Kairos-ed

Funny how God works. Just one simple passage and I can be renewed. Go check out John 16:33. It amazes me every time. So often I lose sight of the goals of his Kingdom, and instead focus on me. Crazy how when I focus on his Kingdom come that peace is much closer at hand. Just thought i would mention that.

Phil Keaggy

PLEASE...RIGHT NOW...DROP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND GO WATCH SOME PHIL KEAGGY ON YOUTUBE!!! If you don't know who phil keaggy is, but basically he is amazing...just watch him play guitar. I have known about him for awhile, but just decided to watch him this morning, and it made my morning. I saw him in concert once...he was awesome.

The Summer

i wrote a long blog for will, but it was just deleted...so will...i posted, for you.

A Good Day to Die

What a nice day outside! Its funny how a sunny, cool day can bring out a good spirit. Creation is singing the glory of its creator. I think that creation can bring beauty even on days that are overcast and rainy. But the light brings everything to life in a way that screams to stay outside. Its a good day to die.

To die to self, to wake up and walk in the light.
To put aside our needs to serve those around us.
To love in a new way that is not understandable to us because of the love of Christ.

I think today is best put into words by robbie seay:

Go outside
And praise the God who mapped the stars out in the sky
Gather ‘round with those who love and sing
He is our King

No one should be left out
No one should be left out
No one should be left out
No one should be left out
If you have air to breathe
Hear your call to sing

I just posted from andy's ipod

Learn Love

Tonight was good, just chilled alot. Hung out with Jeff for Bible Study. We were the only two there, so we had a great discussion. We were talking about Ephesians five. Talked alot about how it said imitate God, mainly because we are loved. We don't focus on that enough. We imitate God, not because of how we want to be, not because of what it will gain us, but because we feel love and grace. This led into how hard it is for us to accept grace. How do you accept grace when all you can see is your failures? Isn't that the beauty of it? That is my favorite line from anything Reliant K ever wrote:

And the beauty of Grace
is it makes life unfair

I want to react to Grace, because if we don't then we are nothing. Funny how earlier in the day Jeff had talked to me about Blue Like Jazz, how Donald Miller talked about how the first change we have to make is the one in the mirror. So let's imitate God. i love music, because outside of scripture i think it explains life better then most anything else, so here's what i think from shawn mcdonald:

So hard to fathom the pain in Your eyes
As You're watching Your children, doing what You despise
In pursuit of our own
We just go round and round
Another nail to our cause
We continue to pound
What are you, man, if you do not learn love
What are you, man, if you do not learn love

So hard to fathom, oh, the feelings inside
As You're watching Your people choosing to die
You called out a warning
To all that would hear
Saying come to Me, come to Me
And I will draw near
Learn love
I must
Learn love
Learn love
Learn love
Learn love
Learn love

The best part is where it says "You called out a warning/To all that would hear". How true is that? I want to fight, I want to give into something I don't understand, because thats why we fight, thats why we are scared. Grace envelops fully, takes us into a place that is incomprehensible. I want to hold onto what I control...pain...anger...hate...pride...but funny how peace comes only after all that is gone. Funny how falling into grace creates a new man, a new woman, whose only desire is to spread the Gospel, to bring love where it is not seen, to shine a light, to praise as if there will never again be time to praise, to release how one looks, to learn that Christ will take infirmity, pride, and worry. To learn that as men are constantly taught to fight and women to captivate, for the church, that this is what it is about. in the end it all focuses on one thing, Christ. That we have lost focus on the everyday God. Just look at this from Ephesians:

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

So wake up, sleeper, for its not you...its the power of Christ. STOP LOOKING INSIDE YOURSELF FOR POWER, ITS NOT THERE! Only Christ will give you what you need. Heed the call, run to love, then live in it...

Baseball

I can't lie...I love baseball season. The crack of bats, the sound a ball makes when it hits a glove just right, watching Lance Berkman smashing home runs...man I love baseball! Its going to be a differant year this year though. The Astros are basically a brand new team. Bagwell and Biggio are no longer around. I don't remember the Astros before Craig Biggio...thats so strange for me. He has been my baseball hero since I was a kid. For some reason I always liked his style of play. He wasn't a big power hitter, but he got on base and made it count. I loved watching him steal second like it was nothing, watching him make amazing plays in the infield. I'm going to miss watching him play alot. However, just in time the Astros pick up a new player who is freakin awesome. I love Berkman, and Roy O can shut anybody down, but man that Hunter Pence is somthing else! He is just so goofy yet he is fast, has a steady bat, and plays great outfield! So this is my shameless post on my love for the Houston Astros!

I think I love the Astros so much because it is something my dad and I shared growing up. During baseball season I would fall asleep listening to Milo Hamilton call the game on the radio. The next morning I would make sure i was the first one up at the house, so I could go out and get the paper to see the final score. My dad taught me how to love baseball, how to hit and throw, about RBIs and the beauty of a 6-4-3 double play. I remember the players strike that stole the MVP from Jeff Bagwell, seeing playoff games from the nosebleeds and right behind home plate, watching Mike Hamilton, Doug Drebek, Roy O, The Rocket, Shane Reynolds and Brandon Backe pitch games at the dome and at Minute Maid. I've been to games at Enron Field, and fallen in love with the Crawford Boxes. Been pissed at Bud Selig for making the Astros open the roof because the Cardinals were pansies and couldn't handle the sound of Astros fans. I loved watching Billy the Kid shut down people in the ninth, and always hoped that Brad Lidge would come out of his slump (still hoping, he just played so well for us for so long). Watching playoff games, cramming into Karl and KP's room so that we could cheer loud enough so Cardinals fans could hear us down the hall. Loving the feeling of losing one game on a Pujols home run in Houston, but showing up in St. Louis and winning like there was never any doubt. I have the 18 inning game saved on my computer and remember watching it at home, leaving to come back to Austin, and it still being on when I got back to Concordia (I watch the highlights from time to time).

I am excited about this season, to watch a new team and take Chels to her first Major League Game. So in the end this post is not really that important...i am just excited.