Right now, I am taking an Ethics and Psychology class at Full Sail University
(in pursuit of my BS in Digital Cinematography), and we've been going
over the Myers-Briggs personality preferences (MBTI), and I think that
it is interesting. Normally, I pretty much hate the topic of psychology
because, more or less, I think it's all crap. You can't completely and
accurately put people into boxes.
Having said that, I was
surprised by what my MBTI results were. The first time I took the test, I
scored an ISTJ, which is known as "the Guardian". When I read the
description of it, I felt like it somewhat described me. It wasn't 100%,
but it was close. The big difference between me and a solid ISTJ
personality type is that I am not, at all, a "guarding of traditional
institutions". I am not a fan of tradition, unless that tradition has a
relevant purpose for today.
A part of my assignment was to take
this test from multiple locations on the internet, and the second place I
went came back with INTJ as my result. The INTJ is known as "the
Strategist" or "the Mastermind". The Strategist (which is the
nomenclature I prefer, compared to Mastermind) falls under the overall
category of "Rationals", and I've copied and pasted the descriptions for
both below.
From my text book:
"Rationals
only make up 1-2% of the entire US population. Rationals are curious and
like to probe for answers. They think about theoretical, abstract and
complex concepts. They are known for being very logical, competent,
efficient as well as independent. Above all, the Rational is fascinated
with competence. For them, to be able to comprehend, control, predict
and explain what is real is a primary motivating force. The Rational can
be extremely self-critical, castigating themselves for errors and
demanding improvement in every effort they undertake.
"INTJ – Mastermind
"Masterminds are typically quiet, reserved, cool and formal. They like
to avoid the spotlight. They can be diplomatic but also perfectionists.
They like to think, “What are the long range implications?” and can be
heard saying, “With all due respect”."
From http://www.mypersonality.info:
"INTJs
are introspective, analytical, determined persons with natural
leadership ability. Being reserved, they prefer to stay in the
background while leading. Strategic, knowledgable and adaptable, INTJs
are talented in bringing ideas from conception to reality. They expect
perfection from themselves as well as others and are comfortable with
the leadership of another so long as they are competent. INTJs can also
be described as decisive, open-minded, self-confident, attentive,
theoretical and pragmatic."
It just really surprised me how close
this description really is to me. Of course, I do exhibit personality
traits from other personality types from time to time and depending on
the situation, but by and large, that is a very accurate description of
myself.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts, though. Go to http://www.mypersonality.info, take the Personality Types test (the free one - and you will need to create a free account).
Let
me know what your personality type is and whether or not you agree with
the assessment. Here is the graphic of my test results.
So, there have been a lot of developments in the last few years that have increasingly been worrying me and my family. But, here is the most recent: in an article that I read (link), I saw what seems to be the actual beginning of the end for Christianity in America.
Last week sometime, I ran into an article on Yahoo! about a briefing that had started making its way through the Army. It was about extremism and "religious tolerance" and it labeled Evangelicals and Roman Catholics as "extremists". That bothered me a lot, but I chalked it up to being an isolated incident and just one person or a few people getting the wrong idea out there. Maybe there wasn't enough oversight in the creation of the briefing before it was released.
Apparently, the Army started blocking certain websites from being accessed by their domain, such as the Southern Baptist Convention website. It was blocked due to there being hateful or dangerous materials on it. Again, I just thought that some tech guy that worked for the Army just messed up and accidentally blocked the webpage from the network. Apparently, I was wrong.
Here are some quotes from the article I linked above:
"Weinstein [the consultant to the Pentagon who is in charge of creating the Pentagon's "religious tolerance" policies] then endorses the ultra-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), who publishes a list of “hate groups.” Alongside truly deplorable organizations like the KKK, the SPLC’s list includes a host of traditional Christian organizations (for their support of traditional marriage) and Tea Party organizations (for supporting limited government). Weinstein says SPLC correctly labels them all as “hate groups.”"
"Weinstein also supports Lt. Col. Jack Rich, the Army officer who wrote to subordinate officers that soldiers who hold traditional Christian beliefs agreeing with organizations on SPLC’s “hate group” list are incompatible with “Army values" and should be carefully watched and excluded from military service."
"Sally Quinn’s Post column also approvingly quotes MRFF Advisory Board member Larry Wilkerson as saying, “Sexual assault and proselytizing, according to Wilkerson, ‘are absolutely destructive of the bonds that keep soldiers together.’”
"Did you get that? They say having someone share the Christian gospel with you is akin to being raped."
"God help us now when someone with such visceral hatred of conservative Christians—literally tens of millions of Americans—who says sharing this gospel is “spiritual rape” is helping develop policies for how to deal with Christians in the military.
"Weinstein says those guilty of this 'treason' must be 'punished.' Under federal law, the penalty for treason is death. And the Obama administration is sitting down to talk with this man to craft new policies for 'religious tolerance' in our military."
So, at the government level - at the Pentagon level - Christians with conservative views (i.e. those who believe that same sex marriage is morally wrong) are put into the "extremist" category and are labeled as a "hate group".
At the begining of the article, it said that military chaplains that discuss the Christian gospel to service members while providing spiritual counseling will face a courts martial. Take a minute, re-read that statement and let it sink it. Chrisitan chaplains who are charged with taking care of the spiritual well-being of service members (which, by the way is one of the four pillars of Air Force rediness: Spiritual Rediness) will face a courts marial for speaking about the Gosepl to the folks that he or she is charged to spiritually care for. I don't know if I am the only one that sees the problem with that, or not. Go and look at what the 1st Amendment says. What freedoms, and inalienable rights are we legally afforded due to this ammendment? First Amendment
Now, tell me whether it sits right with you. Because it doesn't sit well with me. It scares me.
I was somewhere I'm not familiar with. It was a military instillation, but I'm not sure which one. I was at a baseball stadium on base - no...a field, not stadium. There was some desert grass, steel bleachers, chain-link fence, no dugouts that I can remember seeing and a small home-grown crowd. The colors in my dream were very drab and sandy.
There was a kid's game being played.
But, earlier in the dream, I was somewhere else on base. Inside of a brick building. I was there with people that I did know, but I can't recall right now. I had a feeling of familiarity with them. One of them was my supervisor. My supervisor called me into a room with another person that I don't currently know, but felt like I had a modicum of familiarity with so that she could have a talk with him. It was a feedback session of some sort. But, this kid getting the feedback was either not military, new to the military, or didn't take being in the military serious. He was a little heavy (not super heavy) and his hair wasn't quite in regs. But, I never got a serious look at his face.
After the feedback session, I went to what I felt like was a sort of classroom. But, it wasn't a college class (as far as I can tell). There were only about a dozen other students and the instructor. The instructor was getting ready to ask where the other kid was (the one from the feedback session) but I told him that he was talking with his supervisor (or some similar excuse). I feel like the instructor was foreign...or at least spoke English with some sort of accent. The instructor nodded in understanding. The classroom was relatively bare. I remember there being a lot of white, but that could possibly be from the lack of detail about the room that there was in my dream. It is even possible that this specific classroom could have been outside.
The next thing in my dream is I am walking to the baseball field. At the time, I feel like it was empty, but after I arrived, I looked up at the 8' or 10' tall bleachers towards the top for the buddy of mine that was in that feedback session. I barely glanced up and noticed a fighter aircraft flying high and fast. It was something that caught my eye because of what I currently do...I can't and won't go into that.
I got a sinking feeling in my stomach that is coming back as I type this. My pace quickened, my heart sank, and just as I was starting to say the words, "That looks suspicious." I thought to myself, "Could the Iranians be here? Could they be conducting a bomb run?" They're one of only a VERY few countries that would be crazy enough to try it."
USAF F-4 Phantom II dropping munitions
The aircraft - no, this time two of them - came back and dropped something. I finished the sentence that I had started as the debris with some sort of light on the bottom of it fell and I started quickly walking away. As I did so I told my friend to come with me. The sinking feeling in my heart and mind became dire and fight or flight took over and I began to sprint, my friend following. All I could think about was getting to a secure building...a brick building. I kept thinking to myself that a brick building was just beyond a berm of sand and desert grass - the tall grass that you find on sand dunes. The whole time I ran, I could hear what sounded like a high pitch whistle. The kind of whistle you'd expect to hear from bombs falling out of the sky...just like my three year old dreamed about last night.
If it wasn't for my sleep apnea (which, by the way, hasn't acted up like this in about a year or more) causing me to stop breathing and wake up abruptly, I think I might have saved me and my friend's life by trying to get us to a brick building. I just kept thinking that I'm grateful for the PT test that up to that point I had passionately hated.
A pair of F-5 Tiger II
But, I'm scared...as I type this I'm scared. I a little hopeful, but still scared. It is 2:26 in the morning on a work morning, but I'm scared enough that I am up right now typing this out instead of trying to sleep for work.
I just had this conversation about dreams with my wife the other day. Because of the dreams she has been having, she was somewhat distraught and confused over them. Should she believe her dreams or not? I told her that when I was a kid, I used to have these certain dreams. Now, don't write me off when I say this, but every time a girl I had been dating was about a week out from breaking up with me, I would dream about it. Then, about a week after I would have the dream, that girl would break up with me just like she did in the dream. And I do mean just like it happened in the dream.
There was one time I dreamed about something other than being broken up with that happened, too. In 9th grade, I was in my English class and our teacher told us to write about a dream we recently had. So, I picked my most recent dream and I wrote about it. After a while had passed - long enough for me to have forgotten about the dream - it happened. The dream played itself out right before my eyes. I realized it after the events of the night had almost completely played out, but before the end of it I realized that not only did I have a serious case of déjà vu, but I had written about it a few weeks in advance.
So, I don't know if this is nothing, or if this is something. But, it has me scared. I will say that the one and only time before that I had dreamed about my own personal harm, it did NOT come true. So, I guess time will tell.
Man...I just finished writing this blog and I am having a hard time hitting "Publish". But, here it goes...
So, last night, we had our normal argument with our oldest about eating dinner. It goes the same every night. Either my wife or I make dinner for the boys and ourselves and every night, the oldest complains about what we make for him to eat. So, we started giving him time limits and choices - either eat your dinner, or go to bed hungry. Normally, that works. Sometimes, he only eats part of it. But, rarely, he decides to go to bed without eating. Last night was one of those rare nights. But, this time, there was a momentous temper tantrum attached with real tears, screaming, and the spitting defiant phrases about not wanting to go to bed.
In light of all of this, we decided that our little boy was tired and needed to go to bed an hour early - he hadn't had his nap. So, I explained the situation to him. I told him why he was going to bed. I also reassured him of how much we love him. I told him that if he quite crying and yelling, I would read him his bedtime story, but he would still have to go to bed. There was a moment in there, though. It was a memorable moment. He and I met eyes. I stared into his and he stared into mine. My heart just wanted to love on him. So, I asked him if he could see it. Could he see my love for him in my heart through my eyes? He smiled and nodded that he could. The tears still hadn't dried on his cheek, yet.
I asked him to go ahead and go get whichever book he wanted to read. He chose a Magic School Bus story about dinosaurs. I hunkered down, indian style, on his floor, and he sat in my lap. About half-way through the story, he got up to go get his special blankie and came back and cuddled in my lap. Before I was done with the book, he was out. Snoring.
I picked him up, and put him into his bed. That was about 7:30 p.m.
And, that, more or less, is our nightly ritual. Most nights we don't have the temper tantrum, but we do dinner, get ready for bed, read a story, and the boys lay down.
So, I hopped on Facebook for a few minutes, helped fold some laundry while we watched Sea Quest and then when that was done, I went to my "man cave" and played some video games. I started playing at about 10:30 p.m., but by about midnight, my wife comes upstairs with a concerned look on her face and tells me that our oldest son had a dream.
Copyright - A. Yendall, 14 May 2010, retrieved from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaron-yendall/4606743415/lightbox/
Apparently, he had woken up and went to go get momma to tell her his dream. He dreamed that there were bombs falling from the sky and that they exploded the whole world. That was it. But, in that short explanation, there is just so much more.
About three or four weeks ago, my wife started having intuitions and dreams - that we've never discussed with or in the presence of the children. She had a feeling that "something" was coming. She couldn't ever put her finger on what that "something" was, but there was a feeling of impending doom. She's had two or three dreams about it since then, too.
A couple of days after she had her dream, she began to talk about it with some of her closest friends. They, too, have been having dreams. The friend that she has been talking about this with he most - we'll call her Jennifer since I don't have her permission to talk about this - had a dream that there were a large number of people all huddled together in the hallways of a hospital in Boston. Jennifer doesn't live in Boston, nor ever has to my knowledge.
A few days later, my wife gets a text message from Jennifer that said she had a dream that in mid-December there were going to be a lot of innocent deaths. And then in later December there is going to be a power outage for a few days. These are all dreams, mind you and there is always room for interpretation and debate.
So, I want to say that for the most part, I am a skeptic - a doubting Thomas. I believe in God. I believe in the supernatural. But, I don't usually believe people when they say that they are experiencing the supernatural. I have been a member of a couple of churches in the past that really rubbed me the wrong way in that regard. But, I have also been a part of a church who's pastor was a prophet. So, I've seen both sides of this coin and these dreams are hard for me to ignore.
Maybe nothing will happen. Most likely, nothing will happen. But, what if there is something to it? I know that archaeologists have already disproved the supposed Mayan Doomsday prediction. The Mayan's never predicted such a thing. And, I know that the Bible says that no one will ever know the time when Jesus will return and rapture His people -yes, I believe in Jesus and the rapture. So, I feel confident that the world will not end on 21 December 2012.
Remington 870 Express Synthetic
But, I will say that the dreams and just thinking about the possibility that something could happen to my family, my wife and I have decided to start doing some emergency planning and preparations. We bought a 12ga shotgun for home defense - I've never owned a firearm before. We are creating a shelter-in-place emergency kit which will eventually have three days-worth of supplies. We are creating evacuation plans (which is actually an Air Force requirement, anyway). At the end of the day, whether we believe that something horrible is brewing or not, it is always good to have an emergency kit. We also bought a survival book: SAS Survival Handbook: Revised Edition, by John "Lofty" Wiseman. We changed or added items on our Amazon wish lists to reflect our desire to learn survival skills.
To be honest, we're not doomsday preppers or anything like that. But, my wife, with regard to her dreams and intuition, has this sinking feeling that our country is headed towards a civil war. Neither of us has seen this country so divided as it is now. Granted, we're only about 30 years old. And sure, there have been other periods in time, other presidential elections, that our country had a hard time keeping it together and maintaining its composure. But, all of the hatred being spewed in every direction on Facebook and in the media scares us. It scares us for our children and what future will or won't greet us eventually.
The Newtown, CT shooting was horrible. But, instead of mourning the loss of 20 innocent 6 and 7 year olds, our country turns in on itself and argues. We spit venom at each other about gun control. Gun control. Instead of talking about the mental illnesses that people who conduct such massacres must be suffering from, we talk about regulating "evil" guns as if they are inherently good or evil.
We are scared. I miss my family. I have three brothers and each of them lives somewhere different. One of them even lives in another country right now - doing great things, but still far away. I miss my dad who also lives yet somewhere else. My mother is separate from all of them as well living elsewhere with her cousins and family from her father's side of her family. Now, more than ever, we want to be "off the grid". We want an earthship. We want to feel secure. We have never felt less certain than we do now. And, it isn't because of a dream, or even a collection of dreams. It is because the country and the world gives us reason to be.
Okay, so normally, I personally hate asking anyone for anything. But, I noticed recently that people have started using this tool called chipin.com to help raise money for random things. One guy was using it to raise money for his trip to the Dominican Republic with his buddies. Another time, I saw someone trying to raise funds simply to buy a pizza. So, I thought to myself...maybe...just maybe people would be willing to help my family get to a place where we can actually survive on a single income as my wife is going to be leaving the Air Force in just three weeks. You see, she has been looking for jobs, but has thus far been unsuccessful as the job market in our area is close to non-existent.
For the most part, we would be okay with a single income if it weren't for the fact that we have credit card debt, a mortgage, and two car payments. But, it is the car payments that are causing the most heart-ache for us. So, I set up a chipin to see if I could get your support in paying down my car until I am no longer upside down on it so that I can sell it for fair market value.
I have some thoughts about Earthships, most of which are good thoughts.
But, I also have some questions. Here is an excerpt from Earthship Village Ecologies:
“The building is built from 45% recycled materials... thus starting the construction of the building with a negative carbon footprint. Discarded materials take the place of new materials that require energy to produce. Also, once used, discarded materials, would have taken energy to dispose of. There is no energy required to reuse existing materials. This further contributes to a negative carbon foot print at the birth of the building.”
So, the premise of the Earthship is to not only create a home that is completely self-sufficient and “off the grid” but to change a cultural mindset with regard to how we live and interact with the environment around us. The principles behind Earthships are at least in part trying to get us to actually consider our environment on a daily basis – to not leech off of it, but cohabitate in it. That’s awesome. It’s a philosophy that I am definitely drawn to if there is a practical way of doing that AND living a normal life within society. It seems as if Earthships are at least one method of doing just that.
But, let’s take this model as far as we can. Let’s create a scenario where Earthships have successfully changed the mindset of America and ALL new homes being built are being built with discarded materials under the Earthship model. If Earthship succeeds, then construction companies would seldom go to lumber yards for materials opting, instead, to go to the dump. Lumber manufacturing companies would go out of business (not all, but a lot, I’m sure) all the way down to the very lumber jacks that harvest the wood for lumber. All of the energy we spend on creating the materials we use for building most homes today would be gone. Done away with.
What happens then? Where do all of those people who are out of work go? Would Earthship builders be able to find discarded materials to build homes with if no one is making those materials to discard anymore? I realize that car manufacturers would still be creating cars and likely using rubber to make tires and tires would still be discarded so Earthships would still have foundations and most of their walls. But, would the supply meet the demand? And if not what would happen?
I think that some savvy, business-minded person would see that there is a demand without a good supply and a new industry would blossom. But, at that point, would the Earthship ideal be dead? Because now tire manufacturers are needing to make more tires because discarded tires aren’t meeting the needs and so increasing the carbon footprint that Earthship is attempting to get rid of.
I do realize that my hypothetical scenario is somewhat unrealistic because the idea that the mindset of America would be changed in such a way is almost foolish. Too many Americans are too set in their ways and are too drawn to shiny, sexy things. (Which, in my opinion Earthships are not – organic? Yes. Sexy? No.) But, posing the question does make me wonder whether Earthship is actually the answer?
My conclusion is that it is a step in the right direction and that we should walk down this right path until it becomes wrong. But, Future be warned…Eartships might help decrease the carbon footprint and dependency on international energy corporations in the relatively near future, but in the long run will likely create another problem set in and of itself.
These are just my thoughts. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the topic.
Hey, guys. So, as a scuba diver and a surfer, I've always felt a responsibility for taking care of our marine resources. Just in case anyone is unaware, the ocean is probably the biggest balancing factor in our global ecosystem. The ocean determines to a very large degree the global temperatures of the surface of the Earth. That's just one example of many. People all over the globe still rely almost solely on the ocean for sustenance.
So, what does any of that have to do with sharks and protecting sharks? Well, the treatment of sharks is an indication of how we treat the rest of the ocean. In Japan, where shark finning is common, sharks are treated with less dignity than most people would treat their most hated nemesis (I just got done watching Megamind...so, I apologize for the theatrical vocabulary here).
So, here is a little note from Project AWARE:
"You can join tens of thousands of AWARE divers and shark advocates who are serious about shark protection. Sign the petition and urge your friends and colleagues to do the same.
"Shark populations are devastated by over-exploitation, including targeted fishing, by catch and finning. Together, we’re gaining the attention of policymakers worldwide. We’re closing loopholes in existing global shark management policies and insisting on full protections for Endangered and Critically Endangered sharks."
Some statistics from the above-mentioned organization:
"Each year, tens of millions of sharks are killed by Earth's most dangerous predators - humans. Too many of them fall victim to the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning - the act of removing shark fins and discarding the often still alive shark overboard. As Asian demand for fins remains strong, markets for shark meat are growing, helping to push shark species to the brink.
"According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) analyses, all shark species proposed at the meeting met the criteria for listing under CITES Appendix II. Such listing requires that trade is controlled in order to avoid use that threatens the species' survival. Despite the depletion of sharks worldwide, restrictions on international trade are in place for only three shark species - whale shark, great white shark and basking shark."
So, if you do feel that this is a worthy cause in the least, then please go ahead and sign the petition by clicking on the link I've provided at the top and once again here: Shark Petition: Widget | Project AWARE
"...but the people who know their God will display strength and take action." Daniel 11:32b
An Angel was telling Daniel all of the things that were about to happen. Persia was going to reach its climax and then be broken into pieces. Those pieces would then begin to feud and fight each other. This verse is talking about a king who lashes out at the Jews and destroys their sanctuaries and does away with their sacrifices (their only method of redemption at that time). But the Jews would rise up and take action.
I don't remember exactly how the quote goes but this verse reminded me of it. The quote talks about how evil runs rampant because good people just didn't do anything. But what does this mean for us today - to display strength and take action? Honestly, I'll have to think on it for a bit. But, it hits home. I have so many thoughts about the things I'dlike to do in my life but can't seem to find the time or the energy. I've had dreams of ministry for years (since I was 16 or 17) but I just haven't taken the steps necessary to accomplish them. But even more simply than that - this can apply to my day-to-day in how I act or react to people. How many times have I been involved in conversations or just been a bystander to conversations that lead away from God or Godly principles. Most of the time it is while I'm at work and I feel like I don't have any place to say anything because it would be inappropriate or something. Hmm...
Lord, I love You and praise You. Father, I ask for wisdom and discernment and I ask that You would help me understand what it is that You are trying to say to me. Help me define what's in my heart with words my mind can understand. Father, I pray for a deeper relationship with You. I pray for anyone reading this, that You would draw them closer to You as well and that You would bless them and touch them in their lives in just the way that they need You to. Thank You, Lord, for grace and mercy. In Your awesome Name I pray. Amen.
"...I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem...So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes." Daniel 9:2-3
I spent a lot of time in my car today. I had to drive 2 1/2 hours over to an Army base to do some paperwork and then drive the 2 1/2 hours to come back home. Well, since Nicole's and my schedule doesn't allow us the opportunity to get over to church on a regular basis, I've been downloading podcasts of a church I would like us to start going to when she and I eventually move out to San Diego. And for me, the best way to stay awake while driving for multiple hours is to listen to something that engages my brain. Music puts me to sleep. But NPR - that keeps me awake. And these church service podcasts kept me awake for the same reason - because my brain was actively engaged in listening.
Well, the pastor of that church was doing a long 21 week series on how to study the Bible and how to deepen our relationship with God. And I started reading tonight and this 2nd and 3rd verse of Daniel 9 caught my attention and reminded of some of the stuff the pastor has been talking about. But, look at those two verses. Daniel was studying the books that today we know as the Old Testament. And in particular, he was reading through Jeremiah. He noticed that Jeremiah prophesied the "completion of the desolations of Jerusalem." That just means that Israel's captivity was going to be over soon. But, instead of throwing a party and going wild, what did Daniel do? He gave his attention to the Lord. And not only did he give his attention to God, but he went to God to confess all of the sins of disobedience and a lack of humility and walking away from God. He thanked God for His grace, mercy, and forgiveness but even when the end of captivity was in sight Daniel went to God and basically apologized for all of the sins of Israel. He kept himself humble and he kept his eyes on God.
In verse 13 of the same chapter, Daniel says, "As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth."
So, even after all that they did, all that they saw, and all that God rescued them from they still ignored God and lifted themselves above God. So..."the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done..." (verse 14).
This is a prime example of who not to be - of what not to do. Do not ignore God. Do not ignore that still small voice that prompts you to do what's right. It may be more difficult, but walk according to what you know in your heart is the right way to walk. Be the man or woman that stands up for your convictions and stands up for God. You don't have to be a Bible thumper. You don't have to be overwhelming, but just do what is right and don't lose sight of God. Own up to your shortcomings and failures, but take them to God and let Him free you from the burden of failure. You will not get it right. You will mess up. But God is big enough to cover all of your mistakes - He already did it 2000 years ago when He put His Son on a cross to act as the perfect sacrifice.
"It is by his deeds that a lap distinguishes himself if his conduct is pure and right." Proverbs 20:11
Lord, God - I love You and I praise You. Thank You for grace and mercy. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Lord, I confess to You and admit that I screw up. I haven't been as close to You as I should be. I haven't been putting in the effort to maintain our relationship. But, I miss You, Lord. I pray for wisdom and knowledge. I pray that You would open my ears to hear Your wise council. I love You. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
"God has numbered your kingdom. You have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. Your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians."
In Daniel 5, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, had been the king for over 20 years. And one day he had a party with his wives, concubines, etc. and he used the gold vessels from the temple of God to fill with wine and general blasphemary. Then, out of nowhere, God showed His hand out of thin air and His hand wrote the above words on a wall in front of the king. So, Belshazzar sent for all of his wise men (to finally include Daniel after all the others failed) and Daniel interpreted the writing (above). That very night, Belshazzar was murdered and Darius the Mede became the king.
There are certain statements in the Bible that make me react by saying, "I would love to hear God say this about or to me." This isn't one of those statements. Reading this makes me A) Grateful for Jesus and the forgiveness and mercy we find in His sacrifice, and B) Ask myself what I can do to, instead of hearing God tell me what He told Belshazzar, hear God say "Well done good and faithful servant." The application for today is to just keep on pressing in. Keep your eyes on God and He will say well done.
Lord I love You and praise You. Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for Your sacrifice. I continue to pray for wisdom, knowledge, and discernment. I also continue to pray and ask for a closer relationship with You. I pray these things also for anyone who may be reading this. In the name of Jesus I pray all things. Amen.
Chapter 4 of Daniel is about how Nebuchadnezzar came to recognize God as the one true God.
Daniel 4:6-8a - "So I gave order to bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians, the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners came in and I related the dream to them, but they could not make its interpretation known to me. But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar according to the name of my gods, and in whom is a spirit of the holy gods..."
This is Nebuchadnezzar talking. And this is not the same dream that Daniel interpreted the first time (in chapter 2). So some amount of time has passed from that first dream until this dream. We don't know how much time, though. And in these verses, Nebuchadnezzar was telling his testimony - how he came to know that God is God - so he is speaking in the past-tense. Because looking back on it, Nebuchadnezzar realizes that he knew back then, even before he believed in God, that there was something different about Daniel. He recognized that Daniel had a relationship with something holy.
I also noticed something else later on in chapter 4 (verse 19, after Nebuchadnezzar told Daniel his dream) - "Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar replied, 'My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!"
I noticed that Daniel had grown to love Nebuchadnezzar - the man who captured the Jews and ruled over one of the greatest kingdoms on Earth.
I believe God had appointed Nebuchadnezzar as Daniel's charge - his mission..his ministry. So, here are my two applications of this:
1) A lot can be said for consistency. Be constant in your pursuit of God. Be constant in your pursuit of wisdom and discernment. Be steady in yearning for what is true and right and just. Because even though God has grace and mercy and He has forgiven us for ALL of our mistakes and sins, the world is not so forgiving. The world will judge you according to the preconception of how they feel you judge them just because your are a Christian. So be constant. You won't always be right, but so long as you maintain your heart to serve and your heart for God, the world will recognize it - even if they don't know what it is that they are recognizing.
2) Love. You cannot serve anyone that you do not love. Love the people in your life the way God loves them. Compassion, sympathy, empathy - these are all synonyms for love. Daniel, even though he knew the king was wrong for his beliefs, still cared for Nebuchadnezzar so much that the true interpretation of the dream alarmed and appalled him. His heart probably sank into his stomach as Nebuchadnezzar told him the dream.
Father, I love You. Thank You for grace and mercy. Father, consistency has big one of the biggest problems I've had in Your and my walk together. I come close to You and then move far away. And then do it again and again. But Lord, I don't want that. I don't want to be that person that doesn't maintain that close contact with You. When I think about the people who have made the biggest impacts on me as a Christian, a servant, and a leader, they are all people who have stayed the course with You. In life, we need to be flexible, but not in our relationship with You. So Father, I ask that You would draw me and anyone reading this close to You. Draw us closer and closer. Light never-ending fires of passion for You and for Your will in our hearts from now on. Be our source of joy, happiness, release, strength, and wisdom. Be our best friend. I love You and praise You, Father. Thank You. In the name of Jesus I pray all things. Amen.
Daniel 3 is the chapter where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were thrown into the furnace because they refused to bow down to the golden statue that Nebuchadnezar had built. But, I love it. They did the difficult thing - they stood up for what they believe in. Not only did they stand up for God, but they were ready to face whatever consequence God would allow them to face for it.
Here's the thing about faith - God doesn't necessarily take us out of the scary situation. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were all actually thrown into the furnace. But God will deliver us from evil. In this case, God saved the three from burning. Did the three of them know that they would not be burned? I bet they didn't. I bet they figured they would die every bit as much as everyone else. Their faith wasn't in that God would rescue them - their faith was in that they knew that no matter what happened, it was God's will. They cared more about doing the right thing and what God wanted than what was comfortable or easy or what they wanted.
Daniel 3:16-18 - "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He willdeliver us out of your hand, O king. But, even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
So, they knew God could deliver them unharmed and they had faith in His ability. But they knew full well that He might not save them from the fire. But whether He saved them from the fire or not, they knew He would deliver them from the king.
So, what can I do to be more like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego? What has the world told me to bow down to every time it passes by? What has the enemy told me to worship? What is it I need to say no to?
Those are good questions to ponder.
Lord, I love You and I praise You. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. Father, I pray for strength of conviction, strength of will, discernment, understanding, knowledge, and wisdom. And I pray for those things for anyone reading this. And Lord, above all else, I pray that Your perfect will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In your Name I pray. Amen.
So, it turns out that a drastic change in diet in a very short period of time (read: instantly) equals throwing your body out of whack and almost debilitating headaches. So, my wife and I have decided that we aren't giving up on this fast, but we are changing the parameters. We realized that such a drastic fast was just too unrealistic and unhealthy of a goal. So, we are just going to cut out coffee and candy/deserts out of our diet for the remainder of the fast.
Daniel 2 started to get a little intense. In chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a statue that was made of different metals and earth. Then a stone dropped on top of it and crushed it all and there was nothing left of it.
Once Daniel began interpreting this dream for the king, it all started to make sense to me. The different metals (as Daniel explained) were all of the different kingdoms from Babylon (the gold head) to Rome (the feet that were iron mixed with clay). The stone that crushed it all was Jesus.
But again, I find myself in a place where a practical application or the "so what" factor isn't obvious to me. A lot of the time, I'll read the Bible and to me it is interesting history or just information that gives me further insight into God and Jesus. But it is important to try and find a way to apply what you're reading - a lesson to be learned; something to take home. And when I start thinking about it, there are a few. But for the sake of time, I'll go with something that I touched on in yesterday's blog: God blesses not just the righteous but everyone else around the righteous as well.
Daniel 2:24 - "Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and spoke to him as follows: 'Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Take me into the king's presence, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.'"
Daniel was a brave man. Or maybe bravery had nothing to do with it. He was confident. He was confident in God and therefore had no reason to fear. Nebuchadnezzar had made it clear that whoever was interpreting his dream either got it right or he would be killed. Daniel knew this. He knew that he had one chance. But he had so much faith and confidence in his relationship with God and in the fact that he heard from God that he volunteered himself to be put on the chopping block. But notice what he said in verse 24:"Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon!" The "wise" men that he referred to weren't just the Jews. When he said wise men he was talking about the pagan one's also. He didn't just put his life on the line for his own people, he put his life on the line for the very people that captured his people. He valued human life the way that Jesus values all human life.
And it was partially for their sake that God revealed to Daniel Nebuchadnezzaar's dream and its meaning. It was partially for them that Daniel risked his life to interpret it.
But, ultimately it was for the glory of God that God revealed it to Daniel and Daniel revealed it to the king. Look how the king reacted to Daniel (2:46-47): "Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel...The king answered Daniel and said, 'Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.'"
Lord, I love You and praise You. Thank You for Your grace. Thank You for dreams, visions, and the interpretations and meanings to them. Thank You for loving us so much that You are intimately involved in our lives every moment of every day. Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your Son and the forgiveness and salvation that has been granted through Him. Father, I continue to pray for guidance, understanding, discernment, knowledge, and wisdom. I pray for anyone reading this post that You would bless them and enlarge their territory and keep them from evil that it may do no harm. I pray for blessing and protection over me and my family as well. In the name of Jesus I pray all things. Amen.
My wife and I were able to go to church yesterday for the first time in a while. Her work schedule doesn't normally give us the opportunity plus our church is about an hour away from us. But, we were able to go yesterday and we found out that starting today our church is doing a 21-day fast. The pastor didn't specify what kind of fast to do just that he asked each of us to fast for 21 days.
So my wife and I decided to do the Daniel fast. But along with the Daniel fast, we are reading one chapter of the book of Daniel every day of the fast (I do realize there are only 12 chapters and we are doing a 21-day fast, but it'll be okay).
So Daniel, Chapter 1.
There wasn't one verse or even just a section of a verse that jumped out at me in this chapter. But what did jump out at me was Daniel's faith and his strength of conviction and the fact that God will bless those around you on account of you. Daniel 1:5a says, "The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king's choice food and from the wine which he drank..."
King Nebuchadnezzar asked his staff to go pick out some "perfect" kids from the Jews which had been captured. They were going to be educated by the Babylonians so they could be liaisons between the Jews and the Babylonians.
But here is what I'm talking about with Daniel's strength of conviction:
Daniel 1:8 - "But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he may
not defile himself."
Daniel's faith in God:
When the commander of the officials told Daniel he couldn't grant Daniel's request because when Daniel and his buddies showed up to court looking gaunt and thin (because they asked to be given only vegetables to eat and water to drink) it would be his head (literally) on the chopping block.
Daniel 1:12 - "Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king's choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you find."
Basically, he was saying - give it a test drive. If you find that we look healthy then let us continue to eat how we want; if not, then we'll eat what you tell us to. He acted on his conviction and faith in God and allowed God to take care of the rest.
But the last
thing I noticed was that even though it seems that Daniel was taking the initiative in all of this, God also blessed the other three Jews that were with Daniel. Daniel 1:17 - "As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams."
So what? Why is any of this important? Well here is the application:
Always do what you know and feel to be the right thing to do. But do it with the heart of giving it up to God to let Him do as He sees fit. You do what you are supposed to do and God will not only be there to help you get through the tough times, but He'll bless you and elevate you ABOVE the circumstances. He will guide you through it and land you on top.
Lord, thank You for Your grace and mercy. During this period of fasting, I pray for wisdom and knowledge
. I pray for guidance and understanding. Lord, I ask that You would show my family the direction You want us to go and I pray that You would give us the strength of conviction to go there. I pray for faith where faith is lacking. And I pray that You would bless us as we attempt to go where You want us to go and do what You want us to do. And I only have one question to ask, Father - what do you have for me to do for You today? I love
You and praise You. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
"Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You..." - John 17:1
Jesus was praying just before he was arrested and put on trial, etc. He prayed for Himself (17:1-5); He prayed for His disciples (17:6-19); He prayed for everyone that believes in Him (17:20-26).
I was having a conversation with a co-worker the other day. He was telling me that he and his mother used to get into arguments about whether or not Christians should focus on getting rich and getting money. One of them took the stance that God wants to bless His children, the other took the stance that the love of money is the root of all evil. But, here in John, Jesus asks to be glorified so that He could glorify God. Jesus WAS (and is) God. So the act of God glorifying Jesus would automatically glorify God because Jesus is God.
But, get this - Jesus is in us (those who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour). We are in relationship with Him. He has cleaned our souls, given us new hearts, and shown us His eternal grace and mercy. When God blesses us, He is glorifying Himself. This is not necessarily about money - that was just an example. But whether it be money, or God blessing you with being good with words or being comfortable in front of crowds, it is always for His glory.
Jesus' heart was not for God to glorify Him so He could hoard the glory. Jesus wanted to be glorified so that He could, with His very life and every word and action, point back to God - the source of all life. The lesson this teaches me is to continuously analyze the state of my heart - the heart that God gave me. Make sure that my heart is in the right place. I want to win the lottery. Why do I want to win the lottery? What do I want to do with it? I want to do ministry. Why do I want to do ministry? Who has God put on my heart to reach or to minister to?
The bottom line is this: no matter what you do, where you go, or how much money you do ro don't have - no matter what God has blessed you with (A) recognize that it comes from God, and (B) always give it back to God and always give the credit to God. Use those blessings and those gifts to glorify God. Be the light to the world that God has called us to be.
Lord, I thank You and praise You. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. Thank You for the glory You bestow on us, in us, and through us. Father, I pray for myself and anyone else reading this that You would give us "see-through" vision. Help us see through the situation to the purpose You have for us in that situation. Help us see the gifts You've given us and how we can use them to glorify You. Give us the strength and courage to do so. I love You and praise You. In the name of Jesus I pray - Amen.
Look at this goofy kid. Long hair, skinny as hell, rash guard too small, and God knows who's surfboard he's carrying. That was me. About 5 years ago. I moved to Hawai'i because I felt like God was telling me to step out in faith and go.
I got there, and nothing happened like I thought it would, but that's life. Especially when you're living from day to day in faith not knowing when or where your next meal is going to be just that it will come. There is a certain and undeniable freedom that comes from life lived in such an edgey manner.
So, what happens to us? Somewhere along the line, I lost faith. I lost faith that what I was doing was the right thing. I didn't lose faith that God would take care (even though sometimes I'm not sure if I have faith in that or not). I lost faith in myself. Now - I do not regret the decisions I made between then and now if for no other reason, because in that time I learned a valuable skill, met my wife, and have started a family (at this writing, our son, Noah, is about 3 1/2 months old). But, there are things that I do regret. I regret that I don't live my life as much in faith now as I did then.
I drive one and a half hours to work each way four days a week. I have a lot of time to think. I think about a lot of stuff. I think about how disconent I am that I traded my awesome 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 for our dinky 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid. I made
the voluntary and conscious decision to downgrade my vehicle for the sake of our budget (which might turn out to be a moot point in a few months...time will tell). I think about the last time I traded a truck for a smaller car thinking I'd get better gas mileage - the ironic thing is that I traded the truck for a Saturn back then also. The other funny thing is that I was just as discontent about it then as I am now. This is just one example.
I also think about ministry. Why did I ever want to do ministry? Why do I still want to do ministry? What does it even mean to do ministry? Is my vision for ministry that I had when I
was 17 (Two Thirds Worldwide Surf Ministry...at the time it was called Water Walkers Surf Ministry) a viable or plausible ministry? And what about my new idea for ministry - Two Thirds Surf (a Christian Surf Magazine)? Personally, I have just been involved in so many things that I wasn't passionate about that I want to do something that I love doing - something that I can't wait to get started on when I wake up in the morning. And I have never felt more productive or happy about what I was doing with myself as I did in that period of time living in faith and volunteering full time at my church in Hawai'i. I started my second surf minsitry out there. I organized beach clean-ups, surf lessons, and Bible studies. It was great.
But, how do I do that now? I have so many time contraints:
Work - 8-12 hour shifts
Driving to work - 3 hours/day
Noah - every ounce of my energy and then some
The household - cleaning, cooking/prepping food, bills/finances, etc.
Honestly, I don't know how people do it. How do people pursue their passions aside from their full time jobs? I really enjoy photography, I love scuba diving and surfing, exploring and adventure. I don't get that at work. I don't get that in my life right now.
But, you know what? This season is just that - a season. And seasons, by their very nature, are temporary. My son won't always be so young (for better and worse). My work schedule won't always be so hectic. And, Lord willing, Nicole and I will be able to be wise enough with out money that we can afford to go on an adventure here and there. But, ministry...
Ministry takes a time commitment that I just don't have. Nicole and I don't even have the time to read our Bibles on our own, much less go to church, much less start a ministry and commit to it.
Basically, I am feeling restless. I want to be able to express myself, and hopefully the heart of Christ, through service and adventure. I want to see the awesomeness that the world has to offer and hopefully offer a few good things to the world. I want to be the kind of dad that Noah looks up to (and even though it is admirable, I don't want him to only look up to me for serving in the military as is so common). I want to be the kind of husband my wife loves, cherishes, trusts, and is willing to follow because she trusts me and my relationship with Christ. Honestly, I don't think I am being any of those things. And thus my discontentment.....
The Congaree National Park - tucked away in an obscure back corner of a little community I wouldn't feel comfortable walking around in (not that there were all that many places to walk around). It took about 15 minutes of driving on interstate highway, another 20-ish minutes of driving on South Carolina 48, and three more turns (but reletively short distance between them) before you're on the driveway to the national park.My first impression was that this place wasn't much different than any other stretch of woods I've explored in my life, and my expectation levels were starting to diminish. After about 5 minutes of the driveway, I reached the parking area - I passed through a gate, but there was no guard or anyone to collect any sort of parking or admission fee. Okay, the parking is free - 1 point for Congaree National Park.
After I got out of my truck, I noticed that just behind a relalively thin layer of trees there was a long visitor's center. It had a cool kind of feel to it. It was inviting. As I walked up to it, it started to feel like a lot of rest stops on the highway feel. You have a covered walkway with bathrooms on the right and the actual Visitor's Center on the right. In this little walkway there are maps up on the walls, and if I remember right, there was a water fountain. But, still...nothing that made me think that this was going to be all too exciting. I mean, I left the house this morning with the intention of capturing some pictures. But, there didn't seem to be anything tat was standing out all that much. So, instead of walking into the Visitor's Center, I decided that I was going to just go ahead,
and hit one of the trails (I was still hopeful that I would find something cool and unique).
The trails start out on a boardwalk. According to the map (which I picked up on my way out of the park), this boardwalk is a loop that goes for a total of about 2.2 miles. You can exit the boardwalk at one point (I'm not sure if there are more than one exit or not) and it leads to a couple trails. The first two are, the one I went on today, Bluff Trail, and the other is Dog Trail, where you can (as the name suggests) bring your dog(s).
Seeing as I didn't stop to pick up a map (before setting out), and I wasn't sure how much time I could spend out in the woods by myself today, I decided to just keep going on the first trail I saw so I headed down Bluff Trail. At the entrance of the trail, I heard what sounded like a man hitting a wood board with a hammer and almost thought nothing of it. But, I decided to investi
gate a little and found a woodpecker! The one picture I caught of him is hard to see, but if you look close enough and in the center you might be able to see him (I definitely need to get an actual telephoto lense! An 18mm-70mm is fine for most things, but didn't work so well with this woodpecker). The rest of my walk, though, was pretty uneventful. I caught a few more pictures of trees, but there were no other animals that I ran into. No streams (but one, and the water wasn't moving) or anything. So, after about 20 minutes, I turned around and went back.
I figured before I leave, I better go into the Visitor's Center just to check it out. I'm glad I did. There is a lot more to this place than I thought at first. They offer all kinds of classes and tours: Owl Prowl - 2 hour guided walk on a Friday night, looking for owls; Guided Canoe Tour on Saturdays and Sundays, a 2 hour guided tour about forest canopies; a Backyard Bird Feeding; Birding 101 -a class; a hike that teaches about how the "Champion Tree" process works - how they're determined, etc. After reading the brochure, I am excited to come back with Nicole or maybe even my dad or brothers.
At the Visitor's Center is where I picked up the map of the park and saw all the trails. I am especially interested in checking out the 10 mile hike that goes by the Congaree River.
But, hey - a lesson was learned: always go to the Visitor's Center first. You never know what you might be missing out on if you don't ask what a place has to offer. According to the map, I was definitely on the least exciting and the shortest trail in the park. They have lakes and swamps, and all kinds of animals out there - all I had to do was ask. And it's all free!
