the candid truth...

I know it has been awhile since my last post...a lot has happened: job lay-off, car troubles, depression, etc. Now before you all think this is going to be a pity party where I compare myself to Job, let me stop you. I truly believe this is all God's will. In the beginning, it seemed like it was the end of the world, but I got over that. It is because of Job that I know what I still have. He lost literally everything: family, riches, property, etc. I still have family, some money, and a place to sleep at night. I am even reminded of the little things we overlook: seeing, hearing, speaking, touching, etc. All the rough times over the last couple of months have really made me grow. My marriage of seven months is better than ever...my wife has remained supportive through it all while working up to 16 hours a day...I thank her everyday. God is slowly opening a door that would provide a career and schooling opportunities. I pray for further vision and direction as I work toward this door. Please continue to pray or to think positive thoughts, whichever you prefer.

...social media and Jesus.

I thinks it's crazy how many people actually use Facebook...I'm not just talking about the occasional post here and there, but people who live on it: every detail of their life is shared with everyone! I have also noticed that a lot of ministry related groups are also going this direction. Church communication has grown beyond the Sunday morning bulletin: some churches have multiple campuses, while others stream live services via internet. Podcasts have also become another popular way to grab your favorite pastors' sermons. This makes me curious as to if Jesus had walked this earth present day, would he have utilized social media? If so, how would his message have impacted those not in his network?

..."It's showtime!"

Just in case you ever wanted to host a U2 concert at your church...

...thank God I'm a Christian atheist.

I recently discovered an interesting concept: Christian Atheism, the idea of accepting the teachings of Jesus, while rejecting the idea of God and the divinity of Jesus. A Christian atheist is someone who tries to blend the teachings of Jesus with an increasingly secular world. Often not happy the current state Christendom, Christian atheists want to make it more appealing by meshing faith and culture. Jesus is still central to Christian atheism, but not considered divine; He is the only way to humanity and not heaven. They are to learn from Jesus what it is to be a human in a physical world rather than a soul in a spiritual world. As much as I could easily bash this concept, I think some of us are guilty of doing this same thing; It's easy to say we follow Jesus' moral teachings and believe he walked on earth, but we sometimes miss the fact that Jesus is God. We can read about His miracles and signs of wonders, but forget it was all from God. It's one thing to model our physical lives after that of Jesus, but ignoring that we are also spiritual beings is another.