Happy New Year!

I am so glad this year is going to be over, a lot has happened and I'm glad it's going to be over. I have had to let go of a couple friends, I have an Aunt who is not doing well with cancer and yet I am still doing well and I still look forward to the new year. I hope everyone is doing well and I wish everyone a very good New Years!!

Jesus Camp

Tracee and I watched an A&E special titled Jesus Camp last night. It is amazing how much agree with so much of the content of the "conservative fundamentalists" and yet I completely reject the methods of indoctrination which I witnessed.

Why focus on high pressure, high emotion, Sinners in the hands of an angry God, damnation model? I can easily see this hard line teaching in my own reading of the Bible, but I believe the larger focus is always on Love, and inclusion. Choice and opportunity to seek the path instead of obligation, fear and force.

I think the story line that the evangelical indoctrination is a "witch's brew" intended to take over American politics is old and tired. Government is of the people, by the people and for the people. God does not need the US government to defend him, or to do his will. He needs people dedicated to loving one another and sharing Christ's example.

Big difference between teaching and empowering individuals for ministry and the groupthink/indoctrination model I saw exemplified in this show.

I wonder if the director cut out the less volatile scenes to make a better show?
I wonder if I should take a harder line.. Am I "luke warm"?

1 Corinthians 13 (THE MESSAGE) ---- The Way of Love

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 -7}If 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.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

^{8 -10}Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.¹¹When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
¹²We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!¹³But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Fear Not

I just listened to several tracks off of a wonderful CD by friends "Steven and Robin Massie Condy". Steven sings a piece entitled "Fear Not" and I was inspired in much the same way as I imagine the shepherds were when the Angels sang at Christ's birth.

My mission field is here around me. My team is the people God has surrounded me with already: in the past, the present, and the future. If we rely on God for our direction, we can accomplish great things, in spite of the world around us.

The idea that the Lord speaks to me.. every day through people and music is awesome. My fears of having enough resources, skills, knowledge, etc.. are insignificant in the face of such love. Lord, Be thou my vision...

Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will help you, I will strengthen you, and I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Merry Christmas!!

I hope everyone has a great Holiday! Thanks for reading my silly random thoughts, my attempts at trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about! I could care less about all that, I hope who ever reads this...just has a great Holiday!! ;-) peace

Presence, Presents...

I just got home from our Christmas Eve service at Huguenot Road Baptist Church. It has been a grueling few days, as we focused on meals, family in town and the endless search and presentation of presents. In the end, the greatest gift of all was the presence of my family around me as I sang to God in worship. I didn't sing well, at least by my standards, but my girls surrounded me and their voices were angelic. What a blessing, the presence of my friends and worshippers were to me this evening. 

As I extinguished the candle at the service's conclusion, I was reminded of Christs' presence within me, now and forever. To think, such a story... humble parents, shepherds, angels, animals, wise men... all focused on the presence of a newborn baby.  He was a present to the world, and his presence changed everything for everyone, for all time. 

It really is that simple. 

Christ is born, Christ died, Christ is risen! Alleluia

Battle at Kruger

End of year is upon us so now it's time for all the best and worrst of this and that for the year 2007. Well this video was on a "most popular" list, I have never seen it, but it's actually quite amazing!! Enjoy!

Happy Friday~!

Ok, I apologize, it has been awhile since I have blogged or at least blogged anything personal, so let me do that now. As I think I mentioned in an earlier blog that I have an auntie who has cancer and it's spread to her brain, it's terminal and we are talking months. So I have been helping out taking her to her radiation appointments and then staying with her until someone from the family comes home so she isn't alone. I will be moving in with her and my cousin end of this month. The job has picked up and I've been so busy with work, I don't fight it anymore like I used to. I used to wonder why the hell am I at Intel when I would rather do something else? I know now..because of the availability to work remotely, to work my from Aunts house when she is sleeping and I can log on and do what I need to do. My whole job is in my Intel laptop, so when it was down on Friday and Monday of this past week, it really sucked because I was lost and I couldn't work. I went into the office...but still...couldn't do anything. So I guess that is my reason for being there, because it works for what is going on in my life. I'm cool with that. Oh, you may have read awhile ago that my best friend has cancer, um turns out..he didn't you can read more here, yeah it sucks but I'm not concentrating on that now. I have to focus on other things at the moment. Other than that, I'm good... anxiety is down, no panic attacks, no anxiety attacks but still have the bad heartburn. I will try to keep up and I hope you all are well. More soon! ;-) peace

Reba Mcentire

So it's Friday and it was a rough week, so I'm just flipping thru channels and I see CMT has this Giants special and it's Reba...ok this special aired months ago but as usual, I'm behind. So I love me some Reba, I like her music and I like her TV show...so I watch it and can I say Kelly Clarkson sang her ass off!! damn. So I hear all these songs that Reba sang being sung by others and it's all good, but something is missing. I don't know what it is...but then the end of the show arrives....and this was it. Who can't relate to Fancy? Who?! We all can at some point...well some of us....for those of us from the wrong side of the tracks. Hmmm..maybe even those of us more privileged, in any case, enjoy this live performance from Reba singing Fancy! ;-) peace

Happy? become a minister

Stats don't lie.. this is an awesome post/commentary on Americans these days.
Vocation with Greatest Job Satisfaction : by Ben Witherington

I don't think I have much to add, other than happiness is driven by relationships, and security in life.. money is only a tool, and that is a long known cliche

I wonder what the factors that made the unhappy ministers, unhappy were...? Perhaps they were fired by unhappy congregations, or communities...

Happy Hump Day!

...so The Lair a queer show on Here! it's in my Netflix queue and it really is kind of bad, but with the potential to be better. The best actor in the show..? Colton Ford...who is Colton Ford? an ex gay porn star....granted...he's hot...but did you know he can sing? and sing his ass off!! Here are a couple videos, I think he could use a little tweaking and little training but come on...to take on No One by Alicia Keys and sound decent??!! That's damn good! Oh wait, back to his acting...really...he is the best actor on the show...like he's believable! I mean the other actors you're thinking "quit trying!" but with Colton, he's like a pro...not sure if he's done other stuff but he is the most convincing.
Enjoy and Happy Hump Day!



HOW FRICKING HOT IS HE IN THIS VIDEO??!

Best Pizza ever?

The pizza at Candela's pizzeria in Midlothian tonight may have been the best I have ever had. After a challenging week with everything from family strife (mother in law moving to town) to challenges at work, to dealing with a cold and a mysteriously sore shoulder... We spent the evening with friends both last night and tonight.

Good times with good people is the key to happiness!

Great idea to get into the spirit of Christmas...(as if the world needed one more)
1. pizza at Candela's - complete with the NY attitude waitress...
2. go watch the snow fall around the tree at Stony Point Fashion park at 7pm(with a lot of other kids, dogs, and families alike...)--this was really cool and beautiful
3. check out the "tacky lights" house off of Quioccasin.. very beautiful lights display
4. cap it all off with the living drive thru nativity at Huguenot Road Baptist Church. Complete with guides to the scenes and an extremely cute baby goat by the manger.. this living nativity is not to be missed...

Despite a tough week, I guess I am ready for the Christmas rush to hit full speed.