I hope that you all have lots and lots of fun the next couple days. I will be family doing the whole "quality time" thing. It is the real kick off to the holiday season. So, instead of being all serious, which I have been it seems for the last few posts, I am going to try and brings a little levity to the reading with some funny and fun links.
Star Trek is one of the movies that I am very much looking forward to getting to enjoy next year. The choice of JJ Abrams seems to have been pretty smart. If you haven't seen the trailer, here that is. Even if you have seen it, its pretty awesome and worth watching a couple times. Plus, it gives you the framework from which the next couple clips are taken. The first is just funny, Star Trek 90210. The next one takes the same idea, but instead uses one of what used to be my favorite shows, Smallville.
I don't know why, but this list of wacky signs just makes me laugh. Maybe its the whole, "Not Allowed to Pregnant". I think that some of them were translated and that is what makes it funny.
Since I brought the whole chimp on a Segway thing (this time with music), I thought it was only fitting to bring another clip of the same chimp. This time, its in a track and field competition. Yes, chimps equal funny (or is it Japanese television?).
We, my wife and I, love the show How I Met Your Mother. Last weeks episode, had a great conversation with two of the characters, ala Dr. Seuss. Don't miss the beginning where the guys console Ted by asking if he wants to take revenge by a unique method. Just to spread the goodness that is HIMYM, here is the "Robin Sparkles" videos, Let's Go to the Mall and Sandcastles in the Sand.
As with most Japanese game shows, cats with technology always makes me laugh. Thus, watching a Cat on a Roomba, very funny.
Since I am putting a bunch of YouTube links, I thought it fitting to include this one. Its a little older, but still pretty funny from the Onion.
Finally, I give you something to kick off the Christmas season, if you promise not to watch it until Friday. I am a big MxPx fan. I know that the straight laced demeanor that I normally display fits right in with the idea of punk music, but I have listened to them for about 10 years now. Their Christmas song is one of my favorites. So, here is that video.
Have a great weekend and Thanksgiving!!!
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Joash Sunday
I had never heard of the whole "Joash chest" thing until I came to my current church. I didn't really know what to expect with it either. The biblical story is recounted in 2 Kings 12: 1-16 and thus I give you the link if you want to check it out. I don't know if I had even read that before I started at this church. Yesterday was our Joash Sunday, and it also coincided with The Lord's Supper. Both events are very special and very powerful. But, combining them made it an amazing service.
First, I am constantly amazed by God's use of music to evoke our hearts. I am thankful that Drew is willing to listen to God's direction when leading the congregation. God's truths are flowing through the words we sing and soaking into our minds. We are invited not just to sing them, but to think on them and allow them to be our praise. Of course, I love music period. I don't listen as much as I used to, but it still stirs up great emotions and feelings inside of me. Then again, I think thats part of being human. A song can evoke a memory. The songs chosen at a wedding are almost always something personal to the bride and groom. Its because they mean something. When we sing at church, we are to think about the words we speak and let the memory of God's faithfulness wash over us.
Thats what was going on with me yesterday. I thought of my life and how I am so thankful to be able to sing words of love and adoration to God. It really kicked off my heart's desire to give anything that I could give back. And I don't mean just monetarily. God desires so much more than my money, He desires me. That is beyond humbling. But it also empowering. It gives me reason to pray not just some form prayer, but a prayer that lays out all that I think, even though He knows it, and all that I desire, even though He knows that too, in order to leave myself bare before Him so that I can give Him all of me.
Second, we did the whole Joash thing, where we gave whatever we felt led to give. For me and my wife, it wasn't much, but it was more than we were able to last year, which was nothing. However the gift isn't really what I wanted to talk about. During this part of the service, our pastor invited people to just go up and give their gift as the praise team sang and played. He also encouraged us to love on one another. I think that this might have been the most joyful giving session that I have ever experienced. I am not saying that when I tithe I don't do it joyfully. I am just saying that the added enjoyment of hugs and words of encouragement were very welcomed. It made it more about the people you were with than about tithing. I know that its probably impractical to do this every Sunday and eventually it would lose its charm, but for a kick off for a season of thanks, it was very good.
Then we did the Lord's Supper. I always enjoy doing this at this church. I was raised very Baptist where you were quiet and somber during the Lord's Supper. Even at the end when they would say, and they left joyfully singing or whatever, it didn't seem that way. Thats why I enjoy it here. We joyfully sing during. As things are being passed out, we are singing about how thankful we are to Jesus and praising God for His gift. I am sure that a lot of other churches do this, but this is really my first experience with a joyful Lord's Supper every time.
This week is a week of Thanksgiving, its celebrated on Thursday in case you didn't realize. I get to have 2 days off, which is nice. It also means that I might not be back on here to post anything. I did want to end this with a thought from a book that I am reading. Its called Waiter Rant, and thats the blog the guy writes. Its just his observations as a waiter and the stories that he encounters. However, there is one that I have been thinking of since he told it. I won't go into all the details, but it was basically about an incident where he was questioning the humanity of some people. He starts reflecting on our selfishness as a society. That we often are caught up in our own world and forget to look at others around us or at the very least have any compassion for their own trials. As a Christian, thats supposed to be our first priority. Even Jesus states that he wasn't here to do his will but the Father's will and thats about service others. Its a convicting thought. Its a challenging thought. But its one that has to be revisited from time to time. We need to be reminded that its not about what I want from God, but what God wants to do through me, if I allow Him to. And thats going to take the form of serving others.
I have no clue how to really end this because mainly I am stuck thinking about that last part myself. I have no resolution to speak of besides that He is working on it.
First, I am constantly amazed by God's use of music to evoke our hearts. I am thankful that Drew is willing to listen to God's direction when leading the congregation. God's truths are flowing through the words we sing and soaking into our minds. We are invited not just to sing them, but to think on them and allow them to be our praise. Of course, I love music period. I don't listen as much as I used to, but it still stirs up great emotions and feelings inside of me. Then again, I think thats part of being human. A song can evoke a memory. The songs chosen at a wedding are almost always something personal to the bride and groom. Its because they mean something. When we sing at church, we are to think about the words we speak and let the memory of God's faithfulness wash over us.
Thats what was going on with me yesterday. I thought of my life and how I am so thankful to be able to sing words of love and adoration to God. It really kicked off my heart's desire to give anything that I could give back. And I don't mean just monetarily. God desires so much more than my money, He desires me. That is beyond humbling. But it also empowering. It gives me reason to pray not just some form prayer, but a prayer that lays out all that I think, even though He knows it, and all that I desire, even though He knows that too, in order to leave myself bare before Him so that I can give Him all of me.
Second, we did the whole Joash thing, where we gave whatever we felt led to give. For me and my wife, it wasn't much, but it was more than we were able to last year, which was nothing. However the gift isn't really what I wanted to talk about. During this part of the service, our pastor invited people to just go up and give their gift as the praise team sang and played. He also encouraged us to love on one another. I think that this might have been the most joyful giving session that I have ever experienced. I am not saying that when I tithe I don't do it joyfully. I am just saying that the added enjoyment of hugs and words of encouragement were very welcomed. It made it more about the people you were with than about tithing. I know that its probably impractical to do this every Sunday and eventually it would lose its charm, but for a kick off for a season of thanks, it was very good.
Then we did the Lord's Supper. I always enjoy doing this at this church. I was raised very Baptist where you were quiet and somber during the Lord's Supper. Even at the end when they would say, and they left joyfully singing or whatever, it didn't seem that way. Thats why I enjoy it here. We joyfully sing during. As things are being passed out, we are singing about how thankful we are to Jesus and praising God for His gift. I am sure that a lot of other churches do this, but this is really my first experience with a joyful Lord's Supper every time.
This week is a week of Thanksgiving, its celebrated on Thursday in case you didn't realize. I get to have 2 days off, which is nice. It also means that I might not be back on here to post anything. I did want to end this with a thought from a book that I am reading. Its called Waiter Rant, and thats the blog the guy writes. Its just his observations as a waiter and the stories that he encounters. However, there is one that I have been thinking of since he told it. I won't go into all the details, but it was basically about an incident where he was questioning the humanity of some people. He starts reflecting on our selfishness as a society. That we often are caught up in our own world and forget to look at others around us or at the very least have any compassion for their own trials. As a Christian, thats supposed to be our first priority. Even Jesus states that he wasn't here to do his will but the Father's will and thats about service others. Its a convicting thought. Its a challenging thought. But its one that has to be revisited from time to time. We need to be reminded that its not about what I want from God, but what God wants to do through me, if I allow Him to. And thats going to take the form of serving others.
I have no clue how to really end this because mainly I am stuck thinking about that last part myself. I have no resolution to speak of besides that He is working on it.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Thankful for Advent
One of the new things that I am experiencing this year is Advent. To tell the truth, I wasn't all that sure what Advent was until I started reading about it online. The internet is the bastion for all knowledge nowadays. But, when I want to learn about something, I go to Wikipedia. Their article on Advent is pretty good. It doesn't give a Christian perspective, but it gives the facts. I didn't see where it mentions fasting from something during the season of Advent, but that is something that me and my wife are doing (along with others we know). My family's sacrifice this year is sodas of any nature. Thats tough since I am used to drinking like 3 a day and my wife is the same way. One of my close friends, Drew, mentioned that not only is he trying to give up something, but start something new. I have taken that to heart as well. So, not only are we giving up sodas, but I felt the desire to recommit ourselves to seeking God. I have always been mindful of prayer and its importance as an intimate moment that we share and have done so every night since we have been dating. However, when we got married, I never focused on a morning prayer time for us to commit our lives to God's service for the day. Thats something I feel very drawn to and hope to make that something new for us to do.
The other major even this time of year is Thanksgiving. I am very thankful this year. I don't think its cause I have more than I have ever had. I think it has more to do with the fact that I acknowledge God's grace a little more than I ever have though. I am blessed with a loving wife and a wonderful new marriage. I will have that for the rest of my life and I know that I will be thankful for that for the rest of my life. While I have always been thankful for my parents and their loving nature, I am even more appreciative of them for all that they have done. Its like the light finally clicked for me. It was always this gut reaction to their goodness, but I never understood as well as I do now. And I am sure that I will look back on this moment a few years from now and realize how little I got at this point. That is one of the amazing things about parents, you are always finding new levels of respect and admiration for them, at least I am. There are numerous examples of this type of revelation going on with me recently. Of course, the most prevalent is about God and His desire for us. I never realized how great the path of God could be. I heard it and thought that it might be true, but its more wonderful to experience it.
Ok, I am basically rambling, but we all tend to do that when we are excited about something. Thats new to me as well, being excited about God. There are so many times in the past when I allowed God to use a revival or a youth trip or whatever to help ignite the fire inside me. I would be so set on following him and slowly the embers faded and I was back to wondering where it all was and if it was all worth it. However, with new understanding, I am developing something more real and more constant than I have ever had before. Its great. I am never proud of the life that I used to lead, but am thankful that it makes me appreciate the desire of God for me.
So, while the Thanksgiving season is here and we all take a few moments to say our thanks, I just wanted to reflect on those things that I am utterly floored by this year. I will be suffering without any Mountain Dew or Pepsi or any sodas of any sort this year, but I will be seeking God each morning with my wife. Have a great holiday!
The other major even this time of year is Thanksgiving. I am very thankful this year. I don't think its cause I have more than I have ever had. I think it has more to do with the fact that I acknowledge God's grace a little more than I ever have though. I am blessed with a loving wife and a wonderful new marriage. I will have that for the rest of my life and I know that I will be thankful for that for the rest of my life. While I have always been thankful for my parents and their loving nature, I am even more appreciative of them for all that they have done. Its like the light finally clicked for me. It was always this gut reaction to their goodness, but I never understood as well as I do now. And I am sure that I will look back on this moment a few years from now and realize how little I got at this point. That is one of the amazing things about parents, you are always finding new levels of respect and admiration for them, at least I am. There are numerous examples of this type of revelation going on with me recently. Of course, the most prevalent is about God and His desire for us. I never realized how great the path of God could be. I heard it and thought that it might be true, but its more wonderful to experience it.
Ok, I am basically rambling, but we all tend to do that when we are excited about something. Thats new to me as well, being excited about God. There are so many times in the past when I allowed God to use a revival or a youth trip or whatever to help ignite the fire inside me. I would be so set on following him and slowly the embers faded and I was back to wondering where it all was and if it was all worth it. However, with new understanding, I am developing something more real and more constant than I have ever had before. Its great. I am never proud of the life that I used to lead, but am thankful that it makes me appreciate the desire of God for me.
So, while the Thanksgiving season is here and we all take a few moments to say our thanks, I just wanted to reflect on those things that I am utterly floored by this year. I will be suffering without any Mountain Dew or Pepsi or any sodas of any sort this year, but I will be seeking God each morning with my wife. Have a great holiday!
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