Unplug

I just posted this to Saddleback's Internet Campus blog and wanted to share with you.  Sometime during the past few weeks I came across the image below and I wanted to share the concept it relates. It is the focus of a webpage (http://analogsunday.com/). There actually isn't much to the webpage. Just the title and a short description about the goal of Analog Sunday. In our modern world we do not unplug very often, we are constantly connected to the entire world. Constantly being connected has an impact on our souls. It does not allow time for reflection or for God to speak. We are always on the go because we constantly need to respond to what is happening. We are not allowed the freedom to get lost on a Saturday or just spend time with our closest friends without the possibility of being interrupted. Because of our constant connection people assume they should be able to get a hold of us at any moment. In our overly connected society we do not experience the freedom to breathe. We are not allowed the opportunity to drink deeply from the fountain of life, Jesus Christ. If you have read some of my other posts you will know I am in favor of you getting away or slowing down. I want you to hear something and hear me loud and clear. You are free to get space and unplug. You can remove yourself from the technological society occasionally. Now this doesn't give you the freedom to ditch your commitments but you can start to build this into your life. Build in a time of intentional disconnection. Now may you experience the freedom of disconnection. May it be a time where Christ encounters you in a new way. May it be a place where you experience refreshment.  If you would like more information on growing spiritually check out the Spiritual Growth Center.

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Ash Wednesday

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend an Ash Wednesday service at a Lutheran Church. I think this was the first time I had ever been to an Ash Wednesday service. These types of services are something people in the low-church (Non-Liturgical) denominations often miss out on. To prepare for the period of Lent the service focused on the ash that was placed on our foreheads, for we are dust and to dust we shall return, but it does not end there. At the end of Lent we will celebrate the resurrection of Christ and with him our future resurrection. While we are dust that is not the final story about us. There is one statement I wanted to share with you that the pastor said. He said "Who you follow will dictate how you follow." This statement is very profound. When we have an accurate picture of who Jesus is we can follow him accurately. During this period of Lent you might want to take sometime and focus on who Jesus is. Let's be honest here, Jesus is the point of Lent, not us giving things up or doing additional things. Jesus is the focus. I hope as you focus on Jesus you will have a more accurate picture of who he is.

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Flee

I found this video today and I thought it portrayed a very important concept well. I am going to read into this film possibly beyond what the director, producer, writer, or anyone else that worked on the film intended (but that is the beauty of the postmodern interpretation of art; you get to add your own interpretation). In this film the young man is fleeing from the man in black. He doesn't try to resist him. When he realizes something is up he takes off. This is something we need to do with temptation. The Bible calls us to flee certain temptation, not resist them head on. We are called to flee from sexual immorality, idolatry, love of money, and evil desires of our youth. So often in life we attempt to resist temptation instead of fleeing from it. We need to flee from those temptations. We are however called to resist the Devil. As you think about this video and this concept use it as an example to follow in life. Do not be afraid to flee, it is what God called us to.

 

<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7152063&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7152063&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="">Nocturne</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/laforet">Vincent Laforet</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

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Flee

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Preparing for Success

I just posted this to the Internet Campus blog for Saddleback. 

This week I spent time learning from Peter Scazzero in a large class setting at Radicalis (the Latin term for Roots), a conference we had at Saddleback. Peter is known for writing Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. On the first day he shared with us about setting up Daily Offices. A Daily Office is something monks do throughout the day to call them to prayer. For several years Peter has practiced these in his life and they have had a tremendous impact on his relationship with Christ. Peter encouraged us to add these to our lives as well so that our relationship with Christ might flourish. He suggested we practice three Daily Offices. To do that we would stop, pray and reflect on God three times a day. If you are like me your first thought probably was "How on earth am I supposed to remember to do that three times a day?" As I thought about it I realized something, I needed something to help me succeed at this. I needed something to remind me to practice the Daily Office at the right time. So I decided I would set three alarms on my phone to remind me each day to stop, pray and reflect on God. Each day at 8AM, 12PM and 7PM my phone reminds me to practice my Daily Office.

If there is one thing I have noticed in life it is you can help yourself succeed or fail (Why do you think musicians and athletes practice so much? They want to succeed). In life we need to prepare ourselves for success not failure. And that is what I want to encourage you to do. If you want to pray more find ways to remind yourself, whether it be your phone, Outlook on your computer, or note cards. If you want to know more Scripture then write it everywhere or read your bible more, maybe both. If you want to overcome an addiction get help, don't try to do it on your own. If you want to spend more time playing with your kids get rid of Cable or Satellite Television. I don't know what you want to accomplish in your life but I know with God and wisdom you can succeed. When we combine God's help and wisdom we can succeed at a lot. Setting ourselves up for success is a way of exercising wisdom.

Now may you find power in God and wisdom to overcome or succeed at the task before you. If you want additional tips or help for succeeding at your relationship with Christ check out the Spiritual Growth page.

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A Different Perspective

It isn't very often that people in America get a chance to see pollution that is found in other countries around the world. I found this picture of pollution going on in China, more can be found at here. The amount of pollution is scary. Use this as an opportunity to be thankful that our country does at times regulate what we produce. 

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Slow Down

This is a blog I wrote for the Saddleback Internet Campus Blog (http://saddleback.com/blogs/internetcampus/). So I decided I'd share it with you too.

Slow Down! If you've ever been pulled over for speeding, these are the words you dread. You’ve been caught and you know it. You just hope he wasn’t paying attention to exactly HOW FAST you were going, or maybe he’ll be nice and let you off with this simple warning… Maybe.

In life there is seldom someone telling you to slow down until it's too late. You fill your life till it doesn’t have any space. You are constantly on the go. If you are like me you like the fact that you are constantly busy. You don’t know what to do when you have free time. It is weird to not have anything to do. So when I tell you what I am about to tell you I am also telling myself. Remember how I said we don’t have anyone to tell us to slow down. Guess what? Now you do. SLOW DOWN!!!

When we look at the life of Jesus we will notice he always moved at a deliberate pace that rarely involved rushing to something. He didn’t even rush to save Lazarus from death. I for one think he knew what he was doing. Do you? If Jesus is our example, maybe we should follow his lead.

We need to slow down.

This is a simple habit we can develop that will aid us greatly in the end.. If we put this habit into practice we will be less stressed out, we will have deeper relationship, we will have greater patience, we will see what really matters, and most importantly we will have a better relationship with God.

I know all the practical people out there are thinking “What does this look like or require of me?” It is simple really. Next time you are at the grocery store go to the longest line, not the shortest. Next time you schedule something give yourself more than 15 minutes to get there, i.e. don’t have back to back appointments. Next time you find yourself with an opening in your calendar, use it to relax, whatever that looks like for you (and if you don’t know what that looks like, figure it out). Next time you are sitting in traffic don’t change lanes, just sit there. Next time you are looking for something to do with a loved one go to the park watch the clouds. Next time you find yourself with a day off commit to spending some of that time with God reading your Bible or talking with him (i.e. praying).

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Prepared to Worship

Over the past few days I have been thinking about preparing oneself for worship. I've been thinking about the ways people used to prepare themselves for worship and the connection they found with outward appearance as opposed to what most people I know currently do. As I've reflected on this concept I realized something. Both groups have it wrong. Let me tell you the two groups I am thinking of here. Let me make a qualifying statement here, these are generalizations. This is not true of all people all the time. One group is the group that finds that they must prepare themselves externally and must wear their "Sunday's Best" to go to church. They require that your outside appearance be exemplary. You need to dress nice and if you don't there is something wrong. They are only concerned with the outside appears. There is no attention to the internal. If you wear a hat you a degrading the worship environment, as a man at least. They are unconcerned about what is going on inside the heart. If this is your tradition I am not advocating you stop dressing nice. I actually think that it is good that people come to church dressed nice. It is not a bad thing. The problem arises when the singular purpose of dressing nice is to impress people. We should heed Jesus words "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 6:1 ESV). We need to be wise of our motives when we come to worship the Lord. There is another group that has a completely different problem. This group comes to the Lord completely unprepared. They do not examine their heart or concern themselves with what Jesus has said. They generally come to church as if it was a social gathering and that is the only thing they are concerned about. This group fails to recognize Jesus teaching as well as Paul's. "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24 ESV), and "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." (1 Corinthians 11:28). This later group is the group I often find myself in. Rarely have I found myself examining my heart when I approach the Lord in worship. I generally show up to worship excited and glad I am going to hear the preaching of His word and praise Him through music. But it is not a habit of mine to examine myself before coming into his presence. 

My goal hear is not to bash any one group, as you can see I identify with one of them. My hearts desire is to encouraged all of God's people to examine themselves before they come into his presence on Sunday morning, or any other day for that matter. With the Psalmist we must cry out "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24 ESV). So next time you prepare to come to worship God may you look into your heart before you look to your outward appearance or your social calendar. Let your worship of the Lord be your guiding thought. Let your desire to meet the Lord be your primary focus. May you meet Him and find that you are prepared for your encounter. May your heart be prepared to encounter Him in His full glory. 

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The Mark of Cain

I was just reading a blog, here, about the Ghost of Cain. The author mentions how the desire to kill flared up in him while learning self-defense with a hand gun. The Ghost of Cain is not something we often experience in the civilized world but we do experience another ghost every day. We experience the Ghosts of Adam & Eve, so to speak. Each and every day we encounter humanity's sinfulness, whether it be in ourselves or in others. The inherent sinfulness of humanity is something that plagues us, often more than we understand. We do not see things clearly because of our sin. We think of ourselves more than others. Sinfulness is inherently a self focus, a desire to do things our way instead of another's. We lack our own ability to overcome sin. But it is a good thing that we don't need to overcome it ourselves. We simply need to accept what has been done for us and choose to walk a new life with Christ. While it will not always be easy to walk in this new life and we will often fail we now have the power to overcome sins effects in our lives thanks to the work on the cross. 

I know this is short but I also hope it is sweet. I don't have much else to say. As you reflect on this look to see where you are being influenced by sin that you previously did not notice. Also may you have the ability to see those areas where it is effecting you and do something about it. Relief from it is a choice away. Whether that be a relationship with Christ or resting in the power he has already given you. 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Jon

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scrip.ly + short urls for biblical reference

Check out this website I found at scrip.ly

This site is pretty cool. It is a url shortener for a Bible passage link. It is like tinyurl.

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The Desert

For a little while I have felt like I have been being led by God to experience some temptations. It has been very difficult to deal with. At times I have felt like I am being drug through the gutter. I know God will sustain me but that doesn't make it less difficult. Today I opened an email from my mother that was from "Prime Time with God". I've never heard of that before but it caught my attention when it had the verse that I have been reading and reflecting a lot on lately. Below is what it had to say. When I read it I have to admit it brought a few tears to my eyes because it confirmed a little of what I have been going through. 

Being Led into the Desert
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
11-14-2009

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil" (Matt 4:1-2).

After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist He was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be temped by the devil. Jesus was being tempted as a man, not as God. Jesus came to earth as a man to live His life with the same limitations as you and I. Satan wanted him to come out of His human condition into His God nature to deal with His hunger. It was Jesus' first real test to be a human being.

Some people think God would never lead His people into the desert to be tested. Some would even say this is the devil's doing. The fact is, both statements are true. God actually uses Satan to test His servants to help develop obedience in their lives.

Jesus had to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit in His life just like you must in order to have victory over temptation. God was testing His obedience. He was not allowed to be God in this situation. This would be true for the rest of His life. The miracles He would perform were the result of seeing what the Father was doing and obeying His commands. Jesus said we would do even greater works than He did because we have the same access to the Father as He did.

God led the people of Israel into the desert to learn something about themselves. They learned about their level of obedience when life became difficult. "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands" (Deut 8:2).

When God leads you into the desert, He is allowing you to learn something about yourself. We all need to learn how we will respond to temptations in our lives. As we press into God during these times the roots of our faith are forced deeper and deeper into the soil of His grace.

Do not fear being led into the desert. This too is the way of God. 

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The Sunglasses of Discipline

I recently went on a road trip to see U2 with some friends. On our way home I took my place in the back seat, because someone else with us got car sick. Frankly I hate sitting in the back seat because you will generally be left out of the conversation and the music will be too loud to hear anything that is being said. So I had a lot of time to sit and think.

As I was sitting in the back seat I began to think about sunglasses and world views. They say world views are like glasses we put on that affect how we see the world, while I don't agree with that concept wholeheartedly I think it can be appropriate at times. As I this thought snowballed in my head I started thinking about spiritual disciplines as sunglass changers. How we can use different disciplines to change our perspectives. While this isn't the only goal of a spiritual discipline I think it is a facet of them.

This is something I am going to continue to think through. As I think about it more I will share. 

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The Holy Spirit

Life Church.tv is starting a new series on the Holy Spirit. The video is great. Check it out.

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Check out this link (Shared via http://ow.ly):

Check out this website I found at ow.ly

A friend shared this on twitter. I really enjoyed his perspective. We cannot spend to much time on any one specific task. If we do we will become unbalanced and not very useful.

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Service Without Requirements

A few weeks ago I watched this video. And I have to admit that was slightly concerned over the video. Why would these people willingly help people who would continue in their sin? It seemed like they were enabling the girls who lived there, and as a Christian shouldn't I be against enabling people to sin? In the midst of thinking this thought a story from the Bible came to mind. The story is found in Luke chapter 17 verses 11 to 19. In this story Jesus heals 10 lepers but only one turns back to praise Jesus because he was actually healed. Now this passage would have little impact on our understanding if Jesus just healed everyone he came in contact with, but that doesn't appear to be the case. In addition we see in John 5:19 that Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing. So it leaves us to reckon that God, the Father, knew what would happen as well as Jesus, the Son of God. If one or both knew what would happen and still healed these men than they would have healed them knowing they wouldn't respond correctly. What strikes me is that Jesus healed them anyways, regardless of their response to him. His healing was given without requirements, and so should our service. We should serve those around us without any requirements placed on our service. Now I am not one of those who is in favor of never telling someone why we serve them. I think we should be open about our service for Christ. We should share that we are doing it because we are called to love like Christ but then leave it at that. We share that we are serving because of Christ and leave it to them when they are ready to hear more. Although we should always allow the Spirit to move and if the Spirit tells us to speak we should speak. We certainly should never serve someone with a requirement that they follow Christ, for this would be contrary to the Gospel, the Gospel is not forceful upon others. The Gospel respects the freewill of the person, although there are consequences for rejection.

What do you think about service to others without requirements? What do you think about these people helping out a brothel? Any other thoughts?

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Video Test

Testing to see how this works with a video. 

<p>Third Culture Video - Short from Newsong Church on Vimeo.</p> 

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Creativity?

I find that I'm not a very creative person, but I wish I was. I wish I had creativity sparked within me every once and a while. Occasionally it comes out but I'm not sure where it comes from and I'm unsure how to hold on to it for any significant amount of time. Creativity within humanity is often spoken of as one of the distinguishers of the Image of God. Of all of creation only humans are creative. A given bird species will not depart from its standard song, it does not create but reproduces. So creativity is down there deep inside of us all. But some have the ability to hold onto it for significant periods of time. How do they do it? What do you do to spark creativity inside you? Do you consider yourself creative? Any thoughts on how to form this inside yourself or others, primarily me?

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Recent Reflections

So I haven't posted much in a while and I blame it all on the fact that I haven't been doing much thinking lately. Lately I've spent a lot of time playing video games and doing the opposite of thinking. I used most of my summer to shut off my brain instead of thinking. I am by no means advocating this, simply stating the truth. Truth be told I would advocate the opposite of what I did this summer; if that was a little to twisty for you that means I advocate thinking. It is something I think we should all value. We should desire to understand more and be able to think things through.

Well school has started up again so that requires my brain be turned on. This past week in Old Testament class I came to a conclusion. I don't delight in God's law all that often and that concerns me. Psalm 1:2 stats "but he delights himself in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night." This man is called "Blessed" in the previous verse and that is a good thing to be called if you ask me. So I have been reflecting on this the past few days. When we delight in something we devote time to it and we think about it a lot, hence why he meditates on it day and night. Frankly I don't take much delight in God's law right now, at least my actions say otherwise. I genuinely enjoy reading the Bible but I have "lost that loving feeling" towards it so to speak. I have had that delight for it before and it disappeared at some point, and I'm not sure where it went. But I am going to find it. This is something I am dedicated to. I am all in on God and his word, the Bible. Don't know how but I am going to do it. I certainly know where to start. And that is by reading it and putting it first before TV, video games, and other things.

As I have thought about this for myself I wondered where my friends and others are at with this. If you are a Christian do you find yourself delighting in God's word? If you are not a Christian have you ever read the Bible? If so what did you think of it? If you haven't would you consider it? That is all for now.

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Question

So recently I have been on this kick to ask people questions on facebook to get random discussions going, get people to know each other and to open up a bit. Apparently I am not the only one asking single questions of people. I found this video via a friend and thought I should share it.


Fifty People, One Question: London from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

I also have been thinking about how asking questions can help form community, yet we seldom ask them. Questions help us to get to know other, which is an essential part of community. If we don't know the other we don't have relationship or community. If we don't ask questions we won't see our common threads and where God is moving our community. If we don't ask questions we will never know the little details of other, or at least not well. But we must also ask questions of ourselves as this will help us interact with others. So as you watch the video or reflect on this think about what questions you need to be asking right now or what questions you can be asking. One of my questions right now is "Are we prepared where God will lead us next?"

Anonymous Comments

So I had a friend point out that my comments did not allow anonymous people (on blogger) per the post titled Confessions. If you wanted to before a decided not too because you could not anonymously post before feel free to do so now on this post rather than going back to the others. And here is my commitment: As much as I will want to figure out who posts the comment I will not try to figure out who you are. If by random chance I figure it out I cannot control that but I will not actively pursue your identity as that is part of confession; it is anonymous.

Events - Wise or Directed

Yesterday I had lunch with my friend Jim who works at Saddleback on the college ministry team known as Crave and we had a great discussion about life and ministry. We eventually found ourselves discussing how we should respond when an event has some hiccups. What do you do when you have a snow day event and the forecast calls for rain? Or what happens when you always go to a certain retreat center but another, more "attractive", location becomes available? Now I know most of you are thinking "I'm not in ministry, so this doesn't apply to me." but I think you are wrong. I think it will apply to you and I will try to show you why. As we continued our discussion we framed those questions with another, "Is this something God wants me to do or is this simply a wise decision?" As we posed this question it brought new light to the two examples. If the event is something God wants me to do then I must follow his lead and trust that he make sure it doesn't rain or the retreat will be great at the usual location. But if it is simply a wise decision to have the snow day then we should also act wise and cancel or we should choose the new retreat center. Now don't get me wrong here, both option are equally good; it is okay to act on wisdom when God does not say one way or the other. But before we act on wisdom alone we should probably ask God about it, especially when it is a big decision. So my question for you is where in your life right now do you need to start acting on faith and where do you need to start acting on wisdom? I'm not sure there will always be both in your life but I would guess that there are. Where in your life do you need to ask "Is this something God wants me to do or is this simply a wise decision"?

Next

So this post is based on The One-Minute Writer.

The question is: What do you hope is around the next bend in the road?

I think currently I hope there is a lot of things around the next bend. Not in a depressed way but in a hopeful way. Things are great right now and I see the potential for them to get even better.

I hope there is Kingdom growth, in my life and others.
I hope some friendships grow deeper.

But I hope for a new Reformation the most. I am not the first to say we need this, and I imagine I won't be the last, but I agree with the statement nonetheless. That is what I am hoping for.

Advice from Bush Twins

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This was on a friend's page and thought I would pass it on. Great stuff.

Confession

I had this random thought today. "What if people wanted to confess something but have no avenue?" So I decided to write this post. If you want to confess something feel free to do so at the bottom; I believe you post anonymously (if not let me know and I'll fix that). I hope you use this as an opportunity to let something of your chest that has been eating at you. If you want advice on what to do or want a blog response write "Response" as the last thing. So have at it. Depending on the response I might have one of these posts every so often.

The Jetsons

So my friend Amber (who doesn't blog much) were talking about The Jetsons and how it would be an awesome movie, live action or CG (like Walle). So in an effort to get someone to make this movie I decided to blog, not that important people read this thing. But it is worth a shot. As we talked about it I couldn't help but think about other movies I would like to see be made. The first and most important would be G.I. Joe; heck they are the original CTU. Are there any movies you guys would like to see be made?

Blogger-blockage

So I've been trying to figure out how to blog more often and my co-worker Linda blogs every day. I know she's crazy, not really but she does blog a lot. So I asked her what she writes about on a regular basis and she showed me this site that gives prompts for you to write about each day. So next time you want to blog and can't think of what to blog about head over there and use a prompt. There is one that I particularly want to write about, aliens. I know awesome. If you have any other suggestions of places to get help on blogging leave a comment and I'll put together a list of blog helps.

Bored at Work

Had a class mate show me this game. Next time you are bored at work try it out. http://www.helicoptergame.net/

Reconciliation With Hamas???

Someone else directed me to this article. I "wonder" why this hasn't shown up in the Western press. I don't understand how people continue to protest for these people.

History Abounds

Today and tomorrow will be filled many firsts. Today Rick Warren is speaking at Martin Luther King Jr.'s church, the first white man to speak their, ever. Tomorrow we will see the first African-American president, ever, in the history of this great nation. But these two statements lead me to wonder if we have farther to go. We have come such a long way from the society of the 1800's where slavery was legal. It appears that we have become, in general, a post-racism society. But is this where we should stop? If in 15 years I explain to my little brother that these days were historic should I expect him to understand? Or should I prefer that he not understand it at all? Should I hope that he has no concept of race? That he no longer sees someone for the color of their skin but for the character of their heart, which was King's dream. If you'd like to weigh in feel free to do so. And please understand that I am proud to see this day. I am glad we have come this far. But I simply see the ability to improve. But maybe this is misguided. These days truly are great. Here is to a new era.

Comics and Toddlers

So I bought a LA Times today because they had a section on the Inauguration of Barack Obama. When I got home I opened the paper and flipped through. As I was flipping through my little brother was standing by me and I thought "I should show him the comics." Because kids love the comics right. Apparently I was wrong. He didn't get much out of them. Do you know why? I figured it out but it never would have occured to me until I tried to read one to him. He didn't get much out of them because he didn't get them. He didn't get the word plays or the thoughts behind pictures themselves. It occured to me as I read one with a guy playing football buried by a bunch of players and stating to his wife on the phone "Hey, hon, can I call you back? I'm buried." Now I expect you to get that if you are an American who speaks English as a primary language or has some understanding of the English language.

So this got me thinking. How often do we put people off or do people simply not get what we are saying because of the internal language we use. Often Christians have a set of words they use that they assume everyone else gets but really only Christians get. Now I understand that some of this is unavoidable but we can remove some of the interal language. Our message should not be hindered by our terms. So next time you are going to share something about Christianity with someone that isn't a Christian try to use as little Christianese as possible. Crazy factoid: Christianese is actually a word according to my spell check on the Mac. Just goes to show that we have internal language. Now next time you share make sure you are not preventing their understanding because of your Christianese.

Quick Reflection on Psalm 40:1-3

So Psalm 40:1-3 reads:

"1I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD."

Recently while serving at Fuse one of the girls I was serving with commented about one of the other female leaders. She said "I really want to be like her. You can just tell she loves Jesus. I really want my life to reflect that too." This got me thinking. Both of these girls love Jesus and both of their lives have been far from perfect. But the difference is that one of them is allowing the new song in their mouth to be seen. What we have to realize is that this is something that we can allow to happen or prevent from happening. When I interact with people I want to have the new song be evident and this occurs by the way I live my life. Not only in public but in private. The Christian life is not a lazy life. We need to constantly work towards growing. If we never read our bibles and never obey the words of Christ then we can hardly expect our lives to be filled with joy. We need to remember Jesus words in John 15:9-11 regarding abiding in him.

He states: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

If you notice there is a cause and effect that we can participate in. As you go about this next week I hope you partake in this cause and effect. May your joy be full.

Moving Out Of The Way Fail

So I'm working on a sermon illustration for a message I am giving at Saddleback Irvine and I stumbled upon this video. It's pretty funny.

Are You (Red)?

Most of you by now have heard of the RED campaign. If you have not, it is a campaign to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa that was started by Bono from U2. The theory behind the campaign is to get existing companies to commit to donating a portion of their profit when specific (RED) items are sold. By doing so it brings awareness and provides money for the cause. Just recently Starbucks became a (RED) partner and they have an awesome new addition to the campaign. They released the (Starbucks)RED gift card. Every time one of these cards is used between 1/3/09 and 12/31/09 5 cents will be donated to the campaign. Now that might not sound like a lot, but there certainly are a lot of people who go to Starbucks on a regular basis. It is a great place to hangout or do homework. So if you are a regular to Starbucks I encourage you to get one of these cards and continue to use it. Once it runs out of money you can reload it by ask a Starbucks partners (employee). By doing so you will continue to help fight the global pandemic of AIDS. And if you won't reload the card pass it onto someone who will.

Is It Finished?

So I took my little brother to see Bolt last weekend. At one point during the movie he leaned over to me and said "It's over." Knowing that he is not very well versed in movies I could tell that it was not actually over and told him that there was more movie. But I could see how he would think it was over. This got me thinking about how often we think something is over before it actually is. We think it is the end when we actually need to be hoping for more.

Like when David and Bathsheba's first child died. Everyone thought David should continue to mourn but he praise God. He knew what would come later. He knew he would be with the child. Or when Jesus was on the cross. He cried out a psalm of hope. He knew there was more to come. He was letting those around him know it was not over. He knew more was coming.

Often things get turned totally upside down and our first response it to question God. But what if we took a new perspective. What if we questioned our feelings? What if we questioned our perspective? What if we claimed "It is not over"? If you have a relationship with Jesus then you can claim this. Paul writes "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." If you do not have a relationship with Jesus you cannot claim this. But you can.

So there are two responses possible here. If you have a relationship with Jesus you need to remind yourself that "It's not over." If you do not have a relationship with Jesus you can respond by putting your hope in him. If you are interested in that you can email me @ jcvarner@gmail.com. There is actually a third option and that is to not respond to this information. You can go on living as you have been. But there is no hope in that. In Jesus we have hope. We know that "It's not over" for the resurrection has come.

In the Stream

I found this quote today.

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.
- Thomas Jefferson

I wonder if this is to some degree what Paul meant in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (ESV)

"19For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23I do it all for the sake of the gospel,that I may share with them in its blessings."

Right now how are you swimming and how are you standing?

Verse to Reflect On

This verse was shared this weekend at church and I thought I'd pass it on as it is a great verse for reflection this time of year.

Isaiah 9:8 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

Christmas vs. Xmas

So I keep having this strong desire to type out and write Xmas. But every time I think about it I am reminded of "The Reason for the Season." I know cheesy. But I want to encourage you all to consider writing Christmas rather than Xmas. For Christ truly is the reason we celebrate all this. And the more we can do to remind ourselves of that the better. With all the hustle and bustle, plus the consumerism. It is often Jesus that is lost in this time of year. So when you are at the store in line and are getting frustrated with how long it is taking take a look around. See if you can find something to remind you that this is about Jesus. And W.W.J.D.? I know cheesy. Or the next time you are searching for a parking spot or have one jacked look at the lights and remember He is the Light of the World. Still cheesy? Basically what I am saying is take a look around and I bet you can find something to remind you of Jesus. Even if it is Santa Clause. Remember he was a Christian. Not this modern Santa Clause but Saint Nicolas. Advertisers all the time use little messages for their purpose. So why not use the true little messages of Christmas to change your perspective. I hope you all have an amazing and wonderful Christmas season.

Justice and Mercy

Thoughts I'm pondering right now: To what degree do we offer mercy towards a Christian man guilty of a crime? To what degree do we yearn for punishment against a Christian brother? What should be my response when a Christian brother is accused of a crime? What should it be if he is found guilty?

I understand what my response should be when it is simply an act of sin; forgiveness.

Any thoughts?

Luke's Gospel

So I've been reading Luke's Gospel during my devotionals as of late. I've chosen to go through Luke because it appears that Luke writes to a man of power and position. While I do not have these I feel my current life setting has more to do with rich men of that day than it does with the other Gospels, not that they do not speak to me. I just thought I would read through Luke and let it challenge me as a privileged young man in a very wealthy county. So today I was excited to find out that the Singles Blog for Saddleback Church is doing a devotional set for the Christmas Story for Luke. When you have a chance you might want to check it out. It'll be very interesting to be challenged again by this story.

Craziness

So a month ago I was having a discussion with a friend and he said "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I'll sound crazy." As a prodded him for more information I said something that I didn't quite grasp until after I said it, I know typical me I say something before I think about it. I responded by saying "We believe in a God who was raised from the dead. Dead people don't rise on a typical basis. We deal in crazy." This statement has stuck with me since that day. I wonder what are something that we believe are impossible that are actually not that far off from occurring. I was once one of those lost cause people who few thought I would ever come to know Jesus. How many friends have I seemingly written off as unsavable? How many times have I written off a healing because it seemed impossible? As a Christian I have to believe that prayer works. I have to believe that God actually cares what happens. I have to believe that the impossible is possible. Every time we read the story of the resurrection it should to some degree remind us that the impossible is possible.

Here is what I am trying to say. When ever you think something is impossible remember that day roughly 2000 years ago when the Son of God was raised from the dead. Remember that friend who came to know Jesus. Remember what he has done for you that seemed impossible. Remember that as long as it will lead to good God deals in the impossible. When the night is darkest remember that the impossible is possible.

I pray that you will all continue to form a worldview of craziness.

Advent Conspiracy Promo Video

Found this video and it really struck me. What will we focus on this Christmas?

From a Friend

A long lost friend of mine posted this on her blog. I thought you all might appreciate it.

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."

William J. H. Boetcker (1942)
(Quoted by Ronald Reagan)

This Guy is Great.

This guy brings up some great points. Especially about the actors at the end.

ACORN

So recently the group known as ACORN has been caught performing voter fraud in multiple states. In Indiana they were caught because the state had 105% of its population registered to vote. They were caught in Nevada because they registered the entire Dallas Cowboys starting lineup. So this issue is extremely upsetting to me. This is a right many men have died fighting for. It is a right that other people in other places would die to have. Think about the people in Burma or other places that yearn for this right and would die for it. So in light of this I decided to add up the top 10 Wars in American History by deaths. You want to know what it adds up to?

Death Total: 1,308,244

The lives of these men is worth more than winning an election, but I guess not everyone thinks that way.

Parable of the Talents

So I've been spending some time reflecting on the Parable of the Talents. Not the whole parable, just a part, actually just part of a single verse. The part I have been reflecting on is found in Matthew 25:15. The part I've been reflecting on is "each according to his ability." Not really sure why this struck me but it has. I think we generally understand what the point of the parable is, that we are to be responsible with what we have and more will be given, but I keep thinking about this portion of a verse. As I think about this I wonder "what exactly does it mean?" So as I process this I am beginning to wonder what abilities he has given us that we often forget about and we often miss opportunities to use the abilities and therefore are unfaithful with them. Or if we don't know about the ability and we miss an opportunity will we have what is given taken away. I'm unsure if we are responsible for what we do not know.

This has also gotten me thinking about what abilities I have and I am not using. What do we do when we don't have opportunities to use our abilities? Do we search opportunities out or do we wait until we are given them?

Any how, just some random thoughts to get you thinking. Feel free to process in comment form if you like.

The Possible

So Purpose Driven Childrens Ministry Conference started today at Saddleback. The theme is Pipedream: Making The Impossible Possible. This got me thinking "What are the things my friends or myself might do if we thought it was actually possible?"

Here are some of mine (Feel free to post yours as a comment if you like):

Plant a church in Portland that ministers to the poor and the captives.
Start a retreat center that is a ranch.
Lead some long time friends to Jesus.
Write a book that brings people closer to Jesus.

That's it for now.

My Thoughts and Hopefully Yours

So first off I want to ask you all for your thoughts in response to what I am about to write. I've been pondering something and I am curious if others see it the way I do or if I am off base. So lets be at it shall we.

Last night I was having a conversation with a female friend and she was talking about how she has a lot to bring to the table and doesn't want to settle for some random guy. Which frankly kinda bugs me. The reason this bugs me is because I feel if a man were to say this he would be considered prideful and arrogant but if a women says this she is just holding her self with high value. But honestly is it any different? Also as I thought about it I began to notice something about myself; I dislike it when men are prideful (side note: I am a prideful person and I know that but I am working on it) but when women appear prideful it really really bothers me. Not really sure why. Do you guys feel the same way or differently? I think what bugs me about it is that it seems so contrary to the nature of women where in men it almost comes off as a natural thing. Now I have little to base this on other than my gut. Am I off base here? Please note I am not making a moral or ethical judgment here considering all pride is bad. Overall what do you guys think?

Reflections on 9/11

So just a quick hit before I go to bed.

I did some reflection today regarding 9/11 and what has occurred since. And something struck me. Rarely do I pray for the families that have been affected here due to that day and the days that have followed. Lives have been lost and people grieve. But something else struck me. Very very rarely do I and others pray for the families on the other side and instantly some verses came to my mind. Matthew 5:43-45 where Jesus instructs us to pray for our enemies, I assume he meant Al Qaeda and the like.

Matthew 5:43-45 - "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Just a thought.

Catholic Brothers

This was issued today by the Archbishop of Denver. I know it is longer than most post but it deserves reading. I am so proud of the Catholic response right now.

Found this at Hugh Hewitt's Blog.

Public Servants and Moral Reasoning:

A notice to the Catholic community in northern Colorado

To Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver:

When Catholics serve on the national stage, their actions and words impact the faith of Catholics around the country. As a result, they open themselves to legitimate scrutiny by local Catholics and local bishops on matters of Catholic belief. In 2008, although NBC probably didn't intend it, Meet the Press has become a national window on the flawed moral reasoning of some Catholic public servants.

On August 24, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, describing herself as an ardent, practicing Catholic, misrepresented the overwhelming body of Catholic teaching against abortion to the show's nationwide audience, while defending her "pro-choice" abortion views. On September 7, Sen. Joseph Biden compounded the problem to the same Meet the Press audience.

Sen. Biden is a man of distinguished public service. That doesn't excuse poor logic or bad facts. Asked when life begins, Sen. Biden said that, "it's a personal and private issue." But in reality, modern biology knows exactly when human life begins: at the moment of conception. Religion has nothing to do with it. People might argue when human "personhood" begins - though that leads public policy in very dangerous directions - but no one can any longer claim that the beginning of life is a matter of religious opinion.

Sen. Biden also confused the nature of pluralism. Real pluralism thrives on healthy, non-violent disagreement; it requires an environment where people of conviction will struggle respectfully but vigorously to advance their beliefs. In his interview, the senator observed that other people with strong religious views disagree with the Catholic approach to abortion. It's certainly true that we need to acknowledge the views of other people and compromise whenever possible - but not at the expense of a developing child's right to life. Abortion is a foundational issue; it is not an issue like housing policy or the price of foreign oil. It always involves the intentional killing of an innocent life, and it is always, grievously wrong. If, as Sen. Biden said, "I'm prepared as a matter of faith [emphasis added] to accept that life begins at the moment of conception," then he is not merely wrong about the science of new life; he also fails to defend the innocent life he already knows is there.

As the senator said in his interview, he has opposed public funding for abortions. To his great credit, he also backed a successful ban on partial-birth abortions. But his strong support for the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and the false "right" to abortion it enshrines, can't be excused by any serious Catholic. Support for Roe and the "right to choose" an abortion simply masks what abortion is, and what abortion does. Roe is bad law. As long as it stands, it prevents returning the abortion issue to the states where it belongs, so that the American people can decide its future through fair debate and legislation.

In his Meet the Press interview, Sen. Biden used a morally exhausted argument that American Catholics have been hearing for 40 years: i.e., that Catholics can't "impose" their religiously based views on the rest of the country. But resistance to abortion is a matter of human rights, not religious opinion. And the senator knows very well as a lawmaker that all law involves the imposition of some people's convictions on everyone else. That is the nature of the law. American Catholics have allowed themselves to be bullied into accepting the destruction of more than a million developing unborn children a year. Other people have imposed their "pro-choice" beliefs on American society without any remorse for decades.

If we claim to be Catholic, then American Catholics, including public officials who describe themselvesas Catholic, need to act accordingly. We need to put an end to Roe and the industry of permissive abortion it enables. Otherwise all of us - from senators and members of Congress, to Catholic laypeople in the pews - fail not only as believers and disciples, but also as citizens.

Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Archbishop of Denver

James D. Conley

Auxiliary Bishop of Denver

Out of touch

I have come to the conclusion that I am out of touch with the rest of my generations. Why am I out of touch you ask? The answer is simple, I am unwilling to believe political rhetoric. One thing I want everyone to remember is that Hitler was a good speaker. Good speakers do not make good leaders. Weigh what they say people. Do not blindly accept the rhetoric.

Whose Line is it Anyway - Richard Simmons Living Scenery

Amazing video that my friend Corri shared on Facebook. Thought I should share it with you as well.

1 Timothy 5:8

Currently I am trying to write a paper on which came first, The Gospel of Matthew or The Gospel of Mark. So I decided I would procrastinate.

Today I was listening to a podcast about Men and Women in the church. And the pastor reference 1 Timothy 5:8 which states "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (NIV). His point was that it was the man's job to provide for his family, even if it requires major sacrifice on his part, including having two jobs.

Now I am not going to interpret this verse for you as I don't feel like it and I feel the verse is pretty straight forward; which means I hope ya'll are smart enough to figure it out for yourselves (yes I just used ya'll and referenced smart people, no I do not see this as an issue). Any how, what I find interesting is I was just talking with a buddy last week about this exact topic and what is the man's responsibility according to the bible.

One issue we came across was that our current society primarily functions as a dual income environment. As we discussed this we wondered if that is due to the fact that we feel the need to have things that we really do not need.

Just some thoughts as I procrastinate.

I encourage you to read that verse and allow the Holy Spirit to move you to action, what ever that action looks like.

Tertullian and Ad Martyras

So I tonight I was working on a one page Historical Illustration for Christian History to 1517. For the illustration we have to find a primary source quote and illustrate the importance of the quote. As I was stumbling around I found a quote by Tertullian, a Christian apologist in the 2nd century who coined the term Trinity. One of his writings is called Ad Martyras which is means To the Martyrs in Latin. The thing that struck me the most was his perspective found in chapter III.

Grant now, O blessed, that even to Christians the prison is unpleasant; yet we were called to the warfare of the living God in our very response to the sacramental words. Well, no soldier comes out to the campaign laden with luxuries, nor does he go to action from his comfortable chamber, but from the light and narrow tent, where every kind of hardness, roughness and unpleasantness must be put up with. Even in peace soldiers inure themselves to war by toils and inconveniences--marching in arms, running over the plain, working at the ditch, making the testudo, engaging in many arduous labours. The sweat of the brow is on everything, that bodies and minds may not shrink at having to pass from shade to sunshine, from sunshine to icy cold, from the robe of peace to the coat of mail, from silence to clamour, from quiet to tumult. In like manner, O blessed ones, count whatever is hard in this lot of yours as a discipline of your powers of mind and body. You are about to pass through a noble struggle, in which the living God acts the part of superintendent, in which the Holy Ghost is your trainer, in which the prize is an eternal crown of angelic essence, citizenship in the heavens, glory everlasting. Therefore your Master, Jesus Christ, who has anointed you with His Spirit, and led you forth to the arena, has seen it good, before the day of conflict, to take you from a condition more pleasant in itself, and has imposed on you a harder treatment, that your strength might be the greater.

This quote reminds me of Paul's encouragement to Timothy in 2 Tim 2:3-6 to be a good soldier. It also encourages me to be present to what I have and not expect a life of comfort or protection for those are things of this world and this current kingdom, not the kingdom of the King.

If you would like to read Ad Martyras in its entirety it may be found here.

The Olympics and Russia

Now that the Olympics have come to an end we can begin to look forward to the Olympics of the future, such as the Winter Games in 2010 and 2014. Most of you by now have heard of the grievous actions of Russia towards the former Soviet Georgia. But something you might not have heard is that Russia is the home of the Winter Olympics of 2014. Due to Russia's choice to assert power in a way that is not appropriate in the modern world a website, http://www.revokethegames.com/, has been established to urge the IOC to revoke the 2014 games in Russia. A message must be sent to the Russian government that this kind of activity is not acceptable in the current political climate. In the forgone days of the past this activity might have been considered allowable, at best, so as not to destroy the entire world in nuclear destruction.

So I urge you to go and sign the petition if you believe unprovoked attacks on a sovereignty country is unacceptable. Our voices must be heard. At times we must speak on behalf of those who have no voice.

Hockey Time...

On Wii that is. Finally the Nintendo Wii will have a good hockey game. It will be out in the Fall. I'm excited. :)

Here is the link.

Dedicated to the Girl Who Shall Remain Nameless

These lyrics are those lyrics that when you read them they hit home and hit it really fast, or at least they did for me. This is dedicated to a girl who this is the truth about, for me. It is far better that I am gone than I hang around. Now I am not bad for her but I distract her from what is good. So its time I say "I'm better as a memory than as your man." If your reading this girl know that God has released me from the task he had set before me for you. I pray he will release you from me. Go with God and know he loves you more than any man ever could, but that does not mean a man cannot love you as Christ loved the Church. I hope he finds you. Keep you eyes open and trust his time not your own power. Love completely.

Better As A Memory by Kenny Chesney

i move on like a sinners prayer
let 'em go like a levee breaks
walk away as if i don't care
learn to shoulder my mistakes
i'm built to fade like your favorite song
getting reckless when there's no need
laugh as your stories ramble on
break my heart but it won't bleed
my only friends are pirates, it's just who i am
i'm better as a memory than as your man

i'm never sure when the truth won't do
i'm pretty good on a lonely night
I move on the way a storm blows through
i never stay, but then again, i might
i struggle sometimes to find the words
always sure until i doubt
walk a line until it blurs
build walls too high to climb out
but, i'm honest to a fault, it's just who i am
i'm better as a memory than as your man

I see you leanin', you're bound to fall
I don't wanna be that mistake
i'm just a dreamer, and nothing more
you should know it before it gets too late

cause good-bye's are like a roulette wheel
you never know where they're gonna land
first you're spinning, then you're standing still
left holding a losin' hand
one day you're gonna find someone
right away, you'll know it's true
that all of your seeking is done
Its just a part of the passing through
right there in that moment
you'll finally understand
that i was better as a memory than as your man
better as a memory than as your man

Emo Video

So since Jesse is under the impression I am super emo with my questions I felt I should post the most emo video I know of. You all should enjoy the emoness it will spark it you.

Global Warming?

Very interesting news report.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/03/09/do0902.xml

Home School Illegal...

Just fyi. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/07/MNJDVF0F1.DTL

Questions

So frankly I haven't had much desire to blog lately. But I figured I should post something for those dedicated folks who occasionally read this thing (and no RSS feed does not count, j/k I'll take what I can get, Brent). Here are some questions I have been thinking about. Some spurred by life others by the movie Amazing Grace.

Do I have the courage to do what is necessary when the time calls for it?
Will I do what I must even though I dislike the choices?
Are certain choices in life always difficult regardless of the circumstances?
Am I willing to sacrifice my dreams?
Will I stand against the flow of society on this of ultimate significance?
Why does posting these questions seem emo?

Sorry...

I have abandoned you folks. I really have not intended to. I just have lacked the desire to write lately. I think I am beginning to come back to it, I hope. I will post more soon.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Jon

Sad Day

So my friends the new addition to the Varner clan was short lived. Tomorrow Mr. Leonidas will be returning home to his original family. Apparently I am extremely allergic to dogs, to the point that I thought I had strep throat. It is sad to say bye but at least I know he will be with good people and his mom for the time being. As odd as it seems considering he has only been with us for two days now I am extremely attached and will miss the little guy. It makes me cry to say bye, I know I know boys are not suppose to cry, but it really does. So yeah just thought I should let you all know :(

New Addition

So we have another new addition to the Varner family. His name is Leonidas and is being called Leo for short. He is half Black Lab and half German Shepard. If you would like to see more pictures of him you can click here and it will take you to the website where I have loaded them up. Just click on the album titled The Pup and there are a few there.

Unable to Begin

So I sit here listening to John Mayer's "Slow Dancing in A Burning Room" trying to begin something I have long sought. I am trying to hash out some thoughts around being an adopted child of God. Recently this has begun to make a lot more sense due to my actual circumstances. You see my little brother was recently adopted by my mother. He has been with us a little over a year but now he is ours fully. It became official on 11/19/07. Now he is of us. One thing that struck me about the whole experience was one thing the judge said to my mother as it all became complete. She said "Now this child has all the rights to any inheritance the same as a child of your own blood." (Well lets be honest I'm not sure she said it that way but that was the intention of her statement.) He was now equal before my mother and myself. As I think about this I begin to think of how we are adopted into God's family and because of Jesus we have equal right to heaven as he does. Just a thought as I sit here thinking.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Jon

Random Statement

So a random statement came to mind to night. Not sure where it came from but on some level I know it is from God. So take it with a grain of salt.

"When ever a man doesn't know the choice he should make, he should make the one that will lead him to righteousness." That's the less KJV version.

What was really in my head was this.

"The man that knows not which choice he should make should choose the path that will lead unto righteousness."

So if you would ever like to quote me you are more than welcome to. I don't say that arrogantly but just putting it out there.

Wander Lust

sunset road
Originally uploaded by hkvam

Wader Lust (as defined by m-w.com) - strong longing for or impulse toward wandering.

I first learned of this phrase from a book call Miles to Cross by Mike Howerton who used to be the College Pastor for a group I used to attend. So any how I have this major desire right now to just go. I want to be on a motorcycle riding somewhere right now. I want to be on the open road. Or being exploring Rome, I was watching a show today about it today and I just wanted to be walking around in the city. This is my desire right now, which I wish I could fulfill but that I cannot.

So I didn't take this photo, I found it online at a photo website. But it symbolizes my desire. Also I bought the Into The Wild soundtrack which is amazing, so was the movie.

The Dad, the boy and their bike (Otherwise known as the long awaited story).

Walking into the room I could feel the fear begin to creep into the pit of my stomach. This fear has gripped me as far back as I can remember. It is the very reason I bought that thing in the first place. The same motorcycle my boy thought would help him in his search as well. You see I have never felt worthy as a man. It has been a point of attack for the enemy my entire life. He has used the men in my life to cripple me as a man. Every opportunity for abandonment he, the enemy, took and used it to create in me a lack of worth. It is the very reason as a young man I could not commit. It is also the reason I have found it so difficult to trust other men. The greatest of these wounds came from my father, but that is another story for another day.
I had to get something off my chest. I knew he could tell that something was amiss as he prepared for his trip of freedom. It had been eating at me for a while, but like I said I am gripped with fear when these things need to be said. The part that truly saddens me is that I have no problem speaking to a stranger on the street or shooting the breeze with a buddy over a bear while watching the game but I have never been able to speak these words that need to be spoke to him. I know it has done harm to our relationship as father and son. Each night before I rest I pray that it will not harm him like it has harmed me. That he will be able to move beyond this vicious cycle that has plagued the men of our family for generations.
I opened the door and stepped into the room. Already I could these words would come tearfully. “Son I want you to know something before you go. I want you to know that I am proud of the man you are becoming. I love you deeply. More than I have often showed with words or actions. But I stand here telling you that it is true. I also want you to know that if you are searching for who you are as a man on this trip it will not come to you through leaving. You see son, I tried to do the same thing at your age. But I can tell you as I stand here I thought I learned what it was like to be a man on that trip. But I was wrong. I learned to be a man when I learned to love your mother without running and love you even though I was scared to death to love you. I was afraid I would break you or screw you up. You see a real man is not some outlaw or some cowboy. A man can only truly be a man in community. In community we have people to look at like a mirror to see who we truly are. We cannot see who we are by ourselves. So if you think freedom and the open road will tell you who you are you will not find your answer out there. You can only find it when you are in community.”
At this she stood up from the bed with fist clenched and leaped towards me. I hadn’t known she was in there. If I had I would never have entered. As she neared I embraced her and she began to pound my chest. I could see she had been crying by the mascara on her cheeks and I just enticed more tears out of her without intention. As she pounded me she screamed at me. “Why couldn’t you say that before, why couldn’t you speak those words with him here? Why, Charlie, why? Why didn’t you stop him?” All I could do was hold her in the embrace. Eventually she stopped hitting me but the tears didn’t stop as our embrace continued. Slowly we sat moved to the bed and sat while continuing to embrace each other. All I could utter was “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
You see we just finished burying my boy, our boy. Today was the day of his funeral. It was just a week ago that he left for his trip on that motorcycle I had once road off into the sunset. He was less that an hour from our house when a car ran a red light and hit him. He was dead before the paramedics arrived. And now I must live with the knowledge that I didn’t speak those words. That I allowed him to leave with words unspoken. Words that desperately needed to be heard by ears that never will. I didn’t have the chance to tell him how much I loved him or how proud of him I was. I simply said “Good bye, son.”

I Forgot to Add

So I forgot to add something to the list. It is my belief along with others that it really doesn't matter if something is considered a "discipline" classically. All that matters is that it helps in the formation of ones soul. So I am going to add something to the list.

Slow Down: I am now going to purposefully drive slower and get it the lane with the most people at stop lights if able. I am also going to get in the longest lines in places. All this is to teach myself that it is God who is ultimately in control of situations not myself.

The First Week

Amber B. requested that I update you all on my first week back to the disciplines. So I am going to update you all on how it went. Here is what I have been thinking this last week.

Fasting: It really helped to me to remember that I am spirit and body. The two go together; they are not separate. It wasn't that difficult to do. I began to get a little hungry towards the end of the day and really wanted food. But that is to be expected.

Silence: It is going to be more than just not speaking on a day once a month. I am going to eliminate noise from my life. So riding in the car I am going to have no music or radio. I believe it was Henri Nouwen that said Christians should have quiet houses. They should have lack of noise so that it leaves God room to speak. Because it has been said that God is not in the wind, the earthquake or the storm but in the still silence. This will also look like not listening to music or watching a movie while going to sleep.

Frugality: Spending under $3 at Starbucks or Diedrich. Not ordering the best thing on the menu when eating out.

That's about all for now. Next weekend will be my first weekend of Silence and Solitude. I will let you know how it goes.

The Rubber Meets the Road (No this isn't the Motorcycle Story)

So recently I have been reading Dallas Willard's book The Spirit of the Disciplines. And I just finished chapter 3 which is titled Salvation is a Life. The basic premises of the chapter is that we focus to much on the single act of Jesus crucifixion and not on his entire life and/or his resurrection. In so doing we tend to make salvation an instantaneous event which requires nothing of us after the fact. But if we understand it in its proper context salvation is a whole life event. Therefore we continue to have a part after our conversion. So basically what I am saying is I am going to be practicing some of the classic disciplines to help the rubber meet the road and I would like to enlist your help. If you and I are in conversation or hanging out please ask me how they are going. I ask you this so that I might be held accountable. Also I hope by myself doing this and you hearing of my experience you might consider doing this as well. I might share periodically on here if it is of interest, comment and let me know if you want to here updates on the blog. So here is my list of disciplines I am going to be practicing and the stipulations I am setting for them. Fasting: every Thursday I will fast two meals, in so doing I will fast roughly 24 hours the Jewish way. Silence: I am going to practice not speaking for 24 hour periods. Once a month on a weekend. Solitude: Once a month spend 6 hours by myself with God, a journal and my bible; thats it. Scripture Memorization: Kinda self explanatory. And the last is frugality: This will last a month at least, not sure how long, where I will not buy anything for myself except for that which I need. I suppose that last will be the most difficult. So please help me with this if you are with me somewhere. Food obviously doesn't count, nor does gas and such. Basically it is the purchase of products or merchandise will you have it. If there are any questions feel free to comment and ask.

P.S. Yes, Amber, I know it goes over the page rule.

Tag Redemption

Here you go Amber.
It's fun! You have to use 3 words to answer each question. No more, no less. It's harder than you think!
1. Where is your cell phone? In My Pocket
2. Who is your boyfriend/girlfriend or Husband/Wife? Lost not found
3. Where is one of your parents? In her car
4. Cheesecake? I love cows
5. Your favorite thing to do? Discuss a topic
6. Your dream last night? None found here
7. Your favorite drink? No real winner
8. The room you're in? My sleeping room
9. George Bush? Could be worse
10. What you're good at? Taking awesome photos
11. One of your wish list items? Porsche 911 Turbo
12. Where did you grow up? Southern California Baby
13. The last thing you did? Typed lame answer
14. What are you wearing? clothing for work
15. Who stole your sunglasses, amber? Amber has sunglasses?
16. Ketchup? No better condiment
17. Your computer? Apple Macbook Pro
18. Your life? Led from above
19. Your mood? Pretty stinking good
20 your next blog? Wait I blog?
21. Your car is? to be fixed
22. Your summer? Way to hot
23. Your relationship status? Does this matter?
24. Your favorite color(s)? No favorite here
25. When is the last time you laughed? I can't remember.

I tag Andrew, Lisa and John W.
Ok...get blogging people!

My new Dew

I know you like it.

Its good!

You know you wouldn't believe it unless you tried it, I know I didn't. But this stuff is actually good. It is McDonald's Coffee. Go try it and you will see. Best coffee I have ever had that I can recall.

I Suppose I will Do This...

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their 8 things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.





The Random Facts/Habits:
1. I love ketchup.
2. If it has John Cusack I am in. (Weird I know)
3. I know how to sail. (You can call me Captain Jon)
4. I've been to Asia and Europe but never Mexico.
5. I need to have something cover me while sleeping. Sheet or blanket will do.
6. I've moved at least ten times in my life.
7. I used to deliver pizza for a job.
8. I have my motorcycle license.




So at this point I doubt there is anyone else left to tag, except The Ninja, so he is the only one getting tagged. If you read this and would like to do one yourself feel free to do so and leave a comment on here to let others know.

Interesting Results

So have you ever noticed how God tends to work in really weird ways. For example today I read in Luke about the Lost Son (aka Prodigal Son), which by the way I really like the title the TNIV uses which is the Lost Son go read the whole chapter that way and you will understand. So any ways I was sitting at Starbucks tonight and someone came and sat down next to me and she looked like she wanted to talk to me so I took out my ipod head phones and made eye contact with her. And she began to speak to me and soon I realized (after her telling me) that she is the wife of a buddy of mine I used to play hockey with. A man who helped me through sometimes of confusion and learning to be a Christian man. Well they moved away 4 years ago and I thought him to be lost from my life for ever due to random circumstances (aka new phone # and new email, both of which I did not have). Needless to say I am pretty stoked because apparently they are back living in So Cal, which is freaking awesome. So God went and brought something back that I thought I had lost. Maybe he is trying to teach me something. Only time will tell.

P.S. If you want to laugh really really hard go read Jesse's latest blog.

P.S.S. To my future wife, who ever she is, yes I will try this.

Random Things of Note.

So I have found several thing lately on the internet thanks to my buddy Mario at work. Here are some cool websites. They are totally worth your time.

Miniature Earth
World Clock

Now some none Mario stuff.

Greg's humorous fictional video blog. (Note this blog is very in depth and has lots of links and very very fun)

And my response via blogs do work. (A.K.A. Jesse started one).

As for the previous post about the new story. I'm thinking of making a monologue so I have to look into specialties of this sort.

Dear Jesse,

You don't even have a blog. So I don't think you have much right to complain.

I'm working on it.

I'm working on another story. This one involves a motorcycle. :)