To be like . . . . .

it’s not easy to be like Jesus.   being like Jesus ensures you’ll be persecuted.  it ensures you’ll be talked about and make fun of.  but oh, the rewards to come.  there is no compromise when you are being like Jesus.  there are absolutely absolutes.  the good news is that Jesus speaks very clearly about what he desires.  Jesus himself, in red letters, says what to do with someone who calls themself a Christian or Brother, and commits sin.  this does not apply to someone who is not a Christian.

Matt 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

I cor 5:9 I wrote you in my earlier letter that you shouldn’t make yourselves at home among the sexually promiscuous. 10 I didn’t mean that you should have nothing at all to do with outsiders of that sort. Or with crooks, whether blue- or white-collar. Or with spiritual phonies, for that matter. You’d have to leave the world entirely to do that! 11 But I am saying that you shouldn’t act as if everything is just fine when one of your Christian companions is promiscuous or crooked, is flip with God or rude to friends, gets drunk or becomes greedy and predatory. You can’t just go along with this, treating it as acceptable behavior. 12 I’m not responsible for what the outsiders do, but don’t we have some responsibility for those within our community of believers? 13 God decides on the outsiders, but we need to decide when our brothers and sisters are out of line and, if necessary, clean house.

the key is a repentant heart.  a person who will recieve correction and repent (turn around) can be restored to the house.  those that refuse to take responsibility must be removed. 

following the rules of God aren’t easy and they will bring persecution but to keep the presence of the Lord in your camp, it must be done.  thank you Lord for the strength to follow your Word.  Thank you Lord for men of God that won’t compromise.

new name

from henceforth this blog will no longer be titled “musings”.  and here’s the reason why.  you may think i’m being silly or even ridiculously conservative.  that’s your right, but i choose not to live a life of compromise.  no, i’m not perfect, but when i realize flaws or mistakes i do try to correct them.  i refuse to knowingly associate myself or my family with evil.  it’s just too high of a price.  i’ve seen what becomes of lives full of compromise.  demons do exist and they do possess people.  i don’t mess with vampires and i don’t read harry potter.  no sense walking on the edge of a cliff, i’ll stay as far from it as possible thank you.  if you’re offended, build a bridge.  the truth hurts.

but i would like to know where you stand.

. . . . the love shack.

welcome to the love shack.  on the menu today is the love feast.  it’s a buffet that i’m giving away to you, all of you.  included on this buffet - bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing and forgiveness.  it’s an all new menu, seeing as how i’ve never offered all of these items together.  but i’m starting to understand the philosophy of my owner, the one who bought me with a price.

so come one, come all.  you get a new and improved me.  i get a promise fulfilled:  that when i “put on charity”, God will help me hold it all together.

colossians 3:12-14

. . . . circumcised.

 

i want to be circumcised.  before your mind goes to places it shouldn’t.  let me explain.  colossians 2:10,11 says  ”and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:  in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ“.

we tend to think that we must add to something to make it complete.  God says he will subtract to make us complete.  wow, what a concept.  i’m thinking there’s a great message in there somewhere.  anyway, circumcision that a doctor performs has a reason behind it and so it is with God.  think on that a little while.  as for me, sign me up.  i’m ready to be made complete.  take away the parts of me that harbour “unrighteousness”.  Father God, i place my future in your hands.

gggrrrrrrrrrr . . . .

GGRRRRRRGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
excuse me, that was my stomach growling. so, i started a new way of eating today, in hopes that i will lose some weight and also break this addiction i have to feeling full. i’ve come to realize that i’m not always hungry and i don’t have an unhealthy attraction to food. what i do have is a love of the feeling of being full. you know, that fat dumb and happy feeling. the one where everything’s good because my belly says so. i’ve discovered that i will eat anything i can get my hands on to keep my tank full. if i were a car, i would stop every 5 miles and yell filler up to the service man. anyway, i’ve come out of denial and decided to do something about it. yes, i have dieted in the past and on a couple of occasions lost great amounts of weight. but i always did some fad that wasn’t helping me deal with the real issue. the core problem isn’t that i’m overweight, it’s that being full thing. so rather than do an atkins type diet where i can eat half a cow and lose weight (hey don’t laugh, it works), i am now watching calories and eating small, tiny, minute, infinitesimal, microscopic (okay you get my point) portions.
i’ve eaten every 2 hours today. 7am- 1 cup of cheerios with 1/2 cup of 1% milk- 155 calories, 10am- 4 baby dill pickles- 20 calories, 12pm- 6 slices of ham and 5 baby dills- 115 calories, 3pm- a peach- 62 calories. the plan is grilled chicken and green beans tonight. woo hoo! i know my metabolism is amped up, which is good, but i’m hungry. for real. oh well that’s my struggle for today. pray for me. i need it.
ps. starting weight – 399.4
pps. pray for my wife and family – hungry does not = happy lol, not.

thinking of . . . .

HER.

i love my wife so much. she wrote a blog about me yesterday that you can read here. she also sent me a text this morning that read “He must of knew every prayer i’d been praying. He must of knew everything i would need.  When God made you, He must of been thinking about me.”   WOW!  how blessed am i?  but it got me thinking.  guys need to know that their wives love, need and want them. so ladies, i’m challenging you to tell your man, today, how much you love, need and want them. just trust me on this. guys like it.

beyond the map

“Sometimes the limitations you are willing to accept, establish the boundaries of your existence.”    Wide Awake – Erwin Raphael Mcmanus

i’ve decided, i’m going beyond the map.

Lead on, O King eternal, the day of march has come; henceforth in fields of conquest thy tents shall be our home. Through days of preparation thy grace has made us strong; and now, O King eternal, we lift our battle song.

Lead on, O King eternal, we follow, not with fears, for gladness breaks like morning where’er thy face appears. Thy cross is lifted o’er us, we journey in its light; the crown awaits the conquest; lead on, O God of might.

here i go again

 

5 in a row.  good if you’re bowling.  not good when it’s how many nights you’ve been up past 1:30 am.  it’s not by choice.  i’ve never been a night owl.  in fact, i was home in bed by 2 am the night of my senior prom.  i love me some sleep.  i had a job at one point that required 3 weeks of midnight to 8 am training and i thought i’d die.  there is no rational reason, to me, to be awake after midnight.  unless, of course, it’s your job to protect me so i can sleep peacefully.  by the way, thank you to all those who serve and protect. i’m hoping that this will end soon, but on the slim chance that it doesn’t, i’m open to any and all suggestions of how to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. 

i’m begging for some help.  i need my beauty sleep.  i know the economy is bad, but i hope somebody ain’t fired the sandman.  then again, if he ain’t been fired and he’s being slack, i’m gonna go lookin for him and he ain’t gonna be happy when i find him.  i’ve watched all the “deadliest catch” i can stand.  HELP!

who’s yours?

37 days till Clemson football. i can hardly wait.  i have a first game tradition i follow every year.  up to this point it hasn’t really resulted in helping us win, so i’m thinking of changing it up a bit.  i used to buy a ginormous italian loaf of bread and fill it full of ham, roast beef, turkey, bologna, swiss cheese, american cheese, pickles and mustard.  add to this, cheese doodles, and orange soda.  why?  who knows.  i’ve just always done it that way.  i’m thinking maybe this year i might cook something on the grill.  maybe steak.  and chicken.  and pork chops.  nix the chops.  wrap bacon around my chicken.  mmmmmmmm.  i’m not sure why the start of Clemson football should involve me eating lots of animals, but i’m glad it does.  at least i’ll be saving some poor loaf of bread from an early demise.  whatever i do, it will still involve cheese doodles and orange soda.  can’t change up too much.  i would hate to take a chance on jinxing my team. 

so who’s your favorite team and what do you do to show your support?

GO TIGERS!!!!    CJ for Heisman.  Woo Hoo!

a little less. . . .

a little less than a decade.  wow. it doesn’t seem that long. 

i’ve been married 9 years today, to my hearts desire.  i’ve loved Amy all my life and God Gave her to me july 29th, 2000.  so in honor of today and my wonderful wife, i thought i would share some excerpts from our life.

valentines day 1988 – our first date, she kissed me on the cheek at the end of the night.  i was in heaven. (see above)

entrance to deerfield off 17 bypass – our first real kiss.

dock on lake hartwell oct. 1999 – she told me she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me.

feb. 11, 2000 – i sang “when you wish upon a star” to her and asked her to marry me. (she said yes)

july 29, 2000 – walking around savannah the night we were married. (i was nervous about going to the hotel)

july 29, 2001 – abby being born on our anniversary. (i got over my nervousness pretty quick)

july 29, 2009 – loving her more today than i did 9 years ago. fully expecting to love her more tomorrow.