Tag: Romans

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Daily Post Talk Like a Pirate Day

Yo ho yo ho Talk like a pirate day’s for me 2009

TLAPD 2009

This was originally sent as a email on Friday, September 18, 2009  to the bible class I was teaching:

Argh me hearties!

Ahoy, ‘tis Friday, one day before speak like a scurvy pirate day, but I ain’t be passing by th’ opportunity t’speak wit’ ye buckos ‘n share Christ wit’ a wee flair.

Me hearties, the old salt was marked with the Black Spot. Avast, he was made to kiss the gunner’s daughter, and wast given a taste o’ ye cat o’nine tails. After the flogging he be left t’ dance with ol’ Jack Ketch.   Arr, he went t’ Davy Jones’ locker fer ye. But, he didn’t stay like buried booty.  Smartly, he didn’t stay in the bung hole.  No, begad he beat that ol’ scurvy dog th’ Devil and came back t’ life. – fer ye an’ fer me. Now you don’t have t’ be a bilge rat. You be as beautiful as th’ sea herself. Yo-ho-ho!  Forgiven, Shiver me timbers, Grab you bosun, alert the Cap’n, it be time for a shantey.

So heartly enjoy th’ day.

Remember t’ come out fer tavern on Sunday mornin’ after a great hour ‘o worship. Arrr, th’ speaker gunna be great. Aye, me parrot concurs.

Me must get back to swabbing the poop deck,

No quarter!

Jason

(if you be confused to parts of this email, be clicking your landlubber self to here for some translations: http://www.tide-mark.com/pirate_dict.html)

Romans 6:3-5

(Pirate Version)
3Or don’t ye be knowin’ that all o’ us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his Davy Jones’ treasure chest? 4We were tharfore buried wit’ him through baptism into Davy Jones’ treasure chest  in order that, just as Christ was raised from t’ went t’ Davy Jones’ locker through t’ glory o’ th’ salty sea-do ‘o a Father, we too may live a new life. 5If we have been united wit’ him like ‘tis in his Davy Jones’ treasure chest, we gunna certainly also be united wit’ him in his resurrection.

(New International Version)

3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

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Daily Post

Midnight Runner

Last night at 10:15 I decided that it was time for me to go on a 3 mile run.  I was not able to ‘get my run in’ earlier in the day and it was still over 80 degrees outside.  So while the eldest was finished up Algebra homework and the other two were reading themselves to sleep in bed off I went into the black night.  (From a training perspective this was a big move for me – having to get the mileage in, as just a month ago I would have just grabbed a bowl of ice cream and plopped in front of the good old tele!”)

So off I went into the night down the street.  It’s been a long time since I had run in the dark and it always seems that the darkness at 11pm is darker then the darkness at 6am.  Not sure why, but it seemed a whole lot darker and more ominous then when I run in the mornings.  Anyway, on with the story and away from boring not needed details like this sentence.  I noticed that I really could not see the road in front of me, outside of the few times I crossed the path of a street light or a porch light.  The rest of the time, I was just running in the general direction of the road towards the lights I could see in the distance.

It struck me how much this is like life.  We spend so many parts of our life not really sure of the road we are on, not able to clearly see what lies right in front of us, but we continue pushing onward, towards the light, towards the hope that lies out there, trusting that the road will be there.

I have recently added a few Fireflight songs to my playlist and this reminds me of the lyrics of their song Unbreakable

Sometimes it’s hard to just keep going
But faith is moving without knowing
Can I trust what I can’t see to reach my destiny?

and later in the song

Forget the fear it’s just a crutch
That tries to hold you back
And turn your dreams to dust
All you need to do is just trust

Even as I approached my house I could see the faint outline of the porch light reflecting off my mailbox, but I could not make out the house, or bushes around it.  I was hoping there was not a huge coyote or man eating night stalking creature in the shadows.

But that’s us.  Pushing forward, trusting, moving with faith, uncertain of  the road, but certain of the destination.

13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (New International Version)

Keep your focus today!  Stay strong, and keep running!

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One Faith

Tonight I am heading to camp.  Not as a camper but as a speaker!!! I remember those “guys” from my youth.  The mystery speakers that  show up at night and share a sometimes boring, sometime interesting camp talk.  The problem is that I know that I actually did learn stuff from these guys and so tonight I am extremely nervous as to what to say to a bunch of 8-14 year old children!

My topic is one faith (Ephesians 4) and since the topic is so broad, I am not sure whether to talk about mustard seeds, martyrs, righteousness or forgiveness.  Should I demonstrate a trust fall, or blind fold one of them and have them listen as I walk them through a maze.  Should I talk about the assurance of things hoped for? Should I do an exegesis of Romans!  What do you think?  I would love some ideas!

It’s so difficult because its so complete and big and complex, but at the same time it is so simple and straightforward:

8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.   9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  Romans 5:7-9

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Daily Post

A Fence Around us

This weekend I was out for a nice morning run on very familiar road.  As I approached my turn around point I heard the barking of two approaches dogs.  The sound of the bark let me know these were no purse dogs.  There were Marmadukes.  Dogs that would push me over and stomp me just saying hello.  Dogs that love to “play” with things that run by.   But even though I heard their growls and barks and their approaching paws, I didn’t flinch, nor even turn to look at them.  I didn’t because I knew there was a fence between us.  A fence of protection.  A fence that made me bold and secure.

Immediately, I thought about how we can live life in fear of anything that moves or barks, or we can realize that we have a fence of protection around us.

4 Even when the way goes through
Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
makes me feel secure.  Ps 23:4

We have a shelter when we abide with him.

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [a]

2 I will say [b] of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday. Ps 91: 1-6

What a great way to start out a week, realizing that when you walk with the Lord you can walk without fear, and you can be bold!  You can just keep running when you hear the dogs on your heels.   Be Bold and Fearless today, and put you trust in the promise that will not fall.

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-19

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10 Types of People

This weekend, Amy, Alex and I went out to test drive some VW vans!  No, although it apparently it is Alex’s dream vehicle, it was not the classic hippie vans.  It was the newer Chryslerish model – the Routan.  Let’s say a new vehicle seems to be in the cards soon, but at this time we were just looking.    Anyway, the van was great and all, but there was something that I found particular peculiar and interesting.  It may be this way with all European cars, and since all of my vehicles have come out of Detroit or Spring Hill, I was drawn to this one aspect – the fuel gauge.

It did not have an E for Empty and an F for Full, but instead had a 0(zero) for empty and a 1(one) for full.  Like I said, other cars may have been doing it this way for years, but for me it was a first, or at least the first time it hit me.  It reminded me of two things.  First the good old geek joke that there are only 10 kinds of people in the world, those you understand binary and those who don’t.  ( for those of you in the second category, 10 is 2 in binary.  Like this 00 = 0, 01= 1, 10 = 2, 11 = 3, yeah ok whatever).

Secondly it reminded me once again of this idea of being lukewarm, as there was a ½ in the middle.  But really, I want to be a 0 or a 1.  Off or on?.  And really I want to be obsessed, I want to be on, I want to be 1.  And maybe that’s why I noticed it so much, as the zero and one concept made it so black and white, so binary.  It was not empty and full, it was on or off.  It was just another stark reminder of how we should be living our lives.

Take a look at this video, and think about Romans 12:1-2

1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2, The Message)

God wants you to place your life ALL before him, and let him fill you up.  If you are on for him, he will make you full.  Lets live a binary life in the on position!