My Daddy's Posture.

Sometimes when I sit I notice immediately I'm sitting like my Dad. I love my Dad and have always wanted to be like him but sometimes I'm like, "Crap, I'm sitting just like my Dad." What about God? When we are around God and spend time with him on a daily basis the same thing happens. We posture ourselves after him. By spending a daily portion of our time intimately connecting with our God our posture will change to match him. Now there will be times where we falter but nonetheless we will continue to posture ourselves after him. This weekend I had an interesting time. I noticed that after 3 days without a steady quiet time my mental state had gone from a state postured after Christ to one that was quickly forgetting what that posture was like. Your life will posture itself after God with time. So daily spend time with him and posture yourself in a way that imitates his grace, mercy, and majesty.

posted by shark_maul @ 1/30/2006 04:51:00 PM 1 comments

Soccer, Blown Knees, and Barefoot Walking in the Cold.

I got talked into playing intramural soccer and I'm stoked about it. Our first game we got creamed 7-1 by the Foreigners (they're all foreign, so they actually know how to play soccer). Let me cover the latter of the topics first. As I walked back in the like 30 degree weather I (barefoot, t-shirt, and gym shorts) saw a girl running towards her dorm and figured to ask whats the rush. She said it's cold. So often we run to the comfort places of life and forget the cold. It's freezing and everyone is running for cover and forgetting that in the cold is where the crisp, cold, air is. We run to our lives to shelter from the cold frigid world but forget that God is in the cold quiet clearness. Second, soccer. As I watched us get whipped I noticed a distinct difference in playing styles that is obvious for almost anything. When playing soccer people that know how to play are calm and collected they know exactly where to send the ball and the others who frantically run around just don't have a clue. The same thing goes with design, movies, preaching, public speaking, writing, and Jesus...simplicity. God design the best things to be simple, not flashy or hoorah but simple. I think that's why strip joints are all flashy and stuff...because the flash and outside glitz draws people in. When you actually ponder our walk it's simple this Grace that is so unfair, so undeserved comes in and pervades our lives and it's simple...we just have to accept it.

posted by shark_maul @ 1/25/2006 10:50:00 PM 1 comments

Some Photos

posted by shark_maul @ 1/23/2006 12:10:00 AM 0 comments

Grace.

I just finished reading (in one night) What's So Amazing About Grace. (visual edition) This is what I learned: The grace that saved me saves the homosexual and the homosexual hater. The grace that changed me change the porn addict. The grace my Jesus offers can reverse the hate of so many Christians. The sounds of Amazing Grace can calm Wembley Stadium filled with G n' R fans. The grace that saved me saved Jeffrey Dahmer. Ten thousand people die each day of starvation and we don't give a shit, and you are more worried about the fact that I said shit instead of people dyeing.-(it's in the book I just can't find it to give credit) Grace saved Paul. Grace could have saved Judas. Grace saved me. Grace saves you. If we live by grace then when Christians are thought of we will be viewed as the righteous right hand of our Lord Jesus Christ instead of the hateful right hook of a God who only wants to hate his own creation.

posted by shark_maul @ 1/20/2006 01:21:00 AM 0 comments

Fight the Tide.

This has been a hard week. I've had to sit through two Christian worldview classes and just go crazy. The only way I'm surviving is 2 of my friends are with me so we all IM each other to take the edge off. It's just been a real tough time having to sit through some of the atrocities they talk about. Today Dr. Beam condoned Stephen Baldwin sitting outside of a porn store and photographing people then publishing it in the newspaper. So if I'm a non-christian and I'm into porn and go into a store and am photographed and embarrassed then later am witnessed to then I couldn't care less. I would hate Christians, they ruined my reputation and my marriage (yes it was my sin but the fact is the Christian community would have amplified my sin and shown it to the world). So, after sitting through that I wanted to scream then I had to listen to Dr. Ecarma say that we should not baptize gays and that if they had trouble dealing with the lifestyle then we should send them away from the church. No. Absolutely not. As the body we must be there for them and provide support, their sin is a much more visible version of our own sins. I hate that and I hate that it's happened but it's the way it is (Sidenote: I don't approve of homosexuality). But after really wanting to go crazy and just lose it I remembered four very specific people. First, Jay my pastor who honestly said hey I've been there I know what it's like, do what God wants you to and follow his heart. Andrew Hill who encouraged me to seek Christ and forget the dogma forget the legalism. Dani who challenged me to think and realize that it's a part of life. Tim who helped me see that doing missions media is a lot like doing media at NGU. And I know I said four but my mother and father, who said they are behind me no matter where God leads. I want to thank you for encouragement and patience...I try to keep my wig outs to once a year.

Hold on to me, hold on Hold on to me, yeah Please don't let me go no, no, hold on 'Cause I am prone to wonder Prone to leave this faith I know Hold on And now they say that the wise man Well, he fears the Lord And this fear, well, it's the beginning of all wisdom And I must be a fool 'Cause I sure don't seem to fear You 'Cause the very things that You will me to do Well, I just don't seem to get around to The very things that You hate Are the very things that I always stumble into

~Shawn McDonald

posted by shark_maul @ 1/19/2006 11:48:00 PM 0 comments

Some Heavy Reading.

I want ya'll to read this article. This is the kind of lets think before we judge. (Side note I don't condone the movie BUT I have NOT seen it) http://relevantmag.com/pc_article.php?id=7101#pagetop

posted by shark_maul @ 1/17/2006 11:49:00 PM 0 comments

Reconciling Life.

My world sometimes seems to be crashing down around me sometimes. I'm having a lot of trouble reconciling my beliefs about the world, God, and really anything with what I'm being force fed at school. The college seems to be shoving their stuff down my throat, sometimes it's great theologically sound stuff and other times I just want to scream. I look at professors or whoever and try to be patient, one thing the college has taught me is how to be patient with speakers. I'll sit and listen and try to listen and agree with as much as I can. I'm constantly fighting with my want to leave the college and my feeling that somehow I'm supposed to be here. The funding in my department is terrible, we're censored at the paper, I'll be censored in the art department, and at the end I'll graduate from the college of a denomination I don't necessarily believe in. I'm trying to be positive and seek God in everything I do, but I'm constantly facing opposition from some sort of invisible opposition. There are 4 things that keep me here Catalyst, my friends, the possibility of one of my friends coming here, and friends at work. Beyond that I want to change. I don't know guys (and girls) to do this right is going to be hard. Peace out.God time.

posted by shark_maul @ 1/17/2006 11:40:00 PM 1 comments

Discovering my Worldview.

Today in Christian worldview I was a little excited but also minorly perturbed, partially by the fact I had to pee insanely bad after 2 cups of coffee but also by some of the things he said. Like he was saying that he preached a sermon against "Bruce Almighty." He hadn't seen it but he preached a message against it soley by what he'd seen in the previews. I'm a firm believer in knowing what your talking about definitively and not out of your butt without real knowledge. I think I'm beginning to accept some point of Christian worldview but with reservations. CS Lewis started the whole thing apprarently and I like Lewis. I wonder though if he looked at today's Christian worldview if he would think that it has strayed from his original intentions for it. I wonder what my Jesus would think about the whole thing. More later...when I'm not in class.

posted by shark_maul @ 1/17/2006 11:07:00 AM 0 comments

Rituals.

What if you had to sacrifice your best. What if God required an iPod sacrifice from us. What if it was 7 days wages to buy the least to give to our God? I've thought for about 2 months now what it would be like. I think it would be a humbling experience. I would want to be humbled in that way. Now though with Christ's death we just stand there naked and sinful before and let him wash us clean. There is nothing we can do. The only thing we can do is accept it, be grateful, and tell others. That's the only thing we can do. Tonight Shannon paid for my dinner at Catalyst and Greg offered to help with gas, I said no to the gas and really wanted to say yes I need it badly but my pride stood in the way. For the Church today to succeed we must get past our pride. For there to be a body of people who are gracious in all they do the people have to let their pride fall to accept the help. There must be a willingness to accept the help. So tomorrow, if you are in need admit it, accept it, and let us help. Let a Christian show you who he really is and see if they are the image of Christ or an attempt to be like Christ.

posted by shark_maul @ 1/14/2006 08:51:00 PM 0 comments

Purity it is.

Today in chapel the guy talked about purity and sex and how if your not married it's not healthy for you. Once again some man tries to change the entire world with a message. The only problem is there has to be a change in the attitude the heart the direction of a man's life. I sat there and I agree with what he is saying, but I think that there has to be a different direction for what we should do. For a guy to change his mind about porn or purity there has to be a change in his mindset towards obedience. He has to understand obedience is an issue of the heart not an issue of the rules. They are there for protection, put in place by love and for us to follow them would be an outward sign of our devotion and reverence to God. Obedience is about love not rules. For there to be a change in the heart for someone that has to be understood, otherwise it's obedience without a true goal.

posted by shark_maul @ 1/11/2006 11:05:00 AM 1 comments

Deceiving Denominations.

Yesterday a professor came into work and she was real nice while we fixed her computer for like 8 hours, she was an author writing about spiritual maturity. I thought I'd size her up and I guessed older woman, WMU person, culturally irrelevant. She went on to talk about her southern baptist church and her keeping the church history. So I was pretty convinced that this lady had nothing spiritually important to say. Then she was like you know a sign of spiritual maturity is when someone loves unselfishly and without bounds, but spiritual immaturity is when one is unloving and full of self righteous indignation. Then this was the real shocker, she said, "too bad the southern baptist convention is more of the latter." Boom. Right there. She said what I was thinking and ultimately won my respect. She was a down to earth everyday normal lady who just happened to show me a little something. I'm not anti-southern baptist I'm just not pro-southern baptist. And for the most part I just want to see a change. And for those of you reading that go to my church, I unfortunately hold somewhat of a double standard because I know ya'll and believe wholeheartedly that your visions and hearts are in the right place and seeking after God's true heart. I'm still on the journey of getting to a point where I'm ok with my current state of beliefs but still being ok with other people's beliefs, even if I feel they might be irrelevant and uncool. Sorry if I offended anyone with this one, like I said I'm still getting there and I'm letting you in on my journey, it's my inner thoughts so just be aware sometimes I might say things that offend you, I'm not meaning to. Peace out. (o' and a new website is on the way!)

posted by shark_maul @ 1/06/2006 09:00:00 AM 0 comments

Swinging

I was listening to the Relevant podcast today while I was getting ready and it was rather interesting. A girl had written an article about a comment Bono had made at a concert. Basically the comment was saying we as Christians, Muslims, and whatever need to get along but somehow she either misheard or he mis-said it. It came out as a relativistic sort of thing and stirred up enough controversy to initiate an impromptu podcast by the Relevant people. One of the things they talked about was the swinging pendulum. They said sometimes as Christians we are so we're right and your going to Hell that we miss the truth of the gospel which is love at heart but sometimes we swing far the other way and focus on our lovey dovey God who never punishes. The dialogue the article started was great because it made me think where I am. Am I on the obedient-less people side or over zealous mean Christians side. I'd tend to lean to the obedient-less but I'm not that. God has gifted me with an understanding of obedience, that it is not rules but a warning. It's guidelines, we obey out of a love for God and want to follow him daily not because it is what is "right." Where does your pendulum swing? Are you living in an area that forgets the poor and destitute in favor of an obedience devoid of love or do you live loving even the trees but forgetting that obedience is just as important?

posted by shark_maul @ 1/04/2006 11:15:00 PM 0 comments

I've had this great need to use lyrics recently in my posts. I don't really know why but I do have it. I think it may be because I haven't listened to what my music is talking about so God said, "I'll show him, and make him pay close attention to everything." Lyrics First, Post after:

I don't want to move and I don't think I could. I don't want to move and I don't think I should. I don't want to move. No, I don't want to move. I don't want to move and I don't think I could. Breathe in deeper now. Breathe in deeper now. Breathe in deeper, breathe in now. The costliest of costs. The deadliest of loss. The wonder of the cross. The breath of life that stops, The hope of Heaven bought. The wonder of the cross. The wonder of the cross. Breathe in deeper now (The wonder of the cross). Breathe in deeper now (The wonder of the cross). Breathe in deeper now (The wonder of the cross). Breathe in now. I don't want to move.

Breathing is this need we all have. Not one of us can be sustained without it. Without air we die and are nothing. Crowder is illustrating how we in our very nature breathe in the cross. Christ Jesus and the cross are the two things that keep us from hell but also from a pointless life. Obedience to Christ is to be lived as if it were our sustaining air. When you cry there is this universal breath we all take that one where it's like 4 in one and then you catch your breath for a moment before purging more emotion. Live a life in search of God to the point to where our search of him is so exhausting we breathe him in as a mere consequence of our pursuit. God is the one that will outlive both you and I. If you have a chance go check out David Crowder's new CD, it was the #1 on iTunes when it was released so that definitely tells you the caliber. Well everyone, g'nite!

posted by shark_maul @ 1/04/2006 12:08:00 AM 0 comments