LEADERS WANTED...

It's January 18th, 11:30am. I just started my do to list for the day or week. I am overwhelmed with excitement, joy, fear, love, passion, etc... I have so much to be thankful for. I am incredibly pumped about what is going to happen in 2010 at aplacetotalk.

Yesterday we agreed to do so much. I know the 18 items we had on our business meeting agenda had to be overwhelming to everyone who meet together yesterday.

Some of those 18 items are allowing another church to use our building, purchasing preschool toys, having a youth ski trip, advertising our grand opening by direct mail, and billboards, buying 10,000 eggs for an Easter Egg Hunt, hosting a mini basketball season and preparing for awards for the winning team, putting up signs to tell the world that we exists, converting our website to a word press site, purchasing new trash cans, awaiting the delivery of our big theatrical curtain, building a set for our "FAMILY TALKS", planning dates to hand out re-usable canvass bags at the local grocery stores, going door to door to ask the Brookford area about their needs on February the 7th, having a Super Bowl party on that same night... I can't explain how much we are undertaking and I sure hope we are all getting ready.

I am incredibly excited... and I am confident that God will lead us through this, but at the same time I am very thankful that I have a grasp on the magnitude and difficulty of the task ahead. I can't possibly be overconfident... because I am scared to death and desperate for God's direction and help.

As I think about all that is coming up. I am very thankful for the leaders that God has given us already... our band is growing and has some wonderful faithful members, there are guys building the set, there are guys building a drum base and shield, there are guys planning a youth ski trip, women planning the Family Talk service, men teaching the youth, other men leading Bible Studies, ladies cooking breakfast, and more, and more, and more. I am thankful for all these and I think now about people who assembled the basketball goals for the season, and a friend that has printed posters, and others who have organized and led in other areas. I have so much to be thankful for. Thank you all. I may fail to thank you enough... but I am so thankful.

Anyway... the point of today's blog entry: We need more leaders! We need more band members... we need more singers from time to time. We need more guys who wanta' play in the band. We could always use more actors and actresses for the Family Talk services. We need a few men who feel called to the ministry to join me as I study to lead our Sunday Morning Talks. I am also keeping an eye open for a great youth leader. Someone who has a desire to be in the ministry someday but is willing to step up and serve as a great volunteer while we try and get started.

Those of you who read these posts... pray with me that God sends more leaders our way.

ONE YEAR BIBLE READING

I am trying to read through the One Year Bible in 2010 and take notes for my children - I hope these notes help my children each hear and know my heart.

Genesis 1:1 – 2:25 (One Year Bible) January 1

To my children (Noah, Adam, Elijah, and Faith):

I am reading through the One Year Bible and writing a short blog post everyday to share with you guys. I have noticed lately that I am not doing a good job of teaching you guys about the Bible, and I am failing to teach you to pray. We don’t even pray at meals like as regularly as we should. I am not apologizing because I want our relationship with one another to be real, and I want certainly want to teach you to have an authentic relationship with God. I could care less if you bow your heads before each meal and have a ceremonial meaningless time of quoting some habitual (sorry Adam, Elijah, and Faith that may be a Noah word) prayer, but I do hope you realize that God provides everything for you and that you are thankful to Him.

Anyway I just read through Genesis 1 and 2 and there are a few things that I see that I think are very important. I noticed that time was God’s idea, that God saw that His creation was good, that we (human kind) were created to reign or rule over the earth, and that at the end of a week of work God rested from His creative work.

Kids I hope that you will remember God created everything, including time and the work week. Growing up in the richness of America I am so afraid that you kids could miss understanding the importance of WORK. God created us to work, to create, and to reign or govern the earth. He also taught us by His action and behavior the necessity of rest.

Kids as you grow up, and especially as you get older – I pray to God that you never underestimate the value of a hard day’s work! Working is so important, and I pray that you will work hard all your life.

Faith, you don’t have to ever settle for a man that isn’t willing to work as hard as he has to so that you can stay at home and be a mother while your children are being raised.

Noah, Adam, and Elijah you shouldn’t have to settle for a woman when you grow up who doesn’t realize that being a great mother is just as important as any other job on earth!

Matthew 1:-2:12 January 1 NT

Kids, there is something that I want to share with you from the New Testament today as well. Well actually there are two things today.

Two things I want to share with you here: (1) Jesus was born of a virgin. (2) Jesus is God!

(1) Jesus was born of a virgin, which means that Joseph was not Jesus’ real father. Jesus’ Father was God. Joseph did later marry Mary, but the real Father of Jesus was God.

(2) Jesus is God! The book of Matthew uses the word Immanuel, and Immanuel means “God with us.” So Jesus is literally God, but specifically God come to earth.

January 1 P&P Psalms 1:1-6, Proverbs 1:1-6

Hey Noah, Adam, Elijah, and Faith it’s me, dad again. This time I am want to tell you a little something I read from Psalms and Proverbs today.

In Psalms I read today that you can grow more joyful if you will delight and think about the law of the Lord a lot. I know it sounds strange to say that you should think about law, especially if you think laws are rules. The truth is the law isn’t really just rules; it is more like directions for how to do life the best, in a way that will help you really enjoy your life.

That reminds me, do ya’ll remember that time we were in Florida and we borrowed the game “Life” from the resort office. Noah and Adam went down there to borrow “Candy Land” to play with Faith, but they didn’t have it. So you guys brought back “Chinese Checkers” instead, but then when we opened “Chinese Checkers” the pieces weren’t there, so you went back and got “Life.” We all sat down to play the game but no one could remember how to play and there weren’t any directions.

Anyway meditating on the law of the Lord isn’t really about just thinking about the rules – it is more about thinking about the directions for life, not a game but real life!

What I read in Proverbs today is really about the same thing…. It basically says that if you will read the wise sayings of Proverbs you will become wiser!

Can man purify himself...?

With the Christmas season just behind us, I thought I would take a minute and share an interesting verse of scripture I came across in my preparation for Christmas Sunday morning conversations at aplacetotalk.

I was thinking about Christmas and why Jesus came when I came across 1 John 3:5 "You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin." We always think about Jesus' birth and we teach that Jesus came to forgive our sins. But is it possible that Jesus didn't need to come to forgive our sins? I am just thinking out loud right now - so don't label me a heretic. This isn't meant to be a theological dissertation but just a normal guy (just josh) thinking out loud and if you want to think along with me you are welcome to do so... otherwise, read someone else's blog they may write more confidently.

Anyway is it possible that God / Jesus could have offered forgiveness without coming to earth? But He came to earth in order to destroy the works and power of sin?

The other thought is this.... "Can man purify himself?"

The instant response and obvious response is no, but as I studied this passage 1 John 3 - I noticed verse 3 "Everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

Anyway... those are just some thoughts as we finish up the Christmas season and prepare for the New Year.

For me - I am going to make a conscious effort to fix my hope on the idea that Jesus came to destroy sin and take it away! Maybe by doing so my life will grow in purity.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Church - to go or not to go...

Well of course I go to an institutional church (http://www.aplacetotalk.net) but I don't think of going to "church" or a typical Sunday morning club the way most "ministerial types" think of going to church.

This past week I was listening to "Let's talk it's Relationship" and I believe it was the podcast from 10.21.09 (http://familyroommedia.com/podcast.html). Anyway the thing that got me to thinking more than anything was this.... does institutional "church attendance" cause us to fall into a trap of selling or marketing our "club / church" to people instead of sharing the love of Jesus Christ with others more naturally?

Instead of teaching believers to invite people to a "church or institutional Sunday morning club" shouldn't we teach believers to simply befriend people? Then after befriending someone we walk in friendship with that person and allow the love of Christ to live in and through us. We can't befriend someone with the goal of getting that person into your "church" because most people can see right through that and truth is... who pulls a bait and switch with a real friend?

I guess I say that to say... maybe I should be less concerned with planting a new church and more concerned with helping people grow to be great friends and follow Christ passionately. Then they'll be a great church - whether they gather on Sunday's or not.

With that in mind I pray that aplacetotalk.net will become exactly what God wants it to become.

I decided to blog today as a safety valve for me... I have to be very careful not to get trapped back in the same trap that many people who desire to follow Christ get caught in. It seems that one plan of the enemy is to find people who desire to share Christ and His message and convert them to sharing religion, a church, or morality. When the enemy successfully gets those who know Christ to give their energy to religion, and institution, or the following of rules that person is neutralized and not an effective tool in the hand of Christ.

Father, I used to live for myself and I realized how meaningless that was when I met Your Son Jesus. Then for some reason or another I began to live for whatever church, pastor, or institution I served. Then I re-discovered You and the freedom that comes from living for and in You alone. Over the past six months or so, I may be slipping back into living more for an institution than for You. Today I am reminded how easily I could fall into the trap of living for aplacetotalk and while that looks honorable to religious individuals I have experienced the freedom that comes from living for You and You alone. I wouldn't trade that freedom and peace for anything. God please help me to put You first daily and allow aplacetotalk to simply be a gathering of Your friends with Your agenda. Amen

What is Baptism?

This Sunday's conversation at aplacetotalk (aplacetotalk.net) will be all about Baptism. I would love to hear your thoughts.... what is the purpose and meaning behind baptism. Thanks, Josh

Blog editor test - ?

I am trying this blog editor for Flock.... a new web broswer

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Jacked up Religion...

Well I am taking the context of this on the word of a friend, but I actually asked him to send me a photograph of the page when he read it to me. He did, so I know that the statement is in the book. I sure hope the reader misunderstood it.

The friend was reading for a class at a very popular Christian Institution of Higher Education. He was reading from a text book when he came across this statement - "We must admit that cults represent "the unpaid bills of the church."

He called me to share with me his shock at that statement.... and I was truly blown away. It is surprising that I am still (because they unfortunately are normal for many in religion) shocked by comments like those, but I am.

How far off purpose, and off direction do we have to get to be thinking about the "unpaid bills of the church" when we are thinking about people in cults? Truth is... I am not so bothered by the thought, but I am blown away by the decision to put that very thought into writing. I too have terrible thoughts from time to time... but I don't say or write everything I think. And yes I do write some dumb things... sorry for that.

What we talked about on 9.27.09:

#1 When we tell the story of Christianity, we too often forget to start the story and end the story with the Garden of Eden and God dwelling with man. See God created man and placed him in a garden, without sin, sickness, disease etc.

#2 We must tell the middle of the story too: ie. the fall, Jesus, and the redemption of mankind. But starting the story in the middle isn't telling the whole story.

#3 In Matthew 19:28, Acts 3:19, and Colossians 1:19 we see that Jesus, Peter, and Paul saw and told the story as a story of restoration.

#4 We must be careful because sometimes the way we tell the story leaves heaven sounding a bit boring.

#5 Seeing the story (Christianity) as beginning before sin and being restored to a sinless state changes the whole story. The story isn't about getting out of here someday, instead eternal life with God begins the moment you begin a real relationship with Jesus.

#6 Instead of attempting to create a Christian version of everything (ie. Christian bands, Christian bookstores, Christian schools, Christian malls, Christian movies, Christian coffeehouses, etc.) let's take Christ with us into the secular concerts, bookstores, schools, malls, movies, bars, and coffeehouses!

#7 Maybe telling the whole story would include a sinless creation, the fall due to a lack of trust in the creator, redemption through Jesus' death on a cross, and eternal life that begins now and includes the restoration of the garden of Eden - a place where heaven and earth are the same place - GOD DWELLING WITH MAN!!!

Well we got started painting the new youth room today

I hope to figure out the best way to fill the room with great video game systems and air hockey etc. Any suggestions?

Kennedy Space Center Today

Kennedy Space Center Today (actually a few weeks ago... 8/20/09 to be exact)

Well $199.28 for Chantae’ and I and the four kids. I still am not sure whether or not it is worth it. But there was plenty to see. We saw two IMAX movies, one was about the moon landings, and the other was about the space station. That space station is amazing. The moon landings movie had Tom Hanks as a narrator, and the space station movie bragged Tom Cruise.

Throughout the day I kept thinking about how amazing God is. Just think, God allows us to explore earth, the moon, and possibly even Mars in the next decade or two. If I were God – I think I would be too controlling to allow my creation to go all over the milky way, but then again I think the milky way is a big portion of God’s creation.

I can't explain how bad my cell phone carrier is....

Sprint PCS is absolutely terrible when it comes to customer service. I will share my current experience.

Today I made three calls to Sprint customer service, the first two ended with my call being disconnected when I was supposed to be transfered to a higher level of support. Each call was disconnected after an over 20 minute wait for assistance.

The third call ended after the customer service agent told me that my problem wasn't something she could resolve. Then I asked her to go ahead and disconnect my service, because I would be changing phone companies first thing in the morning. At that point she told me that there was something that she could do since I had requested to end my service. Now she could transfer me to the retention department. So I explained that the last two times I had been put on hold in order to be transfered that I had been disconnected but that I didn't get a call back.

So she asks to take my number down and call me back. I told her that would be fine.

I didn't expect to hear back from her at all. But then the phone rang. Much to my surprise, even though the first two customer service agents had failed to call me back, this time I did get a return call.

It was the retention department. After an additional twenty minutes or so with them, they told me that they couldn't do anything.

I had insurance on my phone with Sprint, but they couldn't fix my phone. I told them to go ahead and cut off my phones, they agreed.

That is the end of my relationship with Sprint.

I would recommend that others do business with someone else, Sprint PCS isn't very good in the hickory area and the customer service is well below par even in comparison to the overall horrible customer support world that we live in today.

The C Section

The C Section

I was at the pool today (8/21/09) with Noah, Adam, and Elijah and a 13 year old boy from the area showed up at the pool. Evidently he lives down the street a few blocks. I asked him where he was from and he said the “C” section. I thought… dude I didn’t ask how you got here, I asked where you are from or where you live.

He went on to explain that there are different areas in Palm Coast. There are sections of town where every street starts with a “C” and sections where every street starts with a “W” and so on. I found that an interesting piece of worthless information – don’t you?

Oh by the way, the boy’s name is Michael, and his parents just got divorced. He is living with dad in the “C” section and his mom lives on the other side of Palm Coast in the “W” section. Sadly he is representative of most families these days – broken.

The NFL is about winning

I have heard a lot of commentators this week (I wrote this in late July) say that the NFL is about winning. They have basically been asking the question – “Will Brett Favre help the Vikings win more football games?” But that isn’t the question that really matters to the Vikings organization.

What is the primary question the Vikings organization is asking – “Will signing and playing Bret Favre sell tickets?” The answer to that was a strong positive YES! I just heard on Sports Center how many season tickets and individual tickets were sold in 24 hours! I am afraid to write what I think I heard – did I just hear 3000 season tickets, and over 10,000 individual tickets?

Brett Favre sells tickets; that is a big reason he will be throwing a football in the NFL this season at 40 years old. Oh by the way, I think he is good too!

stumbled across something interesting...

I was searching through some of John Piper's stuff today as I prepare for our conversation (I would say sermon, but our sermons are more conversations than simply sermons) this Sunday. Anyway... I really enjoyed this read and was very impressed with John Piper's courage to talk about grace and freedom. I suspect if he were a lesser respected man, he would get blasted for talking like this.

Galatians 5:1-5

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Now I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who receives circumcision that he is bound to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness.

The text begins with a clear and refreshing statement of Christ's will for our lives. Sometimes we get bogged down in a quandary about God's will. And often we worry about decisions which are simply not a great issue with God (where to go to school, what job to take, where to live, etc.). We need to orient our lives on the clear statements of Scripture regarding God's will. And here is one: "For freedom Christ has set us free." Christ's will for you is that you enjoy freedom. Where you go to school, what job you do, where you live, etc., are not nearly so crucial as whether you stand fast in freedom. If they were, the Bible would have commanded those things as clearly as it here commands freedom. But it doesn't. So your enjoyment of freedom is much more important to God than many of the day-to-day decisions that fill us with so much concern. A good test of your priorities in life would be whether you are just as concerned about the command to enjoy your freedom as you are about other pressing decisions in your life. Do you exercise as much diligence in prayer and study to stand fast in freedom as you do to decide about home, job, school, marriage partner? It is a clear and unqualified command: "Stand fast and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." This is the will of God for you: your freedom. Uncompromising, unrelenting, indomitable freedom. For this Christ died. For this he rose. For this he sent his Spirit. There is nothing he wills with more intensity under the glory of his own name than this: your freedom. That's my message today. All else is explanation and incentive.

I felt like I should step in a stop a fight tonight!

Earlier tonight as I was walking out of aplacetotalk, I heard a man screaming. He sounded angry, so angry I was just sure he was about to hurt someone. Dean was walking out with me and I turned to him and asked if he would follow me and see if I needed any help. My first reaction was fear for the woman the angry man was getting ready to beat or kill.

How did I know he was yelling at a woman, well I only made out one word of his screaming - "whore!" Since I have never heard a man yell "whore" at another man, I assumed this was a lady in danger.

Dean responded "That sounds like a job for the police or sherif." Just as I was starting to call Ken Hopkins, I heard the yelling continue, and I began to listen closer. The voice was still angry, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Then Dean figured it out.

"That's the tent up the street."

I couldn't decide what to do or what to think, my desire to protect someone being hurt was still there. I drove up the street intending to listen for a bit out the window of my truck, but once there I decided to walk out in the field where I could get a peep into the tent.

The "preacher" didn't sound like a good news preacher, but I am sure that he wouldn't appreciate that comment. The 8 - 10 people under the tent didn't look like they were hearing good news either. As I stood there in the field, my first reaction was to laugh inside. But I quickly felt sad and disappointed in myself for reacting as if the situation was funny. It was ironic, but certainly not funny.

I feel sorry for the preacher since he felt like he needed to hollar for an hour to such a small crowd, I wonder why he couldn't have sat down and had a conversation with the dozen or so participants.

I feel sorry for those being screamed at because they looked hot, tired, and bored. I wonder if they could've been happier fellowshipping (fellowship is the religious word for hanging out) with family or friends after work instead of dressing up and going to a tent.

I feel sorry for the guys who set up the tent, because I am sure they were hoping for something more when they put the sweat and labor into setting up such a large tent. (I bet the tent could sit 500 if the chairs were arranged tightly.)

I felt sorry for me, since my first response was laughter. I wish I were more compasionate than I am.

As I pulled away, I thought about a child who has learned to walk make fun of his little brother or sister who is learning to walk. That is sick, and evil. Most any father would rather the brother help his little brother as he learned to walk.

Then I began to wonder how I could lead the people of aplacetotalk to help that tent preacher and those who attended his tent. Then I thought about what others would think if we were helping a group who seem to be preaching law, anger, and I just assume that legalism follows. Then I thought well maybe we could teach them about the New Covenant that Jesus came to establish, a covenant of grace.

Then I thought... maybe I should get a tent and take a month and set it up in different places for 2 - 3 night at a time advertising a "tent meeting" 7pm each night. When people arrived I could talk to them about grace, and have real conversations about Jesus and His message of love, forgiveness, and freedom from the bondage of sin and sickness. I would assume that the type of people who showed up for a tent meeting would be the very same type of people who would be very confused by a message of love, forgiveness, freedom, and grace.

I just listened to Andy Stanley teach about a quote from Craig Groshell today... "To reach people that no one else is reaching we have to try things that no one else is trying." I want to try things no one else is trying... and truth is - I don't think there are many grace teachers out there trying to reach the religious extreme. Maybe I should seriously consider this... maybe, maybe not.

I love my life

I love my life, don’t get me wrong. But it is Wednesday of our week in Florida. I am starting to think about our vacation coming to an end. I have a taste of sadness. We will head home on Saturday morning, and meet at aplacetotalk on Sunday morning. Then I am back at school on Monday and the kids are all back to school on Tuesday.

I am glad that I am taking Graphic Design, I am excited about learning Dreamweaver and web design this semester. But at the same time I am dreading the long school hours. I don’t feel like I have enough time to put into church work as it is, but this semester I am at school a bit more. If someday I can be a graphic designer who plants churches and teaches at aplacetotalk on the side (totally voluntarily) that would be a great blessing. Or maybe I would get paid, but I could give away more than I am paid! That would be a great feeling.

As I think about heading home, I remember that I get to make another offer on a little house. This house is the perfect house to give away someday! I have always wanted to own a bunch of rental houses, and eventually be able to give some away! I don’t want to ever be like the US government though and give to people to the point that they become dependent and lazy.

Boy this was a rambling post, sorry.

Faith's Pet Cockroach

Remember the water cockroaches from the other day? Well Faith begged to keep one and we let her. I fully expect that it will die before morning, but for now she has a pet water cockroach. Of course she is still calling it a crab, but we aren’t sure exactly what it really is.

Anyway, I have never seen her enjoy something quite like this. She wanted to take it with us today when we went out to play shuffleboard. She played with it the whole time. She would tell us when it was sleeping, eating, etc. She has an average size bucket and she has decided which quarter is the kitchen, bedroom, etc. When the little cockroach goes there… she tells us what he (or she) is doing. Too funny!

Absolutes!

Absolutes!

We went to the beach today; it is about a five minute drive from our condo. It was a public beach and the parking was right up to the sand. Short walk beautiful beach. We caught probably 100 little crab like things. We were calling them crabs but we didn’t really know what they were. A lady walked by and saw them – her first language was Spanish and she said she didn’t know what to call them in English, but she said water cockroaches. They were so easy to catch; you could catch ten at a time by picking up big handfuls of sand. With a bucket if you scooped up sand in the right place you might catch twenty in one bucket of sand.

That public beach didn’t have lifeguards and did have quite a few rocks. They were large rocks and with Bill and Anna heading toward the states the water was somewhat rough. After about 10 minutes in the ocean I told the boys that this was the hardest waves I had ever seen. Just a few minutes later I realized that that statement probably wasn’t true but I had already spoken it. That got me to thinking…. Why is it that I am so quick to think, or speak in absolutes? What do you think? Is it our culture? Is it my sick competitive nature? Just a thought…

Speaking of absolutes, today Bret Favre announced that he would be quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings this year! Now how many times has he been absolutely retired?

I don't know what to think...

I was told yesterday about Obama's address to the public schools on September the 8th and I don't know what to think.

I read today where it is implied that Bush did the same thing, I can't remember or find whether that is true or not.

I remember the tension and fear of discussing politics in a spiritual world. But I fear that "the real church" has been too quite on matters of politics for too long. I am certainly no longer republican or democrat! I better say that again I AM CERTAINLY NO LONGER REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT! Today I see positives on both sides, when I work real hard not to only see the negative.

I understand the desire to go to war to protect people who can't protect themselves, and I understand the desire to bring the troops home before too many die or we run out of credit trying to finance the war.

I understand the desire to provide for everyone who can't provide for themselves but I also understand the belief that "if you don't work you don't eat."

I understand the need for health care, but I also understand the necessity of a free economy and capitalism.

I don't know what to think about about a lot of things... I do know that Jesus is in charge and nothing catches Him by surprise.

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

I shared with the core group at aplacetotalk last night about our being rejected for membership into the local association, because we might consider allowing a group of people to use our building. (To understand that story read my blog title "REJECTED" from Monday.)

Anyway after sharing that story the core group discussed whether or not we even wanted to be associated with a denomination that would allow an association to reject a church on such a silly basis.

Today I am praying about which path we should take. Is this simply a decision or does this decision set us on a path?

Today I want to acknowledge God in all my ways and believe that He can make my path straight.