Tag: Mark

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Being Watchful

Last week on the beach there were people crawling all over it – people with a job to do, not people relaxing.  Up and down the beach in their gators the Florida National Guard would travel looking and watching.  Out in the bay, there were 5-6 boats full of workers being paid by BP watching and waiting. All of these people where looking for the oil to arrive. Fortunately it had not arrived at this beach yet. But there were they – diligently watching for the looming disaster.

I thought about them, and the beauty that surrounded them.  As I watched the guys in their fatigues driving up and down the beach talking and watching the tourists, I wondered.  As I studying the guys on the BP boats and watched them sitting on the rails talking and driving around in circles, I wondered.  ( Incidentally, I also found the job I wanted.  In this group of boats there was one pontoon boat with a port-a-potty strapped on board.  That’s the job I want – to drive the potty boat!)  Anyway, I wondered, will these guys be so lulled to sleep by the beauty that surrounds them that when the oil shows up will they miss it at first?

And then I thought about our lives, and how easy it is to be lulled to sleep by the “beauty” that’s around us, that we miss what we are looking for.  (I know this analogy breaks down here, as the things around us are more like the oil and what we are looking for is more like the beach!)  But really, I think we can get caught up in the everyday stuff and miss the goodness that we are blessed with.  So today, be diligent and watchful, not only for the return of our Savior, but for the blessings of life that are right around you today.

32“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Mark 13:32-34

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Represent

Today I will haul my geek bag downtown one last time before I return home and trade in the cell phone, headsets and laptops for barefeet,  sand and oysters.  Yep, I will be taking the week off from this crazy world, following an example set out by our Savior himself:

31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.  Mark 6:31-32 (New International Version)

Next week there will be some treats in store for the Buffet, as I know just because I am resting that the remainder of you are still out in the world, training and buffeting yourself each day.  So here is a little video that may keep you going.  Its by Weezer.  Evidently this song is the theme song for our tension loving soccer team, and since they go up against Ghana tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate.  Its called Represent.

The chorus here is very interesting

You know it
It matters how you play the game
It matters that you can take the pain
You don’t wanna lie, steal or cheat your way to the top ohhh
It matters what your people think
You represent your family
But that’s just one more reason to see that it matters whether you win or lose

Well, as much as I like soccer, and as much I want the US to win. ( I did by the way take a run around a section of cubicles with my hands in the air screaming GOOOAAAALLL after the 91st minute goal on Wednesday)   As much as that’s true.  There’s only one thing where it does matter if you win or lose, and that’s a life full of love and the spirit,  given over to our Savior.  That’s how you Represent!

34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:34-37

Enjoy the Week.  Cheer for the Yanks, and Represent!

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Giving It To Get It

Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of writing time this morning.  So today will be a quick glance at a thought that has been swirling in my head this week.  I have been thinking about how to live a life of service, instead of doing “service projects”.  This is another one of those puzzlers – especially giving the frantic schedules that we attempt to maintain.  So I was doing a little bit of channel surfing the other day and I stopped on one of the “religious” channels just to see what was up.  After a minute of watching a bunch of teens worship – which was a very interesting thing as well- this dude pops up on the screen and reads this verse:

34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:34-37 NIV

So the thought that has been swirling is how do we do that?  How do we give ourselves? How do we lose our lives?  Any ideas?  Post them in the comment section.

34-37Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? (Mark 8:34-37, The Message)

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Can’t Kick the Habit

I can tell that summer is here.  I was able to sleep in a little ( like 20 minutes) and take my time in the morning and the house is completely quiet.  Where are those people that live with me?

Anyway, yesterday I received an email about a band call Family Force 5.  They are a  Christian crunk rock band. That’s usually not my type of music, but it’s still intriguing to me to see people use so many different ways to spread the message of the Christ.  One of their songs is called “Love Addict” and the music video has over 3.5 million hits on YouTube.  This song contains the following lyric:

Hold Up! Wait a minute! Put a little love in it!

That sort of reminds me of Paul in 1 Corinthians

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. ( The Message)

I mean really, if I have everything, but I don’t have love what do I have.  And that is the message of the Christ.  Check it in Mark:

35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:35-37 (New International Version)

So today, whether you like crunk rock or not ( and I think I am starting to!), sing it out:

Hold up, Wait a minute, Put a little love in it!

Can’t kick the habit,

I’ve got to have it,

I’m what is called a

Love Addict

Love Addict

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Fools and Humility

Well I was trying to come up with some good April Fools’ joke,  after I introduced a friend of mine as his brother last night in front of a whole gaggle of people, I think I better stop with the jokes.  However, one of the guys I was with told me that last year he didn’t go to work on April 1, intentionally.  When his boss finally called, he told him that some one had told him they did not have to come in on that day.  Thinking he had been tricked his boss laughed it off and told him to get into work.  After his arrival at the office, his boss ask him who had called him.  That was when the joke was played, as he told his boss that no one called, it was just a big April Fool’s joke.  The bossman was not happy.  Can you top that one?

Anyway, as we continue to march (er April) through the week towards the great events of the weekend, its hard to pass over a quick look at Jesus washing his follower’s feet.

14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. John 13:14

A really amazing example about leadership, and humility.  The Master places himself in a role of a servant to show the humility that his followers should demonstrate.  Boy, this is another of those difficult things isn’t it. Really, talk about an April Fool’s joke,  I mean, look, I am, well, ME.  and you are, well, of course, YOU.  Doesn’t everyone understand who WE are?  Like the t shirt from the 70’s “Its hard to be humble when you are perfect” or something like that.  (I still remember some girl in elementary school wearing that shirt.  She was not perfect!! )

But as followers of the Christ, we are given an example in humility with the footwashing and then later in the week with his humble submission on the way to the cross.  I mean look at the constraint he uses:

52“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”  Matthew 26:52-54 (New International Version)

And so we are told to mimic this model, and to put others in front of ourselves.  Today, maybe, try this with one person and see how that impacts your relationship with them.

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.  — Philippians 2:1-11