Thoughts by Young Men

I had opportunity today to be thinking about the dangers of drama. It is so easy to escalate a situation by the careless use of words, tone and body gestures. While I was thinking of this, I remembered a rather humorous example of a “poor choice of words” that led to way too much drama - and I thought you’d enjoy.

Several years ago while my sister and I were still in high school, my parents went on a road trip to SoCal to bring my two older brothers home from College. That particular day, here in the north, I was gone at a track meet for a substantial part of the evening and my parents were due back a few hours before my arrival (important detail here, this is pre cell phone.)

When I got home that evening, the loving family members quickly approached me - this was the conversation:

Them (anxiously) - “Where have you been?”

Me (knowing the track meet was on the calendar) - “At a track meet, why?”

Them - “You’re entire family was in a car crash. Your brother’s car was totaled.”

Me - “…”

Me - “…”

Me - “What?”

Apparently what had ACTUALLY happened was that, somewhere around Portland, traffic came to a sudden halt. One of my brothers, perhaps following my Dad too closely (they were caravan-ing it) bumped the back of my Dad’s vehicle which in turn bumped him into the car in front of him. While my brother’s car did bear the brunt of the damage (a slight bending of the hood - the deployed airbags sealed the vehicles fate), the damage between my Dad’s car and the other was not even a fender-bender, it was like a fender-smudger.

Were they in an accident, sure. Did the accident delay their arrival home, yep. Were the words: “entire family,” “car crash,” and “totaled” the BEST words to use? Probably not. Beware the drama!

Enjoy!

Perhaps only three of you reading this post will appreciate the SNL reference in my post title - but for those of you who aren’t familiar with the sketch, it is simply a phrase used to describe the “luxury” value of any given topic. If you need to SEE an example of something that I might consider “like butter…” then you need to check out this piece of craftsmanship. I know I am late out of the gate on this one, but today is the LAST day to enter for a chance to win a calf skin version of the “inspired” translation… Good providence and enjoy!

I an sure that all ten readers of the TBYM blog are aware that I will be departing with two other staffers and one student for the twenty-two hour drive to sunny Van Nuys for the 2009 Shepherd’s Conference. Once down there we will be joined by three other staffers bringing the one28 representation to a total of seven.
What you may not know (and more than likely “CARE”) about is why I enjoy shepherd’s conference so much. Shepherd’s Conference is, very plainly, a conference designed for pastors (shepherd’s). I am not a pastor. I am a right-brained, right-wing media guy that currently sells computers part-time at a retail store.

In a simple answer the reason I have attended SC the last few years is for the discipleship. By God’s grace my world currently revolves around ministry and over the last three years of college I have been in constant edification with some very amazing, God fearing, Christ pursuing, example living men. Attending the shepherd’s conference allows me to immerse myself in even greater tutelage of God fearing men. What follows is a quick list of reasons I am attending the 09 Shepherd’s Conference:

• Tiny pieces of steak
  Go with me on this, its an analogy I’ve used for three years now. If you try to feed a full fledged porter-house steak of the highest quality to a toddler, there is no way its all getting down - its too much, too soon. However, by God’s grace I believe that SOME steak will STILL GET DOWN. So, I am going for the sound teaching, for the little bits that actually stay after the massive deluge of theological truth.
• I go for 2007
  2007 was, in my mind, an amazing year. Two sermons that I have listened to repeatedly is Al Mohler’s message on the Power of (expository) Preaching and Mark Dever’s message on Opposition and Hope - both of which can be found here under Shepherd’s Conference > 2007 > General Sessions - you may need to register first.
• I go for the 4 am conversations
  Still to this day I received one of the most “gut checking” conversations of my life on the importance of protecting not only my purity but the purity of others around me as well - at 4 am on in the front (hot) seat of the tahoe on the return home.
• I go for the singing
  There really isn’t much more to say, if you haven’t experienced it you can’t understand it. It’s MEN praising their GOD.
• I go for the books
  While I might have a read a tenth of the books I’ve received by this point - the quality resources are excellent tools to supplement my spiritual walk.
• I go for the sweet tea
  Obviously this is a joke, but the sweet tea is pretty good - not to be mixed with the butter mints, a newbie mistake…
• I go for the friday night roundup with the men staffers
  Raw perspectives on the one28 ministry from the heart of staff attending that year.
• I go for the view
  When the world is inundated with weak Christians and weaker Christian men who sit passively by and let/force the women in the church to fill the gaps from their lack of spiritual hunger - it is a shot in the arm to see that there is still a population of God fearing men who are leading their congregations.

That’s it. This is my short post on why I am going to the shepherd’s conference. During the coming week the blog format will alter slightly as I put the “shepherd’s conference” blog posts into rotation in the blue banner area. The moment by moment featured posts in the grey box will stay the same but will take on a decidedly “conference-esque” nature. Thank you for reading and I trust you will be in prayer for us as we make or way to and from the 09 Shepherd’s Conference! Enjoy!

Lately I’ve been allowing fear to rule my life. I’ve had the opportunity to address some hurdles that have been in the way of my spiritual walk and I’ve approached them with trepidation. I have been in fear of the testing that will come with the new conviction.
Whenever a believer puts to death a fleshly feature of the old self, trials will come his way. My perspective on these trials has not been right. I have seen the trials as a undesirable byproduct that are geared towards seeing me fail, as if the hurdles might be readjusted in height right as I am ready to leap over sets two, three, four…
What a sad perspective on trials. What a sad reason for fear! I ought to love and be utterly overjoyed by the nearing of my heart to my Savior’s. And on trials?

James 1:2-4
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Oh Lord, give me the strength to love and desire You above all else. May I seek to meet the testing of my faith so as to let steadfastness have its perfect work.

It’s 12:57… in the morning. I have just finished creating the bulletin for one28 tomorrow and have closed down inDesign and Illustrator. One of the downsides to working a retail job and having the body of a bouncer means they like to stick you on closing shift on the weekends. I actually enjoy the the closing process but one of the default products is that, more often than not, I don’t get to work on the bulletins for sunday until sometime after my 11pm shift lets out and my 30 minute commute subsides.

Now that I am finished with the bulletin and am particularly bleary-eyed from the long day, I thought I would write a blog post. Actually, the reason I am writing is just to express the sheer excitement I have for tomorrow’s service. One of the benefits to my late bulletin making is that I am both focused on the events of the following day and am one of the first to welcome in the new “best day.”

Tomorrow is communion sunday. Sunday is already the pinnacle of the week, it is the lung-opening cold of the proverbial “breath of fresh air,” it is the chorus to the song, it is the bottom crust on the pie, it is the heath bar in Mrs. Light’s famous desert (I don’t know why I thought of that, but it sounded REALLY good right now…)

Every other day of the week is like the long climb on the hike. I recently hiked a trail that had several waterfalls on its path. There were three smaller waterfalls and one “mega” waterfall at the end of the trail. This is how I imagine communion sundays at our church. We don’t have communion every week (sorry Calvin) so there is an extra special atmosphere when we do finally celebrate the Lord’s work on the cross.
As we came to each of the smaller waterfalls, we took a moment to stand in wonder and the beauty, splash some cold, Washington river in our faces and then continue on to the next. Everything about a waterfall is a rush to the senses - the sounds, the sight, the rain of the residue and the smell of wet foliage. The hike was fairly steep and for a person with “much to love,” the journey to the top was a considerable workout. By the time we neared the big waterfall, my tongue was swollen, my body was sweaty and heaving, my pack felt heavier - a burden I was ready to unload.

When we can around the last corner there was an instant mist of cold water and air that blew around our faces, legs and hands. We had worked long and hard to get to this point and now it was time to refresh our bodies in the cold water of the waterfall. As I let my bag down and rubbed my aching shoulders we walked up the stream to the waterfall and stood under just the outskirts of the waterfalls massive cascade - standing directly under that volume of water would have been deadly.
I remember the feeling of being fully immersed in the fresh mountain water - new energy filled me as I went to my knees and felt the water pour over me. There was a complete “restoration” from how I was when I arrived to the waterfall.

This is how I see communion sunday - we arrive hot and sweaty. Our souls are exhausted from keeping on drudgery of the week and the hot summer of the world. We then come to the large waterfall and we lay our burdens down and are permitted to come and stand under even the smallest of the restoring spray that surrounds Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. We are completely renewed, engulfed, cleansed and refreshened.

Coming back down that mountain we were soaked - completely wet from dripping hair to sloshing shoes. Our clothes clung to our bodies and our skin glistened; in essence, we were completely identified as people who had made it to the waterfall. In a similar way I look forward to the entrance into the following week where passion meets pavement and we will have renewed opportunity to live out the evidence of our restoring communion sunday.

I am thirsty. I am thirsty, dehydrated and feel sick. My body is slow to respond, my eyes have a hard time staying open and alert and senses send sporadic messages to my brain that alternate between too sensitive and not sensitive enough.
The worst part of my condition is that I know what makes me sick and I continue to refuse the remedy. The thirst I speak of is the thirst for God’s word. How long will my sin send roots of sloth and laziness around my heart and ring the desire for God from it?
In a continuing attempt to share my struggles and burdens with the body of Christ, this is my confession tonight. I have been entertained by second rate passions, “satisfied” by salty water that leaves me worse off than when I sought satisfaction. I am dehydrated. My convictions are lethargic, my acceptance of sin around me is passive and my sporadic senses do not take offense or attribute glory to the one it is due.

Now it is time to drink. When the days are evil, how can I be caught sleeping on the path because of failing to drink the water in my hands? Now it is time to drink. Praise God for His grace to convict the lazy heart and still provide access to the freshest fountain for those who WILLINGLY refuse to drink - even when, for appearances sake, they have their head UNDER THE WATER!

Woe to my apathy; glory to God for His grace. Now it is time to drink

Welcome to the new blog! This byte of webspace is devoted to the spiritual edification and encouragement of those in and around my life. Written from the perspective I know best I hope you find some encouragement in the writings that will follow.

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