I like the sound of trumpets. I didn't much care for them in the fifth and sixth grade, when I played one. It was hard to play. My lips would hurt and I could never seem to remember the correct finger patterns and of course the wretched sheet music. I really only chose it because I wanted to hang out with my friends who were going to band practice. I think it was either that or work on Math homework. Looking back I definitely should have done the Math. I wonder about music and relationship. Music is great but outside of the context of relationship it doesn't hold the same force or value. I think it's probly like that with all art or all human productivity. Without relationship things are flatter. I can listen to certain songs that sound great and feel warmed by them but songs about relationships are the ones that move me. I hear a song one time and it had a line in it about a singer trying to sing with a choir but didn't have the ability to hit the right notes. The Correlation was living in accordance to a divine value system seeing the beauty of it even joining but not being able to live how you want to. I think what that has to do with the Trumpet is the desire for relationship that is real and authentic and beautiful and you are forced to do things you thought previously you were incapable of and you were you needed outside force applied to your, Heart, Mind, Soul and Strength.
It's the greatest relationship, Man and God.
I was thinking more about the Love of God today. Wondering how many people feel like God loves them. I presume most churchies would say yeah of course God loves me he sent his son, so on and so forth. But if the question was asked does God really like you and not out of obligation but just like the way you are... I'm not sure the answer would be a definitive of course.
In Genesis God is obviously presiding over creation, creating and doing all that cool universe making stuff. But then the first recorded time he sets foot on earth, he is searching for Adam in the cool of the day or in the wind of the day. God was looking for Adam not just because he wanted to check on his experiment; he could have just created a giant heavenly telescope or he could have just shouted to Adam. But the picture we're given is God searching for his friend, not out of love-duty but rather out of love-like.
The cool of the day is significant because it's when we don't work. usually we work during the heat of the day and in the evening the cool of the day we relax. God didn't set up a schedule with Adam like, I'm going to scedule a 2:30 at the tree of life, I want to make sure you figured out how the porcuines work and then it's back to heaven 'cause I have stuff to do.
God was looking for Adam because he liked him. and he likes us. This is the gospel that the Father sent the Son to reconcile us with him. Not out of cosmic duty or obligation but out of like.
I was in a house trying to light it on fire. I poured olive oil all over the carpet and was trying to light it. An old friend and his companions lived in the house and he was trying to stop me from burning down the house. He is about as strong as I am so it was very hard for me to light the carpet. So I punched him in the face and jumped out the window on my left. As I was running away from the house I noticed a handful of red-coat soldiers on the way into the house. I had a feeling they were coming to arrest or kill the people in the house. I ran and hid on the roadside. I was watching 17-18th century vehicles go by on the road while ducking on the edge of the roads embankment. A lady came up to me and said God finds beauty in what you see as imperfection and then she said the grace of God is that he is revealed in broken vessels.
Dream Entry, July 9th 2010. I had a dream I was on a long lake. In the water was a family coming down into the water so we were getting out.
I noticed these half deer half elk creatures were coming down to the water. Everyone was saying I should shoot one, which I was inclined until they started following us and then hiding behind us from something insidious. A wolf ran over the hill very fast and aggressive I had a feeling it was going to attack someone in my party. So I went to grab my arrows but I only had three shabby ones. So I grabbed one without feathers and put it on the bow and fired at the wolf. The shot went out fast and hit a rock but the direction was toward the wolf so when it bounced off the rock it pierced the wolf. The wolf ran a few yards and dropped. I remember someone saying something like, " see how good God is, when we feel like we have nothing to give his extravagance is still displayed."
We walked to the side of the lake and there were Canadian Geese dive bombing the water. Then A huge manta ray with birds riding on it came flying over to us it landed in the water and as it landed all the birds flew off. I was amazed as one would expect. Then someone saw my name written on the back of the manta ray. Then I saw it. The beast / Machine manta ray was beckoning a teenage girl and myself to get on. We complied and it flew us to our destination a building in NYC. In the building there was some kind of confusing event that was about to happen but never did.
As I walked out to the street I was headed for the subway and I heard a man ask for change. I knew we actually didn't have any money so I turned and said sorry and noticed he was blind. Then I went over to him and said, Money I don't have but what I do have I'll give you. I Was quoting the Peter line from the NT then my friend tried to correct it and said no it's silver and gold I have not but I give thou... I said who cares and told the guy I was going to pray for him. I put my hand on his eyes and asked the Holy Spirit to release fire onto the guys eyes and I felt power go into his eyes. I looked at his eyes and they were clear. I said you can see now and he got up and started walking around excitedly and said yea I can see! Then I started singing You couldn't see see see see you couldn't see see see you couldn't see see see, but now you cannnnnnn! Then me and my party left the scene to get some food. Jesse and Alison were there.
Heading off to vacation is a strange thing. As a kid you are expectant for weeks
upon end. The expectancy adds to the experience. As an adult it's different. We're
so busy it seems that expectancy only gets experienced as we sit in the plane or
in our car on the way to the cabin. There are elements in childhood that we know
we need. I think expectancy is one of those elements.
Expectancy is different than dissatisfaction. On the one hand we have an excited
tension but on the other we have frustration at our circumstances. Maybe that's
why adults have a harder time with expectancy. So lets dream about the future
and enjoy the day.
April
It’s Cold out. It should be warm but it’s not. Weather patterns do not follow my moods nor do they follow my logic nor do they obey any kind of humanistic aristocracy. Our lives to some degree revolve around trying to control the elements of our lives what we eat or drink or what we wear or what we drive or what we’d like to do. But we can’t control the weather, sure we can stay under cover and not get wet or conversely tan when the sun comes out but we are living in response to a great overpowering system.
God has a system and sometimes we hide from it in our houses of entertainment and self indulgence but it’s always outside, always doing something, even if we don’t understand why, even if it doesn’t follow our patterns or our infantile systems. It’s a little scary but good scary.
I should be at Church Right Now. I have been there almost every Tuesday for the past three and a half years.
I, with the oversight of the pastors at Life Church, am changing our youth ministry model. It has been successful in reaching and touching a number of lives and even radically transforming some of those lives from sad pathetic humans to real living, breathing, punching, kicking, Christians.
But we want to see more. We still believe in the Bible. We believe God can touch thousands in a day or he can touch thousands through a hundred young people. We still believe that the gospel is radical, confrontational, powerful, and the only hope this world's got. We believe that Jesus came for the hungry and broken. If you're fat with the desires of your carnality, stay that way. But if you believe there is something more, something deeper, something eternal calling you, come with us-
Ps. The picture is Death sharpening his blade... you can figure out the rest
