Starting Over

1st Corinthians 13 says:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

And then, in 1st John 4 is says that God is love. So then it can be said:
God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.

Now the real struggle begins with this. I’m supposed to imitate God in every way, right? Christ is my example, Christ is God, therefore I am to imitate God.

Johnny is patient, Johnny is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast, He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. Johnny does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Johnny always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Johnny never fails.

There are many things wrong with that paragraph, but I’m working on it. How much did I trust today? Was I self-seeking? Did I rejoice in someone’s misfortune? Did I bring up old issues from the past? Have I given up on hope? Have I stopped trying? Did I allow myself to FAIL? If I answer yes to any these, then I’m saying a big no to imitating God in that area. As my Dad has once said, “you don’t have to wait till January 1st to start things over, you can just start now.” I think that’s a pretty good statement.

Thanksgiving Devotional

This is going to be a big one this year. A throw down... TWO TURKEYS! That would be me and Scott White... seriously, we will have two Thanksgiving Turkeys at this shin-dig, there will be lots of fun and lots of food. For a map of the location of the event, Click here: Map. This is going to be a wonderful and fun thing. I hope to see you there!

The Book of Nahum

November 12th, 2006

The Book of Nahum

An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into darkness. Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. From you, O Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and counsels wickedness. This is what the LORD says: “Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be cut off and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, O Judah, I will afflict you no more. Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away.” The LORD has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: “You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the carved images and cast idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile.” Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed.

An attacker advances against you, Nineveh. Guard the fortress, watch the road, brace yourselves, marshal all your strength! The LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and have ruined their vines. The shields of his soldiers are red; the warriors are clad in scarlet. The metal on the chariots flashes on the day they are made ready; the spears of pine are brandished. The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning. He summons his picked troops, yet they stumble on their way. They dash to the city wall; the protective shield is put in place. The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses. It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away. Its slave girls moan like doves and beat upon their breasts. Nineveh is like a pool, and its water is draining away. “Stop! Stop!” they cry, but no one turns back. Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! The supply is endless, the wealth from all its treasures! She is pillaged, plundered, stripped! Hearts melt, knees give way, bodies tremble, every face grows pale. Where now is the lions’ den, the place where they fed their young, where the lion and lioness went, and the cubs, with nothing to fear? The lion killed enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate, filling his lairs with the kill and his dens with the prey. “I am against you,” declares the LORD Almighty. “I will burn up your chariots in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will leave you no prey on the earth. The voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.”

Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims! The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots! Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses- all because of the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft. “I am against you,” declares the LORD Almighty. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame. I will pelt you with filth, I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle. All who see you will flee from you and say, ‘Nineveh is in ruins—who will mourn for her?’ Where can I find anyone to comfort you?” Are you better than Thebes, situated on the Nile, with water around her? The river was her defense, the waters her wall. Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were among her allies. Yet she was taken captive and went into exile. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. Lots were cast for her nobles, and all her great men were put in chains. You too will become drunk; you will go into hiding and seek refuge from the enemy. All your fortresses are like fig trees with their first ripe fruit; when they are shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater. Look at your troops— they are all women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has consumed their bars. Draw water for the siege, strengthen your defenses! Work the clay, tread the mortar, repair the brickwork! There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and, like grasshoppers, consume you. Multiply like grasshoppers, multiply like locusts! You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more than the stars of the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away. Your guards are like locusts, your officials like swarms of locusts that settle in the walls on a cold day— but when the sun appears they fly away, and no one knows where. O king of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your nobles lie down to rest. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them. Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is fatal. Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?

Nahum 1:14 carved images:
Pesel (noun)

• Idol, image

Nahum 1:14 cast idols:
Massêkâh (noun)

• A pouring, libation, molten metal, cast image, drink offering


• Libation (with covenant sacrifice)


• Molten metal, molten image, molten gods


• Web, covering, veil, woven stuff

So, I guess this begs the question… what is a carved image or a cast idol (as if the Hebrew definition didn’t define it enough)? I want to check some definitions…

Idol (noun):

• An image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.


• An image of a deity other than God.


• The deity itself.

From what I can gather, an image and an idol are fairly close in name when it comes to cast idol and carved image… both Hebrew definitions show image and idol in them. So you can turn things around and say a carved idol and a cast image, and not be wrong in the slightest. Statues are images, like the Statue of Liberty… Mount Rushmore… Washington Monument… there are images on money… images on a computer… sometimes there are images in windows, like stained-glass windows… there are images on the television… I can create images in my mind when I listen to music… interesting. Things and circumstances can create images that aren’t actually there. For example, a smell can trigger a vision or memory in my mind. I smell bacon, and I think, “I LOVE bacon…” I smell perfume and it reminds me of my wife… I smell cigarette smoke, and I think of all the times that I have smoked over my lifetime… I can touch something and it can remind me of something… a flower can provoke memory. A wrench can provoke hatred. Leather can create a sensation of success.

Now this says: The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him… God is a refuge. He cares for those who turn to HIM and not to sidekick angel next to him. Little me angel can’t do a thing without God giving him the OK. Don’t pray to the angel. The Bible doesn’t say anything good about praying to them. In fact, it says to NOT pray to the angels. And praying to dead relatives doesn’t make much sense, either. I would think those relatives would want you to turn to the one true good thing in this cosmos, God. My great, great grandfather may have been a good man… I don’t know. But what I do know is that he is like me in one easy and simple way: HE’S NOT PERFECT. God is perfect. Pray to God. It doesn’t make sense to pray to someone who can’t do anything for anyone. God is the only one who can. Aunt Jemima can’t. The ghost of Cy Young can’t. The spirit of Babe Ruth can’t. Both of my grandfathers can’t. And when I die, PLEASE don’t pray to me. PRAY to GOD. I’m not perfect, God is.

Sometimes it is good for someone to study their own religion from an outside perspective to grasp the goodness and quality of it, should it exist. Johnny Out.

The Book of Habakkuk

November 10th, 2006

The Book of Habakkuk

The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.

How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. “Look at the nations and watch… and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor. Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come from afar. They fly like a vulture swooping to devour; they all come bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand. They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; by building earthen ramps they capture them. Then they sweep past like the wind and go on… guilty people, whose own strength is their god.” LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, LORD, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? You have made people like the fish in the sea, like the sea creatures that have no ruler. The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food. Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy? I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright, but the righteous will live by their faithfulness… indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples. Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’ Will not your creditors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their prey. Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin! You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it. Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice! Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies! You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed! The cup from the LORD’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory. The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed human blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them. Of what value is an idol that someone has carved? Or an image that teaches lies? For those who make them trust in their own creations; they make idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed - but he marches on forever. I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. Were you angry with the rivers, LORD? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory? You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot. With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters. I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

I just want to think about that last part… “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

Green Eggs and Turkey

November 9th, 2006

Green Eggs and Turkey

This is something I’ve been thinking and swirling around in my head. School work has really kept me from doing my postings like I would like, but alas… I might just be getting back into the habit of posting again. But then again, I shouldn’t count my green eggs before they hatch (note to Don: I chose the title BEFORE I wrote this one). But one evening I was heading home from a midweek and deep in thought about the lesson, the idea of eggs came to mind.

There are a number of ways a person can eat eggs in the morning, really so many that I couldn’t list them here without sounding like that guy from Forest Gump. But I want to check out four types: Scrambled, Over-Hard, Over-Medium, and Over-Easy.

Now, of course, the eggs are a metaphor for something… and that is, of course, life. The first one, scrambled is a great way to eat eggs. I mean, you can throw all sorts of garbage in there, ham (or turkey), bacon, cheese, French fries, bits of whatever you ate last night, and chances are, it will still taste good. But when I live my life the scrambled way, it doesn’t seem to work out to well.

Ephesians 4:11-16
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

I look at this scripture and it just made me think how scrambled eggs and a tossed salad have so many similarities and yet are completely different. When an egg is scrambled, there is no defined shape to it. It’s not in a circular shape, oval, or anything like that… it’s just a “mess of eggs”. I do not want my life to be a mess of eggs.

Well, what about eggs done over hard.

Genesis 27:38-40
Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud. His father Isaac answered him, “Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.”

It sure sounds like eggs over-hard to me. And what did God do to the Israelites in Egypt? He broke that HARD yoke of the Egyptians and set them free…

Now, I don’t mind having eggs over hard for breakfast. It’s pretty tasty, actually. You can do a lot with that type of egg-style. You can put it on toasted bread, mayo, and lettuce and you have a wonderful breakfast sandwich. And with the semi-circular shape, it generally fits onto the bread quite well. For a sweeter taste, add butter to the bread and let it melt a little before putting it together…

So, instead of a scrambled or messed up lifestyle, I have a lifestyle where I choose to do it the hard way. The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms defines “The Hard Way” simply as learning things through bad or difficult experiences. Should I live a lifestyle “over-hard”, that would mean I would simply push through those experiences on my own.

Eggs over medium… a lot of goop in the middle, but if it’s still warm and housed just right, then it’s OK. I just hate it when it makes a mess of the plate. Have you ever taken a egg yoke cooked medium and plop it in your mouth, still warm? It’s just great to taste…

I tend to think of an “egg over medium” mindset as someone still trying to do the “hokey-pokey” in a Christian walk. They’re putting themselves in and out, in and out, and shaking all about… it’s a mess all over the plate. A “over-medium” egg is like an egg that couldn’t make up its mind when it was cooked… part hard/part easy – it’s a double minded egg.

James 1:2-8
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

An over-medium lifestyle isn’t worth poking around in (pun intended). Seriously, trying to do the part-easy/part-hard isn’t going to do me any favors. I can’t live a medium lifestyle because medium is still part HARD, but the thing is, with medium, the lie in the lifestyle is that you’re in and out so much, you’ll just dance yourself into the ground trying to cover up your tracks… very tiresome keeping on the Christian game-face when the game is in intermission.

I’ll be straight up and honest: I don’t like my eggs over easy. There’s just too much GOO! The guts of the egg are splurged right out onto the plate and that’s when I started to think about eating them. The yokes giggle like a bowl full of jelly. And they don’t look a thing like Santa Claus. They do have one saving quality about them, though. My wife makes this “birds in a bucket” or whatever its called (way off on the name, I know… ask her next time you see her) and it requires that the eggs be over-easy. And I’ll eat that little breakfast dish.

But as far as a lifestyle, off these four, this is the one to go with… JC takes the hard yokes, the scrambled ones, even the medium ones… and makes them easy. Well, maybe I’m reading a little into it, but it does say that HIS yoke is easy, and if I send my stuff to God, pray to him, give him all my garbage, struggles, and burdens… then I will have rest. And that’s a promise from JC himself.

Matthew 11:25-30
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

So, the moral of all this is: EAT EGGS OVER EASY

Sorry Don, nothing about turkeys in here… except for maybe me, but we already knew that…