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| EvangelismI know I'm going to offend someone with this post, but just know it's not my intention to do so, but to draw attention to the bigger picture ...in my life as well as yours.
You know what is a fun book? The dictionary! I know I know it's full of nothing but definitions, and I'm not about to suggest that everyone needs to sit down and read thru it, but when you think about it, our lives opperate on definition. We are constantly seeking to define our lives with our words and actions. Human beings fall under all kinds of "banners" to define themselves. Many people love to refer to themselves by their occupation, their nationality, their current residence (city, state, country), their favorite hobby, their religion or denomination ...and the list goes on. People define themselves and get defined by almost anything, and it's pretty much always in a way that puts the person as a part of something bigger than the individual.
If you are wondering where I'm going with this, then here is your first taste: Evangelism is a word that makes almost everyone cringe. Christian or not. I don't know why in every individuals life that might be, but I can say with confidence that evangelism is something that MOST people have mis-defined over the years.
Merriam-Webster's defines evangelism as this: the winning or revival of personal commitments to Christ. (revival meaning the reviving or renewing)
...in other words whether it's for the first time or a coming back to, it's getting people to be commited to Christ.
Here is probably the most common understanding of evangelism: telling/witnessing to unbelievers about the Gospel.
Now I'm not calling Merriam-Webster's Dictionary a book of spiritual authority, but what difference do you see between the common understanding and THE definition? Maybe you see something else, and I'm not calling it wrong but here is what I see, it's: 'getting commitments' vs. 'telling people about.' Now I know the idea for telling people about the Gospel is SO they make a commitment for Christ, but... are you positive it's the best or only way? Because I don't think it is.
Dudley Rutherford once said in a sermon, "The best tool for evangelism is to live a life for Christ." Now while I don't go to his church anymore, that is a statement I couldn't agree with more. One of my current Professors once said in class, "One of the main reasons we [Christians] get called hypocrites is because the message we have is a life of turning away from the world, but when you look at the people in the church, they look exactly like the people of the world."
I don't want to turn this into a long post, although this is an important thing to talk about, but sometimes that is the problem, all we do is talk, do you see where I'm going with this? I have things in my life that I need to refine and I know that, a problem that I see with many friends around me is that they are living worldly lives and are ok with it. For example:
-I have a friend who I talked with last night, we had a conversation where he told me about his one of his newest video games for his new PS3. Later in that same conversation when I asked what he got his wife and mother of his two boys for Mothers day he replied, "Well I've got to start making money to spend it." Dude, you have been spending money, and my point here is NOT that I think that you don't treat you're wife well enough, it's that you HAVE been spending money.
-There is this other friend I have from my old college ministry, and he has a job with Prepaid Legal. Everytime I see a myspace... anything from him I know it's going to involve Prepaid Legal. And he and I have had numerous conversations about Prepaid Legal. Why? Because he is always bringing it up. He once dragged me back to his car to show me a newspaper clipping on it. He is constantly begging people to watch the television broadcasts that feature a report on this very successful company. But... I have never, and I mean ever, had him ask me what my prayer needs are. I have never seen a myspace post from him to people decalring his passion for Christ. Not that he has no passion for Christ because I know he does. I'm NOT saying that Prepaid Legal is bad in anyway, but dude if Christ matters more in your life, why don't I see more of that than I see Prepaid Legal?
I could point at others (past and present) but I'll stop at these because I know that if these guys read this post they both have a good enough head on their shoulders to sit down and talk about this with me rather than get incredibly pissed and only give me the silent treatment.
But too often WE make excuses for what we want. To often do we claim Christianity and then live a life that isn't. In my last post I put this quote in:
"Isn't it interesting that in Acts 11, at the end of verse 26 it says, "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." What I find interesting is the simple thought that the Christians didn't name themselves but rather they were CALLED (or named) "Christians" by those watching their lives."
-Chris Tomlin
Being a Christian means having a life that is dripping with, oozing, and radiating Christ! I mean think about it, if you are someone who calls themself a Christian then tell me, would you say that everyone who currently knows you would refer to you as a Christian? What title would they refer to you as? Maybe title is to strong, how about when they think of you do they think of somenone who definitely has a strong relationship with Christ? Do they have reason to? What is more important than God? Do you truly love the idea of leaving earth to go to Heaven? Do you trust in God enough to call an uncomfortable or even tragic time in your life a blessing ...while it is happening to you? Who are you more like: Shadrach, Mishach, and Abendego, of Daniel 3, who gladly went into the firely furnace having a love for God that surpassed even their own death, or are you like EVERYONE ELSE in the kingdom who whether they seriously worshipped the false gods or not, were apparetnly living a life that meant fitting and not ruffeling any feathers.
I have three Bible verses for you, and then I will finish this post and hope that whether you want to talk to me about this matter or someone else who you know will help you find the truth, that you do seek it and find it.
-James 1:22
-1 Corinthians 9:23
-Matthew 7:21
In Him,
James
...who says, "Pick up a Bible and read them for yourself ...in context." | | |
| Whoa!it has been an interesting time of life since Judah has come along. his testimony still continues to bless people's hearts, and not just from our words, a youth pastor i sit next to in class said he has been telling people Judah's story too, and who knows who else has since we have told so many people, many in vocational ministry, many others called to be neighborhood missionaries, and of course a number of unbelievers. its the most useful conversation piece, most impacting sermon illustration, and the most enriching experience of my life ...because it reminds me that this is not MY life, nor is my wife's hers, or my son's his. niether is yours your's, whether you know it or admit it, it isn't
so there i was...
at work at target again, putting stuff on the shelf again, and thikning randomly to myself again, as im sure we all do at some point during our work day. my job at target is simple, once you've learned it. the computer system can be compicated to learn at first but when all is said and done im just scanning the labels of what isnt currently on the shelf (the guys in the backroom then pull the items by sections and stack them onto flat beds) and then i take them out and stock the shelves, hence my department is called: In Stocks. so, this particular morning (almost afternoon time) i was putting packages of diapers on the shelves in the infants section. i have enjoyed being in the infants section every time i was there and will often choose a flat of items from that section over the others. when i was first there it was a semi harsh reminder that i may not have a child at the end our pregnancy, and then after the miracle it was a joy knowing that i was going to have little one who was going to be using some these items soon. even before we registered i would sort of mentally register for items that i thought were most useful or really really cute. and since having a Judah, something will occasionally catch my eye and we'll get that too.
so anyway, im putting pampers and huggies on the shelf when i realize that all the packages have a picture of a baby on them, and whats more i realized that they were all of the same cuteness level of my baby boy. and thats when i began to wonder: how do those pictures get there? do they pick the good ones sent in every year from a photo contest? do you have to sign your baby up with a baby modeling agency? or are they all just children of the board members of that brand name's company? so right then and there i text my wife who was at home with our now two month old, "hey could you google around and find what it would take to get judah on the cover of a box of pampers, please? we may be able to get some extra money or free diapers out of having a cute kid.
so fast forward to three days later, we are sitting a casting agency's office filling out info and waiting to be seen, we ended up waiting just over an hour ...but there was a reason. apparently we were being video taped! as im sure most people know, almost all babies (just like puppies) are cute, the key factor for a small child to get started in the industry is the attitude and demenor of the parent(s). we, being the super cool people we are, passed the tapping and interview process with flying colors, we are currently still in the beginning stages of finding an agent, which will then lead to auditions and shoots and what not. now before you start preparing your emails of warning against the evils of hollywood let me just clarify our intentions. we are not just trying to make money off our child as if he were a show dog (although i hear those dogs enjoy it most of the time). nor are we trying to verify to the world or ourselves that we have a certifiably cute child. the first thing that is going to happen is we are going to tithe from this money giving to God what he is owed (actually he deserves everything, but only asks for 10% of our earnings, make no mistake in thinking that doesn't still want 100% your heart). secondly 15% is going to go straight to into an account for Judah that he cannot touch until he's 18. thirdly we will be paying 10-20% to the agent (when we get one), and the rest of the money will be going to things that benefit the family, this could include: home, clothes, food, etc. we have both been convicted of our spending habits in the past are doing quite well financially (for what we make) at the moment, and with that being said this is not a situation that we are purusing because we NEED this money to survive. Also we have no intentions of pursuing a crazy child acting career when he gets older. This is just a situation where we have the opportunity to make some extra money to benifit the body, and the our family, and let the Lord bless this as he sees fit. If you're still that worried about us then pray for us.
not a whole lot going on besides that... sarah is changing hospitals. her maternity leave is ending soon, she is going to go back to her old hospital part time, and also at the one she is switching to for a while, and by summers end she'll just be at the closer one full time. Francis Chan, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Church, the founder of Eternity Bible College, and my teacher for Communications class (hermeneutics), has finally published his book which has been four years in the making. Which to me is how it should be, id rather be reading a book that was painfully toiled over both in study and experiences rather than a book that is nothing more than a collection of rewitten sermons. im not saying that those things aren't potentially helpful, but i (and im not the only one) have questioned whether these guys that do that kind of thing aren't just out to make money off... well you get the point. not to mention many pastors today preach about and/or live a life of the comfortable christian.
"What about the change, what about the difference? What about grace what about forgiveness? What about a life thats showing we're undergoing the change."
- Steven Cutis Chapman (Christian singer/songwriter)
"If the message of the cross is foolishness to the world, wouldn't a true christian look foolish to the world?"
- Todd Nighswonger (Executive Pastor at Corerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA)
"Isn't it interesting that in Acts 11, at the end of verse 26 in says, "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." What I find interesting is the simple thought that the Christians didn't name themselves but rather they were CALLED (or named) "Christians" by those watching their lives."
-Chris Tomlin (songwriter and worship leader of the Passions Conferences)
"It doesn't just say that the gate is narrow, but the path is narrow also. ...You say that the most important thing on the face of this Earth is to know Jesus Christ, that is not true. The most important thing on the face of this Earth is that Jesus Christ knows you. I'm not going to into the White House tomorrow because I walk up to the gate and tell everybody that I know George Bush. But they will let me in if George Bush comes out and says, 'I know Paul Washer.' You can profess to know Jesus, but my question for you is: Does Jesus know you?"
-Paul Washer (Director of the Heart Cry Missionary Society)
Just some quotes that I've been thinking thru recently, but anyway like I was saying: Francis Chan finally finished his book and I've only started it seeing as how I got my copy last night, but when it gets released to book stores you should go ahead and buy a copy and read and then give it to someone else to read too, (unless you want to keep it on yourshelf for a sermon illustration or something) it really is that good, check out his podcasts if you don't believe me, their free ...like every sermon should be. The book is called Crazy Love.
Ok, so I sat down to write a short post and it's turned into literally one of the longest ones I've ever written ...oh well... no body put a gun to your head and made you read up till now, but guess what I'm still not done yet!
my final words of this post will be to also recommend another book for you to read, and of course that would be the Bible. But specifically the book of 1st Corinthians. I've been taking a class on the book this semester and it has truly enriched my life more than miracle of Judah's birth. So much of the book is misinterpreted, chopped up, had meaning interjected into it when the words weren't clear (if you took it out of context); 6:12-20 not about sexuall immorality, 7 not about marriage, 8-10 all one thought, 10:13 not about standing up to sin, 11:17-34 not about addressing or confessing sin before taking the comunion, 13 not about how wonderful love is, 12&14 not about the importance of spiritual gifts. And so much is over looked too: 1:10-17 which sets the tone for the whole letter to come (remember there were NOT chapter or verse divisions when this was written), 5 caution read only if you love God MORE than sinful people, 6 read this and remember what Jesus said about turning the other cheek, 15 read it slowly then go back and re-read 1-4, and then read it again. And I dare you follow Paul's command in 11:1 in light of 9:19-23. Did you know that the church at Corinth is was the NT church most like the american church? - the majority of them were gentiles (Acts 18:5-6), and it was the only one Paul corrects not just spiritual but also on worldly issues ...hmmm. I now own three commentaries on the book and by semesters end i will have read two of them cover to cover. I tell you the truth, this is a book that when properly studied and not just skimmed is life changing.
alright thats it i swear, may God bless you, but remember it is more blessed to give than to recieve.
peace and agape,
james
...who wants to point out that you can't even define Atheist/Atheism (verbally, in writting, or even thru action) apart from God ..hmm..
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| IT'S A BOY!!So there I was...
I was driving home from Adam and Lindsey's house. Sarah was at work doing her usual 6:30pm-6:30am, poking needles and saving lives, a typical night in the ER. Adam has been in and out of the hospital the last month or so, so be sure and keep him and his courageous wife Lindsey in your prayers. I was hanging out with them, watching some TV eatin sum din din, and they even let me play guinea-pig to try they're over a year old wedding cake to see if it was still edible (thankfully it was). So had just left their place and was on my way home when Sarah calls me:
"Hey honey."
"Hey... um, keep your phone on, and close by, ok?"
"Why, whats up?"
"Well I think my water just broke."
I remained perfectly ca...... HECK NO I DIDN'T! I drove like a banchee to get home and get bag packed. She was apparently on her way up to the cafeteria to grab some food before it closed up when ...well you get the idea. So I'm at home packing a bag of clothes and toothpaste and stuff, meanwhile, Sarah heads up to Labor and Delivery to make sure that waterbreaking is in fact what happened in the hallway, she called me to let know that her water had in fact broken even though it was almost 2 months early and that I definitely needed to get down there asap. I drove down there resisting the temptation to try and make my car fly, and praying that God be with us. Between Sarah and I we called or texted most family and friends to let them know. I arrived at the hospital to find my wife calmly laying in bed and watching TV. She let me know that she hadn't begun labor yet but since her water had broken she couldn't leave the hospital so we might have to stay there up to ten days waiting ...sigh.
I fell asleep some where around 1am, I was watching a news broadcast that was saying that apparently about 5 miles away from our place Randal Simmons, a man whose death would impact so many because of the way he lived his life, became the first LAPD SWAT Team member to lose his life in the line of duty it had occured while I was packing the hospital bag. Around 2am (while I was still sleeping) Sarah went into labor. About 5am Sarah's contractions were getting stronger to the point that she felt the need to not only wake me up but send me for someone with pain reducing medication. They came in, gave her a shot that knocked out, said she was at 2 centimeters, and that in the next 24 hours we were definitely going to have our baby (we still didn't know what the sex was). I coundn't fall asleep and so remainded awake the rest of the morning watching more on the update of the situation that killed officer Simmons and wounded his one of his partners, apparently the house caught on fire. My long time friend Adriene and Adam's wife Lindsey (Adam had to go to dialysis) came by that morning. We hung hung and talked for a while and how crazy that the baby was coming so soon. After Sarah's pain shot wore off we got her an epidural, and found out she was upto 4 centimeters. After a couple hours a machine started beeping and a whole team of L&D Staff came in and started intimately checking the vital signs of Sarah and the Baby and found out she was at 6 centimeters (and everything was still ok). After another while 8 centimeters and the doctor said that would be real soon and that she would get everything needed. And it couldn't have been more than 20 minutes before Sarah looked at me super serious and said with a very intimidating voice, "I feel pressure." I run out of the room the where the doctors and nurses desk is and let them know what she said and how she said it. Adriene and Lindsey headed for the waiting room and a whole crew of L&D personnel came in and propped legs and stuff. The baby had begun sliding out but still wasn't visible. And so on the next contraction Sarah began to push. We hadn't yet gone to lamaze classes so I did the best I could thinking about the different Baby birth episodes on sitcoms and Bill Cosby's bit on breathing during labor. I didn't even realize it until after the second time pushing but every time Dr. Jennings had refered to the baby she called it a She. And when it finally clicked I looked at her and said, "It's a girl?!" But she quickly let me know that she didn't actually know and was just saying She for no reason other than it was the pronoun that came t her first. We pushed a third time and the head was clearly coming, and on the fouth round the baby came all the way out and as Dr. Jennings pulled I looked to see if I could see what it was and the Dr. and I saw it together and she said it just as I was thinkning it, "It's a boy!" I had been told to expect some gross non-baby looking purple thing, but he came out relatively pink and very beautiful, everyone said so (both friends and staff). The official numbers are as follows:
4 Lbs. 11.7 Oz.
16.5 in.
Feb. 7, 2008 (due Mar. 31)
11:49am (less than 10 hours of labor)
Judah Matthew Ennis (Judah means "Praised" and Matthew means "Gift of God")
Becase he was so early he automatically went up to the NICU (intensive care for babies), but he didn't need any help breathing, which was the biggest concern especially with the complications during the pregnancy. He just needed some help learning to eat (which a lot of babies do premie or not), and his liver was still developing so they put him on something called a Billy Ruben light for a couple days. Originally he was supposed to be there for a 7 day minimum observation period, but he was doing to well that we got to take him home after 5, which is good because we were tired of sleeping in the hospital (but there was no way we were leaving our baby.
We've been home for over a week now and tomorrow is his 2 week birthday, and he's doing great! Sarah and I both thank everyone for your love and prayers during the pregnancy and especially during the last week. We still havn't had the shower yet (since he was premie) but we've still gotten so many gifts that we don't know what we would have done without them. Thank you everyone, but please keep praying for us, this is going to be an adventure for at least another 18 years ...minimum.
agape,
james
...who has a son | | |
| There is a miracle in my house!family, friends, brethren, and anybody else reading this, as of today... my baby, our baby, has been diagnosed with a full chance of survival and a normal ultrasound! it has been a little over two months since we learned that 99% of the amniotic fluid that was supposed to be surrounding our baby turned up missing, and that our baby was given a less than 1% chance of survival. but yesterday we went in to the OB doctor's office for another check up and i think the 4th ultrasound since the hard news, and we (all three of us in the room) were shocked when it turned out that there was full amniotic fluid surrounding the baby, and more than that, it was what everyone was praying for, a full on recovery! to quote the doctor, "it's not even a low amount!" and she even used the word Miracle. the same woman who was hinting us towards the idea of terminating the pregnancy when we first found out so we could save ourselves grief. i dont think of her as a bad person mind you, just someone who is a little to tightly gripped by the world, but who knows, maybe now that will change. she said in her 25 plus years she has never seen this or anything like it happen.
two months ago i was overwhelmed with news that i couldn't process all at once seeing as how it affected every fiber of my ...our being. and as of last night i feel just as overwhelmed but in a totaly different way. Pure joy! i know most people operate one of two ways: either they thank God for good times and blame themselves or other people for bad ones, or they blame God for the bad times and take the good times for granted. I pray that one thing you all would see in this is that from beginning to end we have been thanking God for every moment we were in and that would come out of it! James 1:2-4 reminds us all that trials are to be considered joy. i am reminded of Job, David, Hosea, and other similar characters of the Bible who were put to hard times not for punishment but for the express purpose because they were Godly men and were used to show the glory of God and how strong faith can be. I am not comparing Sarah or myself to any of these men, but i feel honored that we were chosen to have been used by God in a way similar to them, in a way that has truly glorified God and no one else!
i thank each and eveyone of you for your prayers. and while your prayers may stop for the miracle healing (Since it has already happened!) we ask for your continued prayers for us to know and carry out the purpose(s) that this time was/is ment for. The story does not end here, this is just chapter two in this epic tale baby! by the way we are still waiting to know the sex until the DOB but we do have two new names picked out for our miracle baby. we have the boy named locked down, but we cant settle on a girl one just yet. thank you everyone, and thank you Lord! ...for yesterday and what it means for tomorrow.
quick, quick, quick update on life outside of the miracle:
after we moved in august i transferred to the closer olive garden. and besides being a more troublesome place to work, it was also a severe decline in tips from the last area i worked, and half the pay for twice the stress was not something i needed or wanted while trying to successfully return to school full time and prepare for a baby that we had just found out about. i had already started praying and looking for other jobs when THE news came along. at the time i had a severe flu (that my wife the nurse even said i needed to go to the hospital for and) it stuck me in bed for two weeks. we both took more time off to deal with and pray thru the initial shock. i never went back to the OG and attempted to use the extra time to catch up on the two weeks i lost to the flu. but i let our situation affect me, and when sarah's parents came to town to be with us i rationalized more time away from studies. after that we were nearing thanksgiving (and then the other holidays) and we knew that i needed work and now! i began applying EVERYWHERE ...yes even McDonald's. I finally got a call from the Target in Burbank (ironically its close to OG i transferred from). I now work there full time in the morning, but i got Sunday's off! YAY! mean while still playing catch up with school work, still down hearted about the potential death of my first child (and sarah was clearly showing), and continuing to deal with an insolent puppy who still occasionally pees or poops... every where... i was just... well i wasnt a happy camper lets put it that way. I hadn't lost faith, but i wasnt exactly rejoicing either. Target has been great, its non-stressful even thought its the holidays, and i even get to witness to my supervisor eveyday because he is very curious about understanding the Lord. I don't know if its only seasonal or not, but if it is Starbucks called and said they want to interview me for a place that's around the corner from the house and if hired i could start after i was done with Target in Feb. So the Lord continues to bless, not because of what we've done for Him, but because that's who He is, and lately he's been blessing my socks off! as the semester draws to a close i dread my grades, but... well we'll see. sarah is still at the same hospital and is a regular Charge Nurse in the ER these days, im so proud.
we still have a lot of interesting times ahead (some anticipated some that will suprise), but no matter what, me and my house: we will serve the Lord! Amen.
Agape,
james
...who would appriciate you reading and a responding to the last post entitiled, "Read This Please" ...if you haven't already. | | |
| Read This Please "I don't know whether there's a God or not. Nobody does, no matter what they say. I think it's perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it, but I don't know everything, and there may well be a God somewhere, hiding away.
Actually, if he is keeping out of sight, it's because he's ashamed of his followers and all the cruelty and ignorance they're responsible for promoting in his name. If I were him, I'd want nothing to do with them."
- Philip Pullman
ok, people. this is a quote from the author of the somewhat well know book The Golden Compass, which has been turned into a major motion picture starring Nicole Kidman and set to be released on Dec. 7th 2007.
i've been reading some articles from him and about him and his books. apparently he's a very out spoken atheist who hates religion as a whole (as if you couldn't tell from his quote) and has apparently used his talent, of writing, to make a book series, which has been dubbed children's books, that focuses around the evils of the church and apparently some how has the main characters (which are children) killing God at the end of the series. The theatrical release of the first book is said to be very "dumbed down" so as not to offend Christians. i have not yet had a chance to read his books or watch the movie, (and i will pray about whether to do so, although i see no harm in it if my heart is right).
all that other stuff was just a heads up, my true motive in writing this post is this:
i would like for you, yes YOU to please write me a response to what Philip Pullman said (above). I don't care if its an affirmation or a rebuttal. I dont care if you are familiar with this man or not. I dont care how well you know me or have spoken to me in the past 5 years, whether ive ignored you or the other way around. I care about knowing what an actual quote like this means to you, where you see truth (if any), or false claims (if any). I want to know what the quote means to you, and not the man saying it. I want to hear your thoughts seeing as how no matter what type of background you have he is making a claim for you and what you think, and potentially what you do and the motives behind it. i will also prepare a response and post it sometime after i have received all of yours. God be with you in your faith. if you have any other questions regarding this subject apart from this quote i am open to them.
agape,
james
...who is patiently waiting to know if his child is going to live when its born. | | |
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