God’s Facebook Posts
So I took yesterday off to focus on my wife because it was our 8th anniversary, and it was AWESOME! Although I posted a lot on Facebook yesterday – how I’ve learned marital BLISS because of her, (Beautiful Life Involving Someone Special) – I really can’t say enough about my beautiful bride! Check out her blog for a couple photo’s of our evening, we start our 9th year together today and it just keeps getting better.
I also started “ground school” yesterday to get ready for the next phase of my flight training syllabus, so I probably won’t be posting every day, which will make some posts (like this) more lengthy – sorry!
Anyway, I sent out this message to a few Mighty Men this morning, and I wanted to elaborate on the idea here: “If God wrote a “Facebook post” on “the tablet of your heart” would you click the “like” button? would you comment on it? Would you even read it?”
Anyone who has read my posts before or who has talked to me will understand my perspective on Facebook. As Chris and Kerry Shook say in their book “Love at Last Sight,” “technology is neutral, it’s how you use it that makes it good or bad.”
I’ve got a friend, however, (& not a Facebook friend) that considers Facebook “the F-word!” I totally respect his opinion and hope he doesn’t feel like I’m trying to push him in a direction he doesn’t want to go by bringing up topics like this. I only want to offer people the Gospel – not technology – after all, Paul said “we preach Christ, and Him crucified…” However he also believed in being all things to all people to win some, and also said “all things are permissible but not all things are profitable.” So refraining from Facebook use is definitely a good course of action for many, and to those I say: Keep it up!
My simple point in posing questions like this is that many people don’t read the Bible. Every time I am challenged on the validity or authority of the Bible I ask this question in response: “Have you read the whole thing?” Without exception the answer is “no.” The conversation doesn’t go very far from there, because the point isn’t what everyone else says about the Bible, the point is what IT SAYS. And believe me, I know there are some tough sayings! But you gotta keep reading to understand them – scripture is interpreted with scripture – not by cynical skeptics!
I’m concerned about the growing Biblical illiteracy in the Church today. We send kids to school for 8 hours a day for 12 years and then they go to 4 years of college in some cases. Add it up and you’ve got about 21,240 hours of instruction by age 22. If the same individual goes to church an hour a week and reads their Bible for 5 minutes a day “like a good Christian,” they’ve spent a mere 1,587.5 hours in the Word. That’s 19,652.5 hours less time spent studying the things of God by the time many are starting careers, getting married and having kids!!! How’s that working out for us?
I post verses on Facebook and I ask questions like this to encourage Believers to read what God says more than they look at their own posts… Yeah, I do it too: read what I write sometimes without reading what anyone else writes. But you can be sure, I’m getting my daily dose of His Word – especially when you see me share it on Facebook.
Peace,
Adam
Verses to link:
God’s Facebook post: Psalm 67:1 80:3, 89.1 and 119:135 (AMP)
“Written on the Tablet” Prov 7:2-3 (NASB)
“click Like”: Psalm 119:16
“comment” Psalm 145:5 (KJV)
“even read it” Joshua 1:8 (GNT)
Preach Christ: 1 Cor 1:23
All to all: 1 Cor 9:19-23 – esp. vs22 (NIV)
All permissible: 1Cor 6:12; 10:23 (HCSB)
A Calming Storm
Well we got “hit” by Irene over the weekend, and the lights went out after it was “lights-out” at the Johns’ house. Fortunately power was restored a few hours ago and no damage was caused to our home.
The darkness and the quiet prompted me to send this message out to my list of 30 Mighty Men: “For what do I pray more fervently: spiritual power or physical power? Of what am I more concerned: a darkened home or a darkened heart?”
So I echo that question here. When the lights go out, do you get calm? The distractions don’t all go away, but an opportunity does present itself. We CAN rely on the Holy Spirit’s power when we are powerless. We CAN focus on His light to help us see in the darkness.
We who have been redeemed are not only clothed with the righteousness of Christ, but clothed as well with the Holy Spirit’s power.
We’ve been called out of darkness and have this light in our hearts and the darkness cannot stand against us; it can’t even comprehend the light that is in us, because Christ is in us, and in Him is no darkness at all!
Is this “too spiritual” for a Monday afternoon? Does it “not make any sense?” Well maybe so and maybe no, but it’s how I stay calm in the midst of the storm… The words of Christ were “peace be still,” and it worked! And His Words still work in my heart, and I will continue to treasure them there.
Peace,
Adam
Linked Verses:
Righteousness: (Galatians 3:27, Romans 10:4 & Romans 13:14 NKJV)
Power: (Luke 24:49 & Acts 1:8 – ESV)
Darkness – Light: (John 1:5 NIV 1, 2 Cor 4:7 NLT Peter 2:9- NASB, 1 John 1:5 HSCB)
Christ in us: (Col 1:27 NIV)
Peace, be still (Mark 4:39 KJV)
Word heart: (Psalm 119:11 NIV & NASB) and (Psalm 37:31 GWT)
Hypocrisy.
So here it is, the one you all have been waiting for! Boy is this going to be fun!!! But first a question: Why is it so easy for people, particularly Christians, to admit they’re “sinners” but so hard for them to acknowledge their hypocrisy ? And here’s secondary question: Why do those who aren’t Christians prefer to blame other people for hypocrisy but usually deny the even the term “sinner.”
It’s a tough subject; rather controversial. I think asking questions like that is a good way to raise tempers and make people not want to talk to you for a while for sure.
One of my favorite movies is “Tombstone,” and Doc Holliday is classic. He constantly calls himself a hypocrite, at one point admitting that it “knows no bounds.” But at the end of the movie, on his death bed, he also says the line I like best, “My hypocrisy only goes so far.” I think this transparency is refreshing and probably causes lots of people to like the guy. You see, understanding that you don’t always do what you say you want to do is an important first step to actually doing something to change your ways.
Another great line comes from Zig Ziglar who says that when he asks people to go to church with him, they respond, “I don’t want to go to church, there’s nothing but hypocrites there,” to which Zig replies, “That’s alright, we got room for one more!”
The bottom line is that EVERYBODY does things that are contrary to what they say, we just call their hypocrisy by another name:”they have issues,” “they made a mistake,” “they need help.” Whatever you want to label it, they’re all the same: saying one thing, doing another… It’s called hypocrisy.
So whether you’re hypocrisy knows no bounds, or only goes so far, may the Lord help us all reject the hypocritical ways, because no body wants to be called a hypocrite, even though at some point, we all are one.
peace,
Adam
Full disclosure: I seriously thought about changing the title of this supposed to “I am a hypocrite.” Because many times my hypocrisy knows no bounds, although I say it only goes so far. One of my favorite ways to disarm an accuser is to admit this. You see, I am a bigger hypocrite because I know so clearly what I am supposed to do. But like I said, the first step to eliminating hypocrisy is to admit it. And that’s why I look forward to writing this post for all the world to see. Because just how far my hypocrisy goes gets shortened through each confession.
Why Caring is SO Important (Pt 2)
Yesterday a Mighty Man commented that we as spiritual babes sometimes make messes with “spiritual spit up’s” or spiritual dirty diapers, and that is definitely the direction I wanted to take with part 2 of the importance of caring.
I really think that when someone accepts Christ as their Savior, the relationship with God (that was broken at “the fall“) is immediately restored. I also believe however, that its like the relationship between an infant and his daddy… 1 Peter 2:2 says “as new born babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk of the Word so that you will grow up in your salvation.” So how do you get this “milk” when you’re a “new born?” Someone has to feed it to you right??? Ultimately I believe the Holy Spirit is the One that makes Scripture clear to us, but I also believe the Holy Spirit dwells in Believers and empowers them to help the new Christians.
By building meaningful relationships with other Believers, new Christians can build their relationship with God, and that Divine Relationship is definitely the most important relationship anyone could ever have. I make some radical statements on the relationship with God here, because I’ve experienced it. All of my meaningful relationship’s are enhanced by this relationship with my Maker.
But I don’t have this relationship with Him by accident, it took the care of my Mom teaching me my ABC’s with Bible verses and helping me learn inductive Bible study before I was a teenager. Even my experiences in life have been framed by Scripture (like Psalm 75 & 99 did after the earthquake yesterday.) And all of this has cultivated such a strong relationship with my Father through His Son, that I know Him like I know my name. The best part is, I keep getting to know Him better, just like I keep getting to know my wife better! (she didn’t think the earthquake was funny, as I wrote back “ha ha, we felt it too” – whoops – still learning babe!)
I pray that every Believer I know will experience such a relationship through Christ – and even for those I don’t know – because I know He knows every single one. And He cares enough to desire to build that relationship with them too – and with you.
Peace,
Adam
Linked Verses :
Restored relationship: Romans 5:10, 18, 10:9
Holy Spirit: 1Cor 3:16
Empowered: Luke 24:49
Psalm 75:3 NLT, HCSB
Psalm 99:1 ESV, NIV
1 Peter 2:2 NLT, NIV, KJV
He knows: Prov 5:21
He Cares: 2 Peter 3:9 NASB, AMP
Why Caring is SO Important (Pt 1)
Here’s another cliche, and although 3 days ago I said I don’t like cliche’s, this one is hard not to like: “People don’t care how much you know till they know how much you care.”
While I hold my 1 month old son, Boaz, as he fixes his eyes on mine, I have strong feelings of caring for him. I have to constantly support his head and I try to make him comfortable so he doesn’t fuss… I also have to teach my 5 year old warrior, Gideon, how important it is to handle the baby with care.
It’s pretty obvious why infants need such care: they’re helpless, have many needs, they’re small and really don’t know very much. What is probably not so obvious is how much care is needed in other areas of our lives, specifically relationships. I think all relationships start in an infant like stage. Some infants grow faster than others – (shoot, Bo’s in 3 month old clothes, while G’s still fitting in clothes that some 3 year olds can wear!) Of course some relationships grow faster than others, but even those require lots of care. I believe the amount of caring one does for a relationship has a direct impact on how fast it grows…
I don’t think many of us adults realize just how child-like some areas of our lives are. But even in adulthood we experience one stage of infant-hood after another: from marriage to buying a house, to having kids… These kinds of things take a lot of caring!
Perhaps there are relationships in your life that could use a little more TLC, and I hope this helps you realize just how important that caring is!
Tomorrow I’ll share how this applies to the most significant relationship we could ever have.
Peace,
Adam
Here’s a photo of Boaz, the look on his face says: “Please care for me” as Gideon’s stands on the couch getting ready to jump on us! (those are Giddy’s feet)
Importance Continued…
I’ve delayed posting this entry, which is quite ironic actually… Its on the importance of timely communication – basically, replying quickly…
I have a theory I call “the half-life of a response.” I believe that if someone (an average individual) does not reply to a message (email, text, phone call, etc.) within 24 hours, the chances that he will reply go down 50%. The theory continues with a 50% reduction in reply likelihood every 24 hours, so by the time 1 week passes, it’s been cut in half 7 times leaving about a 3/4% chance the person is going to respond.
This theory can be applied many ways, from understanding the importance of follow up within 48 hours to realizing the need to reply within the same time frame. Whether it’s business or friendship or family, the message for me is the same: write back right away, then file the message (either in a categorized folder or in the trash!)
Knowing this, maybe next time you send out a mass email and silence is the response you get, you’ll follow up with individual messages instead of wondering why no one replied. 
Taking the message to the “next level” is one sure way to keep the comm’s flowing in a timely fashion. If that’s important to you, hopefully this is a useful tool!
Peace,
Adam
Carpe Diem – (Important although cliché)
It’s late but I wanted to post a photo of Gideon with his first fish that he caught at his 5 year birthday party this evening.
We were so “in the moment” that Maria said she didn’t get pictures of all the things she wanted pictures of! She also didn’t get to eat… Both failures on my part that I’ll have to keep in mind for next time, but I got caught up in all the catching up with friends too! What an awesome bonus to throwing your kid a party! You get to hang out with all your friends while he plays!!! Plenty of hands to hold Boaz too…
Thank you to everyone who came out, it was truly a blast and the day was seized for sure! I’m not a big fan of cliché’s but I had to continue my use of “C” words in the importance theme.
I was going to post on timely communication today, but cherishing the celebration, counting another year gone by on the calendar definitely trumped that!
Look for Maria’s pictures on her blog soon!
Peace,
Adam
You can see Maria in this one- it’s probably the only photo that we got of her, boy did I blow it! She looked AMAZING! (as always of course) Next time! I promise babe, I’ll be all over it! Catching the day on film while we seize the carp!
The Importance of Clarity
Yesterdays question started a great back & forth in one of my 4 man text groups. I generally get more feedback from the controversial, and I guess that’s probably just the way it goes nowadays. For many, there’s not as great of a need to say anything to something when they agree, but that reminds me of a Facebook post from last week: “just because you agree with a quote or book doesn’t mean it’s right” I quickly clarified “unless, of course, the One you’re quoting is God and the book is the Bible.”
After I had a great talk with one of the men on my “Paul list” I added some very important clarity to yesterday’s post on credibility – also including the concerns in the comment section.
Another member of the “Paul List” has been beating the brevity drum for a while, but he recently told me what someone told him: “brevity is important, but not at the expense of clarity.” And boy did I like that! Especially since this person’s brevity just left me with more questions!!! Yes you might have to use a few extra words, or make a 15 minute phone call, but providing adequate clarification to aid comprehension is extremely important to prevent misunderstanding.
Of all the reasons clarity is important, the one I want to highlight most is that it ensures a discussion doesn’t descend into the deep abyss of argument! Nothing stops the elevation of communication like senseless contentions. Living together with understanding can prevent this, especially in the home. (1 Peter 3:7)
So I pray that my posts are clear, and if they aren’t, please ask for clarification. It’s important enough to me to re-edit something I wrote if one person reads it differently than I meant it. I also must remind everyone including myself that we won’t always see things with 100% clarity, but we can eagerly look forward to the day when we will! (1 Cor 13:12 )
Peace,
Adam
How Important is Credibility?
This morning I asked another question to the 30 mighty men. “Do you believe your credibility affects the credibility of Christ to those around you?” The reason I asked this is that I believe people make judgements about someone’s beliefs based on that person’s actions. Have you ever known someone who discredited the name of someone else? I know I have – sometimes I’ve actually been the one doing the discrediting unfortunately. (I’m still looking forward to my hypocrisy post – maybe next week!)
Anyway, I posted an email I received on credibility, here on the blog, and I thought it contained some practical points, but I want to go deeper on this idea; maybe even from the practical to the theoretical. You see, I desire a mindset that plans ahead with a clear understanding that someone’s perception of me as a Christian will affect (if not determine) what they think about Christ. I do not want to discredit Him, so I believe I need to perform well in my profession.
I also believe in the 2 Tim 2:15 principle: being diligent to show myself approved in the knowledge of God – as an unashamed worker… I had a friend back at Kings Point that applied this to their academic studies, and I think it’s good to apply to my Marine Corps disciplines as well – specifically flying. (if you dissent with my application of this verse, please read the rest of the chapter, specifically vs 14, 16 & 23 – this is a “non-essential,” and I speak with human reasoning) also feel free to elevate this with comments!
The importance of representing Christ as a Christian is something I hope more believers take to heart. I know many of us want to perform well and look good so we have credibility, but how much more important is it to show the world how GOOD Christ already is? After all, as fallen humans, all we are really capable of is making Him look bad… Will this mindset cause us to take our actions (even the perception of those actions) more seriously?
For the One that already has all credibility, what if our lives reveal His credibility to those who don’t believe in it? Seeing is still believing to some, right? Ultimately they DO still have to taste it to see it, but why would they want to try it if they don’t see a need for it? I hope we realize that our lives are capable of ruining someone’s appetite… We carry a fragrance don’t we?
May the Holy Spirit be our Helper in these efforts, and may we remember we can’t do anything without Him!
Peace,
Adam
Linked Verses:
2 Tim 2:14-16, 23-25
1 Cor 9:27
Prov 3:3-4
Col 2:9-10
Psalm 34:8
2 Cor 2:15
John 14:16
John 15:5
What’s Really Important?
This morning, I asked some of my 30 mighty men this question: on a scale of 1 to 10 where do you rank the importance of connecting (on some level) DAILY with other believers?
I’ve gotten about half a dozen replies, and most rank it (as do I) right after connecting with God and family at home (wife and kids). This is one of those “easy” questions though, and my follow up question to the few that replied is, “Are there any other things you rank that high, or higher than connecting with Christians?” so far, nobody has taken that bait. But I guess I’ll throw one out there: how about work?
Of course this doesn’t have to be an “all or nothing” proposition. When ranking things, there can be some “ties,” right? So maybe, for some, work can be AS important as talking to believers. But what I’m getting at here is that talking to other Christians about spiritual things doesn’t seem very important in my current work environment – even though I hear about a lot of people who go to church. There’s even a small group that I heard get together for Bible study…
Maybe some of you can relate to this kind of environment, maybe not. And maybe some will say, “yeah, but just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you have to talk about Christ all the time!” And I agree, not “ALL THE TIME” but I’m just saying, how about once a day, with just one person outside your home? (Actually, how about inside the home?)
I really think it’s important, (obviously – thats why I’m writing about it!). I’m hoping more people will start to think so too. I’m currently on a quest to find out who the Christians are and let them know I’m a Christian too, it’s actually kind of fun – especially as I explain my quest to those who are becoming a part of it. And when I find one of those Believers, I’ll go out of my way at work to ask them how it’s going… No really, how’s IT going? To me, yeah, IT is REALLY THAT important.
Peace,
Adam
PS: for those who want to dig deeper in this, consider Hebrews 10:24-25. Is it possible this passage isn’t just talking about going to church on Sunday?
Systematic Evangelism Pt 3: Breaking through the barriers.
The 3 barriers to the Gospel are the last piece of the evangelism system my friend James shared with me. (Of course he didn’t call it a system, I do, but’s that what a Marine On Own Program does – makes things my own…) Anyway, I actually started this series by typing this third post from the back of a 46 flying down to New River on Friday. I then remembered the other 2 parts that James told me about, and I definitely needed to post those first in order to set this one up, so here it goes!
The first of the 3 barriers is the “Intellectual Barrier.” For those who are stopped by this one, the Gospel doesn’t make sense… Why would a perfect God become a sinless Man to go through temptation, suffer, and die on a cross to save them from a hell they don’t even believe exists. They want hard factual proof and faith seems to lack logic. 
The second is the “Emotional Barrier,” which affects those who experienced a church break-up or unfaithfulness from one who claimed to be a Christian. They find it difficult to place trust in a God-Man because they don’t feel like they can trust any man; much less a religious idea that they have seen fail before.
Finally, there exists a Volitional Barrier: the Barrier of the Will. Those who have this barrier won’t believe because it would mean sacrificing what THEY choose. They’ve made up their mind, and they’re strong willed enough to stick to it, regardless of reason or feelings.
These are some pretty strong barriers, even greater than the ones that keep would-be criminals out of top secret government compounds! Some people have just one barrier, and some have all three. Those who wish to present the Good News to them must realize these hindrances to the message… Remembering the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:18.
I pray that as you come against them, the Holy Spirit will give you wisdom to patiently wait as He dismantles them to allow the Gospel to get through.
Peace,
Adam
Systematic Evangelism Pt 2: Process NOT Program
My friend’s 3 part plan for sharing the Good News continued with this key fact: evangelism is not a program, it is a process. See the image on the left, it’s a process, the one on the right – those are programs… Ok, sorry, I like cool charts like that, but I digress…
Have any of you seen anybody else get these backwards? If you haven’t, I don’t think you’ve really been looking! Almost everywhere I look in the church and in ministries, I see programs for this “study” or that “need.” I get it, programs are helpful, but for crying out loud, where does it end??? When will the leadership realize that no matter how many programs they put into practice, the people will only participate while the program is in effect? The goal isn’t just participation either – granted, that’s much better than observation – but what the church really needs is self-initiating individuals, who will do the work of an evangelist while they’re on their own whether at work, home, or on vacation!
Why do we differentiate between “evangelical churches” and “evangelists,” when every single Believer has a scriptural mandate to be about this work? (2 Tim 4:2-5) Why do we wait for the church to do a food drive before we give food? Why do we wait for VBS to teach our kids about Jesus? And why do we wait for the offering plate to be passed before we give money?
Like I said, there’s nothing inherently wrong with programs that give structure to an organization, but there is a vital need for belonging and ownership in this faith, and this takes the process of a walk that a temporary program simply cannot meet. The key to remember here is that programs are here today and gone tomorrow, but processes take time, sometimes a lifetime!
I pray for the progress of your process throughout all programs, people! And thanks for reading.
Peace,
Adam
PS: this post probably comes across with a more frustrated tone with all the questions, but I hope people don’t read too much into this. Many believers and churches have the process down cold, and I am happy to see it, even though I might sound upset about the programatic approach of others…
PSS: Full disclosure: believe me, not many people have more programs than I do, it’s just a balance and a perspective that I’m getting at here…
Systematic Evangelism Pt 1: Seeing as God Sees
The next 3 posts will come from a conversation I had with a fellow Believer during lunch a few months ago. He shared these three points on evangelism in a clear and concise way, and I shared them with a few others over the past months so that I would remember them… making them relevant, right???
The first point is that everyone has value to God and therefore they should have value to me. The pastor of Elevation Church made a comment a few sermons back that “we have to say what God says until we see what God sees!” I truly believe that, and I’ve definitely experienced it in my life. But in the past, I’ve walked by many people without recognizing their full value, or I simply didn’t see as much value in them as I did in someone else… But God values everyone! He’s not partial; scriptures say “He’s not a respecter of persons.” (Acts 10:24 KJV)
So that’s basically it for this first part of the evangelism system. We must line our eyes up with God’s eyes and see that everyone we meet has eternal significance. The clerk at the grocery store is important enough to give some words of encouragement as you check out. The waitress at your favorite restaurant is more valuable than a 15% tip, even of the service is crummy. Your friends are worth more than a “happy birthday” message on the face book wall. your family deserves more than your disengaged presence while the TV or iPhone or iPad captivates you!!!
I entered the iStuff in that last one for me, because I’m preaching to myself more than anyone else!
Peace,
Adam
Good day of flying
This was my view at 0630 this morning, and we weren’t done flying till about 1530. It started with a ride in the back of a 46 down to New River so the CO and director of OAPCI could ride in an Osprey on the way back. (thats Office of Advanced Planning Capabilities Integration – y’all heard we were getting V-22’s right?)
After we flew the phrog back, we took a couple pilots and aircrew to Pax River so they could fly an H-60 back to Quantico. All of this was combined with giving some refresher X’s to the new guy and dropping off some parts at our secondary facility in DC. All told, we logged 4 approaches as well as some actual instrument time while flying through some dense smoke in North Carolina.
Good times were had by all! It was only my copilot’s 3rd flight in the squadron. Pretty standard day actually, flying phrogs at HMX… But it never gets old flying inbeteeen the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial at 200 feet!
Peace,
Adam
PS: I’m not done with the system theme, just wanted to take a day to post an update with some flying details… I’ll finish the systematic posts with a 3 part systematic approach to something sensational.
The 3R’s: A System for Remembering
This is a concept I’ve shared with a few of my 30 Mighty Men, and various others on my journey. It came about as I was trying to figure out how I was going to memorize 3 sets of emergency procedures and operating limits for the aircraft I currently fly. I soon started applying it to other things like remembering names and memorizing scripture.
The 3 R’s stand for Recent Repetition with Relevance. In order to remember something long term, I believe all 3 are vital. You must repeat what you’re studying whether by saying it or writing it down, you must have recalled it to mind recently and you must find a way to make it relevant to your life.
These three can be inversely proportional in necessity; for instance, if something is extremely relevant, like your wife’s birthday you probably don’t need to remind yourself daily. If you recently answered a question on a test or read a Bible verse, it doesn’t have to be as relevant to your life in order for you to recall it a few minutes later. And if someone has greeted you with a smile every day at work for 3 years, you probably will remember their name 10 years later.
Each of the 3 R’s also might differ in effectiveness to different people, but for me, relevance is the key. I can remember a significant experience for years even though it only happened once, and I forget things that hold little relevance to my life even if I repeat them daily. That’s why I really stink at “useless trivia” – something some of my friends are very good at! Who won the 1989 NL champion series playoffs, for example??? To me, it just doesn’t matter, to a baseball fanatic, they can probably tell you who the MVP was…
My application is simple: to remember something, I first try to find some personal relevance. If its a name, I’ll associate them with a good friend or family member with the same name. If repetition is more effective For someone, they might say the persons name several times. If I find it difficult to relate to something, I’ll use a systematic repetition approach once a week so that I have always recalled the information as recently as 6 days or less. The ToDo app helps me set reminders to do this.
Like I mentioned earlier, remembering for the long term is what this systematic approach is all about, and after some time, if you apply this system, the memories will be seared into your brain; or better yet, hidden in your heart!
So that’s it, I hope it helps you remember what you need to remember… If you remember this system of remembering!
Peace,
Adam
PS: God thinks it’s pretty important to remember too:
[Earnestly] remember the former things, [which I did] of old; for I am God, and there is no one else; I am God, and there is none like Me, Isaiah 46:9 (AMP)
A System That Saves
I thought about adding some thoughts on yesterday’s blog about saving the important emails and letters you receive, but my wife cautioned me not to because it would be contradictory and detract from the point I was making. As usual she was right, and I decided to wait till the next day to be a hypocrite. (Boy, I can’t wait to write on hypocrisy, especially mine!)
Obviously since I’m doing this web-log, I believe in hanging on to some things, and if you visited my “man cave” down stairs, you would see the stuff I need to throw out of my closet. If I showed you my desk you’d probably start to question if I practice what I preach! Most days my email inbox is the same way, unless I have recently made the time to go on a deleting spree (like today)… But, of course, I DO think there are messages worth saving so I can draw on them for encouragement, or share them with someone else someday. I probably could use a better system of doing so however. Mail box folders & .pst files are good, but I just haven’t developed the discipline with that system to keep the inbox clean…
As I closed yesterday I mentioned how God deletes our sins, but I wanted to point out today what He does with our lives. (see Psalm 56:8) The wording of “The Message” really resonates with me: “You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, each tear entered into Your ledger, each ache written in Your book.” the NKJV says “put my tears in Your bottle”.
Not only does Jesus Save our lives (see Titus 3:5), but our Father also keeps a record of our pain, and I believe as we pray, there are bowls of incensed being filled in heaven, just like Revelation 5:8 says.
So while my system definitely needs some work, as evidenced by all the clutter, there’s one system that’s perfect, created by the One who lived perfectly, and His is a system that saves!
This is the Good News!!! Please tell somebody who needs to hear it!
Peace,
Adam
System of Deletion
I guess yesterday set the stage for my next theme: systems. So I will approach this systematically, and hopefully start posting at the same time of the day, as my brother recommends.
This is just a tip which I have applied successfully at times, and neglected other times. Basically when you’re done with something, get rid of it. The two key areas of application for this are snail mail and e-mail.
For snail mail, I read here (written 2 years ago) how to open junk mail over the trash can, so its gone immediately and permanently, eliminating wasted time: the 2 seconds I’d spend moving it on my desk or looking at it one last time before throwing it away later…
For e-mail, I’m attampting to apply the same idea, by deleting whatever I’m not going to act on, as well as deleting after I act on it (whether replying, or doing what the email says to do)
There’s lots more from Productivith501, but I just wanted to share those two thoughts, quickly, on systematic deletion to simplify life, and of course, to help redeem the time! Plus, I think it’s cool to remember that is how God deals with our sins when we confess them to Him!
Peace,
Adam
System of Systems (SOS!)
In the acquisition world (which probably no one who reads this is familiar with) there’s a term for new stuff being acquired when it’s pretty complex, and they call it a system of systems. For some unknown reason I have a habit of making things complex – if not complicated, especially when it comes to communication and learning. I’m uploading the first 2 pages of the 3 pages on my iPad and iPhone for comparison so you can see how I made the two similar – not exact, so don’t go inspector gadget on me! But making both tools similar is all part of my system (using technology) of systems (being productive) that has the ultimate goal of growing in Christ and reaching others… See my “Purpose” page.
I sent out the following message last night: 30 MM “strong beginning” finisher! — “In all your plans, while some things might be permissible, are you finding the outcome profitable? Good financial planners work towards profit, and we who are investing in kingdom work should be no different…”
This stuff is tough though, isn’t it – even how I’m explaining it might be confusing… We need help managing all these systems and plans so we can do it well, otherwise we’ll get lost in the process and forget about the intended product! So the acronym SOS for System of Systems is actually quite appropriate, isn’t it!?!
In my system of systems, believe it or not, I have a plan – and the readers of this blog are a part of that plan… I just hope that in the end, my plan will have been the most efficient and profitable way of getting us to where we’ll eventually be – as we stand before the Judgement Seat.
But one thing is for sure, there will be a record of my efforts, and I just hope the wood hay and stubble is kept to a minimum in all of my systems.
Peace,
Adam
He Gives and Takes Away?
To some, throwing the question mark up there might make the refrain from “Blessed Be Your Name” sound like a Rob Bell question… I do think Rob’s got a lot good ones, but as a friend of mine told me, the problem is that he doesn’t provide very good answers. I hope to part ways here with Rob Bell who most likely has more followers of his twitter than I do.
I posted this question on the Tun Tavern Fellowship FB group page: Why do Christians blame bad things on God? I elaborated on that question and got some great responses! I’ll attempt summarize what I’m proposing here as simply a different way of looking at a verse often quoted when bad things happen… Even in the movie we’re watching: “Soul Surfer” when Bethany is being rushed to the hospital, the mom says repeatedly “Don’t take her.” The movie also starts with the Matt Redman song “Blessed be Your Name.” My point of view on this is different, and I’m not knocking the mom in the movie, I simply feel there’s another, more comforting way to pray, based on a more accurate view of Who gives good, and who takes away the good, knowing that life is good!
So here it is: Job lost everything, He did not curse God or sin, but he did blame God in an ever so subtle way saying, “He gives and takes away.” and the next 30 something chapters contain reasons why God is at fault for Job’s tragedy. Anyone reading this quickly -with the pervasive idea of our culture -will easily overlook that it was Satan who took everything from Job, and what God says here gets twisted as well. It says Satan incited God to destroy Job for no reason. It does not say God destroyed Job… Semantics? I don’t think so, but feel free to disagree. I simply propose that Job’s theology was flawed in verse 21 of chapter 1. And I believe Job 7:20, 12:9, and 16:9 pretty much prove my point, not to mention 3 of the last 4 chapters of the book as God responds. (By the way 16:10 is about Jesus)
My view of God isn’t just framed by the story of Job of course, but also by what Christ says in John 10:10, and verses like James 1:17. I have considered passages presented in the 19 comment FB thread, and will continue to look at them with an open mind. (that thread is now posted below in the comments) To appease the contrarians, I do believe God takes away things He does not consider good that keep us from Him or as a result of our disobedience.
When good is lost – when a loved one passes – I only hope that after reading this, people will be encouraged to think of God as the One receiving them to be with Him and Who will restore what the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25 KJV) When we who are Believers die, we’re going home to be with our Lord, He’s not taking us from our loved ones. There is a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10 again). We must be equipped to do battle with that evil one, (2 Cor 10:3-4) but if we blame God for what Satan does, we’re not just living bad theology, we’re aiding and abetting the enemy!
The Bible says, taste and see that the Lord is good, well, to state the obvious: you gotta taste it to see it! But people can’t taste what they reject before it’s put on their plate, and believe it or not, that’s what starts to happen with a mindset of God taking away the good He’s blessed us with.
In the movie, Carrie Underwood puts it well: “I have to believe that something good is going to come out of this.” But how hard is that to believe when you’re struggling with thoughts that hold God responsible: “He allowed it, He works in mysterious ways, He has a plan that I may not understand…” Those are all well and good, until they start becoming ways to blame Him! How much easier is it to believe the Romans 8:28 outcome when we are convinced of God’s goodness? And anyone who has problems with the word “easy” better take it up with Jesus, because He said His yoke was easy… (Matt 11:30)
Well I went quite long on this one, a bit much for the first level of comm, but I hope it strengthens at least one person’s faith in the goodness of God. That is THE reason I wrote this.
Peace,
Enough Jesus? NEVER!!! But Jesus is ALWAYS Enough!
In the words of the great Rumpelstiltskin, “How’s that for a metaphysical paradox!?!” and by that I mean: a statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth which is concerned with first principles and ultimate grounds, as being, time, or substance.
Sorry, didn’t mean to go all dictionary.com on you, but who really can put into words what metaphysical paradox means, and why use words that people don’t really understand the meaning of, right? I think this concept fits that category though, since you can never have enough Jesus and He’s always enough, and as you dig deeper in scripture, this is blatantly obvious from beginning to end!
I’ve got one more post in mind that pertains to my Savior, and it is quite long, but tonight, I just wanted to pose this thought: Can you ever really get enough of Jesus? And do we believers really live like Jesus is enough? There’s a great song that I really like, and I believe it answers these questions very well, here’s the link.
God bless you all as you go to meet with Jesus tomorrow morning, and may He reveal to you just how much is enough!
Peace,
Adam
PS: I got to hang out with my boy Joe today for some quality “Level 3” time, and I’m looking forward to him dropping down to level 1 and 2 with me here on this blog… He said he would! ( no pressure Joe!)
It Really is ALL about Jesus!
I’ve listened to several sermons by Mark Driscoll, and he has a series titled “It’s All About Jesus” and I’ve been thinking about this concept for a while now. (That’s what happens to me, I hear something I like and it rattles around in my head until I feel like I’ve shared it with enough people, thus the blogging outlet…)
So here’s what has come of this thought that “it’s all about Jesus”. The questions it makes me ask are numerous including: What is included “all?” Does this mean that my job in the Marine Corps is suppose to be about Jesus? What about my “free time?” And am I living like my life is all about Jesus? How about the Bible, and books like Numbers and Leviticus, is that all about Jesus? And here’s the question I think I’ve thought about the most and even postulated an answer to: “If it’s ALL about Jesus, what was Jesus all about???”
So you can see how something like this gets stuck in my brain right?
My answer to my own question is simple, I believe Jesus was all about relationships! And I mean MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS!!! Just look at His interaction with people, specifically His 12 disciples, and more specifically His closest 3 that He spent even more time with, not to mention the time He spent focused on the relationship with His Father (See John 17) And what really takes this to the next level is that even His death and resurrection was about restoring us into a right relationship with God, and giving us the power to maintain a relationship with Him though the Holy Spirit.
To me, the bottom line of all these questions and all these thoughts is this: if everything is really all about Jesus (and I believe it is) and Jesus is really all about relationships (and I believe He is) then I need to get serious about relationships, and doing everything I can to make them meaningful.
I hope this encourages my friends to do the same — every day provides 24 hours of opportunities to elevate the level of communication!
Homeward Bound
This was where we spent our evening last night while the boss celebrated his birthday. Just thought y’all would like the photo with all 5 aircraft in the frame.
This morning we’re flying back to Quantico and we actually got an early start, which my wife was happy to hear!
We stopped at a Starbucks on our way in and I saw a young man with a big book on leadership by John Stott, I think it was “Basic Christian Leadership.” After I got my blueberry muffin and OJ (my classic traveling breakfast) I went over and told him “may the Lord bless your studies, brother!” and noticed he was in Numbers of all places… He said thanks, and I gave him one of my cool HMX-1 cards with my email and a photo of the mighty battle phrog on the back… As I walked out the door, I said “I will see you again.” And whether he emails or I ever run into him at a Starbucks outside Chicago or anywhere else here on earth, I believe I really will see him again – when we both get home.
It was pretty cool to meet another warrior this morning on the way to fly home who is homeward bound as well…
Peace,
Adam
Understand Jesus
I’m reading through my “World Magazine” and I have more books on my reading list than I can count, but this one interested me enough to write a blog post about it and talk about Jesus some more. I didn’t write yesterday because I was hanging out with some other pilots on this trip that I’ll write about next week – maybe, but it’s good to take a day off from blogging, as I’m sure all bloggers know!
So in this book review, the author Christopher Wright says that the best answer to the hard questions in the Old Testament concerning God’s command to wipe out the evil people is to “emphasize seeing Christ in the OT”… Joshua (Jesus) – Yehoshua in Hebrew – means “Yahweh saves.” He mentions the book of Joshua in the Bible and how it foreshadows the Gospel of Christ.
One of the problems I see in our society and in the church is a lack of understanding Jesus. We say things like WWJD, and I even heard someone ask the question “What Would Jesus Eat?” when talking about how some Christians don’t eat healthy… While I think that considering what Jesus’ response would be in every situation is a very good goal, I don’t think it can be done well without much study on Who Jesus IS. (notice I didn’t say was) But in order to get this understanding, a person has to be willing to consider that Jesus is included throughout the Old Testament, that He really lived and died and rose again for you, and that He’s coming back some day soon!
I believe that unless you’re at least willing to consider those things, it’s basically pointless to consider what He might do in any particular situation… Whether it’s an entrée choice, or a business decision, or a relationship to pursue; unless you know Jesus, how can you really know what He might do? And why ask the question of what He might do unless you really want to know Him? Paul had this in mind when he prayed for the church in Colossians. And the wisest man Solomon encouraged understanding when he wrote to his son as well. (Proverbs ch 2 & 4)
And anybody who is married, and trying to do This, knows that it doesn’t happen over night… it takes time and effort and patience!
I pray more people who think about Jesus will desire to understand Him as well; He wants to be known so that we can know His Father, and I want what He wants too, even if I fall short in doing what He would do!
peace,
Adam
Just A Man’s - Friend update web-log 