Worldview

Worldview, what is it?

Well, lets see what the new favorite reference guide says:

according to Wikipedia it is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing natural philosophy, fundamental existential and normative postulates or themes, values, emotions and ethics. (What?!, that is wordy)

According to Francis Schaeffer, a worldview is the grid through which one sees the world.

According to Voddie Baucham it is the set of instructions by which you determine the proper place for every thought, action, behavior, opinion, and decision in your life.

The dictionary says: The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world.

Basically, it is how you see and react to the world you live in. My next few blogs will work to identify some worldviews and come up with reasonable ways to have a Biblical Worldview.
This will bring out some ideas that are in direct opposition to the culture of our day, the secular one and the one in the church.

Worldview

What makes up a worldview? What are the prevailing worldviews in our society today?
How does one make sure they have a biblical Christian worldview and not a cultural Christian Worldview? How should Christians go about the battle against the secular humanist worldview that dominates the culture, so much so that it is often present in American churches? Psychology, is it okay to integrate with biblical counseling? I am beginning my research to determine the Biblical response to these things.

Marinating

on the following thoughts that I have read over the past week or so

In a society that commends greed....many believers have become pretty greedy spiritually.

Consequently, the focus of 20 somethings has become less about building mature relationships and fulfilling responsibilities, and more about enjoying oneself, traveling, and trying on identities and relationships.

These quotes were from 2 seperate but related articles.
They kind of go along with what I have been thinking about the last few weeks. We have a great party to look to in Heaven, but it seems like we are taking advantage of that party now, and not doing the work that needs to be done so the celebration will be fitting. We seem to think we are put here to enjoy everything, but we are put here to do to what God has asked us to do......which is to spread the message that He is able to reconcile sinners to himself and there is a great celebration to come. I wonder, do we need to hold off on our celebration and be about the work of the Lord with more enthusiasm?

Unconditional Surrender

Currently, I am contemplating what it would look like if every Christian were to unconditionally surrender to our Lord...mainly, the author of this, but what if every Christian did......

I think the gospel would be preached, the lost would be found, relationships restored, captives would be set free, the sick would be healed, the lame would walk, the deaf would hear, but for sure all Glory would go to our Lord and our God.

Write, Run, Wait and It will Happen

This is has been marinating in my soul for a long time.....Hopefully, it is not way to long....for all my 2's or 3's of readers (that count may be high)
Habakkuk 2:2-3

2 Then the Lord answered me and said, Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run.
3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

For those of you who are Bible Expositors, I know the interpertation of this passage is a propehcy, but I am going to focus on the application for me. I would like to do an exercise and write the vision that I think is to come for me, and that it will come soon......

The format of this will be, The Vision, The Obstacle and What it will take to overcome that obstacle.

The Vision: To find a life's work that I either enjoy or care about, preferably both.
The Obstacle: It seems I might be stuck in the industry that I am currently employed (which is Retirement related, and I don't think retirement is really a Biblical concept (see Luke 12:16-20) Right now is not the time to be making career changes and unfortunately, my college education is causing me a great deal of frustration because there are very few options for extending my education....ah ABC, money well spent (written with even more than usual sarcasm for me......if that is possible).
The Overcoming: Well, Jesus said with man things are impossible, but with God all things are possible (he was talking about salvation, but the application applies). I intend to learn another language (espanol, and really pray about this). Life is not meant to be lived just doing something to do something......The Bible says to redeem the time, not to pass the time. I am currently seeking how to redeem my alloted time in this life.


The Vision: to be a man who really knows the Bible, and more importantly the God of the Bible (His name is Jesus).
The Obstacle: The Bible is a long read, that is written in an ancient context. Fortunately, it is a living word and the Holy Spirit illuminates the meaning. I am easily distracted and start reading everything but the Bible. Want to know any of the rosters of the Rangers, or any of there several minor league affiliates......Well, then ask me......I would much prefer that I know the Holy Word of God like I know things about the Rangers........
The Overcoming: Read, Reread, Study, Study some more, give priority to the Word. I am currently in the market for a good book on the customs of the Bible......Also, I hope to be a life long student of the Word.....I feel like I am in about Kindergarten right now....maybe one day, i will get to a junior high level

The Vision: To marry a good and godly woman, to lead her spiritually, love her like Christ loves the Church (which is to say selflessly, and without condition), to have kid or kids who grow up in a Home where they are discipled in that home.
The Obstacle: Girls, I am not good with the ladies
The Overcoming: someone else will have to tell me........I spend a lot of time studying Family driven faith, what a man should be and things along those lines.........but right now they are all just ideas in my head......I need to figure out how to put these in practice.......I think the line in the book I most identified with was from the biography of Tony Dungy, he said he was only married because someone stepped in and helped him out, if not he would probably still be single...

The Vision: This is for my current abode.........I would like to start having people over more often and serving them and finding out their story.....when they became a Christian, what are they trying to accomplish in life, How has God ordained that path etc.......
The Obstacle: Well, it does not seem like there any......I just need to start doing this.
The Overcoming: I just need to start doing this......I think July will be a good time to start, if anyone will come......we will see

The Vision: Part II for my current abode. I think once or twice a month I would like to have people over for a prayer time.....no format, no conditions, just plain old fashioned crying out before God and for one another.
The Obstacle: None really, I just need to start doing this.
The Overcoming: The same as above, I just need to take initiative and get it done......why does that word keep coming up so much lately.....initiative, initiative and initiative?????. Everything I read keeps telling me to take initiative, maybe I should take some initiative.

This seems long enough for the time being......

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day, a holiday we probably enjoy without the proper consideration of those who died for our freedom. I think a good question to ponder on this date, is what would you die for. I have not known a lot of people in the military, my Grandfather served in WWII, my Uncle in Vietnam and one of my friends has served in the current military campaign. Fortunately, none of them paid the ultimate price in the line of duty, but each was willing. I hope that there are no war protests going on today. Today is not a day to state your opinion concerning if you think any of the wars that have been fought or are being fought are just, just a day to remember those who died so that you can state your opinion.

Now, back to my question. Some have paid the ultimate price and given their life for our country, what are you willing to give your life for? I think most people would say for their family and most people would probably say for their country, but this is the most amazing thing about the incarnate God, who is Jesus Christ. He gave His life for all of us. He knew that we would be in constant rebellion to Him, that we would deny that he existed, ignore what he has directed and live our lives in direct conflict to Him. For most countries this might be enough to start a war with a people who were like we are toward God, for God this was enough to finish a war for us, by paying the ultimate price, the life of His son, Jesus.

So on Memorial day, please remember and honor the soldier even if you do not agree with the wars we are fighting. Also, remember Christ, because just as a soldier fought for our physical freedom, Christ fought and won for our spiritual freedom, He paid the price and He was now won the war so that we may live in peace with Him here in this world, and for eternity in the World to come.

Very Shortly I shall resume regular blogging activites, for my mind and heart are being stirred.......
I have now finished reading the OT, and am very ready to move into the NT and see what God has in store. I will be anxious to see what is recalled to my mind as I go through the NT.....

Which World are you worthy of?

I have so many things on my mind right now, but this passage of scripture keeps popping in my head, and I have to wonder for myself and all of us, which world are we striving to be worthy of?
This one, or the world to come?

Hebrews 11:37-40

37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about i sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, il treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. 39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Opening Day

It is one of my favorite days of the year. Actually, it is my favorite day of the year. Baseball is back, and soon to follow is the warm weather that I have dearly missed for the winter. The 1st game everyone starts tied for 1st, nothing has gone wrong and we can all hope that this year our boys will come through. For the time being I will forget all the reasons why the Rangers will probably not be good and look to seeing Josh Hamilton in his second full season, seeing Chris Davis for a full year, seeing this defensive whiz Elvis Andrus at shortshop and hoping Ian Kinsler will stay healthy for a full year. I will be interested to see Hank Blalock and how he reacts to his final year of his contract. I am going to believe that McCarthy will be healthy all year and pitch to his potential, that Matt Harrison will develop and tha Millwood and Padilla will go out throw 2oo innings. If all this happens then we can hear "The Rangers win the Pennant".

"Spring Hopes Eternal"

Pressing On

Philippians 3:13-14
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Today, when I was at the park, this scripture kept popping up in my head, and I think there are some things I learned while joggingh and meditating on the above mentioned passage.

1. You have to press on even when you don't feel like it. Each time I run, there comes a point when I want to stop. This point is always long before the distance I want to run. I have a choice to make, I can give myself credit for how far I have run and quit, or I can forget about what I have done so far, and keep moving to the goal I set when my run started. (sometimes, I press on, sometimes I quit). As we walk with God, the same thing happens. We are going to have tough times where we just aren't "feeling it" and the choice will come to I quit, or do I press to the High Calling of God

2. You must forget those things that are behind, but you also must understand that those things in the past affect your current situation. For example, I normally run a little over 7 miles 2 or 3 times a week. Well, for the last couple of weeks, I have had a pulled hamstring. Therefore, I have not been running for 2-3 weeks. Well, today the result was that I could not near as long as I normally run. This application makes sense spiritually too, for when I take a week or two away from God's word and prayer, then it makes my spiritual walk that much harder for me.

Overwhelmed

The following passage overwhelmed me on Saturday as I was reading along

Lamentations 3:21-26

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness. 24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." 25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good to wait silently for the salvation of the Lord.

The above is one of the best reasons to read the Scripture and be enlightened on a regular basis.
This was written by Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations, or book of Lament as some call it. It is something that the Jewish people will read to be reminded of the utter destruction of their city. If your read the prior book, Jeremiah, you will see that Jeremiah is calling the people to turn from their wicked way and to be obedient to the Lord. The message throughout Jeremiah is to choose life or to choose death, and the people continually disregard the message of Jeremiah that he is given from the Lord and choose death. Due to their constant rebellion and disobedience God allows Jerusalem to be overthrown. The following book is Lamentations and in it you find the above nugget.

How does this apply to us? Well, our God is so good, that even when we are constant rebellion and disobedience to Him, he offers his mercy every morning. Mercy is not getting what you do deserve. If you read along in the book of Jeremiah, you can see that God was really giving every opportunity for the people to turn to God and follow Him, but when they did not, they chose death. Even when they made this choice God was telling them to accept his mercy and wait patiently for Him. So, for us here is some great news.

1. In life we have a choice, it is life or death. Life is to follow God through Jesus, death is to ignore Him and live life your own way.
2. If you are far from God and think that you are so far against Him that you can never turn to Him, you are wrong. The people of the above mentioned passage openly disobeyed and basically mocked God. How did God respond? He said his mercies are new every morning. I would encourage you to carefully consider continued disobedience, because the people went through a really hard time because they were so disobedient, but in the end God was still there.
3 No matter how bad any situation is, we have hope because of our Great God!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a great God we have
He died for us when we were totally in rebellion to Him, and often times continue in Rebellion against Him. I still can not comprehend that a man, who was also God, would come to Earth and die for each of us knowing that so many would reject Him, but his Mercies are new every morning. I can not comprehend how he continues to pursue a relationship with each and every one of us in spite of the fact that we are so quick to forget about Him. His mercies are new every morning. I can not believe that God continues to work on me in spite of the fact that often I am a miserable failure at what he is instructing me in. His mercies are new every morning. I can not believe that God put my sins and your sins on a very bloody cross knowing that we would continue to rebel against Him. His mercies are new every morning. I can not describe how unthinkable it is to know that Jesus is right now preparing for me and for you a place to dwell with Him forever. His mercies are new every morning.

Looking for......

I am reviewing some things I wrote a few years back today and I came across what I was looking for in a wife a few years ago (I am still looking, and I think these are some good guidelines)

1. A Dedicated Christian
2. Willing to do whatever God leads
3. A sweet spirit
4. A great witness for Jesus Christ
5. Willing to stand up for herself

Poems I wrote A long Time Ago

A few years ago, when things were not going as well as I hoped I wrote the following:

A new Day arrives
Hope is no longer Alive
For All that I strive
The goal now has become to survive

A prayer or a wish
He no longer makes
He used to be willing to
do whatever it takes
Now is interest is
only what he makes.

He laughs out loud if
only they knew what was
under the clouds.
Everythig is a secret among a crowd.
Can a heart cry out loud?

----------------------------------------------------

Some wear smiles
Some wear frowns
Each one hoping they do not drown

The lake of trouble arrives.
Each must decide.
To Endure or Overcome.
To Concede or Retreat.
------------------------------------------------------

A year has gone by
and I have made many cries.
Time seems to fly
and nothing seems to happen.
Patience is fleeting.
Desire is burning
to serve Him is my deepest Yearning
With many things I have been flirting
but I believe
this year I will serve Him more
and help me fulfill this yearning.

------------------------------------------------------

I am waiting on You
I put my hope in You
You died for me
May I live for you
Make my satisfaction in you
You are the light of the World.
Light my path, just so I can see you.
Make your name the only thing that matters.
Make yourself my only joy.

-------------------------------------------------------

LOST

This is not about a TV show. This is actually about the most important thing that can be determined in your appointed time on earth. I once was lost, but now I am found. If this is confusing to you, keep on reading. Currently, I am reading a book called, "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn. I would encourage all Christians to read this book. Sometimes, I think we dont really understand how amazing Heaven is. The briefest of summaries would be as follows: "Heaven is a lot like earth, just remove the sin and add the physical presence of God incarnate, which is Jesus Christ." If you need more detail, please read the Bible and the above mentioned book which is about 500 pages long.

The reason for the introduction about Heaven, is because I want to write what you must do to obtain citizenship in Heaven. (I find it a little bit humorous how theologically accurate that old song "Heaven is a place on Earth actually is, but I digress). In our society, what I am about to write will not be regarded as politically correct. (See my other blogs if you think I am concerned with being politically correct.......I am not).

The first thing that I must say, is that not everyone is going to Heaven. This is heart breaking. The reason for the heart break is that if you are not going to Heaven, then you are going to Hell. Now, I have some people say they would rather go to Hell with all of their friends and have fun. Unfortunately, in Hell you will not know your friends or God. It is a place of utter torment. Also, a lot of people do not think Heaven will be fun, but we can not even begin to imagine the joy we will experience when we are in Heaven, it is not something you want to miss. There are many misconceptions about Heaven and Hell, I will not address them today, I want to address only what it takes to get there.

If you are like me, (Hopefully, for your sake you are not) you have to plan everything. If you are going to plan a road trip you must have everything mapped out. A couple of years ago I decided to take a trip to watch several baseball games. I was going to leave Grapevine, go to Cincinatti, St. Louis, Kansas City and Oklahoma City to watch baseball games (I have a sickness). Well, before I left I google mapped the directions to every stadium and Motel 6 (They said they would leave the light on) so I knew exactly where I was going. It would seem a little silly to me to try and take a trip to a known destination without any known directions. I mean I could have headed north and I may or may not have made it to Cincy, but thanks to the map I got right where I needed to go. The directions led me to the destination. Well, in the same manner, God has given his recorded Word to lead us to his destination. His destination is his house, which is Heaven. In the following paragraphs, I would like to try and make those directions as clear as possible.

1. We all must recognize that we are lost, and without direction we are not going to make it. What does it mean to be lost? It means you are searching for a destination but you do not know how to get there. Some people are lost and don't care, some are lost and just don't know it yet. I have driven a long way down a highway before I realized I was going the wrong way a time or two (I was a teenager, give me a break). In the Scripture, lost means to be seperated from God. How do you become seperated from God? Well, the easy answer is sin. Everyone has sinned and fallen short of God's standard. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were created and had the ability not to sin, but in their free will, they disobeyed God and sin began. Every person that has been born since, was born into sin. There is one exception, but that will be discussed in a moment. If you say you have no sin, then the Scripture says you are a liar. To have no sin, you could never have lied, not even once as a child, never been angry without cause, never had a lustful thought and the list goes on and on. I have met few if any people who did not realize that at least one time in their life they did something wrong. Therefore, based on God's standard to enter Heaven we are all out of luck. The only way you can get to his house is to be sinless.

This poses a great dilemma, because the only way to get into Heaven is to be sinless, but it is impossible to be sinless. Well, when I said that no one who has ever been born without sin, I did mention one exception. That exception is Jesus Christ. This is why the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is of utmost importance. If Jesus was not born of a virgin, then there is no way to get to Heaven. Fortunately, he was, so there is. Jesus was born of a virgin, and then for about 33 years he lived a sinless life. The most amazing thing is that he was subjected to all of the same temptations that we are, yet he lived without sin. Although, he lived a sinless life, he was sentenced to death without cause. He was executed on a wooden cross between 2 thieves. Now, there are a few who say He didn't actually die, but you might want to go study how efficient the Romans were at execution. He was certainly dead, He died in my place and in yours. It was done by proxy, which is to say in the place of. I can only get to Heaven on the basis of the death of Jesus Christ.

If you are wondering about how that works......Well, he didn't stay dead, on the 3rd day, he got out of the grave victorious over sin and death. How to you acess Heaven? If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and belive in your heart that Jesus raised in from the dead you will be saved from the penalty for sin. This is why we can say, "Oh, death where is your sting, o grave, where is your victory?"

Chocolate Coffee???

Chocolate coffee is a liar. I hate coffee......I know most people love it, but not me.
I love chocolate, a whole lot. You can persuade me to do most anything with a chocolate chip cookie.
Today, at work, it was really cold and the sign said chocolate coffee. I thought to myself, well, I hate one and I love the other, mix them together and the coffee should be okay.
Chocolate coffee does not taste chocolate at all. It just taste like coffee. Chocolate coffee is a liar.
I shall now resume my lifetime boycott of any substance that is known as coffee.

Psalm 127.....Part II

1 Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to [a] those he loves.3 Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth.5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.

Please see the above mentioned highlighted part of the PSALM. I would like to address something that seems to be Anti American. Just so you know, I don't consider myself an American, but a Christian who lives in America (Phil 3:20, I will expound later), I am aiming to bring that perspective to this writing.

I am absolutely certain that God instituted marriage and family. The reason I am so certain for this is because it is the practical illustration of His love for His people. There is oneness that can only be found in family that represents the oneness we can find in Jesus Christ. The Hebrew text indicates that marriage is a completion or making one whole, or complete. Therefore, marriage is supposed to make you feel complete or one as much as possible on Earth. Don't worry Single people like me, marriage is the illustration, we are totally complete in Jesus Christ with or without spouse.

Today, I want to focus on what it means to have children and why American Christians should probably have more than the 2 they average. Lets think about the illustration of family. If God is building a kingdom, and He is, then He would want as many people in it as possible. This is why he has given us the admonition to be fruitful and multiply. If God is building His kingdom, why wouldn't we build the Kingdom he is allowing us to manage?

In the current time, it seems that the heritage that we claim is from the Lord is to find a job we love, save a lot of money and then retire to do whatever we want to do. I would challenge someone to bring me a biblical example of this lifestyle. Retirement is an American concept, not a Biblical one. (Full disclosure, my current employer is a retirement company.) This is one of the main reasons that people do not have as many kids these days, it reduces the American Dream. How can I travel the world in my RV when i am 63 if I have kids and grand kids to take care of?

Why is it important to have kids? Well, it is clearly stated in the Word of God, that if you have a lot of kids, you are blessed. I don't recall a scripture that says if you retire, enjoy your work and have fun you are blessed, but the Psalm indicates that if you have children, you have a heritage from the Lord and you are blessed. Let me pose the following question. At the end of your life, do you want to be known for the career you pursued, the vacations you took, or the Heritage you have in the Lord. You answer.

If you are wandering how many kids I think a Christian family should have, let me answer that.
I would say a quiver full, how many ever the Lord puts in your quiver. A quiver is what a warrior keeps his arrows in. I don't think there is a certain number, but the more you have the more blessed you are......even if you have less money. Which reminds me, children are never an expense or a punishment. Children are 100% of the time a blessing, no matter the circumstance of their birth.

I have a dream, that one day we stop thinking of kids as expenses and mouths to feed, but as on opportunity to raise in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I hope that one day Christians everywhere celebrate the heritage that our Lord has provided. I am concerned that my generation is going to get old and regret that we have pursued our selfish interests and our heritage for the Lord will be minimal.

To my married friends, if you have 2 or 3 kids, you do not have a lot of kids. You are blessed, but please consider the Psalm and the blessing of a quiver full. Also, consider those who are physically unable to have children and how it must make them full if you decide that you only want a kid or two.

To my single friends........don't have any kids until you get married, but I am going to address the growing trend of delayed marriage soon.

PSALM 127

1 Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to [a] those he loves.
3 Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.

Today I begin my blogging series on the above mentioned Psalm. What this Psalm has to say is what I am most passionate about. If you asked most people that know me what I am most passionate about the answer would be sports. Well, I do love sports, especially football and baseball, but there is nothing in this world more important to me than home and family. My next several blog posts will be concerning Home and family. Yes, "Home and Family according to the Single Guy".

First, a little background. The family that I grew up with was in no way shape or form stable. Also, that is the case still to this today. I am going to post more on this later and discuss the erroneous thought that if you did not grow up with a strong family, then you yourself will not grow a strong family.

Today, I want to focus on the 1st part of the Psalm that says,
"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain"

I think it seems fairly obvious that this is not talking about a physical house. It is clear if you read the remainder of the Psalm that the Psalmist is referring to a family. The question that needs to be answered is how would a house that the Lord built look? I would contend that if we were to evaluate the vast majority of American homes who claim to be Christian, they would not look like a house that the Lord built. That sounds bad, but stay with me to the end.

According to some statistics, over 95% of families that attend Southern Baptist Churches (I attend a Southern Baptist Church) there is no family devotional time at home. This is one of the most heart breaking things I have ever heard. Here is the problem, if you are going to have a Godly home that is built by the Lord, you most know his word and be in close relationship with Jesus. This is not something that can be accomplished by attending church and being under the word(That is a big part of growing, but does not replace it). This is something that you must make a priority in your home. Actually, it should be the number one priority. If you would do a little study of the scripture, you would find that the role of husband and pastor are very similar. There is no way you would accept a pastor that does not know the Word and making every effort to know the Word more. For guys, if you desire to be married and find a wife (which according to the Proverbs is a good thing), you better be in the Word. Ladies, if you are looking to be married, the 1st thing you need to know, is this Man a student of the Word of the Living God. Here is my free advice: If he is not, do not consider him future marriage potential. The First thing that a house the Lord builds has is time in the word of the Living God.

The 1st characteristic of a house that is built by the Lord is study of God's Word. The 2nd characteristic is that it is a house of prayer. In my own upbringing, I have only seen one of my parents pray one time, and the other I have never seen pray. This is very important, because if we are not seeking the counsel of the Lord, we are wasting our time and all of our work will be in vain. A house that prays together shows the proper respect for the authority of things. I can read, discuss and hope for everything to work out, but if I do not seek God, it will not work out. Also, it can help you get through some tough times. How many marriages would have been saved if instead of arguing about things, the couple and or kids got on their face before the Holy God and sought his wisdom. We all have our opinions, but what if a home set that aside each day and had each day influenced by prayer? If you are married and not praying with your family begin today. If you are single, begin praying for your future family today......You may not know them by name yet, but you can begin lifting them up now.

The final point for today is as follows: A house that the Lord builds is a house of service. This is a place where I as a single guy see a lot of marriages could really be built up. If you are married, think what an opportunity you have. Jesus said he came not to be served, but to serve. Therefore, what if each person in a house put the others in front of themselves. What if the husband and wife were always serving each other and the kids. Instead of worrying about what you can do for me, think what can I do for you. (Aside, this also works for the local church. If you attend a church, please attend as a servant and not a consumer). This is the height of spirituality, to be able to lay your life down for someone else (There is a good example of this in recorded history (His name is Jesus)). This is really a lot of idealism from me in this post. I am working to come up with some practical ways to put this into practice. I will post some ways I think married folks can do this, and some ways the we single folks can practice this.

Marriage and family are one of the greatest gifts that God gives us. If marriage is done right, it is supposed to be the greatest illustration that we have of Heaven. The opposite of that might be marriage gone wrong is Hell on Earth, but it should not be. The main reason that there is no marriage in Heaven is because you don't need the illustration when you have the real thing. Hopefully, a lot of Christian married people are experiencing Heaven on Earth.

If a home is not studying the Scripture, praying together and serving each other, it is not being built by the Lord. If this is not going on, that home will crumble.

Baseball Time

I have a fever and there is only one prescription.......baseball (Why was I born a Texas Ranger Fan). Today, through some very appropriate work email (it was not at all appropriate) with 2 of my good friends at work, I got my annual baseball fever. Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I love baseball and more specifically Texas Ranger baseball. It was Job who said "Man, who is born of woman, Is short-lived and full of turmoil." Well, it is me who says, man born near Arlington who loves baseball is really frustrated and destined to watch miserable baseball. See my prior post for a bit of misery of the Ranger fan. If you need a refresher, they have been in existence (as the Texas Rangers) since 1972. They have been to the playoffs only 3 times, and have never won a playoff series. They are the only American League team not to have this experience. The following is my State of me and the Texas Ranger address, and just so you know, I am their biggest fan. In spite of the fact that they have never rewarded my fandom, and have been perhaps the most poorly run organization in sports, I am still here and will be each year until I die.

There is some good news.
1. Baseball America, which is the most respected publication concerning the minor leagues, says that the Rangers have the #1 organization in terms of talent. Another source says that the Texas Rangers have far and away the best minor league system. The Rangers have only had this ranking one time before and it was a class that was led by 2 time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez. The prior #1 class led to a couple of prospects that got the Rangers to the Playoffs.

2. A good majority of the minor league talent is the form of pitching. This is huge. The Rangers have never had good pitching. One day, I did a brief study to determine what the main cause was. There is a lot of conjecture about the heat and the park and all of the other things. It came down to one thing......We never have good pitchers. If you have good pitchers it doesn't matter if you are playing at the Dr. Pepper Youth Park, you will get hitters out.

3. We have Josh Hamilton. He is a once in a lifetime talent. We will talking about him like our older friends talk about Mickey Mantle. Last year was just a preview.

4. The Rangers seem to have a focus on their defense. This is why there was no problem with the way they handled Michael Young and told him to move to 3rd base. Now, I know some people may not like the way it was handled. I have to ask, how should they have handled that situation? Mike Young is one of my favorite players and is extremely underrated by the vast majority of hard core Texas Ranger fans. He is one of only 5 players to get 200 hits in 5 straight seasons. That is often overlooked. He plays a solid shortstop in that he makes all of the routine plays. On a championship team you need strong defense up the middle. The new guy Elvis Andrus is going to make a lot of mistakes this year, but he is going to be spectacular at times. You must be strong up the middle if you are going to play winning baseball. If you are a Ranger fan get used to some struggles there this year. Ean Kinsler (name misspelled on purpose) makes a lot of errors. Some people defend his defensive ability, but he still makes a lot of errors. In my opinion, if you make a lot of errors (especially after a couple of years in the majors) you are not a good defender. Hopefully, with time Andrus and Kinsler will fulfill their potential and play amazing defense up the middle. Michael Young is going to be great at 3b, he is a soldier, he is going to go out work his but off and he will be the best 3b he can be. Range is not as much of a factor so his defense will be better at the hot corner.

5. Taylor Teagarden, Jarrod Saltalmacchia, Chris Davis, Justin Smoak, Max Ramirez, Engel Beltre and Julio Borbon. These are a lot of the young position players, and this does not take into consideration that Hamilton, Kinsler, Murphy and Boggs are all still young. This will be important because the Rangers seem to be building a stunning offense with what hopes to be an amazing pitching staff.

6. The Texas Rangers are due. It would seem like the odds are in our favor. The Red Sox ended their drought, the Rays won the American League, sometime the Rangers have to right? (They do, I am still trying to convince myself)

The Bad News:

1. They are the Texas Rangers. History is against them. Whatever they should do, they seem to do exactly the opposite of that.

2. John Danks, Chris Young and Armando Galaragga. I like to call this the curse of David Clyde (look him up) These 3 young men are all excellent starting pitchers who the Rangers have traded away and have very little to show for it. I could add Edinson Volquez, but we got Josh Hamilton in return. I think Jon Daniels has the right plan in place, I am just not sure he has the ability to execute the plan at the major league level. Many will point to his trades that have restocked the minor league system and made it the most recognized in baseball. I hope that is right, but his track record indicates that he has a tough time judging when talent is major league ready.

3. Ron Washington--he seems like a nice enough guy, but he has terrible in game management. He is supposed to be a defensive guru. Last year the Rangers were the worst defensive team in the big leagues. This indicates that he to may know what to do, just not how to do what needs to be done.

4. Timing--A lot of the pitching in the minor leagues is very young and most of the hitters are close to ready. It takes longer for a pitcher to develop. It is going to be difficult to get the right hitters and pitchers in the TBIA at the same time.

Anyway, I think it is possible that the Rangers could compete for a playoff spot in a couple of years with this lineup:

CF--Julio Borbon (if he gets on base enough)
3b--Michael Young
RF--Josh Hamilton
2b--Ian Kinsler
1b/Dh--Chris Davis
1b/Dh--Justin Smoak
LF--David Murphy/Brandon Boggs
C--Taylor Teagarden/Jarrod Saltalamacchia
SS--Elvis Andrus

Bench
Max Ramirez
Jose Vallejo


SP--Ben Sheets (Pipe Dream)
SP--Derek Holland
SP--Neftali Feliz (Maybe Closer)
Sp--Kevin Millwood/Padilla
SP--Brandon McCarthy

Bp
Thomas Diamond
Eric Hurley
Kasey Kiker
CJ Wilson
Frank Francisco
Blake Beavan
Warner Madrigal

Decisions, Decisions.......

Well, I guess I am about to resume my blogging. One of my new year's resolutions is to determine what my "calling" in life is. There might be some question if we only have one calling, or if it is several over the time God allows us here. One thing is for certain, we are all called to obedience. We are all to give our lives to Jesus Christ, but that is another topic for another day.
Currently, I am considering 4-5 options, and have received the opinion of a couple of trusted friends on the matter (unfortunately, for me, their advice was not the same). Neither was wrong, both were just different. The following things are what I am considering:

1. The work of the Ministry......this must be determined to be a calling or it will just become a frustration. I am considering 2 different things that I would consider the ministry.

A. Missions--This has always been something on my mind and in my heart. There is nothing in the world more important that making Jesus Christ know to those who do not know him. My intent when I began my time in college was to do this as a career. It seems that when I pursue this that the doors do not open, which leads me to believe that perhaps I just need to be involved through my local church, but there is the possibility that the time just was not right.
(Probability 25%)

B. Family Counseling through the Local Church--This is very important to me and probably the thing that motivates me more than anything. For the sake of time I will not reveal my family history, but lets just say it drives me to make sure families are built in a godly manner. The family is supposed to illustrate Christ's love for his bride (the church). So if family is done right, and it seldom is in our culture, you get a preview of Heaven while we are on Earth. One of the most unfortunate statistics I have come across is the low % of Christian homes who have a regular devotional time in the home. This is not acceptable. How do we expect non Christians to look to us for guidance if we can not even keep our own home in order? The main obstacle for this for me....is the fact that I am single......but that is subject to change at any time.
(Probability 25%)

2. Sports Broadcasting--If you know me, you know that I love sports. If that is even possible, that is an understatement. I have never been bored of tired of watching a football or a baseball game (not even a Ranger game). I have a minimal amount of broadcasting experience over the Wise County Radio Waves, and I enjoyed every moment of it. This is what I would probably enjoy the most, but we are not here just for our sake.
(25% Probability)

3. Do what I do now (work in the Financial Industry)--This is the least appealing of all things to me, but it would be the easiest. It would not require any sacrifice of me, and it is possible it would be the most profitable, but I don't really feel like that is why the God of the universe is allowing me to be alive each day. I do have to say though, if God gifts you with the ability to work at a job, that is just as much of a calling as anything ministerial. There can be no missionaries and such things if people are not working and giving.
(25% probability)

So, that is what is on my mind for the time being. I do thank the Lord that he said his burden is easy and his yoke his light. I kind have a feeling that whatever I decide, as long as I am seeking to bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ, then all will be well.

Philippians 1:6

Vacation

I am back from vacation!!! The beach was wonderful. The weather was perfect. I enjoyed it a lot, it makes a return to reality that much more difficult. I was able to accomplish my goal of reading 3 books and beginning the 4th......I don't have a lot to say about the vacation, except that I really like the beach.

Future Blogs

Attention: I shall be on vacation, but when I get back I will most likely be writing a blog or 8 on the following, so take some time to marinate on it and later next week I will have some thoughts for you.

Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. how blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127

this will be continued after a brief interruption to go sit on the beach in the Dominican