Someone once said, "Golf is a game where guts and blind devotion will always net you absolutely nothing but an ulcer." If this doesn't explain the game of golf, I'm not sure what does. I went golfing this afternoon for the third time so far this year. I have to practice on my game because there is a tournament coming up where the professors are playing the students...I'll be sure to let you guys know who it ends up. But in the mean time, I'm getting ulcer after ulcer.
So now that I am graduating from Ozark, the powers at be made me take a Bible exam to see if I had learned anything while attending OCC. I first took this test when I was a freshman, and after the test I left the room feeling like a moron. I actually began to question whether or not I should be at a place like Ozark because I barely knew any of the answers. I'm proud to say that after taking the exam for the second time, I feel a little better about how I might have scored. Anyways on the exam there were questions that dealt with the Psalms. A question might go something like this: "What Psalm discusses 'They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing'?" Then there were 5 different Psalms listed that I could choose from that correctly answered the question. There were two Psalms that kept reappearing on the test that stuck out in my mind...Psalm 22 and Psalm 91. To be honest, I didn't know what each Psalm was talking about exactly but I knew they were important. Now I took this Test about a week ago, and tonight at youth group during worship, I decided to sit down and read those chapters for some reason.
First, I read Psalm 91. Key verses in this chapter would be "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust'." The psalmist also writes, "If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the Lord, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you." The whole theme of this Psalm is that God will protect and take care of anyone who dwells with God.
Then right away I decided to read Psalm 22. The verses that stick out in this Psalm are "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Then King David goes on to say, "O my god, I cry out by day, but you do not answer." The tone of this Psalm is drastically different than Psalm 91. Psalm 22 expresses agony and despair, and Psalm 91 expresses ecstasy and jubilation.
After reading these two passages that had extreme emotional differences, I reread Psalm 22, and then it hit me. No person could ever speak such words in Psalm 91 if it wasn't for Psalm 22. You see, Psalm 22 was written by King David, but the contents are screaming for a crucified Messiah. Because Jesus voluntarily died on the cross, the Psalmist can rejoice by saying, "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust'." There are so many parallels between Jesus and Psalm 22:
- v.1 "My God, my God, why hav eyou forsaken me?": Jesus cries out in a loud voice while being crucified on the corss, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mk. 15:34).
- v.7 "All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.": As Jesus was being crucified "those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads" (Mt. 27:39).
- v.8 "He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him.": Those who passed by hurled insults at Jesus while he was hanging on the cross. even the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him by saying, "He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him" (Mt. 27:43).
- v.16 "Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.": This is how crucifixion took place. They would nail the criminal by the hands and feet to wooden posts.
- v.18 "They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.": John tells us that while the soldiers were crucifying Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them (Jn. 19:23).
I know all of this stuff might be elementary to some of you, but it was so refreshing just to be able to recognize the power and hope in times of darkness. When we realize that Jesus Christ endured the cross for our sake and what he saved us from, our Psalm 22 moments can quickly become Psalm 91 moments.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
I Miss Ignorance
I feel more like an adult everyday. I am pretty sure that I have nose hair growing, I am graduating in a little over a month, and I just filed my taxes today. I miss the days of not caring about anything besides whether or not there were any cherry Popsicles left in the freezer or if the foursquare spot would be taken up during recess. I miss ignorance!
I remember the first time I actually thought about the whole concept of "missing ignorance." Of course, I had no idea what the term ignorance meant at the time, but I clearly recall thinking to myself, "Man, I wish I would have never learned that." It was when I was in 5th grade. No, I'm not talking about the "sex talk" that every young boy and girl receives from the public school system (I actually missed that day because I had to go to a funeral). The Horrific thing I learned that day...was...the existence...of killer bees.
I'll never forget the terror that shot through my 11-year-old body as the narrator of the Discovery Channel Special on the threat of Killer Bees in the United States spoke. He went on to explain the history of the Killer Bee. The African honey bee was brought over to Brazil to develop a new kind of Bee that would produce more honey and be able to adapt to the tropical climate. The man in charge of this operation had a queen African bee in a cage that only allowed smaller European honey bees to enter the cage and mate with the Queen. The offspring of these bees became known as Africanized Bees or more commonly "The Killer Bees." Unfortunately, the owner of these bees accidentally let the bees go, and now they were migrating north to the United States through Texas.
Living in Kansas, you wouldn't think that I would be to afraid of this news, but what I failed to mention earlier is that my family was planning on going to San Antonio, Texas that summer for vacation. I was so scared about getting attacked by a swarm of Killer Bees. Kill was in their name and I didn't want to mess with them at all. I constantly talked to my parents about my fear of the bees, but they assured me that I would be okay.
I stand, actually I'm sitting, here today to tell you that I survived my family vacation to San Antonio. I don't think I even saw a bee the entire time I was in Texas, but I lived in a constant fear of those darn bees. If only I had never watched that dumb documentary on Killer Bees...
Oh, how I miss ignorance! I miss not knowing about federal and state tax. I miss not knowing that April 15th was Tax day, but sadly I'm growing up and I get to experience paying taxes. I have a friend who said, "The IRS is proof that Satan has dominion over the earth." And I couldn't agree more! But I'm free from stressing out about taxes for another year, and in the mean time I would urge you guys not to watch any documentaries on Killer Bees...or the IRS.
I remember the first time I actually thought about the whole concept of "missing ignorance." Of course, I had no idea what the term ignorance meant at the time, but I clearly recall thinking to myself, "Man, I wish I would have never learned that." It was when I was in 5th grade. No, I'm not talking about the "sex talk" that every young boy and girl receives from the public school system (I actually missed that day because I had to go to a funeral). The Horrific thing I learned that day...was...the existence...of killer bees.
I'll never forget the terror that shot through my 11-year-old body as the narrator of the Discovery Channel Special on the threat of Killer Bees in the United States spoke. He went on to explain the history of the Killer Bee. The African honey bee was brought over to Brazil to develop a new kind of Bee that would produce more honey and be able to adapt to the tropical climate. The man in charge of this operation had a queen African bee in a cage that only allowed smaller European honey bees to enter the cage and mate with the Queen. The offspring of these bees became known as Africanized Bees or more commonly "The Killer Bees." Unfortunately, the owner of these bees accidentally let the bees go, and now they were migrating north to the United States through Texas.
Living in Kansas, you wouldn't think that I would be to afraid of this news, but what I failed to mention earlier is that my family was planning on going to San Antonio, Texas that summer for vacation. I was so scared about getting attacked by a swarm of Killer Bees. Kill was in their name and I didn't want to mess with them at all. I constantly talked to my parents about my fear of the bees, but they assured me that I would be okay.
I stand, actually I'm sitting, here today to tell you that I survived my family vacation to San Antonio. I don't think I even saw a bee the entire time I was in Texas, but I lived in a constant fear of those darn bees. If only I had never watched that dumb documentary on Killer Bees...
Oh, how I miss ignorance! I miss not knowing about federal and state tax. I miss not knowing that April 15th was Tax day, but sadly I'm growing up and I get to experience paying taxes. I have a friend who said, "The IRS is proof that Satan has dominion over the earth." And I couldn't agree more! But I'm free from stressing out about taxes for another year, and in the mean time I would urge you guys not to watch any documentaries on Killer Bees...or the IRS.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
I'm a Twit...but not a Moron.
Don't think less of me, please. I swore that I would never do this as long as I live, but unfortunately I caved. No, i didn't commmit murder or paint my fingernails. I started a twitter. I blame no one but myself...well I kind of blame Blake Park. He forced me to get one. It's all his fault.
Twitter is basically a network where you tell the world what is on your mind. I'm still getting use to the terminology of the twitter world. If you post a twitter, its called a "tweet." If you are in the act of posting a tweet, you are "tweeting." And I'm not sure if this last one is true or not, but if you are a person who is tweeting, you are a twit. Okay, I think I made up that last word but if thats ture then I am a twit.
As I was looking at my twitter page online, I was looking at all the people's twitter I follow. I follow my friends, athletes, and many different other people. One person I follow is Mark Driscol. He is a pastor at a church called Mars Hill up in the northwest, and even though I don't agree with everything he says he is a brilliant servant for the Lord. Earlier today, he tweeted, "Today, Jesus got out of the grave. I think you can get out of your house and come to church." Well today I got out of my house I went to church, but not because Mark told me to but because Jesus did in fact without a doubt get out of the grave about 2,000 years ago. I believe the Apostle Paul says it best in 1 Corinthians 15:17 when he says, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile."
It is great that Jesus died on the cross. In fact, its AMAZING! But if the body of Christ was found in a tomb somewhere in Jerusalem tomorrow, this is all for nothing. And I would be a moron because I have devoted my entire life to following this man named Jesus. Christianity is built upon the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord. If He is Lord, then death cannot conquer Him. Luckily...not luckily but divinely, Jesus walked out of the tomb Sunday morning so that His followers would have hope in life after death. Later in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul goes on to say that if Jesus really did not raise from the dead, then Christians should be pitied by all men. Many people have given their lives because of Jesus' resurrection. It said that the Apostle Peter was crucified. Another Apostle named Barthalomew was said to be skinned alive because of his faith in the risen Lord Jesus.
Now today was a beautiful day. The skies were blue and I went to church to worship with the Body of Christ. I ate ham with my grandparents and little cousins. The easter bunny visited us and brought us Buffalo Wild Wings gift certificates. I was even blessed to look for easter eggs with my brothers. But nothing was more important and more vital than when Jesus "got out of the grave." I am no moron....just a twit.
Twitter is basically a network where you tell the world what is on your mind. I'm still getting use to the terminology of the twitter world. If you post a twitter, its called a "tweet." If you are in the act of posting a tweet, you are "tweeting." And I'm not sure if this last one is true or not, but if you are a person who is tweeting, you are a twit. Okay, I think I made up that last word but if thats ture then I am a twit.
As I was looking at my twitter page online, I was looking at all the people's twitter I follow. I follow my friends, athletes, and many different other people. One person I follow is Mark Driscol. He is a pastor at a church called Mars Hill up in the northwest, and even though I don't agree with everything he says he is a brilliant servant for the Lord. Earlier today, he tweeted, "Today, Jesus got out of the grave. I think you can get out of your house and come to church." Well today I got out of my house I went to church, but not because Mark told me to but because Jesus did in fact without a doubt get out of the grave about 2,000 years ago. I believe the Apostle Paul says it best in 1 Corinthians 15:17 when he says, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile."
It is great that Jesus died on the cross. In fact, its AMAZING! But if the body of Christ was found in a tomb somewhere in Jerusalem tomorrow, this is all for nothing. And I would be a moron because I have devoted my entire life to following this man named Jesus. Christianity is built upon the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord. If He is Lord, then death cannot conquer Him. Luckily...not luckily but divinely, Jesus walked out of the tomb Sunday morning so that His followers would have hope in life after death. Later in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul goes on to say that if Jesus really did not raise from the dead, then Christians should be pitied by all men. Many people have given their lives because of Jesus' resurrection. It said that the Apostle Peter was crucified. Another Apostle named Barthalomew was said to be skinned alive because of his faith in the risen Lord Jesus.
Now today was a beautiful day. The skies were blue and I went to church to worship with the Body of Christ. I ate ham with my grandparents and little cousins. The easter bunny visited us and brought us Buffalo Wild Wings gift certificates. I was even blessed to look for easter eggs with my brothers. But nothing was more important and more vital than when Jesus "got out of the grave." I am no moron....just a twit.
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