Hey guys…been real busy.  I have a whole lot to to probably catch people up on but I have encountered a bit of writer’s block with songwriting since I wrote my last song “Abide in Love” (based around John 15:1-12).  I’ve also really been trying to focus on practicing bass so I’m ready for Aletheia Tampa’s transition to Sunday nights and full band worship as well.  I finally had a little break in the writer’s block and eeked out a new song.  I haven’t recorded it yet due to my ghetto recording setup, cheap-o guitar, and old strings but I figured I’d share the lyrics with anyone who was interested to see what I’ve been up to musically.  The chorus was inspired by Proverbs 27:19 which speaks of how the type of person we are is really a reflection of what lies within our heart.  The rest of the song centers around us being lights to the world and following the Light of the world.  It’s all really a heart matter.  What is in our heart is going to reflect out into our actions.  The song is really about filling our heart with the things of the light rather than clouding it out with darkness so that we when our heart reflects the type of person we are, we are the best examples of Him that we can be.  Again, these are the lyrics, there is not title yet, but I hope it speaks to you.

Chorus:
As in water face reflects face
Let my heart be a reflection of Your mercy and grace
I’m starved without Your presence
Fulfilled by only a taste
Let my heart be an example of a heart You did make

What is made of these actions
As the people look on
Or when no one is watching
And temptation grows strong
To delight in the wicked
To give into the flesh
Do we live as Your children?
Do we do what is best?

You are the light of the world
Shone bright into our lives
Once lost amidst the darkness
Till You lit up our skies
Now sons of the light,
And daughters of the day
Your true light is already shining
As the darkness is passing away

Let us be living as lights
And doing what’s right
As we’re carrying Your banner
And the people fix their sight
Let us turn away from sin
The things causing us to fall
And set our hearts towards the light
In which there’s no darkness at all

(Prov. 27:19; John 8:12; Rom 2:17-24; Eph 5:8-10; 1 John 1:5-7; 2:9)

It’s been a couple weeks but I am finally back to give my second installment of “The Revered Rotation”, a blog segment where I document some of my all-time favorite bands, artists, and CDs.  The band in the spotlight this time may be a little rougher around the edges than the pretty sounds of Copeland but that’s not to say they don’t know how to write a hook.  Though chief songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist Ace Enders lyrical content lacked in substance, he made up for it with a slew of catchy gems to firmly entrench The Early November into my list of all-time favorite bands.  This is a band that I followed from their very early years, signing onto Drive-Thru Records as an upstart band with pretty much no stage experience from New Jersey, to their very last performance as a band on the mainstage at the 2007 Bamboozle Festival.  This is definitely another one of the bands that stirs up a lot of nostalgia.  I can still remember attending a show on their first headlining tour at a skating rink in small Purcellville, VA.  There were maybe 50 kids who showed up that night but it definitely goes down as one of my favorite shows and even one of my more memorable moments in high school.  Due to the small crowd, informal venue, and limited exposure the bands on the card had gotten at the time we were able to meet a lot of the guys in the bands and see them having fun just hanging out.  The guys even rented a few pairs of quad skates and did a few laps around the rink with Pops,  elderly man in overalls who apparently worked at the skating rink for years.  I was able to see The Early November a handful of times after that and each time I had the chance to talk to the guys they were alway real down to earth.

As a band I got to see and hear these guys progress over the years.  At the time of the skating rink show they had only released an 8 song EP entitled For All of This, which was a nice release from a young band.  Ace Enders wrote some really catchy tunes on that 2002 debut.  The sound was a little raw and had some songs with great energy but could also bring it down a few notches and show some quality pop sensibilities.  It was only the tip of the iceberg though.  The band’s first full length release, The Room’s Too Cold, opened with “Ever So Sweet”.   The song was actually originally released on their Acoustic EP, which they sold at their live shows.  The album version was redone, polished up a bit with some string orchestration adding some layers to the powerful opening cut.  Looking back and listening now, I’m not sure if I realized how well that album flowed.  I know that I rocked that CD countless times in my olive green 1979 Chevy Monte Carlo.  Tracks like “Something That Produces Results”, “Exchanging Two-Hundred”, and “Baby Blue” were songs that begged to played loud as I sang along to the carefully crafted hooks that would find themselves stuck in my head more than a few times.  Not only the album as a whole, but most of the songs as well were very dynamic as they built up from a calm lull to a swell of distorted guitars and powerful percussion to accompany some great harmonies and group vocal parts, and vocals that were sang with feeling.  By this time the Early November were definitely one of my favorite bands but I had no idea what to expect with their next album.  When it came time for the Early November to get back in the studio for their follow-up album Ace Enders had a boatload of songs and a head full of ideas that he wanted to bundle into an ambitious 3-disc concept album, The Mother, The Mechanic, and the Path.  The third disc was a musically narrated story which the first some of the first two discs’ songs were actually based off of.  The story was entertaining for a few listens but the songs on the album’s first two discs really showed a lot of maturity in Ace Enders as a songwriter and the guys’ progression as a band.  The first of disc, labeled “The Mechanic”, held closer to the band’s traditional sound and would be the progression one would have most likely expected the band to make from their previous release.  The second, “The Mother”, had more of a mellower sound and included a lot of acoustic instrumentation.  One of the elements I enjoyed the most from the two albums was their inclusion of bluesy and folk elements into their sound.  They even broke out some steel guitar and banjo for a little grass roots influence.  I still thoroughly enjoy instrumentation and diversity of the album.  The crazy part about the album was that they cut back on their royalties so that they could offer the 3-disc effort for a measly $10 price of a normal album.

After touring for a year in support of the album the guys would announce their impending hiatus.  They announced their last batch of tour dates and as previously stated I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for their last performance.  It was kind of surreal to be standing their in the crowd watching this band play their last show in front of a festival crowd of a few hundred people and thinking that this was the same band I had seen play in front of 50 kids at a backwoods skating rink in Purcellville, VA way back as an underclassmen in high school.  As they closed with “Every Night’s Another Story” from that early 2002 EP, For All of This, they displayed the same great energy I had grown accustomed to seeing at their live shows, regardless of the crowd-size or venue.  Ace Enders move on to his next band, Ace Enders & a Million Different People, and would bring along his energetic bass-player Sergio “Serg” Anello.  They picked up where The Early November left off with even an even stronger pop sensibility.  I don’t listen to the radio much but it wouldn’t surprise me if some of the cuts of the new album, When I Hit the Ground, got some airplay.  I won’t include it on my list of favorite songs here but I do highly recommend giving it a try, especially if you were a fan of the Early November.  Just like with my Copeland “favorites” list I’ll list my favorite albums as a whole then do my best to order my favorite songs from those albums individually.  Hope you enjoyed my second installment.  If you had never listened to The Early November, it’s never too late to start.

The Mother, the Mechanic, and the Path (2006): 1) Outside  2) No Good at Saying Sorry (One More Chance)  3) Money in His Hand  4) Hair  5) Scared to Lose  6) This Wasn’t In Our Plan  7) Figure It Out  9) Is It My Fault?  9) The One That You Hated  10) From Here to L.A.

For All of This (2002): 1) Every Night’s Another Story  2) I Want to Hear You Sad  3) Sunday Drive  4) Take Time and Find  5) All We Ever Needed

The Room’s Too Cold (2003): 1) Fluxy  2) Baby Blue  3) Ever So Sweet  4) Sesame, Smeshame  5) Exchanging Two-Hundred

It is Father’s Day and I am blessed.  I am saddened just a little that I cannot be with my pops today but more joyful that I am loved, for the relationship I have, and how I have been raised by my dad.  He has set a good example for me as to how I can be a good father one day.  He would be the first to admit he has fallen short at times but I have never really felt unloved or neglected by him in my 23 years of being his son.  We have had some spats here and there but most of our wrestling matches were in fun and included me wearing his oversized gloves on my little kid hands, jumping off the third step of our old stairwell like it was the third turnbuckle of a wrestling ring.  I thank God that he sent me into such a loving family and that he touched my parents lives while I was still at a very young age so that I was raised in a household that loved God.  My dad has always been there for me and over the years we have developed a friendship and shared in a lot of really great times.  When I moved to Tampa, he would have rather me stayed close, but supported God’s calling in my life.  This the farthest and longest I’ve been away from my family for any extended time and I have to say I have really missed out on some great times with my dad.  We have always bonded over sports, watching nearly every Steelers game together until I moved to college and then one of us making the drive to watch the playoff games together.  Just weeks after I moved the Steelers were winning one of the most exciting Super Bowls and periodic phone calls would have to suffice.  Then as March Madness rolled around our college hoops teams both had a lot of success with Villanova going to the Final Four and Penn State winning the NIT.  Now just over a week ago the Penguins finished their thrilling run through the Stanley Cup playoffs, beating the Detroit Red Wings in a clutch game 7.  It would have been great to have been able to watch the games with him and share in the celebration and I’m sure he feels the same way too but our bonding goes beyond just sports to something much greater.

It was probably one of the toughest things that my dad and I went through when I made the decision to stop playing football and just focus on school and hoping at that time to get more involved in music.  It took a while but he eventually accepted my decision but I think true closure and understanding was brought about when I finally got plugged in with Aletheia and started developing my relationship with God.  I remember Him telling me that I had made the right decision and that he was far prouder of how I was following after God than anything I could have accomplished on a playing field.  The support and encouragement my dad had poured into me throughout my years of rec league basketball and all my playing days of football from 3rd grade through high school graduation was still there but just shifted to a higher cause.  Now my dad is supporting me as I try to help plant the newest Aletheia church plant in Tampa, FL over 12 hours away by car.  Though there’s distance between us, I always know he’s there if I need him.  I can call him for help, advice, or just to talk.  I love my dad here on earth, he deserves at least a day of recognition for all that he has done for me but everyday should be a celebration of the Father that both my dad and I serve.

When I was born to my mom and dad in March of 1986, I was equipped to live in the physical.  I could enjoy the things of this earth that God blesses everyone with through his common grace but in order to see God’s eternal purpose in my life I would need to follow Jesus’ instruction.  When Nicodemus came to Jesus in John chapter 3, Jesus spoke what was probably very confusing information about how to be connected with God.  Verse 3 reads,  Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus explains further in verses 5 & 6 that to simply have life in the flesh we are born in the flesh but to have life in the spirit we must be born of the Spirit.  Now I long for the day when we see Him in the kingdom.  I was listening to a Mark Driscoll sermon on this section and he talked about how we think democracy is great but how much sweeter is it going to be to have a benevolent dictatorship.  Think about it.  We jack things up so much.  How about we have someone who knows all, knows what is best, and oh, is our Father who loves us…how about if He were just in complete control.  That’s what I am expecting the kingdom to be like.  But we don’t have to wait till then to start living our second life!  We are born again through the Spirit when we accept God into our lives through repentance and faith thanks to Jesus’ atoning sacrifice (John 3:14-16).  God has shown us His love.  He has given us instructions and examples through His life and His Word.

Yesterday I was talking with a friend, who was spoke of how much comfort she feels women get from how God is their husband first and how the Bible talks about the care and security that is found in Him.  She asked if it were any different for guys.  I know that we’re all God’s bride and I definitely find security in that but I also feel like for me, God as our Father really hits home.  One of my favorite verses, 1 John 3:1 says, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Having a good relationship with my dad it is easy for me to relate to the beauty of a father-son relationship.  There is a lot to find security in with the closeness of the father-son bond we share with God but I also take it upon myself as a challenge, a call for preparation.  As a man I want to really just speak out right now and say pay attention to this verse.  John starts it with the word behold.  In the Greek, it’s the word eidon and means “to turn the eyes, the mind, the attention to anything”.  John is telling us to really pay attention to the way God loves us as a father.  He calls on us and cares for us as His children.  He sacrifices for us and wants to guide us into the best situations.  He is always there.  He is the ideal father.  Anyone who is a father already or one day hopes to be a father should be actively pursuing a relationship with our heavenly Father now, gleaning as much as we can, following His example so that they can one day raise their child in that manner of love, the best that they can.

Just as the end of that verse states though, there are people out there who do not know Him.  There are kids out there who do not know their fathers or do not have great relationships with their fathers.  We have the opportunity to help them with the hurt that they may feel, the void left by that missing relationship.  Whatever the size of our role, by following God’s example we can show the manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us to those people and help direct them into a relationship with the best Father, so that he may be a father to the fatherless.  So on this day, if you have a father let him know you love him and appreciate him.  If you are a father, continue to cherish the opportunity you get to follow after God’s example.  And regardless of who you are, I pray that we all see the beauty of fatherhood as it was intended to be and rejoice in the love God shows us as our Father.

I love you all, those of you here in Florida.  I love and miss all my awesome church family back home in VA.  And I love and miss my family up in Winchester.  I wish I could be there to hang out with you today dad, thanks for doing your best to follow after God’s example and trying to direct me towards Him while you raised me as your son.

Those of you who are even the slightest of acquaintances with me probably have some sort of an inkling that music is a big passion in my life. It has been for quite some time which I think I may chronicle in a future blog but I felt like starting something of a recurring music themed blog, of which this will be the first. Due to my love of alliteration and these artists tendency to find their way into my song rotation, I have chosen the tacky title “The Revered Rotation”. In these articles I will be sharing a little on some of my all-time favorite bands. Putting any sort of order to these would be a near impossible task for me. Slimming down my favorite music list on Facebook to a sparse 34 artists has been tough enough but I will do my best to detail the cream of the crop in this section. I will share a little about what has endeared these artists and their work to me, maybe a little nostalgia, and some of my favorite cuts from their work. Without further adieu, my first installment…
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Copeland

This was an obvious choice for me to start with right now. I have been on quite the Copeland kick this past week. Copeland is far more than just a “music for the moment” band for me though. In fact, I have kept these guys in frequent rotation and considered them a favorite of mine for about 6 years now. While I was still in high school I stumbled upon this upstart band on a tiny little Militia Group label. How I was formally introduced to their music evades me but I know that as soon as I unpacked their debut full-length “Beneath Medicine Tree” and popped that CD into my CD player I was hooked. “Brightest” starts the CD off with just piano and frontman Aaron Marsh’s vocals showcasing the type of lyrics that won over the romantic inside of me upon first listen. The instrumentation picks up as the CD continues but never loses that feeling of sincerity. There is a great pop sensibility to the songs as Aaron Marsh’s vocal harmonies, falsetto and all, mesh with solid beats and acoustic and electric guitars that build an atmosphere that makes it easy to get lost in. I’m a sucker for a good pop-rock song to begin with but Marsh’s lyrics really cemented this CDs spot in my all-time favorites and reserved my spot on the Copeland bandwagon. Catchy and honest, the writing sometimes doesn’t seem like much but I can’t listen to Copeland without thinking how pretty these songs are.

I first saw Copeland play live at Alley Katz in Richmond, VA opening for Mae with Slow Coming Day and the Working Title. I’d still have to regard it as one of my favorite shows I’ve ever attended. They were in the writing process for their 2nd album “In Motion” and can distinctly remember them playing “Love is a Fast Song” which I fell in love with when the CD finally hit the streets. “In Motion” would showcase some added muscle to the bands sound and Marsh’s lyrics were even better this time around. While I own all four full length CDs, their cover EP, and B-Sides collection, these first two CDs are my clear favorites of the bunch. I’d probably lean towards “Beneath Medicine Tree” barely over “In Motion” on a whole partially for nostalgia’s sake but “In Motion” probably contains some of their finest work. I was not a huge fan of “Eat, Sleep, Repeat” with a bit of a shift in songwriting both musically and lyrically. Still, even with my favoritism for their earlier work there are still plenty of quality cuts on their more recent releases. The following are a few of my favorites from the band. The songs are grouped with the full-lengths they are found on and those are also listed in order of preference. I tried to narrow it down to my 5 favorite songs on my favorite CDs and my top 3 on the other releases. I would definitely advise you check out if you haven’t given them a listen. I know this wasn’t the most quality piece of writing but I think you will find that these songs far exceed my description.

Beneath Medicine Tree (2003): 1) Take Care 2) Walking Downtown 3) When Paula Sparks 4) Testing the Strong Ones 5) There Cannot Be a Close Second

In Motion (2005): 1) Love is a Fast Song 2) Don’t Slow Down 3) You Have My Attention 4) Hold Nothing Back 5) Choose the One Who Loves You More

You Are My Sunshine (2008): 1) Chin Up 2) What Do I Know? 3) The Day I Lost My Voice (The Suitcase Song)

Eat, Sleep, Repeat (2006): 1) Eat, Sleep, Repeat 2) I’m a Sucker for a Kind Word 3) By My Side

Hold Nothing Back

Do what you want but I know who you are
Say what you want but I know what you’re thinking
Go where you want but I won’t be too far
Go where you want and I know where you’ll end up

If you fall in love
Fall in love and hold nothing back
I’ll fall in love
Fall in love and hold nothing back from you

In addition to studying through 1 Peter, I have been reading through the Gospel of John.  Since I’m nearing the end of the book I have started listening to Mark Driscoll’s sermon series on the book.  The sermon I listened to this morning while on my run brought to light how the message has been spread since the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry and just as effectively today.  The most reliable and effective way to spread a message is not simply by advertisements or bombarding people with information.  We are constantly hit up with ads and have to filter through all kinds of proposals on a daily basis.  The way that we tend to filter out all these propositions is through word of mouth with those we feel connected.

Connection is so key.  When we go out sharing the message, whatever the scenario, we have to have first develop a connection.  The first chapter of John shows us so amazingly how this works in so many different ways.  We all have so many different spheres of influence in our lives if we stop and think about it.  Our family, our friends, our workplace, social clubs, our geographical community, the list goes on.  Our influence is not so far removed from someone else as we might think.  Here are a few ways how Jesus’ web of followers was spread through His disciples.

Teachers: This can work in a few ways.  Whether it’s a pastor, a school teacher, or someone who is instructing another person in some sort of trade, those people have a great opportunity to influence others.  If the teacher is acting with integrity and truly leading then those underneath him should have a certain degree of respect and trust in that teacher.  This was the case for the first two disciples called, Andrew and John.  They are identified as disciples of John the Baptizer, who was proclaiming the coming of the Messiah.  When John the Baptizer identified Jesus as the Lamb of God, the disciples trusted John’s claim and followed after Jesus (v. 35-39).

Family: This is a community that most of encounter and have strong ties to.  Not all of us are blessed with great family relations but a lot of us do feel there are strong ties there.  Andrew obviously had a good relationship with his brother Simon Peter and after spending a day with Jesus, Andrew went to Simon Peter and told him “We have found the Messiah” (v. 31).  We can also see the spreading of the Gospel throughout households elsewhere in the NT in Acts with Lydia and her household (Acts 16:14-15) and the jailer and his family (Acts 16:30-33).  If you find out any good thing, or in the case the best thing, we should want to spread it to those we have such a close bond with.

Geography: This one we might overlook.  When we go out sharing on campus or in housing complexes or even in a broad general sense, when any of us meets someone usually one of the first questions is “Where are you from?”  It’s a connection point.  For some reason, whenever we meet someone from the same area we usually feel like there’s some sort of bond there even though we may have just met.  We may be familiar with the same people, the same places, we have some common ground.  The next disciple that we are introduced to in chapter 1 is Philip who John points out “was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter” (v. 44).  That was their connection point.  Pretty cool to see that and something I admittedly probably just read right over the first time I read through.

Work: It also can be noted that the name of city Bethsaida is literally translated “house of fishing” so it’s possible that Andrew and Peter worked together with Philip and had a bond that way.  We see in Matthew 4:18-22 that both sets of brothers, Andrew and Peter along with James and John, were working as fishermen when they received their call.  In our workplaces we are probably going to be in community with a number of people.  Use that as an opportunity to connect and minister to people.  Just like Paul connected with his fellow tent-makers, Aquila and Priscilla, and used that to stage his ministry in Corinth, we have the opportunity to try and connect with those in our workplace (Acts 18).

Friends: Getting back to the book of John we see that Philip then goes to Nathanael and tell him of Jesus (v. 45).  There isn’t anything here to suggest that this wasn’t anything more than just a friend going to a friend here and sharing that he had found Jesus.  We see there is some initial disbelief on Nathanael’s part when he hears that Jesus is from Nazareth.  Nazareth was apparently the equivalent of backwoods West Virginia or some small sticks town like Gore or Riner, VA.  No one was expecting the Messiah to come from Nazareth.  The further irony of this is shown in John 7:42  when people argue that Jesus cannot be the Messiah because the Scriptures state that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem.  So apparently many people did not know He was actually born in Bethlehem.  Nathanael’s  proof then came directly from Jesus.

The closing of the chapter really speaks to the fact that God is going to meet the person in their lives and make that connection real.  Just as Nathanael was introduced to Jesus from Philip, we are just privileged in that we have all these different spheres of influence.  The real work though is done between God and the people we share with so we shouldn’t take personal pride or inefficiency in whether someone we share with accepts or rejects the message.  Rather we should just trust and continue to form friendships and relationships that allow us the opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission and carry the Good News wherever we go.

I finished studying through the first chapter of 1 Peter tonight. I forgot my MacArthur study Bible at Graham’s house after Men’s City Group on Tuesday night so I decided to do some reading in John yesterday and then decided I’d just go ahead and do the last 3 verses of the chapter tonight without it. The first chapter was a great section in which Peter focused on the hope that we always have in Christ and His gift of salvation. The chapter also speaks of the changes we should see in our lives that comes as a result of becoming God’s children. I found one of the changes Peter touched on in verse 22 especially interesting and revealing.

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

I love love. I love that our God is love (1 John 4:8). I love that He places such a high importance on love (1 Cor 13). I love that this is the command He gave His disciples, “that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another,” and that His disciples were to be known by their obedience of that (John 13:34-35). Jesus left this earth in the greatest act of love, by laying down His life for us while we were still sinners (1 John 4:10). He left us a shining example of how to live a life of love and He sent the Spirit, or the Helper, to dwell inside of us (John 14:16-17). It is the Spirit that leads us in obeying the truth, purifying our souls.

If you have ever been in a study of mine or read any of my notes you might know that I love to study out the Greek and Hebrew to get a deeper look into the original text, the original words. I love God’s Word, I know there’s so much more for me to learn and I wish I remember more of what I read but I appreciate it when God can show me so much from just a single word of a verse! In this verse, God led me to dwell on a few key Greek words. The first one was the word used for obeying the truth. The word hypakoē can mean obedience, compliance, or submission. Now, from Groove’s awesome Greek lessons I know that hupo means “under”, so in this instance what we are under is hearing (akouō), and what we are hearing is the truth brought through the Spirit. We are submitting to that instruction and guidance. God then calls us into submission to each other (Eph 5:21) and wives into submission to their husband (Eph 5:22). This places the husband is in a pretty important place of leadership and makes it even more important that we are submitting in obedience to truth by the Spirit.

It is only by that saving work of Jesus and sanctification of the Spirit that we truly understand how to have a sincere love for one another. Before we came to Christ we did not have a pure heart. There is no way we could have known how to love one another with the agape love that Peter uses here before Christ came into our lives and showed it to us. Odds are there were probably many instances before this when we were selfish and what love we did show was probably rooted in a desire to please ourselves. Honestly, how concerned were we with serving others as opposed to what they could do for us? We hardly knew how to show a sincere love. The Greek word for sincere is anypokritos, and it means “unfeigned, undisguised” which is very telling. Let’s break the word down even further, the Greek character alpha denotes that this is not something. That second part of the word is hypokrinomai, which is translated as “to simulate, feign, pretend; or to speak on the stage, as if playing a part in a play.” So if we show the opposite of this kind of love when we know Christ, this is essentially the kind of love we knew before we entered into a relationship with Christ. We played the part and spoke the lines; we may have even disguised our “love” to look sincere, but it was far from a true sacrificial agape love. Not only is this the kind of love that Jesus commands us to exhibit but Peter tells us that we are to do so fervently! The word for fervently is ektenōs, which tells us to do so earnestly or intensely. The word itself is taken from a verb which means to “stretch out the hand.” A true love is exhibited not by staying in our own comfort zones and looking to fulfill our needs first, but by reaching out and serving others, meeting them where they are at and tending to their needs (Phil 2:3-4; Rom 12:9-10). That’s the only true way to love. So let’s keep submitting to God and His guidance in love for Him and His word and when it comes to showing that love, there’s no better example than the One who is love.

I have been quite busy the past few days.  In my last post I mentioned that I was going to pick up the Halterman’s at the airport on Saturday.  Well that’s what I had been told.  However, after waiting out at Clearwater Airport with the Proffitt’s while the plane unloaded I found out that my boy Kevin had repaid me for the surprise visit I had made in March.  Needless to say I’ve been busy hanging out with him the past few days since he heads out tomorrow.  We’ve had a pretty good time.  I’ve played way more XBox with him than I had in the past 3 months combined probably.  We have also enjoyed a considerable amount of Slurpee action, saw the new Terminator movie (despite never seeing the other 3), and had an amazing day at Fort Desoto Beach on Memorial Day.  Check out AP’s blog to read more about that awesomeness.

After I take Kevin back to the airport tomorrow I feel like I’ve got a big ole mountain staring me in the grill.  While I rather disliked my last job, it was my main source of income and now I need to find another way to pay my rent, loans, and bills.  I started looking on Monster and CareerBuilder again before Kevin rolled into town the other day and had to quickly check myself with a trip to the worry section of Dave Proffitt’s D-Course and some earnest prayer time.  My ideal situation is to land a teaching gig (for many reasons) but that wouldn’t start up till the fall and isn’t a done deal by any means.  In the meantime, I was reminded that I need to trust God for my provision.  When it comes to the future everything seems so cloudy.  I’m not exactly sure of His plans but I know that these trials of patience and trust will help to grow my faith.  Are they fun trials?  I lean towards the “no” but I know that God has already built me up in these areas some already, definitely since I’ve been down here in Tampa.  I’m better off for going through times like these where I am reminded that I need to rely on Him.  God has better things lined up for me down the road though I have no idea what it is.  So whether the teaching thing works out or not I have to remember that God’s in control.  In all the aspects of my life where I tend to be anxious at times, I just have to let go: patience and trust.  Keep looking to Him.  Growing closer to Him.  Even in the times when things are so unclear and seem tough…especially in those times.

Day 2 without a job.  I have been actively trying to figure out what I need to do to qualify to become an employee of Hillsborough County Public Schools.  I got my reference forms sent out yesterday to get taken care of.  I already have my online application submitted.  I’ll send in my signature page and transcripts, which are here waiting, once I get those reference forms back.  Then I should be qualified to set up interviews once the hiring period starts in mid-June.  The recruitment office says that should I find employment as an instructional teacher, I will have 3 years to pass the general knowledge and subject knowledge tests and take some form of teacher certification course.  I’m up for it if God has me go that direction.  I’m praying for that to work out but I know that I should probably find some sort of income providing job in the meantime.

My past 2 days have been productive in the sense that I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time in the Word.  I had a great study time yesterday morning that I shared on here.  I have also been reading through the Gospel of John.  Yesterday, I did my studying then ended up going out on a run.  Breaking myself back into shape.  7 weeks of work and commuting cut into my workout regimen amongst other things but I’ll work myself back there…or maybe George Reid can come down here and whip me into shape.  Burpee push-pulls till I pass out.  So after I got back in from my run I finished recording my newest demo, which turned out to be an epic of a song.  Okay, maybe not an epic but it’s the longest song I’ve written, just shy of 6 minutes.  I had fun recording it but my computer microphone couldn’t really handle the singing very well which lead to a very long process of patching together multiple takes.  Oh how I long for the day when I have a real microphone and ProTools set up.  If only I were a recording musical magician like Graham.  After that I got finally made myself something to eat and then watched the Penguins get nice against the Carolina Hurricanes to go up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.  That’s father-son bonding time via cell phone calls after every big play.  Not quite the same as watching it together but still fun.  That was pretty much it for yesterday.

My alarm woke me at 8 and I got back into 1 Peter.  I had a slow start, took me a while to get past verse 17 then I pushed through to verses 18 and 19.  Had to labor a little more through this mornings study than yesterday’s but I love digging deep nonetheless.  After that I checked on things for my teaching application and then went to the post office to send back the commentary that had been shipped to me last week.  How they mix up Romans 9-16 with 1 Peter I’m not sure but they’re trying to resolve the issue.  I’m thinking I’ll get the right one in time for chapter 2 and my study time per verse ratio will be even longer.  I guess I’ve got a fairly slow pace but I’m trying to glean as much as I can.

So back at the apartment I decided to go shoot around some at the court by the clubhouse.  It was only about 84 degrees out but it was ridiculously muggy.  My shot has been really awful lately but it was a little better today.  Then after shooting around for about 20 minutes or so another guy came out and shot around for a while then challenged me to a game of one-on-one.  I’m not exactly the best suited player for a one-on-one game.  Why you ask?  Well, for one I’m not the greatest ballhandler.  Two, as stated before, my shot is looking pretty ugly right now.  Three, apparently after taking an extensive layoff from competitive sports my footwork is a little sloppy and I felt a lot slower than usual today.  Still, all the being said I took up the challenge.  I rallied back after being down early then towards the end of the game the sun had come out, the air was thick, I had been out there for a while.  One point away from victory, fatigue got the best of me and lost 17-15 in a game to 16 by ones, win by two.  Overall, not disappointed with the performance and I got a good workout.

After getting myself all cleaned up I got back into the Bible.  Read about 4 chapters in John.  I was in John 8-11 and I was thoroughly entertained.  Chapter 8 and even some of chapter 9 and 10 played out kind of like a Biblical rap battle.  Jews on the mic first trying to bring down Jesus then JC grabbing the mic and laying the smack down proving His deity.  I found myself laughing out loud at some of Jesus and the healed born blind man’s retorts to the Jews and Pharisees who tried to attack Him.  Jesus pwned just as He always will.  After reading I put on a sermon by Mark Driscoll on the life of John and rested in bed, listening as I passed in and out of consciousness.  I got back up and started looking for jobs on Monster and CareerBuilder.  The devil used this moment to try and strike me with a fit of anxiety.  Realizing this I prayed about the situation and then grabbed the ole d-course and flipped to the section on worry.  Got everything in perspective and then had dinner, practiced some bass, and headed out to spend some time at the Proffitt’s.  All in all, another swell day.

Tomorrow looks to be another good one.  Leadership meeting in the morning.  Canvasing a couple apartment complexes.  Picking up the Halterman’s coming down for a visit and then Penguins game 3 and UFC 98.  Thanks to those who are praying for me and my job situation.  I really appreciate it.  I have some really awesome friends both here and back in VA.  Now that I’ve filled everyone in on the every detail of the last few days I will head to bed so that I can wake and start another one in the morning.

Lord, I am blessed.  I love You so much.  I pray You continue to grow this passion inside me.  I want to know You and Your Word even more.  Let it be written on my heart.  Help me to trust.  You always provide.

I had an awesome study time with no constraints this morning.  It felt really great to be able to get in the Word and just dig in without having any time constraints.  That being said I do need to go get started on the rest of my day but I figured I’d let you see what God shared with me during my quiet time this morning.  They’re straight from my notes but hopefully it reads okay.

1 Peter 1:14-16

v. 14 obedience – hypakoē - obedience, compliance, submission

The prefix hypo signifies that we are under something.  In this sense we are under the instruction of God.  We are called to submit to the Father as children are to obey their parents (Eph 6:1; Col. 3:20).  A good father should always be looking out for the best for his children, guiding and instructing them as to what is good and away from what will hurt them.  God the Father is the perfect father.  He sets up boundaries and gives us instructions so to live a better, more holy life and not hurt ourselves.  Here we are called not to conform to former lusts or passions as we did in our ignorance.  Looking back to v.13, we are called to act with discernment, being sober-minded.  God has granted us that discernment and builds on it through instruction; we need to obey as children.

ignorance – agnoia – lit. to not perceive with the mind, to not understand, to not have understanding; if metanoia is to change your way of thinking, agnoia is to not have one.  Let’s not be brainless, self-gratifying, non-discerning people and instead change that way of thinking to come into obedience to something better.

• To build off this example, one of the common things to hear when we’re little is, “Don’t touch the stove, it’s hot.”  As children, we’ve never touched it before so we don’t know by experience but our parents are trying to keep us from giving into that curiosity, and facing that subsequent repercussion, by instructing us.  After they have given us this information we are no longer ignorant to what would happen if we were to touch the hot stove.  We must then choose to either submit and obey to that call or give in to the desire to find out for ourselves.

v. 15-16 God has called us to be holy as He is holy.  In Matthew 5:48 Jesus tells us we are to be “perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”  In fact hagnos, the root of hagios (the Gr. word for holy), refers to something that is “pure from every fault”.  We know that we cannot attain this standard on our own.  That’s why Jesus, though truly holy and pure, took upon our sin so that we could be holy in the sight of God (2 Cor. 5:21).

Still, Peter’s reference to Leviticus 11:44-45, where God’s instruction is to “be holy for I am holy,” is a reminder that just as God was instructing His people to not defile themselves and to set themselves apart back then, we are to still set ourselves apart today.  Whereas God set them apart to set the scene for Jesus to come from a holy people, we now must now do our best to emulate Jesus to those who do not know Him.

William Burkitt, an English Bible expositor, wrote in the early 18^th century that as His children we are given this call to be holy as He is holy, “though not as to equality, yet as to imitation; though not in measure and degree, yet in quality and kind.  God is the original of all holiness, and the first man he created was after his own likeness; and every one that is renewed, is said to be created after God in righteousness and true holiness.  What is godliness but god likeness? and what is holiness, but the conformity of our natures to the holy nature of God, and the conformity of our lives to the will of God?”

That conformity includes “all your conduct”.  All!  We cannot just pick and choose the areas of our lives in which we want to submit and obey him and which areas we want to follow our “former lusts” as verse 14 tell us.  Instead we are to be holy in all our conduct (anastrophē), which encompasses not just one’s actions but one’s manner of life and behavior as a whole.

Today was going to be a different day. I guess it all kind of starts last night when I stayed up a little later than normal to get some extra studying time in 1 Peter and to talk to a couple friends online. Speedy and I also narrowly avoided having our electricity cut off by finding an unopened final notice bill stating that we had to pay our bill by May 20th. We found this at about 11:40 PM on May 19th. So Speedy took care of that, I finished my conversations then finished verses 10-11 in my studies and headed off to bed. I set my alarm for 6:15 AM so I could at least get a full 5 hours of sleep and I would just skip breakfast to make up for the extra 15 minutes of studying. I got up and I got back into the Word. First Peter chapter 1 focuses a lot on the hope we find in our salvation regardless of the trials we face. I got through verses 12 and 13 this morning. I thought the reference to “girding up the loins of your mind” was probably my favorite reference. My notes on that part of verse 13 explain: “The call to gird up loins is a reference to gathering up ones robe to move in a hurry or tucking the hem of ones robe into his belt so that he could work or run. In applying that to the loins of your mind, Peter is instructing us to tie up and loose ends or anything that could hinder our thinking.” Basically Peter (aka The Rock) was like, get ready to do work son. Eliminate those distractions, those things that could get cause you to stumble. So I finished my studies, got ready for work. I noticed it was raining and was going to be kind of chilly today, only reaching around 80 so I decided I could wear my favorite collared shirt. It’s a really soft comfortable long sleeve earthy green polo. Packed my normal lunch. Used my last slice of Kraft pepperjack cheese singles, I would have to go to Publix after work. Then I hopped in the car, listened to most of the podcast to Groove’s sermon on the way to work. It was another gray and rainy day. Got to work about 10 minutes early and started into the daily routine.

At about 9:30 AM I decided I would keep track of the work mini-game I had created: The Tampa-H’burg Temperature Challenge. I have both temperature on my google homepage so I recorded Round 1 at 9:30. Tampa in the clear lead at 71 degrees to H’burg’s 60. I continued my first run through my call list for the day. At 11:30 I decided to record Round 2. Tampa 74 – H’Burg 66. H’burg was gaining but Tampa still held a comfortable margin. At this point I was fairly bored and looking to escape the monotony of secretary screened phone calls and voicemail recordings. So I would essentially start a Twitter on my notepad to document random non-essential parts of my day to share here on my blog later. This is what resulted:

• 11:30 AM – My phone receiver can double as a funny mustache. I must be tired.
• 11:36 AM – These Rold Gold pretzels are more delicious than I remember. 24 minutes till lunch.
• Noon – Lunch-time. The usual: Pepperoni, pepperjack cheese, and Tostitos Hint of Lime chips on wheat. Finishing up Groove’s sermon too, good entertainment with my meal.
• 1:07 PM – Break over. New Vitamin Water “Tranquilo” = two thumbs down.
• 1:18 PM – Server maintenance. Log off for 10 minutes. Mass exodus to the doors for a smoke break. Hope no one was trampled.
• 1:30 PM – Maintenance over. The lady behind me has a gallon jug of Arizona Green Tea. Much better than ‘tranquilo’…wonder if she’d trade?
• 1:43 PM – H’burg is catching Tampa. Round 3: Tampa 77 – H’burg 72
• 1:45 PM – After calling Pam Kaiser from the Lakeshore Athletic Club an average of 4 times a days for a month and 11 days I finally get through to Pam. The result: “Oh hey. We’re not interested. Thanks. Bye.” -click- I had more successful conversations with her voicemail.
• 1:53 PM – Dropped my phone receiver on my desk. That was loud. No one’s looking.
• 2:10 PM - I just had a mini-discussion about “Days of Our Lives” and the old school resident bearded badboy Bo.
• 2:38 PM – Co-worker just offered me another Slim Jim. Hard to turn down but I already had the the first one he offered.

Shortly thereafter the office manager caught me having a conversation with the guy behind me. I had already been through my call entire call list 2 times by then but I went back to the phones. A little time passed and then I got a call from the head honcho of the office. He wanted me to come into the office. I saw some other co-workers in there for extended periods before me so I figured he was doing performance reviews. Not good for me. I went in. He asked me how long I had been there. About 7 weeks I think. And I haven’t made any sales? Nope, I didn’t have any sales go through. Any promising proposals out? Eh, not really. He called up some of my leads. One of the receptionists won’t let him through to the decision maker. He hangs up and swears at her, calls her a derogatory term, and laughs. Ugh. This is part of the environment I can’t stand. He continues, do you think you can be successful here? Track record doesn’t look very good. Would you like to resign or be terminated? I guess I’ll resign, sorry I couldn’t get you any sales.

So I cleaned out my desk. Said bye to the one sort of office friend I had made after I moved seating arrangements last week. He said it was ridiculous (but in cruder sales office terms) and that I was probably getting fired because I was actually a good person. I chuckled. Shook his hand and wished him luck.

So yeah, today was different. I don’t know what God’s plans are at this point but I know He’s taking care of me. It wasn’t like I loved that job anyways. Hopefully I can get a position with the school district but till then I’ve got to find something. Hopefully closer to here. Well, I already started recording another new song in my free time. My computer mic wasn’t cooperating on vocals and I felt awkward singing loudly at 11:30 PM so I postponed the conclusion until tomorrow. With everything that happened it kinda feels like Friday. Oh, and I didn’t get to finish the Tampa-H’Burg Temperature Challenge but I’m thinking we lost in the late afternoon. Good game H’burg. There’s my fragment filled blog entry for the night.