couple things...

Ok, first, check out this great message by my friend and hero, Robert Greene. I think the title on the link is incorrect... I think it is supposed to be called, "Facing the Facts of Uncomfortable Grace." If it weren't so late and I so tired, I'd fill you in on the gist... but my bed calls to me, so go listen to it for yourself. Liten well, take notes, and think... If you do so, I believe you will find the same reward in it as did I.

Second, I picked up a book on a whim the other day called, "The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World." It is a really easy read and covers, breifly, the lives of many of the great characters of the reformation. If you want a quick, easy, and very enjoyable read on the reformation, I highly recommend this one. I'm on chapter 3 now, so I'll let you know more later.

Thirdly, I've been walking, ever so slowly, through "Overcoming Sin And Temptation: Three Classic Works By John Owen." While I would love to post my thoughts on what I've learned thus far, at this point it can be summed up in this:

Be killing sin or it will be killing you

Finally, I really enjoy blogging... It reminds me of when I was a DJ on the college radio station at Georgia Southern (WVGS 91.9 FM). I talked a lot (probably more than I played music) and I found it funny that I was in a room with a microphone, esseientally talking to myself... I mean, who listens to college radio in south georgia... None the less, I really enjoyed it. Similarly, I love sharing my two cents here... is anyone listening? Who knows... but what else am I going to do in this room by myself with a keyboard in front of me...

10 reasons I think I'm older than 29...

1. Grey hairs are blossoming on my head
2. I use a nose hair trimmer
3. 11:00 p.m is considered a "late night"
4. I find myself complaining about music a lot
5. I have life insurance
6. I have a will... or at least I'm working on one
7. My hip has been giving me trouble lately
8. I think Lincoln Town Cars are sweet
9. I take about 20 vitamins a day
10. A night on the town consists of dinner at 6:00 p.m. and then going home and sleeping.

Yup... I might just be an old man...

On the up side, I have a smokin hot wife who makes me feel younger than I really am. So, that is pretty sweet.

pink dress Jesus...

Many thanks to Anthony Bradley who wrote a great article on the Resurgence website (click here to read). It is much in line with my ramblings about Jeff and his chainsaws. So, if you didn't like that entry, stay away from Anthony's.

Along those lines... sort of... I read this post by Dr. John Piper yesterday and was moved to tears. The article is his recounting of the recent death of his father. I am grateful to Dr. Piper for sharing such an intimate moment with me and for reminding me of the great call, responsibility, and joy I have in raising my son to treasure Jesus above all things.

Dr. Piper, Thank you.

my other job...

In the spirit of all things bloggish (aka. narcissistic), here is a link to the site I finally built for my web development company.

expectation without presumption...

So, the sermon at church on Sunday was a challenge to me. While I am not sure if it had a title, the gist, as I heard it, was the examination of your expectation.

For me, I generally don't like the concept of "expectation" in the Christan world... I think this is mostly due to my history of being in a more charismatic realm where the common question was, "what are you believing for (expecting) from God?" To which you'd get all kinds of answers... from healing to a new Mercedes. It was really annoying. So, over time I have grown to dislike the idea of expecting things from God. I guess the problem was I could not reconcile expectation and presumption.

Then, as the sermon went on, I began to realize that expectation is not a bad thing. Expectation is simply the knowing anticipation of that which we know will come. So, as a Christian, you can have expectation, however the limit is in the definition itself. The limit (or protection from presumption) is found in the phrase, "...which we know will come." So, the question we (I) have to ask about expectation is, "do I know it will come?" If I answer yes, then I can be full of expectation for it.

Now, the trick here is to wrestle with the question, "how can I know?" The best answer I have so far is from my notes Sunday morning,

We can only know what has been revealed to us. Those things which God has given us to know, these we can expect.

So, how does God reveal things to us? Right, the scriptures. So, if God has made know to us that something will certainly come, then we can have legitimate expectation for those things. So, with that in mind, I sat out to jot down a few of my expectations... gospel expectations.

Gospel Expectations:

Expectations for my family:

• I expect that God will be my God and the God of my family (Genesis 17:7, Acts 2:39, 1 Corinthians 7:14)

Expectations for struggles in life:

• I expect that I will have tribulation in this world, but Jesus (my help and hope) has overcome the world (John 16:33)
• I expect that God will use my trials and struggles to aid others (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

Expectations for my relationship before God:

• I expect that God will forgive me of my sin (1 John 1:8-9)
• I expect that I can not get to God by my own effort but that he will have to come get me (Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:1-10)
• I expect that the result of the above will be seen in good works that he has prepared for me before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 2:10)

Expectations for my livelihood (aka, money):

• I expect that if God has clothed the flowers of the field and fed the birds of the air, then he'll take care of me (Matthew 6:25-34)
• I expect that if I am rich or poor, hungry or well fed, that I will be more than ok because of Jesus (Philippians 4:11-13)

Expectations for evangelism:

• I expect that I can not reconcile anyone to God, but that God will cause the seeds that I plant and water to grow as he sees fit (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)
• I expect that only one message will change people's life and that is the only message I have to offer them (1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 1 Corinthians 9:16)

So, what about you? What are you're Gospel expectations? Drop some in the comment section. The list I just gave was only a start for me. Like I said, I haven't had any expectations until now... But I'm starting to get excited about the idea of gospel expectations. So, please share some of yours.

real men carry chainsaws...

This is Jeff. Jeff has a handlebar mustache, wears cammo pants, has a sweatshirt that says something about mud bogging, drives a truck, and he carries a chainsaw on his hip. Jeff is my newest hero.

We've had a dead tree in our front yard for about a year now and the other day Jeff came over to take it down. Now, there were lots of people who had stopped by and given us a bid on how much it'd cost to remove the tree. They all talked about bringing in a boom and crew to get it down (the tree was right next to the power lines). But not Jeff. With a Marbrol on his lip he sized up the tree, strapped on some leg spikes, fired up the saw and got to climbing.

This one man wrecking crew climbed 40+ feet up a dead pine tree and brought it to its knees. I must say that it was amazing to watch as Jeff hung from the trunk, sans helmet or goggles, and hacked away.

I sat in my living room for over an hour staring (with my son) at this amazing feat. When it was over Jeff hopped off the tree, takes a few final hacks, threw his gear in his truck, lit another Marbrol, and cracked open a beer. He surveyed his destruction and walked my way, ready to collect his pay. As he handed me the bill I felt that, for Jeff, part of the pay was the satisfaction of being a man... a man with a chainsaw... actually two chainsaws.

I wonder what Jeff would think about most of the churches he'd walk into on any given Sunday. I wonder what he'd think about if he walked into my church on Sunday morning. Would Jeff meet the Jesus of the bible who also had an affinity for wood? The Jesus who put in long hours as a carpenter. The Jesus who never had a chainsaw, but was more of a man than Jeff or myself could ever be. The Jesus who was man enough to climb a tree, not with ropes but with nails... and not for his own ego or to make some money... but to pay for my sin and Jeff's sin. I hope Jeff meets Jesus. I think there is something about the Jeff's of the world that we need in the church.

While I don't know if I'll ever see Jeff again, I can but say a prayer for him and get back to raising my own little man to know Jesus and show His strength and glory to the world, including the Jeff's.