bad read? pt.2

ok, the worship team is now sick of my rantings... this post is also a result of our sunday morning chats. read pt.1 first.

hosea 14 begins with a plea for God's children to return to Him: "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity And receive {us} graciously, That we may present the fruit of our lips.'" [nasb]

we can easily infer that the word fruit here is used in a similar way to how the NT uses the word in the context, the fruit of the vine, or fruit of our loins, meaning the product. but a deeper look will reveal that the literal word in hebrew is par, which literally translated, means cow. huh? the cows of our lips? yep. darby translates the word as 'calves' (baby cows--the kind we pay double for at a steakhouse), asv gets the word 'bullocks', and the hnv uses 'bulls'. odd, huh?

it's odd until we consider that hosea writes this in the middle of the bloodiest era in our religious history. read through God's law and you'll see that God requires a blood sacrifice in the temple as atonement for sin. the blood sacrifice signifies that there is a price to be paid for sin. it literally should be our lives at stake for breaking God's law (see Rom 3:23, 6:23), but in His grace, God allowed a blameless animal to take man's place. side note: the animal sacrifice atoned for sin, it paid for sin, but it did not take our sin away. we still deal with the sin issue until we are perfected forever. it was not until Christ's blood sacrifice, He who had the capability to sin and resisted, that our sin is taken away. this topic can go MUCH deeper, but it's not where i'm going in this post. where i am going: after Christ's sacrifice, the penalty for our sins are removed forever! no guilt, no shame. He bore it all on the cross.

what is the fruit of our lips, but a holy sacrifice of praise? it's amazing to think that when we praise God, that it brings to Him as pleasant an aroma as the pre-Christ slaughtering of bulls and lambs! He is moved by our words, by our giving Him honor and glory. we have an impact on the eternal God, the same yesterday, today and forever! praise be to Him Who has wrought our salvation, and is moved by our worship.

bad read?

(photos courtesy of aaron keyes, media shout, respectively)
i've been complaining to the worship team about a book i'm reading--reading by choice, but finishing because of some inane compulsion to finish what i've started. the book is by no means an enjoyable read; it meanders along the winding paths and rabbit trails of an old-timey gospel preacher whose style is more front-porch-conversation than an alliterated outline. the author was less organized in writing than is your typical karaoke singer for a rousing rendition of "Living La Vida Loca". anyway, despite being a horrible read, i've actually garnered some points of interest. it may be the subject of a few upcoming posts as i continue to process its content, but we'll see what happens...

today's thought: our physical posture has spiritual significance. that somehow they serve as signals to the spirit realm. as we bow ourselves before the Lord our Maker, as we lift our hands proclaiming His worth and our need, as we dance before Him, as we stand in awe and silence, our physical postures have spiritual significance. as we follow God's leading, as we follow the still, small voice encouraging us to raise our hands, or to fall to our knees, then God honors our obedience (notice that he desires obedience over sacrifice anyway! 1 Sam 15:22) with a greater awareness of his presence, or inhabitation of our praise.

the story is in exodus 17. backstory: israel is held captive for four hundred years, and God frees them from bondage with a vengeance! the plagues, water from a rock, etc. then come the amalekites, ready to battle. remember, israel had been slaves for a few hundred years; they operated a hoe and rake, not a sword and shield! God knows that there is no way that israel could win a battle!! moses is perched atop the mountain with the rod of God--the same rod that brought water from a rock, the same rod that split the sea and allowed israel to walk across on dry land (hmm... same rod? or same God?)--and as he raised his hands, israel prevailed in battle. as his hands got tired and drooped, amalek prevailed. aaron and hur steadied the hands of moses until the battle was over and israel had won. what was moses actually doing on the mountain top?

the psalmist says (ps 149--Let the praises of God be in their mouths, a sharp sword in their hands) that our praises are as powerful as a two-edged sword. that as we praise our God, and as He inhabits our praises, that He moves to the tune of our praise to execute vengeance on the heathen; that literally in rhythm to our cymbals and harps, that He fights our battles for us.

what was Moses doing on the mountain top? was he standing still and silently with his hands stuck in the air? or was he praising God, his hands raised in worship and praise of Him who alone is worthy? if God will come fight a physical battle when His name is praised, do we dare question the vast resource He makes available to us, if we will but praise His name? praise Him Who gives us the victory!

coming soon--another parallel of praise: cow

i've been tagged...

wow, charlie, i'm flattered! i thought my recent hiatus had allowed me to narrowly escape the clutches of blog tag, but alas, i'm it... so here goes, our game of "hey, i bet you didn't know..." continues:

Four Jobs I've Had:

• Batboy and Clubhouse errand boy for Richmond Braves
• Accountant
• Computer Programmer/Designer
• Worship Leader

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:

• Three Amigos
• The Princess Bride
• Bourne Identity
• Memento
  

Four Places I've Lived:

• Cleveland, OH
• Richmond, VA
• Greenville, SC
• Atlanta, GA

Four Shows I Like To Watch:

• 24
• Lost
• My Name is Earl
• Malcom in the Middle

Four Foods That I Like:

• Veggie Pizza
• anything Mexican
• good ol’ American burger
• Frosty from Wendy’s

Four Sites I Visit Everyday:

• My MSN : my personal email, weather, news, etc.
• Backpack (my to do list)
• Bloglines
• BibleGateway.com

Four places I'd rather be right now:

• somewhere warmer
  
• somewhere with a little more culture
• somewhere with a subway station outside my apartment door
  
• the gulf beach
  

Four Things I Want To Do Before I Die:

• produce a CD
• skydive
• fall madly and hopelessly in love
• retire
  

Four People I'm Tagging:

• Layla
• Blaize Stewart
• Bethany
  
• Bruce Grinstead

geek vs nerd

blaize emailed this to me; i'm not sure of the source, but i thought it was very appropriate for our worship team, given our little nicknames. remember, i'm the geek, blaize is the nerd. the rest of you, we'll keep looking for descriptions of your nicknames...

Geek vs Nerd
A light-hearted post today.

I thought I'd explain, as I see it, the difference between a geek and a nerd.

What Makes A Geek/Nerd?
Geek and nerd aren't specific computer related terms. You can be geeky or nerdy about any subject. Cars for example.. they have plenty of geeks and nerds. How do you say? Well I'll explain shortly.

For the most part geeks and nerds tend to be involved in things with a lot of detail. They both exhibit a knowledge of their subject beyond what a lay person may even think is possible. Indeed, that could be the very definition of where the boundaries lie. Good examples of this could be: role-play games, cars, computers (of course), or fitness.

The Geek
A geek is someone that uses their field for productivity or pleasure, and has accumulated - through a desire to enjoy their experience more or become more proficient at a task - an extensive knowledge of a subject.

Geeks that are involved with machines (cars, computers, stereos, etc) tend to see these things as tools, and by gaining more knowledge about - and hence control over - them they intend to maximise their use of the tool. Be it driving better and for longer, or being able to code an efficient web page without looking at a reference book. The result is the same in terms of difference to a layperson. This type of geek will often know lots about the construction of their area, and can be excited by the prospect of upgrading a small part that may seem insignificant to an outsider, but it impacts (or the geek feels it impacts) the performance of their tasks.

Geeks tend to be concerned with issues in a broader scope than nerds, and are certainly more focused on issues that affect them (this journal for example - web design, and similar issues) and less with the minutiae of details.

The Nerd
A Nerd is someone that has taken their use of a tool or discipline and raised it so that they no longer value the result of it more than the tool or discipline itself. It is the subject that is their love. A geek might know a lot about computers, but it will be what they need to know. A nerd will learn everything they can about computers, but gain no practical benefit for this. Moreover they will experiment with things that will take a lot of time and have no real benefit to them - just because they are learning about the subject.

Nerds tend to be even more fanatical about improving in their subject than geeks, but have a more holistic approach. Rather than improving in their area they must improve overall in all areas.

Nerds are usually the more preachy and anal of the two (though this does depend to some extent on personality - a geek can be an arse too!) and are more prone to nitpicking small irrelevant details and using this as an excuse to junk the rest of the information. This is related to that Nerds are often the hardest group to teach, as their knowledge is sacred to them - and so can never be proved wrong. Sometimes even when presented with overwhelming evidence to the contrary a nerd will still claim that their knowledge is correct.

Nerds are the more annoying of the two, and the most observed. They are highly critical, and tend to put down people rather than help them (as most geeks will try to do - until they lose patience). Often the distinction is missed between these two groups, as the Nerd is usually heard the most.

In Summary
Without Nerds there would be less pushing of the boundaries, but without Geeks no-one would find these things useful. Remember a geek or a nerd doesn't actually have to have a certain amount of knowledge, it is an attitude to their subject that creates the geek.

Geeks and Nerds are closely related, in fact many nerds will start out as geeks - a starter techie if you will. Geek shouldn't be a negative term, as it merely infers knowledge. Nerd is more negative, mainly due to the unhealthy obsessive nature of the classic Nerd, however the benefit a Nerd can have on a subject should not be overlooked either.

Viva La Difference!

rapid succession -- entry #3

ok, this was posted on my site, but i wanted to reference it here as well, for future use. forgive the duplication...

let everything that has breath praise the Lord! psalm 150:6 -- it's not a suggestion or an invitation, it's a command! the five most common old testament words for praise give us an idea of what God intends:

hallal - to celebrate, to boast
yadah - to worship with raised hands, extended arms
barak - to declare God as the origin of power, success, or victory
shabach - to shout or commend loudly!
gil - to circle in joy, to dance in circles

it's not about the church, the band, the pastor, me or you; it's not about who's watching us, or who's sitting next to us; it's not about us, it's all about Him! it is our passion at peachtree that we move past the paradigm of a dignified religion, and passionately praise our great God with all we possess, all our resources, our time, our energy!

did you know that we're the only creatures on earth that can choose whether we praise God? the rest of creation - the plants of every field, the trees of every forest, the waves of every ocean, animals of every kind - they all do exactly what they were created to do, which is give honor and glory to God! when a dog barks, when an ocean wave crashes, when a flower blooms, they do so in direct obedience to God's grand design! but God gave us a choice! you've probably heard the phrase, "If you love something, set it free. If it returns, it's yours forever." God's glory deserves all praise. He's given us a choice, because love given freely in return means so much more than love given when there's no alternative.

let us worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe... hebrews 12:28. the word value describes how much worth we place on an object. a postage stamp goes for $.37. a big mac, about $2.09. you can get a base model bmw for less than $40,000. a price is driven by how much an object is worth, or how much value the buyer places on it. the more a person values the object of worth, the more he is willing to give for it. that's what worship is - attributing worth. when we attribute to God His appropriate value, the value He deserves, we then lay down everything before Him, because He alone is worthy of everything!

May we not waste our worship on anything less
than He who alone is worthy!

rapid succession -- entry #2

here it is, rapid succession #2. this piece, also from crowder, speaks of evangelism in our specific culture, the key term: missional. good stuff. must be the hair...

To Be Missional

What does it mean to be missional?

It means that we understand ourselves to be missionaries in today's culture. Missionaries are those whose lives are constituted by a mission: to know Him and make Him known - this is our purpose, our goal, and our end in life. An ongoing relationship with God should result in a lifestyle that is God-centered and seeks to incarnate Christ.

What things do missionaries consider?

Missionaries always seek to understand 1.) the culture in which they live, and 2.) how to embody Christ amidst a kingdom that is not God's kingdom. E.g. If you were going to Russia to be a missionary there for several months, you'd spend much time in preparation learning Russian culture and the Russian language. You'd learn what aspects of Russian culture provide an open window into conveying the gospel, and what aspects of Russian culture run contrary to the gospel and need to be differentiated. You'd learn the Russian language and try to find certain words that seem to convey the gospel really well.

How does this relate to the early church in the first century?

The early church was a body of people who understood themselves to be members of a different kingdom than the Roman kingdom. Their allegiance existed first and foremost to the kingdom of God which often ran contrary to Roman rule. The kingdom of God exists wherever the lordship of God reigns…where men and women are obedient to God. Though they messed up often and were in constant battle against heresies forming within the church, they knew their entire lives had to be ordered around their mission or they would cease being Christians.

How is this mindset conveyed in Scripture?

Jesus came preaching "the kingdom of God" - Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, Matthew 6; and saying that "My kingdom is not of this world…" John 18. He was promoting a different kingdom than the one in which He lived - and a kingdom that got Himself killed because He challenged the existing powers - powers that ruled a different kingdom than the kingdom of God. He was on a mission that had to do with the kingdom of God, and after His resurrection, He commissioned the disciples to further this mission saying, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit..." His mission was embraced by the disciples and the early church in Acts.Paul gave evidence to the goal, purpose, and end in his life in Philippians 3 saying, "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Paul was so well acquainted with the culture in which he lived that often times in his letters to the Romans or Ephesians or Philippians, etc., he'd use certain words and phrases that were predominantly used by pagan mystery religions or contemporary poets/philosophers of his day in order to grab their attention yet redefine their understanding of life with God.

So, what's the problem?

For several hundred years now, America has always been considered a Christian nation in which Christianity has been the predominant religious influence. Since Christianity has been the predominant religious influence in America, many American Christians understood "missionaries" to be those people who take "our" gospel to non-christian people overseas…therefore, since American Christians ceased understanding themselves as missionaries, we no longer saw the need to discern the culture in which we've lived.
When we became Christians growing up, we were basically just handed a bible and told "start reading." We were never sat down and explained what our culture is all about, and what it will take to be a missionary in our culture today.

OK, you've said "culture" about 80 times now…can you give me a simple definition of culture?

{Def. - Culture is simply the place in which you live that shapes how you think and how you live.} Culture is like the water that all of us fish swim in day in and day out. It's what we breathe all day long yet never realize whether the way it is making us think is biblical or not. Culture gives us the lens by which we view life, God, scripture, each other, and ourselves. So, if American culture is highly individualistic and consumeristic, then I can only read Scripture as an individualistic, consumeristic Christian…even if Scripture is opposed to individualism and consumerism. So, often times the most difficult thing for an American Christian to do is to realize that the prescription on these glasses we are wearing is actually not good at all for Christians.

How does a Christian missionary in American culture differ from the prevailing American mindset and even from most American Christians?

Many American Christians have bought into several American (cultural - not biblical) mindsets. Here are a couple:

1. Capitalism - that our purpose, goal, and end in life is to be profitable in business or other avenues in the professional world; therefore, we understand that all of life is ordered to that end…that our involvement in school or work is primarily about capitalism, not primarily about mission. Does this mean we neglect excellence and diligence in school or work? Absolutely not. This mindset actually motivates us to "do all things as unto the Lord" with excellence and diligence, yet with a different mindset - that our ultimate goal here is not about financial profit but bringing others along in our faith journey.

2. Consumerism - that the reason things exist in this world is for me, the consumer, to consume; even though the local church is called to be a body of people sent on a mission into the world striving to establish the kingdom of God (definitely not a consumer mentality). Unfortunately, although the local church has been ordained by God to carry on the mission of Christ, most American Christians simply view the church as another venue that simply exists to meet our individual needs.

How can I be missional?

Accept the call of Christ to live out your life as a missionary amidst a culture that constantly tries to sell us a different purpose and a different vision in life. We are missional in that we desire to be the incarnate Christ immersed in the world without becoming a product of it. If we are going to be the incarnate Christ in today's world, then our purpose, goal, and end in life will revolve around knowing God and making Him known.
If we are going to be the incarnate Christ, then we will not try and sell people on a belief system made up of propositional truths…instead, we will convey Christianity as a way of life. Perhaps, we might just begin living life with people and see if they might also live life with us in hopes that they might find out in the living that this way of life is exactly what they need. Maybe this is why Jesus' evangelism strategy with the disciples did not consist of a slick brochure but just 2 words, "Follow Me." And, they did not follow Him initially because they knew Him to be the Messiah and Savior of the world. No, they found out in the living that this way of life, though incredibly difficult, was exactly what they needed.If we are going to be the incarnate Christ, then we will understand that the method and message of our mission are intertwined…in other words, the method in which we convey our message actually says a lot about our message.

Adapted from http://www.ubcwaco.org ©2002 University Baptist Church

rapid succession -- entry #1

all right, my first entry in rapid succession comes from David Crowder, who has always looks to me like a caricature of either the cat in the hat or the grinch. remember the caricature post? i'm not saying that the cat in hat was inspired by this guy, i'm saying if it were possible, God created David Crowder in the image some dr. seuss character, humorously exaggerating physical features of the cartoon. anyone who can pull off that look is my hero. and he's not just a looker! he's deep. i came across some writings on the Sacred and the Secular. our church utilizes both, i utilize both in my personal life, but could never defend it when my philosophy was challenged; he does a great job exploring the depths of the subject. check it out below:

The Sacred and the Secular Spirituality involves the whole of human life; nothing is nonspiritual (note "nothing is nonspiritual" does not mean "nothing is sinful"). But, wherever Plato has affected Christian teaching, there has been a separation of the sacred and secular. Thus, prayer, worship, evangelism and "the ministry" are thought to be sacred. All other activities are secular. The sacred is said to be more spiritual. Even where a necessary involvement in everyday tasks is acknowledged to be a Christian duty, the work, it is said, has to be done only physically. The spirit within has to be involved in silent communion with God, practicing his presence. The necessity of involvement in the world of people and things is accepted, but the action mustbe done with the spirit withdrawn into the secret place of union with God, where the "real" business of life is said to be carried on.

BUT, this mentality subtly affects Christian thinking in numerous ways. For example, someone might say, "If only I could be involved in something really spiritual like witnessing rather than working on this computer." The NT stands absolutely against this division of life into more and less spiritual sections. Consider Ephesians 5:18. We are commanded to be filled with the Spirit continuously. How is this to be expressed? …in giving thanks in all things…and also in thinking of others' needs as we submit to one another in the everyday ordinary relationships of husband and wife, parent and child, employer and employee. We are to obey God's Word in all these areas, living before Him in dependence on His Spirit. This is what it means to be filled with His Spirit.

-Adapted from Ranald Macaulay and Jerram Barrs' book Being Human, The Nature of Spiritual Experience

The Effects of Plato...Plato was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century b.c. His philosophy on the world created a distorted picture of reality for Christians and the way Christians think about spirituality. Unfortunately, Plato's influence not only helped create heresies within the early 1st century churches (e.g. gnosticism) but has continued to influence Christianity throughout the ages.

A (very) rough sketch of Plato's view…Plato thought that reality is made up of 2 parts - a material world (the secular) and a spiritual world (the sacred). The material world is the realm of physical, tangible things. It is imperfect and temporary. The spiritual world is the realm of things sacred - things perfect, divine, permanent. The human person is made up of a body, senses, and reason, yet also a spirit; therefore, his/her body, senses, and reason live in and belong to the material world while his/her spirit and soul live in and belong to the spiritual world.

In Platonic thought, the spiritual world is considered superior to the material. The spirit is housed in a body of clay from which it longs to be released. Death gives that final release. In this life, however, the aim is to dwell in the realm of the spirit as far as possible and de-emphasize and devalue the material realm. So the philosopher, the artist, the minister are those who are in closest contact with the spiritual realm because they are caught up in the contemplation of ideas, the divine, the beautiful and the celestial.

The material world is only important insofar as it acts as a kind of sparkplug to set off the mystical contemplation of the more real spiritual realm…but there is no inherent value in things belonging to the material world. So ordinary people who pursue earthly tasks in the material world are low in the hierarchy because they are not in such close contact with the spiritual realm as the philosopher, artist, minister. Notice how easy it would be to read the biblical statements against worldliness, or earthly passions or the desires of the flesh in a Platonic way. This would be a mistake.

Plato teaches that as we become absorbed in the spiritual realm "we become careless of the world below". Is this what the New Testament means when it urges us not to love the things of this world? The "world" in the NT is the sphere of life in which God's lordship is rejected, where the things of this life become ends in themselves or even are worshiped. The "world" in this sense is most certainly to be rejected, but this does not mean that we are to hate life, culture, nature, sex, and other material things. "Everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving (I Timothy 4:4)." Paul even asserts that the teaching that the material world is not to be enjoyed is a doctrine of demons (vs. 1). We have been created to enjoy God's world in all its richness.

This does not mean merely that we see practical value in "secular" tasks like working on a computer or building a house or waiting tables. It means far more: God himself delights in them because He has created the realm of the physical. Therefore, we are to value every part of our lives just as He does. In fact, spirituality is to be expressed primarily in the ordinary everyday affairs and relationships of our lives. Keep in mind that this understanding does not condone all behaviors as "spiritual" - definitely, there are distinct differences between spiritual and sinful - just not sacred and secular.

Adapted from http://www.ubcwaco.org ©2002 University Baptist Church

rapid succession

all right, brace yourselves. make sure your shoes are tied, your seat backs and tray tables in an upright position. in preparing for small group study with the worship team, as well as for my own personal benefit, i've been reading about worship, that thing we do, and have come across some pretty cool stuff. right now i wish roblog were a forum, because i'd post several entries under the topic. since it's not, i'll just fire a few entries out in rapid succession. for the faithful few readers, i hope you're not faint of heart...

imagery in worship, pt. duh

'duh' refers to the moment the light bulb comes on inside my head. if you've had a part in flipping the switch, thanks! you may remember (if your memory is better than most) one of my recent post (not recent on a calendar, but recent in my blogging history) regarding the use of imagery in worship, which, prompted by packer, posed questions about the merit of using imagery in worship. after some time of ruminating in my head, i brought the subject to our worship team for a light-hearted debate. here are some of the comments that helped form an answer in my mind:

- don't defame the Name
the first is the same line of thinking i posted before:

in processing what packer is saying, here's my line of questioning. if painting the picture of God in human form, say, a stained-glass image of Jesus on a cross, limits our concept of God to a man; if visually representing God as a fortress, a strong tower, a warrior, does it stand to reason that the concept applies to other art forms as well? music, for instance? if we sing songs that say the Lord is a bulwark never failing, a mighty fortress, the air i breath, my daily bread; if i speak of Jesus as our whipping boy, our ram of sacrifice, am i placing limits on His glory?

the idea from packer, as i understand it, is that if an image i present causes someone to think of God in any certain way, that certain way is certainly short of His infinite glory, and thus, i've had a hand in defaming God. i'm leaning toward the idea that, since all things are a part of His infinite glory, however short of His infinite glory they may fall, He must have given us images as symbols of who He is; for surely we cannot comprehend the fullness of His glory, but He has allowed us symbols that we can understand to partially represent His glory, much the same way as Jesus used parables to illustrate in terms that are more likely to be grasped.

- what's worship?
the second counters the idea that worship occurs only during a church service. when we expand our definition of worship to anything we do that attributes worth to its object, worship becomes much less about what we do at church, and much more about the way we live our lives. a life of worship includes songs, sure, for there is constantly a new song on my heart; but it also includes the other spiritual disciplines: study, prayer, fasting, not as an end unto themselves, but toward the goal of community with our Creator. to reposition ourselves (or be repositioned, rather) toward His will, His grace and blessing.

if imagery is wrong in a worship service, then surely it is wrong anywhere. mankind, being made in the image of God, had better wear more strategic clothing to cover our self-contained imagery. anything that would point to God would have to be removed.

- American Idol
lastly and probably most compelling, was brough to light by a seminary student (gotta love them!), concerning the meaning of the Hebrew word "idol" in the second commandment, from which stems packer's views on the subject. here, our beloved student of the Word says, the term idol refers to graven images of pagan gods, and not so much images of deity. granted, we want to use images of deity with the utmost forethought so Christ does not become iconic or mundane, but so far as the second commandment is concerned, neither should churches rip out stained glass windows containing artists' renditions of God in the flesh.

my conclusion, so far as it applies to the way we do things at church, has become
1) that i like packer, and understand his intent in this chapter (very noble!), but i don't necessarily endorse this one point, that imagery should have no part in worship,
2) that we use images to illustrate Him Whom we worship, but
3) that we tread lightly.

new year, new life

hi! remember me? i was at one time a contributor to this blog. it seems like lately, if you're reading this, you've contributed more than i have over the past few months. so here's the deal: i've been sooo busy. but we're all busy, right? we all only have time to do what becomes to us most urgent. lately i've been overrun with the urgent, but was able to spend some time away from everything (i went for two weeks with sporadic internet--it was an incredibly difficult weaning process!!) and now i'm back and on fire. or i'm at least smoldering ash.

all right, this will admittedly be one of my least theologically deep posts, but i wanted to share some pics of my trip to mexico. the purpose of my trip was threefold: 1) be there for the birth of my first nephew (see pic below), 2) vacation (see pic below), and 3) help out the worship teams from a couple churches there in cuidad victoria (see pic below).

1) 2) 3)


for more pics, check out my photo album:
- nephew
- nephew's birth--C-section delivery (PG-13)
- other Mexico pics

i hope you all are well, and that i can post again soon, something with a little more meat!