Mac Snob?

So, my wife and I are tossing around the idea of giving up the luxury of having smart phones(notice how I said luxury, now all you people who think you absolutely have to have a smart phone feel crappy, and you realize that I’m holier than you). To be completely honest, I don’t want to give up my smart phone. I like being able to check my email, facebook, twitter, blog, whatever on the go. I have never been someone who can just “surf the web” for hours at a time(I went old school again). It’s like a quick, clean poop. In and out(I realize I could have used the burger joint for my reference, but not everyone has been to an In-N-Out. However, everyone has pooed).

There really are only two questions to help me with my decision: Do I absolutely need it? and How much money would I save each month by not having it? I know what you’re thinking, “With a blog this good how can he not afford it?” But, unfortunately no one has decided to pay me for my ramblings as hard as that is to believe. So, for the mean time money is a definite factor.

As I ponder these dead, life changing questions, I must ask myself about other “luxuries” in my life(i did it again, hehe). I am paying a large sum of money for a nice car, but do I need that nice of a car? Can I find something that will be just as reliable without carrying such a big note? Absolutely. Do I have to have the latest gadgets and gismos? Nope(i would really like an Ipad for Christmas mom). So why do i desire those things?

I want the latest and greatest because that’s what I have been taught from early on. “I need a new car.” Or, “I need this computer, or that phone to be considered tech-savy.”(yes, I have a Mac and an Iphone-Guilty, but i’m not a mac snob) But, I don’t. The only thing that I need is Papa. The rest is just details. I feel as though it is easier to have a huge monthly car note than it is to pay my tithes. It’s easier to shell out a couple hundred bucks for internet, cable, and cell phones, then it is to buy a homeless man a meal.

I’m just as guilty of these things as anyone else. But, what if we change the norm, the status qua? Would you dare to change the everyday to the extraordinary?

Who do i want to be?

I have been asking myself that question lately. As I watch my daughter grow, I ask myself what do I want her to be. And I’ve realized that she can’t be anything other than what I model for her. If I want her to love Papa and live in truth, then I have to love Papa and live in truth. If I don’t want her to be lazy and apathetic, then I must show her how to be proactive and empathetic. If I want her to follow her dreams and feel safe being what God has created her to be, I must be willing to dream for myself. I must realize who God has created me to be and live in that reality. I want the absolute best for my daughter. But she will never have the best if I am not willing to give my best.

I feel as though the same applies to Leadership, no matter what form of leadership(church, business, community, clown school). If you want the best from your staff, employees, volunteers, bozo, then put forth your absolute best.

One saying that I really like is: “If God has called you to it, He will equip you for it.” God didn’t cause your church to fail. If He called you to start it, He didn’t leave you after you did. He is going to call you and give you what you need, you just have to be willing to put forth your best. Because, let’s face it, our best still isn’t good enough. But, Papa is made strong in our weakness.

There is another one that says “if God has called you to it, He will get you through it” But I don’t want to just get through life. I want to Live. Papa promises me that life will not be easy, but it will be worth it. Live like it’s worth it today.

*Disclaimer: No clowns were hurt during the writing of this post*

Can someone get me a Goat?

*Serious Alert*

I am currently attempting to read through the entire bible in less than 90 days. So far it has been great. Learning things that I didn’t know before and feeling God stretch me. That being said, I am so glad that Jesus paid for my sin on a cross. I mean, have you read Leviticus?

I would be in pretty bad shape right now because: 1 I’m not Jewish, and 2 because I don’t own any livestock, or harvest any grains for sacrifice. One can’t read Leviticus and then tell me that we would still be okay in our sin.

Reading through the old testament has given me a new outlook on my sin. I am so much more grateful for Christ’s blood. I have always known about Jesus being the sacrifice for our sins, but reading through the OT has given more weight to His death. It had to be brutal. There had to be blood shed. There had to be atonement for the sin of the people. Christ was the best of the best. It wasn’t that he was without sin, He was the perfect sacrifice. Without stain. Without blemish.

Some of you have probably already had this realization, so this may seem a bit late. And, honestly it isn’t something completely new to me. But reading about the OT sacrifices has brought new light to the death of Christ. If His sacrificial death has lost it’s resonance in your heart then maybe you too should read through Leviticus. And, No it won’t kill you or take you three years.

One of those days

As I sit here behind the counter of my seemingly meaningless job, and the rain beats the ground outside(which means I’m gonna get wet as I try to dodge as many raindrops as possible on the way to my car) I have to remind myself that this is just one of those days. You know the kind. The one where you start the day filling in for a co-worker at a satellite branch. Then your boss calls and says that they need you out on the road today after all. Then after you get about 40 miles from said satellite branch, you boss calls you again and says that you have to go back to said branch to fill in again. Not to mention it’s one of those “I drove my car to the satellite branch, then to the home office to get the company car, but then back to the office to get my car so that I can return to the satellite branch” days.

Has anyone ever had that kind of day? And I don’t mean round-aboutly, I mean exactly. If so, that is crazy. We must work for the same company then. Or, you’re lie-ing to try to get on my good side, which really isn’t any different than my bad side(I look good at any angle).

So, What to do on a day like today? I just have to grin and bare it(I wonder if “frown and loose it” would work for the inverse). I have to take the bad days with the good, because I am never promised that all the days will be good. Of course not, I work for flawed humans. And(don’t tell anyone I said this) I am a flawed human as well.

I also have to realize that this isn’t my dream job. This is that really creepy detour that you have to take because some nencompoop decided to build a new bridge even though the old one was perfectly fine. Just because one of the towers holding it up had some structural damage doesn’t mean the whole thing needs replacing. Anyway..

I am grateful that I have an encouraging wife who listens to my complaining, but then lovingly reminds me that I need this job so that we can pay our bills, and cloth our daughter. I am also thankful that I am reading a great book called Quitter. It is all about staying at your day job so you can pursue your dream job(which i’m not 100% on what my dream job would be, but my current job is not it). I would highly recommend it for anyone wanting something more. Jon Acuff, or Jonnie as i call him(we be tight like that), has done a great job at being completely honest about the pitfalls Of leaping before you are ready. So,…

I am a Quitter, just not today.

Ozzie is my Guest blogger today

Okay so there has been a lot of negativity in the Christian blogesphere about some of pastor Mark Driscoll’s recent comments. I have read both sides, but refuse to comment or say one person is right over another. Then I read something this morning that really shed new light on the debate. Today’s blog is really just a guest post from Oswald Chambers. That’s right folks, I have some major pull with the “Big Guy” upstairs. He let Ozzie help me out on this blog today.(ok so really it’s just Utmost from July 14th). So here you go:(underlining is me)

“But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matt 5:39

This verse reveals the humiliation of being a Christian. In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus— it is either in you or it is not. A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not, “Do your duty,” but is, in effect, “Do what is not your duty.” It is not your duty to go the second mile, or to turn the other cheek, but Jesus said that if we are His disciples, we will always do these things. We will not say, “Oh well, I just can’t do any more, and I’ve been so misrepresented and misunderstood.” Every time I insist on having my own rights, I hurt the Son of God, while in fact I can prevent Jesus from being hurt if I will take the blow myself. That is the real meaning of filling “up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ . . .” (Colossians 1:24). A disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honor that is at stake in his life, not his own honor.

Never look for righteousness in the other person, but never cease to be righteous yourself. We are always looking for justice, yet the essence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is— Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.

WOW! That smacked me straight in the face(in a good way of course). I would love to write something witty right here that sums everything up, but I am at a lose for words. This is a great way to look at Matt 5:30 It has shown me that there is more to simply turning the other cheek.

I got this, JoJo

So I started my insane task of reading thru the entire bible in less than 90 days yesterday. I am expecting this to get more difficult as I progress, but for right now it is Awesome! Genesis rocks! I have never read Genesis in its entirety, except for that one time for Old Testament class freshman year(I didn’t really read it). Yea, I didn’t pass that class. I know what you’re thinking, “Old testament? You couldn’t pass old testament?” Nope. I actually fell asleep one time and headbutted the guy in front of me in the back of his head(small desk + fat kid makes this possible).

I digress. The way God showed his steadfast love to his chosen was insane throughout Genesis. I especially like the way He orchestrated Joseph’s life. Throughout all of the poop(i have censored my blog for the younger folk, or else i would’ve used “crap”) God was “with” Joseph. “Slavery, no problem I got your back JoJo.” “Oh, you’re a prisoner now? No worries mate.”(Genesis is where the Aussies got it from) “I got this JoJo, I got this.” I bet if I listen hard enough, or really its more like-If I shut up long enough, I will hear Papa telling me the exact same thing. “You’re okay, I have this under control. Trust me.”

If you need a little bit of reassurance why not read through Genesis. Great read. Now if only I could find God’s twitter account I could tag him in this so he can read my in-depth review of his book Genesis. Oh well.

I must be Crazy

I really have no idea what I am thinking even as I write this post, but I have just promised myself to read the entire Bible in less than 90 days. This may possibly be the greatest thing I have ever done to overcome my laziness. Or, the dumbest because, if I fail, I will feel like a total failure who doesn’t love God. (is that too harsh?) Anyway. I will try to post on here as frequently as possible but no real promises can be made. Between my amazing wife, beautiful little girl, and insane reading plan, this blog may have to suffer slightly(sorry to the ten of you that read this). My reasoning behind this endeavor of mass proportions? I am tired of being lazy. I realize that just because I read scripture doesn’t mean I’m not going to be lazy, but it gives me a goal to aspire to. Something that I haven’t had in awhile. I need to set short term goals that i can attain to give myself the mental kick in the pants needed. I am sharing this so that my readers would hopefully pray for me during this time(i mean it’ll be less than 90 days folks, P90X takes longer). I am tired of my laziness keeping me from Papa’s promise for me and my family. I am extremely excited for how God is going to reveal himself to me through His scripture. And I could use your prayers and support. If anyone would like to walk with me through this process feel free. I am doing an amped up version of the YouVersion-Bible in 90 days reading plan.

Thank you- Jason

Zombies Everywhere

So, as most people know, zombie movies have been around for quite some time. Over the years the actual zombie disease has morphed from creating very slow and cumbersome zombies, to creating monsters. I mean full on sprinting, door opening, window crashing, climbing amusement park ride monsters. I’m not really sure how the mutated virus continued to mutate, but it has. And, it seems to be steadily getting worse with each new zombie movie released. The CDC has even released its own warning incase of possible Zombie outbreak. If my neighbor starts eating human flesh I’m not sticking around. I hear Greenland is nice this time of year.

So…Why the interest in Zombies you ask? Well because I live in a world full of them already. And so do you. “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality,impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”(Col 3:5)

When I asked Papa to take control of who I was, and gave him that control(which I still try to take back from time to time), I slayed all of the afore mentioned zombies. But, for some reason they keep coming back. Some people battle the zombie of pornography and adultery. Others battle against gossip and course speech. I am in a battle right now against idolatry. My lazyness has created in me this desire to have what others have without working hard to attain it. So, I don’t know about you but it seems like there are Zombies everywhere.

Zombies Suck! And they are super hard to kill. Thankfully, with the help of several online instruction guides, and my bible(really just used my bible) I am able to successfully defend myself from said zombie attacks. *side note: where did the word zombie even come from? And how did the Cranberries  work it so beautifully into a song?

Because of Christ I have a promise that I can defeat the enemy and his zombies. But, that doesn’t make it easy. It takes me exercising my will, and relying on Papa to see me through.

What are the zombies that you are battling today? Stay strong, and make sharp turns(they hate that).

Scripture Gummies

Does anyone remember the old SNL skit with Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon as Hans and Frans the body builders? I used to think that was the funniest stuff. “You are a girlie man if you can’t bench-press 350 lbs like we can.” In that case, I am definitely a Girlie Man. 325 is my max(cough, cough).

I am not a healthy guy. I mean, I’m not sick or anything like that, but I am over weight and out of shape. I’ve been saying for years that I am going to workout and loose the gut. But, it never happens. I don’t exercise enough to make a difference. Unless you count lifting the 2 liter to my mouth(those things can be a little heavy when you first open them). I’ve realized that I not only stink at physical exercise, I also stink at spiritual exercise. That’s right folks, if you turn to Repetitions 12:22-46 you will find Jesus’ weekly workout regimen. Seriously though, I don’t exercise my faith like I should. I also, don’t exercise my will either.

Oswald Chambers says this: “Will is the whole active man. I cannot give up my will, I must exercise it. I must will to obey, and I must will to receive God’s Spirit.”

I have to exercise my will by choosing each day to spend time with Papa. I have to make the choice to dig into scripture. And, I have to exercise my will in simply believing in the Good News that is my faith. I think we all get lost sometimes in the routine of being a Christian(maybe not all of us, I mean I am Holyer than You). I can read my few chapters of scripture each day but never gain anything from them. I can cross the I’s and dot the T’s of modern day Christianity without being stirred in my soul. Without sharing life. Without meeting Papa face to face in prayer. Too bad you can’t just go to your local Lifeway Christian store and buy some spiritual supplements. (New business Idea: Scripture Gummies)(Christians will buy anything)

I am being challenged today to exercise my will and make the conscious choices that show my love and devotion to my Savior. Will you join me in this challenge?

My name is Jason and I’m a sinner covered in grace, trying to find his way home.

What if?

My wife posed a great question the other day: What if, instead of twitter, we had to actually follow people around to tell them what we wanted to say. Like if I wanted Jon Acuff to know that I tagged him in my previous blog, I would have to fly to Nashville and find him and say ” Hey Johnny here is a paper I wrote and you played a part in the inspiration for it.” Because if we aren’t tweeting or fb-ing then we wouldn’t be blogging. I would have to mail out at least 10 copies of my blog so that the people who read it now would still be able to(that’s right I am pretty sure I know the 10 people who read my blog personally).

How else would communication be different without Twitter, FB, or Blogs? I do realize that this does seem absurd to some of you, but it was humorous thought to toss around.