Check out the brand new redesign of IHOP's onething website. Big props to Joseph Taylor and the onething crew that pitched in (I'm sure Josh Inkenbrandt has a little consultation fee coming to him as well).
Also, IHOP has a new front door for the onething conference. This is your way to connect with what's going on: webstream, free and at-cost MP3s, highlights and a way to submit your prayer requests to the twenty-four hour prayer room. We'll be adding more throughout the conference.
And keep watching IHOP's homepage for a brand new design there as well (my sources say sometime after the new year).
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
onething™ National Conference 2006
The onething Conference starts in less than 24 hours. You can come to KC for it, pay $40 on the IHOP website to get the live webstream, or get it for free (you didn't hear it from me) on www.god.tv. Their schedule is located in the left sidebar. The "Watch Now" tab is mid-screen.
I'll be slaving away in the IT netherworld with a team that makes sure everything goes smoothly. Tap in however you can.
Enjoy.
I'll be slaving away in the IT netherworld with a team that makes sure everything goes smoothly. Tap in however you can.
Enjoy.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Giving (and Control), Part Tres
I'm going to (over)simplify this to make one quick point:
We believe certain things about Love, and we aim for them: Love is not love when you force someone to love you back, when it isn't freely given, when it isn't voluntary, or when it is coerced.
Why do we as Christians believe that giving is any different? Giving isn't really giving when we are forced to give, when we force someone to give back to us, when there are strings attached, or when we place demands on the receiver before we hand it over.
We believe certain things about Love, and we aim for them: Love is not love when you force someone to love you back, when it isn't freely given, when it isn't voluntary, or when it is coerced.
Why do we as Christians believe that giving is any different? Giving isn't really giving when we are forced to give, when we force someone to give back to us, when there are strings attached, or when we place demands on the receiver before we hand it over.
Verse For The Night
This one brought to you by Olivia, the non-sleeper.
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:51
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:51
Monday, December 18, 2006
Why Spend $300?
For all the IHOPers. In-ear headphones can get expensive ... anywhere from $100–400 easily.
Here's a tutorial on how to do it for about $20 (just don't ruin your ears, okay?). Hope it's not too late for you.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Each Saturday, For Two Hours
John and Cordell are coming over tomorrow. You may have seen them in your neighborhood; they get around. Over the past year they have stopped by at least five or ten times and usually our conversations are pretty scattered. Not any more. Each Saturday we meet for a few hours and just hit one topic so we can really dive in.
They are Jehovah's Witnesses. While they are nice enough guys, they are deceived by the father of lies ... that would be Satan, folks. [Did you see that coming?] JWs have been systematically taught to reject the basic tenets of the Christian faith; they have been robbed of the greatness of Jesus, the trinity, the Holy Spirit, the coming eternal Kingdom, and everything made available to us who are believers. Instead, they emphasize some minor quibbles and end up ticking more people off than helping them. Two months ago John asked if we could talk about the coming “paradise on earth”; it's one of their big current teachings. I told him no, but that we could talk about God because the King is greater than the Kingdom.
Tomorrow will be about the pre-existence of Jesus Christ. They think Michael the archangel was created by God the Father as the first of His acts, then He sent Michael to Earth as Jesus, who lived and died (although they think he could have not accomplished the purpose he was sent for), was resurrected spiritually instead of with a physical/incorruptible resurrection, and so on.
does not equal 
My take on Christianity is that the Bible should easily prove the truth and disprove the lies. As we go on I hope to post both sides of the theological debate.
I'd appreciate you keeping them in your prayers. John and Cordell have each been Witnesses for twenty years, and John is the top dog for this community (not really sure how that works, but it's a real-deal hierarchy). If Jesus wins his heart, it may provide some openings into the lives of the other Witnesses under his charge—right before they disfellowship him. I am jealous for them to find the true Gospel and to start the kind of relationship with Jesus that He desires to have with them.
Forever
While Kayla has the potty-training thing down, she doesn't yet distinguish “bathroom conversation” like the rest of the world ... some things should be said after you wash your hands.
As I put her down for bed tonight she let me know she had to go number two. But after about ten minutes, she still hadn't made that one last deposit. I asked her, “Are you going to go potty, or do you want to go back to bed?” She paused for a moment and then said, “I want to hold you forever, daddy.”
Yeah, me too, Kayla.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
From Death Comes ... Laughter
A Christmas toy died today (sorry great-grandparents, this stuff happens). While Amy's back was turned Kayla opened a few presents: sock puppets.
Anywho, about a half-hour after the girls went down for their nap, Amy heard some randomly-timed gut-busting laughter coming from Kayla's room. When she peeked in, she found that Kayla had ripped open one of the sock puppets and was rubbing the cotton on her face, saying, "Snowman".
Anywho, about a half-hour after the girls went down for their nap, Amy heard some randomly-timed gut-busting laughter coming from Kayla's room. When she peeked in, she found that Kayla had ripped open one of the sock puppets and was rubbing the cotton on her face, saying, "Snowman".
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
I Thought It Was Funny
Microsoft's Development Chief "would buy a Mac if he didn't work for Microsoft".
Ouch. Good thing he's stepping down after Vista ships. Now he can get a good computer.
Ouch. Good thing he's stepping down after Vista ships. Now he can get a good computer.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Giving (and Control), Part Deux
Some comments rolled in on Shawn's blog. They really know their stuff, and they have a lot to add to the conversation. A few phrases stuck out to me. Here's the rundown.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
From the insightful Ruth:
"great talk, really like the posts! And i see what you are saying Josh.
My opinion on giving to random beggars is actually really easy. I think we should give them as much as possible the things they need. Most beggars do not need money. They think they need money, but money won’t buy them food because they are so easily tempted to do bad things with the money. I remember one time when I was in Charlotte, NC with a friend of mine..we were downtown and saw so money homeless people (we have them over here in Amsterdam and other big cities as well of course..) but they were so many and there was this guy begging for money, we decided to buy him bread. I wouldn’t trust this guy with one dollar, but I knew he would eat the bread and I know he was hungry and he did eat the bread. So my opinion, I would give them, as much as I can, what they need.
Recently I noticed how great giving to others is. When I read Phillipians 4 I see giving is also related to having fellowship with each other. in Phillipians 4:15 paul called it partnership/fellowship. So i agree with what shawn said about giving to those you know and trust. Giving comes forth out of satisfaction from the inside. When you are satisfied with what you have (even if it is just a little) you’ll be more prone to give because your satisfaction does not come from the money you possess or anything. On the other hand, if you are not satisfied with what you have (always greedy) , even if you are a billionair you won’t spend a dollar on your brother."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Then a charitable Mr. Ronalfy:
"Good points Josh. You could easily make a blog post out of that.
What I had in mind when I wrote my original post was Hurricane Katrina. I knew somebody that was personally affected by the hurricane, and I would rather give my money directly to that person rather than to a charity where I didn’t know where the money was going to go.
I agree with all the comments about giving something besides money to beggars. I can see how buying groceries, food, or giving a ride to someone is just as charitable.
Thanks for all the comments on this post. I appreciate them."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
My turn.
Ronalfy ... blog ... I did. And, again, I agree with giving to trusted sources (our household gives to trusted sources more than anything else), but even trusted sources can have lapses in judgment or other priorities than what we imagine is important for them. There's no guarantee our earmarked cash will go expressly for our intended purposes, whether it's a friend, a charity or a random beggar; it makes no difference. Which is the point where this whole "donate only to certain types" theory breaks down for me. I just can't see it actually playing out A to Z like we want it to. But, like I said, that's mainly what I still do; I'm all for it.
One time a dear friend gave our family some money and said, "Take your wife out on a date." They didn't know that we had no food in the house and that their 65 bucks would be better spent at a store for five meals than on one. Did I tell them? No. They gave and God will reward them for that, but I was a wise steward as well and I will be rewarded for taking care of my three little girls for that week instead of blowing it on steak, lobster and those amazing cheddar biscuits. And then a mint mocha. With whip. 145º so it's not too hot. Man, I wanted that mocha.
By the way, "I can see how buying groceries, food, or giving a ride to someone is just as charitable." Incredible! That's one of the best sentences on this whole post! That's exactly right. Great summary. Amen, let's stand.
Ruth, your "satisfaction" comments are superb. Great insight into realizing your identity. Reminds me of, "Jesus, knowing where He came from and where He was going, took off His outer cloak and began to wash [the disciples'] feet."
I agree with giving them what they need, but I personally find it very difficult to do that in a realistic way (as I just said above, I can't see it going exactly as we had hoped most times). For instance, did your NC beggar need bread or a complete meal? Would he have been even better with an apartment, some new clothes, a job, some real friendships and salvation? We can always do more. Always. It will never be enough.
But it's not about doing enough, it's about just doing it.
Photo by Gaëtan Bourque
If I may, I'd like to ask a question. You said, "I wouldn’t trust this guy with one dollar..." Why do you need to trust him at all? Should our giving be contingent upon what they will do with it?
If I run into a non-Christian beggar on the street, should I make him jump through hoops or make promises to get something from me? In other words, should I place certain standards or expectations on a person who does not subscribe to my belief system? Should I make him "act Christian"?
I have made some homeless folk jump through hoops to eventually get my blessing (and my cash). But I found that making them act a certain way was more for my sake than theirs. One time I even made a guy promise to tithe a dollar of the ten dollars I gave him. At the time it was innocent enough (I was about 14) ... except for trying to control his free will. Really, I was just trying to make sure that some of the cash went to good use. And that was wrong. I can't hold non-Christians to the same standard I ascribe to. If we are being honest, we should admit we can barely get all our own team on the same page.
I'm just saying that we don't need to wait to feel lead to give. And we don't have to trust the person we are giving to. All that is secondary to actually giving. Just doing it is most of the equation.
I'm trying to figure this out, but I'll say it anyways. [I'm a little nervous about the reaction.]
Does God really trust us?
Or does He truly only trust Himself?
I think it's probably a little of both. But the fact of how much we mess things up everyday has me leaning toward Him trusting Himself. All of history, especially Christian history, is not so much about how awesome we are as humans or about how great we are at following Him, but about how incredible His leadership is. Even though we mess it up at every turn, He takes all our mourning and turns it into dancing ... all our ashes and makes beauty out of it ... everything that was meant for evil, He turns it into our good. It's all about how great He is.
Back to the question: well, if that's so (if God does not truly trust anyone other than Himself)—and I'm not yet ready to say that it is—then why should we think we need to trust the person we are giving to? ... Why should we try to control the situation more than God does?
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
From the insightful Ruth:
"great talk, really like the posts! And i see what you are saying Josh.
My opinion on giving to random beggars is actually really easy. I think we should give them as much as possible the things they need. Most beggars do not need money. They think they need money, but money won’t buy them food because they are so easily tempted to do bad things with the money. I remember one time when I was in Charlotte, NC with a friend of mine..we were downtown and saw so money homeless people (we have them over here in Amsterdam and other big cities as well of course..) but they were so many and there was this guy begging for money, we decided to buy him bread. I wouldn’t trust this guy with one dollar, but I knew he would eat the bread and I know he was hungry and he did eat the bread. So my opinion, I would give them, as much as I can, what they need.
Recently I noticed how great giving to others is. When I read Phillipians 4 I see giving is also related to having fellowship with each other. in Phillipians 4:15 paul called it partnership/fellowship. So i agree with what shawn said about giving to those you know and trust. Giving comes forth out of satisfaction from the inside. When you are satisfied with what you have (even if it is just a little) you’ll be more prone to give because your satisfaction does not come from the money you possess or anything. On the other hand, if you are not satisfied with what you have (always greedy) , even if you are a billionair you won’t spend a dollar on your brother."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Then a charitable Mr. Ronalfy:
"Good points Josh. You could easily make a blog post out of that.
What I had in mind when I wrote my original post was Hurricane Katrina. I knew somebody that was personally affected by the hurricane, and I would rather give my money directly to that person rather than to a charity where I didn’t know where the money was going to go.
I agree with all the comments about giving something besides money to beggars. I can see how buying groceries, food, or giving a ride to someone is just as charitable.
Thanks for all the comments on this post. I appreciate them."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
My turn.
Ronalfy ... blog ... I did. And, again, I agree with giving to trusted sources (our household gives to trusted sources more than anything else), but even trusted sources can have lapses in judgment or other priorities than what we imagine is important for them. There's no guarantee our earmarked cash will go expressly for our intended purposes, whether it's a friend, a charity or a random beggar; it makes no difference. Which is the point where this whole "donate only to certain types" theory breaks down for me. I just can't see it actually playing out A to Z like we want it to. But, like I said, that's mainly what I still do; I'm all for it.
One time a dear friend gave our family some money and said, "Take your wife out on a date." They didn't know that we had no food in the house and that their 65 bucks would be better spent at a store for five meals than on one. Did I tell them? No. They gave and God will reward them for that, but I was a wise steward as well and I will be rewarded for taking care of my three little girls for that week instead of blowing it on steak, lobster and those amazing cheddar biscuits. And then a mint mocha. With whip. 145º so it's not too hot. Man, I wanted that mocha.
By the way, "I can see how buying groceries, food, or giving a ride to someone is just as charitable." Incredible! That's one of the best sentences on this whole post! That's exactly right. Great summary. Amen, let's stand.
Ruth, your "satisfaction" comments are superb. Great insight into realizing your identity. Reminds me of, "Jesus, knowing where He came from and where He was going, took off His outer cloak and began to wash [the disciples'] feet."
I agree with giving them what they need, but I personally find it very difficult to do that in a realistic way (as I just said above, I can't see it going exactly as we had hoped most times). For instance, did your NC beggar need bread or a complete meal? Would he have been even better with an apartment, some new clothes, a job, some real friendships and salvation? We can always do more. Always. It will never be enough.
But it's not about doing enough, it's about just doing it.
Photo by Gaëtan Bourque
If I may, I'd like to ask a question. You said, "I wouldn’t trust this guy with one dollar..." Why do you need to trust him at all? Should our giving be contingent upon what they will do with it?
If I run into a non-Christian beggar on the street, should I make him jump through hoops or make promises to get something from me? In other words, should I place certain standards or expectations on a person who does not subscribe to my belief system? Should I make him "act Christian"?
I have made some homeless folk jump through hoops to eventually get my blessing (and my cash). But I found that making them act a certain way was more for my sake than theirs. One time I even made a guy promise to tithe a dollar of the ten dollars I gave him. At the time it was innocent enough (I was about 14) ... except for trying to control his free will. Really, I was just trying to make sure that some of the cash went to good use. And that was wrong. I can't hold non-Christians to the same standard I ascribe to. If we are being honest, we should admit we can barely get all our own team on the same page.
I'm just saying that we don't need to wait to feel lead to give. And we don't have to trust the person we are giving to. All that is secondary to actually giving. Just doing it is most of the equation.
I'm trying to figure this out, but I'll say it anyways. [I'm a little nervous about the reaction.]
Does God really trust us?
Or does He truly only trust Himself?
I think it's probably a little of both. But the fact of how much we mess things up everyday has me leaning toward Him trusting Himself. All of history, especially Christian history, is not so much about how awesome we are as humans or about how great we are at following Him, but about how incredible His leadership is. Even though we mess it up at every turn, He takes all our mourning and turns it into dancing ... all our ashes and makes beauty out of it ... everything that was meant for evil, He turns it into our good. It's all about how great He is.
Back to the question: well, if that's so (if God does not truly trust anyone other than Himself)—and I'm not yet ready to say that it is—then why should we think we need to trust the person we are giving to? ... Why should we try to control the situation more than God does?
Thoughts on Giving
This is a completely imagined response post to Shawn's user submitted forum, but I'm trying to make a point and I go into it a little more here.
The original poster says, "The Bible instructs over and over again to remember the poor, and to not turn away those in need." But then continues with, "Should we freely give out cash to the random beggar on the street? ... I feel it would be better to give to someone you personally know and trust."
Josh: Question, poster. How many random beggars do you know and trust?
Poster: Umm, well, none actually.
Josh: So, you mean to say you don't give money to the less fortunate?
Poster: No, I do. A lot.
Josh: No doubt ... but only the less fortunate, trusted friends?
Poster: —
Josh: Oh.
I have to say I disagree with a certain thought process here, but it's only because I don't think Jesus did this while on Earth or that God does this with us. I don’t think “choosy giving” is what God had in mind, even though that is what most of us have been taught (usually for reasons of safety).
Let’s sum it up like this: God never told us to only give to certain people. He never said to only give if we believe they will do “right” with it or use it to our liking and approval. He said to give just like He gives. Not only ten percent, but more; not only your coat, but every article of clothing you can spare; not only _________, but also ________.
If I give only to those who fit my requirements, I’ve missed the point of Him asking me to give. It’s about my heart and my willingness to follow Him even when it doesn’t add up in my mind or even if they do something completely evil with it; it’s not about their subsequent actions. It’s about me.
And here's why: you can never dictate the free will of others … and thank goodness. You're not responsible for what they do with what you give them, you're responsible to be merciful to those who need mercy, to give to those in need—all those in need—and to love without exception precisely because that is exactly what He does, daily, with you.
He loves you without dictating your free will. He gives mercy to you without dictating your subsequent response. He provides for you (financially, spiritually, on and on and on) without forcing a "correct response" from you. Being like Him means giving to the uttermost, not giving when your criteria is met.
I will now approach some immediate arguments that come to mind.
1). "Well, that's just stupid. Why would you throw money away like that?" I don't know. Why did God just throw away Eden to those idiots? If He would have waited and let more people enjoy it first, it would have been put to better use. What's the point of making the most beautiful place in existence just to see it go down the drain almost immediately? More people enjoying it would have been a better plan in my book. Oh ... that free will thing. Nevermind.
2). "But because of Eden, because we messed it up so bad, God had to send His Son to make up for our mistakes." Yes and no. Jesus was slain before they sinned. And, in fact, the most extreme gift (Jesus) is still the most un-received by humanity. It's that free will thing again. When has the Father ever withheld His Son from someone?
3). "When we come to Jesus He still has expectations though." Yes, but they are not contingent on anything; the Father has already given the Son, regardless of our response.
4). "Throwing money at scam artists is a really bad business move." Of course it is, but I'm not talking about a start-up company. I'm talking about an attitude of the heart. Proverbs takes care of the wise and unwise business scenarios, but this does not fall into that category. This is not a "sow and reap" scenario as in the business world; those scenarios demand shrewdness and wisdom.
5). "But he's just going to get some beer or crack and I don't want to support his habit." Agreed, I don't either, but the scenario is rarely that simple. He may or he may not. But this is not about what he does with it, it's about your heart. Will you give because, and only because, God asks you to ... regardless of the outcome? Why does he have to swear to use it the right way before you do what God asks of you?
6). "There's government programs for that." Alternative solutions do not absolve the believer from doing what is right and good.
7). "Well, I'll certainly pray about it and see if I feel lead to do it." Since when did "doing what is right" mean that you had to have an open heaven vision or feel lead of the Lord?
8) "In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, the Bible says, 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'” You're right, it does. However, while it does have its merits in normal society, the verse you quoted is Paul speaking directly to other Christians taking advantage of the religious system, not to random beggars. So that’s a half thumbs-up on that one because, really, we’re supposed to provide for the orphaned, widowed, foreigner and oppressed among us. And God puts no qualifiers on why they are oppressed/less fortunate.
We take what God offers us daily (most of it we don't actually realize is coming from Him), and we rarely use it to the absolute full capacity of "what He intends". Should He stop giving because we make the wrong choice?
My point: where did we get the idea that our giving should only happen when we either “feel lead to give” or when the individual gives us a guarantee that it will be used “correctly”? Yeah, um, let’s not even get into whether they would lie or not.
Or seen from the angle of the other Beatitudes, are we supposed to pray only when we feel lead to pray or when we can get a guarantee that our prayers will have the outcome that we intended? Or, rather, could God’s primary point for prayer have mostly to do with our heart and with us partnering with who He is?
Are we supposed to fast only when we feel lead to fast or when we can get a guarantee that our fasting will have the outcome that we intended? Or, rather, could God’s primary point for fasting have mostly to do with our heart and with us partnering with who He is?
Are we supposed to only bless and forgive others (including our enemies) when we can get a guarantee that our blessing and forgiving will have the outcome that we intended? Or, rather, could God’s primary point for blessing and forgiving have mostly to do with our heart and with us partnering with who He is?
Are we supposed to only serve (including our enemies) when we can get a guarantee that our service and sacrifice will have the outcome (usually that means public applause) that we hoped would come our way? Or, rather, could God’s primary point for serving and sacrificing have mostly to do with our heart and with us partnering with who He is?
Whether we receive Him or not, Jesus has already been given by the Father to mankind. He is not waiting to give Jesus until we either do or promise to do something first; Jesus has already been given and He has no guarantee that every human will accept Him. It is not contingent upon us, and thankfully so because we still mess it up even after the fact. Does God give only when He either “feels lead to give” or when the individual gives Him a guarantee that it will be used “correctly”?
And let’s not even get into whether we would lie or not.
The original poster says, "The Bible instructs over and over again to remember the poor, and to not turn away those in need." But then continues with, "Should we freely give out cash to the random beggar on the street? ... I feel it would be better to give to someone you personally know and trust."
Josh: Question, poster. How many random beggars do you know and trust?
Poster: Umm, well, none actually.
Josh: So, you mean to say you don't give money to the less fortunate?
Poster: No, I do. A lot.
Josh: No doubt ... but only the less fortunate, trusted friends?
Poster: —
Josh: Oh.
I have to say I disagree with a certain thought process here, but it's only because I don't think Jesus did this while on Earth or that God does this with us. I don’t think “choosy giving” is what God had in mind, even though that is what most of us have been taught (usually for reasons of safety).
Let’s sum it up like this: God never told us to only give to certain people. He never said to only give if we believe they will do “right” with it or use it to our liking and approval. He said to give just like He gives. Not only ten percent, but more; not only your coat, but every article of clothing you can spare; not only _________, but also ________.
If I give only to those who fit my requirements, I’ve missed the point of Him asking me to give. It’s about my heart and my willingness to follow Him even when it doesn’t add up in my mind or even if they do something completely evil with it; it’s not about their subsequent actions. It’s about me.
And here's why: you can never dictate the free will of others … and thank goodness. You're not responsible for what they do with what you give them, you're responsible to be merciful to those who need mercy, to give to those in need—all those in need—and to love without exception precisely because that is exactly what He does, daily, with you.
He loves you without dictating your free will. He gives mercy to you without dictating your subsequent response. He provides for you (financially, spiritually, on and on and on) without forcing a "correct response" from you. Being like Him means giving to the uttermost, not giving when your criteria is met.
I will now approach some immediate arguments that come to mind.
1). "Well, that's just stupid. Why would you throw money away like that?" I don't know. Why did God just throw away Eden to those idiots? If He would have waited and let more people enjoy it first, it would have been put to better use. What's the point of making the most beautiful place in existence just to see it go down the drain almost immediately? More people enjoying it would have been a better plan in my book. Oh ... that free will thing. Nevermind.
2). "But because of Eden, because we messed it up so bad, God had to send His Son to make up for our mistakes." Yes and no. Jesus was slain before they sinned. And, in fact, the most extreme gift (Jesus) is still the most un-received by humanity. It's that free will thing again. When has the Father ever withheld His Son from someone?
3). "When we come to Jesus He still has expectations though." Yes, but they are not contingent on anything; the Father has already given the Son, regardless of our response.
4). "Throwing money at scam artists is a really bad business move." Of course it is, but I'm not talking about a start-up company. I'm talking about an attitude of the heart. Proverbs takes care of the wise and unwise business scenarios, but this does not fall into that category. This is not a "sow and reap" scenario as in the business world; those scenarios demand shrewdness and wisdom.
5). "But he's just going to get some beer or crack and I don't want to support his habit." Agreed, I don't either, but the scenario is rarely that simple. He may or he may not. But this is not about what he does with it, it's about your heart. Will you give because, and only because, God asks you to ... regardless of the outcome? Why does he have to swear to use it the right way before you do what God asks of you?
6). "There's government programs for that." Alternative solutions do not absolve the believer from doing what is right and good.
7). "Well, I'll certainly pray about it and see if I feel lead to do it." Since when did "doing what is right" mean that you had to have an open heaven vision or feel lead of the Lord?
8) "In 2 Thessalonians 3:10, the Bible says, 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'” You're right, it does. However, while it does have its merits in normal society, the verse you quoted is Paul speaking directly to other Christians taking advantage of the religious system, not to random beggars. So that’s a half thumbs-up on that one because, really, we’re supposed to provide for the orphaned, widowed, foreigner and oppressed among us. And God puts no qualifiers on why they are oppressed/less fortunate.
We take what God offers us daily (most of it we don't actually realize is coming from Him), and we rarely use it to the absolute full capacity of "what He intends". Should He stop giving because we make the wrong choice?
My point: where did we get the idea that our giving should only happen when we either “feel lead to give” or when the individual gives us a guarantee that it will be used “correctly”? Yeah, um, let’s not even get into whether they would lie or not.
Or seen from the angle of the other Beatitudes, are we supposed to pray only when we feel lead to pray or when we can get a guarantee that our prayers will have the outcome that we intended? Or, rather, could God’s primary point for prayer have mostly to do with our heart and with us partnering with who He is?
Are we supposed to fast only when we feel lead to fast or when we can get a guarantee that our fasting will have the outcome that we intended? Or, rather, could God’s primary point for fasting have mostly to do with our heart and with us partnering with who He is?
Are we supposed to only bless and forgive others (including our enemies) when we can get a guarantee that our blessing and forgiving will have the outcome that we intended? Or, rather, could God’s primary point for blessing and forgiving have mostly to do with our heart and with us partnering with who He is?
Are we supposed to only serve (including our enemies) when we can get a guarantee that our service and sacrifice will have the outcome (usually that means public applause) that we hoped would come our way? Or, rather, could God’s primary point for serving and sacrificing have mostly to do with our heart and with us partnering with who He is?
Whether we receive Him or not, Jesus has already been given by the Father to mankind. He is not waiting to give Jesus until we either do or promise to do something first; Jesus has already been given and He has no guarantee that every human will accept Him. It is not contingent upon us, and thankfully so because we still mess it up even after the fact. Does God give only when He either “feels lead to give” or when the individual gives Him a guarantee that it will be used “correctly”?
And let’s not even get into whether we would lie or not.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Olivia Update
We had the doctor's appointment last week. They thought she was doing fine, but this week we're not so sure. Her color is a bit more blue (bad sign) and she has been sleeping a lot more lately; she's not awake for more than about forty-five minutes. That's not normal for a three month old, but we don't know what it means. Could her next surgery be soon? We don't know. We're going to get a hold of our cardiologist next week and ask these questions.
Other than that, she's a normal kid. She's now laughing and cooing, and we found that her neck is incredibly ticklish. Here's a few pictures of the third muskateer.
Other than that, she's a normal kid. She's now laughing and cooing, and we found that her neck is incredibly ticklish. Here's a few pictures of the third muskateer.
Thought
No matter how many Taco Bell commercials you see, it's still the same eight ingredients.
"But this time the cheese in inside instead of on top..."
"But this time the cheese in inside instead of on top..."
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Recent Pictures
We took the girls to the park a week ago and borrowed a friend's camera to snap a few photos (thanks Nate and Sada!). I'll add more to our Flickr account this weekend so family can print off decent copies.
Here's Kayla-Marie.
Here's Maddie, the second Muskateer.
And here's volume three, Olivia.
Olivia will go to the cardiologist this Tuesday; we will post more about where she's at after the appointment.
Here's Kayla-Marie.
Here's Maddie, the second Muskateer.
And here's volume three, Olivia.
Olivia will go to the cardiologist this Tuesday; we will post more about where she's at after the appointment.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
In the Office
A designer in the office, who will remain nameless, is working on revamping Gary Wiens' Burning Heart Ministries website.
He left out the R from the second word.
He left out the R from the second word.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Pandora
For the last few months or so I've been listening to music on a cool website: Pandora.com.
The skinny is that you tell it what artist or song you like and it searches the far reaches of musicdom to find other things you may like as well. Give it a thumbs up and it will keep that song in the mix. Thumbs down makes it go away forever. It's the ultimate shuffle from artists you may never have heard of. And it's all in 128 so you can put it on your home system and it sounds great. You create entire radio stations based on one song or style so it always plays something you want to hear. I like the concept.
Some of my favorites ... based on drums, groove, or other cool factors ... Marc Broussard, John Mayer, Audioslave, Freddy Jones Band, Plumb, Dave Weckl, Jack Johnson, Fleming and John, etc.
Give it a look-see. Roll the dice and see if it gives you something you might like.
The skinny is that you tell it what artist or song you like and it searches the far reaches of musicdom to find other things you may like as well. Give it a thumbs up and it will keep that song in the mix. Thumbs down makes it go away forever. It's the ultimate shuffle from artists you may never have heard of. And it's all in 128 so you can put it on your home system and it sounds great. You create entire radio stations based on one song or style so it always plays something you want to hear. I like the concept.
Some of my favorites ... based on drums, groove, or other cool factors ... Marc Broussard, John Mayer, Audioslave, Freddy Jones Band, Plumb, Dave Weckl, Jack Johnson, Fleming and John, etc.
Give it a look-see. Roll the dice and see if it gives you something you might like.
How Could You Say "No"?!
The other morning Kayla came to our door and melted our hearts with a few words (don't ask me how she got out of her room).
"Mommy, Daddy. Kisses please."
"Mommy, Daddy. Kisses please."
From Amy For All the Ladies
Amy got this from a friend and thought it was hilarious.
The Hormone Hostage knows that there are days in the month when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his own hands! This is a handy guide that should be as common as a driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, co-worker, boss, or significant other!
DANGEROUS:
What's for dinner?
SAFER:
Can I help you with dinner?
SAFEST:
Where would you like to go for dinner?
ULTRA SAFE:
Here, have some wine.
DANGEROUS:
Are you wearing that?
SAFER:
Wow, you sure look good in brown!
SAFEST:
WOW! Look at you!
ULTRA SAFE:
Here, have some wine
DANGEROUS:
What are you so worked up about?
SAFER:
Could we be overreacting?
SAFEST:
Here's my paycheck.
ULTRA SAFE:
Here, have some wine.
DANGEROUS:
Should you be eating that?
SAFER:
You know, there are a lot of apples left.
SAFEST:
Can I get you a piece of chocolate with that?
ULTRA SAFE:
Here, have some wine.
DANGEROUS:
What did you do all day?
SAFER:
I hope you didn't overdo it today.
SAFEST:
I've always loved you in that robe!
ULTRA SAFE:
Here, have some more wine.
The Hormone Hostage knows that there are days in the month when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his own hands! This is a handy guide that should be as common as a driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, co-worker, boss, or significant other!
DANGEROUS:
What's for dinner?
SAFER:
Can I help you with dinner?
SAFEST:
Where would you like to go for dinner?
ULTRA SAFE:
Here, have some wine.
DANGEROUS:
Are you wearing that?
SAFER:
Wow, you sure look good in brown!
SAFEST:
WOW! Look at you!
ULTRA SAFE:
Here, have some wine
DANGEROUS:
What are you so worked up about?
SAFER:
Could we be overreacting?
SAFEST:
Here's my paycheck.
ULTRA SAFE:
Here, have some wine.
DANGEROUS:
Should you be eating that?
SAFER:
You know, there are a lot of apples left.
SAFEST:
Can I get you a piece of chocolate with that?
ULTRA SAFE:
Here, have some wine.
DANGEROUS:
What did you do all day?
SAFER:
I hope you didn't overdo it today.
SAFEST:
I've always loved you in that robe!
ULTRA SAFE:
Here, have some more wine.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Olivia Is Home!!!
My apologies for getting to this so late. It's been a tad crazy.
Olivia was discharged from the hospital on Friday night (this is Sunday afternoon) ... only four days after her heart surgery! Amazing. The doctors said she was doing incredibly well and were impressed with her recovery. So they (unexpectedly) released her after a few days instead of the usual 10–14 days. That means we don't get the benefit of highly-paid babysitters keeping an eye on her while we are away. All the poopy diapers are ours to change, all the cries are ours to soothe, and all the hours of the night are ours to explore with this little one.
Since then we have been at home trying to catch up from the exhausting 15-hour days in the hospital.
Olivia still has staples in her chest, but they should be removed on Thursday. People keep asking who she looks like, and I say, "Frankenstein from the neck down, but Kayla as a newborn from the neck up."
She's on one painkiller for the next day, a daily blood thinner until her next surgery at about 6 months old, and a medicine that expands the plumbing around her heart so she can pump blood effectively throughout her body.
Other than that, and the slight blue/purple color she almost always has, Olivia is a normal newborn ... albeit with the need for two more major surgeries or a creative miracle. We are asking God to break in with the miracle.
Olivia was discharged from the hospital on Friday night (this is Sunday afternoon) ... only four days after her heart surgery! Amazing. The doctors said she was doing incredibly well and were impressed with her recovery. So they (unexpectedly) released her after a few days instead of the usual 10–14 days. That means we don't get the benefit of highly-paid babysitters keeping an eye on her while we are away. All the poopy diapers are ours to change, all the cries are ours to soothe, and all the hours of the night are ours to explore with this little one.
Since then we have been at home trying to catch up from the exhausting 15-hour days in the hospital.
Olivia still has staples in her chest, but they should be removed on Thursday. People keep asking who she looks like, and I say, "Frankenstein from the neck down, but Kayla as a newborn from the neck up."
She's on one painkiller for the next day, a daily blood thinner until her next surgery at about 6 months old, and a medicine that expands the plumbing around her heart so she can pump blood effectively throughout her body.
Other than that, and the slight blue/purple color she almost always has, Olivia is a normal newborn ... albeit with the need for two more major surgeries or a creative miracle. We are asking God to break in with the miracle.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Olivia's Surgery Complete
Olivia's surgery is complete. She had a shunt put in about the diameter of a pencil, and it took about an hour. She will have a bit of time to recover (three days to be out of the "critical" timeframe). Then she will have up to 2 weeks to be fully recovered.
Thanks for praying for her.
You guys are great!
Thanks for praying for her.
You guys are great!
Surgery Prep
It is 2PM here and Olivia has not been taken yet. Apparently the prior surgery is taking a while longer than expected. And I hope they grab lunch before they start on her.
They have about 40 minutes of prep to do beforehand so they will hopefully take her soon. We were just told she may be the last surgery of the day.
We've been praying for a creative miracle with the understanding that it may come to the point of needing surgery. Olivia's oxygen saturation level has been in the high 80s all morning, which is unheard of ... it's a great thing. So I pushed for one last echo and they did it. No info yet on the results. So pretty soon it will come to the point of switching gears to pray for the medical personnel.
*********
The anesthesiologist just stepped in. It's time to roll.
Time to pray for the medical personnel. They've done this a lot, so it will be successful anyways ... but we always like to cover them in prayer.
Guide them, Father. Take care of Your little girl.
Thanks for praying with us.
They have about 40 minutes of prep to do beforehand so they will hopefully take her soon. We were just told she may be the last surgery of the day.
We've been praying for a creative miracle with the understanding that it may come to the point of needing surgery. Olivia's oxygen saturation level has been in the high 80s all morning, which is unheard of ... it's a great thing. So I pushed for one last echo and they did it. No info yet on the results. So pretty soon it will come to the point of switching gears to pray for the medical personnel.
*********
The anesthesiologist just stepped in. It's time to roll.
Time to pray for the medical personnel. They've done this a lot, so it will be successful anyways ... but we always like to cover them in prayer.
Guide them, Father. Take care of Your little girl.
Thanks for praying with us.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Surgery Monday
Olivia is scheduled as the third heart surgery on Monday morning. That means sometime between 10AM and 1PM most likely. It will last anywhere from one to four hours depending on complications.
She will be sedated for at least one day afterwards to allow her body to rest and recuperate. By the third day after she should start looking more normal: swelling should be gone, medicines and IVs should decrease, less irritability, etc. We will then need to resume all the regular baby stuff like feedings, wake time, diaper changes, holding her often and allowing her a lot of sleep.
But, oh, the beauty she will posses as she emerges like a butterfly ... it will be wonderous.
It seems she's been a different person for so long; we can't wait to get to know the real Olivia Anne.
She will be sedated for at least one day afterwards to allow her body to rest and recuperate. By the third day after she should start looking more normal: swelling should be gone, medicines and IVs should decrease, less irritability, etc. We will then need to resume all the regular baby stuff like feedings, wake time, diaper changes, holding her often and allowing her a lot of sleep.
But, oh, the beauty she will posses as she emerges like a butterfly ... it will be wonderous.
It seems she's been a different person for so long; we can't wait to get to know the real Olivia Anne.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Friday Update
After all the specialists and surgeons met today, they let us know that their timetable has changed, which is to be expected in the medical world. Instead of doing the heart catheterization, they will just do the shunt surgery on Monday.
They know she needs the shunt, but the cath was in order to answer questions that have to do with the two open heart surgeries, so it can wait. She’ll get it before the second surgery.
We are at the Hospital now and will spend the night here. We have a 7AM meeting with the surgeon (Lofland) tomorrow. “Late to bed and early to rise gives everyone bags under their eyes.”
As a follow-up to the Doctor-ese, here’s a link to Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital. It’s a great explanation of what Olivia is going through, complete with a flash movie or illustrated summary. Interesting stuff.
They know she needs the shunt, but the cath was in order to answer questions that have to do with the two open heart surgeries, so it can wait. She’ll get it before the second surgery.
We are at the Hospital now and will spend the night here. We have a 7AM meeting with the surgeon (Lofland) tomorrow. “Late to bed and early to rise gives everyone bags under their eyes.”
As a follow-up to the Doctor-ese, here’s a link to Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital. It’s a great explanation of what Olivia is going through, complete with a flash movie or illustrated summary. Interesting stuff.
Thursday Night Olivia Update
I don't want to use the term stable because it insinuates she is fine. However, she is stabilized in that she is not fine, but in a controlled environment and being cared for.
She's on some medicine (prostaglandin, or "prostin" in the biz) that makes her feel flu-ish even though she doesn't have the flu. She has waves of heat and chills, irritability (she's getting a bad rep in the ward), her appetite comes and goes, and stuff like that.
It's not fun to see her like this, and I can't say I understand why they were doing this to her, so I (nicely) grilled them with one main issue: give me a list of pros that outweigh the cons of just going ahead with the surgery. Why is it necessary to make her feel terrible and put off the inevitable?
Their answers:
—Her strength will increase noticeably in the next few days.
—Recovery will be faster and more assured once she has more meat on her bones and an established feeding pattern.
—Her little body (organs, arteries, etc.) will decompress and become more pliable compared to the "scrunched womb state" she has been in.
—This will allow the surgeons to be more successful with manipulating her plumbing.
—She is stabilized, after all, so there is no need to rush. However, if a sharp change occurs they will proceed immediately.
—Extra monitoring is helpful.
—More doctor-ese lingo (no comprendo).
There are probably a few more.
Plan of Action
—All the surgeons and specialists have their weekly meeting Friday morning. They will discuss Olivia and come to a consensus. More brains = better outcome ... or something.
—The heart catheterization will happen soon, but the dates keep changing.
—The shunt will be put in soon after the cath is done.
—Recovery will be 10–14 days. After the third day we will know more closely how long recovery will take.
—She comes home after that. I'm sure we'll get more info on that later.
—At some indefinite time later (months? years?), she will have at least two major open heart surgeries to give her bigger arteries. Her body will tell us when that needs to happen.
—After that, she should be closer to "normal" than ever before, but never 100%.
What am I saying?!?! I'm not leaving any room for God in all this.
Wow. Let's try something else...
—God can heal her.
—We would like to see her healed.
—We are praying for God's creative miracle in her heart and respiratory system.
—We'll switch gears and pray for all the surgery stuff if that needs to happen, but until then, it's all God.
Create in her a new heart and restore something steadfast within her.
She's on some medicine (prostaglandin, or "prostin" in the biz) that makes her feel flu-ish even though she doesn't have the flu. She has waves of heat and chills, irritability (she's getting a bad rep in the ward), her appetite comes and goes, and stuff like that.
It's not fun to see her like this, and I can't say I understand why they were doing this to her, so I (nicely) grilled them with one main issue: give me a list of pros that outweigh the cons of just going ahead with the surgery. Why is it necessary to make her feel terrible and put off the inevitable?
Their answers:
—Her strength will increase noticeably in the next few days.
—Recovery will be faster and more assured once she has more meat on her bones and an established feeding pattern.
—Her little body (organs, arteries, etc.) will decompress and become more pliable compared to the "scrunched womb state" she has been in.
—This will allow the surgeons to be more successful with manipulating her plumbing.
—She is stabilized, after all, so there is no need to rush. However, if a sharp change occurs they will proceed immediately.
—Extra monitoring is helpful.
—More doctor-ese lingo (no comprendo).
There are probably a few more.
Plan of Action
—All the surgeons and specialists have their weekly meeting Friday morning. They will discuss Olivia and come to a consensus. More brains = better outcome ... or something.
—The heart catheterization will happen soon, but the dates keep changing.
—The shunt will be put in soon after the cath is done.
—Recovery will be 10–14 days. After the third day we will know more closely how long recovery will take.
—She comes home after that. I'm sure we'll get more info on that later.
—At some indefinite time later (months? years?), she will have at least two major open heart surgeries to give her bigger arteries. Her body will tell us when that needs to happen.
—After that, she should be closer to "normal" than ever before, but never 100%.
What am I saying?!?! I'm not leaving any room for God in all this.
Wow. Let's try something else...
—God can heal her.
—We would like to see her healed.
—We are praying for God's creative miracle in her heart and respiratory system.
—We'll switch gears and pray for all the surgery stuff if that needs to happen, but until then, it's all God.
Create in her a new heart and restore something steadfast within her.
For the Info-Minded
For those of you who want some real details (“I have questions … I want info … Yes, I read instruction manuals…”) this post is for you. The rest of you can skip it and go to the next post. Here is some doctor-ese we have been hearing lately. This is for informational purposes and may not be 100% accurate; I’m not a medical professional, but it’s the best I can gather without Googling everything ad nauseum.
Septum — A separation within the body. It has nothing to do with an old metal tank next to an older house.
Ventricle — One of the two lower chambers within the heart, the Right and Left Ventricle. The LV circulates blood from the lungs to the heart where it picks up oxygen and gets pumped throughout the body. The blood then returns to the RV which circulates blood from the heart to the body again, and returns to the lungs to make a new run. It’s a big figure eight. The two upper chambers are called Atriums. Blood enters the heart through the atriums (like the foyer of a house) and exits through the ventricles.
Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) — A hole between the two ventricles. In Olivia’s case, the middle wall between the left and right ventricle is almost non-existent; about three-quarters of the middle wall did not form. This makes the blood slosh back and forth between both ventricles and become diluted instead of being pumped throughout the body like normal.
Murmur — When blood sloshes back and forth between both ventricles. This was the first indication that Olivia may have further complications.
Oxygen Saturation — The amount of oxygen within the bloodstream. For Olivia, this number (usually 95–100% in a normal person) has been steadily decreasing each day, and it drops sharply quite often for a few seconds or several minutes.
Desaturation — When the amount of oxygen within the bloodstream makes a sharp drop. Depending on additional signs, this could mean bigger problems.
Pulmonary — Having to do with the lungs and respiratory system.
Hypertension — Pressure. Pulmonary hypertension, then, would be pressure on the lungs or respiratory system.
Cardia — Having to do with the heart system (cardiac, cathartic, etc.).
Catheter — Any tube inserted into the body, but each one has a different purpose: investigation (testing), insertion (putting stuff in) or excavation (getting stuff out).
Cardiac Catheterization — Testing the heart by using a tube designed to gather information: volume of blood the heart pumps, diameter and length of arteries and veins, location of main aortas, location and extent of the VSD, etc. This will probably be accompanied with injecting a dye into the bloodstream so they can map out what it looks like in there.
Apnea — To stop breathing momentarily. Olivia has this as a side effect of one of the medicines she is being given. It’s a bit unsettling when you are holding her.
EKG/ECG — Electrocardiogram: a test that measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat and shows it with real-time pictures. It’s just like a sonogram for seeing a baby in the mother’s womb. Black and white is still classy, right?
Shunt — An artificial artery (made out of Gortex or Dacron usually). Olivia’s shunt will go from the pulmonary artery to the heart so more oxygenated blood gets pumped throughout her body.
Homograft — A donated body part from another human that will be surgically grafted in. For Olivia, she may be given a donated artery in a few years.
Open Heart Surgery — Surgery that consists of stopping the heart, placing the patient on a machine to keep her alive, working on the heart, replacing it in her body, and restarting her heart. It is now a common surgery, but has the risks you’re thinking of. Getting the shunt is not open heart, but the following two surgeries (and maybe more) are.
Septum — A separation within the body. It has nothing to do with an old metal tank next to an older house.
Ventricle — One of the two lower chambers within the heart, the Right and Left Ventricle. The LV circulates blood from the lungs to the heart where it picks up oxygen and gets pumped throughout the body. The blood then returns to the RV which circulates blood from the heart to the body again, and returns to the lungs to make a new run. It’s a big figure eight. The two upper chambers are called Atriums. Blood enters the heart through the atriums (like the foyer of a house) and exits through the ventricles.
Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) — A hole between the two ventricles. In Olivia’s case, the middle wall between the left and right ventricle is almost non-existent; about three-quarters of the middle wall did not form. This makes the blood slosh back and forth between both ventricles and become diluted instead of being pumped throughout the body like normal.
Murmur — When blood sloshes back and forth between both ventricles. This was the first indication that Olivia may have further complications.
Oxygen Saturation — The amount of oxygen within the bloodstream. For Olivia, this number (usually 95–100% in a normal person) has been steadily decreasing each day, and it drops sharply quite often for a few seconds or several minutes.
Desaturation — When the amount of oxygen within the bloodstream makes a sharp drop. Depending on additional signs, this could mean bigger problems.
Pulmonary — Having to do with the lungs and respiratory system.
Hypertension — Pressure. Pulmonary hypertension, then, would be pressure on the lungs or respiratory system.
Cardia — Having to do with the heart system (cardiac, cathartic, etc.).
Catheter — Any tube inserted into the body, but each one has a different purpose: investigation (testing), insertion (putting stuff in) or excavation (getting stuff out).
Cardiac Catheterization — Testing the heart by using a tube designed to gather information: volume of blood the heart pumps, diameter and length of arteries and veins, location of main aortas, location and extent of the VSD, etc. This will probably be accompanied with injecting a dye into the bloodstream so they can map out what it looks like in there.
Apnea — To stop breathing momentarily. Olivia has this as a side effect of one of the medicines she is being given. It’s a bit unsettling when you are holding her.
EKG/ECG — Electrocardiogram: a test that measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat and shows it with real-time pictures. It’s just like a sonogram for seeing a baby in the mother’s womb. Black and white is still classy, right?
Shunt — An artificial artery (made out of Gortex or Dacron usually). Olivia’s shunt will go from the pulmonary artery to the heart so more oxygenated blood gets pumped throughout her body.
Homograft — A donated body part from another human that will be surgically grafted in. For Olivia, she may be given a donated artery in a few years.
Open Heart Surgery — Surgery that consists of stopping the heart, placing the patient on a machine to keep her alive, working on the heart, replacing it in her body, and restarting her heart. It is now a common surgery, but has the risks you’re thinking of. Getting the shunt is not open heart, but the following two surgeries (and maybe more) are.
Not the Only Ones
We are not the only ones in our part of the world with the need for a creative miracle from God. Pray for Wes and Amanda Martin. They are pregnant with twins (about 26 weeks along, give or take) who are not doing very well. I don't have details at the moment, but whispering their name to God is enough to turn His face toward them.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Peace and Rest
God makes ways for me to rest in the smooth meadow grass.
Come to Me and I will give you rest—all of you who work so hard under every kind of heaviness.
Rest in the Lord.
Christ has already entered there. He is resting from His work, just as God did after the creation.
Do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your spiritual strength comes as a gift from God.
Then we will no longer be like immature children, forever changing or minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different, or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Jesus who is the head of His Body, the Church.
I am seated in His much-desired shade and His fruit is lovely to eat. He brings me to the banquet hall and everyone can see how much He loves me.
Come to Me and I will give you rest—all of you who work so hard under every kind of heaviness.
Rest in the Lord.
Christ has already entered there. He is resting from His work, just as God did after the creation.
Do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your spiritual strength comes as a gift from God.
Then we will no longer be like immature children, forever changing or minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different, or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Jesus who is the head of His Body, the Church.
I am seated in His much-desired shade and His fruit is lovely to eat. He brings me to the banquet hall and everyone can see how much He loves me.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
He Will Come
Don't be impatient. Wait for the Lord and He will come and save you. Be brave, stout-hearted and courageous.
Don't you yet understand? Don't you know by now that the everlasting God, the creator of the farthest parts of the earth, never grows faint or weary? He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak.
Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with My victorious, righteous right hand.
To the poor, oh Lord, You are a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, a shelter...
When the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems; they are always invitations from Him. When your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.
Do not let your happy trust in the Lord wither away, no matter what happens. Remember your reward! Keep on patiently doing God's will and He will do all that He has promised for you. His coming will not be delayed much longer.
Don't you yet understand? Don't you know by now that the everlasting God, the creator of the farthest parts of the earth, never grows faint or weary? He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak.
Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with My victorious, righteous right hand.
To the poor, oh Lord, You are a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, a shelter...
When the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems; they are always invitations from Him. When your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.
Do not let your happy trust in the Lord wither away, no matter what happens. Remember your reward! Keep on patiently doing God's will and He will do all that He has promised for you. His coming will not be delayed much longer.
Thank You
I wanted to write something to express our thanks. I just don't know how to say what's going on inside.
There are so many friends and so many who care, we are simply overwhelmed with gratitude.
IHOP-KC
The NightWatch
ZHOP in the Carolinas
Melbourne, Australia
Friends & fam on E & W coast
Friends visiting us in various waiting rooms and ICUs
Lone intercessors from all over
Small and large prayer chains dotting the time zones with hope
You bring us before the Almighty.
You uphold us in our lack.
You encourage us with your simple steadfastness.
There have been answers to your prayers already, in something as simple as wise counsel finding us.
You matter.
You who make mention of His name, give Him no rest.
Thank you.
There are so many friends and so many who care, we are simply overwhelmed with gratitude.
IHOP-KC
The NightWatch
ZHOP in the Carolinas
Melbourne, Australia
Friends & fam on E & W coast
Friends visiting us in various waiting rooms and ICUs
Lone intercessors from all over
Small and large prayer chains dotting the time zones with hope
You bring us before the Almighty.
You uphold us in our lack.
You encourage us with your simple steadfastness.
There have been answers to your prayers already, in something as simple as wise counsel finding us.
You matter.
You who make mention of His name, give Him no rest.
Thank you.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Surgery Pronto
Olivia has worsened.
As of about 8PM Tuesday night, she has been taken to Children's Mercy in downtown KC. We are tucking the girls in bed and will meet Olivia there after her in-processing.
She will have a heart catheterization (litany of tests) within the next day or two at most, and 24 hours later will have surgery.
The surgery will put in a BT Shunt, which is a massive artificial vein between the lungs and heart to help give her more oxygenated blood.
Pray for her. Thanks.
As of about 8PM Tuesday night, she has been taken to Children's Mercy in downtown KC. We are tucking the girls in bed and will meet Olivia there after her in-processing.
She will have a heart catheterization (litany of tests) within the next day or two at most, and 24 hours later will have surgery.
The surgery will put in a BT Shunt, which is a massive artificial vein between the lungs and heart to help give her more oxygenated blood.
Pray for her. Thanks.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Amy and Olivia
A few pictures of the beautiful baby girl and the proud mom.
I will give an adequate update as soon as I have some decent time. Suffice it to say that Olivia may or may not be coming home this week, but that is dependent on a number of things that have rapidly changed over the past two days.
Her condition (Tetralogy of Fallot with double-outlet RV ... I could explain it, but it would take at least two whiteboards) may be more easily operable than the initial diagnosis.
She will need open heart surgery still. Several surgeries throughout the first five years of life, and maybe more later on.
She will live with the heart/oxygen/lung problem for a few months and be in need of our constant and vigorous attention until surgery can occur, at which time she will be more "normal-ish" than if she got the Fontan surgeries (previous post).
Or God can do a creative miracle. He can create in her a new heart and renew something steadfast within her. We're praying for this one.
I will give an adequate update as soon as I have some decent time. Suffice it to say that Olivia may or may not be coming home this week, but that is dependent on a number of things that have rapidly changed over the past two days.
Her condition (Tetralogy of Fallot with double-outlet RV ... I could explain it, but it would take at least two whiteboards) may be more easily operable than the initial diagnosis.
She will need open heart surgery still. Several surgeries throughout the first five years of life, and maybe more later on.
She will live with the heart/oxygen/lung problem for a few months and be in need of our constant and vigorous attention until surgery can occur, at which time she will be more "normal-ish" than if she got the Fontan surgeries (previous post).
Or God can do a creative miracle. He can create in her a new heart and renew something steadfast within her. We're praying for this one.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Update On Olivia
Since the last post, things have gotten pretty bad for Olivia. At the moment she is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) so she can be monitored.
She has several heart defects which were not noticeable until her second day in this world, but were (thankfully) discovered before we were discharged from the hospital.
Here's the basic rundown:
—Instead of having two chambers like a normal heart, Olivia's heart only has one. It's the same size as a normal heart, but the chambers (ventricles) never formed completely. This is common and sometimes the body will finish the job, but the gap seems to be too large for her body to finish creating the chamber wall.
—This means that, while one chamber would be used for oxygenated blood and the other for non-oxygenated blood, her heart simply mixes the two in the one large chamber and puts it back out to the body again, lacking what it needs.
—She has a lack of oxygen in her blood. As blood travels throughout your body, it takes oxygen as fuel and "life" to each cell. The organs take the oxygen they need and the blood goes back to the lungs to pick up more oxygen, then to the heart to get pumped out again. So if your blood starts out as 90% oxygen (most people's blood does), it will return with about 65% oxygen since it has been used.
—But if it starts out at about 65%, it will return with about 40% oxygen. The blood is only "40% saturated with oxygen" (or 60% de-saturated), which is not good.
—Another issue is that the main aorta (vein) from her heart to her lungs should be about 10mm in diameter. Olivia's is about 3mm in diameter, causing her to only be pumping 30% at a time through the lungs to get oxygen. Translation: she is only getting 30% of the oxygen into her bloodstream that she needs to function.
—This isn't a problem when she is resting. It becomes a problem when she gets fussy or worked up for whatever reason (hungry, tired, "don't mess with me right now," etc.). As she cries, her heart starts racing and her body prepares for a rush of blood throughout her body in response to her expending a ton of energy. But the amount of oxygen in her blood drops drastically due to everything just mentioned (one chamber, abnormal aorta, etc.). She tends to turn blue and lose her breath because of this.
—If she gets into a panicked cycle like this it could be quite dangerous.
—We will possibly need to move her to a Children's hospital within the next few days.
So what are the options?
1). Allow her body to stabilize, keep her calm at all times and bring her home. This will only happen in conjunction with one of the following things:
2). Administer prostaglandin on an hourly basis, a medicine that will temporarily cause the constricted vein to open up a little.
3). Perform the first of three heart surgeries within the week. The first phase inserts an artificial vein between the lungs and heart. This would solve or at least delay the "not enough oxygenated blood" problem. But it also has side effects and a list of pros (no hampered breathing, good oxygenation...) and cons (clot, stroke, or worse).
4). The second phase would happen when she is between six and twelve months old, and the third phase would happen between three and six years old. Together these phases would create a new aorta between the lungs and heart that would make her practically normal. She may have to take some medicine, but hopefully not a lot. And she certainly wouldn't be running any Olympic marathons. But in all other respects she would be normal. [We do not yet know whether our MC+ insurance will cover any of the surgeries.]
What are we asking for?
1). Firstly, a miracle. We would love to see God do a creative miracle and give Olivia two normal chambers and a normal aorta. This is our primary prayer, and we would love it if you would agree with us in prayer on this primary point.
2). Faith in God. I sat here for twenty minutes thinking of everything I want to say about this, but the bottom line is that He is good and He is able.
3). Wisdom with the choices. There's lots to sift through, and, if you can believe it, this is the condensed version. We need wisdom.
4). Good counsel. Making a good choice based on bad info doesn't help.
5). Medical personnel. That God would bless them and guide them as they care for Olivia, and, if it comes to it, that He would guide them as they perform surgery.
6). Peace. It is a stabilizer and a guide in the fog. Satan's kingdom is a kingdom of unrest. But the person who makes the Lord their Refuge will have Him and the Spirit of Peace as their reward.
7). Your prayers. He moves at the sound of our voice because of His love for us. I invite you to join with me in overwhelming His heart with our affection so that He "strides forth in the glory of His strength". What will He do because of our love? Will He heal our little girl? Would He rise up as the Conqueror against the kingdom of unrest? We believe He will. Join us.
8). Logistics. If you are the kind of person who likes helping with logistical things (transportation, meals, etc.), we may have some opportunities pop up. I can't think of anything at the moment, but we just don't know what's coming around the corner.
Thank you for all your prayers, phone calls, flowers, words of encouragement, prayers, visits, babysitting, coffee, food, and prayers. And especially your prayers. We have been overwhelmed with your friendship and care. Thank you.
Josh, Amy, Kayla-Marie, Madeline and Olivia
The Farmer Tribe
She has several heart defects which were not noticeable until her second day in this world, but were (thankfully) discovered before we were discharged from the hospital.
Here's the basic rundown:
—Instead of having two chambers like a normal heart, Olivia's heart only has one. It's the same size as a normal heart, but the chambers (ventricles) never formed completely. This is common and sometimes the body will finish the job, but the gap seems to be too large for her body to finish creating the chamber wall.
—This means that, while one chamber would be used for oxygenated blood and the other for non-oxygenated blood, her heart simply mixes the two in the one large chamber and puts it back out to the body again, lacking what it needs.
—She has a lack of oxygen in her blood. As blood travels throughout your body, it takes oxygen as fuel and "life" to each cell. The organs take the oxygen they need and the blood goes back to the lungs to pick up more oxygen, then to the heart to get pumped out again. So if your blood starts out as 90% oxygen (most people's blood does), it will return with about 65% oxygen since it has been used.
—But if it starts out at about 65%, it will return with about 40% oxygen. The blood is only "40% saturated with oxygen" (or 60% de-saturated), which is not good.
—Another issue is that the main aorta (vein) from her heart to her lungs should be about 10mm in diameter. Olivia's is about 3mm in diameter, causing her to only be pumping 30% at a time through the lungs to get oxygen. Translation: she is only getting 30% of the oxygen into her bloodstream that she needs to function.
—This isn't a problem when she is resting. It becomes a problem when she gets fussy or worked up for whatever reason (hungry, tired, "don't mess with me right now," etc.). As she cries, her heart starts racing and her body prepares for a rush of blood throughout her body in response to her expending a ton of energy. But the amount of oxygen in her blood drops drastically due to everything just mentioned (one chamber, abnormal aorta, etc.). She tends to turn blue and lose her breath because of this.
—If she gets into a panicked cycle like this it could be quite dangerous.
—We will possibly need to move her to a Children's hospital within the next few days.
So what are the options?
1). Allow her body to stabilize, keep her calm at all times and bring her home. This will only happen in conjunction with one of the following things:
2). Administer prostaglandin on an hourly basis, a medicine that will temporarily cause the constricted vein to open up a little.
3). Perform the first of three heart surgeries within the week. The first phase inserts an artificial vein between the lungs and heart. This would solve or at least delay the "not enough oxygenated blood" problem. But it also has side effects and a list of pros (no hampered breathing, good oxygenation...) and cons (clot, stroke, or worse).
4). The second phase would happen when she is between six and twelve months old, and the third phase would happen between three and six years old. Together these phases would create a new aorta between the lungs and heart that would make her practically normal. She may have to take some medicine, but hopefully not a lot. And she certainly wouldn't be running any Olympic marathons. But in all other respects she would be normal. [We do not yet know whether our MC+ insurance will cover any of the surgeries.]
What are we asking for?
1). Firstly, a miracle. We would love to see God do a creative miracle and give Olivia two normal chambers and a normal aorta. This is our primary prayer, and we would love it if you would agree with us in prayer on this primary point.
2). Faith in God. I sat here for twenty minutes thinking of everything I want to say about this, but the bottom line is that He is good and He is able.
3). Wisdom with the choices. There's lots to sift through, and, if you can believe it, this is the condensed version. We need wisdom.
4). Good counsel. Making a good choice based on bad info doesn't help.
5). Medical personnel. That God would bless them and guide them as they care for Olivia, and, if it comes to it, that He would guide them as they perform surgery.
6). Peace. It is a stabilizer and a guide in the fog. Satan's kingdom is a kingdom of unrest. But the person who makes the Lord their Refuge will have Him and the Spirit of Peace as their reward.
7). Your prayers. He moves at the sound of our voice because of His love for us. I invite you to join with me in overwhelming His heart with our affection so that He "strides forth in the glory of His strength". What will He do because of our love? Will He heal our little girl? Would He rise up as the Conqueror against the kingdom of unrest? We believe He will. Join us.
8). Logistics. If you are the kind of person who likes helping with logistical things (transportation, meals, etc.), we may have some opportunities pop up. I can't think of anything at the moment, but we just don't know what's coming around the corner.
Thank you for all your prayers, phone calls, flowers, words of encouragement, prayers, visits, babysitting, coffee, food, and prayers. And especially your prayers. We have been overwhelmed with your friendship and care. Thank you.
Josh, Amy, Kayla-Marie, Madeline and Olivia
The Farmer Tribe
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Olivia Is Here!!!
Our newest beautiful baby girl is here!!!
After a two-hour window of hard labor and only two pushes, Olivia Anne was born today at 1:52PM. She weighed 6lbs, 8ozs and measured 18 and one-quarter inches.
And Amy was incredible!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Iranian President's Blog
Iran's leader, Ahmadinejad, has launched a blog. Presumably it is to raise support for his causes and stir a lot of trouble. Lest you've forgotten, one of his stated goals is to cause such a disruption to the world that the Islamic messiah (which, funny enough, seems to be the Bible's description of the Antichrist) would have to show up to straighten it all out ... he's helping to push us toward the end.
His first entry, 2500 words about his poor and oppressed upbringing and punctuated with anti-American, anti-Western rhetoric, is very long (think the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy back to back, with features, but without action or relevance to the Western world). He even apologizes and promises to make future posts simpler and shorter.
Gee, if only that were my sole complaint...
Friday, August 11, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
Kickin' Bootay
Check out the Keynote addressing Apple's upcoming operating system, named Leopard. It's an hour and a half, so do it when you have the time.
It's got some pretty good stuff in there ... Time Machine to automatically back up your entire system (cool 3D UI as well); Web Clips to create your own widgets; Notes and To-Do's in your Mail account to keep you on track (it's a bigger deal than it sounds ... and it syncs with your calendar, duh); Mail now has stationery you can drop your own photos into; iChat has cool 3D or video backgrounds; you can show pretty much any slideshow (Keynote, Pages, iPhoto, etc.) over Video iChat with whomever you are talking to; and there are a few sucker punches on Windows in the first thirty minutes. That's gonna leave a mark.
Apple's got Leopard. And Microsoft has a cat—a copycat.
Nipping "Mine!" In The Bud
For every parent, there has been a handful of nagging questions about how to raise their kids to be great people. But as Christians we have a few more levels we want to see our kids understand. To a great degree, parents represent and display "God" to their kids, and whether we want to accept it or not, we are their primary influence when it comes to how they view Him.
How do we do that without having to re-teach them in a few years? I'm only going on theories at the moment, so if any of you have a few ideas to pass on, I would really appreciate it.
How do we do that without having to re-teach them in a few years? I'm only going on theories at the moment, so if any of you have a few ideas to pass on, I would really appreciate it.
WWDC06
The WWDC06 starts today ... that's the WorldWide Developers Conference for Apple. They are previewing "Leopard", the new operating system for Mac—which would make it the fourth complete revamp to come out since Windows released their last version. I'm excited to see what they've done to the interface ... maybe given it a facelift or made all the confirmation dialog boxes uniform. I'm hopeful that they would introduce something as important (in the computing world, that is) as Exposé, Widgets, or (an updated) Spotlight, but the experts have been saying that I shouldn't hold my breath. For sure, they will be shooting to make Vista look like Nickelodeon Kids. Shouldn't be hard.
I'll be watching Steve Jobs' Keynote Webcast as soon as it comes out. And so will the rest of IHOP's Web Development and IT Team.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Thoughts on the Israel–HezbAllah Conflict
This started out as a small thought, but ... it's not. Fair warning.
*******
Here's a link to a public address from Israel's Prime Minister. Click on the picture at the bottom center of the page with the caption, "PM Addressing Israel Supporters".
Two things to have in mind before you watch it. According to their beliefs, a radical Muslim only has two options available:
1) Convert any non-radical Muslim (whether they be pew-sitting Muslim or of another religion) into a radical Muslim who is willing to kill others for not converting, or
2) Kill everyone unwilling to convert to radical Islam.
Become a killer or get killed.
This is not some mamby-pamby would-you-like-to-come-to-our-Vacation-Bible-School ninny club. This is a religious army with real guns and rockets—supplied by the likes of Iran, Syria, Lebanon and other mostly-Muslim nations that want to see all Jews murdered and Israel (as a Jewish nation) completely destroyed.
This is their modus operendi: become a killer or get killed, but all Jews must be killed. From Wiki: "Hezbollah supports the destruction of the state of Israel and has co-operated with other militant Islamic organizations such as Hamas in order to promote this goal … The complete destruction of the State of Israel and the establishment of Islamic rule over Jerusalem is an expressed goal."
In twelve days, over 600 rockets have been fired from HezbAllah into 100% civilian neighborhoods. Radical Muslims are killing civilian Jews on purpose, with no pause, no resttraint, no hesitation whatsoever.
Oh, I hear, but what about Israel attacking civilians as well over the border? Sure, let's look at that.
Because the world recognized what an out-of-control terrorist group HezbAllah is, in 2004 Lebanon was ordered by UN Resolution 1559 to disarm and completely strip HezbAllah. They did not. From Wiki: "The continued existence of Hezbollah's military wing after 1990 violates the Taif Agreement that ended the Lebanese civil war, which requires the 'disbanding of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias' and requires the government to 'deploy the Lebanese army in the border area adjacent to Israel.' The Lebanese government did not try to disarm the Hezbollah..." Instead, the HezbAllah has taken over the southern border of Lebanon, forming a parasitic relationship with its host communities: they feed off the "protection" the community provides while using it to suck the blood of hope from the Middle East by killing civilian Jews.
Yes, you heard right, they are in the small neighborhoods. So when Israel finds out exactly where they are, Israel has two choices: basic hand-to-hand combat in that apartment, or bomb it. When we hear of civilian casualties on HezbAllah's side, its precisely because they are in the neighborhoods and Lebanon has allowed them to be there. If Lebanon would have kicked HezbAllah's butt years ago when Israel waited for the world to get involved, this wouldn't be where it is now. They did not. From Wiki: "Since Israel's withdrawl from Lebanon in 2000, and until the conflict arising in July 2006, Hezbollah has used the period of quiet to secretly arm itself with Syrian and Iranian missiles, which it claims number over 10,000. Placing them, according to many reports (including British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East Dr. Kim Howells in an interview on CNN, July 22, 2006), in civilian locations, including family homes, crowded residential neighborhoods and mosques."
A word about Israel's accuracy. The Associated Press made this observation last week. HezbAllah straps dynamite to themselves and blows up buses, hotels, restaurants and anywhere else even one single Jew might be ... regardless of how many Arabs or Muslims might be there. Lots of damage, tons of carnage, no accuracy. Israel picks the Syrian Defense Security's five-story office building to bomb due to his direct involvement in funneling weapons to the Hezzies. They leave the ground floor and third floor untouched, but destroy the second floor, fourth floor and fifth floor with missiles from a fighter jet. They did it on purpose and they were accurate.
Israel captures Hezzie terrorists and puts them in jail. In retaliation, HezbAllah kills two men and kidnaps the third who were guarding the border. These guys weren't serving some whacked religious purpose and haphazardly blowing people up, they were guarding the border! Then HezbAllah wants to "trade" the soldiers for the terrorists?!?!?!? Puhleeze. It's not even logical.
Now, I don't know how much I can agree with PM Olmert's "kill them" quote in the video, but against a psycho group of brainless and illogical nutjobs like HezbAllah (yes, I have been spelling it like this on purpose—so you can see that they subscribe to Allah, the apparent "god of murder"), what options are really there for Israel? Israel is not blatantly out to kill every Middle-Easterner who is not a Jew, they want to stop the brainwashed Muslim murderers.
So what options do they have?
They've handed over hundreds of known terrorists to get one of their own back. They've done cease-fires out the wazoo. They've completely relocated thousands upon thousands of Jews to give away land that was rightfully and completely theirs. They have made concession after concession. They have restrained for so long, yet they have gained nothing for all their restraint. They are not even in Lebanese or Palestinian "territory" right now, and haven't been since (as early as the mid–'80s, actually) 2000 and 2004 respectively (even though some of that land was really theirs). They have given so much for peace, yet the HezbAllah and Hamas, etc. are not willing that peace should remain.
The equation is simple, really. They want every Jew dead and Jerusalem to be under Muslim rule. Until that is accomplished, there will be no peace (except for when the Antichrist comes and makes a huge peace deal in the Middle East ... but that's the time to run far, far away).
I just can't figure what the answer is if not to stand up for your own country so you are not obliterated.
*******
Here's a link to a public address from Israel's Prime Minister. Click on the picture at the bottom center of the page with the caption, "PM Addressing Israel Supporters".
Two things to have in mind before you watch it. According to their beliefs, a radical Muslim only has two options available:
1) Convert any non-radical Muslim (whether they be pew-sitting Muslim or of another religion) into a radical Muslim who is willing to kill others for not converting, or
2) Kill everyone unwilling to convert to radical Islam.
Become a killer or get killed.
This is not some mamby-pamby would-you-like-to-come-to-our-Vacation-Bible-School ninny club. This is a religious army with real guns and rockets—supplied by the likes of Iran, Syria, Lebanon and other mostly-Muslim nations that want to see all Jews murdered and Israel (as a Jewish nation) completely destroyed.
This is their modus operendi: become a killer or get killed, but all Jews must be killed. From Wiki: "Hezbollah supports the destruction of the state of Israel and has co-operated with other militant Islamic organizations such as Hamas in order to promote this goal … The complete destruction of the State of Israel and the establishment of Islamic rule over Jerusalem is an expressed goal."
In twelve days, over 600 rockets have been fired from HezbAllah into 100% civilian neighborhoods. Radical Muslims are killing civilian Jews on purpose, with no pause, no resttraint, no hesitation whatsoever.
Oh, I hear, but what about Israel attacking civilians as well over the border? Sure, let's look at that.
Because the world recognized what an out-of-control terrorist group HezbAllah is, in 2004 Lebanon was ordered by UN Resolution 1559 to disarm and completely strip HezbAllah. They did not. From Wiki: "The continued existence of Hezbollah's military wing after 1990 violates the Taif Agreement that ended the Lebanese civil war, which requires the 'disbanding of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias' and requires the government to 'deploy the Lebanese army in the border area adjacent to Israel.' The Lebanese government did not try to disarm the Hezbollah..." Instead, the HezbAllah has taken over the southern border of Lebanon, forming a parasitic relationship with its host communities: they feed off the "protection" the community provides while using it to suck the blood of hope from the Middle East by killing civilian Jews.
Yes, you heard right, they are in the small neighborhoods. So when Israel finds out exactly where they are, Israel has two choices: basic hand-to-hand combat in that apartment, or bomb it. When we hear of civilian casualties on HezbAllah's side, its precisely because they are in the neighborhoods and Lebanon has allowed them to be there. If Lebanon would have kicked HezbAllah's butt years ago when Israel waited for the world to get involved, this wouldn't be where it is now. They did not. From Wiki: "Since Israel's withdrawl from Lebanon in 2000, and until the conflict arising in July 2006, Hezbollah has used the period of quiet to secretly arm itself with Syrian and Iranian missiles, which it claims number over 10,000. Placing them, according to many reports (including British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East Dr. Kim Howells in an interview on CNN, July 22, 2006), in civilian locations, including family homes, crowded residential neighborhoods and mosques."
A word about Israel's accuracy. The Associated Press made this observation last week. HezbAllah straps dynamite to themselves and blows up buses, hotels, restaurants and anywhere else even one single Jew might be ... regardless of how many Arabs or Muslims might be there. Lots of damage, tons of carnage, no accuracy. Israel picks the Syrian Defense Security's five-story office building to bomb due to his direct involvement in funneling weapons to the Hezzies. They leave the ground floor and third floor untouched, but destroy the second floor, fourth floor and fifth floor with missiles from a fighter jet. They did it on purpose and they were accurate.
Israel captures Hezzie terrorists and puts them in jail. In retaliation, HezbAllah kills two men and kidnaps the third who were guarding the border. These guys weren't serving some whacked religious purpose and haphazardly blowing people up, they were guarding the border! Then HezbAllah wants to "trade" the soldiers for the terrorists?!?!?!? Puhleeze. It's not even logical.
Now, I don't know how much I can agree with PM Olmert's "kill them" quote in the video, but against a psycho group of brainless and illogical nutjobs like HezbAllah (yes, I have been spelling it like this on purpose—so you can see that they subscribe to Allah, the apparent "god of murder"), what options are really there for Israel? Israel is not blatantly out to kill every Middle-Easterner who is not a Jew, they want to stop the brainwashed Muslim murderers.
So what options do they have?
They've handed over hundreds of known terrorists to get one of their own back. They've done cease-fires out the wazoo. They've completely relocated thousands upon thousands of Jews to give away land that was rightfully and completely theirs. They have made concession after concession. They have restrained for so long, yet they have gained nothing for all their restraint. They are not even in Lebanese or Palestinian "territory" right now, and haven't been since (as early as the mid–'80s, actually) 2000 and 2004 respectively (even though some of that land was really theirs). They have given so much for peace, yet the HezbAllah and Hamas, etc. are not willing that peace should remain.
The equation is simple, really. They want every Jew dead and Jerusalem to be under Muslim rule. Until that is accomplished, there will be no peace (except for when the Antichrist comes and makes a huge peace deal in the Middle East ... but that's the time to run far, far away).
I just can't figure what the answer is if not to stand up for your own country so you are not obliterated.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Speaking of the Future...
In a while Microsoft will release the much-debilitated Vista.
As seen by these three videos it is still quite behind the times. Apple already did what they are just now getting around to lo these manifold years hence. Verily, verily I say unto thee: switch while the switchin's good.
Brought to you by .
As seen by these three videos it is still quite behind the times. Apple already did what they are just now getting around to lo these manifold years hence. Verily, verily I say unto thee: switch while the switchin's good.
Brought to you by .
Friday, July 07, 2006
How To Confuse a Youngling
1). Sit on the couch next to your one-year-old and play a DVD that has you in a couple shots. Laugh at her open-mouthed bewilderment. "Yes, daddy can be in two places at once … he's special."
2). Just when your two-year-old gets a grasp of the English language, revert to talking to her in baby talk.
3). Then tell her you can't understand what she is saying because it is making too much sense.
4). Buy a dog and name it Cat.
5). Spell it K-A-T.
6). For extra pizzazz, add an extra T. Do this before she starts Kindergarten.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Real Fake
There was an isolated island in which an airbase was set up during World War II. The islanders were taken with the way that the airbase seemed to be able to summon up endless airplanes with food and other useful supplies. When the airport was dismantled after the war, the natives decided to try and summon up airplanes themselves by building runways, bamboo models of radio equipment and so on. Despite the fact that this "cargo cult" went to great lengths to recreate the exact look and feel of an airport, they were disappointed when it failed to deliver the benefits they were looking for.
I want something more than just the look-alike in my life. Part of it is because I want something more for my kids than a knock-off of what I may not even have. How many of us have looked at the generation before us and were convinced that what they had was not real? That we would have the real deal ... the real revival, the real activity of the Spirit, the real fruit and the real character of Christ.
It's easy to believe "they" missed it but we're young and spunky enough to get it right. And, oh, that we would! We must have God. Anything less is certain spiritual death. And certain depression. And certain disillusionment. We have to give our hearts and our energy to Him, to pursuing Him. To invest our heart into drawing Him close to us through wooing Him with our love.
I want to coax Him to come close with my love. I want to draw Him out into the open and drive Him crazy with the attention I give Him. But it takes energy and time. What would He do for my love? Would He draw close?
I've just been looking at the subject of 'The Arm of the Lord", which is Jesus, and at what things are manifested when Jesus is revealed. I don't have a good enough grasp of it yet, but it seems to boil down to a few things. One: salvation. Two: justice. And there are large lists of things underneath those headings ... but I don't really know what to say about it yet.
I just want something real. I want Him.
I want something more than just the look-alike in my life. Part of it is because I want something more for my kids than a knock-off of what I may not even have. How many of us have looked at the generation before us and were convinced that what they had was not real? That we would have the real deal ... the real revival, the real activity of the Spirit, the real fruit and the real character of Christ.
It's easy to believe "they" missed it but we're young and spunky enough to get it right. And, oh, that we would! We must have God. Anything less is certain spiritual death. And certain depression. And certain disillusionment. We have to give our hearts and our energy to Him, to pursuing Him. To invest our heart into drawing Him close to us through wooing Him with our love.
I want to coax Him to come close with my love. I want to draw Him out into the open and drive Him crazy with the attention I give Him. But it takes energy and time. What would He do for my love? Would He draw close?
I've just been looking at the subject of 'The Arm of the Lord", which is Jesus, and at what things are manifested when Jesus is revealed. I don't have a good enough grasp of it yet, but it seems to boil down to a few things. One: salvation. Two: justice. And there are large lists of things underneath those headings ... but I don't really know what to say about it yet.
I just want something real. I want Him.
Drums on Sunday Morning
For all those not able to make it to your respective church this Sunday morning, get on the IHOP website at 10AM central time and you can hear our service for free. While you can do this every week (Friday and Saturday nights as well), I will be playing drums this Sunday morning.
While I'm on the subject, if you have subscribed to the IHOP webstream, you can tap in anytime (it's $10 a month ... and you'll obviously need an internet connection). The sets I play on are Monday at 10AM, Wednesday at 6 and 10AM, and Thursday at 4PM. I do others throughout the month when friends are out of town, but these are my regular slots.
Here's the address to get the free webstream:
http://www.ihop.org/Group/Group.aspx?ID=16910
Scroll down to the Forerunner Christian Fellowship section and either click on "watch" for the video feed or "audio only".
Using that same link, you can tap into the free webstream of our weekend services, called "Encountering God Services" (EGS's). Friday night is used to focus on subjects of intimacy with God and Saturday nights are all about the End Times.
If you ever wanted to peek in on the House of Prayer but couldn't take a week out here, this is an easy way to do it.
Enjoy.
Petting Zoo
Tomorrow morning (or, for me, later this evening) we are going to take the girls to a free petting zoo. Before it gets to be 90*, that is. They love animals, they love being outside and they love feeling like "big girls". We're happy to oblige.
Last weekend we took them to Barnes and Noble to do some reading. After a few minutes of looking around, Maddie climbed up on one of the benches! It was awesome! She's really starting to take some risks. Today she stood on her own in the middle of the floor for about five seconds. Our little girl is growing up ... awww.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Summary of Parenthood
"How do you like being a parent?" We get asked that all the time ... usually by people who are either not married or couples who don't have kids. Because parents know better; they know it's both. "Is it just incredible, or is it terrible?"
D. All of the above.
5:30PM -- The girls greet me at the door with smiles, giggles and arms upraised, asking to be held.
6 -- Still playing with the girls ... lots of laughing, chasing, jumping, spinning...
6:30 -- Dinner for the girls. Spaghetti night.
7 -- Spaghetti will take five minutes to wash off. Then they'll need a bath.
7:30 -- Put them in bed, say our prayers, lots of hugs and kisses.
8, 8:30, 9 -- They're still not asleep. Kayla's in and out of bed, Maddie is upset at her; they both whine. Lots.
9:30 -- We haven't heard whining for about five minutes. Maybe they're asleep.
10 -- Time to do our own thing ... blog, dishes, clean, play catch-up on ten things, edit, relax, you name it.
2AM -- Whining from a certain room. We don't have any pets. My money is on the chilluns.
2:05AM -- I check. "Are you feeling okay?"
2:06 -- Kayla pukes. It wreaks.
2:07 -- Bath time.
2:15 -- Back in bed. Start a load of laundry ... sheets, pillow, the whole bit.
3:30 -- More whining from a certain room.
3:31 -- "What's wrong?"
3:32 -- Puke. Question answered.
3:33 -- One more bath. More laundry started.
3:40 -- Back in bed.
4:45 -- More whining from a certain room.
4:46 -- "Are you still not feeling well?" This time it was Amy to ask the question.
4:47 -- The gurgling starts and Amy holds out her hand to catch the up-chuck. Why? Because we were out of clean sheets, I am told. Still, I know I am a "dad" and she is a "mom" because that never would have crossed my mind. Never.
4:48 -- Third bath of the night. Kayla is happy to splash and play at this point.
4:50 -- Back in bed. More laundry started.
5AM, yes, AM -- The birds are chirping. It's been a long night. And this was on Mother's Day.
Is parenthood glorious? Yes, just alike anything worthwhile. Is it hard? Yes, just like anything worthwhile. It's one of the few inherent epitomes of servanthood that exists. You don't have a choice but to serve, but you get the enjoyment of loving on them and feeling their love back.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
The Irony of "Life"
There was a show on tonight that highlighted a magician, David Blaine, as he stayed in a large aquarium for a week ... topped off by attempting to hold his breath for at least nine minutes, which would have been a world record.
I say "would have" because he didn't do it. Granted, he lasted seven minutes, which is more than most anyone can do, but for all the hype, it didn't pan out. The advertisements said he was determined: he would either do nine minutes, or he would die. Die, dead; a soggy, wet, ridiculous death. Like Houdini, but of his own free will instead of by accident. Big talker. That's quite a promise to not come through on.
Immediately following this soggy let-down was a news report: "Australian miners freed after being trapped underground for two weeks."
One guy sits in a public tub for a week, makes a promise, and still doesn't pull through—thousands surround him and cheer him on.
Miners are trapped underground for two weeks due to a freak accident—a few cameras are present to welcome them out of their death trap.
Isn't it weird that we are more interested in the well-being of a pruny magician even though he really didn't do anything, than in the safe rescue of people in harm's way?
I say "would have" because he didn't do it. Granted, he lasted seven minutes, which is more than most anyone can do, but for all the hype, it didn't pan out. The advertisements said he was determined: he would either do nine minutes, or he would die. Die, dead; a soggy, wet, ridiculous death. Like Houdini, but of his own free will instead of by accident. Big talker. That's quite a promise to not come through on.
Immediately following this soggy let-down was a news report: "Australian miners freed after being trapped underground for two weeks."
One guy sits in a public tub for a week, makes a promise, and still doesn't pull through—thousands surround him and cheer him on.
Miners are trapped underground for two weeks due to a freak accident—a few cameras are present to welcome them out of their death trap.
Isn't it weird that we are more interested in the well-being of a pruny magician even though he really didn't do anything, than in the safe rescue of people in harm's way?
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Mac Ads
If you haven't seen the new Mac ads, you're missing out. And if you don't have a Mac ... well, that should go without saying.
In the IT office I work at, we have some hard-core Mac people and some hard-core Windows people. Lots of sarcasms fly each hour, but while their computer crashes, I am still up for business. That alone should make you think about it. As Mac says, "Your toaster doesn't crash. Your kitchen sink doesn't crash. Why should your computer?"
The entire office got a good laugh out of the commercials ... mostly because they're true. Check out the "iLife" ad. It's pretty witty. Amen. Let's stand.
Be His
"You will never be happy until you learn to become more of yourself. All that 'God,' 'the creator of the universe,' or 'whatever' wants from you is for you to become more of yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey
Wrong again. Let me just say for the record that I am highly un-impressed with Oprah. She does some decent things, but so does most everyone else. The only difference is the amount of the charity check.
She really missed it on this one though. God never asks us to "become more of yourself." He says we'd be lucky if we could lose ourselves. We'd be lucky if we were more interested in our neighbors, in the names of the trees between our house and our church, and in affecting social justice in whatever ways we could instead of being stuck on ourselves.
God tells us we're eternally winners and we don't need to prove it. Jesus tells us to not worry about ourselves and about what we want to get, but to be more focused on others. Paul tells us to consider everyone else more than we consider our own comfort, to see them as better than we see ourselves, and to give from the perspective of having gained the world instead of "what we still want to buy."
All God, the creator of the universe, wants from us is to be His.
Wrong again. Let me just say for the record that I am highly un-impressed with Oprah. She does some decent things, but so does most everyone else. The only difference is the amount of the charity check.
She really missed it on this one though. God never asks us to "become more of yourself." He says we'd be lucky if we could lose ourselves. We'd be lucky if we were more interested in our neighbors, in the names of the trees between our house and our church, and in affecting social justice in whatever ways we could instead of being stuck on ourselves.
God tells us we're eternally winners and we don't need to prove it. Jesus tells us to not worry about ourselves and about what we want to get, but to be more focused on others. Paul tells us to consider everyone else more than we consider our own comfort, to see them as better than we see ourselves, and to give from the perspective of having gained the world instead of "what we still want to buy."
All God, the creator of the universe, wants from us is to be His.
Today's Irony
What is wrong with humans? Doctors only tell us what’s wrong with us, but we continue to go back time and time again. On the other hand, God tells us how much we mean to Him … and we run away. Really now, what's that about?
Props to JTB
Here's a shout-out for the one and only Jackson Bohlender. When my wife picked me up from work this week, she had a special delivery for me—a Dove chocolate bar, dark to be precise—from Jackson.
From one chocolate lover to another, dude, you ROCK! Thanks a lot, you made my week!
From one chocolate lover to another, dude, you ROCK! Thanks a lot, you made my week!
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Incense ... Coming to a Town Near You
On Mondays our team goes through a few verses of Isaiah 53 ... one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. This morning was no exception. I gotta tell you, the team was incredible. We sing and play around the themes introduced in the passage, expounding on them by drawing in all kinds of correlating verses. It quickly turns into a musical Bible study, which is actually the point. Feeling the freedom to be creative musically and really explore Scripture at the same time is an unbeatable feeling.
Meanwhile, we are exalting God 24/7 within a city--the ramifications of that are astounding. How many cities in the Earth can say that this is their portion, their lot in life? At the moment only a handful can, but sit tight because it's coming to your city as well. And God is the one bringing it.
Malachi 1:11 says, "'My name will be great among the [Gentiles, meaning non-Jews], from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,' says the LORD Almighty." (NIV)
God, in His sovereignty and full of unbridled zeal, is intent on making His name great among the nations. He will do it to such an extent that intercession (incense) and worship (pure offerings) will rise to Him from every place. I love being amongst a group of people who are making that a reality right now. God will be exalted. Our city will be changed. "Because His name will be great among the nations."
Marathon Drumming
I have the distinct privilege of playing drums at the International House of Prayer, a ministry of "worship with intercession" that goes non-stop 24/7.
This week a friend (and incredible drummer), Shawn Blanc, is spending some extra time Cali ... -fornia, not Colombia. So, I am filling in for him. Over a three day period I am playing five worship sets at two hours each. That's a lot of chances to get blisters, let me tell ya. But I love playing, so I'll make it work somehow. Feet, don't fail me now.
This week a friend (and incredible drummer), Shawn Blanc, is spending some extra time Cali ... -fornia, not Colombia. So, I am filling in for him. Over a three day period I am playing five worship sets at two hours each. That's a lot of chances to get blisters, let me tell ya. But I love playing, so I'll make it work somehow. Feet, don't fail me now.
Treat Yourself
Dove chocolates are really good. If you haven't tried them, you might want to put them on your pre-rapture list of things to do. It's one of the few things you can do without spending what's left of your savings (after forking out for gas, that is), and it still feels like you are treating yourself. Kinda like a good coffee or a slurpee on a hot day ... but please understand that coffee and partially frozen, colored sugar crystals are in different categories.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Hear His Voice
Do you ever have those moments where two pieces of information make that clicking sound in your head and, suddenly, life makes more sense because of it? I had one of those.
Amy and I take the girls to the park on a weekly basis. They love it and we love getting out of the house for a little while. Amy and I take turns while we're there: she'll run around with Kayla for a bit while I am with Maddie, then we'll switch.
This past week when I was watching Kayla, I noticed that I would let her choose where to go, but I would always be right behind her in case she needed any help or was headed toward danger (like rabid squirrels smoking grass on the monkey bars and taunting the younglings with their "if you dare" look ... you'd be suprised how often that happens in our neighborhood). Amy, on the other hand, would stay on the ground as Kayla explored the jungle gym. She would meet her at the bottom of the slides, hold her hand as she walked across the bridges, and block her from careening through a wide opening.
Click
I was acting as "the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard ... and you will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it..."
Amy showed another side of God's personality: "...You will not stray to the right or to the left ... and your foot will not strike a stone ... I will never leave you or forsake you..."
It was just interseting to me how God made us differently to reflect a different part of His character to our kids, and even to reveal it to our own hearts.
God is a good Father. I want Him to father me, Amy, and our girls. And I hope we hear His voice saying, "This is the way; if you walk in it, your foot will never strike a stone."
I know He speaks to us daily, I just really hope we hear what He is saying.
(Lame) Mowing Poem
I cut and I cut ... and I cut grass some more,
But the dandy-weeds laugh at my body -- so sore.
Why won't the dandy-weeds get chopped and die?
'Cuz my lawnmower blade's as soft as a fresh Wendy's fry.
Could it be true? Must I mow again?
Or does "controlled burn" mean anything but jail time with "Ken"?
This isn't so great, as most great things go;
It's about as lame as 16 candles atop old escargot.
Woe is me, woe to the tenth power, woe my aching back.
This 2.3 horsepower ain't worth a horse's "intestinal contribution".
But with music so old, cassette tapes so -- [stop wrinkling on me, you ancient machine!] -- divine,
My cassette player and I warble to the beat of 1999.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)