10 Things I Want To Do This Summer
Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten.
Finals are over. Grades will post in the next twenty four hours. Summer is here.
Summer is always a mixed bag for me. I love it because it means more family time, more time to relax, and more time to indulge in my hobbies. The relaxed schedule just seems to make the days seem as though they have a little more openness to them. Of course, summer break also means separation from my students which is refreshing at the outset because it allows for a chance to relax and recharge, it is also heart wrenching because they are why I love my job.
It will be August before I see most of them again. Here are ten things I plan to do between now and then.
1. Read a lot of good books.
2. Finish Skyrim.
3. Spend a lot of time with my family.
4. Record my first studio album.
5. Travel to the Dominican Republic with an awesome group of student missionaries.
6. Make something with my hands.
7. Finish section two of the book.
8. Swim
9. Watch Avengers, Dark Knight Rises, and The Amazing Spider-Man (not in 3D).
10. Prayerfully brainstorm the 12-13 academic year.
Why God Cannot Lie
Can God lie? This is one of those types of questions which you might find yourself trying to answer were you to ever engage in a lengthy apologetic conversation with a skeptic. I have to admit, it’s not a question that I have ever given much thought, but just the same–the Bible provides us with a definitive answer, even if it is not an elaborate one.
Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior, To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. (Titus 1:1-4 NASB, emphasis added)
Paul, in this brief introductory portion of his letter to Titus, states very plainly that God cannot lie, and as I mentioned before its not an elaborate answer. Neither is it a question that needs an elaborate answer, but I do feel like I might have some small understanding of why God cannot lie. Of course, to engage in this line of thought is to at the same time answer the question as to why God would ever need to lie–the answers to both are tied quite neatly together.
God cannot lie, nor does He need to, because any way that He chooses to communicate to His people is true. If He says it, it is. This is why when Moses asks God in the Book of Exodus, “who should I tell them sent me?” God simply refers to Himself as “I AM”. Moses, and us as well, are sorely incapable of really grasping what or who exactly God might be, at least in an easily definable way. So God makes it easy for Moses.
He exists. He is. He is the God that changes not. The Immortal I AM. The same yesterday, today, and forever. He is our Alpha and Omega, that is our entire existence is contained within His sovereign infinitude.
God cannot lie because there can be no truth apart from Him.
10 Ways to Be More Awesome
Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten.
Late again this week, but who’s keeping track. We could all stand a little more awesomeness in our life. Here are ten ways to make it happen. Many of these are things I am trying to do, have done, or want to do soon. Thanks for reading and sharing.
1. Do something generous. Ex: buy a $30 Starbucks gift card and have the barista use it on as many consecutive orders as it will pay for. Watch and enjoy the kindness induced confusion from your seat as you enjoy your caramel late.
2. Learn something you don’t know how to do.
3. Teach it to someone else.
4. Stop overindulging.
5. Read a non fiction book.
6. Turn off the TV in your house for a week/month/forever.
7. Have regular meaningful conversations with the important people in your life.
8. Stop demonizing people you don’t agree with, even if they are idiots.
9. Stop thinking you’re awesome and especially stop trying to tell people how awesome you are.
10. Get in shape. Your body deserves it.
GodStuff: Identity
Check out this episode of GodStuff where co-host Daniel Andrews and I talk about discovering your identity as a child of God.
Review: Pictures of Silver Moves Me to Sing
In the interest of full disclosure; Picture of Silver’s Ryan Taylor gave me a copy of their debut album Moves Me to Sing several days ago for review purposes. In the interest of complete and total honesty, I was planning to buy it anyway.
I’ve been following Pictures of Silver since they arrived on the local music scene a couple of years ago, and every time they take the stage they improve. This is a talented collection of musicians, who enjoy making music, but not for the chief purpose of entertaining. Simply put, these guys are anointed.
As a self-styled Indy Rock Worship ensemble, Pictures of Silver’s debut brings a lot to the table. It is a guitar driven festival of voluminous melodies, building choruses, and thoughtfully worshipful lyrics—sure to fit into any worship playlist. Nearly every song on the album is an upbeat display of riffing guitar work and happy harmonies, not a small feat considering it tops out at eleven tracks.
Krystal Manning delivers an anointed vocal performance on nine of the eleven tracks, whereas band mates Ryan Taylor and Lance Shingleur take the vocal forefront on tracks Speak and Never Thirst Again. Never Thirst Again, The Stand, and We Were Made for You all feature beautiful melodies performed by pianist Shingleur. Rain Down, We Were Made For You, and Holy really stood apart to me for their rich sound and endearingly reverent lyrics.
Pictures of Silver’s Moves Me to Sing is a great album that will undoubtedly move any worship enthusiast to open their heart, turn up their headphones, and join the band.
For more Pictures of Silver info check out these links:
facebook, ReverbNation, Noise Trade, Amazon
You can also search Rhapsody and iTunes for Pictures of Silver.
3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16
The first time I memorized those words I was the lead in my church’s Christmas play, and I was just a little kid. It was a fun play. I was really young, but I enjoyed my role. I never forgot those words, but it was only during my teenage years (when the infamous wrestler Steve Austin coined his trademark Austin 3:16) that I realized how well known this verse was. And then a couple of years ago Tim Tebow put the reference in his face paint during the NCAA National Football Championship game. Google reported 92 million searches for John 3:16 during and immeditely following the game.
My point is that this is an incredibly familiar passage. One that has made its way into our culture in a variety of ways over the years. For me, it’s a verse that I have read, quoted, written, and heard probably thousands of time in my thirty-plus years, but it wasn’t until recently that I actually understood it at all. I mean, people have been telling me for years what it is supposed to mean. I have even told others what it is supposed to mean. I’ve blogged about it, preached about it, designed t-shirts utilizing it, and broadcast it–but; even though I’ve been a Christian for over half of my life, it’s never really been much more than some evangelical mantra we like to bandy about as we proselytize those around us. It is so much more than that.
I had a good family life growing up, and consider that actuality an incredible blessing knowing that to be more the exception than the rule these days. Because of my home life, grasping the notion of being a son of God, like the Bible teaches, was never much of a stretch for me. It was an easy part of the faith for me to comprehend, believe, and communicate. It’s only within the last month, and to a lesser extent the previous nine, that I began to be able understand the Gospel from a Father’s perspective.
And that brings me back to John 3:16. This verse we’ve probably all heard so much. As familiar as it is, it is incredibly challenging, confusing, and wonderful. God loved you and I so much that He gave away His only son. I can tell you right now, I could never do that. It doesn’t matter who we are talking about: my best friend, my wife, my mom, brother, students, anyone…everyone. If given a choice to save them and yet condemn my child there is no real choice. My child gets first priority every time.
But God, being infinitely sovereign and immeasurably wise, contrived a means by which He could give up His own son to excruciating torture, so that He might open the way to redemption and restoration for all of His sons…and not only did the one die to save the rest, but the firstborn of all creation rose again through the power of the Father.
I’m going to do the best I can in this life to be the best father that I can be, but only God the Father can give and save at the same time. Incredible.
I am a Christian because . . .
3,679 people were asked to complete the statement, “I am a Christian because . . . ” this is a collection of some of their responses.
10 Things God is Not
Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten.
Better late than never, here is my incredibly short and almost altogether inscrutable list of things that God is not.
1. A magic trick
2. Santa Claus
3. An angry bully
4. A scorekeeper
5. A political party
6. A man made idol
7. Dumb
8. American
9. A crutch for the weak
10. Inactive, dead, or distant
10 Keys to Doing Something Well
Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten.
This is definitely not an all inclusive list, but if you’re looking to improve at something, here are ten tips to get you moving in the right direction–and if you’re not looking to improve at something then please stop doing it.
1. Want to do it well.
2. Find someone that already does it well, and learn as much as you can from them.
3. Self-evaluate
4. Be honest with yourself.
5. Submit your work to others for critiquing.
6. Know the difference between positive and negative criticism.
7. Acquire tools that will help you succeed.
8. Practice
9. Understand that practice makes permanent. In other words, if you continually practice something a certain way…then you will keep doing it the same way.
10. Accept that there is always room for improvement, perfection is rarely attainable.
