Hangin' up the gloves

After perhaps the main event of the night, I have decided to hang up my gloves! Most of you know about my playful aggressive nature and for the most part this has always been more play than aggressive.

Well, at youth on Friday we were having the Amazin' Race, not the Amazing Race, for copyright infringement purposes, and we recruited some extra volunteers to run events. So before anything started I was upstairs talking to some people when I got jokingly jumped by one of the volunteers. We wrestled, I got some carpet burn, but everything seemed normal so I went on my merry way and talked to some parents before goin' back inside to check on the teens. When I went back inside the teens came running downstairs to tell me one of the leaders had broken another leader's nose.

I ran upstairs and see a pool of blood on the carpet and the involved parties trailing off to the bathroom. I follow them and eventually get the 411, so to speak, of what went down. When I was wrestling with one of the leaders I had given him a concussion, he has a history of them, and was feeling dizzy. What made things worse is the other leader had come in, not knowing about the dizziness, and jumped on the back of the leader, who has the concussion. The leader with the concussion, lifts the other leader above his head and begins to spin. He looses his footing and trying to put the other guy down, drops him on his face, breaking his nose.

Seeing all the damage I've caused just by wrestling, I am going to attempt to hang up my fighting gloves.

HomoSEXuality Sells

Yesterday, I was doin' my usual newspaper reading, in the usual spot, and as I sat there I began to fume with what I hope was righteous indignation. The largest headline read in huge bold font, "NDP elect Lesbian Leader". I think that's an exact quote, my vision may have been blurred by rage. It wasn't just the title that bothered me, it was the caption alongside it. The new leader stood between her mentally delayed son and some "older lady".

It was the blatant advocation of sin by the NDP party that initially provoked my anger. Then the caption seemed so phony, pushed me dug a little deeper as she pavarotsically prostituted her son. Then there was the media who took the opportunity to try and instigate a fight.The gay and lesbian community screams for equal and human rights, while the media is encourage to take every opportunity to Fly the rainbow flag. What is so equal about allowing one's sexuality to define them? It seems to be selling a lifestyle rather than equality.

As Canada etches out her path to Sodom, I wonder how long we'll allow ourselves to be drug along like passive resistant asses. If we would stop allowing our fear of being perceived as self-righteous and intolerant to silence us, would we be able to delay our countries deprivation?

The Exorcism of North America

The Exorcism of Emily Rose speaks to both beleivers and doubters alike. Terry Mattingly is quoted as saying " (it's purpose is to) make believers think twice about what they believe and doubters have doubts about their doubts.” in Plugged in Movie Review by Focus on the Family.

After watching this movie something glarred me in the face, and it didn't have horns or red eyes. It was the realization that our culture is obsessed with the spiritual realm, and yet denies it's true existence. Just count the number of movies in, and coming into, theatres related to the subject and you'll see what I mean.

C.S. Lewis said, "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors."

As Father Moore said, “Demons exist whether you believe in them or not.” So I wonder how pleased they are with our Culture, who has the "best of both extremes. We disbelieve in devils, and yet feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them?

John 14:2

I've been thinking about heaven recently. I hear allot of talk about us having our own personal mansion, with John 14:2 usually being used as support.

I've been doing a little research on this and the majority of the translations/versions I looked at say, "In my Father's house are many rooms. The only ones I found that don't are Young's and (New) King James, which say, "In my Father's house there are many mansions". Feel free to do some research of your own that, www.biblegateway.com.

As usual, I'm drifting from contemporary thought and I would like to suggest, we won't have individual mansions when we get to heaven. I'm thinking there'll be 1 "...BIG BIG HOUSE with lots and lots rooms" (to quote Audio A). Even in the translations/versions that use "mansions", the mansions are in "My Father's House", one single establishment. I tend to picture a Southern homestead. Y'al jump in da truck we goin' on up to the Big House.

I would think individual mansions lining the streets of gold would reinforce our individuality and created separation. Whereas the 1 House with rooms/mansions within it would reinforce the community and family we are suppose to experience in Christ, and what Adam and Eve had before the Fall.

Lime Light

Most of us are familar with the story of the master who gives 3 servants different amounts of money before he leaves for a trip, then when he returns each servant must give an account of what he has done with the master's money (talents).

When we think about our place in God's Kingdom, most people see themselves in the lime light. We tend to think we'll never be rich or on MTV, but we DO tend to think we'll be pastors of Mega churches or the founders of "the most successful church plant ever". When we think about our place in the Kingdom we wanna be the next Mother Theresa or Billy Graham. Even a John C. Maxwell, business man. We all wanna be the 10 talents guy; no one ever wants to be the guy who gets 1 talent.

Chris Tomlin, in his book The Way I Was Made, talks about how when he made the decision to trust that God was leading him to travel and play music, it was risk. When Chris gave up his pursuit of fame God gave it back to him.

My question is how many of us are still willing to give up our talent, when there's no guarantee we'll ever find that fame or recognition? If our place in the kingdom never extends beyond the shepherding of a country church and dieing quietly with little "fan fair", perhaps only remembered by a handful, are we still willing to invest our talent?

If there is no lime light at the end of the tunnel are we still willing to enter it?