" Hi how's it going? Remember me?" - Holy Spirit

"The only Christianity powerful enough to penetrate and change society is that which is derived from the work of the Spirit of God." It is good for me to remember that there are not just 2 but rather 3 equal parts to the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Yet my mind and I am sure I am not alone,it usually Looks like this... Father, Son, ...Oh yeah, and the Holy Ghost, oops. So I read this quote this morning and in light of the chaos and brokeness in this world we live in, it is important for me to remember where my hope comes from. Hope is often attributed to Jesus, my hope is in Christ sort of phrase, but it is the (in)visible work of the Holy Spirit that I believe actually gives roots to that hope. A good resource on this topic is a book called "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan. So I admonish my readers, to remember our God who is near and alive and moving and we most commonly know Him by 'Holy Spirit'. Blessings. Hi Dad :)

Where is our sense of urgency?

Share the gospel with someone today! So many people need Jesus today!

God is not to blame for my poopy diaper...

...but he took responsibility for it anyway and sent Jesus to clean it up. All He asks in return is to believe Him. There are evidences of Him everywhere.

Romans 1:14-25

"I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[b] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”[c]

God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk6_hdRtJOE&feature=player_embedded#at=104

Do you not see the beauty of a Creator? Do not let the mess of world distract you from the God that created everything in perfection, and allowed humans to have the choice to keep it that way or live their own way. You and I have made a mess of this world and shame on us for blaming God for it.

BUT there is still hope, it will not be this way forever. Jesus will return and make all things new, but we must believe that His grace is enough to satisfy the penalty for our mess. Trust Him.

"We are the all singing, all dancing crap of the world"

I am not a huge fan of the movie Fight Club. I've seen it, it is a trip. I talked to a friend about it the other day and we both agreed that it is popular(especially with guys) because it is actually really relevant. We all identify with living and working an unsatisfactory life. Clock in clock out, and no end in sight.

Just in the amount of time it took to write the last paragraph, I felt my vision glaze a bit and my mind start to wander. No, it is not ADHD this time. I am wondering more and more how I can serve God well while so much of the pieces that make up my life are unsettled and temporary. The place I live, the job I have, the debt I owe, the lack of a car, the lull in my normally positive outlook on life. I know...what a poopy way to feel and live. And it plagues so many people.

One part of life I feel successful...crossfit, but even a lull there too. Just another drop pouring out of the optimism cup into the realistic cup while others headed to fatalism. Such a drag, and so many people never find a way out; at least not until death, and that is realistic to me. Some would say "no that sounds suicidal or fatalistic at best." But it is really about perception. What about after death? Ah, yes. "we are the all singing, all dancing crap of the world." but that thought is incomplete. We certainly do have a natural talent to mess our lives up, but the alternative is the certainty of life and hope and peace and unimaginable satisfaction beyond our short and often miserable lives on earth.

I believe I have lost perspective when my eyes are glazed and my mind wanders. I am not encouraging us all to just accept our sub-par circumstances and make peace with mess we have made. Certainly we press on to live life well. But with the understanding that we live in "the in-between". Between the filth I produce today, while living in the grace God has given to sustain me through tomorrow and the next and the next until he will one day redeem it and that is the hope I have for today.

Unfortunately for too many people, that hope does not come soon enough; when their cup overflows with doubt after such a long time of failure. And then wonder... will it ever end? Surely it never will, it has been too long. And our vision can begin to blur and we forget what where our hope came from in the first place. Jesus has not come back yet, but he will and certainly as he said "in this world you will have trouble but give you my peace..." peace in our faith in his promise. He will return, he has the final say and he will perfect everything once again. PERFECT.

For those who, by his grace, hold on to this hope; there is a glorious future. A may hope that will sustain us for today and tomorrow and the next day...until he returns or calls us home.

Fighting with a dull pocket knife

It baffles me to talk to a person who will profess their faith in the Bible, yet would claim it to not be infallible; that it is not completely inerrant because of translation, or merely a good book with good things to live by, neither do they respect its authority.

It makes me think about the armor of God...


"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

Ephesians 6:13-18

...especially the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Continuing with the war time thought process, if you think it is possible to believe in a Bible that is not completely trust worthy, that is merely suggestive, that is without error? If you are going into battle, a heated deadly battle...what would you choose to attack your enemy and to block his attacks; a strong sword that is long and perfectly balanced, a sword that has been faithful in previous battles, a sharp sword that fits your hand perfectly? Or would you choose a small pocket knife, dull and brittle, with a blade that is nearly useless; a pocket knife with a short blade and a handle that merely fits in your fingers.

NO DUH!

But this is what you have done when you undermine the authority of God; when you take His word and say it has errors or that is not completely trust worthy. What a foolish little pocket knife with which to defend yourself. Your faith is at risk when your measly knife is too weak to block the blows of a stronger and more skilled enemy. You might as well turn the blade on yourself for being such a fool.

Socialites

What drive us to be social? Why do I want others to know what I am thinking and doing? Why do I want to know what others are thinking and doing? Of course there are some introverts out there that are the exception, but then again they probably don't read my blog because they don't care about what I'm thinking.

Although I have no idea if my assumptions are ever correct, I like to think I am pretty good at reading between the lines. I enjoy reading tweets and status updates for face value, but even more fascinating to try and read between the lines. I know that my status updates and tweets often have subliminal meanings, whether anyone can decipher them or not. Some more obvious than others. And there are also things throw out as bait, hoping that someone will bite and give them some attention. I am not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes it makes me groan or mumble "nope, not gonna do it" to myself.

3 ways I view status updates/ tweets
-Face value: It is what it is
-Subliminal Message: Read between the lines, maybe more about what is not said that actually written. And I would suggest they really do want someone to know what they are really thinking.
-Baited Hook: Fishing a response, for attention

Here are some examples...and I admit I am guilty of all three kinds. : ]

The Baited Hook
Actual Post: "Sigh"
Translation: "this sucks" or "I'm tired" or maybe disapproval of some thing or someone.
Potential desired response: "Please ask me why?" Or "Please give me some attention" or (again, that is not always a bad thing, but I think fb or twitter is probably the wrong venue to look for it/ receive it."

Sidenote: Why do you feel the need to tell me you are tired? And why do I feel the need to tell you I'm tired? Well, keep reading and I will summarize all of this in the bigger picture in a couple paragraphs.

Face Value
Actual Post: "At Urban Coffee lounge...good coffee, good friends and good conversation"
Translation: "At Urban Coffee lounge...good coffee, good friends and good conversation"
Potential desired response: Maybe approval or just letting people know that Urban is a cool place to hang out. Nothing mysterious about it.

Face Value(but indirect)
Actual Post: "tomorrow" is not spelled "tommaro"! Really? How are you in high school right now? (This is one I posted recently)
Translation: I am straight up criticizing you right now, but not to your face. Although you may read this at some point and feel dumb.
Potential desired response: Sympathy with my irritation for someone's incompetency, to make myself look better/ someone think I'm funny, or plainly stated SLANDER.

Subliminal Message
Actual Post: "...cause you're amazing, just the way you are"
Translation: There's this girl I have a crush on, but have yet to tell her how I feel, but too risky to actually tell her. She might reject me.
Potential desired response: Maybe she will read between the lines and figure out I like her and then I won't have to risk putting myself out there...like actually telling her face to face. Or just hoping girls in general will think I'm a nice guy, or comment "aww that's cute" and that's almost like her saying "you're cute"

Sidenote: To all you ladies out there, every single guy you puts himself out there is better off by you clearly saying "no, I do not feel the same way" than you feeling like that is mean and not wanting to hurt his feelings and then avoiding him. Or maybe ignoring the subject or just not saying anything at all. Us the word "no" somewhere in your response and be honest. I can tell you from experience, I appreciate the young lady that told it to me straight; it's discouraging at first, but really healthy for me. If he is willing to be honest with you about his feelings, you need to be willing to do the same by being clear and honest with him.

Alright to summarize this all up. Why do we have a drive to be social, and where does it come from? I believe even the most introverted person has a desire to be known. For myself, I know it comes pretty easily to let a lot of people know a lot about me. I'm an extrovert. And some of my introverted friend's have explained they too want to share who they are with another person, but maybe just one or two other people. And I believe we seek love and acceptance. God has created us this way, and I really enjoy reading the Bible and seeing the language God uses to describe His love and acceptance of us. It's a beautiful fit how he places in me the desire for love and acceptance and then gives me those things. He graciously gives us all things.

If you know anything about me, you are aware of my "huggy" nature. The more hugs the better in my opinion, because I believe in the power of touch. The power of holding a baby. The power of giving and receiving a hug in the midst of a rough day or week or month or year. The power of a hug between friends and family who have been apart for a long period of time. I believe our words have the same power in hearing to give a hug to the soul. And of course the destructive alternative. I believe that right now the need for love and acceptance is most obviously expressed in our social media. And I mentioned earlier in the side note, "why do you and I feel the need to tell each other that we are tired?" and that is for sympathy, or maybe conversation starter and filler. It's a pet peeve of mine that I habitually do myself, and I groan inside every time. : ]

-"Hey, how are you?"
-"Tired(internal groan)"

But I also stated that I don't think that social media is really the right venue to seek and find love and acceptance. Or at least not the main source. In the sense that I believe it is much better to be social in "reality". Don't you agree? So I charge you with this...
Give a hug today and seek to fulfill each other's need for love and acceptance and sympathy face to face. In person. And share the wonder of a God that created us is a really beautiful way with this need to relate and friends and family and ultimately Himself to satisfy them.

Peace.

Ephesians 2:1-10 Made Alive In Christ

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I have never regretted day going in to my crossfit gym. I have often walked in the door nervous to see what WOD(workout of the day) is on the board, but never walked out thinking I should have stayed home. From what I can recollect, I have yet to meet someone else who has honestly regretted working to become a more healthy person- working out, eating well, getting enough sleep...at least on the back end of it all. I agree there is no satisfaction in many failed attempts of dieting and trying different exercise routines and everything else that many dedicate themselves to at the turn of a new year.

Sidenote: One of the biggest, if not the biggest factors in successfully becoming a healthier person, is sustainability. Find a way to eat, a way to stay active that you can do for the rest of your life. It is not 6 minutes = 6pack, it is not 60 days or 6 weeks of P90x, it is not 6 months of some agonizing diet/ fast/ cleanse and then done. It is a way of eating and being active that you can stick with 7 days a week until death do you part.

Incomparable to the happier, healthier, fitter Joel I have become, is the new life I have found in Jesus Christ. I could spend many more paragraphs and entire posts to the joy and satisfaction I have found in being a Christian. But how do I describe a transformed heart? I'm not sure I can explain my feelings, my peace and my hope in something outside of everything that has or will eventually fail me in this world. Would you take my word for it, or hundreds of more words? All I can give is personal experience; both in my crossfit experience and as a Christian. I failed at diets before, high school sports could not compete with my eating habits, I gained the freshmen 30 and averaged 10 more each year at college, eating was how I coped with the mess of life. And the same is true as who I am created to be; Legalism has been my religion, moralism has been my religion, and judging the shortcomings I see in others, which I might add were usually the very things in which I was coming up short. It all has failed and is failing. Self-reliance fails, and crossfit will eventually fail me. Crossfit can't save me from gravity, from getting older and ultimately death.

It's all about Ephesians 2. It's about Jesus.
Merry Christmas!


Bonus: This is one of the pictures that popped up when I googled Crossfit and Jesus