Got a Spider Bite again...

Hummm...I saw it and thought it was good, not great but entertaining.
I thought Doc Oct was a great villain, better than The Green Goblin.
I thought the movie could have cut 45 minutes of the whole "should I be Spidey" storyline.
I got bored.
The action was intense and the fight scene on the train was SWEET!
I hope the whole set up for another Goblin battle in Spiderman 3 doesn't happen...we already did him.
How about Venom?

Born to Lose

A few years ago a New Hampshire newspaper published a suicide note written by an attractive, popular teenage boy who had taken his life after school one day. It said simply: "Not having a good enough reason to live is a good enough reason to die."

 

It's not surprising that one of the most common tattoos in prison is simply...Born to Lose.

 

One of my prayers for a long time has been:

 

"Lord give me at least as many young people that the devil steals through suicide every day..."

 

We are losing a generation to the abyss of meaningless existence, drugs, suicide, crime, hedonism, and a host of other cancers. I think a major problem is that there is not enough real prophetic voices in our youth ministries and churches today.

 

We are echoes not voices, as my friend Scott Gurule says.

 

We must birth generational gatherings that blend the rooftop life of prayer (Acts 10) with the advancing life of missions. We must become gatherings that exhibit a Jesus style ministry life of prayer lived out in mission. Our cities are yearning for those who will live out the dreams and visions of God.

 

We must become the sons and daughters of Joel 2.

Dreamers and visionaries who go in an overflowing spirit and influence the lights, the earth and the tongues of men. We are called to be speakers...ones who prophesy God's dreams for the nations. We are a fiery people who are known to leave revivals for dusty roads or dine with heathen, baptize pagans and trek for God to remote places or dark places within and without our comfort zones; because we have heard the VOICE and he says rise up and GO... 

 

God I pray for you to fill us and send us again...

Be a man!

"In fact, one study indicated that 94% of incarcerated youth have never had one single positive adult male role model!

With the introduction of the Industrial revolution 150 years ago, men were taken out of the
home, as they left to go to work, leaving mothers to be the primary person living at home with the kids. Even as recent as 100 years ago, only men could teach elementary school children.

Today 90% of elementary school teachers are women. Today with more mothers in the workplace, many kids go to daycare centers, where 95 - 97% of the staff are females.

And, in those families which end in divorce, more than 80% of the time, child custody is granted to the mother. Unfortunately, the church is not the exception. In our inner-city churches about 70% of the participants are females. Consequently, a large number of children are growing up with little or no male influence in their lives.

(From http://www.straightahead.org/pdf/Ministering.pdf)

 

This subject is critical if we want to see young people in our communities find spiritual, emotional and relational health. Fathers must reclaim their roles and responsibilities within the community to love, support, shepherd, teach, inspire and empower the young again.

How you say?

Become a teacher...our schools need you. 

Actually raise a family, don't just make one.

Stay married and show a generation what faithfulness, sacrifice and love really looks like. Work hard...show kids how to be productive, creative and daring.

Be spiritual...show your sons that men can love God and not have to be a girl to do it.

Care for a child who has no father...the bible commands it (James 1:27).

 

When the father's hearts turn...the hearts of young people will turn. (Malachi 4:6)

 

This is your land...this is my land...

Cursed is he who moves his neighbors boundary stone.

-Deut.27:17

 

Whatever this means in entirety, one thing is for sure, the issue of whose land it is...matters to the Lord.

 

For me locally it speaks to the history of our past as a city and our relationship to the people who originally lived on this land; and still do.

 

It speaks of our city's present legal push to make camping on public property by the homeless a crime. The whole issue of land rights, having a home, ancestral land and the biblical law of jubilee are issues that Christians should have a lot to say about.

 

What would the "Jubilee" look like if we celebrated it or at the very least or most, the spirit of it?

What would that mean for first nation peoples?

What would that mean for the poor?

At St. Dunstan's in Seattle there is a carving of Spokane Garry. A first nation Christian spiritual leader among the Spokane Indian tribes. I've been praying that his prayers and his dreams would come to pass in my day. There is are spiritual inheritances in such great legacies. Prayers yet answered, hope not yet fulfilled, seed not harvested, wells that need to be reopened.


 

Cowards to the rear...

"Crazy Horse called to his men, "Ho-ka hey!

It is a good day to fight! It is a good day to die!

Strong hearts, brave hearts, to the front!

Weak hearts and cowards to the rear."
From the book Crazy Horse and Custer, by Stephen E. Ambrose

 

I've been challenged by the Lord to add my prayers to the unfolding of God's plans in this region for First Nation people. Through Acts 10, I've been dreaming for new doors of opportunity in different cultures and in unlikely places.

 

I believe God has many in other cultures that are "devout and fear God, that are giving and pray continually" but still need the greater light that is found in the face of Christ. I am being provoked to good deeds (Heb 10:24) that will be worked out in difficult places.

 

Peter had to be awakened and visited in a paradigm changing way to propel him into a new fields of harvest that were outside his comfort zone both religiously and culturally. God had whole households waiting for the gospel. Waiting on God to break through the prejudice, the religious tradition and the box he had God within. There are doors awaiting those who will dare to let go of their safe rooftops and come form the closet of prayer and act out those prayers in the living rooms of those whom God chooses.

 

Lay down your lunch, leave your prayer closet and open the door...they are knocking...they are searching for YOU to find Him...will you hear?

Will you "RISE UP and GO?  

Do not hesitate...

 

 

This is a sin. This is a statue of Spokane Garry, a first nation leader and historical figure in the Christian heritage of the Inland Northwest. The story of Spokane Garry is an exciting and tragic one for spiritual reflection. God used him to spread the gospel among the first nation cultures in this region. There were some amazing reports of a significant revival movement through his witness, teaching and pastoral care. But the story ends in a disappointing mess of injustice. It's another stain on our white American lack of cultural sensitivity to our first nation brothers. The fact that this statue sits neglected and in need of repair in the park is a sin. 

Go sleep under a bridge...

Well, you can't do that in Spokane if the city counsel, certain business leaders, police and the mayor get their way. They don't want no bum sleeping around these parts.

 

I visited the small homeless resistance movement camped out downtown the other day. I had an opportunity to listen to a police officer and the leader of People 2 People have an interesting interchange about various issues surrounding who had a legal right to ask for money for the homeless.

There was a whole lot of blah, blah, blah about this and that...but in the end it seemed like a little bullying going on. Big officer, little street guy and a pregnant girl under the makeshift tent watching life being complicated.

 

I left fully disappointed and wondering what one should do about a city that tells it's weakest members of the community to walk the plank...

 

It reminds me of this quote from a great preacher of the past:

"One great reason why the rich, in general, have so little sympathy for the poor, is, because they so seldom visit them. Hence it is, that, according to the common observation, one part of the world does not know what the other suffers. Many of them do not know, because they do not care to know: they keep out of the way of knowing it; and then plead their voluntary ignorance an excuse for their hardness of heart.

 

"Indeed, Sir," said person of large substance, "I am a very compassionate man. But, to tell you the truth, I do not know anybody in the world that is in want." How did this come to pass? Why, he took good care to keep out of their way; and if he fell upon any of them unawares "he passed over on the other side." 
-John Wesley

 

Quote from: http://www.newheights.bc.ca/susan/blog/

That Golden Bovine...

It's a long way up the mountain of God and great revelation awaits; but when you come back down with your mug all shinning and you see people bump'n and grind'n around the latest or the oldest golden cow...try not to be disillusioned and throw down your revelation...your word from God.

You can wail upon the little bovine with the mighty blows of thunder but in the end...it's usually a few Caleb's and Joshua's that get it anyway. But that's OK because they have a way of conquering cities and mountain's of giants like no others!

A Friends Episode it's not...

I've been joining in on some good conversation over at Cheeshead's blog.

The question was asked if we had these kind of conversations with people around us, here was my thoughts:
Do I have the opportunity to have these types of conversations in the local church or among friends...I would have to say...nope.

A. I don't have enough friends. Being a pastor has an effect on friendships that, I suppose having a STD has on ones sex life...you don't have much.

B. It's rare to find many that want to talk about such things. That's where Blogdom rescues this little man. All powerful search engines and pomo sites have helped us connect with people of like mind.

C. I find that most people don't seem to enjoy questing much and seem kind of unnerved by a questioning or open minded pastor. They want everything nailed down, packaged, clear and free from mystery or multiple layers, you can't have layers...no onions allowed. :)

D. A lot of my Internet experience, friends and ongoing conversations meet a real need and want for deeper conversation, more frequent contact and intellectual and theological stimulation. Being a pastor can really cramp ones relational life.

So three cheers for the Internet, it's not a replacement of real flesh and blood but it's a great addition and filler.

I do have a few local friendships and some a good distance away of which, I am thankful for. But I hunger for more than I seem to have time for or oppurtunity to engage in.

It sucks.

It isn't enough to just have faith...-James 2:17.I love this picture and to me it captures a simplicity and joy that I long to walk in more and more. Faith without works is dead, James says. There are a lot of religious people that have faith but wouldn't or couldn't dance in the shallows. They are so concerned with the deep things of God that they have forgotten how to dance. My oldest daughter came into my room yesterday with a word from God for me: "Be Happy". I receive that word. Faith that doesn't result in a life that works is a dead faith...is your faith working? 

Destiny striking a pose. 

Ahhh, here I am with one of my favorite people in the world...Mellisa. This is at her wedding reception after I had the honor of marrying her and Jesse. Another round of youth getting married...I'm feeling old.  

Out on the town... 

LeeElla, in the studio recording our 2nd Blaze worship Cd  

Ah...a Washington strawberry and a good looking wife, nothing sweeter. 

Here's Austin, I think he was eating more than picking...  

Alicia and Destiny...one's almost 17 and the other is turning 10, both in July. can you tell which is which? Yikes! 

Micah...what can I say, I call him "monkey butt" for a reson. 

The family went out to the farms and picked strawberries today.