no land in sight

I have had one busy week. Packing, closing down my pending obligations, and trying to fit as much time in with family and friends that is humanly possible. I have not been entirely successful at the latter, however, that will change over the next few days. I am just about finished with my packing, and now I can begin to focus on the people that I cherish and love.

I have still been able to maintain my strict routine, despite all of the life changes I'm going through. Every morning I arise to make breakfast, watch the headlines, and then off to the gym for a couple of hours. As most of you know, I exercise at a retirement community, which has been such a wonderful experience for me. I chat with the old people while I bike, I "help them" with some of their weight lifting techniques (I think they want to have someone to talk with more than anything else), and afterwards us old guys go down and play volleyball or share war stories. The knowledge base that the elderly have is simply amazing! I gain such insight just by listening and laughing with them.

I first walked in to that gym thinking, "Okay, I'm the young guy here and I feel good being able to run circles around these crippled people". It's true, I can lift ten times as much, run eight miles faster, and do more crunches in one sitting then they'll do in the rest of their lives. But over the course of time, the opposite has occurred: I have learned from them. Crazy how that happens, isn't it? I thought I was better, only to be given a quick reminder of a valuable lesson.

I don't know if it's because I have California constantly on my mind, but all I can hear from God right now are lessons on trusting in Him. One of my favorite authors, Oswald Chambers, put it this way: When we have an idea that God is leading us to a particular end, a desired goal; He is not.

I never understood what he meant by that until the other day when I read through the passage of Christ walking on the water. Jesus was out there, through the chaos, through the storm, and with the disciples who had no land in sight. God was not working toward a particular finish; His end was the process. I realized that I must look past my obstacles in life and be able to see Christ walking on the waves, no success, no goal, just the absolute certainty that it is all right because I see Him walking on the sea. If I have a further end in view, I am not paying sufficient attention to the immediate present. It is the process, not the end which is glorifying to God.

Lord, I pray that I can focus on you, watching your calm eyes even though the waves of life are overpowering my little boat. I love you Father. I will depend on you and your power right now.

"And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side..."
~Mark 6:45

Sunday School

I know that around this time of year we are concentrating on the birth of our Lord, His sacrifice for us, and the redemptive plan He has for our lives. Here in America we are free to do as we wish, worship God in the streets, even singing Christian music out loud in the middle of a supermarket (as I often do).

Oversees missionaries often do not have such opportunities. There are many parts of the world where things we take for granted such as Sunday School are outlawed. Keep them in your prayers. For many, their Christmas will be spent in the confines of a cold, damp jail cell.

Read this story to find out more.

the one con

This past week has been quite amazing for me. Have you ever had a time in your life when you thought you knew where you were going, what you were supposed to do, and why you were in a particular place? I thought I had it all figured out. I thought that God had allowed me to remain in the Michiana area while I continue my education and ministry opportunities at GCC.

However, this proved to be an incorrect assumption. While I was working in Kalamazoo this past week, I received an email from the highest levels of my command, informing me that I was to attend language school out in Monterey, CA. "How could this be?", I thought. I was sure that God had answered my prayers the week before when my school was cancelled. It wasn't until I called my command that things started to make sense.

I spoke to the woman in charge of handling the schools. She said, "I don't know why, but you are getting through the system. You shouldn't be going, but you are. There must be some reason for you to go." That last sentence made me think. Do I truly believe there is a divine purpose to everything? Is my life being formed by God even as I type this post?

I would find out later that my acceptance to this school for a second time is extremely rare, almost unheard of. You see, the regulations state that SOCOM will only pay for one language per soldier. Since I've already studied and graduated from a language, it should be impossible for me to get another. Yet I'm going. How is this possible?

So here I am. Ready to go, but hesitant to leave. I will truly miss my friends at GCC. They have become like siblings to me. I will miss our dinners after church, the laughter as we share our crazy life stories together, our intimate moments of worship and Bible studies, the enthusiasm of participating in Oasis and Sun City Kids, long hilarious days at the beach, Friday night movies, roadtrips, laughter, fun, enjoyment, fellowship.

When I discovered I was to attend DLI (Defense Language Institute), I made a list of pro's and con's for going. On the list, the pro's far outnumbered the con's. Almost two to one. I thought, "Well, this proves it's better for me to go, I shouldn't complain". Then my aunt told me, "Jonathan, it doesn't matter how many pro's you have. The one con of 'homesickness' can defeat all the pro's on that list." And she is right. I know that there is a grand purpose for me to go. But it will not diminish the fact that I am going to be homesick for my dearest friends while I'm out there. I am sure that Paul missed his family and friends while he was on his missionary journeys. I'm sure he despised creating those close friendships, only to depart months later. The one thing I can learn from Paul is that he had his eyes on the endstate. He knew that he was fulfilling a heavenly purpose despite his feelings.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Lord, you love is eternal; do not abandon the work of your hands.
~Psalm 138:8

a new ab machine

I think one of the things I enjoy doing most in life, besides attending GCC, helping out with it's ministries or reading through Ephesians, is exercising. I enjoy it so much because I have so much built up energy that I just need to release. Maybe it's that time of life I'm going through, not quite sure, but it just feels good to vent all of the energy I have on my weight machines. My favorite part of my exercise routine has become my abdominals. I don't know why, but over the past two months, I have become obsessed with toning and mastering the art of ab workouts. I have seen many parallels between my exercise life and my spiritual life. I saw one yesterday that was so blatant that I just have to write about it today.

My gymnasium received a new ab machine last week. It's awesome, you sit in this chair and bounce all over the place while your abs are being stretched . . . trust me, it's cool. When I approached the machine, I thought, "Okay, I'm a professional at abs, have been for years, this machine . . . it is nothing to me". I sat in it, it seemed easy, however, by the same time the following day I realized that I had jumped to an unfortunate conclusion. Yep, my abs were hurting, so bad that I was hardly able to sit down straight (you know how you kind of bend to the side as you sit, yeah that was me).

The point that was presented to me is this: Sometimes I think I am an expert in a particular field, only to realize that I'm not, that it has become a painful process, and God is intent on growing me in that area.

In the past I would sometimes think, "Well, the going's getting tough, so it must not be God's will that I'm here". I have since learned that this is completely unscriptural. Now I believe that Christians should live above life's circumstances, not be guided by them. I once heard a motivational speaker say, "You may have to set sail by the tide, but you'd better be guided by the stars." It's true that circumstances may have an effect on my plans, but I have a far greater accountability to God. I must follow Him, not the tide of circumstance.

Each time I go back to that gym, I face off with that machine, as if it's my arch-nemesis. I have now put that painful machine in my exercise routine three times a week. Hopefully, given a little time, the pain will turn to strength!

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am
~Phillipians 4:11

our struggle

Well, I spent last night almost in tears reading some of the hateful words written about GCC and its ministry. I found this website through a friend's blog and after reading it for over a half-an-hour, I came to the realization that there is definitely a battle going on. And it's happening right under our noses.

I have been attending GCC for 8 months, and in that short amount of time my spiritual life has grown by leaps and bounds. I have been warmly welcomed into a small group, been to Core Class 101 (enrolled in 201), listened to sermons that have stirred my heart in ways I never thought, and participated in various church ministries such as Oasis and Sun City Kids.

I still find it hard to believe that there are people, Christian brothers and sisters, who despise GCC. Why? I'm not quite sure. But it's a scary thing to read their hateful words. I actually found myself angry at them. I wanted to give them a piece of my mind. I had to stop, breath deeply, and forgive them, confessing that it was wrong to think such ways (I actually had to say Galatians 5:22-23 and Eph 6:12 a few times). I had to remind myself that our battle is not against our fellow man, but against the dark rulers of this world.

I had considered not including the website in this posting, because I was unsure of its effects to those who read it. But after I finished reading it for myself, I realized that it is important to understand that we must be vigilant and aware that the Evil One is out to destroy the ministry of GCC. If you haven't begun praying for our church leadership, now is the time to start. As my friend Dr. Hovind says, "if you don't want to shoot, you can at least carry bullets".

THE ANTI-GCC SITE

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
~Ephesians 6:12

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
~Galatians 5:22-23

guide my steps

Have any of you ever been so excited about God and doing His work that you don't want to do anything else? I have been experiencing that a lot lately, just by being at GCC. Being involved with nevaeH on Sunday's, Oasis on Wednesday's, and helping out with Sun City Kids have really been a blessing in my life. I have also begun the try-out process for the drama team. Things are really beginning to cement in my life, and it feels good. It feels right. I know that God is beginning to use me in the areas He has gifted me in.

I was driving back from church last night, thrilled after working with the middle-schoolers and seeing their excitement for God. I turned off my radio and I prayed, "God, I know that it probably isn't possible, because I have a course reservation to go to California in January and study Arabic with the military, but you know my heart, and you know that I enjoy working for you here at GCC. Please God, if it be your will, let me stay. Let me find a good job here, and keep me where you have begun to plant me."

Then it happened. I opened my email today and found a letter from my military liason telling me that it was a mistake that I was scheduled to go to Monterey. WHAT?! Could this be a sign from God? The night before I had prayed that if it be His will for me to stay, then the door would be closed. And here I am, not 12 hours later, staring at an email telling me to stay.

If it ends up that I don't go, I still have a lot of things I need to work out, like finding a job, a place to live, etc. But one thing's for sure: I will allow God to guide my steps, being sensitive to His leading, not my own. I am going to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, even though I don't know where He is leading me.

One of my favorite authors, Oswald Chambers, put it best when he said, "The disciples loved Jesus Christ to the limit of their natural capacity, but they did not understand what He was after."

I covet your prayers during this period of transition; when I am leaning on the Lord, not understanding exactly what He has in store for me.

driving around Tikrit (Iraq letter)

Iraq Correspondence: 18 June 2004

Well, another week has passed. It seems to be going by so quickly. You know what they say. "Time flies when you're in an Arabic country far from home". I think that's how the saying goes.

Each Friday is my team's maintenance day, a chance to work on our vehicles. Chan and I take our vehicles down to the motorpool and then the mechanics tell us what new and interesting things are wrong with it this week. We've both been taking an active role in the repairing of the vehicle. So much, in fact, that the mechanics are letting us do most, if not all, of the work. I can repair fly-wheels, starters, alternators, oil filters, air filters, etc. It's actually become some what of a hobby for me. Anyway, so yesterday I take my vehicle down and they tell me that the half-shaft was popped out of socket. I had never worked on a half-shaft yet, so I said, "that doesn't sound too good". The mechanic, understanding I wasn't mechanically inclined, said, "No, it isn't. I'm surprised you didn't lose control and drive off the road. You're really lucky." I said that it wasn't luck, but God's providentialism. I'm always amazed at how God takes care of us. This was an example when I should have crashed while driving around Tikrit, but God is always at work around me, and wouldn't allow that to happen. We had Bible study last night and the topic was miracles, and God's provision. Interesting how God brings circumstances to coincide on the same day you read about them in the scriptures.

Happy Father's Day dad. Tomorrow, in celebration of father's everywhere, my battalion is going to have a cookout. It should be a good time. The personnel/records sergeant for my battalion, had 3,000 waterballoons mailed to her. Also on the schedule are many games of volleyball. It looks to be a very relaxing, enjoyable day.

The picture I've included is one of myself and Boyd out in Tikrit, cooling down by eating some of the local's ice cream. Some of the 1st Infantry Division soldiers that go out with us refuse to eat anything on the economy. They claim that they will get extremely sick. I've been eating everything from ice cream, to what I believe were lamb intestines, and nothing has happened to me. Maybe I've just been lucky.

One of the main nuisances here are the power outages. We have about fifteen a day. Sometimes they last for a few seconds, other times they last for hours. I have compiled a "top ten list" of worst times power can go out. And number ten . . . .

10. While you're running around base and suddenly all the street lights go out, so you have to cautiously walk back to your barracks (which could be a couple miles away).

9. During chow, when you can't see what you're eating (or how big it is) until it's in your mouth.

8. When you are watching the news and the power shuts off right during one of President Bush's speeches.

7. When you're on the phone to someone at home, and the line suddenly goes dead.

6. When you're in the middle of a briefing to your commander, and suddenly you lose your power point presentation (I knew I should have printed those out, as a backup!)

5. After five minutes of running on the treadmill, and it goes dead. You worked up a sweat, but you didn't get an exercise.

4. When you're in the middle of watching a Kent Hovind DVD.

3. When you're in the shower and the water stops, while you're lathered up.

2. When it's hot and you really need the air conditioner to work.

And the #1 Worst time power can go out . . . . .

1. When you're taking a dump. "Did I get it all?"

Thank you all for your prayers. God is at work. It is very evident. I am definately being "pruned" by God right now. Things to pray for: That I can grow closer to my major. That an opportunity will present itself to speak with Chan about Christ. He needs to hear it from a different angle, then what I've been approaching him with. Please pray for wisdom in this area.

Love in Christ,
Jonathan

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

~John 15:2

submitted for approval (Iraq letter)

I have decided to close out my Yahoo account. I know, it's crazy, but I'm beginning to enjoy this blogging thing. It has allowed me to connect with people on a level that I never thought possible. I can read people's daily activities, understand who they are, and actually talk with them about topics that they are concerned with! Amazing.

I have had a lot of experiences in my life. Some exciting, some dangerous, and some just plain boring. Over the next few days, I would like to share some of these with you. Most of these I found on my yahoo account, in my saved file, and I wanted to permanately keep them, and I thought that putting them on the blog was the best way to do that. I'll start with some of my Iraq correspondence:

Things have been going well over on this side of the world. Tikrit, thankfully, is a very quite place right now. Attacks have been minimal, and casualties have been few and far between. We credit most of the improvements to the fact that we are pumping a ton of money into the Iraqi economy. Now, I don't know about you, but most people I know have never held two million US$ in their palms. We are approving projects here in the 1/4 million to 1/2 million dollar price range. New schools, new roads, new hospitals. Each day I am astounded at how much money is being contributed to the reconstruction effort.

What is the Civil Affairs role in all of this you may ask? (Some of you are asking what civil affairs is, that's my job.) We go out each day and meet with the locals to ensure that the commanders mission is being accomplished (reconstruction efforts), and that projects are being proposed and submitted for approval. It's amazing to think that the work of forces in Iraq today will have a drastic effect on foreign policy between America and Iraq in ten years. The way that we impact these children and young adults here will determine if they grow up to become "bad guys" or democratic, free thinking adults.

To get a bit more personal, I find much enjoyment in what is being accomplished here. My dad has informed me that the news back home is filled with anti-war sentiment. I've seen some of that, in what little news I get here, and it saddens me. The other day I heard Al Bore, I mean Gore, talk about how "American forces have no idea what their mission is over there, and commanders are not instructing them on proper procedures". He was referring to the prison abuse. Well let me say that we have a very good idea of what our mission is and I for one feel very well trained in my profession. We are here to win the war on terror and free an oppressed people. What better mission can there be than that?

All in all, things are going well. My faith in the Lord has brought me through many difficult times here. He is very good, and blesses me richly each day. I look forward to seeing you all soon, and will maintain contact through this newsletter.

Love in Christ,
Jonathan Anderstrom

"I will be strong and courageous,
I will not be terrified, or discouraged.
For the LORD my GOD is with me
Wherever I go."

-Joshua 1:9

one million people

I have mentioned this man to some of you before, but without knowing his name. Well, it's Reinhard Bonnke, and I know his name now because he spoke at my cousin's church in Tampa, FL not too long ago.

What this man is doing is absolutely amazing. His ministry is seeing the salvation of Africa. If you don't believe me, just look at the picture above. In one gathering, he has seen over one million people accept Christ. That's right, I said one million people, in just one night of preaching the gospel. I checked out his web site and this week he's kind of low on the numbers, only having 400,000 people accept Christ!

And here I am, trying to bring one or two a year. . .

HUFU: The Healthy Flesh Alternative

I wasn't able to believe this article myself, until I read it. But it's true. Someone has actually created a food that tastes like human flesh. I first became aware of this interesting food item when I saw it on the Daily Show. WARNING: If your stomachs are weak, do not read this article.

actively plotting (part 3 of 3)

This is my last post on predestination and the free-will of man. Some of the following information is my own, and the rest from various authors (Charles C. Ryrie and Neil T. Anderson).

From my own research, I have found that the Bible seems to say more about the will of God than man's will, and what it does say is unsystematic. But the bottom line is that a believer can will to do what is right or what is wrong. His decisions are not made for him already (Rom 7:15-25, 1st Tim 6:9-10, James 4:4).

As Christians, we are no longer in the flesh; we are in Christ. We are no longer independent of God; we have declared our dependence upon Him by placing our faith in Christ. But even though we are not in the flesh, we may still choose to walk according to the flesh (Romans 8:12,13). Whether we continue to live according to Christ or our flesh, the result is the same: we will reap what we sow (Gal 6:7).

THINK: The idea that man doesn't have a free will is centered around one major deception. We all know that our adversary is Satan, the god of this world. We must remember that it is not God who hardens the hearts of unbelievers, but Satan himself (2nd Cor 3:14, 4:4). Paul states that Satan is actively plotting to defeat and divide believers as well (2nd Cor 11:3, 2:11).

If Satan can place his thought in your mind-and he can- it isn't much more of a trick for him to make you think it's your thought. That's the deception.

Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh
~Galatians 5:16

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
~Romans 12:2

the concept of responsibility (part 2 of 3)

This is my second day of discussion concerning the topic of free-will. Below is an excerpt from an article discussing how a person's environment affects who they are and the decisions they make. I have pulled out the juicy, fun-to-read parts for you:

You will often hear arguments that we can't hold people responsible for what they do if what they do is determined by their heredity or environment. This is the basis for a lot of the criticism directed against predestination. If God knows that someone is going to sin, and in fact if God has overall responsibility for the history of which this action is a part, then it's God's fault. The person is being forced to sin, so he is not responsible.

There is a growing tendency not to hold people responsible if we can see how their environment affected them. People can almost always find some way of blaming what they are on something else. Thus the concept of responsibility is quickly vanishing altogether, or being applied in incoherent ways.

Indeed because the person's character, motivations, and situation is under God's control, there's a sense in which we can say that God determined the action. But his plan is carried out by the working out of human decisions and other historical causes.

The balance of responsibility is somewhat different with those who are God's children and those who are not. With those who are saved, God operates in a personal way, through the presence of the Holy Spirit and our union with Christ. While we make responsible choices, the basic decision to save us is God's. There is no equivalent for those who reject God. While their rejection is part of an overall history for which God is responsible, God does not take specific actions to make them reject him, as he takes actions to redeem his children.

Here are some articles that may be of interest for those of you concerned with the topic of free will:

• Dr. Henry Morris: Coming or Given?
• Eric Landstrom: Predestination and Free Will, do they go together?
• For the entire article listed above click here

wrestling match (part 1 of 3)

Well, I wanted to let this rest overnight, but am proving that to be unsuccessful. Earlier this evening, at nevaeH, we discussed the issue of free-will vs. predestination. This will be my first of three posts concerning this confusing topic.

Adam and Eve's sin definately affected the area of their will. It's hard for us to realize that in the Garden of Eden they could only make one wrong choice. Everything they wanted to do was okay except eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). They had the possibility of making a myriad of good choices and only one bad choice . . . only one!

Eventually, however, they made that one bad choice. As a result, we are confronted every day with tons of good and bad choices. We can choose to pray or not pray, read our Bible or not read our Bible, go to church or not go to church. We can choose to walk according to the flesh or according to the Spirit. We face countelss choices like that every day, and eventually, we make some bad ones.

Other than the Holy Spirit in our lives, I believe the greatest power we possess is the power to choose. Someone once said that pure Christianity lies in the exercise of the will. Just compare our lives to that of animals. The animal kingdom operates out of divine instinct. But we are created in the image of God, which means we have a self-operated, independent will. That's when temptation comes into play. The essence of temptation is to function independently of God.

However, as we all know, sinful behavior is often a wrong attempt at meeting our own basic needs. The issue here is, are we going to get our needs met by the world, the flesh, and the devil, or are we going to allow God to meet all our needs "according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19)? It's an issue of identity and maturity. The more we understand our identity in Christ, the more we will grow in maturity. And the more mature we become, the easier it will be for us to choose to live our lives in dependence on our heavenly Father.

Basically, what I'm getting at is this: If it's true that all of our actions are predestined and we have no real control over them, than what of Spiritual Warfare? Yes it's true that getting rid of the old self was God's responsibility, but rendering the flesh and its deeds inoperative is our responsibility (Romans 8:12). It's our choice. God has changed our nature, but it's our responsibility to change our behavior by "putting to death the deeds of the body" (Romans 8:13). Why are we instructed to put on the whole armor of God, to resist the devil, to stand firm, and to be alert? If we don't have any control over our destination, then why does Paul describe our relationship to the powers of darkness as a wrestling match? We definately have choices in confronting spiritual opposition. And they are how and to what extent we're going to wage the battle.

More to come . . .

Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve . . . As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
~Joshua 24:15

20 degrees

When I was younger, around the age of 10 or so, I remember playing golf with my grandpa. I would tee up the ball and whale away at it with my mightiest swing. Usually I sprayed the ball all over the place, but since I could only hit it 60 or 70 yards at best, my direction could be off by 20 degrees and the ball would still be in the fairway.

I tried going golfing with my cousins a few years ago and found that I was able to hit the ball 150 yards and farther. Unfortunately, my swing was still off by 20 degrees! The ball no longer stayed on the fairway, and usually went into the rough.

This simple illustration pictures an important aspect of my life of faith: My Christian walk is the direct result of what I believe about God and myself. If my faith is off, my walk will be off. If my walk is off, you can be sure it's because my faith is off.

As a new Christian I needed some time to learn how to "hit the ball straight" in my belief system. I could be off 20 degrees in what I believed and still be on the fairway because I was still growing and had a lot to learn. But if I were to persist in a faulty belief system, my daily walk of faith would become less fulfilling and productive. I would grow older, finding myself stumbling through the rough, or out of bounds spiritually if the course I set for my life didn't agree with Scripture.

Tragically, many teenagers are headed for the same fall because their beliefs are not founded on Scripture. As a result, their lives are often bankrupt before they leave high school.

We walk by faith, not by sight.
~2nd Corinthians 5:7

roller coaster

Yesterday, I met with a divorced mother who is really struggling. She has two children who don't respect her authority or her advice as a mother. As I sat across the table from her, tears pouring out of her eyes, all she would say was, "why doesn't my daughter treat me better?...doesn't she understand that she is hurting me?..."

How many of us out there find ourselves in similar situations? We base our lives on the success of plans that are subject to people and circumstances, riding this long, emotional roller coaster. One key to successful living is learning to distinguish a godly goal from a godly desire.

A godly goal is any specific orientation reflecting God's purpose for your life. It does not depend on people or circumstances beyond your control. Who do you have the ability and right to control? Virtually no one but yourself. The only person who can block a godly goal or render it uncertain or impossible is you.

By contrast, a godly desire depends on the cooperation of other people or the success of events or favorable circumstances you cannot control. You cannot base your self worth or your personal success on your desires, no matter how godly they may be, because you cannot control all the people or circumstances that affect fulfillment.

When people or circumstances block our goals, we get angry. If our mentally perceived goal is uncertain, we feel anxious. If the goal appears impossible (such as the example above), we get depressed. But what God-given goal can be blocked, uncertain, or impossible? With God all things are possible, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. No one can keep us from being what God wants us to be except us.

The only way to get off the roller coaster is to walk by faith according to the truth of God's Word. Who you are must not be dependent on the cooperation of others or favorable circumstances. Decide to be the parent, leader, spouse, co-worker, or friend God wants you to be. No one can block that goal except you.

Has [God] said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
~Numbers 23:19

cheating on your taxes

I belong to a group of believers, ages 18 to 25ish, who discuss relevant issues concerning Christians today. Topics such as racial profiling, homosexuality, and how to raise children frequently come up during our discussions.

This past Sunday evening, at our usual time and place, we dove into the topic of labeling others who are different than ourselves and if doing so was right or wrong. Examples included the nerd who labels anyone on the football team as a jock, etc. We weren't able to come to any concrete conclusions because many people said that on one hand, "it is wrong to label anyone despite your intentions", while on the other "if you have good intentions when labeling someone it's okay".

What is the difference between using "nerd" as a label, or telling someone that they are a "liar". Not much difference at all. In both examples someone's character, who they are, has been branded with a label.

This brings me to my point. There is a huge difference between Discipline & Judgment. As Christians, we are instructed to confront others concerning sins we have observed, but we are not allowed to judge their character (Matt 7:1, Rom 14:13). Disciplining is our responsibility; judging character is God's responsibility.

For example, imagine that you just caught your child telling a lie. "You're a liar," you say to him. That's judgment, an attack on his character. But if you say, "Son, you just told a lie," that's discipline. You're holding him accountable based on an observed behavior.

Or let's say that a Christian friend admits to you that he cheated on his income tax return. If you confront him as a thief you are judging his character, and that's not your responsibility. You can only confront him on the basis of what you see: "By cheating on your taxes you are stealing from the government, and that's wrong."

Much of what we call discipline is nothing less than character assassination. We say to our disobedient child: "You're a bad boy." We say to a failing Christian brother or sister: "You're not a good Christian." Such statements don't correct or edify; they tear down character and convey disapproval for the person as well as his problem. Your child is not a liar; he's a child of God who has told a lie. Your Christian friend is not a thief; he's a child of God who has taken something which doesn't belong to him. And your Christian classmate is not a nerd, he's a saint in God's kingdom.

We must hold people accountable for their behavior, but we are never allowed to denigrate their character.

"Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness."
~Galatians 6:1

Scientists find ‘Goliath’

Very interesting news story. Apparently, the story of Goliath has been proven true by archaeologists.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9997587/

stop light

Running has become a daily part of my exercise routine. I often run along Main Street, past the cemeteries, along the small row of mom-and-pop shops, through the park, then beside the river's edge until I reach the quaint setting of downtown.

Out of this aerobic ritual I have developed a special program. Downtown Mishawaka is filled with numerous stop lights. So many, in fact, that every time I get stopped by one I get down and do push-ups until the light turns green. By the end, not only have I completed a 30-40 minute run, I have also completed between 80-120 push-ups. I look at other runners around town and wonder why they too haven't adopted this workout plan. It's a perfect plan! You can work and develop other muscles while you're stopped at a light doing nothing!

I have become an expert at applying this concept to my running regime, but it's a whole different story when it comes to my personal life. You see, there are times where I am focused on achieving one thing, convinced that the struggles I am going through and the path I am on are exactly where God wants me to grow. Yet, when a stoplight suddenly shows up in my life, I am often too focused on achieving my first goal that I become blinded to seeing that God actually wants to grow me in a completely different muscle group.

I earnestly pray and desire that I can become a man that is sensitive to the voice and guidance of the Holy Spirit, rather than my own.

"This is what the Lord says- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea'."
~Isaiah 48:17-18

white shoe polish

I am so thankful for friends. The encouragement, love, and support that they provide is, at times, beyond my explanation. In fact, this past Friday, I experienced all three of these qualities when certain unnamed friends decided to "decorate" my vehicle at a bonfire get-together. I think my favorite part weren't the straws stuck in my windshield wipers, or the pink streamers looped through each crevice, but the white shoe-polish on every window proclaiming their triumph: "WE LOVE YOU JON", "SUP NOW?!", and "GO NAVY", just to name a few.

Unfortunately, I didn't take the time to get the polish off that night, so luckily, it was able to harden by morning. I scrubbed at it for nearly ten minutes with one of those foam gas station window cleaners. It wasn't coming off like I had planned, so I went through the car wash. It still didn't come completely off! So now it looks like my vehicle has been violated by a flock of pigeons.

Speaking of that, I was raking my yard this past Friday and I stepped in a huge pile of dooky.

Where am I going with this entry? Oh yeah, my muffler was making some weird noises the past couple of days and I discovered, after further investigation, that one of the clamps had fallen off of it which was causing it to bang up against the bottom of the vehicle. So I took some zip ties and cinched it down tight. Later in the day I heard it banging around again. The zip tie had snapped. So I used two zip ties and, just like the first, both of them broke. I went back at it with a fury that I had not experienced in quite a while and used THREE ties. It hasn't fallen off since.

It's a good illustration for what the Bible calls us to do.

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
~Ecclesiastes 4:12

out of touch

Interesting. Night Vision. I never knew how well humans could see at night.

God can see me. He can see me even when I think no one is watching.

pull out the stops

Since this is my first entry I consider it appropriate to explain a little about myself. I am a southern guy at heart, born in Jacksonville, FL back in 1983. Ah yes, the 80's, what a wonderful decade... but we can save that for another entry. I moved to North Carolina when I was six and then to the great Hoosier state when I was seven. Lived in the region of Mishawaka until I graduated from high school, at which time I traveled the country/world with one of the greatest fighting forces in history, the US Army. Returned to Mishawaka numerous times in the past four years, basically to recuperate and then head out with my fellow comrades-in-arms to distant lands.

I will make this entry short, as I will have many future entries on which to expound on my personal life. I must say though, that I am who I am today only by the grace of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I have experienced quite a bit in my 22 years of life, and only one thing has remained with me wherever I've been, and that's my relationship with Jesus. I wanted to close by sharing with you a short paragraph that my pastor gave me just before I left for Iraq. It's an excerpt from a letter written by a missionary out in the jungles of New Guinea:

Man, it is great to be in the thick of the fight, to draw the old devil's heaviest guns, to have him at you with depression and discouragement, slander, disease. He doesn't waste time on a lukewarm bunch. He hits good and hard when a fellow is hitting him. You can always measure the weight of your blow by the one you get back. When you're on your back with fever and at your last ounce of strength, when some of your converts backslide, when you learn that your most promising inquirers are only fooling, when your mail gets held up, and some don't bother to answer your letters, is that the time to put on mourning? No sir. That's the time to pull out the stops and shout, Hallelujah! The old fellow's getting it in the neck and hitting back. Heaven is leaning over the battlements and watching. "Will he stick it?" And as they see Who is with us, as they see the unlimited reserves, the boundless resources, as they see the impossibility of failure, how disgusted and sad they must be when we run away. Glory to God! We're not going to run away. We're going to stand.

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it."
~1st Corinthians 10:13