Pack-Rat Soul
Do you have clothes in your closet that you don’t wear, but you keep them “just in case?” As if one day you will need to wear that 3-piece corduroy suit or maybe Hawaiian shirts will be coming back in style soon.
Not likely!
But we hang onto them anyway.
I’m finding that I keep sin in my life the same way I keep those old clothes. Or, at least I keep the vises that lead to sin.
My close friends know that I have a little bit of an eating problem. I just love food. If it’s in the house, I’m going to eat it all. So I’m going to try and stop having sweets in my home. I don’t want my son to be a glutton like me.
Do any of you have vises that are tempting you?
Acts 3
Hey guys, it’s time to discuss the third chapter in our saga. (read this what a novel idea if you don’t know what we’re doing)
Verse 1 in Chapter three already has us asking questions:
What was the three o’clock time of prayer that Peter and John were going to? We are assuming that it is a Jewish tradition. Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a set time of day that we worshiped/prayed? Laura and I are going to set our cell phone alarms for three o’clock. This can remind us to have a time of prayer in the middle of our busy day.
How cool would it be to be the crippled guy who is just expecting some money to get through the day, and instead he winds up being healed from his affliction?
He had never walked until that day. I feel like sometimes we go to church just expecting a message to help us get through the day, and yet God can do so much more. He is a God who can heal us of ALL our spiritual/physical needs. What was hard for us to understand is why he sometimes doesn’t.
“ Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd. “ People of Israel, “ he said, “ what is so astounding about this? And why look at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power and godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of all of our ancestors who has brought Glory to his servant Jesus by doing this.”
WOW. How often do we try to bring glory to ourselves when God is at work? How often do we see God’s “opportunities “ in situations? Do we act on them, or do we sit silent and let the moment pass us by?
Would Jesus Have a Beer With Me?
I’d like to have an open and honest dialogue with you about Christians and alcohol.
I grew up in a church that said that Christians don’t drink. This was confusing to me because there are many passages in the bible that show Jesus drinking (not to mention that Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine at a party).
On the day of Pentecost, people thought that the Christians were drunk. But Peter explained to the crowd that it was too early for them to be drinking. He didn’t say that these were Christians who don’t drink. He just told the crowd that they don’t drink this early in the morning.
As a child, I often wondered why we drank grape juice instead of wine at the Lord’s Supper.
I could go on, but you get the picture.
We confuse drinking with getting drunk.
Really, it’s American Christians that have this problem.
My wife’s home church in Germany had six kegs at one of there church parties. They weren’t getting plastered. They were just having fun at a church function.
I don’t understand why it can’t be the same here. I don’t understand why people in the church would get mad at me for having a drink with some friends. I don’t understand why it matters.
I’d love to hear some other thoughts on the subject.
Christian Rock Bands Who Are Rocking My Face Off!
I don’t normally listen to a lot of “Christian” music, but there are a few guys in the industry that are doing an awesome job with the talents that God has given them. These guys have songs that are good enough for secular radio.
Starfield- These guys have consistently gotten better from album to album. There production is just as good as any All-American Rejects record.
Mute Math- This is one of the best live shows you will ever see. Period.
Superchick- There new record comes out in 2 weeks, but you can get 3 of the songs now on iTunes. These guys are getting heavier and heavier. I can’t wait to see if AC radio will play the new stuff.
Future of Forestry- If you like ambient rock, then you will love this group.
Sanctus Real- These guys are the perfect arena rock band.
Tenth Avenue North- This group is more like Lifehouse. They have great lyrics and catchy melodies.
Mikeschair- These guys do dance rock better than any band out there. There record should be out this fall, so check them out.
Hillsong United- These guys raised the bar for corporate worship. They are amazing live and are one of the few bands that are able to be completely transparent on stage. They rock!
The Clip at 26?
When we first got married, my wife and I decided that we were only going to have 2 kids. We’ve already had one and we’re in the beginning stages of adopting another. Basically, we’re done having kids.
So, now I’m considering getting a vasectomy!
I know, I know. That’s a procedure for 40 year olds, but I don’t want to continue paying for contraceptives for the next 15 years. That would be like throwing money down the drain.
Is this crazy?
I’m trying to weigh the other pro’s and con’s, but I need help.
What are your thought’s?
Acts 2:1-47
Alright kids. It’s time to talk about the second chapter in Acts. (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, read http://jarrodmorris.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/what-a-novel-idea/ and http://jarrodmorris.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/acts-1-1-26/)
Remember this is a discussion; so write in your thoughts on the chapter.
This chapter was at the day of Pentecost (50 days after the Passover celebration). This is where the Holy Spirit was poured out on a group of believers. The verses describe flaming tongues being laid on each person’s head. After that, they went out into the streets where they encounter Jews and gentiles from all over the map. The spirit gave the followers of Christ the ability to speak in other languages.
How cool. They didn’t have to take 4 years worth of foreign language classes at their local community college. God just gave them another away to spread the gospel.
What I love about this chapter is that the non-Christians thought that the Christians were drunk. But Peter assured them that it was too early for them to be drunk. (Apparently, Christians shouldn’t get plastered before 9 in the morning)
In chapter 2:38 Peter explains to the crowed (which included many Godly Jews) how to become Christians, and in all, 3000 people got baptized and accepted Christ into their lives.
The last part of the chapter shows how the believers did life together. They hung out with each other. They ate with each other. They laughed and cried with each other. I think this is what church was meant to be.
What do you think?
Sex Nights!
WARNING: This post is mainly for the married folks. But this could help you single kids out later in life.
I went to a conference earlier this year (recreate) where we talked a lot about how we get so into our jobs that we don’t make enough time for our families. One of the conference goers suggested something that was working for he and his wife. SEX NIGHTS!
What a simple, yet wonderful idea. Think about it. You make time for every other important thing in your life. Why not prioritize sex? After all, God created it for us (I’m guessing as a stress relief tool).
The point of sex nights is not to take away from spontaneity, but to increase communication and help funnel “expectation”. The “expectations” I’m talking about are men wanting sex every 5 minutes and women wanting to be pursued.
The ground rules are simple.
First, you decide how many sex nights you are going to have in a week. I wanted 14 times and my wife wanted 3. So, our compromise was 3 times a week.
Second, you decide what nights are your “special” nights. (I’m choosing not to share our nights because there are some things that should remain sacred in this life. But don’t expect us to answer the phone on Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday nights!)
Third, make those days extra special by bringing home some wine, light some candles, and give your wife a massage (at least 10 minutes worth).
You can bend the rules if you want. For instance, if the mood hits earlier in the week, feel free to move your night forward. Also ladies, you should give your husbands bonus nights every once in a while.
It’s that simple. So go get’cha some!
Silence
We talked about silence and resting in God at church tonight. This is something that I’m horrible at.
I think silence scares me.
Or maybe I just know how to be quiet and listen.
I’m committing myself to having at least five minutes of silence a day for the next week. This is going to be a time where all I do is listen.
No lists. No agenda’s. Just quality time with my creator.
I’d love some accountability with this. Does anyone want to do this challenge with me?
Acts 1 :1-26
My wife and I started reading Acts last night and realized quickly that we don’t know alot.
Here are some of my notes and questions. Please feel free to give insight.
Did you know that Jesus appeared off and on for 40 days after the resurrection?
There’s more blood and gore in the bible than you can shake a stick at. Judas’s body bursts open and all his intestines spill out!
Did you know there was a 2nd Judas? (That would be like having the name Osama Bin laden today.)
They picked the new apostle with prayer and rolling dice. (I think we should adopt this strategy for elder nominees!)
Does anybody know the difference between an apostle and a disciple?
