On a quest....for a "niche."

So, after a bit of research last night, I realize I have something new to "wrestle" with, learn about, and be challenged by. In an effort to explore ways of making an income that I haven't, yet, before, I realized that I can, indeed, use my interest in writing in the "blogosphere" about various subjects to bring in income through advertisements placed on my blog. Maybe I have been hasty but, I already began the process by submitting the requested information through Google AdSense. However, the challenge is that, if I am going to be marketable and be successful at this venture, I must find a niche to write about that advertisers would want to have placement on my site and people would be interested in. In other words, the ads must have a link to the content that I produce. So, now I am on my way to try and find my niche. I must confess, it is a bit awkward. When I was in the process of completing my undergrad studies in Public Relations at Oklahoma Baptist, I really enjoyed writing. I enjoyed the pre-writing process as well, the technical type of research that was required on occasion and the interviews that took place when preparing for a feature story. It was really fun and interesting! Vocationally, I don't know if I have done anything that was really fun and interesting since I worked as an independent sales contractor for a small business between '06 and '08! Now, I get to choose what it is I am going to write about! I probably sound like a little kid in candy store or a little kid in an ice cream shop (honestly, the candy store's from which that saying developed were before my time)! I am excited! Maybe even, "giddy!" I mean the possibilities are endless and I don't even know where to start, given the fact that I feel like I have such a broad range of interests. So, how about a little reader participation? If you are reading this and you know me well, obviously, you have an advantage; however, if you don't know me well, this is an opportunity for a new conversation which I greatly anticipate. So, I'll provide a bit of information before I pose the question. My major interests, as of today, as they relate to sources of income or otherwise are: blacksmithing, organic gardening, clean eating, cooking (making the kind of food that will make you slap 'yo mama and come back for more), vintage and antique stuff (woodworking tools, blacksmithing tools, industrial tools, military surplus, knives, american history), HAM radio (just received my technician class license), emergency preparedness, disaster relief, photography, and outdoor activities (canoeing, camping, fishing, hunting). Given all that I have just mentioned, lets conduct a poll. You tell me something that you would like for me to write about. Or, let's make this interesting, if there is a hobby or something that you are interested in and you just haven't had the time to check it out, drop me a line and let me see what I can find out for you and I'll post a blog about it? How about that? Let's do this together.

A time for change....

Until yesterday, the title of my blog was "All 4 His Glory." Why did I change it? Originally, my intention was to devote the subject matter of this blog, strictly, to biblical or theological sorts of posts. If you are reading this and you know me well, don't be a quiver, I didn't "fall from grace" or "go the way of the world," at least, I hope that is not what has happened. Honestly, I simply wanted the freedom to write on a broader range of topics and reach a broader audience than just those who might be interested in the primarily biblical or theological sort of posts. This does not mean that I want to glorify God any less or edify others any less, as those two objectives were the primary motivators behind my writing for "All 4 His Glory." Nor does this mean that I am trying, in any way, to separate the "faith" aspect of my life from "everything else," quite the contrary. Anyone who has any understanding of the Christian life and what the Bible has to say about it knows that one's faith and the truths of the Scripture inform EVERY aspect of a person's life and I concur. Therefore, in the most interesting of ways, you may find discussions of faith showing up in relation to some of the most unlikely topics, from this point forward. Stay tuned for examples of those "unlikely" subjects where a spiritual analogy, lesson, or application may occur.

A fresh start...

On January 28th of this year, I was terminated from the company with which I was employed. My first reaction was, "How am I going to provide for my family?" As a husband and father of three, my greatest concern was for the welfare of my wife, my sons, and my daughter. Sure, my wife and I have families that love us and were and, still, are willing to assist us as is the church family to which we belong; however, that doesn't change that as a husband and father you feel the weight, the responsibility of seeing to it that your family is taken care of. And, in my case, I held and, still, hold the responsibility of serving as the sole provider of our household. So, with all of that said, my first real reactions were of disbelief, uncertainty of how things would work out given the current economy and job market, shock (that this had happened to me), a sense of irony (I'll have to explain that later as it could be post all its own), and disappointment (that I had to drive home and tell my wife that I was relieved of my duties and the impact that would have on our family). The good news is, at this point, I really can't say that any of the things that I was, initially, "worried" about or was afraid of, have been confirmed with negative outcomes. Taking into consideration the fact that I am, still, technically, unemployed, you may wonder how I could say that I am not "worried" or have not received negative outcomes due to my loss of employment. Let me explain. First, when I arrived home and told my wife what happened, her words to me were something like, "It's going to be ok." I didn't, really, expect her to yell at me or cuss me or anything of that sort - I suppose I didn't really know what to expect but, received exactly the kind of response from her that I should have come to expect, one seasoned with grace and love. Second, despite my initial "worries," my Heavenly Father has provided for our needs and, I trust, will continue to do so according to His faithful and true promises, as found in the Bible. Third, I know there is a better way to make a living than where I found my self last employed. With that as the closing statement for now, I have realized that my God and Father in Heaven has provided me, in accordance with His will, purpose and plan, a "fresh start." An opportunity to take pause and consider what it is I can do to earn an honest wage to provide for my family, maintain a high level of involvement in my family, and serve my God and my community, faithfully, to fulfill the things that God has ordained for the life he has given me. So, I invite you on this journey to learn, laugh, love, cry, rejoice, grieve, contemplate, and discover the manner in which God truly intends for us to live life. I must confess, I am bored, tired and frustrated with the manner in which I have, merely, existed over the last six months to a year. I want to "live" as God intends me to live; beyond my selfish ambitions and above the average expectations of this world, many of which I am sure I unwittingly adopt. Will you join me? Will you embark on the same journey of asking God what, really, is it he intends for you to do in order to serve His purposes in this world? Maybe that means, instead of you being terminated, at some point, you leave your job to pursue that opportunity that God is calling you to but, you have always been a little to hesitant to step out in faith and pursue. Maybe it means turning off the TV and being more engaged with your wife, your husband, or your children on a more intimate level. Or, maybe it means turning away from habit of drinking too much alcohol or popping a few pills to escape the difficulties of this life to experience the fullness of life found in and through Jesus Christ and the camaraderie found with those that follow him now. Whatever the case, I ask you to embark on the journey with me to walk closely with God so that, together, we might find the way to eternal life and the peace of mind in this life of knowing we are fulfilling the work that God ordained for us to do.

Five Years of Marriage

Typically, it is not my intent to use this blog for subjects that are more of a "personal" tone as opposed to theological, biblical, or ministerial subjects. In this case, however, the lines have overlapped.
In three days my wife and I will be celebrating five years of marriage. In those five years we have had some great times together and some very, very difficult times as well. So, what keeps it all together?
Well, contrary to what I heard someone say marriage was defined by in the last six months or so (that marriage is merely a covenant NOT based on love because love is a fleeting emotion, as I understood them to say), it IS love. I, however, am not talking about the kind of "love" that is fleeting because that is not truly love; infatuation, obsession, "the warm fuzzies," whatever you call it, if it's fleeting, IT'S NOT LOVE!!!! In biblical terms, yes, marriage is based on a covenant between two people. But that covenant is not merely a formal, legal covenant; if it were, that would legitimize the mindset that is already prevalent in our culture and our churches: "If it doesn't work out, we'll just dissolve it and move on." Such a mind set is couched in legal, rather than, truly, covenantal terms. A true covenant is a commitment to love (the Old Testament provides a consistent picture that covenants are based on love as God's covenant with his people is based on love; see the following: Deut. 7:9, 12; 1 Kings 8:23; 2 Chron. 6:14; Neh. 1:5; Daniel 9:4).
Again, biblically defined, love is setting aside one's own interest and elevating the greatest need (not want) of the person which you are loving (NOTE: in referencing "greatest need" I am not talking about "love languages" or purely "emotional needs" as the greatest need). I am talking about having to make hard decisions, particularly as a husband, that can cause great pain in the lives of family members and are, at the same time, what is absolutely best for the present and future. I am talking about agape in the daily life of our marriages. To see what "agape" looks like in attitude and action, see I Corinthians 13 or ponder the what Ephesians 5:25 and following says regarding Husbands loving their wives as "Christ loved the church." If we fail in any respect to love our wives as Christ loved the church, we are taking for granted the Gospel and the blessing God has given us in our wives (prov. 18:22).
I must admit that I cannot claim to have, in any manner, lived up to all that I am proposing above nor that I have even gotten close. I have spent many days being rife with guilt over the realization that I am woefully self-centered. Nonetheless, I must aim for what I know to be true, as we all should, for God's glory and the love of our wives and sons and daughters.

Biblical counseling with a big "B" or a little "b" part 2: the world's wisdom or God's truth?

A couple of weeks ago I recounted a conversation that included the following ideas: counseling can/should be conducted with a little bit of the Bible as opposed to a lot; and, that man's opinions are somehow the same as a pastor, teacher, counselor in a local church rendering a particular interpretation of Scripture.

To start, if we claim to be Christ followers and are submitting our lives under the authority of (a) Jesus Christ and (b) His Word (the Bible, both Old and New Testaments), does that not require us to give our full allegiance to Jesus Christ? Jesus, when referring to money, makes it clear that man cannot serve two masters. Is this not also true when referring to a world view or perspective on life? To say that one can be a believer and then teach others with a Bible + something else theology is to be disloyal, disobedient, and, in some cases, heretical. Either you are submitted to Jesus and His Word or you are not. This is an indictment against us all at some point or another I am sure as we constantly work to filter those teachings which are of this world and those which are sound and in accordance with God's Word.

Secondly, man's opinions are irrelevant to biblical teaching or counseling, if one is truly counseling and teaching biblically. If one is counseling, teaching or preaching biblically the following can/should be expected: he/she is submitted, fully, to Christ and His Word; he/she seeks to discern what the Bible says through an intensive study of the original languages (Greek/Hebrew); he/she prays seeking God's instruction through the Holy Spirit to rightly discern what God's Word says; he/she measures God's Word against God's Word to see how other verses or passages address the question/issue/teaching at hand; he/she tests their understanding against other believers who exhibit a responsible handling of God's Word; he/she may consider the writings of others specific to the issue/verse/passage at hand to further consider the plausibility or implausibility of their conclusions; he/she subjects their conclusions to the question of whether that conclusion glorifies God and is true to the whole counsel of Scripture. The point, then, is to avoid merely giving one's own opinion and to understand and expound upon what God's Word truly says and what it means for our lives today.

Man's opinion, after all, is what put humanity in the position to need a Savior (see Genesis 3 and the fall of man, "Did God really say...?"). Therefore, we need to seek God's truth and avoid worldly, human wisdom at all costs (see 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16).

Read the instructions.

Moments ago I was discussing a blog post with a close friend and my thoughts on some of the responses. My friend made use of an illustration that could not be more true regarding many who claim to be Christians, my self included.

The illustration went like this: Men, when they get something new out of the box, they often fail to read the instructions; many Christians are no different.

This could be further expounded upon in the sense that when we fail to read the instructions we end up having to back track, taking apart what we started to the point that we initially "messed up." Then, resuming our attempt at assembling whatever it is that necessitates our attention.

This illustration is oh so telling of our dealings with the Christian life. We claim to follow Christ because, maybe Jesus or a particular verse in the Bible makes us feel better or addresses some immediate need of our life. Then, we put Jesus and His Word back on the shelf when we are no longer in need only to return when we sinfully mis-assemble our life or the lives of others.

The moral of the story: consistently read the instructions (the Bible) and we will be less likely to continue having to fix this and fix that. After all, life promises us plenty of suffering and difficulty without us adding on top of it all by "shooting ourselves in the foot."

Then again, I have to wonder, if the living of our lives as Christ followers is to be for God's glory, not our own, and in service of our Lord Jesus and other people, is the moral of the story really the point? If our aim was/is to glorify God, then our relationship with him and with other people would be less fraught with sin and the need to "fix it" all the time. If our aim is simply not having to fix our lives and ridding our selves of the consequences, that seems, still, less than what God desires and, still, centered on ourselves rather than God and others.

The Ugly Cross

Yesterday I made an interesting discovery. While searching the web for "ugly" crosses of the wooden, handmade sort, I stumbled upon a blog posted by a professor from Abilene Christian, Dr. Richard Beck. Dr. Beck has been posting a series of blogs concerning the "Theology of Ugly." Part four of his series is entitled, "The Ugly Cross." This immediately caught my attention which quickly turned to intrigue as I read his post, examining the paintings he included, and the questions that followed.

Why was I so intrigued? Becuase in most cases, our current church culture/society and culture/society at large has "prettied" up or "sanitized" the cross. It has become a faddish emblem of sorts such that I have seen numerous articles of womens clothing (t-shirts and tanks) with rhinestone crosses on the front, noticed its popularity as a home decor piece in various designs, shapes and sizes, and the various designs of gold or sterling silver crosses as jewelry. If I am observing correctly, in many of these cases, not all, the cross has become just another thing to wear or exhibit with little thought given to its significance.

I must admit that in responding to my initial reading and thinking about Dr. Beck's post, I found myself chiding those who quickly embrace the beauty of the cross without embracing, recognizing or understanding the "ugly" of the cross. After thinking further, I found myself appreciating all the more the beauty of the cross. What I further realized, though, is that in order for us to fully appreciate the beauty of the cross we must first appreciate the fullness of the "ugly" involved. "Whatever do you mean?" you might ask. Well I am glad you asked. The ugly of the cross is the curse that it represents, an indictment, a conviction, a sentence of death. The ugly of the cross exhibits shame and mockery of the crucified as he hangs upon the cross in nakedness, subject to scorn and ridicule. But, alas, the beauty that only Christ alone can bring about. Jesus Christ, as the resurrected, risen Son of God took all that is ugly about the cross and he turned it on its head and he scorned it. By the power of His Father he was resurrected, risen from the grave overcoming the death, scorn, shame, judgment and forsakeness that was cast upon him as a result of our sin. In this there is the greatest beauty! For what was death became life and it is that resurrection life that is offered to those who recognize their death sentence as imminent because of their sin, yet, inherit eternal life as a co-heir with the Son of God by unmerited grace, through faith in Him.

Oh!! What beauty that Christ, a spotless lamb was beaten, shamed, scorned, and slaughtered for all to see yet he scorned it all, rolled away the stone and left an empty, yes, empty tomb!! This left us with a promise for life that should we embrace faith in Christ we will one day rise at the trumpet blast and the calling forth of our Lord and live with him in the New Jerusalem.

Please visit Dr. Beck's post for a provocative consideration of the cross: http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2008/04/ugly-part-4-ugly-cross.html.

Brian