Another day in the life of James

I have got to be better about getting on here. I say that like there is a throng of people clamoring for more of me just typing away on a keyboard. I know that for the most part this is just a personal exercise. I am more than fine with that. I need it and I guess that's the part of me that says that I should be on here more. We will see how that goes of course.

I actually took some time out of getting ready this morning to read. I have a break from session this week due to a shifting around of the session calendar and thus I don't have to be in at work until normal hours. So, today I took some of that extra time to read a little about Galatians. Our men's bible study is going to be spending this semester in Galatians and I was just wanting to look at an overview of it. So, I was reading How to Read the Bible book by book and looked at Galatians. Its interesting stuff. Jeff had mentioned on Sunday that this book was key to Martin Luther's questioning of the Catholic church's practices. I can see the direct correlation. In Galatians, Paul is confronting those who say that you have to be circumcised in order to be a Christian. That we as Gentiles, also have to follow the old Mosaic law. Paul's emphasis is that grace and nothing else is what it takes for us to be Christians. If you add anything to it, you take away the power that grace has. I can see the driving force that Luther probably saw in this when confronted by the strict law of the Catholic church, at least at that time.

There was one phrase that just struck me in this summarizing of Galatians. It is pointed out that the law was only able to point out the problems, and if you followed the law you could be "religious". However, you would never be able to embody the spirit of the law without the grace of God through Jesus. Without having the book in front of me, I am in no way saying it as succinctly as they did, but I hope you get the point. I was just rocked by that. And that's where my mind is sitting right now.

Last week was a good study group. We will be meeting again tomorrow and talking about all the fun things that Chan has in chapter 2. If you have read the book, then you probably get the slight sarcasm.

First night of a new Semester

The new bible study kicks off tonight. We will be looking at Francis Chan's Crazy Love. It looks like we will have a couple extra faces and a few more people interested. I think that the "trailer" that the DVD offered was a great intro to our study. It was amazing timing that today kicks off our study. I say that because one of my favorite stops in the interweb is SCL. Jon's post today was just perfect. Both because it spoke to me personally with what I have been struggling with and because it went along well with the theme of giving of ourselves to God that Chan talks about.

I will just talk about how it affected me personally. Jon talks about how we are reluctant to give up our time in order to see God's will accomplished. I think that this is a major problem with the body of believers today. We have so long raised money for foreign missions, or held a love offering for things far away from us. However, we seldom have given of our time to show God's love. Our money, while not always easy to give, is much easy to part with than a Saturday when we wanted to sit and do nothing. We live in a culture that is so involved with what we can get and what we think we deserve. Our pastor Jeff gave an illustration a few weeks ago about this. Have you ever been driving in a parking lot and people have refused to walk along the sides and instead walk right down the middle of where you are supposed to be driving? Even if its not really verbalized, they are thinking that they don't have to move, that you will have to move around them.

Seldom do we take the time to realize how blessed we are and how much we can give, even if its just our ears to listen or our hands to help. I don't point fingers, because more than anyone else reading this, I am guilty of it. I have been so self-involved that I have been more willing to give my "free time" to TV than to take 30 minutes to talk to the God who loves me more than I realize.

I am going to be confessional about this stuff tonight. I want to be more willing and more open to using all that God has given me for His glory. I don't want to be closed off. I want God to show His love for others through me. Isn't that what we are called to do? Isn't that supposed to be our greatest goal? That's where my mind is right now.

Rants and Session

I am back in the middle of session. In case you didn't know and I don't know why you would, but I work for a part of the legislative branch of Kentucky. Last week, they came back to go into session and enjoy the creating of bills and debating over what we should do about our budget problems. In fact, as I type, they are having a press conference talking about them changing the days that they meet in order to tackle some issues. Fun times. I have always been sort of a geek in regards to politics and watching this stuff anyway. So, there is at least some part of me that still enjoys the back and forth and good debate that happens during a session. Some of the most enjoyable parts are when they are on the floor of a chamber of the legislature and trying to not really insult another member but still insult them. Those poorly veiled insults are often some of the most funny things that happens during a legislative day.

I realized that I just told you that for no particular reason beyond that is part of the reason that I have really wrote on here. Yeah, I am using work as an excuse, but it really hasn't been a big hindrance. No, the major obstacle to me writing is my lack of reading or even studying more than watching a couple Andy Stanley messages. This is where I get all confessional. I haven't take the time to sit and just read since the storms hit around here. I guess when I got out of the habit due to being someplace else, I found it easier to just keep that up. I won't beat myself up about it due to the fact that I don't think that God would want me to. I have a new chance each day to be more committed to following him and have my heart desire my life to be more like His. So, I am just going to do better. This will start with a conscious effort to set aside time at night to read and just sit in God's presence.

Ok, seriousness aside for a few. I don't think that this will spark any real thoughts but if it does in you, great. I have mentioned my love of How I met your Mother on here before and even placed links for others to enjoy as well. I went on this site Imeem and they allow you to create play lists and listen to music for free. So, I found a list of music from the show and created a HIMYM play list. And for the past few minutes I have been listening to it. One of the songs that I am just amazed by is Otis Redding's "Coffee and Cigarettes". I don't know why, but it is just a masterful song full of emotion and a beautiful melody. I am sure that I have heard it many times before but just recently I was taken with the song. How is it that we often forget how good something is? Ok, I just happened to come upon something serious. Its what my main thoughts have been lately, about how we forget about how good we have it and how great God is to us. Sorry to juke you with a serious thought there.

I hope that today's post will allow me to be accountable to myself about taking time away from the TV and instead spending it in thought and reflection in the evenings. Have a great weekend, till next week.

Speaking of Taking time to be Thankful

How is it that God allows us more time to think about the things that draw us to Him? Just this week, I was talking about how I don't take the time to notice the small things in life, like a light switch, and what happens? Power goes out. It really is a simple act that we do on a normal basis, flipping a light switch, that becomes so important when we can't. I am thankful for those things and I was happy to have a couple days to think about it.

Actually, I haven't really had to do without power. I have been blessed with parents (in-laws) who are willing and wanting to spend time with us. They opened their home and thats where we have been staying. I know that I am lucky. I have been praying for others who haven't had some one to turn to or some where to go. Also, more than anyone, I am thankful for the workers who have been out in the cold and mess working to get things running back to normal again. They are so often forgotten even when they are putting in long hours to give back to us the things that we often take for granted.

Maybe that is a good thing to come out of all this, we do get the opportunity to recognize how blessed we are. We want to think of ourselves as lacking when we look to others who have more, but in reality, we have so much. I have been watching the series Balanced by Andy Stanley and thats one of the things this past week's segment was about. We have so much extra that we take for granted.

While I am happy that I have power, I know that plenty of people around this state still don't. I pray that they get it soon and that until then God continues to guard them. I ask that you would do the same.

Be back next week with some of the things that I have struggled with.

Typing once more

I am really going to try and be a little better about posting on here. Mainly because I have some thoughts that are going on and I am wanting to get them out. Most of them deal with me just struggling with feelings and thoughts, but thats ok. Its one of the areas that I wanted to be transparent in this blog. I read something on Friday that really started my brain a chuggin'. I thought I would share that here.

Occasionally, I like to laugh. I know thats shocking and all of you are all super serious. But, I read the "Best of" from Craigslist on a normal basis. Most of the times its funny "Casual Encounters", which I usually avoid, or rants about some one's pet peeves that I all too often feel myself. But on Friday there was this post. I won't repeat it. Instead you should read it, and I will go into what it made me think about. The simplicities of life are often forgotten as we live our lives. When was the last time that you were thankful for having a light switch? I was just struck by that. It something that we all use everyday and never think of how it could be a luxury. I don't say all this to be down on us for our selfishness, but more so to be captivated by the gifts that we have. I mentioned how I loved the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. One of the points that I took from it was about how we often forget how amazing God is. We pray but forget that we are praying TO some one not just saying words. We get in the routine of prayer, but not the need for communication. When I was growing up, I was told that prayer is just talking to God. But thats the thing, its not JUST talking to God. Its talking to the creator of the universe. THE most powerful being ever. Yesterday we sang a song that has this as the chorus:

You are Holy! Great and Mighty!
The Moon and the stars declare who you are
I'm so unworthy, but still you love me
Forever my heart will sing of how great you are!

I have had that song stuck in my head. Last night as I was falling asleep, I was singing it to God as my prayer. I think that sometimes that I need the wake up call to remember how great our God is.

So, thats where my mind has been the last couple days. Does those words from a former Homeless man touch you in any way? What about the song? Do you often forget how amazing God is? Am I all alone?

A late start to the new year

Yeah, I realize that I haven't put anything on here in a long time. Mainly that is due to my laziness and lack of imagination. Lately I have been choosing to be entertained or informed rather than informing or entertaining. Thats ok and I have been enriched from it. So, here is a short explanation of things that are currently taking up my time.

I finished Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Its an amazing book that really has challenged my thoughts and actions. Over at SCL's other site The Prodigal John, he is having a weekly discussion of it. If you want to know more about the book, go read some of the topics that are speaking to people. It might give you a better idea of whats going on. I won't go into any real details right now, but might try and devote an entry talking about things that really hit me hard.

I have also been reading How to read the Bible for all its worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. I have enjoyed the breakdown that these two professors use. They do a good job of trying to make something sort of daunting much more accessible to everyone. I haven't finished it but have already noticed a difference in the way I look at a passage of scripture now.

Those are the main books that have taken up my time (a couple fantasy baseball stuff as well, but I won't bore you). The other main thing that I have been thinking about is Driscoll's sermon series "The Peasant Princess". It deals with Song of Solomon/Songs. There is such great truth in his teachings of this scripture. I always find myself pondering over the things that each lesson tells. I have been watching them with my wife and its great. While I would say that there isn't a whole lot about our marriage that isn't practicing these principles, I know that there is still a lot to learn. I enjoy the fact that a proactive stance now on things we haven't foreseen, may allow us to avoid too many problems later.

Also, I have been watching Andy Stanley's series "Balanced" about finances. Its funny and informative, just like pretty much all his series, but its also made me think about our possessions in a different way. I understand that nothing is really mine, and to illustrate that Stanley asks if you were to borrow some one's vehicle, what percentage would they expect you to take care of? Obviously, its the whole thing, not just 10%. Now, the challenge is not this, but the idea that Stanley said that he won't buy a new item (toy, gadget, etc) if he wouldn't allow some one to borrow it. Can I honestly say that? I don't know. But, I would like to be that way. I don't want my goal to be to gain things, but rather to be a loving giver. Which leads to the thoughts that Crazy Love brings about. So, I guess I will have to talk about that soon.

So, that's whats going on with me. I will try not to let another month plus go by without spending some time sharing what God is laying on my heart and showing me through His teachings.

Still alive and looking forward to Christmas

I can't believe that its been almost a month since I typed anything in this little box. Guess that just shows how little has been going on in my mind. Actually thats quite wrong, its just that I haven't had any cohesive thoughts to put into a post. Luckily, I have something rumbling around in my head this morning.

I always read SCL because it makes me smile and I need to start the day off with a smile, and suggest that you do the same. Jon linked to his other blog The Prodigal Jon. I would urge you to get over there and read it. Its a great stop and think moment. I often find myself reflecting over the few times that he decides to get serious. I wonder why I never thought of whatever that way before or if I have, why have I forgotten it. Case in point, there was a post about how we often have selfish motives for reading the Bible or doing service or something of that nature. Then we beat ourselves up over having a selfish heart. The thing is that we aren't able to change ourselves. This goes back to the whole renewal thing, its God's desire to change us, not for us to try and change ourselves. We have to get back to that thought, "I can't, but you can." I guess more than anything, I am thankful for the reminders that get me back on track.

Speaking of the whole getting back on track thing, this is the season to reflect on Jesus' coming. Of course, we have been celebrating Advent at our church. We have been using the small groups to end each Sunday service with one praying and one lighting the Advent candle. This past week was our groups turn to do those things. Our word was "Peace" and I will include the prayer that we gave at the end of this post. While studying the words in Hebrew and Greek, I was sort of surprised to learn that the word they use for "peace" doesn't just mean the end of hostilities, but a making whole, made complete. Thats exactly what Jesus' coming means that we can be whole now.

It is the whole Christmas season thing and that means another time to spend with family. I am looking forward to this week. I have been more than blessed with both of my families, the one I was born into and the one the I was married into. They both love me more than I can imagine and more than I can believe. They are both great examples and I am amazed by them constantly. But, most of all I am blessed for having a wife who is wonderful and makes me feel like the greatest man on earth. I hope that your holiday is great as well.

Dear Father,

You alone are the source of Peace. You not only ended the hostilities between us, making us no longer enemies, but your children, but you also came to make us whole. We can be complete because of Jesus and His perfect sacrifice. You give us peace, in our lives, that is far beyond our ability to understand it. This doesn’t mean that everything will be easy, but that even in those times when everything else is going wrong, we are right with you Lord. All of this, everything that we can hold on to, is because of our Prince of Peace, our mediator, our loving friend and messiah, Jesus. For that peace, that assurance, that victory, we are blessed. As we celebrate your coming, both your birth and your return in triumph, we pray for your peace to rule in our lives.

Amen.