Cow in Pasture: The Saga
Thursday, March 17, 2005
On Saint Patrick
Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
--St. Patrick's Breastplate
--St. Patrick's Breastplate
Patricius Magonus Sucatus had left an incredible story, though obscured by dressed up legends and traditions now held on today, the date of his death, the celebration of his life. He had come from an upper middle-class family, and then a nominal Christian, was taken captive by Irish raiders in the late 4th century. In Ireland Patrick was sold into slavery and put to work as a shepherd tending to flocks of sheep; interestingly, it was there on the popular location of Foclut, in eastern Ireland, that he became close to the Lord, building on the relationship with fervant prayer from morning to night. One can research Patrick's life on the Web in various sites, and in library's across the globe, but by the Lord's will I think it was meant to be that we should not know anymore about this Christian who ministered to the Irish after having fled to his homeland and returning by the directions God had sent him in dreams.
In two letters, one called Confessio, a letter to certain church leader in Rome who though Patrick to be some bumpkin who was not capable to be a minister of the Gospel, and the other one was a letter to a British officer called Coroticus. Even Patrick himself acknowledges that his Latin and his education is limited and says of himself in the first sentance in that letter that he is "a most simple countryman, the least of all the faithful and most contemptible to many" and "therefore for some time I have thought of writing, but I have hesitated until now, for truly, I feared to expose myself to the criticism of men, because I have not studied like others, who have assimilated both Law and the Holy Scriptures equally and have never changed their idiom since their infancy, but instead were always learning it increasingly, to perfection, while my idiom and language have been translated into a foreign tongue." But he was quite confidant in the Lord, knowing that the servant is not greater than his master, writing to the the bishops and deacons, reminding them that it is the Lord who he looked to not at his own works (the Italics are mine):
But had it been given to me as to others, in gratitude I should
not have kept silent, and if it should appear that I put myself before others,
with my ignorance and my slower speech, in truth, it is written: 'The tongue of
the stammerers shall speak rapidly and distinctly.' How much harder must we try
to attain it, we of whom it is said: 'You are an epistle of Christ in greeting
to the ends of the earth ... written on your hearts, not with ink but with the
Spirit of the living God.' And again, the Spirit witnessed that the rustic life
was created by the Most High.I am, then, first of all, countryfied, an exile, evidently unlearned, one who is not able to see into the future, but I know for certain, that before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in deep mire, and he that is mighty came and in his mercy raised me up and, indeed, lifted me high up and placed me on top of the wall. And from there I ought to shout out in gratitude to the Lord for his great favours in this world and for
ever, that the mind of man cannot measure (The "Confessio" of Saint Patrick, www.robotwisdom.com/jaj/patrick.html#forty1).
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Working Daze: Don't Shake Hands With A Razorblade Knife
I had quite an interesting shift last night. During the rotation, an older fellow from the Red Team told me as he was preparing to leave his post and hand it over to me, "Yeah, it's been a real hassle today... I'm always glad to see you guys come in." Certainly, after 12 hours one sure doesn't mind to see the next shift arrive. I always manage to pray before and during work, but especially before, that I will learn something new and continue to be willful on the job; having said that, I always do learn a thing or two, or more, and I fortunately feel willing to work. There's a slogan on one of the Milgard Windows T-shirts which says (pun intended all the way), "No Pane, No Gain".
So when I cut my hand with a razor blade knife, reached for a first aid kit a few moments later, and passed out from feeling light-headed (it wasn't because I saw my own stinkin' blood!), hitting my head on the concrete floor, with the blood on my left hand oozing out, there is something to be said about metal gloves and most emphatically the seriousness which the company makes of any injury (including my minor cut).
I was zoomed to the hospital, the 'zooming' being the sound of a co-worker's truck's muffler, and dropped off to fend for myself and the paperwork I had to sign before any treatment. The doctors down at the clinic are quite nice; they tell you to lay down and get comfortable on the job. That's the first and hopefully the last time. I was stitched up (with one fine, nylon stitch) and given a tetanus shot, the first one I've taken in probably ten years, rocked and rolled down the one, two, three hallways to take a CAT-Scan in that souped up machine of magic. One childhood recollection for this entry is: The last CAT-Scan I had was back in Kindergarten when a classmate jumped on my spleen and stretched it, unintentially of course; kindergarteners are unfamiliar with spleens and the human anatomy, at least we were back in the day.
So Migard is right, "No Pane, No Gain". And I've learnt that you should not do two things with a razorblade knife: 1.) You should not scrape from the bottom up. 2.) You should not shake hands with it.
So when I cut my hand with a razor blade knife, reached for a first aid kit a few moments later, and passed out from feeling light-headed (it wasn't because I saw my own stinkin' blood!), hitting my head on the concrete floor, with the blood on my left hand oozing out, there is something to be said about metal gloves and most emphatically the seriousness which the company makes of any injury (including my minor cut).
I was zoomed to the hospital, the 'zooming' being the sound of a co-worker's truck's muffler, and dropped off to fend for myself and the paperwork I had to sign before any treatment. The doctors down at the clinic are quite nice; they tell you to lay down and get comfortable on the job. That's the first and hopefully the last time. I was stitched up (with one fine, nylon stitch) and given a tetanus shot, the first one I've taken in probably ten years, rocked and rolled down the one, two, three hallways to take a CAT-Scan in that souped up machine of magic. One childhood recollection for this entry is: The last CAT-Scan I had was back in Kindergarten when a classmate jumped on my spleen and stretched it, unintentially of course; kindergarteners are unfamiliar with spleens and the human anatomy, at least we were back in the day.
So Migard is right, "No Pane, No Gain". And I've learnt that you should not do two things with a razorblade knife: 1.) You should not scrape from the bottom up. 2.) You should not shake hands with it.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Words and Stories At The Rietzugs
"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier" (2 Timothy 2:3-4).
I was at the RIETZUGS house--"The Church Across the Street"--this morning. Henry introduced a message by another pastor (whose message was delivered on CD) called "Can God Use Me?". The entire premise of it encouraged our discussions and open testimonies toward the response to the question; yes, God gives us purpose, the "where-with-all," to be connected to His Kingdom through Christ.
There were about 30 or 40 people there including the small children attending in the kitchen and front room as the adults and a couple infants gathered around in the living room as the morning unfolded. Throughout the official time of the meeting, I was eager to give some testimony, thinking of countless instances in the last couple weeks where I've seen the work of God bless and teach me and others (family, coworkers, friends) some truly amazing and wonderful things. But thankfully my tongue was kept bridled for the most part, aside from some prayer requests and hushed grunts of agreement during the church time. (Reminded by Steve Rogers in South Dakota that "church" means assembly, I can't forget it.) God uses our words in very special ways, that if I had tried to speak out as many times as I wanted I would probably have tarnished the purpose of exhortation and merely spoke on my own behalf. Praise Yahweh that I obeyed and listened instead of chattering on.
However, I did bring my guitar to the Rietzugs home, feeling compelled that morning around 9:00 to take the lyrics of a song I wrote last December inspired by Matthew 25 (the parable of the sheep and goats), called simple enough "Living Among Goats". It sounds quite light out of context, but it's not really about anything most want to hear. The point: It is a song for Christians who must be aware that, while they are the sheep who are on the right hand of God with the inheritance of eternal life, the unsaved souls living among the living are the goats who are on His left, receiving everlasting fire and separation from the Lord. I didn't make any mention of the song at all except when Anne met me at the front door with my guitar in hand. I had told her that I felt some inspiration to bring the lyrics with me (sort of winging it, if you will accept that expression). We took Communion in the last few minutes of the meeting and we all finished partaking of the bread and juice. (Funny, there is usually never any wine at all during most traditional Communion times, when it is wine that the Jews and Christ used in past and the Last Supper. But of course, it is the blood the Savior that is being represented, so the material is not crucial!)
Then, without missing a beat, Henry said to me from across the room, "Matthew, do you want to share your song with us?" I suppose his wife, Anne, told him about it. "It'll be a post-Communion song," he said. And then I went to fetch my guitar, and sat down on the piano stool and introduced the folks around me to the topic and some history behind the inspiration. It came to be because of the people I saw around me who are not saved, some family and friends out and about in the world and people I see meandering around me as I drive and walk down the roads and sidewalks of this world. Trouble is, many Christians do not feel obliged at all to exemplify Christ in truth and deed as they are content to look and sound religious, but the afterlife is very real, and the Judgment Day is very real. We're living among goats, my brothers and sisters; they're pretty close to us too. We must lead by our own example of faith and living that faith which is built on the God of all creation. We are not perfect, for if it wasn't for the mercy and plan of God, we could still be chained to sin and strife as this world is, therefore, we ought to not reflect that way of thinking. "We loved Him because He first loved us," says 1 John 4:19.
After the service, I talked to a few people. With Bob and Lydia, a married couple who I had met over a year ago through the services held at the Rietzugs' hosting of the "Church Across the Street," I learned that he is a pilot and goes overseas to the Middle East, and various other regions I dream about. I asked him how one might go about going the Israel or India (or any other country outside the cushiness of the U.S.A for that matter), being hypothetical but clearly speaking about myself without saying "How do I do this?". Of course I knew that I would need to have a passport or Visa to travel abroad but I looked for some outlet, such as a company or organization, that would provide a real purpose for being in a foreign place. Simply put, I wish to minister to people. And so, talking with Bob, whose job demands that he leave this country, I learned what I had already really knew, that if God wants a man to go abroad for the gospel then He will have that man go regardless of that man's feelings of wanting to or not wanting to go.
I had some good encounters today, by another gift brought to me by my Father, all things work out for good. Now, what's for supper? Steak? Yeah, I can grill. You know it.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
I was at the RIETZUGS house--"The Church Across the Street"--this morning. Henry introduced a message by another pastor (whose message was delivered on CD) called "Can God Use Me?". The entire premise of it encouraged our discussions and open testimonies toward the response to the question; yes, God gives us purpose, the "where-with-all," to be connected to His Kingdom through Christ.
There were about 30 or 40 people there including the small children attending in the kitchen and front room as the adults and a couple infants gathered around in the living room as the morning unfolded. Throughout the official time of the meeting, I was eager to give some testimony, thinking of countless instances in the last couple weeks where I've seen the work of God bless and teach me and others (family, coworkers, friends) some truly amazing and wonderful things. But thankfully my tongue was kept bridled for the most part, aside from some prayer requests and hushed grunts of agreement during the church time. (Reminded by Steve Rogers in South Dakota that "church" means assembly, I can't forget it.) God uses our words in very special ways, that if I had tried to speak out as many times as I wanted I would probably have tarnished the purpose of exhortation and merely spoke on my own behalf. Praise Yahweh that I obeyed and listened instead of chattering on.
However, I did bring my guitar to the Rietzugs home, feeling compelled that morning around 9:00 to take the lyrics of a song I wrote last December inspired by Matthew 25 (the parable of the sheep and goats), called simple enough "Living Among Goats". It sounds quite light out of context, but it's not really about anything most want to hear. The point: It is a song for Christians who must be aware that, while they are the sheep who are on the right hand of God with the inheritance of eternal life, the unsaved souls living among the living are the goats who are on His left, receiving everlasting fire and separation from the Lord. I didn't make any mention of the song at all except when Anne met me at the front door with my guitar in hand. I had told her that I felt some inspiration to bring the lyrics with me (sort of winging it, if you will accept that expression). We took Communion in the last few minutes of the meeting and we all finished partaking of the bread and juice. (Funny, there is usually never any wine at all during most traditional Communion times, when it is wine that the Jews and Christ used in past and the Last Supper. But of course, it is the blood the Savior that is being represented, so the material is not crucial!)
Then, without missing a beat, Henry said to me from across the room, "Matthew, do you want to share your song with us?" I suppose his wife, Anne, told him about it. "It'll be a post-Communion song," he said. And then I went to fetch my guitar, and sat down on the piano stool and introduced the folks around me to the topic and some history behind the inspiration. It came to be because of the people I saw around me who are not saved, some family and friends out and about in the world and people I see meandering around me as I drive and walk down the roads and sidewalks of this world. Trouble is, many Christians do not feel obliged at all to exemplify Christ in truth and deed as they are content to look and sound religious, but the afterlife is very real, and the Judgment Day is very real. We're living among goats, my brothers and sisters; they're pretty close to us too. We must lead by our own example of faith and living that faith which is built on the God of all creation. We are not perfect, for if it wasn't for the mercy and plan of God, we could still be chained to sin and strife as this world is, therefore, we ought to not reflect that way of thinking. "We loved Him because He first loved us," says 1 John 4:19.
After the service, I talked to a few people. With Bob and Lydia, a married couple who I had met over a year ago through the services held at the Rietzugs' hosting of the "Church Across the Street," I learned that he is a pilot and goes overseas to the Middle East, and various other regions I dream about. I asked him how one might go about going the Israel or India (or any other country outside the cushiness of the U.S.A for that matter), being hypothetical but clearly speaking about myself without saying "How do I do this?". Of course I knew that I would need to have a passport or Visa to travel abroad but I looked for some outlet, such as a company or organization, that would provide a real purpose for being in a foreign place. Simply put, I wish to minister to people. And so, talking with Bob, whose job demands that he leave this country, I learned what I had already really knew, that if God wants a man to go abroad for the gospel then He will have that man go regardless of that man's feelings of wanting to or not wanting to go.
I had some good encounters today, by another gift brought to me by my Father, all things work out for good. Now, what's for supper? Steak? Yeah, I can grill. You know it.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Friday, March 11, 2005
A Little "What's What" On The Job
I'm a packer, which means I take a good look at the profiles (the fiberglass cut outs which are then shipped to paint detail, then vaneer, and then the window and doors department where the product is pieced together and complete), wipe them down with some chemical, and then stack them onto their repsective crates.
I've noticed that the longer I will work with this company the more familiar I will be with the routines and opporations; I will also become more familiar with the humor in each individual worker. I've grown to notice that there's a lot of absurdly funny things during my shift. For instance, last night one of the opporators gave out some hats with draw strings which look as if one might go out on a safari any minute during the work hours--but you can't do that for it is against company policy. "No imaginative safaris allowed." And even last night, another example sort of makes it's way into my recollection. At about 3 AM another opporator had put a sticker, which is used around the factory for work purposes, on his blue jump suit which said, "Do Not Stack." Thanks, man, it would have been bad for my credibility if I had tried to stack a human being onto one of those crates. Of course, most anything is funny at 3 AM.
Last week, when checking out the quality of one particular kind of profile, I noticed there was a bow in the 10-15 foot long piece; so I went to the opporator who ran that production line, and trying to put a little humor in the statement, warning him of the problem, I said, "Hey, you've got a rainbow in your profile." He looked at me with his eyebrows up and tried to analyze what I had siad. "A Rainbow?" I haven't said it since.
This morning I went to an employee training meeting with the company's HR lady, learning about the company philosphy (which is really the Golden Rule), the company's expectations from employees, setting goals, the quarterly evaluations that each employee (including supervisors) must take. I also applied for the company;s benfits package of medical, dental, vision insurance. I was pretty tired going into the meeting, my eyes felt as if they were burning, but I made it through in a coherent way; I am thankful to God for the chance to have such benfits on the horizon. God is preparing me for my tasks ahead, as He is preparing each of you.
I've noticed that the longer I will work with this company the more familiar I will be with the routines and opporations; I will also become more familiar with the humor in each individual worker. I've grown to notice that there's a lot of absurdly funny things during my shift. For instance, last night one of the opporators gave out some hats with draw strings which look as if one might go out on a safari any minute during the work hours--but you can't do that for it is against company policy. "No imaginative safaris allowed." And even last night, another example sort of makes it's way into my recollection. At about 3 AM another opporator had put a sticker, which is used around the factory for work purposes, on his blue jump suit which said, "Do Not Stack." Thanks, man, it would have been bad for my credibility if I had tried to stack a human being onto one of those crates. Of course, most anything is funny at 3 AM.
Last week, when checking out the quality of one particular kind of profile, I noticed there was a bow in the 10-15 foot long piece; so I went to the opporator who ran that production line, and trying to put a little humor in the statement, warning him of the problem, I said, "Hey, you've got a rainbow in your profile." He looked at me with his eyebrows up and tried to analyze what I had siad. "A Rainbow?" I haven't said it since.
This morning I went to an employee training meeting with the company's HR lady, learning about the company philosphy (which is really the Golden Rule), the company's expectations from employees, setting goals, the quarterly evaluations that each employee (including supervisors) must take. I also applied for the company;s benfits package of medical, dental, vision insurance. I was pretty tired going into the meeting, my eyes felt as if they were burning, but I made it through in a coherent way; I am thankful to God for the chance to have such benfits on the horizon. God is preparing me for my tasks ahead, as He is preparing each of you.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Two Expositions: One on God and the Other on the Pride of Man
"All the ways of man are pure in his own eyes,
But the LORD weighs the spirits" (Proverbs 16:2).
As a precurser to my personal discoveries of today, which incudes some insight on the humor found in eating from a pack of sunflower seeds, I wish to expand on yesterday's topic. Love, honor, and respect come into play in one's genuine submission to the will of God. In this submissive state, a man gives his life to the LORD and his ways are directed towards the glorification of being made whole in Christ. In 2 Peter 1:2-3 Peter writes that by the knowledge, the understanding, the faith grounded in Christ He has given to us "all things that pertain to life and godliness" and "called us by glory and virtue". The worship of God isn't any special ceremony (though it is perfectly sensable to say that we honor God's name in singing songs about Him and His characteristics and in the ritual of communion, which is done not for the sake of ritual itself but for the reminder of the union between God and man through the atonement of our sins; for it should only be done by those who have been saved by His grace).
With that said, I'll move onto my experience with sunflower seeds and the moral which I have found from out of the message on the back of the pack. I went to the Dollar Store in Summit this afternoon, buying some chips and cookies for the "junk" part of my work lunches. As I strolled through the rows of goodness for a buck, I happened to come upon some David Sunflower Seeds. I didn't have the yearning, burning desire to eat any seeds before that instant, but once I gazed into the pack of seeds I buckled down and bought it, the Ranch Flavor that is.
Once I was in the truck, I opened the pack and gave it a good rip and took out some seeds, savoring them in my mouth one by one until I cracked each shell open to taste the salty treasure inside. As I cracked, ate, and spit the remainders into a foam cup, I looked down at the back of the pack with the curiosity of today's consumer. This is what caught my eyes:
With that said, I'll move onto my experience with sunflower seeds and the moral which I have found from out of the message on the back of the pack. I went to the Dollar Store in Summit this afternoon, buying some chips and cookies for the "junk" part of my work lunches. As I strolled through the rows of goodness for a buck, I happened to come upon some David Sunflower Seeds. I didn't have the yearning, burning desire to eat any seeds before that instant, but once I gazed into the pack of seeds I buckled down and bought it, the Ranch Flavor that is.
Once I was in the truck, I opened the pack and gave it a good rip and took out some seeds, savoring them in my mouth one by one until I cracked each shell open to taste the salty treasure inside. As I cracked, ate, and spit the remainders into a foam cup, I looked down at the back of the pack with the curiosity of today's consumer. This is what caught my eyes:
CONGRATULATION! YOU'RE A SEEDER!Seeders are unique. They're cool, confident, independent,
active, and hard working. They know that eating DAVID Sunflower Seeds makes what they do more enjoyable. Things are better with DAVID because they're a snack and an activity. Experience SNACKTIVITY(tm).
For a moment as I went down the road, thinking about this message, I thought to myself, I do feel pretty cool, and I know that I'm confident. Heck, I'm a self-made man! I'm full of energy and spunk! I'm the epitomy of manliness! That was when I chuckled and listened to the voice of what is true and good, He said, "You're eating sunflower seeds." Stinkin' seeds! I was sucked in; totally duped into thinking I was some big shot full of good beans; mindlessly lead into the wilderness of meglomania; suduced by sunflower seeds! Come on! Seeds, really?
That pretty much sums up my story. The moral is self explained, I think. Don't falsify or magnify yourself with seeds and pride. If you want to know more, you can drop a comment or question somewhere on my site, and if you don't want to know anymore write me a letter and enclose it with some Jumbo Seeds: B.B.Q style. Because that just completes everything but what needs to be completed. Thanks a lot.
"Commit your works to the LORD,
And your thoughts will be established" (Proverbs 16:3).
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Let Us Seek Him
"'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me,Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."MARK 7:6-7, Jesus, quoting Isaiah 29:13, to the Pharisees and scribes in part of his response to the question as to why his disciples did not wash their hands according to the traditions of the Law before they had their meal.
Let's put off disputes of religiosity, shall we? Let us look at the power of God who dwelt in the flesh as a man as the Christ, who came into the world for the purpose of delivering all from the bondage of sin, in a very quiet way. He is the Redeemer of Jacob, the Savior of the Gentile--all those who are not Jewish--He came to us as King, but not in the manner of a king. He was born in a cave! He rode a burro into Jerusalem, not on a stallion as military savior might, and the people shouted "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD" (Mark 11: 9)! I have had an ongoing dispute with myself and sometimes with others about matters of worship and organization, a debate of sorts which comes and goes in laid back and tense forms. It is for the purpose of recognizing that God is the One I, we, ought to focus on.
I've discussed with folks things like rituals, observances, traditional methods of worship in the Church's history, things which are outward practices and not nearly as important for discussion as the things of God, things above. But I have come to realize that something like organized churches, groups of Christians, as the body of Christ, the Bride, are worth discussing. If Christ didn't come to save men then He surely would have come to end the existence of mankind; this Body is a beautiful thing, and in so many ways in so many lives, the salvation ought to be mentioned repeatedly between the members and to the world. "We loved Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4: 19 NKJV). I would much rather talk of God than of our own religious practices, but on some occasions the moment has raised for me to converse about today's methodologies within the many denominations of Christianity. Such talk can be interesting to talk about, so I've learned; but there's a point in which the topic becomes irrelevant, distracting itself from the Word, that the talk is not based on the principles of God's teaching and truth anymore but becomes merely a focal point on the mannerisms of man trying to please himself by his own works.
Yes, I have been caught up with the wrong thoughts towards the Lord, thinking along the lines of pride that something I have accomplished could possibly be the primary reason why God created the universe. Now that's egotistical! If it pleases me it must please God, I have thought.Well, actually, no that is not how it works, chimes in the voice of truth. And such reasoning that our methods, our traditions, our rituals, are to the beat of the ultimate drum of worship irritates me in my mind and heart. I cry inside when I feel pressured by popular practices of corporate worship (singing psalms, hymns, and "praise songs" in a programmed format to fit the fads of the day in a time and place designated for God's children to come together for exhortation, ministering, and preaching) to do the same things as the people singing up front on stage. This are some of my thoughts I think and speak when I am in the conversation on anything to do with today's acts of worship. And suddenly, I've come into the trap that worship is anything finite; God is infinite, precisely God but not precise in time. He is the Lord of the cosmos, of our dusty bodies enveloped in the things of the world. He made us. He is big, we are less significant than a flake of dust, or a drop of water. But He gave us life and loves us innumerably. So if a three minute song and a couple dollar bills is our idea of worshiping God then I think we are sadly mistaken and have limited something of ourselves and our relationship with Him in the process.
I have so many words streaming forth in my soul, longing to be shared in a concise way, so if this is a jumbled, non-seminary argument, then that's fine by me but possibly not what many may think. May God give these words purpose for others to read and understand, to go to their Bibles and look into the Word, and then live out the life of worship unto the Creator. There's a road to walk down, and it's not an easy road to travel on, but may it be more often traveled than not.
To the Christian, in Paul's words: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread" (1 Corinthians 10: 16-17). Let us seek Him at all times. Should we quibble the same arguments of rituals until the day that Christ returns? It seems useless, but there may be purpose in it even though I don't fully see it. May God grant me the understanding to not partake of useless arguments and at the same time uphold the gospel in the aspects of speech, action, and exemplification.
Let's put off disputes of religiosity, shall we? Let us look at the power of God who dwelt in the flesh as a man as the Christ, who came into the world for the purpose of delivering all from the bondage of sin, in a very quiet way. He is the Redeemer of Jacob, the Savior of the Gentile--all those who are not Jewish--He came to us as King, but not in the manner of a king. He was born in a cave! He rode a burro into Jerusalem, not on a stallion as military savior might, and the people shouted "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD" (Mark 11: 9)! I have had an ongoing dispute with myself and sometimes with others about matters of worship and organization, a debate of sorts which comes and goes in laid back and tense forms. It is for the purpose of recognizing that God is the One I, we, ought to focus on.
I've discussed with folks things like rituals, observances, traditional methods of worship in the Church's history, things which are outward practices and not nearly as important for discussion as the things of God, things above. But I have come to realize that something like organized churches, groups of Christians, as the body of Christ, the Bride, are worth discussing. If Christ didn't come to save men then He surely would have come to end the existence of mankind; this Body is a beautiful thing, and in so many ways in so many lives, the salvation ought to be mentioned repeatedly between the members and to the world. "We loved Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4: 19 NKJV). I would much rather talk of God than of our own religious practices, but on some occasions the moment has raised for me to converse about today's methodologies within the many denominations of Christianity. Such talk can be interesting to talk about, so I've learned; but there's a point in which the topic becomes irrelevant, distracting itself from the Word, that the talk is not based on the principles of God's teaching and truth anymore but becomes merely a focal point on the mannerisms of man trying to please himself by his own works.
Yes, I have been caught up with the wrong thoughts towards the Lord, thinking along the lines of pride that something I have accomplished could possibly be the primary reason why God created the universe. Now that's egotistical! If it pleases me it must please God, I have thought.Well, actually, no that is not how it works, chimes in the voice of truth. And such reasoning that our methods, our traditions, our rituals, are to the beat of the ultimate drum of worship irritates me in my mind and heart. I cry inside when I feel pressured by popular practices of corporate worship (singing psalms, hymns, and "praise songs" in a programmed format to fit the fads of the day in a time and place designated for God's children to come together for exhortation, ministering, and preaching) to do the same things as the people singing up front on stage. This are some of my thoughts I think and speak when I am in the conversation on anything to do with today's acts of worship. And suddenly, I've come into the trap that worship is anything finite; God is infinite, precisely God but not precise in time. He is the Lord of the cosmos, of our dusty bodies enveloped in the things of the world. He made us. He is big, we are less significant than a flake of dust, or a drop of water. But He gave us life and loves us innumerably. So if a three minute song and a couple dollar bills is our idea of worshiping God then I think we are sadly mistaken and have limited something of ourselves and our relationship with Him in the process.
I have so many words streaming forth in my soul, longing to be shared in a concise way, so if this is a jumbled, non-seminary argument, then that's fine by me but possibly not what many may think. May God give these words purpose for others to read and understand, to go to their Bibles and look into the Word, and then live out the life of worship unto the Creator. There's a road to walk down, and it's not an easy road to travel on, but may it be more often traveled than not.
To the Christian, in Paul's words: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread" (1 Corinthians 10: 16-17). Let us seek Him at all times. Should we quibble the same arguments of rituals until the day that Christ returns? It seems useless, but there may be purpose in it even though I don't fully see it. May God grant me the understanding to not partake of useless arguments and at the same time uphold the gospel in the aspects of speech, action, and exemplification.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Recap On the Factory
They said I'd be a bit tired, yes sir, they all said it down at the plant. I believe I'll have stories to tell to my kin or neighbors later on down the road in life about how I worked in a factory; the life of a factory worker is not a lonely job, for you have many comrades manning the machines, helping you pack the goods (vinyl "profiles" for the processing of windows). I'm not singing "A Hard Day's Night" yet so I'm feeling well, alert, and keen thanks to the Master's hand and provision. I prayed on the steps going down to my room yesterday afternoon, having read the last column in the War Cry, the Salvation Army's monthly newsletter, about fear. The writer wrote, very strikingly to my mind that when one is not praying continually he becomes soft, weak; I understood that any worries I have had about anything should be dealt with in front of God, at His feet, in prayer.
Last night, funny thing, I used my step dad's old small ice chest with the "Real Men Love Jesus" sticker on the front of it, reporting to my first day on the job. I had not really desired to wear my faith "on my sleave" or in this case on my lunch box, but the Lord called me to do it; for the only excuse that I had creaping in the back of my mind was that I shouldn't profess Christ's name in the workplace on the first day of work. What will people say, exclaimed the horrid thought. They would simply have to take it or leave it. And I found out that my supervisor is a Christian, who had come up to me while I was on the job, first making small talk ("Is that you mail Jeep out there...?"), and then he asked, "I saw the sticker on you lunch box." And so we eventually had a discussion at 11:45 PM on the lunch break about Scripture, and even the Somolian co-worker whose father is a minister in east Tacoma joined in. Things happen on God's watch weather you want them to or not.
And now it begins again, my friends. I ought t o go put the coffee in my thermos, drink the joe I have in my cup, check my lunch box with that sticker of inspiration, and drive off down to Fife. May you all have a good night's rest.
Last night, funny thing, I used my step dad's old small ice chest with the "Real Men Love Jesus" sticker on the front of it, reporting to my first day on the job. I had not really desired to wear my faith "on my sleave" or in this case on my lunch box, but the Lord called me to do it; for the only excuse that I had creaping in the back of my mind was that I shouldn't profess Christ's name in the workplace on the first day of work. What will people say, exclaimed the horrid thought. They would simply have to take it or leave it. And I found out that my supervisor is a Christian, who had come up to me while I was on the job, first making small talk ("Is that you mail Jeep out there...?"), and then he asked, "I saw the sticker on you lunch box." And so we eventually had a discussion at 11:45 PM on the lunch break about Scripture, and even the Somolian co-worker whose father is a minister in east Tacoma joined in. Things happen on God's watch weather you want them to or not.
And now it begins again, my friends. I ought t o go put the coffee in my thermos, drink the joe I have in my cup, check my lunch box with that sticker of inspiration, and drive off down to Fife. May you all have a good night's rest.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Time to buckle up,
Settle down,
Here you are,
Don't look down.
This morning at about I got a call, and before I picked up the ringing phone I knew it would be for me. It was from the recruiting office at Milgard, asking for me to come down to fill out some forms for employment tomorrow morning for the next evening I will be at work. I prayed for a job and now I have one. It is God's will.
I asked many times in the last two months since I returned from my extended post-high school graduation trip to California, "Whatever happens, Lord, it will be your will." It amuses me how my mind works, separating itself from a situation and in turn can make one moment in life seem like the most important thing. I look at the newness which this job brings my way, thinking it is the single event or the only thing in life which matters, and doing that creates a weird feeling in my stomach when I concentrate too much on it. I have found that this feeling is treacherous, false, blindly shallow. It is the simple emotion that is expressed in any event which is outside one's normal bout of life and living life; with this emotion, I dare not travel too far. First day of kindergarten wasn't so bad as I found out a few minutes into it. High school wasn't dream but I managed to learn some things. Earning my driver's license wasn't the elaborate, sophisticated process I had thought it would be. Life brings more than childhood stages, there are difficult ledges to climb on and valor in doing so, and in the graciousness of the Father we are not given a preview of our entire life journey before we're born.
My step dad's father, Al, is in the hospital with many complications, pain, and incoherence. He is 78 and almost completely blind. He has lived with diabetic neuropathy, an eroding of the body's nerves brought on by diabetes; right now he lives his last days on earth closer to the death than some of us, or maybe not. To conquer death not death itself was God's plan. Though we suffer for a while on earth, to suffer in eternity without God is the ultimate sorrow. But Al has been receptive in the example of the gospel, and the last time I had talked with him he seemed as one who has lived through the fire of this world and does not want to walk through the fire of death. Lord, You know Al's heart. Continue to work in his mind, and show him peace in there for the infinite life ahead.
In flesh there's birth,
In flesh there's death,
And then there's life.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
On Peace and Genuine Meaning Found in Christ
"There is no peace," says the Lord, "for the wicked" (Isaiah 48:22).
In sin, one continually is at war with himself and God; there is no lasting peace in wrong doing. The wanderer flees unceasingly. As I said yesterday, of a widely known thought, each man, woman, and child can look heavenward and call out to the Creator and have lasting peace. In my life I ought to take more thought of the advantages which this peace prepares inside of me.
The Christian no longer needs to hunger or thirst for meaning here in this world because he has been fed and watered with the contentment found in Christ. As He said, "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world" (John 6:33). Christians needn't any other particular to attain fulfillment inside, as there is no void to fill. When there is no hole there is no need to continue piling on substitutes for the peace he already has. If Christians pine for more, they do so in vain. Nothing else can stop the hunger or quench the thirst as Jesus does. He gives life, but the earth only gives death.
I have been trying to keep active lately, waiting for the test results from Monday to reach Milgard and in turn reach me. A lesson rings out over and over again Johnny Cash's song: "Don't take your guns to town." That's not quite it. The actual lesson for myself is that I must not restrict my ears and eyes to one goal, such as looking to the potentiality an upcoming job, but on all things in life--having broad vision and ambitions. Although, Johnny Cash has a few good points in his Western ballads (like the senselessness of killing, as one music critic pointed out), keeping our focus on the Lord is the best advice we ought to adhere to. Look at Philippians 3:20-21. The apostle Paul wrote to the church:
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."
As the latest peace talks unfold between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the new Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas, who have had a few meetings in the "process," we will see how long the potential peace lasts. Each treaty seems to be made to cover the last treaty, and the last treaty for the last. This generational game of flip-flop between each nation is one more accessory which comes with time I suppose; it is never eradicated, for there is always a new conflict that will come along. John Lennon was a dreamer, I will give him that, and he wasn't the only one of the kind he supposed himself to be. But could you imagine peace between nations as the world currently now exists and works? The most effective way to have peace is to have control, something which many dictators and idealist have given a nod to; utopian despotism is the only way a world could attempt to make peace. The idea is you won't have any conflicts if everyone is on the same level. But any government of man is destined to falter.
To Pilate Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here" (John 18:36).
In sin, one continually is at war with himself and God; there is no lasting peace in wrong doing. The wanderer flees unceasingly. As I said yesterday, of a widely known thought, each man, woman, and child can look heavenward and call out to the Creator and have lasting peace. In my life I ought to take more thought of the advantages which this peace prepares inside of me.
The Christian no longer needs to hunger or thirst for meaning here in this world because he has been fed and watered with the contentment found in Christ. As He said, "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world" (John 6:33). Christians needn't any other particular to attain fulfillment inside, as there is no void to fill. When there is no hole there is no need to continue piling on substitutes for the peace he already has. If Christians pine for more, they do so in vain. Nothing else can stop the hunger or quench the thirst as Jesus does. He gives life, but the earth only gives death.
I have been trying to keep active lately, waiting for the test results from Monday to reach Milgard and in turn reach me. A lesson rings out over and over again Johnny Cash's song: "Don't take your guns to town." That's not quite it. The actual lesson for myself is that I must not restrict my ears and eyes to one goal, such as looking to the potentiality an upcoming job, but on all things in life--having broad vision and ambitions. Although, Johnny Cash has a few good points in his Western ballads (like the senselessness of killing, as one music critic pointed out), keeping our focus on the Lord is the best advice we ought to adhere to. Look at Philippians 3:20-21. The apostle Paul wrote to the church:
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."
As the latest peace talks unfold between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the new Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas, who have had a few meetings in the "process," we will see how long the potential peace lasts. Each treaty seems to be made to cover the last treaty, and the last treaty for the last. This generational game of flip-flop between each nation is one more accessory which comes with time I suppose; it is never eradicated, for there is always a new conflict that will come along. John Lennon was a dreamer, I will give him that, and he wasn't the only one of the kind he supposed himself to be. But could you imagine peace between nations as the world currently now exists and works? The most effective way to have peace is to have control, something which many dictators and idealist have given a nod to; utopian despotism is the only way a world could attempt to make peace. The idea is you won't have any conflicts if everyone is on the same level. But any government of man is destined to falter.
To Pilate Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here" (John 18:36).
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Seattle, Washington: Down on Alaskan Avenue, on one of the piers there, this was one of the wonderous views to anyone's eyes which have been deprived of the sight of the ships and the bay. I might describe Seattle, or what I have chanced to see in my few trips there, to the gnat's eyebrow, but I'll just say that a good feeling comes over me when I lean out on the railing overlooking the waves and simply stand there for a few minutes. Ah, salt spray!
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