Challenging thought of the day from C.S. Lewis:

Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

What are you too easily please by? What lesser thing do you choose over and above the infinite joy offered to you through Jesus Christ?

Father, help us to settle for nothing less than you.

School is officially back in session next week but today we started our new school year routine. Sandy went back for teacher in-service and I went back to using my desk full-time after a summer of using the youth room as my office. This year I have decided to pack a lunch and take my lunch time at the office as often as I can. Sure, I’ll visit schools and eat with students some days and I’ll have occasions where I’ll have a lunch meeting but if I can save a buck (or eight) here and there more power to me.

My hope is to watch sermon podcasts or listen to leadership lessons while I eat each day but today… I needed to rock out to the second (SECOND!) encore from U2360: Live from the Rose Bowl on DVD. My soul gets fed in all sorts of ways.

I listend to Ultraviolent (Light My Way) which dovetailed quite nicely with my morning scripture meditation from the Sermon on the Mount.

First from Matthew 5:

“Let’s not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here’s what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile.” (Matthew 5:29 MESSAGE)

From Ultraviolent:

Oh sugar, don’t you cry
Oh child, wipe the tears from your eyes
You know I need you to be strong
And the day is as dark as the night is long
Feel like trash, you make me feel clean
I’m in the black, can’t see or be seen

Baby baby baby light my way

It is impossible to overcome the foul stench of sin and unrighteousness we find ourselves in. Sin takes us for a joyride only to drop our rotting corpse on top of the trash heap. We are left exposed to the world- our sin, our humilation, our choices- open to ridicule and contempt. That’s when the grace of Jesus comes, picks us up, covers us with his righteousness. (1Peter 3:18)

Sin leaves me feeling like trash. Only Christ makes me clean. Light my way, Lord! Light our way!

We are taking a few days off to celebrate our anniversary. This short get away has us crossing the northern border of Texas onto Oklahoma.

I am looking forward to spending a couple nights away from it all with my beautiful bride lounging at the pool, sleeping in, and eating some great food.

See you when we get back!

According to Wikipedia, “Jewish law prohibits doing any form of meleachah on shabbat, with some exceptions Though melachah is commonly translated as work in English, a better definition is deliberate activity or skill and craftmanship. There are 39 categories of prohibited activities.”

Some of these 39 activities include:

• Planting
• Plowing
• Baking
• Selecting
• Writing more than 2 letters
• Erasing more than 2 letters
• Igniting a fire
• Applying the finishing touch
• Tying
• Untying

There seems to be a lot of debate about the use of modern electronics and appliances. Can you drive a car? What about watching a tv- even if it was on when Sabbath began?

Before I began this journey, I had to decide exactly how far I was going to take my Sabbath attempts. The laws aren’t just confusing they are overwhelming. For example, according to my study it was permissible for me to use the refrigerator but when you open the door the incandescent light bulb is triggered and thus violates the law prohibiting igniting a fire. I could drink my cold sweet tea but each trip to the fridge violated the law. The solution for some is to unscrew the bulb in the fridge before sundown on the Sabbath.

Some Rabbis have varying rules and teachings on the use of electronics. Some believe that typing and deleting text in on a computer doesn’t violate the writing laws. Also, many people see sitting at the computer a way to relax and rest. What would I choose? How could I observe the Sabbath appropriately?

I started by turning off the electronics all together. I turned off the tv. No iPod or XBOX. I handed the iPhone to my wife for safe keeping. For me to truly rest and connect with the spirit in which the Sabbath was intended I could not be tethered online or to mindless entertainment.

Second, I decided not to read any “ministry related” books or magazines during the Sabbath. I love to read and certainly reading does not violate the Sabbath. However, for me to read a ministry book would keep me connected to work. I can’t just passively enjoy a book about ministry. The point is rest and I can’t do that while taking notes.

Thirdly, my Sabbath would not infringe on my family in any way. Well, the first one at least didn’t get in the way. Part of the reason I decided to choose April for this experiment was that my wife is scheduled to be gone nearly every weekend. This way my experiment wouldn’t infringe on her too much. That first Sabbath was a great time of zero expectations and no agendas and we were able to share it together. Although, she didn’t appreciate the fact that I couldn’t help her move a table. It wasn’t that heavy anyway.

So, what does the Sabbath have in store for me this weekend? Since I’m home alone again I’m taking it up a notch by not turning the lights on or off. If the light is on at sundown, it stays on. If it is off at sundown, it stays off.

Oh, and I’m unscrewing the little light bulb in the fridge. Ya, I’m going there.

So in the beginning God revealed Himself through CREATION and then through His WORD but the Apostle John tells us that something amazing happened. He tells us that God REVEALED Himself by becoming a man and living among us. John tells us this by using almost the exact same language as in Genesis.

The WORD became flesh and God REVEALED Himself through His Son, JESUS CHRIST.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5 TNIV)

Through Jesus Christ God REVEALS to us a number of things.

Jesus Reveals:

God’s Love & Blessings

Forgiveness

Faithfulness

Salvation

Grace

Redemption

Glory

New Life

“We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us—one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart; he has told us about him.” (John 1:16-18 NLT)

Through Jesus Christ we have hope for a new life. We are not burdened by sin anymore. The Creator of the Universe stepped down, lived as a man, died as an innocent, and was raised to life again. And this new life is offered to you and me.