Was Jesus just a great moral teacher?

I am studying various religions in my theology class at school and have been hit with the fact that every single religion that believes in Christ (except for Christianity) just believes that he was a good teacher, not the Son of God (John 1:1).  

What do we say to this?  Read the quote below and tell me what you think.

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus 

said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a 

lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or 

he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this 

was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. 

You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call 

Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing 

nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left 

that open to us. He did not intend to". 

 -- CS Lewis

just a set of stairs?

This movie made me think about how the mundane things in life can be turned into fun and really have an impact on people's lives.

It also made me think about my own personal testimony.  Am I a person who is viewed as "just a set of stairs"?  Am I boring and dullish for people?  When people are around me, does it seem like they have to exert more effort than it's worth?  Do I bring a sense of fun and excitement to people's lives?

Anyway.  Enjoy.

If you can't view it on Facebook, please visit my site at Your Daily Source of Vitamin A.

record everything

So I am currently reading through the One Year Bible (OYB) and keeping accountable with a men's group that meets every Wednesday morning.  It is such a blessing to be encouraged in the faith!  I feel as though sometimes it is just me against the world.  I know that this isn't really the case, but it sure can feel that way.

Not really a huge post today, but I noticed something intriguing while reading through Jeremiah chapter 30.  God tells Jeremiah to "write down for the record everything I have said to you" (verse 2).  

The thought that hit me that I don't journal enough.  I must write down how God moves through my life; not only so I can be encouraged when I'm down, but so that I might encourage others in the faith.

God is so good.

America (Granger Community Church Interview)

I had the honor of being interviewed for the 4th of July weekend service at Granger Community Church.  Thankful for LeRoy King (vocals) and Trace Rorie (guitar).

Stand By Me

This song says:

"No matter who you are,

No matter where you go in your life;

At some point you're going to need somebody

to stand by you."

Do Something Great

Abraham Lincoln often slipped out of the White House on Wednesday evenings to listen to the sermons of Dr. Phineas Gurley at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. He generally preferred to come and go unnoticed, so when Dr. Gurley knew the president was coming, he left his study door open.

On one of those occasions, the president quietly entered through a side door of the church, took his seat in the minister's study, located just off the sanctuary, and propped the door open just wide enough to hear the preacher. During the walk home one Wednesday evening, an aide asked Mr. Lincoln his appraisal of the sermon. The president thoughtfully replied,

"The content was excellent... he delivered with eloquence... he had put work into the message.."

"Then you thought it was an excellent sermon?" questioned the aide.

"No," Lincoln answered.

"But you said that the content was excellent, it was delivered with eloquence and it showed much work," the aide pressed.

"That's true," Lincoln said. "But Dr. Gurley forgot the most important ingredient. He forgot to ask us to do something great."
------------------------------------------
There is nothing wrong with average lives and average accomplishments.

Most of the good of the world is built on the accumulated efforts of everyday people. But, as Lincoln seemed to know, a life should strive for some greatness. Are you part of a relationship that, if given more effort, could be outstanding? Do you volunteer for an organization which is truly doing something excellent? Have you joined a cause that is attempting something great? Or have you ever said to yourself concerning a beautiful dream, "I could never do that," while knowing that if you were to attempt it and succeed, you could accomplish something significant?

If Lincoln is right, then every life should strive for some greatness. Including yours and mine!

*this article is from Life Support System, 12 January 2007.

the only complete realist

Just wanted to share one of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes from Mere Christianity.  It talks about those who resist temptation and those who constantly give in.

"No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good.  A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means.  This is an obvious lie.  Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is.  After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in.  You find out the strength of the wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down.  A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later.  That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness.  They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in.  We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means--the only complete realist."

Daily Reading: 31 March 2009

Wow, the Bible always amazes me with its wisdom and insight into daily human life.  I was taught a long time ago that if I wanted to understand mankind then I needed to understand man.  So in college I took Psychology, Sociology, Biology, and other natural and social sciences.

But the more I go to church, the more I read God's word, the more I begin to realize that if I TRULY want to understand mankind, then I need to study God.  

I enjoy reading stories that show God's heart and his compassion for me.  In Deuteronomy 18:16 it says that the people of Israel BEGGED God to stay away from them.  They didn't even want to hear His voice!  And what did God say?  "Fine, I will do as they requested."

But He can't keep from loving us and communicating His will to us.  He sends a prophet that will "proclaim on My behalf".  

How amazing is God's love?!  That even when I push Him away (which is quite often) and shut his voice out of my life (which is a regular occurrence) HE still pursues ME!

And yet, He doesn't push me to love Him.  In Luke 9:42, Jesus has been asked to heal a child with an evil spirit.  He told the people that they were "stubborn" and "faithless" and yet, He didn't just walk up and heal the boy.  He ASKED the father to have faith and bring the boy to Him.  Jesus didn't push the man to believe, but still gave him the opportunity, even though the man had already exhibited qualities of faithlessness.  How amazing!

In Psalm 73:1 it says, "Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure."  That verse, by itself, would depress me sometimes when my heart wasn't so pure.  But then I read the next verse and remember how much I enjoy David's testimony of falling down and getting back up again: "But as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff!  My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone."

There are some characters in the Bible that I cannot relate to.  Joshua is one of these. He seems to have an almost impossible strength of character!  But David is so relatable because, like him, I have fallen down the mountain, patched up my cuts and scrapes through the grace of God, and climbed back up.

A question I hear a lot from my friends is "how can GOOD things happen to BAD people?".  There are a lot of different ways I answered that question before, but after reading through the rest of Psalm 73 it become much clearer.  I am going to write the entire Psalm here in the NLT.

3. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.

4. They seem to live such a painless life; their bodies are so healthy and strong.

5.  They aren't troubled like other people or plagued with problems like everyone else.

6.  They wear pride like a jeweled necklace, and their clothing is woven of cruelty.

7.  These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!

8.  They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others.

9.  They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth.

10.  And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words.

11.  "Does God realize what is going on?" they ask.  "Is the Most High even aware of what is happening?"

12.  Look at these arrogant people--enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply.

13.  Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept myself from doing wrong?

14.  All I get is trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain.

15.  If I had really spoken this way, I would have been a traitor to your people

16.  So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.  But what a difficult task it is!

17.  Then one day I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I thought about the destiny of the wicked.

18.  Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.

19.  In an instant they are destroyed, swept away by terrors.

20.  Their present life is only a dream that is gone when they awake.  When you arise, O Lord, you will make them vanish from this life.

21.  Then I realized how bitter I had become, how pained I had been by all I had seen.

22.  I was so foolish and ignorant--I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.

23.  Yet I still belong to you; you are holding my right hand.

24.  You will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.

25.  Whom have I in heaven but you?  I desire you more than anything on earth.

26.  My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.

27.  But those who desert Him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you.

28.  But as for me, how good it is to be near God!  I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things that you do.

third house from the end

I go to Jordan Ford at least once a week to get a free car wash (sorry, only for people who bought their car there). Recently, I ran into an old high school buddy named Jacob, who also works in the used car area. But usually, a guy named James takes my car through.

I've been getting to know James for some time now and that's been good, but on this particular occasion, a middle-aged woman came out and hopped in my drivers seat.
"Hi, I'm Jonathan"
"Hi, I'm Roxanne".
We talked, as most polite humans do, about a host of different topics. Where she used to work, how she got the job she has now, and what her hobbies are (it's a long car wash).Then we got on the topic of where I went to elementary school. I told her Battell, on Cedar Street. She said that she used to live off of Cedar, on Lawrence.

I said, "Oh, that's interesting, I used to live on Lawrence too". She asked me where, and I said, "I don't remember the exact address, but it was the third house from the end on the right, just before Division". She snapped her head to the right and looked at me real funny. She said, "Was it a duplex?" I told her it was.

Her mouth dropped open and she did a double take. She said, "That was the exact house that I used to live in!" She lived in the same house I did, just ten years before my family moved in.

Now, is this a coincidence? No. Not only has the Lord allowed me to develop a relationship with James, but he also placed Jacob there (someone I already know), and now this woman named Roxanne, who I now have this very weird connection with. There were quit a few layoffs at Jordan ford recently, and they only kept three people in the used car area; three people that I now have a direct connection with. I believe that the Lord is priming this as a significant ministry opportunity.

"At the same time pray for us too, that God may open a door for the message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ."~Colossians 4:3 (NET)

servant's reward

Have you ever been blessed by the Lord? Some things happen and I don't necessarily think that the Lord is blessing me, when in fact, He probably is.

First example. Last December I was sitting at Fort Bragg getting ready to head overseas. Because of the ice on the streets, me and some buddies decided to stay in our barracks and play a game of Spades and order pizza. There were six of us and the pizza came by the truckloads. We finished our game around 11pm and the guys started to head back to their rooms just down the hall. The weather had turned worse and freezing rain was now coming down pretty hard. No one wanted to run the empty pizza boxes out to the dumpster about 200 meters away from the building, so I volunteered. I cleaned up everything, all the tables, the half-eaten breadsticks, the marinara sauce, and hauled those four empty boxes to the dumpster in my sweatpants. On the way to the dumpster, I found a $20 bill.

"Cool!", I thought as I picked it up. I walked another five feat and found another $20 bill, then another, then another, then another. In total, I found $100! I thought that it was neat that I had volunteered to be a servant and reaped the reward. The next morning I told everyone in the building that I had found a certain amount of money, but no one claimed it. It's literally like it fell from the sky.

Second example. My brother called me late on Thursday and said that he and his friends wanted to get together for poker. Well, it was past 9pm and the weather was said to get really bad, I hadn't had any coffee, my brother lived 25 minutes away, I had to swing by the ATM to get $5 for the buy-in......my mind was racing with a thousand reasons NOT TO GO. Then I had this quiet thought of "He's my brother and I need to reach out to him whenever he reaches out to me". And I went. Now, mind you, I have never won at a poker game in my life (and I've played quite a few) but I won the top prize of $30 that night. And I got to spend time with my little brother. Did God honor my obedience to do what was right? When I get to heaven I'll ask Him.

pull out all the stops

I wanted to share 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

The three onlookers

At GCC this past Wednesday Ron spoke about setting up "ducks" in my life that are difinitive places where I have seen God working. I pulled this story from a year ago, but wanted to share it with you if you haven't heard it.

//December 29,2007//
This past week was spent in Minnesota with my fantastic family. It was a welcome break from Fort Bragg.My trip was very interesting. I left Kalamazoo around 0230, hoping to beat the rush through Chicago and make it to Minneapolis around 10am. The roads were clear and traffic was light when I left. The temperature was around 48 degrees.

I got through Chicago without incident. However, as soon as I hit the west side, the temperature started to drop very quickly and the snow began to fall. Temperatures were now at 16 degrees.I kept driving north into Wisconsin cheese country, as the temperature kept dropping and the traffic steadily became more congested.

I pulled over around 0740 to grab some coffee from Starbucks. They weren't open yet because their delivery truck was stuck in the weather, however, after my sob story of being deployed to Iraq and this potentially being my last cup of hot coffee in the United States, they were obliged to give me a fresh brewed cup. As they passed it out the window they said, "Don't drink it for a while because it's extra, extra hot." And they were right. Even with gloves on and the cardboard coffee wrap, my hands still felt hot.I got back on the freeway and kept driving north, determined to "be home for Christmas".

About fifteen minutes later I'm cruising along and decided to call my mom on my high-speed hands free device. We're chatting and joking when all of a sudden my car hit black ice and immediately began turning clockwise on the freeway at 55 mph. It completed a 180 degree turn, slid to the side of the road, hit the ditch, flipped on it side, and continued sliding into the ditch until it came to a halt. I had my seatbelt on, and was laying on my side with the ground right next to my head. I was still on speakerphone with my mom, and had just finished narrating the entire thing to her as it happened, so she sounded very distressed and asked me all sorts of questions.

I undo my seatbelt and turn off the vehicle. I look up to the passenger door and there are two faces staring back at me. It shocked me at first because it had only been 30 seconds or so since the accident. They ask if I'm okay. "Yeah, I'm fine." It was two men who looked like they were from West Virginia and had baled hay their entire lives.One man opened the passenger door and held it open for me, while the other grabbed my hands and helped me out. As I'm pulled out, I noticed there was a third person standing next to the two men. It was a women, dressed in a white fur coat. She says, "Are you okay? Do you have any injuries? I'm a registered nurse, let me look you over."

She has me pull off my hat, she examines my head, and then checks for any other injuries. She smiles and says, "Everything checks out". Just then, a police car pulls up. Again, I'm shocked because I hadn't called for any help yet. The state police officer began asking me questions, and put me into his car to stay warm. The officer needed my registration, so I went to my vehicle and opened the passenger door, holding it open while I fumbled around in the glove compartment. Those doors are heavier than they look!

After a moment, I retrieved my registration. As I was shutting the door, I noticed my coffee cup. Remember? That steaming hot cup of coffee? It was sitting, straight up, without the lid, on the drivers side window, completely full. It had not spilled one drop during the accident. Unbelievable.I walked back to the police cruiser, just as a fire truck was stopping at the scene to check that there weren't any injuries. It was still only five minutes after the accident.

About five minutes later, a tow truck pulls up, flips my car right side up, and hoists it out of the ditch and onto the back of his truck.The truck driver took me south, about five miles, to DeForest. We drop my car off at the repair shop and he offers me a ride to the airport to pick up a rental. I said, "Aren't you still on duty?" He says, "Actually, this works out well. You were my last pickup so I'm off the clock now and would be happy to give you a ride." So, he drives me twenty minutes south to Madison to get a rental.

I decided to continue driving to Minneapolis, but I first wanted to grab everything out of my car in case it was declared a "total". As I'm cleaning out my car, another tow truck drops off another SUV that had rolled. The truck driver says, "I hope you aren't planning to go out there, it's real bad. We just received a call to go and get another car that had flipped in the ditch." This changed my mind, and I got a hotel room and waited out the storm. So I made it up safely the next day. After thinking about the incident and going over everything in my head, I realize how much God had His hand on the entire accident.

The most amazing part were the three people who arrived almost instantly after the crash happened. Although I didn't think of it at the time, I never recalled any vehicles at the scene but mine. The three onlookers didn't have a car anywhere near mine and I never saw where they went after my attention was diverted to the police officer. I am convinced that the Lord allowed me to visually see my guardian angels, even for a brief moment.

He also provided a police car, a fire truck, and a tow truck right behind me before the accident happened so that they were on the scene immediately. He orchestrated where my hot coffee would fly during the accident, and he provided me transportation to the airport by means of an off-duty truck driver. And to top it off, I didn't have any injuries. I am grateful this holiday season to worship a God who answers prayers before I even ask.

"Before they call, I will answer. While they are still speaking, I will hear."-Isaiah 65:24

the chair

My roommate and I had a very interesting encounter yesterday.

Our neighbor living below us, Walter, came up and gave us a chair that he didn't want anymore. My roommate Randy told me to come out and look at it because it bothered him. When I looked at it, I agreed. The old chair was beautiful, made of dark shining wood, and didn't have a crack in it. However, in the center of the chair back was a large engraving of a devils face, mouth full of fangs, and eyes beading out in 3D. Both Randy and my spirits felt off just looking at it. We didn't know what the history was behind the chair, but we both knew something wasn't right with it.

Randy and I have prayed over our apartment, so we knew that any type of evil spirit would be bound by the blood of Christ.

We nervously laughed about the hideous image and threw a towel over the back of the chair, promising each other that we would give it back to Walter in the morning.

About ten minutes later Walter came back up to our apartment, saying that he forgot to tell us something. We told him that we didn't want the chair and gave it back to him.

Then he says, "What did you guys do to my chair?" We told him we didn't do anything to it. Then we looked at it and our mouths dropped open as we saw that the entire demonic face, just the face, had turned ash white and was filled with many large cracks and hundreds of tiny ones. This once beautiful but ominous chair had turned into a disgusting and wimpy old chair....all within ten minutes.

Walter later told us that he and his wife had always felt wierd around the chair, and that they had moved it from room to room, hoping to get rid of its negative presence. This has opened doors of spiritual discussion with our neighbors. Please pray for them.

I don't know everything that happened in my apartment yesterday, but I do know that, as Christians, there is authority at our disposal that flows from the reservoir of power which raised Jesus Christ from the dead. This same power is used to overcome the works of Satan in our daily lives.

Praise God that we are not under Satan's power or subject to his authority. In Christ, we are above all demonic rule, authority, and power.

"...the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who belive. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might..." Eph 1:19

San Francisco 2006

I think I am becoming a running junkie. Over the past year and a half, I have really become attached to my running regime. It’s one thing, other than my devotionals, that when I don’t do it, I actually miss it. This past weekend I did the San Francisco half-marathon. It was a blast. The excitement and the energy of all my fellow runners is too difficult to explain in words.

The race began at 0530 in front of the Ferry Building (not fairy), and wound itself through the entire city. I ran along the SF Marina, then partway up the Presidio Hill, then through a park (whose sprinklers were still on because it was so early), then down along the Bay, and up another large hill until I reached my favorite part: The Golden Gate Bridge. It was awesome! I turned around on the other side and caught a view of the entire city right after sunrise. It was breathtaking. Then back over the Golden Gate, up another large part of the Presidio Hill, through little Italy and China town, ending up at Golden Gate Park.

I wasn’t as tired as I thought I would be, and regretted not doing the full marathon. I finished better than I had planned. I was able to maintain a 7:10 minute mile the entire race, running it in 1 hour 34 minutes. Out of the 3858 people that were running the first half-marathon I finished 41st, and 15th in my age group of 20-24 year olds. It felt really good. I look forward to my next race, the San Jose Half-Marathon in October!

fresh strawberries

I had an interesting encounter yesterday. I was walking through Farmers Market, a weekly gathering of local merchants in downtown Monterey, and had just finished getting some fresh strawberries and blackberries for my smoothie addiction when someone behind me called my name. I turned around to see a longtime friend, David Wynegar, who has apparently moved to Monterey while his girlfriend is studying at MPC. I was shocked. Despite the fact that neither of us knew we were out here, it was such a weird meeting! I was so shocked, I forgot to get his cell phone or any contact information whatsoever. Maybe hell be at the market next week too.

My parents came out to visit for Memorial Day. We had such a relaxing week. We spent a day and a half in San Francisco, touring everything from Alcatraz Island to China Town. We even managed to hop a ride on the trolley. We spent the last part of the trip in Monterey. We headed out to Pebble Beach for half a day, went to Bubba Gumps, walked along the beach, and just spent time enjoying each others company. We ate a lot of food (including that amazing meal on Coast Guard Pier) and laughed until my mom almost had an accident. Also, a good friend of mine from GCC came up to visit, Stephen Hinkel is his name, and serving God is his game.

Went out to the Range two weeks ago. It was at Fort Hunter-Liggett, which is about 2 ½ hours south of Monterey. We left base at 0230 in the morning (where does the Army come up with these times?!) and as soon as we left the Monterey area, the temperature shot up from 64 to 80. On the way down, we almost had a serious accident, one that may have injured or killed many soldiers. We were approaching Hunter-Liggett and getting off on the exit ramp when suddenly the brakes in our bus went out. The driver tried to pump them, but nothing happened. We continued our exit at 55 mph, flying through the intersection at the bottom (and that stop sign). Praise God though that no one was coming through the intersection, and that the entrance ramp to get back on the highway was right through the intersection, rather than a jog to the left or right. Also praise God that we were the first vehicle. If we had been any other vehicle (and there were five buses), we would have slammed into the back or side of another vehicle as it was turning at 55 mph. I wonder how many guardian angels were following us on our trip that day.

The Arabic school house that I attend issued every one of its student brand new, still in the box, Video iPod. Retail value $300. Unbelievable where the Army spends its money. It has been nice to have though.

I have so much more to write, but its late and I need to head back home and sleep. Plus, they just turned the lights off at the coffee shop Im sitting at.

20 miles a week

It is official. My fellow classmates and I are a third of the way through our Arabic program. I can't believe that in less than a year I will be home and fluent (give or take a few words) in Arabic. It doesn't seem like that day will get here!

This past week has flown by. We had Friday off becuase of a base-wide "Language Day", which was such a blast to attend. We had high schoolers and teachers from all over the country come to see how the DLI operates and teaches languages so quickly. We had teachers from as far away as Michigan and New York join us. It was great.

This past Friday I went and saw the Da Vinci Code. It was the first time that I had been to a movie that was completely sold out (our group of four had to split up to find a seat), and that had protesters and camera crews outside. It made for an enjoyable night. The movie was done really well but I recommend reading up on your church history before going to see it, as there are many blatant errors in the film. Click here for a link to some good material.

Saturday I spent with my roommate Randy. We went for a seven mile run from Asilomar to Lover's Point and back. It was a beautiful day, right around 74 degrees with a light breeze. I have really gotten into the sport of running. I run over 20 miles a week and have met a lot of new people doing so. I see people all the time in downtown Monterey that I know just because they run the same trails/roads that I do. It's like a secret little community that I never knew existed! We're all training for the same thing too, the San Franscisco Marathon. So whenever we see each other we say, "You better be training hard if you want to beat me!"
My prayer is that I can run the race of life with the same fervor and run alongside a strong group of Christians that can motivate me when I'm down and keep me accountable when I'm weak.

I think the LORD has blessed me with such a group. I have been attending a Bible study at a couple's house in Monterey for nearly three months and have really gotten to enjoy the people there. Saturday we went to see Ice Age 2 and then headed back to their house where Rich cooked us his famous BBQ spare ribs. They were delicious. Then, in a surprise move, we decided to go to the beach for a bonfire (yes at 11pm). It was such a blessing. We spent about an hour talking with each other, roasting marshmallows, joking around, and then 45 minutes in worship: Andy on the guitar and God on the drums (the ocean). I remember looking up at the stars and thinking, "If this is even a glimpse of Heaven, being surrounded by friends and worshipping you all the time, then I can't wait to get there."

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

the un-lit floor

As most of you know, I was forced to find an apartment because there is a housing shortage on base. This past Good Friday was the first day I stayed in my new place. I borrowed a blow-up air mattress, a table, a couple of chairs, and some silverware from the Army housing department, and officially “moved in”.

Over the past week I have discovered, through the pain in my back and neck, that sleeping on an air mattress every night is not beneficial to my health. So yesterday my roommate and I heading to our neighbor hood Ikea store. Actually it was the store in Palo Alto, nearly an hour and a half north of Monterey. Distance doesn’t matter much when you have phenomenal deals to back it up.

When we arrived we were both overwhelmed with the sheer power and monstrosity of the place. For those of you who have never been to an Ikea, it is too difficult to put into words. Maybe I’ll try to after our next visit.

Anyway, we spent all day walking through the showrooms, picking out things for the apartment. We ate a delicious Swedish lunch (at the Ikea restaurant), and then headed down to the warehouse to pick up the things we liked. We had so much stuff! Randy was pushing a flat cart full of furniture, and I was pushing not one, but TWO wheeled carts (talk about a task) filled with miscellaneous items for our humble abode.

We didn’t measure any of the items and therefore didn’t discover until returning to the car that none of the furniture fit in the back of my vehicle. So we had to take off the headrests for the driver and passenger and lean forward a little bit on our ride home. Randy thought that he would be decapitated if we hit someone, but I assured him that this wouldn’t happen (I really had no idea).

We made a quick tour stop at Moffit Air Field, which is home to two of the last three standing Air Force Blimp Hangers from World War Two. They are huge structures, made completely of wood, and did I mention they’re huge?! It was interesting also, because there were some Army guys on the base standing around in their PT’s. We stopped and asked them for directions, and one of the guys in the group walks forward saying that he recognized me. Turns out that I served in Iraq with this guy for six months! It seems that the Army gets smaller and smaller with every year that passes.

Returned home, I ran and picked up a good friend from the airport, went to Quizno’s for dinner, picked up a friend from base to help us build our furniture, then returned home again to begin our tedious task.

Let me just say that it started out well. We built a chair, built Randy’s bed, built a couple of lights (forgot to get lightbulbs), and then started work on my bed. It was around 9:00pm when we started my bed, and by 10:00 we were just about done. Right around this time is when I’m trying to find my mattress to put on my bed. “Randy, have you seen my mattress?” Nope. I jokingly run down to the car thinking I had left it in there on accident. I return, more desperate then when I had left. No mattress.

Apparently, after reviewing the days events, we realized that we had left the $100 mattress at the checkout lane. We took it out of the cart so the cashier could scan it. “So I guess I won’t be sleeping on my bed tonight”, I said, as a tear slowly rolled down my cheek and fell on the un-lit floor. We determined that it would be okay. We’d just go back to Ikea the next day, receipt in hand, and explain the whole situation. They’ll give us another mattress.

“Randy, where are the receipts?”

Apparently, partly because Ikea doesn’t believe in shopping bags, we left the receipts in the cart, which we left in the parking lot. So no receipts. This will be an interesting problem to solve.

I told Randy, “Well that's fine, I’ll just sleep on the futon that we got for the living room, but I am not sleeping on that blow-up air mattress again.” As we began assembling the futon we realized that we had forgotten to purchase a mattress for it.

I slept in the living room last night, like a guest in my own home, with a partially constructed bed in my bed room, a partially constructed futon right next to me, a lamp with no light bulbs right above me, on an air-mattress that I knew would have no air by morning.


Matthew 6:6-8 (ESV) But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. [7] "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

slamming her feet

This past week has been extremely busy. I was forced out of the barracks by the Army because there isn't enough room on base to house all of the soldiers, therefore, sergeants have to go. I spent most of my free time last week looking for a place to live which consequently, caused some things to fall by the wayside. Things such as Physical Training, keeping in contact with loved ones, etc, etc. All the important things basically fell to the side!

To top it off, we had our first C-1 test this past Thursday and Friday. For those of you unfamiliar with how testing works at my language institute, let me just tell you that it is a very long process. We have five parts to our tests: Speaking, Reading, Listening, Arabic-English translation, and English-Arabic translation. I received the results back on Monday and, praise God, received all A's and B's. Not a bad start to my academic report card.

Had an amazing Easter celebration weekend as well. Watched the Passion of the Christ on Friday with my Bible Study group as well as had communion with them. That was a very powerful time for us. We sang songs and reflected on Christs sacrifice well into the evening.
I have had the priveledge to connect with some amazing Christians here on base who truly have a passion for the Lord. I look forward to the work we can do together in the advancement of God's Kingdom.

Monday began the week anew. Not much to report on, other than a delicious Tuesday night dinner at the Joneses house (potato caserol with a mixed fruit bowl). The only highlight from this week was this morning when I was backing out of my apartment complex. I accidently hit a parked car as I was turning my wheel. It wouldn't have been so bad, but like I said, it was in mid-turn so it basically scraped their car all the way down. I couldn't even see the car because I have to back up down a hill. Having just moved in, I don't think this is the best way to meet my new neighbors.

I don't know why I'm thinking about this right now, but I was running on the treadmill in the gym, as is my daily routine, and there was this old Korean lady running next to me. I was running fast, right around 9.5 mph, and I could hear this elderly Korean next to me keeping up at my pace. Frustrated, I bumped it up to 10 mph. She kept right up. Finally, I glanced over and looked at her treadmill screen, only to discover that she was actually "running" at 3.7 mph. She was just slamming her feet down so hard and taking such little steps that it sounded like she was running much faster. The scene just made me stop and laugh right there on my machine.

Anyway, that's been my week. I'm still in class. Still studying Arabic. Still learning a lot. And still giving God all the credit.

Intimate Knowledge

"Feeling low again, insignificant. My thoughts and fears overcome my mind, I find that there's no easy way to run from everything that's haunting me. I'm looking in the mirror for a smile, nothing is returned no matter how hard I try."

I know that these words may not seem like words of encouragement, however today, these were exactly the words I needed to hear.

I find it absolutely shocking that the person I'm around the most, the person that I should know everything about, constantly surprises me with what he does (or doesn't do). Yep, I'm around myself 24 hours a day and there are still many days where some of the things I do stun me. Despite my most valiant efforts, I have been the author of broken friendships, crippled dreams, and many unwanted detours in my race of life.

Again, I know this sounds depressing, and it has been a very depressing time right now, however the end of the story is good, so bear with me. My story continues:

"Now it's sinking in and I can't defend the broken man that I've become. I find there's nothing here that I made for myself and why I let it fall apart again."

Why do I do the things that I hate?

Galatians 5:17 (ESV) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

This verse didn't leave a very positive taste in my mouth. I thought, "So basically it's pointless to try and avoid sin in my life because there is no way out from its control." However, once I read verses 16 and 18, all became clear, and suddenly this thing called life became much more hopeful:

Galatians 5:16 (ESV) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:18 (ESV) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The word walk literally means "to tread all around". Sometimes I am content to tread next to the Spirit, but usually I tread in front of Him, taking Him where I want to go. This is where a lot of my problems in life develop.

Yes, I have made some dumb mistakes. Yes, I have destroyed relationships in the process. And I am sorry for my actions.

Through it all, there is a person closer than a brother. There is someone with whom I can weep my sufferings. And there is someone who is willing to forgive me when I screw up. Someone who knows me more intimately than even I know myself.

The song concludes in a soft moment of brokenness:
"But what I can't see is what you see inside of me. Help me to see what you see inside of me."

the basis for my values

It is the end of the day, I have been in class for nearly nine hours, and my mouth is dry from the vitamin pills I am currently taking. Due to my exhaustion, I will be writing from the top of my head, rather than sitting and constructing sentences that make sense. As a leader, my day has been somewhat frustrating. I won't go into the details, but if I can write out some of what I'm thinking it might help me stay in check.

Here at the DLI (Defense Language Institute) I have been assigned two primary leadership positions: Squad Leader for ten IET soldiers and Section Leader for a class of ten. During my time in the Army, I have learned a lot about leadership. And while it is true that I base some of my decisions on past experiences, it isn't what drives me, nor is it the foundation for my values. This is one reason why I don't enjoy sharing "war stories" or even the things I have done or been witness to.

The Army is big on values. So much in fact that they post their "values" all over the place: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage have become one of my mantras during my career. But if one really thinks about it, these aren't really values. Let's say a situation comes up where a soldier must decide on being a good friend to his buddy (loyalty) or between turning him in (duty). What does he do? Thus, the Army Values aren't really values, rather virtues. They're great to have, but don't help a soldier come to a definite conclusion in their decision.

I guess what I needed to remind myself of was this: If there is one thing I've learned during the span of my career, one aspect of life that I have been blessed to see, it would be that throughout everything Yahweh is present. He is here in Monterey, He was with me jumping out of planes, He was with me in Iraq and the other twelve countries I've been to, and He is here with me now. One of my favorite things about Him is that He never changes. No matter where I go, He's there, ready to accept me for who I am and where I'm at. Because of this, His holy Word has become the light for my dark path. It has become the basis for my values.

Lord, help me today. Help me become the leader and man you want me to become. Allow me to see the world through Your eyes, rather than my own, and help me to remain strong through difficult times, keeping my eyes fixed on You. I rest in Your arms.