My new found addictions to music (http://www.pandora.com/) and movies/tv (http://www.hulu.com/) online are slowly becoming negative. With great technology comes great responsibility.

I can't help it if I have a simple love for finding new music similar to that which I am already fond of!

Can anyone really blame me for my affection show toward Alfred Hitchcock's classic black and white weekly installments of drama and irony?

I didn't think so, but even as I indulge, I feel the weary consumer shackles weighing me down. So much for freedom.... at least I can walk away during the commercials.

You know you want to see Mr. Miyagi as a cartoon character with high fives, winks, and thumbs up!

Three Sticks

I pushed the button to close the garage door and was careful to step over the sensor beam that would jerk it to a halt and send it up again. I put one foot on a pedal and let gravity carry me down and out of the drive-way while I crossed the other leg over the seat. I was surprised by how few street light this subdivision actually has. Half the time I was riding in complete darkness, let alone the blindness that came when I got to the construction.

Rows of empty, half-built houses.

I wondered to myself why the more completed ones had lights on inside here and there. Is this to keep people away at night, or are there already a horde of homeless dwelling in these homes until more lucrative habitants can afford them?

I made my way to a huge hill created past civilization where extra dirt was discarded. Having been assigned this position for some time now, the huge mound, some thirty feet high and a hundred yards across, had grown to resemble the dried and beaten grassland surrounding it. The thought of snakes crossed my mind. In the dark I made my way to the top of the hill and carefully crossed it to the only place I had found in brighter times to bear any uniqueness. A rock pad in the ground lay just the perfect size to lay out on.

The stars were brilliant.

They're bigger here in Texas, you know.

I had filled my pipe as I walked with what I could make to be the second to last smoke this pouch would provide for me. It was odd to be smoking lying on my back, so that my pipe had to lay onto my chest at an awkward down angle for a drag. Sometimes the best place to see and talk to God is alone with a pipe.

As I lay there I heard a scream unlike any before. I sat up. In the distance, I could make out the sound a donkey or mule that must have been as close to death as possible from the shrill screeching to let out into the night sky. That was creepy.

Apart from the sounds, the atmosphere reminded me of camping out. Now sitting up, I looked down at my little rock floor, and the lighter in my hand. I grabbed a handful of dried grass and made a little pile on my floor. I lit it and it burned brightly for all of four seconds. I did this again, using the short burst of light provided to look for anything that would stay lit. I saw nothing. I got up, took a short walk, squatting down to look at anything not appearing to be grass or dirt. Within thirty seconds and to my own surprise, I found three sticks, each no more than six inches long and half an inch thick. I placed them as best I could atop a new pile of dried grass. The first was a failure. I tried again, this time thinking less fire building strategy, more simply to just get the sticks into the short-term grass flames. This was a better strategy when working on such small scale. The sticks slowly caught on to the idea, and the tiny fire made very sporadic shadow dances on the grass surrounding my rock.

As I sat trying to take in the fire's jig and the brightness of the sky, I designed a new technique for smoking my pipe. It was interesting to think I had never smoked in light drags, even though I'm sure its what has always been done by most.

The fire was healthy now, one not needing a babysitter to keep it up. In fact, every burst of wind blew the thought of loose sparks in dry grass into my mind. I needed to keep an eye on this little blaze. The sticks went from dancing with flames to a neon orange glowing as they writhed like worms under the burden of there distruction. The glow of their wood as it turned to charcoal faded slowly in and out, bright and dim. Eventuall, I took a fist-size stone and smashed up the remains of the wood, spreading it out into a thousand little glow worms in a black hill. As the glowing specks began to diminish in quantity, I searched upward and realized there was no moon out as far as my eyes were concerned. Back to the embers, I continued to crush them out, as well as using the only liquid on me, my spit, as an additional douser of the little lights. As the last few lights left, I followed.

I see, in this generation of true Christ-loving youth, a great opportunity that is perhaps greater than many of previous eras of the church.

In this generation, I see a people who are willing to accept true Christianity, a concept which many who would consider themselves Christians have never truly had presented. I also see a generation excited to bring glory to God in any way He may desire it of them. I see those who live from a worldview of reformed theology, regardless of whether they know what that even means, and couple it properly with a charismatic worship and lifestyle.

Like Shrek, Christianity as a grouping is similar to an onion. It has layers. There are those on the far fringe who no one else would agree upon as "Christian," but who would first and foremost introduce themselves as such. This includes cults like Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, and liberal theologians who disregard foundational truths such as Biblical inerrancy and the possibility of miracles. It is hard to understand why someone would even desire so greatly to be associated closely with something they changed so greatly before accepting. But I digress.

From here we can see that there are deeper, less clearly defined layers within the realm of "Christianity." Those raised attending church on Sundays for no apparent impact, the nominal Catholic, and others fall into a slightly closer range of truth. When looking for the true qualifiers however, it becomes clear that Children of the Burning Heart are born across the board in some places rather unlikely from the Biblicist's perspective. There are many groups who have no clue what Christianity means, and many who skew it to a jumbled mess, yet even through all this Christ works in the lives of those He wills.

From here I would like to look at those youthful souls truly desperate for the work of God in their lives. This group is largely described by and partially included within the Passion ministry movement. A joyous surprise to thousands who see kindred hearts where they thought few existed. Young believers characterized by a passion for the truth as only the Bible could describe it, and any consequences that may entail. A clan of ridiculously open worshippers who are unashamed in admitting their filthiness and His over-qualification to make it right.

I think this pattern of thinking is influenced from a number of directions, culminating in an extremely Biblical Christian worldview once developed. In the first chapter of "The Pursuit of God," A.W. Tozer betrays a very similar thought process. Speaking to the Christianity of the 1950's, his sentiments ring true in our ears today as well. His purpose in this chapter is, simply put, to say that while Christians are taught to be content in their Christianity, we should be quite the opposite, constantly in pursuit of God and His glory.

Read this book!

Aside from this point, Tozer very obviously proposes a foundation for this thinking, putting forth his own worldview. The chapter starts out stating,

"Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace, which briefly stated means this, that before man can seek God, God must first have sought the man."

While Tozer off-handedly claims this as a Christian theology, it is only thought thus in a relatively reformed Christian worldview. In the seemingly eternal battle between Calvinism and Arminianism, the basic concepts come up again and again. Calvinists would hold that God does all the work of calling the broken and helpless man, while Arminians would say that by free-will a man sees his sinfulness and comes to God uncoaxed.

Tozer makes an obvious proposition of the Calvinistic or reformed position on this topic. Unlike most Calivinist theological assertions, however, Tozer does not beat us bloody about the complete ineptitude of man, a valid point that is wrongly focused and often taken on wild trips to extreme tangents by obsessive theologians. Instead he turns this truth directly to state that man is given the ability to pursue God from God, and uses this as all the more purpose in the pursuit. Basically stated, Tozer does not use this information to dissect all the possible nooks and crannies of theological intellectualism, but gain perspective as to man's real and current relation to God.

The rest of Tozer's chapter discusses the greatness of God's personhood, the ability for human persons to interact with Him, and the immense joys found available in the pursuit of God. The book is well titled.

I truly think this is what Biblical Christianity is called to be. Tozer takes a truth, sets it as a foundation, and from there understands how it effects living, and rejoices in the outcome. This should be a timeless method for all Christian understanding! It is this mentality that fuels purposeful Christian living! It is this mentality that gives men the ability to understand truth and worship all the more therefore!

In being reformed to the Bible, we can see the Biblical state of the world and majesty of God. In following this truth logically, we have found freedom to worship and happily throw everything to Him.

This past week I was intensely blessed at Saturday's praise band practice in a new way. Over the month or so that I have been in this position, God has been continually blessing me in all circumstances. In this situation, I had scheduled for one of our songs to be "Jesus Paid It All," the new "Passion" version. Some of the students weren't familiar with it, so I looked up this video and threw it on the big screen with the lights off so they could get the feel for it, not only how it sounds, but the emotional connections that can obviously be encouraged through an intense emotion. I was so encouraged to have them almost giddy half-way through the video, not just because they liked this, but because they thought they could recreate that so that students in the Attic could experiance worship more deeply. Talk about a huge encouragement to me! I can't wait to stand in endless crowds and worship God fully and with one unified voice. Until then.....

Strap yourself in.

This could get a little wordy. I've been planning on writing on this subject for a couple days now, but have not had the energy or courage to tackle what could conceivably become a very long post.

But now its late at night, I have a few hours to burn before I have to make a trip to the airport, and I'm just tired enough to do this. I think. I have plenty of sugar in my system, a chair upon which to prop my feet, and the quiet I would need to stay focused. Here goes...

First of all, you must become acquainted with one A.W. Tozer. To read Tozer is to find a new friend that is probably more honest with you than most people who actually know you. Tozer shows his love to mankind as a bi product of his commitment to God. Although its pretty contrary to the popular view of love on which the world is bleeding itself out today, true love is focused on providing the truth that provides remedies to the whole mess as opposed to so called "love" that includes giving instant gratification and telling people what they want to hear. So Tozer says some things that I don't want to hear. But they are good for me.

They are the best there is for me.

Here it comes.

"God Must Be Loved for Himself"
"GOD BEING WHO HE is must always be sought for Himself, never as a means toward something else.
Whoever seeks other objects and not God is on his own; he may obtain those objects if he is able, but he will never have God. God is never found accidentally. 'Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart' (Jer. 29:13) .
Whoever seeks God as a means toward desired ends will not find God. The mighty God, the maker of heaven and earth, will not be one of many treasures, not even the chief of all treasures. He will be all in all or He will be nothing. God will not be used. His mercy and grace are infinite and His patient understanding is beyond measure, but He will not aid men in their selfish striving after personal gain. He will not help men to attain ends which, when attained, usurp the place He by every right should hold in their interest and affection.
Yet popular Christianity has as one of its most effective talking points the idea that God exists to help people to get ahead in this world. The God of the poor has become the God of an affluent society. Christ no longer refuses to be a judge or a divider between money hungry brothers. He can now be persuaded to assist the brother that has accepted Him to get the better of the brother who has not.
A crass example of the modern effort to use God for selfish purposes is the well-known comedian who, after repeated failures, promised someone he called God that if He would help him to make good in the entertainment world he would repay Him by giving generously to the care of sick children. Shortly afterward he hit the big time in the night clubs and on television. He has kept his word and is raising large sums of money to build children's hospitals. These contributions to charity, he feels, are a small price to pay for a success in one of the sleaziest fields of human endeavor.
One might excuse the act of this entertainer as something to be expected of a twentieth century pagan; but that multitudes of evangelicals in North America should actually believe that God had anything to do with the whole business is not so easily overlooked. This low and false view of Deity is one major reason for the immense popularity God enjoys these days among well-fed Westerners.
The teaching of the Bible is that God is Himself the end for which man was created. "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" cried the psalmist, "and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee" (Psa. 73: 25) . The first and greatest commandment is to love God with every power of our entire being. Where love like that exists there can be no place for a second object. If we love God as much as we should surely we cannot dream of a loved object beyond Him which He might help us to obtain.
Bernard of Clairvaux begins his radiant little treatise on the love of God with a question and an answer. The question, Why should we love God? The answer, Because He is God. He develops the idea further, but for the enlightened heart little more need be said. We should love God because He is God. Beyond this the angels cannot think.
Being who He is, God is to be loved for His own sake. He is the reason for our loving Him, just as He is the reason for His loving us and for every other act He has performed, is performing and will perform world without end. God's primary reason for everything is His own good pleasure. The search for secondary reasons is gratuitous and mostly futile. It affords occupation for theologians and adds pages to books on doctrine, but that it ever turns up any true explanations is doubtful.
But it is the nature of God to share. His mighty acts of creation and redemption were done for His good pleasure, but His pleasure extends to all created things. One has but to look at a healthy child at play or listen to the song of a bird at sundown and he will know that God meant His universe to be a joyful one.
Those who have been spiritually enabled to love God for Himself will find a thousand fountains springing up from the rainbow circled throne and bringing countless treasures which are to be received with reverent thanksgiving as being the overflow of God's love for His children. Each gift is a bonus of grace which because it was not sought for itself may be enjoyed without injury to the soul. These include the simple blessings of life, such as health, a home, a family, congenial friends, food, shelter, the pure joys of nature or the more artificial pleasures of music and art.
The effort to find these treasures by direct search apart from God has been the major activity of mankind through the centuries; and this has been man's burden and man's woe. The effort to gain them as the ulterior motive back of accepting Christ may be something new under the sun; but new or old it is an evil that can only bring judgment at last.
God wills that we should love Him for Himself alone with no hidden reasons, trusting Him to be to us all our natures require. Our Lord said all this much better: 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you' (Matt. 6:33) ."

Farewell, Joel Osteen .

If you understood this well at all, you should be upset. God doesn't want to help you with your goals. Its funny that God should ever come into any serious conversation or thought we have as a secondary character. If the Bible teaches us that the rain falls on the righteous and the wicked, and makes a point of the fact that God does not give favor in earthly standards to the children of the burning heart, then how do we allow ourselves to slip into this simple, camouflage-less trap?

Let me just say that I personally cannot see the inherant evils in comedy. This could go a number of ways. We could say Tozer may err to the legalistic side, which is probably somewhat true given the time period and social and ideological norms. Also, if the comedy industry of the 40's and 50's was anything resembling todays, it seems obvious that we could label it as one of the "sleaziest fields of human endeavor." Also, it is important to realize that this individual whom he speaks of could probably be most easily comparable to a football player who points to the heavens in victory or an actress thanking God for her emmy. While there may be exceptions, most of the time the lives and endeavors of these people completely contradict any real glory they may bestow. Personally, having read countless pages of Tozer and seen the truth he understood, I trust his judgement on the issue completely.

The important thing to take from this real life analogy is not even the actions of the comedian, but the ready acceptance from Christainity. I would guess that I know far more Christains who would be happy with this "expression of faith." But here's the point. If the life is not lived in complete devotion to God and His will, how can one truly try to honor Him with his own success?

Cain's fruit wasn't rotten.

But it wasn't what God desired from him.

Too often we look to ourselves for what direction our future should be headed, ignoring God's direction or leaving Him out of the conversation altogether. Then, when we have done well, which is done easily without God's assistance, we want to give it back to Him? Its simple math.
If good works aren't worth more than filthy rags, how would positive personal endeavors possibly hold the same or more weight?

Hey God, I know you had a plan, but mine turned out pretty awesome, right?

The audacity of this statement doesn't hit us as hard as it should, but its what we do! And Christianity only flourishes because of the loose description we place on who God is and what characterizes Him! To think that Christianity prospers not based on God's great blessing but on our great watering and misrepresenting of who He is!

SO MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT AMERICA IS BLESSED BECAUSE IT HAS SUCH INTENSE CHRISTIAN INFLUENCES, WHEN PERHAPS WE SHOULD REALIZE THAT TRUE CHRISTIANITY FLOURISHES IN PERSECUTION, AND CHRISTIANITY THAT FLOURISHES OTHERWISE SHOULD BE LOOKED AT SUSPECTLY, CONSIDERING THAT IT IS MOST LIKELY SKEWING THE TRUTH.

In truth, Man is created for the sole purpose of knowing and revelling in the glory of God. Nothing else should even come on the radar. But we live our entire lives ignoring God or trying to milk Him for something we want. God gives us other gifts, but His goal is to glorify Himself. God's goal of glorifying Himself and doing what pleases Him is so much greater in any other possible desire He could have that it could basically be said He has no others. We shouldn't either, especially if we desire happiness and fulfillment in life. After working on this post for days on end, this can be simply summed up. God is all there is of worth.

The big question that remains is, can we flesh this out.

It was a first for me. I have grown fond of Oswald Chambers, as you can tell by scrolling down. I mean, I have read him very irregularly for three or four years now, so it was a surprise to me to come upon a day where I wasn't simply confused by him. Usually, I am either really blessed by Chambers or really confused by Chambers. Today, I read and found myself in complete disagreement with everything he said!

Then I read it two more times. I finally agreed with him.

I don't really want to copy the entire thing here, but you need to have a context.

Some of Ozzie's statements seem to flat out contradict the verse he references until you understand the entirety of his entry, which even then has to be clarified by close assessment. He seems to be saying that Christ (and subsequently Christians) was tempted in an entirely different way from the rest of humanity. He says all this while referencing Hebrews 4:15, which states that He was "... tempted as we are, yet without sin." I think, after careful dissection, that the point he is making is that the purpose for the devil and the situation and effect for the children of the burning heart is greatly different from simple temptation of the unrighteous.

The fallen are in complete despair. Regardless of how closely they know this, every circumstance to sin is simply an opportunity to continue in self-destruction. They are in the same place either way, there is no change made, period. For the disciple however, the devil has greater intentions, for the stakes become much much higher. For those following God, a temptation is an opportunity to put down what is valuable, what we are supposed to be characterized by, and what gives us and our lives worth. It is an opportunity to change our point of view and see things differently.

This entry went from contradictory of scripture to extremely personally applicable to my life today! It is so important to understand all the aspects of falling into a conscious personal decision to sin in an individual situation. Our life focus, worth, and personality are all at stake. Of course, this only makes sense if a follower is actually following. But that's another story, albeit a precursor to this lesson.

I was blessed.