BJ Not BK

 Thank goodness it's Friday.

and that means....food stamps, government checks, 5lb blocks of cheese, and long lines at the banks just kidding.  You know that Friday is for photos.

1.  Last Friday we had a baby sitter so the wife and I headed downtime for some dinner.  After dinner we walked across the Gay Street bridge.

I have always wanted to get a picture of the JFG coffee sign (if you look at the end of the bridge you can barely see it) so we walked over to it.

The evening was incredible.  The food was good, the weather was outstanding, and I was with my girl.  What more could a man ask for?

If you like great photography make sure to visit Steve Mckoy's Friday photos here [link] and Joe Thorn's here [link].

Want to see your photo published here?  Submit all family friendly photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission.

2.  A friend of mine brought in his new iTouch and now I am envious.  I already have the 60gb video iPod but that is so three years ago.

3.  I am glad to see that the supreme court upheld the 2nd.  Now I can get mine out of the cleaners and enjoy them over the weekend. 

4.  What are you doing on your summer vacation?  With gas prices as high as they are I am looking for some low cost summer vacation ideas.  Our yearly family trip to scale Mt. Everest will have to be canceled, our boating expedition down the Amazon cut short, and our weekend in Switzerland sipping Swiss Miss thrown to the wayside due to the CFO cutting our entertainment budget.  Right now it looks like the four of us sitting around in our wife beaters, see kid rock, mouth breathing in a hot house with the AC turned off to save on the electric bill, staring at each other.

5.  Is Obama the anti-christ?

6.  What are you reading these days?  I have several books going right now but haven't made anytime to really get into them.  Have you heard of the Shack?  There is quite a bit of buzz going on right now about this book.  Before you drink the Kool-aid here is another perspective.

7.  What are you listening to?  Me?  Coldplay...a preaching series on Doctrine by Marc Driscoll, nothing too out of the ordinary.  Unless you consider Weird Al abnormal?

8.  Weekend plans anyone?  Me?  Tonight the wife and I are going to a friend's wedding.  Saturday we are celebrating S's one year birthday, and Sunday we are launching a new study, REAL.LIFE, in our Bible fellowship class.

9.  Thanks everyone for reading bjnotbk this week.  My prayer is that you will be entertained and encouraged or challenged each time you stop by.  I am also praying for you, my readers, that is, so be encouraged in knowing that no matter what someone, somewhere is praying for you.  Now go read your Bible, love your family, lover your neighbor, get outside, and love Jesus!     

 Here is your weekly Church Steeple Picture.  I see Jesus as God reaching down to man, the steeple as man lifting up the cross to the community and reaching up to God.

This one may be my new favorite.

This comes to your courtesy of...

Want to see your steeple photo published here?  Submit all church steeple photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission. 

Are you busy?  Is your schedule full?  Is your life hectic?  Do you find yourself jumping from one appointment to the next?  How does your calendar look?  Do you have every evening booked solid for weeks out?  Do you ever find yourself gasping for air under the load?  Do you ever ask the following questions?  Where has the time gone?  Do I really have time for that?

Contest.....who has the busiest schedule?  What about your church schedule?  Do you find yourself wrapped up in programs, committees and events?  Do you see a time when you could possibly slow down in the near future?

Question...in the Christian life, what is the single most important thing you and I must do?  What is the one thing necessary we must do?

Witness to others?  Read through our Bibles?  Know the 5 points of Calvinism?  Memorize the Heidelberg Catechism?  

Let's look at the words of Jesus and see for ourselves. 

Luke 10:38-42 

38Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." 41But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,42but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

Martha is a hard worker, she sees something that needs to be done and she does it.  I kind of get the impression that Martha might have shown her love through her service.  She might be the lady who cooks for everyone and continues to offer you food even though you just ate the largest meal of your life.

"More?"

"Oh, no thanks, I am stuffed!"

"How about some cake?  Pie?  Ice Cream?  After dinner coffee?  A side of beef?"

Is Martha a neat freak?  I don't know, scripture doesn't say but you get the impression that she can't rest until everything is in it's proper place or until she knows that everyone is taken care of.  The scripture states that Martha was "distracted with much serving."  I can relate to Martha as I have been guilty of coming home, passing right by my wife and kids, and heading straight for the sink to load the dishwasher or to the living room to pick up toys, or......I just can't rest until everything is in it's proper place!  Am I freak or what?   

But this business or OCD isn't just relegated to dishes and a living room full of toys, no, it permeates every fabric of life to the point that we don't even see it or recognize it most of the time.  In fact, our lives become about doing instead of being to the point that we turn the most mundane, unimportant details and events into the most important while leaving that which is most important undone.

We are a bunch of Marthas and here are the seven steps to recovery.

1.  We have to sit at the feet of Jesus

No doubt that Martha was very busy with planning, cleaning, cooking, serving, and entertaining as she invited Jesus into her home.  Here in her living room was the Messiah, the living God, the savior of the world and I wonder....why did she invite Jesus into her home?  It is obvious from the scripture that she was distracted, couldn't enjoy this time with Jesus, and in fact became upset because her sister wasn't helping her!  The only dialogue we see from Martha to Jesus is when she complains to about her sister not helping.  Just think...Jesus at your house, in your living room teaching.  You can sit with Him, talk to Him, ask Him questions...anything yet you are busy taking out the trash, filling drink orders, and putting dishes in the dishwasher.

Our lives are very busy and there is no such thing as spare time or quiet time anymore in our 24 hour a day lives.  Many of us are anxious and troubled about many things  and just like Martha, Jesus comes to us and reminds us

41But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,42but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

Mary was focused on the only thing that truly matters..the only thing in life that is necessary 42...the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."  Mary was focused on Jesus, looked to Jesus, worshiped Jesus, followed Jesus.

The main thing you and I have to do as Christians is to sit at the feet of Jesus daily first and foremost before we do or attempt to do anything else. 

Question?  So how do we walk in this today?  What should this look like in our own lives?  What does it mean to sit at the feet of Jesus?

1.  It means we have humility - Mary had taken the lowly position at Jesus' feet and not at His side.  Mary did not equate herself with Jesus, she didn't come to Jesus with a list of demands and wants, she didn't lay claim to any rights, she just came and listened. 

2. It means we submit ourselves to Jesus - Mary submitted herself to Jesus and His teaching.  You and I have to replace the philosophies, perspectives, and opinions of the world with the teachings of Jesus.  This happens as we submit areas of our lives over to Jesus in repentance as we turn from our sins and run to Him.  This means we give up any rights we have or claims to any happiness we think we are entitled to and turn our lives completely over to Jesus as King.  It looks like in the eyes of the world that we are sacrificing and giving up but in reality we are gaining and obtaining the good portion, which will never be taken away from us.

3.  It means that we are learning not just listening - Mary sat at Jesus feet.  She took the position of a student.  This learning is at the core of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, a follower of Jesus.  You and I have to be continually following Jesus and learn from Jesus.

4. Sitting at Jesus' feet indicates where we have placed our faith - "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). "As He spoke these words, many believed in Him" (John 8:30).  It is important to hear the Word which gives faith because it is by faith that we gain victory over sin. "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5). Mary believed and overcame.

5. When we sit at the feet of Jesus on a daily basis it means we are holding to His teaching - Mary sat at the feet of Jesus.  She was focused, intent, she wasn't going anywhere.  If we are to endure, stand firm, and to fight the good fight we must hold to the teaching of Jesus and the only way to do that will be through sitting at His feet on a daily basis.

6. When we sit at the feet of Jesus on a daily basis it shows that we truly love Jesus - Mary could have helped Martha in the kitchen.  Was she lazy?  Unmotivated?  I don't think so.  Mary didn't want to leave the room where Jesus was.  In light of Him nothing else mattered.  Not the dishes, not the meal, not the laundry, the 401k, the next episode of 24, or the new Hulk movie.  No, Mary hung on every word that Jesus said.  How much time do you spend each week with Jesus?  In His word?  In prayer?  The answer to these questions are a true testimony to who your true master is, who you see as your real savior, and who you love and serve.  

Matthew 6:24

 24 "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

We were designed to love and worship Jesus and Him alone.  By passionately loving Jesus we will have no room to love anything of the world or the flesh.  Our thoughts won't be consumed by the trivial as our perspectives line up to what will truly echo in the eternal.

Jesus said the two greatest commandments are loving God and loving people (Mark 12:28-31).  Maybe, maybe we have been too much of a Martha.  Sure our kitchens are spotless, the laundry is folded, and the house is well kept but tomorrow it will all be taken away from us with new laundry to do, dishes to wash, lawns to be mowed.

How about each day starting off humbling yourself before the creator of the universe, the only one who can save you from your sins, submitting your heart, mind, body, and soul to Him, listening to His teaching through His word, learning, believing, following through with His commands on your life and for your life and regaining the greatest love of your life and the greatest love the world has or will ever know...Jesus.

Today is the official first day of summer.  With that being said I want to share with you a tradition of mine.  One of my favorite books of all time is Jame's Agees' A Death in the Family.

This book is a classic that sadly many have not read and few have ever heard of.  Agee was a native Knoxvillian and the book is set in Knoxville based on the death of Agee's father.  As a native Knoxvillian myself I can see 1915 Knoxville jump off the pages as many of the places described in the book still exist in some form or fashion.

Perhaps my favorite part of the book is the prologue which is a long narrative poem that is both beautiful and haunting.  Every summer I read this poem and it leaves me with a longing, I suppose the kind of longing C.S. Lewis described in Surprised by Joy.  I hope you enjoy.

Knoxville, Summer of 1915

We are talking now of summer evenings in Knoxville Tennessee in the time that I lived there so successfully disguised to myself as a child.

    It has become the time of evening when people sit on their porches,
    rocking gently and talking gently and watching the street
    and the standing up into their sphere of possession of the trees,

    of birds' hung havens, hangers.
    People go by; things go by.
    A horse, drawing a buggy, breaking his hollow iron music on the asphalt;
    a loud auto; a quiet auto;
    people in pairs, not in a hurry,
    scuffling, switching their weight of aestival body, talking casually,
    the taste hovering over them of vanilla, strawberry, pasteboard and starched milk,
    the image upon them of lovers and horsemen, squared with clowns in hueless amber.

    A streetcar raising its iron moan:
    stopping, belling and starting; stertorous; rousing and raising again its iron increasing moan
    and swimming its gold windows and straw seats on past and past and past,
    the bleak spark crackling and cursing above it like a small malignant spirit set to dog its tracks;
    the iron whine rises on rising speed;
    still risen, faints; halts; the faint stinging bell;
    rises again, still fainter, fainter, lifting, lifts, faints forgone: forgotten.
    Now is the night one blue dew.

        Now is the night one blue dew,
        my father has drained,
        now he has coiled the hose.
        Low on the length of lawns,
        a frailing of fire who breathes ...
        Parents on porches: rock and rock.

        From damp strings morning glories hang their ancient faces.
        The dry and exalted noise of the locusts from all the air at once enchants my eardrums.

    On the rough wet grass of the backyard my father and mother have spread quilts.
    We all lie there, my mother, my father, my uncle, my aunt, and I too am lying there ...

    They are not talking much, and the talk is quiet,
    of nothing in particular, of nothing at all in particular, of nothing at all.
    The stars are wide and alive, they seem each like a smile of great sweetness, and they seem very near.

    All my people are larger bodies than mine, ...
    with voices gentle and meaningless like the voice of sleeping birds.
    One is an artist, he is living at home.
    One is a musician, she is living at home.
    One is my mother who is good to me.
    One is my father who is good to me.
    By some chance, here they are, all on this earth;
    and who shall ever tell the sorrow of being on this earth,
    lying, on quilts, on the grass, in a summer evening, among the sounds of the night.

    May God bless my people, my uncle, my aunt, my mother, my good father,
    oh, remember them kindly in their time of trouble;
    and in the hour of their taking away.

    After a little I am taken in and put to be.
    Sleep, soft smiling, draws me unto her:
    and those receive me, who quietly treat me,
    as one familiar and well-beloved in that home:
    but will not, no ,will not, not now, not ever;

    but will not ever tell me who I am.

Is it really June 20th?  No way?  Yes way?  Ok.  The Week in Weird is sponsored and supported by the following corporations and organizations:

People for the ethical treatment of pipe cleaners or PETPC
Hair Back Nation
Illegal Immigrants for Illegals
My local gas station who undercharged me 12 cents this week

1.  Friday is for photos and you are getting lots of photos.  

The weather this week has been amazing.  Last night I think it was around 72 with a slight breeze so as usual we all headed outside after supper.  I was a little upset as I found a scurvy dog playing on our play set trying to take me ship...arrrr.

Come to find out this was no scurvy dog but a very cerebral young man wrestling with the deep thoughts of this world.  

Paper or plastic?

2. Behind our house we have a walking trail which is uber cool.  We have found snakes, crickets, turtles, lightning bugs, June bugs, cats, and an assortment of plant life.

Not to mention tons of blackberry bushes.  

3. Finally - There are several areas in our neighborhood where there are no houses yet, just open lots.  The developers have allowed the yards to grow over and their are literally thousands of wildflowers/weeds growing.  It's hard to tell the size and scope here but these are about 5-6 feet tall and beautiful.

If you like great photography make sure to visit Steve Mckoy's Friday photos here [link] and Joe Thorn's here [link].

Want to see your photo published here?  Submit all family friendly photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission.

4.  Take the hundred push up challenge with me.  I was reading an article on Joe Thorn's blog the other day [link] where he shows a before and after picture of himself.  About a year ago Joe began running and through exercise and healthier eating choices has lost 40lbs.  The picture says it all.  Anyway, one of his goals is to start building his core body strength and so he has signed up to take the hundred push up challenge.   For a while now I have been practicing my push ups with the goal of someday doing 100 in a minute or less.  So I signed up.  You begin with a trial to see how many push ups you can do.  I did 55 which is not to shabby.  This is a 6 week program that you do 3 times a week and takes less than 15 minutes each time.  Any takers out there?

5. Product review -  Digital Camera - I love photography even though I am a horrible photographer.  I have always wanted  a nice digital SLR camera with all the lenses, accessories, software, air book, and.....maybe someday.  But for now I am a point and shoot type of guy.  For years my wife and I have owned Cannon digital cameras.  For the past three years we have owned the SD500 which is a fantastic camera.  Unfortunately we dropped in the other night and while it still takes fabulous pictures the zoom feature no longer works.  So, last night I purchased a new camera, the SD750 by Cannon.  This is a fantastic camera for the following reasons:

1. Ease of use - this camera has all the bells and whistles of more expensive cameras such as movie mode, special shooting settings (pets, night, snow, fireworks, etc) but even the most timid photographer can use it.

2. Large LCD screen - 3 inches which is quite large on such a small camera.  

3. Lithium rechargeable batter.  I hate buying batteries.

4. Size - This camera is so small you will want to take it with you everywhere you go which means you will end up taking more pictures and really enjoying the camera more.

5. Quality - 7.1 mega pixels provides all the mega pixels you need for ultra sharp pics you can crop, blowup, and make prints from.

6.  What are you reading?  A friend recently gave me Unchristian to read. 

This book is about what people outside the church think about those inside.  I will keep you posted.

7.  What are you listening to?  Me?  The New Coldplay.  This is a pretty good Album.  Enjoy!

8.  Weekend plans anyone?  Believe it or not we have another babysitter lined up tonight!  I think we are going to do a bike ride and dinner.  Saturday we are going to a cookout with some friends and Sunday evening we are partaking in the Lord's Supper.  Thank you Jesus!

9.  Thanks everyone for reading bjnotbk this week.  My prayer is that you will be entertained and encouraged or challenged each time you stop by.  I am also praying for you, my readers, that is, so be encouraged in knowing that no matter what someone, somewhere is praying for you.  Now go read your Bible, love your family, lover your neighbor, get outside, and love Jesus!   

If you love your family you will read this post.  If you want your family to live you will read this post.  If you want freedom to reign you will read this post.

If you want the US to capture Bin Laden you will read this post.  

If you want the economy to turn around, gas prices to drop, and the mortgage crisis to end you will read this post.

If you love your country you will read this post.

If you want to end all forms of body leakage you will read this post.

If you do not read this post......

4 baby seals will be clubbed to death

Karl Marx will rise from the dead and take over Detroit.

You will not be able to have it your way at Burger King.

Jared will get fat again.

Paris Hilton will have her own 24 hour network.

Obama will be your next president.

Cold fusion will never become a reality.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS POST.

Everyone who reads this post, prints it out, makes 25 color copies and distributes them at their local grocery store and forwards this on to their 282 closet friends will receive a personal check from Bill Gates for $1 million dollars.

Thank you for the love you have shown in reading this post.

Carry on....
 

 "You are to the world what Michael Jordan was to ball..."

"Thanks bro...that means a lot!"

"I meant baseball." 

It has been some time but....here is your weekly Church Steeple Picture.  I see Jesus as God reaching down to man, the steeple as man lifting up the cross to the community and reaching up to God.

This comes to your courtesy of Calvary Baptist Church.

Want to see your steeple photo published here?  Submit all church steeple photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission.

It use to be a man was defined by his career.  "So, what do you do for a living?  Professional stunt man?  Impressive?  Grizzly Bear skinner?  Tough.  Zamboni driver?  Lucky dude.  Oil boy for the Hawain Tropic calendar girls?'

Umm, ok, you get my point.

What happened to those wonderful conversations when our identity was soley tied to how much money a man made, where he sat between 9-5, and what his business card said?

Now a man's identity strictly revolves around MPG, miles per gallon.  I hear it everywhere these days.  "So what you driving there a ugo?  What's the mpg?  68miles per gallon...wow!  Me?  SUV, 1.2 miles per gallon."

No matter where I am I can't get around or away from the dreaded question.  Instead of being afraid of the career question I am now trying to dodge the mpg question.  

That's it, I am trading in the trophy wife, the high salary career, and exchanging the H2 with spinners with a supped up Prius.

Sure, I may look like a dweeb driving around in a tin can but I bet my MPG will beat yours and this is really what matters right? 

 Titus 2:1 “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” 

(Take this verse for a minute and put it on the back burner...I promise we will come back to it momentarily.)

What is the worst commercial you have ever seen?   A Levis commercial with two guys checking each other out.

What commercials do you hate the most?  I hate just about every Hardees commercial ever made.

What is the worst movie you have ever seen?  I really hated Natural Born Killers. 

What is the worst sermon you have ever heard?  Probably the one on estate planning.

Who was the worst preacher you have ever heard?  Creflo Dollar? Joel Osteen?  See below.

3And God said, "Let there be light,"

6And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 

9And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." 

11And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." 

14And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for seasons, and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth."

 20And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." 

24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds."

 26Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

And so it was that God spoke the world into existence through the very first sermon in the history of the world.  Not through scientific experimentation in the lab, not through billions and billions of years of evolutionary dice playing, but through preaching life was created, through the very word of God being spoken.

Yet God is not the only one who preaches to us.  Our adversary Satan has his own sermons and we see him come to our first parents in Genesis 3:5 preaching a false gospel "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 

And ever since Satan has come to us with preaching unhealthy sermons filled with unsound doctrine and false gospels which continues to this very day.  Here are some examples.

1. Oprah denies Jesus

2. Joel Osteen and the health and wealth gospel

3. Money money money! 

Many people state that they don’t like preaching, don’t like to be preached to but the reality is everyone of us is preached at daily hundreds if not thousands of times and preaching is a common part of our every day lives. 

Titus 2:1 “But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.”

We have in this verse two commands for believers in Jesus Christ:

1. First command - Teach - no questions asked.  You say, but I don't have the gift to teach.  Doesn't matter.  This command is in perfect accord with the great commission (Matthew 28:19).  You and I are called to make disciples and we do that through brute force, coercion, and violence right?  No so much.  We do it through love.  We walk in this command first in our own families as husbands and dads.  Men, we are to lead our homes in Bible reading, Bible study, and prayer.  We teach our wives and kids about Jesus, we help them follow Jesus as pastor dad and then we take it to the streets where we love on others in action and we show them Jesus by teaching them healthy, life giving, gospel truth. 

2: Second command - When you teach it's gotta jive with scripture.  You can't just spout off what you think, what you feel...it has to be sound doctrine.

That word sound also means healthy.  You have to teach others doctrine that is healthy. 

The Bible states that the gospel refreshes a man's bones (proverbs 15:30) and bring health to the body (proverbs 16:24) and sets a man free(John 8:32).

Question....how can words refresh our bones?  Bring health to our body?  Set us free?

 We are called out to teach what brings health, what brings joy, what brings peace, comfort, rest, and life eternal and most importantly it has to jive with the Bible, with God's word.  Our teaching can't contradict the gospel no matter how intelligent it sounds or how smart we think we are.  

The implication of this verse is that there is teaching and preaching that is unsound and unhealthy, that there are false gospels being spread that take away from the work of Christ on the cross, that lead people astray. 

Scripture clearly teaches us that there will be false prophets among us who bring false doctrine(Matthew 7:15, 24:11, 24:24, Mark 13:22, Luke 6:26, 2 Peter 2:1, and 1 John 4:1 )all speak about those who would seek to make gain from us, those who would seek to empower themselves through us, and those who would seek to lead us away from Jesus, away from life, away from the truth, and into death, destruction, and hell.

Some examples of unhealthy doctrine: (always include a Jesus+ equation)

Legalism    Dress codes    Salvation through works    Restrictive Diets    Prosperity Gospel    Loss of Salvation    Monasticism    Denial

When we talk about doctrine we are talking about the essentials, the core beliefs of what it means to be a Christian.  Doctrine is the sum total, toe body of essentials we will never compromise such as the inerrancy and authority of scripture, the virgin birth, Jesus as the only way, the only truth, and the only life, Jesus as the resurrection, and salvation only through Jesus.  These should be fought over and held onto without compromise because anything apart from these are false gospels and cults.  We keep our doctrine in a closed hand never letting go.

Other theological items such as end time prophecy, predestination, styles of worship music....are all secondary items that we can agree to disagree over.  These items should be held in an open hand as these can change over time in the way we view them and they way they are revealed to us by God.

So what?

 There is coming a time when men will not put up with sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3) not just outside the church but inside the church and as believers we must know what we believe and why we believe it.  The battle is not coming at us loud and violent in the heat of the day where we can plainly see it, arm ourselves and defend it.  No, the battle comes to us in 30 second advertisement clips, 2-3 minute songs, 30 minute talks shows, movies, TV shows, and sitcoms silently chipping away the truth, replacing the gospel of Jesus with detergent, underwear, and political and pop star messiahs.

True Christians, followers and disciples of Jesus are the antidote, the serum, the mojo against bad, worldly, unhealthy, satanic preaching and teaching.  God created everything through His word, the spoken word, the word incarnate Jesus and just as in the beginning it is the word spoken by us to unbelievers, the word of the gospel that brings life eternal to a dead world.

It's time each of us got us some sound, healthy doctrine, lived like the new creatures we are(2 Corinthians 5:17), and started teaching others to do the same.

Peace out/Shalom

Good morning and welcome to an early edition of the week in weird brought to you by the letter E.  Last week was hectic and Friday was possibly the worst work day of my life...enough of that though.

1.  Friday is for photos and you are getting lots of photos.  Here are some shots of the bjnotbk/Napalm annual camping trip.

Funny how at the beginning of our trips everyone is all smiles?

Unfortunately one of our guys didn't make it.

The trail was on the AT and had a very nice shelter for us to stay in.

When I say the shelter was nice I mean it.  It even had a Starbucks in it.  These guys are everywhere!

We stayed at Spence field which use to be used by early settlers as a place to graze cattle.

Unfortunately the park has decided to let the field grow up and return "naturally" stupid park rangers.

2. If you like great photography make sure to visit Steve Mckoy's Friday photos here [link] and Joe Thorn's here [link].

Want to see your photo published here?  Submit all family friendly photos to bjnotbk@gmail.com for consideration.  Please note that I reserve the right to publish or not publish any submission.

3. Anyone here a fan of Facebook?

4. What are you reading right now?  The book on Whitfield is fantastic!

5. What are you listening to?  Me - lately I have been keeping the car quiet as I make my commute into work opting for conversations with Jesus over blah blah blah. 

6. Speaking of work - last Thursday was perhaps one of the best days I have had at work.  I went in and I had a sense of calm about me, nothing phased me, I was utterly happy regardless of the situation.  Friday, not so much.  Anything that could go wrong did.  Everything broke, nothing went right.  Oh well...

7. Run report - is anyone out there a runner/jogger/walk runner?  Are you currently exercising?  I love to run and in May I logged over 75 miles using my Nike+ ipod system.  This is a great tool for anyone who runs or walks and wants to effortlessly track your miles, calories, and time.  

8. What are you doing over the summer?  Anyone have vacation plans yet?  The wife and I started discussions yesterday.

9. It's Monday so get back to work and get off the internet.   

I hate cliches...don't you?  Let's cut to the chase.  If you could have any super power in the world what would it be?  Most people say flying and most men say X-ray vision or invisibility.  We won't go there.

Here is the challenge to you my faithful readers.  What obscure super power would you choose for yourself if you could?  

Here is mine:

I would give myself the ability to manipulate and control melon fruits.  I would call myself - HONEY DO!!!

My powers would give me the ability to control, manipulate, move, transform, shape, any melon fruit into any fashion I so choose.

Here are some examples:  I could fashion a jet fighter out of fresh cantelope.  With a watermelon I could build a bridge or heal the planet of global warming.  You get the idea.

My weakness would be that melon fruit is seasonal.  If the melon is out of season then I would not have my super powers so....my challenge would be to hire a young sidekick, Pit, and he would be in charge of my underground hot house where I grow melons year round.  Pit would follow me day and night on my crusades, always close by with a refrigerated truck or cooler full of ripe, melons at my disposal so that I could always tap into my superior melon powers.

Beat that if you can ha ha ha ha.
 

Wife:  "Well, I guess things are going to change around here since you are going to seminary huh?"

Husband: "Yes.  From now on you will need to wear a pioneer dress, a doily on your head, and will have to cook lots and lots of fried chicken."

Wife:  "Will I have to raise my own chickens or can I buy them from the store?"

Husband: "I don't want to be legalistic about it....you can buy them from the store if it is easier for you." 

Yesterday was my little boy's birthday.  Here is a big shout out to you little big man from your pappa.  I love you!

Who are the people directly in your life right now, this moment, this second, just now, who really really really get on your nerves?  I am not talking about the way they comb their hair, wear their pants hiked up real high just below their arm pits or even all that back hair fluffing out from the back of their shirt collar.  No, I am speaking of those you work with, those friends you have, those you call on occasionally, those you work with who always make stupid and avoidable mistakes....moment of silence for you to continue counting them all up......need more time?  Ok.....done yet?  No?  Sorry, you get the point.

Don't you get so mad at these people who continually spend their lives jumping from one bad situation to another, doing one stupid thing after another, making one horrible choice after another?  It's bad enough that you have to be witness to all of this freak show but then the good part comes, they ask you for advice and then do the exact opposite of what you told them to do!  Now you and I both know that our advice is top notch, well researched, and grounded in knowledge, wisdom, and love yet they continue to fail to see the value?  Stupid people right? 

Not so fast....

Titus 3:3-8

3For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

Paul writes these words as an older, experienced pastor to a younger pastor.  What prompted this letter?  Well of course the Holy Spirit but did Paul receive a report from others how the church was doing?  Did Paul receive a letter from Titus himself sharing some of the burdens...asking for advice?  You can just imagine that letter can't you?

"Dear Paul, the ministry would be wonderful if it wasn't for all these stupid people always messing it up!"

I think we can be too harsh on people who are not Christians and are outside the church because they do...well unchurchy things right?  Yet when you think about it they are only  doing what unchurched, non-Christians do.  According to scripture without Christ they are dead to Him, dead to His word, dead dead dead and no matter how much preaching you do you nor I can call them out of this death.  Only God can.

Does that mean that we have to stop calling these clowns stupid?  Yes, and you have to stop calling them clowns as well.  You see the scripture above states that each of us were once:

1. Fools 2. Disobedient 3. Deceived 4. Slaves 5. Hated each other 

Yet something happened didn't it?  Because the scripture above states "were once" indicating that something changed but what?  What could wake a dead person from the grave?  What could awake the things of God in the heart of a dead man so that it would change the foolish to the wise, the disobedient to the obedient, the deceived to the knowing, slaves to free men, and turn hate to love?

Survey says!  Jesus and Jesus alone

 4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy,

Jesus appears, intervenes, steps onto the scene like a superhero from a slick magazine (sorry about that I was on a roll).  Jesus come to each of us through His word and through His spirit, He speaks directly to each of us, He calls us to Himself for Himself from the world of death in which we live.  It is only because Jesus is good, loving, and kind that He does this.  Note how in verse 5 the scripture makes it very clear that Jesus does this "not because of works done by us" but because of "his own mercy."  Isn't that refreshing?  Isn't that what the good news is all about?

Think about this for a moment.  Every religion on the planet is a system, a scheme, a process that tells you what you must do to reach God or to become a god.  Christianity tells us that God, Jesus, came down to us, He died for us, He died in our place, took on the punishment for our sins, paid the price so that you and I could be free through His mighty work.  It's never about what you and I could do....always about what Jesus has done and that truly is great news!

If you are reading this and have accepted Jesus as your savior then you are saved because of what He did not because of what you are doing, what you are or are not eating, are or are not following.  You are saved only because of His mercy, loving kindness, and goodness.

If you are saved, if you have the love of God in your heart then you need to stop calling people stupid and clowns because you and I at one point were foolish at one point making stupid decisions, disobedient at one point going our own way in total rebellion against God, deceived in thinking we could be like God and enslaved to humanly passions that lead only to death.

Now is the time to reach out to those around you who get on your nerves, who make stupid decisions, who never take your advice and instead of pimp smacking them how about throwing your arms around them?

How about taking the same mercy, love, and kindness you received at the cross and share it with those around you knowing that it is God who saves and God alone and it is up to us to share His good news through preaching, teaching, and good works.

Because back in da day....each of us were stone cold fools.