1. I just want to be misunderstood

I want to give room for people to think I'm a complete fool. I want to be misunderstood. I want to exist as a benefit to others - even when they don't know what's best for themselves.

2. Men 3x my age can be awesomer than I

 Bob Jones (of Spry) is awesome. He's sixty seven or so and he loves the Lord with all of His strength - specifically when nobody is watching (and it blows me away). He is in worship cleaning toilets. And he's full of joy when the mop is in hand. Though he doesn't enjoy it for the kinesthetics. He enjoys it for the blessing it gives to God and others.

3. I designed a Website.

I made a Website that I should probably publish more and get a lot of random people to look at:



Redgraff.com
The fineart graffiti of Ramon Trevino. (Matt Smith helped with the programming)

4. Hearing God Overspiritualized?

When it comes to hearing God, people tend to over-spiritualize the whole process. Just relax and enjoy your relationship with Jesus. Just stay submissive to His will and voice. Everything will work out for good for those who love Him.

5. Blessing Somebody's Socks Off Party

Random parties for people that you meet on Facebook are awesome. And they don't usually become nearly as random as you home they are. I went to a "Bless Somebody's Socks Off" party last night and I didn't know anybody who was there (including my Facebook friend, Heather, who invited me). It turned out that the family who owned the community-oriented house were also playing host to a handful of my close friends. Big surprise! I did know a lot of the people there.

Epic fail. :)

The Hebraic spiritual practice of meditation and the new logo for the WGN America (a nationally syndicated Chicago TV station): two things I'd like to compare and contrast.

Why am I comparing these things?

"Joshua, don't you realize that's like comparing paper to oranges?"
Yes. I know.

The Hebrew words for Meditation are:

1. Haga - which means to Utter & Groan
2. Sihach - to muse, contemplate.

If you contemplate on the WGN logo, you're sure to utter and groan (in great disapproval). In contrast, if you utter and grown over the Word of God in contemplation, you're more than likely to end up musing over great and wonderful things.

Meditating on...

When I meditate on the WGN America logo,
the best fulfillment that I'll get out of it is that I know I'll be able to go turn the channel on whenever I need my hour-long fix of Matlock (which is never).

When I meditate on the Scriptures, I have a God-given longing for Him that is fulfilled. (and I know it is God and God alone who is sufficient).

The WGN America logo is not worth meditating on. More than likely, if you do, you're going to realize that the logo is a lie and that every single thing that has ever been on WGN is actually TV you need to ignore.

TV You Can't Ignore?

I mean, seriously: Moesha and Sister, Sister reruns are TV you can't ignore?

Are you kidding me? The greatest horror of WGN is that they have two hours straight of 7th Heaven! (or as I like to call it, 11th Hell). That's pure wickedness! A lie to the Nth degree!

Sorry for ranting. Back to my point:

In contrast, Hebraic Meditation is holding the Scriptures in our heart until it has affected every part of our life and causes you to remember what is true.

To live/die spiritually

To die spiritually, we watch WGN and it's filthy reruns.

I mean, the worst part is that they have three hours of televangelists in the morning only to be interrupted by a huge Beverly Hillbilly smack in the face for a whole hour! Or even worse, maybe you'll catch WGN's "un-ignorable" sliver-screen matinee of Boat Trip (Cuba Gooding Jr's worst career move imaginable).

To grow spiritually, we must meditate on the Word of God every day. Let it roll around and around in your head until you own it!

Cursed is the man who meditates on the WGN logo.
Blessed is the man who meditates on the Word. (Ps. 1:2)

Americans have a strange notion about religion. Anybody can be whatever they think they want to be.

For example:
If you decide you want to practice Kaballah, just get a bracelet and you're in. Forget the fact that some seem to think religion has anything to do with discipline and sacrifice.

Most people realize that Jesus had no interest in any kind of a nominal religion whereby people only need to say the right words and they're in.

Hint: Saying, "I'm a Christian" doesn't mean you're in with the Big Guy.

"Christianity" isn't good enough?

But if Jesus isn't chiefly interested in confessing your allegiance to Him, what is He interested in?

If popular religion isn't about discipline and sacrifice, maybe true religion is?

Jesus primary objective in His ministry was making what we call disciples (talmidim). But what does it mean to be a disciple? A disciple (talmid) is defined entirely by his passion to be like his or her master (rabbi). There is nothing more important to a talmid than becoming every bit like his or her rabbi.

True Religion requires suffering?

And if the rabbi suffers, so does the talmid. The talmid is consumed with a passion to be like the rabbi - to the very end.

This is very much in contrast to popular religion - be it"Christianity" or otherwise. Suffering requires a self-denial. In a nation where the greatest religion is probably best nominalized as Selfianity, discipline and suffering are foreign. Yet, if one is truly loyal to the Rabbi, everything else becomes clear for what it is:Idolatry.

How much do you anticipate suffering for your Rabbi's sake? Is it something you see as a blessing?

I was once asked if I grew up as a Christian. I can't remember the answer I gave. But right now, I want try:

I was born into a Protestant Evangelical family. My mother rejected Catholicism for Christ himself in their early twenties (which wasn't hard as she never found Catholicism too compelling). My father grew up in a Methodist family. But my father's mother had a very strict Baptist family that was always looming like a semi-unwanted guest.

Since before I could remember, my family was a part of Methodist churches. At one point, we were a part of a Presbyterian congregation. But then we found our home in Limeville Methodist church in Gap, PA.

When I was ten, I went to an Evangelical puppet show. My mom's friend, Helensaline had been putting on the show for years. I had seen it once or twice as a family friend (and thereby never really considered myself a part of the audience).

But, one time it was different. I was a part of the audience.

They talked about sin and how Jesus rescues us from it. I knew I was sinful. And I knew I needed to be rescued if I was going to go to Heaven. I certainly didn't want to go to Hell.

So I invited Jesus to rescue me from my sin.
So I could go to Heaven when I die.
So I found out, that I was now Rescued ("saved").

I went to Sunday schools and learned about how Jesus loves me. I went to vacation Bible schools for reinforcement. I even went to a Christian school called Conestoga Christian to ensure that I would have the best Christian training that anybody could ask for.

In my adolescence, my family switched to a Brethren in Christ church named Summit View, where I participated in the youth group throughout my high school years.

When I went to college, I became a part of a small group at school. I soon considered myself a part of a church in Red Lion, called Dove Community Cell Church (which is my present family).

Yet, I never participated much and I'd only go on an occasional Sunday because it was all "Bible lectures" and "sing-a-long" to me.

I didn't enjoy it.

A year after I graduated from college, I was in a relationship that turned sour.So sour that I hated the world and everything in it. I didn't want anything but God's Spirit.

I wanted Him. Nothing else.

I found myself renouncing everything I once knew. I invited God to make me His own. I invited Jesus to have His way with me. I invited the Holy Spirit into me (even though I knew nothing about Him).

I suddenly found out what true worship is.

I started putting my pen to paper and describing God's indescribable worth. It was amazing. It was like the words on the page were on fire! They suddenly had meaning!

I made Jesus my master for he had mastered me.

Everything before this was death to me. Christian training, upbringing, tradition, all of it - complete poop by comparison to knowing Christ as Master.

The difference between being Rescued and Mastered By Christ is the difference between sitting on the edge of a pool fully clothed with your feet in the monochromatic water, in contrast to diving naked into beauteous color-saturated oblivion.

So did I grow up as a Christian? Well, I hope that whatever I am now is not the least bit "Christian" if that's the case.

END TIMES! THE END IS NEAR! THE APOCALYPSE IS NOW!

I hate this talk. Though, I admit, my heart has a huge reservoir dedicated to eschatology. This isn't a contradiction. I live in no dichotomy. I'm at home in Hope! The Rabbi is my love and I can't wait to know what it's like to physically hug him (my heart flutters to think about it. Seriously.).

Yet, if nothing sets my alarm off, its the eschatological exclamation points of American Christian End-Times talk.

I must fore mention (before my criticism takes definition) that I'm an idiot and an untrained young man with little-to-no mastery of Biblical scholarship.

Now, with that out of the way, I draw your attention to the Onething Conference. The Onething Conference is an event focused on worship and the Book of Revelations.



I have only watched one session thus far and am therefore completely inept at forming any decent opinion of the event as a whole. So, with that out of the way:
I saw Mike Bickle talk about how we should approach Revelations and how Scholars have messed the most of it up for countless years. I saw him draw a great emphasis on reading it straight (and thereby taking it at face value) unless the text directly tells you to understand the context symbolically.

He also emphasized understanding that Jesus is coming to be here and to setup His Kingdom here and not in an immaterial heaven. Which is great, considering this overcomes major gnostic concepts that have plagued Christian Theology practically since the beginning.

So far, the whole thing sounds like a Pentecostal Reformed eschatological understanding - wisely stepping away from Dispensationalism. I say that so I sound smart, but what I mean is that it seems like the espoused view is awesome, though a little immature still and fairly shortsighted of a first-century context. There's a lot of assumptions that Bickle makes and has obviously reinforced every time he's read the book (every week for the past ten years). This is to say that it may be a little focused on being like the book of Acts. Though I don't know as I've only heard a little. Personally, I was hoping to hear something at least a little more progressive. Though, he's certainly headed in a direction aimed to produce fruit.

I certainly learned a thing or two and loved the input made from a very important part of the Body of Christ: the Charismatic Worship/Intercession Camp (though, I'd hold that definition loosely).

Furthermore, since I don't' even understand the eschatological camp I'm a part of: "Victorious Eschatology, Progressive Worldview". So, I'm just sticking to the "I'm an idiot, don't listen to me" approach.

But I will tell you with confidence the difference between good and bad eschatology:

GOOD ESCHATOLOGY:

• Causes you to fall more in love with Jesus
• Develops a greater lifestyle of worshiping God with every ounce of your physical strength
• Yields to Him with unconditional love and gratitude
• Uses all your comprehensive thought to unravel and communicate his  unending mysteries
     
  (plus, you just know that Jesus is way cooler than  what "Jesus junk (and the Left Behind series)" would make you think)
  
 
• It causes you to have a true and unconditional love for people you don't know:
  
  • You love people's souls
  • You love their minds
  • You value their emotions
  • You have grace for their quirks 
  • and genuinely care about them
     
• It makes you want to do things for people because you really love them like God does.
  
  (Plus, you also feel this way about people you already know)
    
• It causes you to love all that is true (especially His Word).
  
• It causes you to not be fearful, but hopeful. 
• It causes you to love spending time in the Bible (and with Daddy!) 

BAD ESCHATOLOGY:

Is anything that doesn't directly cause the above.

So, the Onething Conference (and any End-Times teaching) is only as good as it directly causes the above to be your response.

[this blog is simply my heart]

"Oh God, this era has been one of comfort and ease. While I'm quite thankful for the peace joy, I crave your adversity and difficulty. For I know that it is only there that I find out what is truly in my heart - and only then can I address my deficiencies.

You say in the book of Yakov ("James") that when we praise you in conflict, true definition happens. So, God, I invite difficulty. And I'll praise you in it.

Thank You for the era of good times. Thank You for a wonderful time with my family. Thank You for an amazing time with Lauri and her family tonight. Thank You for it all."

I crave You, Daddy. Burn down the impurities so only gold remains.

[This blog is a return to the format Laurie (and some of my older fans) know and love]

My spritual brother, Bob Jones:
On Saturday, I started my day by cleaning our church building with Bob Jones.

He's in his late 60s and has 7 kids (4 still living at home: 24, 18, 11, and 9). He volunteered to help me out and did so with more energy and joy than people that are a third of his age. He even went above and beyond and mopped the entire sanctuary (not a requirement). He did all of this before I even nearly finished my half of the work. Needless to say, this guy has a servant heart. Plus he brought me breakfast! (I just gotta give credit where credit is due).

Matt Fisher and Coffee Co.
Then I flew over to Lanc-Lanc and stopped at the Coffee Company to meet my buddy Matt Fisher.



He's a fellow I went to High School with and generally grew up with in the Evangelical melting pot of Lancaster County. We had a cool conversation about how we've been shaped and challenged over the past seven years (since graduating HS). I was intrigued to hear that he was participating in a Greek Orthodox church. And I'm sad to say that I didn't hear as much about that as I would have liked to.

As Matt departed, I saw my buddy Sarah and joined her party as she had a wealth of Brits with her. They were lovely chaps and i learned all about how in the UK, "College" is very different from "University" and they don't mean the same things that they do to us Americans.

G-Rated Movies:
I was about to spend my evening in solace and solitude, when I got the notion of hanging out with my buddy Jessica Martin and watching a good Rated-G movie. We watched Horton Hears a Who.

It was a wonderfully animated retelling of the classic Dr. Seuss - and I had no idea how much of an emphasis the movie had on fighting for what is true when everybody else thinks you're insane or hearing illegitimate voices. Horton is a faithful elephant for sure. I would recommend this movie. Though, its not nearly as funny as a Pixar film.

One Disciple a Year
Yesterday morning, Larry Kreider was speaking at my Sunday gathering.



I really want to follow through with the message he gave: If we simply take one person every year and train them in all the ways of the Lord and then teach them to train somebody themself. Over ten years, we could affect a thousand lives, which would affect countless others. So without much explanation on it, I'm saying that my current goal is to find somebody to pour all the Lord has given me into a young man who wants to know God. That's my official goal.

Hanukkah at the Jacoby's:
Then we went over to the Jacoby's house: Corrie's Parent's house. There, we snacked on perpetual appetizers, celebrated Hanukkah, and rolled around on the floor as we were attacked by 2-year-olds (much fun!).

Then I took a nap whereby Corrie chose to paint my fingernails hot pink. I still have yet to get all of it off (fortunately its not too obvious). We had fun playing with dreidels, lit the menorah and ate latkes. Jessica and Gizmo had fun learning the history of Hanukkah.

Chuck E Cheese:
Then we picked up Elisabeth and headed back to Lanc-Lanc for the great gathering at Chuck E Cheese.


It was really just William. But it was a great time and an opportunity for great conversation and pizza! We talked about everything from eschatology to spiritual realities. It was good stuff. I was a little out of focus because Gizmo (16) kept wanting my attention and to help him get more tickets so he could get more nonsensical Chuck E Cheese paraphernalia. But it was all good.

On the ride home, Gizmo decided it was time to practice "Happy llama, Sad llama, Mentally-disturbed llama...".  His personal favorite was Awkward Turtle. He even added a few such as "Llama on a Bluetooth".

The Bible is God's love letter to you.

It's through the Scriptures that God speaks to you, directs you and molds you.

When it comes to life's major decisions: 'Where do I live?', 'Who do I marry?', 'Where do I work?' and things like that, God can speak to you through the Holy Spirit. But He'll always confirm it with His Word.

If you want to hear God's voice, you must study the Bible. Study and memorization is key and it allows you to hide God's word in your heart. This will ensure that you're not deceived by any spiritual whim, but you'll have confirmation on anything the Spirit speaks.

God will not speak anything to you that disagrees with the Scriptures.

Being immersed in the Word is the most important thing of all when hearing and discerning God's voice to you, personally. And additionally, the more you read God's Word, the more you'll love it! And, the more His voice will speak directly to you!

The Synopsis:

So how do we teach our youth group kids (who are sipping Starbucks while half-listening to their iPods) how to know and follow a God who was executed on an imperial execution stake when our nation is building the largest military complex in human history?

Rob Bell and Don Golden suggest that the answer can be found the Eucharist.

But, as non-Catholic Christians, their emphasis on the meaning of this word will truly challenge you and bring you face-to-face with all that Christ is and is about.

This is the mega-theme of Jesus Wants to Save Christians.



This question is explored in the chapter of the book entitled, "Swollen-Bellied Black Babies, Soccer Moms On Prozac, and the Mark of the Beast" (Yes, that's the whole chapter title).

The  Review

This is easily Rob Bell's most comprehensive book yet as it summarizes all that one in Christ should be about in only six short chapters. There is some great insight into the Bible at large as the first half almost exclusively dives into the Scriptures. If you felt that Bell was too "loosey-goosey" in previous materials, this is likely to supersede any other notions.

This is probably the most comprehensive book in the Biblical empire subversion genre.

Pick it up if you get a chance. I read it in like 4 sittings. Its a very smooth and quick read.

How many times have you heard, "You've got to put Christ back in Christmas."? Its been said that antichrist influencers have been trying to take Christ out of Christmas.

How is Christ being removed?
By replacing "Christ" with an "X" in "X-mas"?
Or by just calling it "The Holiday Season"?

Let me first say that the origin of "X-mas" is about a thousand years old. In Greek, the first letter of Christ's name is "X" or "chi".  Its a whole lot faster to write and it means exactly the same thing. So, that kinda blows that theory out of the water. Similarly, the word "Holiday" means "Holy day" or "Set-apart day for God-honoring purposes". So if you're truly celebrating a "holiday", your everything is turned to God.

Now, about keeping Christ in Christmas:

Whats more "antichrist" than saying you're like Christ when you're acting nothing like Him? Is your Christmas celebration about giving presents to friends and family? Even pagans do that. Jesus called us to something more.

Don't get me wrong, the whole world is opposed to Christ in his fullness. But the initiatives of the Kingdom are nothing like the world's "culture wars".

If the holiday is about the Incarnation, incarnate Christ. That's what John 1:12-13 is all about. He's revealed how to be like Him. So live out of that. Don't mindlessly follow tradition.

Be like St. Francis: Live the Gospel with selfless love and wild acts of redemption (and use words when necessary).

When you compromise you'll end up apathetic and wonder how you got there.

Leave your compromise and return to your destiny.

I know my title may be somewhat redundant since this is a blog. But, I have a question:

What do you want me to write about?

I have a thing or two on my heart that I need to get onto the web regarding Blood Covenants and how understanding covenants like marriage will open you to the Scriptures. But I really want to know what you're curious about from me.

Its no surprise that myspace usership is going down and I don't know how many people from Facebook and similar syndication read his stuff. Yet, I still have a consistent 300+ hits a week. So, somebody is tuning in.

But any feedback is welcome. I really want to know what you think about this blog and what you'd like to see in it.

Did you ever experience a "Wow! God, You are real and you really do love me" kind of moment?

If so, can you share about how it happened?

Not everybody likes diving.

When you dive, you crash into whatever is in front of you. This can be paralyzing if you're diving into shallow waters. Therefore, only the brave dive; and yes, maybe a few of the dangerously foolish.

But everybody likes pulling.

When you pull things, they come closer to you. What you desire comes nearer to your heart. You get what you want. We like getting what we want.

Yet, when all we do is pull, we never learn to dive.

Diving asks a lot of us. I forces us to prepare. It forces us to correct our form (We don't want to make belly-flops!). Diving forces us to be subject to the whim of what we're crashing into. Once we make that dive, we're plunged into the depths.

The further the dive, the further the plunge.

Conversely, when you're pulling, you can only grab so much water at once. It's nothing like diving into the water.

Diving is to pulling what swimming is to splashing.

"So what's your point, Joshua?" I say all of this to say that there's two ways to interpret the Bible: Diving and Pulling.

Well, not all of them are dead. But most of them are.

I grew up in a rather conservative Christian circle of Lancaster County, PA. Most of the kids I grew up with were professing Christians.

Now, it seems to be that most of them are spiritually dead. I could be wrong. But this is a perception. Some of my closest friends have gone infinitely deeper into Christ. Others have not. Yet, I'm not here to argue over who's dead and who's alive.

I'm here to explore why people are dying spiritually.

I just think it's fairly obvious that most people who went to church as kids aren't following Jesus once they get past the age of 22.

Why is that?

I have an idea.

The book of Deuteronomy is like the heart of the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible). It's got a ton of hot and juicy words that guide us to Life.

Verse nine of chapter four says,


Have we been careful? Have we been teaching our children? Or have our parents been teaching us? Do we even have spiritual parents?

Have we been spiritual orphans?

We learned how to go to church. But have we learned how to be parented? Have we learned how to be parents? If we don't see parenting as the most important part of our spiritual formation, we're doomed to fail.

How do you feel about spiritual parenting? Do you engage in it? Do you crave it?