved it, but in the end, non of the jury voted for him because of his character. I find that fascinating.

Day 10 - A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

This song definitely has that "dream" feel to it but the message is so amazing!

When I Go Down By Relient K


You give me hope, and hope it gives me life
You touch my heavy heart, and when you do you make it light
As I exhale I hear your voice
And I answer you, though I hardly make a noise
And from my lips the words I choose to say
Seem pathetic, but it's fallen man's praise
Because I love you
Oh God, I love you
And life is now worth living
If only because of you
And when they say that I am dead and gone
It won't be further from the truth

It reminds me so many times of not only what I see in the world around me, but myself as well. A brokenness that every person comes to in life at some point, and a hope that is offered in that place. A hope from a God who's heart is an immeasurable amount of broken for you. 

When I go down
I lift my eyes to you
I won't look very far
Cause you'll be there
With open arms
To lift me up again
To lift me up again

Day 06 - A Song That Reminds You Of Somewhere

This one was admittedly difficult and forced me to look through my library.

I very easily made the decision The Authority Song by Jimmy Eat World after coming across it.

I discovered this song during wrap-up one night on the production team of The Gathering. I guess everytime I hear it my mind goes back to my "college" days (I did not attend GMU but have been told I was on the campus more then some students..lol)

More of what the song reminds me of then what it actually means, it brings me back to the time where I (along with the many passionate students of GMU) put our heart into making Christ's name famous on that campus. GMU is a place that will always strike some sort of fire within me.

I have to be careful to not give the impression I actually attended this college...I did not. But like a family of Christ, many of the students accepted me as one of their own.

Whenever I hear this song in the future, it will always remind me of the drastic way God intervened in my life- and who He did it through.

All Things New

It's about time I took one of the many nonsensical whimsies of my mind that Blogger has labeled a draft and formed it into a comprehensible opinion!

Life has been pretty crazy so far this year. Our life is overflowing with a type of newness that I praise God's name for!

A New Car.
For those of you who have known me for quite some time, you might question my vehicle trend in life...I do. God has recently allowed me to have the Fiat 500. It's comparable to a smart car but bigger and slightly more powerful.

Fiat claims to rival the Cooper, and I am totally behind this claim for the following reason...

Yes. The Italian Job Claims the Cooper can carry 1 and a 1/2 times it's own weight in gold while still out-preforming its pursuer in true Jason Statham fashion. While I would possibly consider this car for a 2300lb gold heist, the fact that all of it's gauges are in the middle of the dash as opposed to above the wheel (talk about your sight-line deficiency) makes this vehicle inferior to the Fiat in every way.   

A New House.
THIS has been an interesting endeavor to say the least. I start by saying despite common belief, rarely do I ever rush into giant decisions. But we found a house by missing a turn on an interstate. (literally- saw the sign for the homes after missing a turn...lol)

After much deliberation and outside advice on the subject, we decided to move forward with the purchase. The entire process has been surprisingly smooth (maybe because we're buying directly from the builder) and straight-forward. The location is amazing and central to our lives, the price for what we are getting is very good...The consensus of me and Jen is that God has dropped this opportunity into our lap.

I originally did not want to buy a house for a couple of years, but the housing market suggests otherwise. With rates that allow for a monthly payment to be slightly higher then rent, we figure now is the time to buy.

A New Church.
We have recently decided to switch churches. We actually made the decision quite some time ago, but decided recently to actively look.

Church shopping makes it onto my top 50 hated activities of life. Scoring right along side cooking, decorating, dancing, and running into the person from my past who is really happy to see me, but for the first 5 seconds of our interaction I have no clue who they are.

I don't know about you, but I have never found a church on my own accord. Ever. I believe God is all about making it very clear that HE is the one who will supply the church in my life that is solely focused on Him and His word. Google, while great at finding many other things in life, has been severely lacking in the godly church department. It's not how I found Mclean, WEC, Crossroads (our current church- http://www.crcnorfolk.com/page/home) or any church that will significantly impact me spiritually. Nope. Our church was suggested to us by a good friend. (which is how God operates in this department)

There are two surprising factors about this church..

1. Its small. About 150 people. Me and Jen are used to the mega church scene. But in the church searching process I made myself a disclaimer that size, although a preferable trait, would not dissuade us from a decision. While our area is sort of known as being a spiritual desert, (eh...) Crossroads has stood out to me as being the only church I have visited in the area (out of many) that emphasizes God's word as being it's primary rudder and guiding light for direction.

2. It's only service is Sunday morning. And while getting up early also scores on the list of hated activities of life, I told myself that an evening service rates in the preferred but not required category. And God called me on it...:)

A New Marriage. 
Been getting alot of questions about how married life is going. My response has been that marriage so far has been one of the very few things in life that has exceeded my expectations of it. God has blessed this union immensely, and me with an amazing woman to go through life with. Sadly, we have gotten a few "well it's great NOW." responses. And maybe surprisingly, I would agree that marriage without any sort of conscious effort to combat my sinful nature to only focus on what I can get out of it- will indeed lead to an unpleasant place no couple WANTS or foresees themselves ever being, but sadly end up.

The frame of behavior that the bible teaches on marriage (and relationships) is that of a constant pouring out to your spouse. In return, God pours into you. Both through your spouse and other avenues. This is what was emphasized to us through premarriage counseling. The biggest and most tragic misinterpretations I have witnessed of marriage and the christian life is that both are motivated out of obligation...Nothing could be further from the truth!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1)

Writers Block...(?)

For some reason I am having problems thinking of a solid subject to write on since being married. Maybe it's because that is indeed what I want to write about and I feel people are probably over our wedding and tired of hearing about it. Maybe I shouldn't care and write something that I want to because it's my blog...

In anycase...I have decided to write about smaller things going on in my life instead.

-As before mentioned, I am now married. This has pretty much permeated my thought life. While I love being married, I can't help but to recall a tweet from one of our pastor's at Mclean Bible Church..."I don't love my marriage; I love Ashley." Every so often I remember this to remind myself of who I truly love...(Not Ashley- my wife!)

-I was reading a box of Cheerio's today and thought to myself- there's alot of friggin Cheerio flavors. I then began to wonder what flavors were up for review, but ultimately got rejected. Ice cream Cheerio's? Pepsi Cheerio's? Cantaloupe Cheerio's? I would eat all of these.

-This past Sunday we believe to have found a new church. In true God fashion, it was not church we found via Google, or even on our own accord. God likes to teach me that He will be the one who puts His church into my life. It's a very small church compared to what we have been attending, but passionate about God and His word...I am very excited about the potential witnessed this past Sunday.

-Been playing tennis alot this season with Michael Harper I love tennis with a fiery white-hot passion. It takes just about everything I have to compete with this dude, and a tremendous amount of soreness and suffering afterward...Which then results in a conviction to hit the gym. Thanks Mike...

-We went out to grill some chicken this past weekend on what we thought were our complex's grill. Turns out it was not, as a not so neighborly neighbor informed us. This guy was mad. And not mad like "Hey, why are you inadvertently using my grill that's located next to a public bench, in a public area, and has no lock or any indication otherwise that it's privately owned" mad. More mad like "Hey, you have about 10 seconds to step away from the grill you assumed was public before I grill your face" mad. I was upset at first- until I thought back on the situation and realized that if someone gets that upset over a mistake a stranger makes, clearly some bigger issues must be going on in his life...It made me reflect on the importance of not responding rashly in a situation.

Proverbs 12:18
The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
   but the tongue of the wise brings healing.


-We are going up to NoVa for the first time since being married this weekend. I couldn't be more excited to see friends, new family, and of course my second home in general :)

Thankfulness

Being recently married to my beautiful wife-I have much to be thankful for. Infact, from now and forever more, I don't believe a word or collection of words exist to describe April 29th, 2011. The day was more epic then the dreams I have been having about it beforehand.

Looking back, it is abundantly clear how much God will make His name justifiably glorified through those who desire to do so. How things fall into place for that to happen.

I am very thankful beyond comprehension for the effort of all involved! (family, friends, wedding party)

Not much else to say really...:)

-Lucky Man

P.S. Link to pics (not in order) http://photobucket.com/JenandSean

Foolishness

What do you consider to be wise, or foolish?

I find it fascinating what God has to say on the subject...

Proverbs 13:10
Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

1 Corinthians 2:10
These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.



I have been thinking lately of how blessed I am to even comprehend what God is saying to me in His word and through His people. I have noticed how not everyone has this gift. Simple biblical principals, when given in an everyday advice context, seem almost like a foreign language in today's culture. I then ask myself what can I do to make God's word more applicable/appealing to those around me without compromising it. I believe this answer is three-fold....


1. Clarify exactly what God's word says (a lot of wrong assumptions exist about it)
2. Show the results of its changing power in my own life.
3. Don't hide the fact the the bible does in fact challenge you to change for the better. 



Ultimately though, it's always a person's own choice to accept this freely given wisdom that God offers. That's what it always comes back to, a choice made. It's not like He just randomly chooses people, and said people just happen to understand the bible.(the process is so much more in depth then that) God's word is either foolishness or wisdom...which do you think and (pretty important--->) why?

More often then not my own pride will hinder me from this wisdom that God says is worth more then everything I own. More then rubies and gold. But just like 1 Corinthians 2:10 states, it has to be given by Him.


It makes me stop and thank God. Thank Him for the fact that the process for receiving wisdom is similar to the process of receiving salvation. Ask humbly and in reverence, and it is freely given. Even if I don't always apply it to my life...

Christian Myths

It seems to me that alot of people I talk to have a predetermined idea of who a christian is....IE:

Christians are always happy-Not necesarily. Infact, I would argue that a person wholeheartedly pursuing Christ is generally unhappier then a person partying their life away. I use that term loosely though, because there is a certain joy (which out-sustains happiness) that only God can give. The bible says multiple times that life given to God is not easy, but the reward He gives you (in this world and the next) is worth it 10x over. The evidence of this in my life so far compels me to believe it. Evidence that He would freely demonstrate to others given half the chance.


Christians are offended easily- This probably depends on the person. Most Christians I know are actually slow to anger (as the bible calls them to be) and choose what to be offended by wisely. People make fun of the bible, God, the Cross, just about anything else Christ related you can think of. I tend not to get offended over these things because honestly, my energy is better spent elsewhere then fruitless squabbles.

Christians love celibacy-FALSE. I can say from personal experience that more often then not I would rather wrestle a tag-team duo of a ridiculously well trained, sword-wielding orangutans then wrestle with the desire to have sex with my future wife. But like so many other things in life, God calls us to this because A. She is God's and not mine...thus He sets the rules. B. By following this guideline it glorifies Him, and C. It it better for me in the long run. (not to mention countless studies done on couples having sex in and outside of marriage) Why would I put myself through this when it is more common now days to not? Because my God is one who gives abundantly, and He says sex is more abundant in marriage.

Christians follow God's laws primarily to make themselves look better to man-Mmm...Unfortunately some do. But these "Christians" are fairly easy to pick out of the crowd. It is not hard after a few conversations to see where one's priorities lie. It's so important to me to be honest with people who don't know Christ. To give the overall impression that yes, I am a Christ follower and I also make mistakes. This is how I became a Christian. By seeing someone who loved Christ with all their heart, and yet still made mistakes in life.

You need to have your act together before coming to Christ- Also a no. Infact, a gigantic huge no. The tiniest bit of research into Christ's ministry would reveal that He not only never demanded this of anybody to accept His gift, but actually preferred and sought out the really messed up people. This is no different today. He made me...He knows what I'm about and desires a relationship with me right were I stand. This one hung me up for the longest time...

Christians hate Science-systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. <----Dictionary definition

This is hilariously redundant. Science is our OBSERVATION of the world around us. Of God's creation! This observation can and has been flawed. (unless our earth actually is square and everything revolves around it) I refuse to believe we as people (given our track record) have it all figured out in the realm of science. If anything, our observations point to the Creator's breathtaking design. But hey, I'm no scientist...





I think alot of it comes back around to what people think we are representing. Our lives as Christ followers demand a higher standard of living. Why would anyone want to believe what we did if we were no different? It's our job to portray a joy in our life that they have never seen before...and have them question it. (which is not hard to do really...I seem to have made it sound obligatory)

BUT

The disconnect comes when people think we are representing ourselves, and that there is no outside element affecting our life. I think people just assume "Oh, that's just who he is." When in fact, no....it's not just who I am. Who I am is inherently selfish, backstabbing, mean, self-centered, and self-glorifying. It takes an outside party to change...there is no stronger force of that then God.

Emergency Broadcast: Past

Generally, I have my blogs somewhat planned before writing. There will be some stuff in them that is currently going on in my life, but also things that have happened to me that I want to write about.

Every once in awhile however, something will happen in life that demands an alteration to my current writing plans. Something I feel I must write about right then and there...thus begins my new series; Emergency Broadcast.

I once heard that there are two types of people in the world: those that are fascinated at what happened, and those that are fascinated at what is to come. I think I am the latter. Constantly looking ahead and not overly concerned with what has happened in my life other then what could be learned from my mistakes. My past is not something that comes up a whole lot in conversations because quite honestly, I am ashamed of most of it.

That being said Friday night at Olive Garden we sat at the bar because no seats were available. Mine and Jen's bartender was none other then a huge reminder of who I once was. Now, this was not a bad thing by any means and I was excited to see her. Not to mention very surprised....I honestly thought I would never see this person again in my life. (a list of people that is dwindling)

All through dinner I couldn't help but think back to my days before Christ. Who I was, what has happened, the story is amazing. Anytime I run into anybody from this particular time in my life, I very badly want to tell them how I have changed, what God has done, where I am now in life...but of course, the middle of an Olive Garden shift is probably not the most appropriate time. (I settled for a bad joke about how much less I was being yelled at by cops)(<---wow that sounds bad....)

She gave me the number to my former best friend and informed me that he looked for me on facebook. I'm excited to share whats been going on in my life with him and hear what he has been up to. She seemed to be doing much better as well, which was encouraging....Don't think she liked working there though.

It was strange being served a Corona by a giant slap-in-the-face reminder of who you once were. Strange, but exciting to reflect on who I am now, and what God has done to me through His word and other people. She probably should have slapped me in the face after the tip I left her. I feel bad, it was not on purpose though!...The service was great. I just suck at math...Enter: Tip Calculator.

Chances are I won't get the chance to really catch up with her. But that night was spent thanking God for everything He used to make me realize that living for Him was worth more then anything this world could offer me.

Influences-Family

Returning to my influence series of posts with another very big one...family.

Some are much more family oriented then others, but all are shaped by their family. Especially in the younger years.

I love my family; they are amazing. I can easily say I would not be a Christ follower today if it weren't for my mom, dad, and two older brothers. It is easy to see in my parents parenting styles the type of love Christ has for his children. I understand how foreign of a concept (that is, the type of love God displays) this is to a lot of people, but it never has been in my life thanks to my family.

How has your family influenced you? Alot of people do not have the best of stories concerning this topic, but I do believe every family (immediate or otherwise) has given you some sort of positive encouragement. And chances are, if your entire world were to fall around you, they would support you to the best of their abilities.

I also think a family is easy to take for granted and not be thankful for. But the fact of the matter is, a family is a group of people that no matter the circumstances you should be always thankful for. If I were to stop and think of all that my (and every for that matter) family has sacrificed without me giving anything in return, that statistic would be daunting. Thankfulness would be the only response one could have I would imagine.

God's views of a family are very heavily child-based. That is to say, He is very concerned with how we will raise our family and gives us much instruction on how to do so...

Deuteronomy 4:9-10
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.

Provers 3:1-4
My son, forget not my teaching, keep in mind my commands; For many days, and years of life, and peace, will they bring you. Let not kindness and fidelity leave you; bind them around your neck; Then will you win favor and good esteem before God and man.

Psalm 133:1
How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!

God is both clear and passionate about how we are to raise children. I have heard it said many times that a child is kind of like a blank canvas that is molded and shaped into who he/she will be as an adult, and how much harder it is to change who you are as one! My children will love God; don't have many doubts of that. And I will take cue's from what I have learned from my family in the process!

A Fascinating Tweet.

I refuse to use Twitter.. I feel the website would be more appropriately named "Stalkers R Us," nevertheless, I read a pretty awesome tweet earlier in the month. Kudos to Allan McCullough for writing it.



Joy, Fulfillment, Purpose. Are these your only reasons for following Christ? We must remember that these are not a CAUSE, they are a FRUIT.


There was one following that tweet about our walk with Christ being US centered and not CHRIST centered. Point being that as we mature as Christians, our focuses should shift. I can honestly say it has changed how I view things...

That is all, New Year Post to come!