tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62057702031456663052024-03-12T18:52:50.692-05:00Being BenjaminA place for my rambling, thoughts, insights, reviews, complaints, and other oddities of life.Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-30853318942587908352012-04-27T14:50:00.003-05:002012-04-27T14:50:37.878-05:00Blog MovingI was notified today that Blogger is being shut down and moving over to a more pure Google-based system. I have serious concerns about the EULA for Google's new Google Drive. You should really read them if you haven't. They basically say they can do whatever they want with whatever you put on their servers. I guess that's the price you pay for it being free. But I'm not ready to do that, so I'm moving to Wordpress.<br />
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You can find me over at <a href="http://beingbenjamin.com/">beingbenjamin.com</a> starting now!Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-89388614710052147112012-04-24T22:06:00.001-05:002012-04-24T22:06:46.016-05:00Unleashing the Gospel<i>This is a long one, folks. And perhaps the lesson that has left the most resounding impact on me. In many instances, I could not have better said statements, so once again, I do not attribute this work to myself, but to Marty Brown and Floyd McClung. I just organized it. Included in this post is a ~10 min video of the remarkable power of the gospel. Please do not read and "like" this post just for the sake of doing so. I pray it will cause you to truly think and pray on your purpose.</i><br />
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Habakkuk 2:14 says, “For the earth will be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” The apostles were dedicated in obedience to
this task. The motive was always about
the glory of God. We can be driven today
by humanitarian needs or stories of the people and how we “fell in love with
them”, but those can’t be the primary reasons we go. We go for God’s glory. Don’t hear me wrong—human needs and people
are important, but God’s glory is supreme.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With a motivation such as this, the apostles were bold in
their witness. What does the word
“witness” mean? A witness is something
you ARE much more than something you say or do.
You LIVE the gospel as well as proclaim it. By public testimony in the face of hostility,
ordinary people like you and I can accomplish far more than merely affirming
the truth of Christ. Why? It establishes the value of Christ in our
lives. And to fulfill His plan of
spreading the gospel, He will ask us to publicly display our witness at some
point in each of our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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How did the gospel spread in such an accelerated manner as
it did in Acts? Through the persistence,
boldness, and faithfulness of the apostles in fulfilling the Great
Commission. How is the gospel unleashed?
Through the church. We are Plan A and
there is no Plan B. Within the church,
God charged two entities with the responsiblity: the local church and the called-out
teams. In Acts, you see the church of
Antioch as a so-called home base for Paul and Barnabus. Paul’s church-planting
team grew out from this and became an autonomous entity, yet still related to
the church. If we follow this model,
then it is the purpose of the called-out team to plant reproducing churches
where there are none. It is not their
responsibility to evangelize every individual in an area. The job of the local church is to evangelize,
edify, and equip the population. It is
the church that unleashes the gospel and it is the church that we must go to
establish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the context of these definitions we can more accurately
call an unreached people group one in which there is no indigenous community of
believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize that
people group. It is the goal of the called-out
team to be involved in church planting.
This is the rapid multiplication of healthy indigenous churches in a
specific people group that plant reproducing churches of their own. These churches must be indigenous and be led
by ordinary people empowered by the Holy Spirit. This is who will maximally and effectively
reach the people around them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are many barriers to this pursuit. One writer likens the barriers to a wall and
a canyon. The canyon represents a
barrier of conversion and acceptance.
The problem with many modern missions is that when we go in, we’re not
accepted. The mentality of the local
people is that we are there to westernize them; to become Christian would be to
strip them of their culture and heritage.
This is not at all what God intends!
God deserves praise and worship in every unique way He ascribed when He
made the nations. Look no further than
the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 for evidence that any attempt to change a
people is wrong! The devout Jews wanted
the Gentiles to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses. The disciples said that should not be, as
they were given the gift of the Holy Spirit too. When we go to unreached areas, the model
should be “become like…remain like”. We
should make every attempt to become like, and understand, a people, in order
that they may remain like they are, as God made them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The wall represents a barrier of communication and
understanding. A people will not connect
to God being their God unless He is speaking to them in their native
language. The effort it takes to
translate is large and time-consuming.
And it cannot always be word-for-word because of strong cultural
differences. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s a video of a missionary’s effort among an unreached
tribal group. It represents the barrier
of communication encountered all over the world. Interestingly, this couple was told they were
not “missions material” by the organization they were applying with, but they
went anyway. Just watch the power of the
gospel when it is unleashed.</div>
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What comes to mind with the word “passion”? Does it invoke a deep emotion? Does it describe a romantic situation or a
strong drive toward something? In fact,
the origins of the word define it in terms of suffering. So we could say that passion is whatever a
person is willing to suffer for.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Suffering indicates there
is value in Christ worth dying for. Just
a few of the Scriptures that reference this idea include:<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 Corinthians 16:9 - for a wide door
for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 Peter 4:12 - Beloved, do not be
surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though
something strange were happening to you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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John 15:18 – [Jesus speaking] If the world
hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Matthew 24:9 -
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will
be hated by all nations for my name's sake.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Philippians 1:29
- For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not
only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Colossians 1:24
- Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the
church,<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The ultimate purpose in suffering and martyrdom is to
advance the cause of Christ on earth, resulting in more glory given to
God. When Christ’s servants willingly
identify with their Master in the depths of suffering and the pain of death for
the cause of Christ, God’s truth triumphs, Satan’s power is broken, God is
glorified.<o:p></o:p></div>
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How about when you hear the word “apostle”? Perhaps the first followers of Jesus,
including the disciples and Paul?
Generally speaking, an apostle is one who is sent, or is a
messenger. So then apostolic passion
would be defined as the deliberate, intentional choice to live for the worship
of Jesus to the nations. It is being
committed to the point of death to the spreading of His glory. It is being on fire for Jesus, dreaming of
the whole earth being filled with His glory.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What does it take to have this kind of passion? First, need complete abandonment. Psalm 63:8 says, “My soul clings to you; your right hand
upholds me.” American Christianity wants
the fruit like Paul’s ministry without paying the price for it. God’s praise among the nations must be
all-consuming. Die to self. Be crucified with Christ. Boldly pray for God to reveal any selfish
ambition and abandon it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Second, you need focus. Acts
20:24, Paul speaking: <o:p></o:p></div>
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“But I do not account my life of any value
nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that
I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Later on in his letter to the Romans, Paul says <o:p></o:p></div>
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“by the power of signs and wonders, by the
power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to
Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I
make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been
named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, “Those
who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will
understand.” This is the reason why I
have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have
any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to
come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on
my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.” (Romans
15:19-24)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Did you catch that? Paul wanted
to visit the Romans <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">on the way to Spain</i>. Think about the historical timeframe. No new world (aka the Americas) had been
discovered. Paul quite literally was
laser focused on going to the ends of the earth, as they knew it then. We waste a lot of time in good
ministries. But the focus is clear: God
calls every people to Himself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Third, you need to be deeply rooted in prayer. Prayer walking is one of the most pivotal
moments in missions, whether that is through your neighborhood or in a city of
a million people in South Asia. Isaiah
62 describes how at all hours people were set on the walls of Jerusalem to pray
unceasingly: <o:p></o:p></div>
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“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set
watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put
the Lord in remembrance, take no rest,<b> </b>and give him no rest until he
establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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We can pray one minute a day in a quiet time in the morning and God
will love us no less. But you will not
survive in the hard times—particularly in areas where Jesus is not known or
worshipped—without intense, unceasing prayer.
One modern-day apostle described life without constant prayer like
sending a soldier into battle without weapons; you would certainly be killed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fourth, you need the right frame of decision-making. Let’s face it, the American Dream can ensnare
us without any effort. Oh we may use the
excuse for why we don’t act that we’re waiting to hear from God, but all the
while we live to make money, provide ourselves a future, to dress and impress,
and have fun. In Acts 20 and 21, Paul
describes his urgent desire to go to Jerusalem, despite every warning from the
Holy Spirit of what awaited him and the disapproval from close friends. Why did he decide to go anyway? Because the greater priority for him was the
glory of God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Maybe we don’t hear from God like we think we’re supposed to because
we don’t have this as our priority. It’s
only from that standpoint that we can accurately hear God say “go” or “stay”. With this kind of passion, you are no longer
about getting and gaining but rather spreading and proclaiming. You are not afraid of loss. You dare to even believe it a privilege to
suffer and die for the spread of God’s glory.
Your reward awaits you at the throne of your Creator. So let us live with apostolic passion and not
waste our lives! Only those who have died in Christ are unafraid of death.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-76151709725725741662012-04-17T14:49:00.002-05:002012-04-17T14:49:25.746-05:00Mandate for the Nations<i>Whoops! Forgot to post this a couple weeks ago. Here is part 4 of my recap.</i><br />
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Today we’re going to dive into the Great Commission. But before we look at the actual text, let’s
look at history again. Remember, the
Bible is not just a historical account; it is a heart account of what God is
doing to overcome evil, redeem people, and receive glory.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Many accounts describe this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Abraham’s blessing in Genesis 12:1-3, which we looked at the first
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God told Abraham, “I’m blessing
you so you can bless others.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God raised
up Joseph to be a witness to the Egyptians In Genesis 41:37-41, 56).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He recruited Moses to convince the
Midianites, starting with his father-in-law, of God’s authority (Exodus
18:9-12).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He appointed Daniel to
influence the Babylonian empire (Daniel 6:26-28).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He drafted the psalmists to describe how the
Great Shepherd pursues us (Psalm 23:6) and to sing of His global mission (Psalm
67).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And He sent His Servant to achieve
the world’s salvation (Isaiah 49:6).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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God has mandated us to carry out His purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To live under a mandate is to be entrusted
with a task of lasting significance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
Matthew 28:18-20, we are commissioned to join God:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">There are several
pieces to this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, we have a Savior
who has all authority to give us this mandate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He expects obedience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If want to
see some examples of this authority, study Revelation 5:1-14, Daniel 7:9-14,
and Psalm 110.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Second, is the
statement of making disciples of all people groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that the original word did not mean
nations in the sense of geo-political borders, but rather this sense of
ethnicity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We define an “unreached
people group” as a people group where there is no indigenous community of
believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize their
own people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Third, we are to
baptize and teach them all that He has commanded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has to do with proclaiming allegiance
and growing obedience to Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
idea is to bring up a new believer in the ideas of prayer, reading the Bible,
and following other key spiritual disciplines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then by their growth, they can in turn being making disciples of their
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, it’s not to prepare
fully trained and taught followers, but rather to plant a church that can begin
to reproduce churches themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ordinary people, empowered by the Holy Spirit, must lead them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">And lastly is
referenced to carry this task out until it is finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus said He’d be with us always.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that an end is referenced signifies that
idea that the task will, in fact, be completed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Each of the
gospels underline this mandate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Mark 16:15-16 - And he said to them, “Go into all the world and
proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized
will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Luke 24:46-49 - “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and
on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and<b> </b>forgiveness
of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my
Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on
high.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">John 20:21-23 - Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he
breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the
sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it
is withheld.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Acts 1:8 -<b> </b></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Israel did not
understand the original commissioning as given to Abraham.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christ illustrated their failure with a
parable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He described a man who planted
a vineyard and left some people to work the land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the time came for the harvest, he sent a
servant to the workers, but they beat the servant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So he sent another and they killed him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, he sent his son, thinking surely
they would respect his own flesh and blood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But they killed him and threw his body out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Will we, the
church, fall into the same trap? Our
mandate is clear from our Savior who has all authority to give it. The job is not done because Christ has not
yet returned. How will each of our lives
count for eternity? What is it going to
take in each of our lives to understand this not as an obligation, but as a
privilege? God is more sovereign than we
think He is. We are more responsible
that we think we are.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-51823672631474418992012-03-28T15:38:00.002-05:002012-03-28T15:38:32.214-05:00Your Kingdom Come<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<i>This is a recap of the third lesson from Perspectives. This lecture was much more academic, on a seminary level, so I took the basic concepts and tried to make a more practical, applicable lesson for Compass and my readers.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
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A couple weeks ago I introduced the statement of God’s
mission in the world today:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For His glory
in global worship, God purposes to overcome evil by redeeming a people who will
love and obey Him within every people.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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And really what today’s topic is about is believing that God
<i>will</i> overcome evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is something we
must believe if we are to set foot into the mission field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because we will be on the front lines of spiritual warfare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a reason a passage is included in the
Bible about donning spiritual armor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re
going into battle!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have said “yes” to
committing our very lives to the proclamation of the Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we know we have a fight and suffering
to look forward to?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look no further than
the extreme cost of the cross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot
expect Christ to undergo His extreme suffering and we as His followers not
to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible is very clear that in
order to be glorified with Christ, we must suffer with Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well why in the world would we want to push
head-on into such conditions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
our victory is assured!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Christ’s focus in His ministry was on the kingdom of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we need to know what this
kingdom is!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our initial thought of what
“kingdom” means would probably include some defined territory under the
authority of a ruler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the context of
the kingdom Jesus preached, kingdom simply means the rule or reign of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is more than ruling over a realm, it is
Christ’s rule over all creation and creatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is the exercise of God’s kingship, His authority, and His right to
rule based on His might, power, and glory.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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For us, living in the kingdom of God means we are anchored
in God’s Word, we’re engaged in spiritual disciplines, and we’re dependent on
God in every aspect of our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Each
of these could easily fill a blog post, but for the sake of staying on topic,
we’ll move on.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus often described the mystery of the kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What did he mean by this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has to do with the timing of the arrival
of the kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus talked about how
the kingdom was here, but he also talked about the kingdom yet to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s the answer that defines the
mystery:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the expected Messiah would come
twice!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From an OT perspective, they saw
a single apocalyptic event in which Messiah would come to rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From a NT perspective, the kingdom <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">has</i> come in the person of Christ the
King, recognized only by those devoted to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The kingdom will come again openly visible to all when Christ returns.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This “mystery” brings about a progressive victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Christ died on the cross and defeated
sin’s power by rising from the grave, He also defeated Satan’s power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin, death, Satan…all defeated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet these things still have some power
remaining on earth, creating a time of conflict in which we now exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an analogy, think about the story of Lord
of the Rings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the First Age, Sauron
was defeated but his evil still existed in Middle Earth, until it was finally
destroyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Christ comes again, sin,
death, and Satan will be utterly destroyed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So the message we proclaim about this gospel of the kingdom
is one of joyous victory and blessing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a promise of what God will do to reconcile all things under the
headship of Christ!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We proclaim the
victory of Christ!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This truth gives us,
the church, our purpose for existing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our motivation is the final victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do you see now why we have to push into the battle?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That final victory is awaiting our completion
of the task!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Matthew 24:14)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So what is our role in the spread of God’s kingdom
today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, we’ve first got to know our
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t tell others what we do not
know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve got to know our story. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is how people are going to relate to us;
they can’t argue a personal experience! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to use our God-given resource and not
keep them for ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our time, our
talents, our treasures; we’ve said it before that we must be conduits of God’s
blessings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to be focused and
intentional on God’s glory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No other reason
can motivate us to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we need to
proceed with a God-dominated imagination for completing the task.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remember God’s purpose statement?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is going to overcome evil because His
kingdom advances His assault against the Satanic counterfeit kingdoms in the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His kingdom’s victory opens the
way for God to redeem all people to Him, so that all nations will know and
glorify God as King.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve got to
surrender our lives, defy rival kingdoms, and give control to the true
King.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all got to start with you and
me. Lord, may Your kingdom come and Your will be done here on earth as it is perfectly done in heaven.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-58267890357512927342012-03-21T12:41:00.002-05:002012-03-21T13:08:57.739-05:00The Story of His Glory<i>As in my previous post, this is mostly not my own teaching. As I'm giving brief reviews to my Compass friends, I'm transcribing them here. This is a summary of Lesson 2 from Perspectives, given by Mark Palfreeman.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Are you a believer or a disciple of Christ? Do you know the difference? We can believe a lot of things about God, but
are we willing to really follow Him?
Have we counted the costs, really?
Luke 14:26-33 describes the cost.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“If anyone comes to me and does not
hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters,
yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his
own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring
to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has
enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able
to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build
and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king
in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten
thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not,
while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for
terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he
has cannot be my disciple."<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Anything that is about ourselves, we’ve got to let go. It’s how things get so complicated! If we fix our eyes on God, things really are
simple! And the simplicity of it is
this: we are created for God’s glory.
It’s when I start to put my good ahead of God’s glory that everything
begins to fall apart. We play a “Cat vs.
Dog Theology”. The owner of a dog treats
it well and provides all it needs, so the dog thinks the owner must be
God. The owner of a cat does likewise,
providing for it and loving it, but the cat thinks itself must be God! We do the same thing do we not? Isn't that the essence of sin? Man substituting himself for God?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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We talked about this some last time; how we pick and choose
the pieces of the Bible that are about “me”.
Then, truths that are meant to be simple become issues of “right and
wrong” between us. However, that’s
really not the issue. The Bible is
right; it is truth. But what we’ve done
is make our interpretations right, but incomplete. But once you view the Bible through the lens
of God’s glory, the reality becomes readily apparent:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In Psalm 6, David cries out to God to answer him “for the
sake of Your steadfast love.” In death,
David says, he would not be able to give Him praise, but if God delivered him
from his enemies, it would be God who would get the glory.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Psalm 25, David asks God to remember His own mercy and
love and to remove his sin “for the sake of your goodness” and “for the sake of
your name”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Psalm 109:21 again asks God to “deal on my behalf for your
name’s sake”. A few verses later
(26-27), David pleads again to be saved so that people would know that it was
God’s hand at work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A popular song by Chris Tomlin, “Not To Us” is taken right
from Psalm 115. “Not to us, O Lord, not
to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and
your faithfulness.” It goes on to say
that all the nations should proclaim that his God is the true God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
David’s defeat of Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 is more than a
story about facing our giants in life.
In fact, it’s not about us at all!
David would not stand for Goliath blaspheming his God and his cry just
before the giant’s defeat included, “that all the earth may know that there is
a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not
with sword and spear. For the battle is
the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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After Israel was taken into Babylonian exile, King
Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone to worship a golden idol (Daniel 3), yet three
faithful men would not and were thrown into a fiery furnace. The result?
God’s name was known in another nation!
The king decreed that on one could speak against their God. Similarly, a few chapters later (Daniel 6),
Daniel was thrown into a den of lions for continuing to worship God despite a
royal edict to stop. When Daniel stepped
out the next morning unharmed, the king decreed that “all my royal dominion
people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living
God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion
shall be to the end.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Even in hardship, God works toward His glory. We turn back to David in Psalm 69:7, where he
says “For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has
covered my face.” The Psalmist in Psalm
44 also stated “Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long; we are
regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
This key verse was used by Paul in Romans 8. Our problem with this is, when life is about us,
we balk at the hard times. But if Christ suffered, even having lived a perfectly sinless life, how could we then expect not to encounter hardships in our own lives?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Even the most despicable example of hardship, evil, and
death was purposed to glorify God. The
cross was the ultimate expression of God’s steadfast love. A popular song states “…and thought of me,
above all”. That’s true but it’s
incomplete. Christ was thinking about
the glory of His Father on the cross. Before
the cross is for anyone else’s sake, the cross is for God’s sake. Ultimately, Christ died for God! The forgiveness that results from out
salvation is not about us. Isaiah 43:25
says “’I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake.’” God redeems people to bring glory to Himself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The challenge against today’s Americanized Christian clichés
and conventions is this: if I get today,
if I don’t get what my sins deserve, then may I live a life so that God is
glorified. Our love for God drives us to
the ends of the earth. It cannot be kept
for ourselves. And before we take our next step in our role in joining God in His mission work, we better count the costs and surely remember that it is all for His glory. As long as there is one
more nation, one more people not giving their worship to God, then He has not
received what He deserves.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-51905915716511820172012-03-16T11:36:00.003-05:002012-03-16T11:36:59.933-05:00God is a Missionary God<i>I do not claim any of the following as my own. It is a culmination of several teachings and readings from great Christ-followers such as Todd Ahrend, David Platt, and the writers of "Perspectives". I've just summarized what I've learned into this 20-min talk I gave to Compass and transcribed here.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
If you were asked to define what the "gospel" is, you'd likely cite the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. But what you may not know is the gospel actually began way back in Genesis 12! God's master plan of providing redemption to His people was revealed to Abraham! And He chose to reveal His plan in the form of a promise.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Gen-12-1">Now <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-300A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup></span>the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Gen-12-2" id="en-ESV-301">And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Gen-12-3" id="en-ESV-302">I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-302D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></sup></span>in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)</span></span></span></blockquote>
God's promise was to use Abraham and the people that would come from him, to bless all nations so that the name of the Lord would be made known throughout the whole world. This is a promise that is actually being progressively fulfilled. It was revealed to Abraham in his day. It was fulfilled in Christ. And it will be finalized at the end of the age. What is shown here is that God is on mission to be loved, served, and worshiped by every people on earth. And there's a threefold purpose to this. First, for God Himself. He desires that worship come from every nation. Second, toward people. He intends to bring redemption to every people. And third, to overcome evil. God will overcome evil powers to bring about His everlasting rule. The totality of the promise is this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>For His glory in global worship, God purposes to overcome evil by redeeming a people who will love and obey Him within every people.</b></blockquote>
Before we move on, let's look at what "blessing" actually means. Most of us would probably define a blessing by something tangible or monetary. In non-western cultures, it is to endow the person with a potency of life in order for it to flourish to its intended fullness. (As an example, there is an account where Jacob and Esau struggled for the blessing of their father Isaac, which he would bestow on his oldest son. Jacob deceived his father and ended up receiving that blessing.) Blessing can also be something tangible. There are Old Testament examples of this, especially in the life of Abraham. It can represent material wealth, as Abraham was very wealthy in land and livestock. God's presence is a blessing, as well as peace with neighbors. Both are blessings Abraham experienced as he obeyed God's command to go to the land He provided.<br />
<br />
The entire Bible is God's redemption story, unveiling His progressive plan of desiring worship from all peoples, bringing redemption to them, and overcoming evil. If we look at the Bible as a modern day novel, it actually plays out in a similar manner. Genesis 1-11 is the prologue to the story. We see a perfect creation, with man as the pinnacle, made to worship and glorify God. But rather than renown God's name, man attempted to make a name for himself. This culminated in the Tower of Babel and God scattering the people into 70 different cultures and languages.<br />
<br />
The plot of the story unfolds from Genesis 12 through Jude. God reaches out to Abraham with a promise to bless the nations through him. This promise was repeated to his son Isaac in Genesis 26:4 and again to Isaac's son Jacob in Genesis 28:4. Through the rest of the Old Testament we see events transpire--whether good or bad--that work toward making God's name known among the nations. Some of the more well-known stories include the giving of the Ten Commandments, the ten plagues of Egypt, people coming to witness Solomon's wisdom, the fiery furnace in Babylon, and David & Goliath. As the story moves into the New Testament, the fulfillment of the promise is achieved in Christ, who brought the message to the Gentiles.<br />
<br />
The conclusion of the story occurs in Revelation. Christ defeated sin, Satan, and death on the cross, but at the end of the age, these things will be utterly destroyed! All creation yearns for the moment when the scroll is opened and the end is ushered in. As accounted in Revelation, no one was found worthy to open the seals of the scroll...until Christ, who paid the price so that all peoples could know God. And indeed, this will be realized. God will receive worship from every people group on earth.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-size: 16px;">
<span class="text Rev-5-9" id="en-ESV-30773"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And they sang <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-30773A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup></span>a new song, saying, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Worthy are you to take the scroll</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Rev-5-9" style="position: relative;">and to open its seals, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">for <sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-30773B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup>you were slain, and by your blood <sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-30773C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></sup>you ransomed people for God</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Rev-5-9" style="position: relative;">from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-30773D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></sup></span>every tribe and language and people and nation," (Revelation 5:9)</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Rev-7-9">After this I looked, and behold, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-30804A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup></span>a great multitude that no one could number, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-30804B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup></span>from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-30804C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></sup></span>clothed in white robes, with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-30804D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></sup></span>palm branches in their hands,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Rev-7-10" id="en-ESV-30805">and crying out with a loud voice, <sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-30805E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)"></sup>“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”</span></span> (Revelation 7:9-10)</span></blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23_RAHJH5HrzbQGBgRb15efXGq5xbvJzfl1aSXrlqTrRciiVOp4jXNUnOhQQzQTmv6SKYKjd4T_-EMmXCaHN2xwqoUrOOQgqT-tOUjv_Sd51VZbwLIIbAvGPDMfdlCg4PRXDM8xY4OwA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-03-16+at+11.17.45+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23_RAHJH5HrzbQGBgRb15efXGq5xbvJzfl1aSXrlqTrRciiVOp4jXNUnOhQQzQTmv6SKYKjd4T_-EMmXCaHN2xwqoUrOOQgqT-tOUjv_Sd51VZbwLIIbAvGPDMfdlCg4PRXDM8xY4OwA/s200/Screen+Shot+2012-03-16+at+11.17.45+AM.png" width="200" /></a>Out of all the nations on earth, God chose Israel to be a blessing to the other nations. The laws that God gave them were designed to set them apart from the idol-worshipping nations. Christ would eventually come from this lineage. Solomon, in all his wisdom, understood this. In his prayer of dedication of the Temple--the place where the Lord would dwell among His people--he prayed for this blessing to occur:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="text 1Kgs-8-41" id="en-ESV-9027">“Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name's sake<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><b> </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text 1Kgs-8-42" id="en-ESV-9028">(for they shall hear of your great name <sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-9028A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup>and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text 1Kgs-8-43" id="en-ESV-9029">hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-9029B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup></span>that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-9029C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></sup></span>fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name." (1 Kings 8:41-43)</span></span></span></blockquote>
Take a look at Psalm 67, too. The message becomes clear. God was blessing Israel so they would be a blessing to all other nations. The problem is, Israel failed. Look no further than the story of Jonah to see this. Jonah did not run from Nineveh because he was scared of them. He ran because he knew that God would relent from his judgement and save them! Nineveh was a city in the neighboring enemy country of Assyria. Israel was very prideful and thought God was meant for themselves. They completely missed it. And in the end, God did exactly what Jonah was afraid He'd do when the city repented. Throughout the Old Testament is story after story of God's chosen people either turning to their own idols or hoarding God for themselves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXaHgJhTIhgiNJ5NUoSH9JRTGST0trhrTuFWVtqbk_y8Nqg-HtwBBvOZAPdKEnBEIDjeus7HZDFbND86GEes4DUDDLGiVzzfSYxI_cOJWLkWnt6QkBx3dUcLKY3jm_y5mKfw7jXwwMs4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-03-16+at+11.19.44+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXaHgJhTIhgiNJ5NUoSH9JRTGST0trhrTuFWVtqbk_y8Nqg-HtwBBvOZAPdKEnBEIDjeus7HZDFbND86GEes4DUDDLGiVzzfSYxI_cOJWLkWnt6QkBx3dUcLKY3jm_y5mKfw7jXwwMs4/s200/Screen+Shot+2012-03-16+at+11.19.44+AM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
So in the fulfillment of the promise through Christ, God gave the responsibility to the Church. Take a look at some of the first words Jesus taught in His ministry. He was teaching in a synagogue and read a passage from the book of Isaiah. The people were enamored at His words at this point. The next thing He said, which we often read and give no further thought to or maybe just don't understand, roused them to anger.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Luke-4-25" id="en-ESV-25080"><span class="woj">But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-25080A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup></span>the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Luke-4-26" id="en-ESV-25081"><span class="woj">and Elijah was sent to none of them <sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-25081B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup>but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Luke-4-27" id="en-ESV-25082"><span class="woj">And <sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-25082C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></sup>there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, <sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-ESV-25082D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></sup>but only Naaman the Syrian.”</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Luke-4-28" id="en-ESV-25083">When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. (Luke 4:25-28)</span></span></blockquote>
Why would this be the first thing He taught? He's essentially telling them, that although there was famine and disease in the days of the prophets, the prophets didn't minister to the Israelites themselves. No, they went to the Gentiles and shared God's blessing with them. This angered the crowd listening because they believed God to be for themselves. The part of the promise to BE a blessing was forgotten.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0ivlIVLiElSq_PP5msIzoNhFYmm6s8nXcamVwZtGop1nnWoiC_T6rf7vHendzz4GSgUAYQNqhwfO2IY9hoIf8uQaZeadR1SjSLObLJ75mHD6XhyphenhyphenEiSJgGWZZRiBdD9OukzMyIzshtFg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-03-16+at+11.20.36+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja0ivlIVLiElSq_PP5msIzoNhFYmm6s8nXcamVwZtGop1nnWoiC_T6rf7vHendzz4GSgUAYQNqhwfO2IY9hoIf8uQaZeadR1SjSLObLJ75mHD6XhyphenhyphenEiSJgGWZZRiBdD9OukzMyIzshtFg/s200/Screen+Shot+2012-03-16+at+11.20.36+AM.png" width="200" /></a>The problem is very much similar today. We've made it about God and "me". When we understand the full scope of the story and that it is really about glorifying God and making His name known, it plays out completely differently. The story of David and Goliath becomes more than just a nice lesson about facing the giants in your life. No, it becomes a story of a boy who would not stand for the name of his Lord being blasphemed by this man. And Goliath's defeat would prove who God really was! So much of our teaching and preaching is about what God does for "me". And whether from good intention or bad, we take the pieces of the Bible that make us feel good and ignore the rest, falling into the same trap as Israel. Two popular examples:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." (Psalm 23:1-3)</blockquote>
Sounds good, doesn't it? You know this one. He provides, He gives me peace, He restores me, He guides me. All that is true. But why? The last part of verse 3, which we often leave off, tells us. He does those things so that through us, His name will be known.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Ps-46-10" id="en-ESV-14625" style="position: relative;">"Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10a)</span></span></span></blockquote>
This is an oft-memorized verse. Or, part of a verse. We like to memorize this part and keep it for ourselves, but it is the rest of the verse that is key:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">"Be still, and know that I am God. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-46-10" style="position: relative;">I will be exalted among the nations. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-46-10" style="position: relative;">I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10)</span></span></span></blockquote>
The Bible is not about us! When we understand this and see that everything God has done--from Creation, to the promise to Abraham, to our salvation in Christ, to the defeat of evil--is about gaining glory for Himself, it begins to pop out of every single page! (That's right, even our salvation is not about us.) If we turn back to our definition of blessing, how will we respond with the charge to be a blessing to all peoples? Will we allow the very things God has given us to bless others to hold us back? Will we hoard them for ourselves? We are blessed to be a portal through which other people may know Him. In an Americanized portrayal of what it means to be a Christ-follower, will we sit back in our comforts and complain about them when they aren't there, or will we give our lives to the spread of His glory to the ends of the earth, no matter what comforts, safety, or security we have to sacrifice? He is worthy of worship from every people. He has brought redemption to them (us). He will overcome all evil and establish His everlasting reign.<br />
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God is on mission for His glory. He has a Church in the world who gets the joy of working with Him. We get the joy; He gets the glory.Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-43021312907588664612012-02-12T15:58:00.000-06:002012-02-12T15:58:03.900-06:00Complete the Task<br />
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God, You are sovereign over all creation. You are worthy of all our worship. May Your name truly be hallowed among all the
nations. God, in Your great mercy and
love, You have given us this time in history to take Your Gospel message—Your
redemption story—to all those who have not heard it. From the very beginning, when You called out
Abraham, Your plan was to make Your name known among the nations. You have invited us to be a part of Your
mission, so let us not waste our lives in meaningless pursuits any longer, but
be radically changed toward completing the task and ushering the return of
Christ!<o:p></o:p></div>
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God, this world is broken but You are still at work in Your
sovereignty. For the parts of the world
that are closed to us, would You open doors and allow Your children to take the
Gospel where it has not been heard. God,
Your church is under persecution in ways we cannot even fathom here in America,
where our tribulations are little more than risking offending someone. For those hidden places where our brothers
and sisters are meeting in small groups, hungry for Your word, completely
dependent on Your power in their lives, praising Your great name, and carrying
on Your message to their families and friends, I pray for safety and for Your
Spirit to fill those rooms so they fear nothing and know that death nor life
nor rulers nor powers…nothing…can separate them from Your love. God I pray that Your church will persevere
through the persecution. They may burn
down buildings but the true foundation of Your church can never be destroyed;
they may jail Your followers, but Your mission continues in prisons, and they
may take lives, but as Your word says “For Your sake, we are being killed all
the day long”. God by whatever means Your name is to be known, do it, for You
are worthy of our very lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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God in the places around the world where Your work is being
done even in this very hour, I pray that You would go before every effort to
connect with people of a different culture, to communicate the Gospel in their
language, and to plant churches that they can then begin the journey of making
disciples. God through Your mighty
works, would You show Yourself to the unreligious. Lord, open paths for us to go to the remotest
of tribal areas so that they can know who You are. In the Hindu nations, would You help us to
show them that You are the One and True God.
In the areas of the world where Buddhism is prevalent, will You help
them to see the eternal security they seek can only be found in Christ
alone. And for the Muslim nations, God,
would You help us find common ground and teach them with our lives and our love
that Christ is the only way, truth and life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One day, Lord, Your Word says that every tribe, tongue, and
nation will be represented before Your throne, seeing You in all Your glory,
worshipping You. You are truly worthy of
nothing less, Lord. As we pray daily for
the peoples around the world--individually, as families, in small groups, and
corporately--would You unite us in this one heart: to bend our lives to You and complete Your
mission. Do this for Your name’s sake,
Lord. Thank You for the privilege to be
involved, for there is no higher purpose.
We ask through Your Son, our Savior, Christ Jesus, Amen.<o:p></o:p></div>Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-39559303143724685202012-01-17T17:01:00.001-06:002012-01-17T17:49:33.655-06:00Where I BelongI received a letter today from my sponsored child's pastor. One of the exciting things I learned from it was a better knowledge of Vijay's location. Though I still can't determine exactly where in India he is at, I do know he is within 250 miles of Bhopal, which is pretty much central in India. (Before I only could know a 1000 km radius!)<br />
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But what hit me the most of this Pastor's letter were the conditions our brothers and sisters are facing over there. Yes, those are our brothers and sisters in Christ! When is the last time any of us even considered that notion? I really don't have a clue. We're too caught up in our comforts and culture and national pride to even begin thinking on a global scale. But Revelation makes it clear that every tribe, tongue, and nation will be represented before the throne. And there is a whole world waiting to hear God's Good News who have never heard it before. There are fellow believers who are facing honest-to-goodness life and death persecution just on the chance to meet together and talk about the Bible. We sit over here and brush off going to church if we're too tired from staying up too late on Saturday. We go to all the things that entertain and provide things for us, but end up "busy" when we're called to participate in discipleship and worship. We leave talking about how the songs didn't really do it for us today.<br />
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I just can't tolerate this anymore. I long to be in the places where there are no hindrances and preconceptions of entitlement. Just a people who need to know God. We don't know what it means to depend on God. Maybe we think we do, when we can't pay our cable, cell phone, internet, or car bills. And if we don't have one or more of these things, we are considered poor. That may be an American definition, but I'm sorry, that is not poverty. Real dependence on God, I think, comes when faced with what these people in India face. Here are a few of the conditions from the Pastor's letter:<br />
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<li>Malnutrition is commonplace for children.</li>
<li>High illiteracy rates; less than 25% can read. Those who do attend school have a drop-out rate of 60%.</li>
<li>Improper sanitation leading to all sorts of health issues. Malaria, hepatitis, and tuberculosis are all common.</li>
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I'm deeply, deeply humbled that this man would end his letter saying HE was praying for ME! And through this small act of generosity, he is able to provide hygiene supplies, run a care center where children learn manners, sing songs and dance, explore their talents, and receive tutoring! Vijay's family lives on less than $22 a month. That's 4 cups of coffee to me. I know Vijay is not going to school because his family needs him to be working. At 8! Seriously, I think I have a clue on God's global perspective? (Why in the world did I struggle for two months on how to come up with $38 to sponsor this child?)</div>
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We're free to worship who we want, when we want, where we want. A lot of the world is not so fortunate and we don't get that. Pastors in India ask us not to pray that their persecution would stop, but that they would persevere through the persecution for His name's sake! What boldness! Who among us who have lived in first-world comforts could pray such a bold prayer? I'm fascinated by such boldness in those who truly have nothing--not the American sense of nothing--really nothing. </div>
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When I pray and things don't turn out for the better, my faith wavers and I wonder where I misstepped! I have no clue. Our "persecution" is worrying about offending someone by bringing up Christ in a conversation. They are being killed! God never promised that when we pray for something, things will get better. He said all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose. What's His purpose? To make His name known among all people groups. So when something goes the opposite way in which I pray, and I have the audacity to question God, well just maybe that's because His way is going to lead to Him accomplishing His purpose. (This is a whole other post, so I'll move on.)</div>
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All I know is God has radically changed my life in this last year. I'm not the same Benjamin I was January 2011. I don't know if we haven't kept up together a lot or if you know what all has been going on with me. All I know is, my perspective is completely flipped right side up (see what I did there?) and God is showing me generosity for the sake of His Kingdom. Most assuredly, though, He is massaging in the notion that this is not my home. I am blessed beyond measure to live in America. But our definitions of being Christ's disciple have been absolutely marred by our entitlements, comforts, and wealth. </div>
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Our churches need to stop wasting millions on programs and productions as if we're trying to lure people in, cater to their sense of entitlements, and convince them to buy into Christianity on false pretenses. We need to draw on the presence of Christ and allow Him to work, so that we're not just having people say an ABC prayer and toss them back into the world, but so we are honestly creating disciples who learn the Word in order to share, show and teach it to the next person! </div>
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We need to shirk nationalistic pride and this American dream mentality, and develop Kingdom pride! We are citizens of heaven!</div>
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We are not a poor people. We do not have what we have to live our lives in comfort and complain about it when they go away.</div>
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In America, we have been put in the context of having heard of Jesus, having clean water and food, hygienic sanitation, and medical care. Two BILLION people out there don't. </div>
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No matter what safety, security, or comforts we have to sacrifice, our God is worth it. I have wasted 15 years as a "Christ follower" before finally getting it. He alone did what I could not do. He alone loved me when I was still His enemy. He alone made the way for me to be adopted as His son and share in Christ's inheritance!</div>
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Even knowing those things in my heart like I do now, I'm still only crawling in this journey. I'm scared to death! I can't even pray the words I know I need to pray. I, in my flesh, cannot give up my home, family, or even my pet. But God is moving and preparing me on some capacity to be part of His Kingdom work. He didn't have to include us in His plan to save His people. He could have used big signs in the sky or given people dreams and visions. But He didn't. He chooses to use us! This is a PRIVILEGE, not an obligation!</div>
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I may live here and experience the freedoms we enjoy, and God may or may not be asking me to move to somewhere else in the world, but what I do understand is this is not where I belong.</div>Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-19664842669251365692011-12-05T15:10:00.001-06:002011-12-05T15:35:06.440-06:00The End of Texting; the Beginning of ImpactA lot of people have asked why I dropped my texting plan from my cell phone service. I wasn't going to announce this, but then after some thought, I decided that just maybe I could let someone else know about the opportunity of giving that God showed me.<br />
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You see, God has placed on my heart the unreached people groups of the world. What does this have to do with dropping text messaging? Hang with me... Without going into the full story here--though I'd be thrilled to share with you in person--God has shown me the deception I was living under and also taught me a lot about generosity. While He is still preparing, pruning, and providing for me to begin being obedient to His global mission call, He showed me ways I can make a difference right now, from where I'm at. In one respect, He has brought many people groups to us! In fact, we have a young man from India visiting as a student and attending Compass. India has been on my heart since learning about the persecution there in April. This led to Him speaking to my heart to sponsor a child through Compassion International. It is $38 a month to provide resources to a child so they can attend school, church, and other meaningful activities for physical and spiritual wellness.<br />
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So I made the commitment to do so and began searching for areas I could cut back to be a sponsor. With the advance in Apple's iOS and all the other avenues of communication we have, I decided the $20 per month that cellular providers outrageously charge for texting was a good place to start. Only a handful of my friends/family use some other device or haven't upgraded, so it really hasn't been too big a deal so far. If someone is so insistent to communicate by message rather than voice, there's still Twitter, Facebook, email, etc. It's fine. A minor inconvenience for a major influence. Another place I'm cutting is my Netflix service. They doubled their rates recently, so I'm halving my service. That's $9. Finally, I cut the "premium" tier of my U-verse bill, which let me get the Red Zone Channel. $5 there. That's $34 total...just about the cost of my sponsorship.<br />
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I looked for a couple months for a child, but it was so overwhelming, I kept putting it off. How could I choose? Finally, I found a link on the site that said "let us choose for you". Yes please! I set the parameters of a boy in India who had been waiting the longest for a sponsor. I received an 8-year-old boy named Vijay, who lives in northern India. Google Earth can't quite pin down where he is; the closest I can focus in is 1000 km away. I just finished writing my first letter to him. I pray these resources will cause him to know Christ one day soon!<br />
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There's been several jokes that I was being snobby about only using Apple's iMessage, and while I do know they were all in good fun, I assure you, I had no such motivation. And if this post causes you to consider getting in on God's global mission, in this small way, this is something you can do NOW! Want to know more? Let's get together! Holler at me on Twitter, Facebook messenger, email, or iMessage. Just don't text! :)Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-50788297732511673712011-10-21T09:54:00.000-05:002011-10-21T09:54:35.537-05:00Catan Being Conquered<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Y'all probably know I'm a pretty big Settlers of Catan fanatic. We have a weekly group that plays. And we were excited to find a new scenario released this week called "Oil Springs". Basically, there are 3 hexes that now produce oil. Oil can be used to buy 2 resources or build a metropolis (not the same as C&K metropolis). The metropolis lets you collect 3 resources and protects you from flooding (see below). Or...you can sequester the oil for conservation, which permanently removes it from the game. Doing so 3 times gives you the "Environmental Champion" card and 1 VP. Using oil, however, causes the environmental disaster calendar to tick forward (like the Barbarians in C&K). When the token reaches the end, disaster strikes and either one hex is PERMANENTLY REMOVED from the game or a flood takes out all settlements along the coast (same effect as volcano). If disaster happens 5 times, Catan becomes uninhabitable and NO ONE WINS THE GAME. WHAT??!?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Of course with new rules comes some challenges and we had some hangups along the way, but I think we've worked out the kinks after a couple rounds. It was clear that some chose to use the oil to build for themselves, no matter the cost or ramifications. Not many were in to conserving the oil. And sure, there are parallels here to reality. I think that's the point of this scenario. The guys had fun and we'll play it again! Hoping for rules to combine with Cities & Knights soon!</span><br />
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</span>Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-45878534801604958902011-07-25T14:03:00.001-05:002011-07-25T14:08:44.329-05:00The Common vs. HolyWe were asked by our small group leader to write an honest email to him of where we are at with totally surrendering to God. There are two huge areas God is working on me right now, and I wanted to share my thoughts on one of them. There is a process of pruning that we all undergo at Christians so that we can be fruitful on the vine that is Jesus Christ. Some of these things are good things, but to make the best fruit possible, even those things may have to go.<br />
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There is plenty of opinion on the subject of alcohol consumption amongst Christians, and it is also a subject that places the church in a state of hypocrisy in the eyes of lost people. We can go back and forth all day about if it is right or wrong, but that is not what this post is about. This is about my personal journey and my decision alone. I want that to be clear before going on.<br />
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As I've prayed in the last months for God to show me what areas I'm not willing to give up in my journey to totally surrender to Him, this is one that has come up. I've been reading through the Bible each morning and am up to Leviticus. In chapter 10, I came across this passage:<br />
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<blockquote>And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, "Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them by Moses."</blockquote><br />
I see great guidance in this that is still applicable despite being in Old Testament law. The context of this passage is that Aaron was being consecrated as God's priest. When Aaron and his sons were doing God's work--going into the tent of meeting--He commanded them to refrain from consuming alcohol. They needed to set themselves apart from the common practices of the world and the holy practices of God.<br />
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I know with certainty that God is pruning me to begin doing His global mission work (and it's about time I surrender to this, too). There are plenty of people who think it is okay to drink, and I'm probably still in that camp. At the risk of oversimplifying my thoughts on it, there are plenty of instances where wine was used in Bible times. But the key here is, I need to be set apart in order to be able to effectively teach/show lost people His Gospel, like Aaron and His sons were to teach Israel the Law. There's not a priest anymore that speaks for and to God on our behalf. Effectively, we ARE the priest. You could even say that we ARE the tent of meeting now, because God dwells in us. It probably sounds contradictory to say I'm still okay with alcohol consumption and yet we need to be set apart, but what I'm trying to say is, a social drink is okay to me (obviously dependence upon or excess consumption of alcohol is a sin), but I'm probably not going to partake of it for this reason of Him calling me to be set apart.<br />
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We have the express freedom to do whatever we want. That's the free will God gave us. But just because we can do something, doesn't mean we should. God may have placed things on this earth that are available for our enjoyment, but that doesn't mean it is always beneficial for us to partake of it. For me, it's not about what I think I deserve or am allowed to have anymore. The Bible speaks to this in Galatians:<br />
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<blockquote>For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.</blockquote><br />
There is also the oft-quoted verse about being a stumbling block. Those words have become a cliche-Christian term. But I think the verse reinforces the concept set in Leviticus about separating the common and holy.<br />
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<blockquote>But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.</blockquote><br />
I'm not sure how else to describe the consumption of alcohol except the word "common". It's like anything in the world that people do and don't give it a second thought, such as cussing. We can say "it's just a word; people defined the evilness of the word, not God. It's what is in your heart that counts, so if you don't say it in anger, you're okay." Well, I think that is a very superficial assessment in an Americanized Christianity. And boy, do I have a long way to go in reassessing my choices and fighting the engrained notions we have about things. <br />
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This idea of common vs. holy is not to make us "holier than thou". I believe it is so people can see the difference Christ makes in a very tangible, visible way. Want to use the argument that people should see Christians properly enjoying such things in moderation? That may be true, but I would counter that most, if not all, of the people in that category are "weak" or lacking in faith and for me, the risk is too great of them seeing no difference Christ has made, seeing hypocrisy and turning away from Christ, or seeing no need to change the way they are living and thus have no need of Christ. Once my "freedom" to drink causes any of those happen, I have failed miserably and sinned against God. I'm not turning up my nose at people who choose to drink, but I do want to use every opportunity I can to explain the difference Christ has made and why I don't need anything else. We replace the common with the holy:<br />
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<blockquote>And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,</blockquote><br />
I'm afraid of this decision, to be honest. I don't know how my friends are going to react. But in the past few months, as I've mostly abstained while I work through this process, I've been met with resistance and pressure. But these things cannot concern me. It is for me to be obedient to God's calling and move forward with His good work for His glory. Christ did not spend His three years sugar-coating His message and delivering sermons that made people feel better about themselves. He used every opportunity to say, "I've come to bring you life if you'll follow me, and in order to do that, you must be totally surrendered." That undeserved life He gave me can only be responded to with complete obedience. Oh, I have such a long way to go, but God is at work. I pray for the obedience to follow. His Gospel must be spread for His glory. At the end of the day, that's all that matters.Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-53316211544547190982011-07-09T14:09:00.004-05:002011-07-09T14:15:23.864-05:00Barefoot in the Grass!Dug up this panoramic I made of my backyard before I got my trees cut down last November. So I went outside and took another of what it is now! Amazing difference in 8 months. I'm so proud of it and grateful for everyone who helped me with it. Be sure to click on them to see the full size.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock#100081/new-backyard&bgcolor=black" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="new"><img border="0" height="106" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100081/new-backyard/web.jpg?ver=13102383460001" width="400" /></a></div>Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-16110075610362426432011-06-20T17:29:00.000-05:002011-06-20T17:29:33.831-05:00Changing the Way We Do Church6000 unreached people groups. Of those, 3800 are unengaged. The number is staggering and yet I believe it to be numbers that can be easily defeated. By definition, unreached means that less than 2% of the population of the people group is Christian. Unengaged means no one has taken the Gospel to them. These people are born, live, and die never hearing the Good News. In our day and age: unacceptable. And no matter what the Rob Bells may say about these people who have never heard the Gospel, those who do not trust in the Lord Jesus will be separated from God for eternity, and it falls on us to make sure they hear the Word of God.<br />
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Less than 2% of all Christian churches in the US--or only 10% of the 40,000 Southern Baptist churches--need adopt ONE unreached, unengaged people group. Why can we not do this? We are too inwardly focused. We're comfortable. We check off our religious boxes and find contentment there. We pride ourselves in our programs and productions that bring people into the door and pat ourselves on the back saying "look how many we reached!" And I'm not saying that God can't use those things. What I am saying is that we need to change our focus, our purpose for coming together each week.<br />
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Even at my own church, we do many good things, but I'm realizing that we're still missing the mark! I myself am the leader of the team responsible for putting some "wow" factor into our services! But we can get to point that our lights and our PowerPoints and our techno-geewhiz substitute for the simple and effective power of God in a worship service. Then we become reliant on those things and use those things to try and draw people in. All those resources are wasted because the truth is we don't need them! God's power alone is sufficient! Yes, there are things that we use to help deliver the message: a sound system is necessary, stage lighting is needed, video work helps us reach more people in the space we have. My point is, every decision I make going forward will be based on the effectiveness and need to help promote God's Word and if it does not, then it is a waste and we are being poor stewards, and I can't let that happen any longer.<br />
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I'm also convinced that our teaching, our preaching, our discipleship and fellowship...all of it needs a new focus. EVERYTHING we do must be geared toward equipping and preparing the members of the church to go and take the Good News to the ends of the earth. Everything. You might say, well some people just aren't at that point in their walk yet. I firmly believe that whether it is a class that simply walks a new believer through the Bible from beginning to end, or a study on a passage or character, or a seasoned study about grace...it cannot stop with us. When we go into a class or hear a sermon, we must do so to use that wisdom to help reach the unreached. We take what we learned and teach it to the next person. And as a natural by-product we ourselves are becoming filled with the Word and our lives DO change and grow. The life-application is happening underneath automatically! But the point is, it can't stop there!<br />
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The same is true of the sermon time, of community group time. You might say that life application studies are good, and I would agree! But hang with me.... These are the corporate and intimate moments when we need to be equipped with God's Word. But the American church has watered down the Gospel. We've made it the point to get people in and out of the door. We've got all our Christian cliches to make the Gospel easy: say your A-B-C prayer of salvation, walk down the aisle, congratulations you're saved, now live differently! I like how it was put by one pastor: this is kool-aid Christianity. In the three short years Christ had to teach his disciples, He spent that time telling them how much it would cost to be His follower. That they had to give up anything and everything. That their love for Him had to be so great that the love they had for their families had to look like hate. And that the prize would be worth it all! To God's glory!<br />
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People just aren't going to be saved during Sunday morning invitation time. I say that superlatively, because it can happen, but the point I'm trying to make is, we are commanded to go out and spread the Gospel. So let the evangelism occur outside the walls of our buildings! Here's what I'm trying to say at last: let our teaching and preaching be geared toward the Christian so that it equips us for the work we have to do, and then we'll know how to build a relationship with a person, perhaps meet some physical need that will open doors, and allow God's Spirit to use the Truth we speak to draw them to Him. In other words, the time for us to focus on the nonbeliever is the other ~166 hours of the week. Then they'll come on Sunday and join the ranks of believers in pursuit of spreading the Gospel to the next person. And it goes on and on and on. Yes, it's important to present the Gospel on Sunday morning, but let's also put more of our efforts into equipping the church to go out and less on sugar-coating the Gospel with this "Jesus will make you feel better" tactic, with no follow-up or teaching of what it really means to be a Christ-follower. This is the reason the church exists. Not to sit in Sunday School or hear a good message that convicts us or makes us feel better or "we learned a little more about God today". Until we use the Word we are learning and put it into action, it is dead faith! Worthless. Disobedience. And I'm so afraid for the countless number of people who have been filling pews and will stand before the Righteous Judge thinking their eternity secure but hear the words "depart from me, I don't know you" (Matt 7:21-23).<br />
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Not one person who has Christ truly in their heart can look at the Great Commission and turn away. That's because your "want to" is saved too, and yes, we all have insecurities and reservations and fear, but at the end of the day DO WE TRUST GOD? You can't say "that's someone else's job" or "I'll give money for someone else to go". The Christian on "spiritual milk" or eating "spiritual meat", the call is the same. We can't ignore it any longer. We are each and every follower of Christ called to go. And I believe we can fulfill the Great Commission in our time. There is risk, sacrifice, uncertainty. But there's also reward! God's glory and a share in His eternal inheritance for each of His children. I'm reading through the Bible while watching a 52-week study on His redemption story. The Bible has opened up to me in a new way and when I think about what God did for me, why would I not want to give him all praise and honor and glory?<br />
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I think about the things I have, the life I live. By pure grace I'm where I'm at. I ask myself each morning, am I willing to give it up? What's the most important thing here? That I'll offend someone? I have a feeling that won't go over well when God asks me what I did with His Son. That I was afraid of getting sick, injured, or dying? What's the worst they can do, take my physical body? God has my soul; NOTHING can take that away from Him. The Christ I have come to know in these past months of rapid and explosive growth is worth it and demands it. And when I really get down to it, when I truly conceive and believe in His love for me, how can I respond any differently? Can we do it? Yes, God. Let it begin with me!Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-3183145902121626322011-05-28T16:02:00.002-05:002011-05-28T16:06:17.462-05:00I'm On a BoatIt's been a long time since January when my friends and I booked a vacation on the Carnival Elation. But it has finally come and gone and been one of the best experiences I've had. We had a 9 hour drive to Mobile, AL. We weren't sure how far we'd get on the drive, but did make it all way. So along the way I reserved us a hotel. The last time I stayed in a hotel, it was a La Quinta...pretty nice and good price. So I reserved at another one this time. Oh boy was that a bad idea. It wasn't anything like the nice La Quinta I stayed at before. Pretty sketchy, but we survived. The next morning we had some time, so we visited the USS Alabama museum. Very cool, even if we did have to hurry through. I can tell I would never be cut out for the Navy.<br />
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We arrived to the port and quickly got into a hurry up and wait mode. It took a little over two hours to board. The VIP boarding was looking really good, but not worth the extra expense of a suite to get it. We boarded, ate (of course), and headed to the top deck to see off the US!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0494/web.jpg?ver=13065999100001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0494/web.jpg?ver=13065999100001" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The Elation is one of the smaller ships in the Carnival line, but I loved it that way. I was pleasantly surprised to not find just mobs of people everywhere, constantly. We ate at formal dining every night and shared a table with a great family from Destin, Fl. They were seasoned cruisers and had some good tips for us, including a great deck to go lay out on where a lot of people didn't go. That ended up being my spot and there were never more than a dozen people up there; plus it had a full view of the deck stage for the shows and games. Perfect!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0555/web.jpg?ver=13065999950001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0555/web.jpg?ver=13065999950001" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the deck I lounged on most of the time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I participated in a couple of activities like trivia and karaoke. Went to all the evening shows. They were good, if not a little amateurish. Of course, I had lots of critiques for their technical aspects. But the cast and crew did a good job.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/dinner/web.jpg?ver=13065999010001" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/dinner/web.jpg?ver=13065999010001" width="400" /></a></div>Formal dining was always fun. The ladies we sat with--Nanna, Jan, and Cara--were awesome. One night of the cruise is "elegant night", so we dressed up. Well, Nanna had a few too many martinis prior to dinner and was an absolute riot. She couldn't stop laughing at anything and everything. After dinner, we went to karaoke and I decided to sing "Shameless" to her. That was definitely the most fun night we had. I did karaoke the next night too. I ended up singing "Dream On" and it was way higher than I expected it to be. But I just made light of it, got the audience laughing, and really had them rolling when I hit those extra high "dream on!" notes at the end. HA!<br />
<br />
The food was endless. Buffets were open 24/7. The dining room menu was always an interesting experience. Didn't try too many new things, like escargot. But it was always quite tasty. Desserts were especially "nice". :)<br />
<br />
Our first port of call was Progreso. We booked a tour of the Chichen Itza ruins from the Mayan Empire. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The tour had a little information but was more about selling us things than anything else. And some of those vendors are aggressive! The 52m temple is unbelievable in its construction. Its structure is based on the calendar and on the solstices, it will cast the perfect shadow of a serpent. There's actually a smaller temple within the outer one! No climbing on the ruins anymore, but I didn't mind...I'd rather they be preserved. The ruins have some crazy acoustics. Clapping can create an endless reverberating echo or produce a completely different sound. Other buildings included a ball court, a sacrificial alter, and the royal court.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0524/web.jpg?ver=13065999490001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0524/web.jpg?ver=13065999490001" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple of Kukuikan - the structure and steps are all "tuned" to the calendar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0516/web.jpg?ver=13065999340001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0516/web.jpg?ver=13065999340001" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ball Court - players used anything but their hands to knock a ball into the hoops (you can see on the sides). The WINNER (yes, winner) got sacrificed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0532/web.jpg?ver=13065999620001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0532/web.jpg?ver=13065999620001" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Court</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0531.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=13065999600001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0531.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=13065999600001" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underground river exposed by a sink hole. This river sustained the Mayan culture, who disappeared for unknown reasons. But the peoples and language still exist as a blend of Mayan and Mexican.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
We had just enough time for the tour before having to reboard Elation. It was a 2 hour trip out, 2 hours to look around, 2 hours back. That was my only negative feeling about the trip...that we didn't have more time in ports.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/71270009/web.jpg?ver=13066000170001" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/71270009/web.jpg?ver=13066000170001" width="400" /></a></div><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/71270009/web.jpg?ver=13066000170001" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/71270015/web.jpg?ver=13066000240001" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/71270015/web.jpg?ver=13066000240001" width="400" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The next morning we arrived in Cozumel. There ended up being four Carnival ships in port that day, so I was SO thankful to not have booked a Carnival Cruise excursion. Instead, we learned of Eagle Ray Divers for scuba diving through some friends that had been there. What an experience! There were only four of us on the boat. We had about an hour long lesson, then had to do some check-offs in shallow water. Then our guide took us down about 40 ft. There we saw all sorts of colorful fish and coral. I wish I had some pictures, but the underwater camera did not perform well. After the first dive, we easily decided we wanted to go again. This time we went out to the edge of the reef where the ocean drops down 1500 ft. The current there was unbelievable. But it was an amazing view; we even saw a couple sting rays!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">After diving, we only had an hour until we had to board again. Again, our time limitation sucked. I really wish they would stay a night in port. But anyway, we asked where a great place to get some authentic Mexican food and our guide pointed us to the right spot. We each got a platter with a sample of everything and were stuffed. Quick souvenir shopping and we were boarding back on Elation.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0552/web.jpg?ver=13065999910001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/IMG_0552/web.jpg?ver=13065999910001" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L to R: baked plantains, black beans, chicken, guacamole, taco, beef, taquito, quesadilla</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On the last day at sea, I got to go on a behind the scenes tour of the boat. It is a pretty exclusive thing; only 16 people can pay to do so. It was definitely worth it! We started out in the galley and saw how all the food preparation and serving takes place. A common perception of cruises is the amount of food waste they have, which is true to an extent, but Carnival does a good job not over-preparing. And food scraps from plates gets ground up and dumped in the ocean for fish food!<br />
<br />
We saw the linen and laundry area. They have HUGE machines that dry/press/fold the linens. They had already done over 5,000 when we came through around 9:30 am. We saw the trash/incinerator area, storage, bulk food prep. Then we went to the engine control room. Lots of guards while we were there. The Officer of the Watch spoke to us for a while. Unfortunately, they can't allow people in the engine rooms anymore, but we saw them on monitors. The Elation was the first ship to be built with propellors that can spin 360 degrees. So no need for a tug boat! On the front of the boat is a water propulsion system that sucks water in one side and pushes it out the other. Also, the whole ship runs on six generators.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/captain_0001/web.jpg?ver=13066156560001" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220/captain_0001/web.jpg?ver=13066156560001" width="400" /></a></div>We walked through the crew areas and dining. There are five separate dining rooms for them: staff, crew, officers, senior officers, and captain. At worst, crew members have to share a room with one other person. They serve anywhere from four to eight months at the time on the ship, with two months off. We then went up to the bridge and met the Captain, First Officer, Junior Officer, and Quartermaster. The Captain's position is very much aloof. They couldn't show us where his quarters or dining room were or really anything about him, other than his role on the ship, which is mainly as an adviser when the First Officer needs help. They drive the whole ship with a joystick no bigger than one on a game controller, which is kind of crazy to think about. They have the same set of controls on either side of the bridge for docking. Most of the time, it is on autopilot.<br />
<br />
We then went to the backstage area of the theater, which you know I loved. And we ended on the crew's deck and lounge. Tour over and lunch consumed, I headed to the deck, as was my tendency to do on "at sea" days. It was awesome just to lay there and read or do nothing. But toward the afternoon, I started getting really tired from all the sun from the week. I headed to the spa area and cooled off in an amazing shower that shoots water at you from 5 directions.<br />
<br />
Debarkation happened sooner than we expected the next morning. We were barely out of bed when they called our deck to start moving to start heading off. Through customs, which went about as quick as you can anticipate, and a long drive home. It really was a great time, we had perfect weather, met some awesome people. <br />
<br />
If you want to see all my pictures (to be honest, I didn't take many), head <a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100220">here</a>.Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-39539611320401347252011-04-25T17:02:00.002-05:002011-04-25T17:13:18.294-05:00Awakening<i>Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many might works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' - Matthew 7:21-23</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
Does this unsettle anyone beside me? Have you ever even read it and seriously pondered it? There are so many things I want to say and can barely keep organized in my mind. It scares me to death and I express myself so much better in writing than speaking, so here I go.<br />
<br />
Last Friday, I participated in a simulcast of "Secret Church". The author of a book I recently studied talked about how on mission journeys around the world, he would meet in secret locations with people where the Church is not allowed. These people would be so hungry for the Word, he would end up talking for hours and hours, often in a closet-sized room with a single light bulb. That is the premise of an organization he founded to equip people to take God's Word out to the world. On Good Friday, a six hour intense study of the Gospel was given. And if you saw any of my tweets, you know how profound those six hours were to me. I've never heard the Gospel presented so powerfully and authentically.<br />
<br />
See, the thing is, I don't think I ever really got it. I believe Jesus died for me and I am saved by grace, but have I ever really connected with that? I don't think so. And I didn't expect to in the span of six hours on April 22, 2011. But I did.<br />
<br />
Why am I so mired in the same old sin that entraps me on a daily basis? Why am I only obedient in the things I want to be--and only then out of obligation--and disobedient in others? Why have the things that I do for my church become routine and job-like? Why doesn't my want-to want to?<br />
<br />
Because I haven't let what God did for me really hit home. I have not let it embrace my full being. I accepted it as fact and came to a rational conclusion. But the truth is, God is completely irrational in human perspective.<br />
<br />
God created me to love Him and abide in Him and yet in one moment we destroyed that relationship with sin. He is holy, so He can have no part of me as a sinner; He is wrathful and so abhors me for being a sinner; and yet He loves me so deeply He made a way to reconcile me to Him. And not only does he justify me, He calls me His son! WHAT?!<br />
<br />
For 18 years, I have called myself a follower of Christ. But what exactly have I been following? What kind of Americanized model have I allowed to influence me and so keep me from experiencing the true love and freedom of God that comes from being completely abandoned to Him? How has the message gotten so watered down that I became satisfied with the status quo?<br />
<br />
My eyes have been opened to the way we have trivialized the Gospel. We've made so many aspects of God to be one way or the other, when in fact--in all His mysteriousness--He can be both! Jesus was both 100% God and 100% man! God both hates sinners (yes, not just the sin...the sinner) and loves them! We are free to choose God (free will) yet He also chooses us (predestination)! We've developed an A-B-C Gospel that tells people "just say a prayer and you're good", when in reality, that is far from the truth. It is so much more than walking down the aisle at the invitation. It is repentance! It is faith! It is obedience! Just look at those verses in Matthew 7! <br />
<br />
I don't know about you, but I can't tolerate the American Church anymore, where we argue over programs, money, and music styles while our brothers and sisters around the world are literally dying just on the chance of getting together and hearing the Word! I want to be hungry for the Word like they are. I want to risk everything like they do. I can't just dress up, sit passively in a pew on Sundays, check my religious boxes, say that it is someone else's role to go, and be content with my Christianity anymore! I'm afraid those are the Matthew 7 people that are going to be shocked when they stand before the Lord. <br />
<br />
No, what Jesus told the people who wanted to follow Him was that in order to do so, they would have to be totally sold out to Him. In the three years he ministered, He said nothing about ABC prayers or coming forward after the sermon while people sing "Softly and Tenderly". He assertively told them what it would take to be His follower. No mincing of words, no pithy Christian cliches, no cute programs, no fancy productions. He said that their love for Him had to be so great that the love they had for their parents, siblings, or kids had to look like hate in comparison! That they had to be willing to give up anything and everything.<br />
<br />
That's the most terrifying thing to me! Ha, fear of snakes has nothing on my fear of giving up what I have and am. I'm comfortable with my life. I like the things I have! I don't like the notion that at any moment Jesus could tell me to give some or all of it up! I'm so shallow, I even worry that God could convict me to stop watching certain TV shows! But why have I felt that way? How can I say I'm a follower of Jesus if I think that way? I can't!<br />
<br />
David Platt, the teacher at Secret Church, said that if I am settling for anything less than Christ, then my desires are too weak. So true! For years and years, I've become more and more discouraged that I would never be able to conquer the sin in my life. I've turned to these things to satisfy a hole that can only be satisfied by Christ! I know that is the cause of my distant relationship with God. And in those night hours of study on Good Friday, I came to understand that it is because I never trusted God to change my desires. I can't afford to do that any longer! Praise to God, for the first time in my life, I feel like there is hope! God has made me right, calls me His son, and will help me persevere! Do you know how much this excites me? I don't feel like my words here are expressing it quite right. I can't quite explain what clicked inside me, but it did.<br />
<br />
18 years, I have led a passive Christian lifestyle. I've focused on my rights and privileges, when really I have none. Everything I have and am belongs to God. I'm beginning to understand that I'm okay with that! I'm saying that in the space of this Easter weekend, I am a changed man. I can truly feel it. And a passion has awakened in me. There are people out there that need to know this Good News that has given me a sense of purpose and belonging and love. I'm uncertain of what I need to do and I don't even know how to do it. But I can feel deep inside me the stirring of a God-sized plan for me. I look at the ways that God has blessed me in the past years--even mired in sin and disobedient as I was--to shape me for this moment. To enable me to do what it is He is planning for me. I'm terrified of how other people--even my family and friends--will react. I don't handle rejection well. I've always been a doer and considered myself successful in my endeavors. But I'm also afraid of pride and arrogance settling in; two of my biggest character flaws. I'm also praying that this isn't some emotional high.<br />
<br />
But my faith in Christ has been renewed like it never has been and I know that if I truly believe it, then I'm going to live obediently--not out of obligation, but out of love. If I truly believe it, then overflowing fruit is going to spill from my life. Works are evidence of true faith, after all! And if I truly believe it, then I can't contain it within me; I've got to go out and share it.<br />
<br />
I have no idea what all this means. But consider this your fair warning, as my family and friends: all I know is, I have to go!Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-14233218753583676712011-03-18T10:13:00.001-05:002011-03-18T10:32:36.861-05:00The Debate About GleeI had a great conversation with a coworker about this week's episode of Glee, particularly relating to Kurt's storyline this season. A lot has been said about the "gay agenda" on the show this season. The thing is, this show intentionally portrays "misfits". Fat, nerd, handicapped, gay, hoe, emo, stupid, etc. Anyone not considered normal by the mob. We all know high school can be very cruel. This show celebrates being different. And one thing to also notice is that every misfit portrayed has at least one person who accepts them and in an over-the-top way (Puck's crush on the overweight girl, anyone?). <br />
<br />
But out of all those words I just listed, which is really the hot-topic, taboo issue? Gay, right? So that's what we are inclined to debate the portrayal of the most. It's also the issue that most resonates with the show's creator, Ryan Murphy. I've discussed how Murphy is "preaching to the choir". Most people who watch the show are probably already okay with homosexuality as a lifestyle for those who choose it. But now I'm thinking that's not who Murphy is targeting at all....it's this young generation who maybe haven't solidified what they think just yet. My issue is that Murphy is trying so hard, I find it a little unbalanced. The Santana/Brittany storyline a couple weeks ago seemed completely out of the blue! Sometimes it feels like everyone is going to come out. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Shue does, after all his lady problems. And the whole Karofsky bullying storyline sends out this strong message that if you are a homophobe, you must really be a closet gay. What most viewers are at odds with in Kurt's character, and why he has become so unlikable, is that he is guilty of being just as intolerant of straight people as he thinks everyone is of him. I don't have to remind anyone of the uncomfortable scenes of him sharing a bedroom with Finn, the intolerance to his friends wanting to pray for his dad when he was sick, or the wedding that ended up being all about him instead of his dad and Finn's mom. Everyone has to conform to him; he is always the character who has done nothing wrong. Pop culture, big hits like this DO have tremendous influence, so if it were me and I wanted to teach tolerance to my viewers through diversity, then yes, I would change a few things. Kurt HAS misstepped several times in his pursuit to end his persecution, and I would have him come to realize his own intolerance.<br />
<br />
But here's the thing we have to remember: EVERYTHING is over the top about this show, including the representation of said "misfits". One example: on this week's episode the Kathy Griffin character--one of the judges at Regionals-- was an obnoxious ultra-conservative, Sara Palin-esque character. For one second, I thought, "nope, I'm finally done with this show." I really did. I did not like the portrayal of a Christian to be so overly and negatively painted; her line seemed way too forced anyway. Why the need to throw in a line about her not agreeing with gay people getting married and implying they are going to hell in a discussion about who should win a singing competition? That's Murphy trying too hard! (And by the way, being gay does not lead to separation from God--or hell; not having a relationship with Jesus Christ does.) But then I decided, EVERYONE is portrayed that way. Look no further than Sue Sylvester for that evidence. She's throwing students down stairs, shooting them out of cannons, and verbally/physically abusing them in the halls on a daily basis. These would all obviously be criminal acts in real life. It is just that *I* am particularly sensitive to the Christian character portrayal. I personally wish every Christian would be known more for what they DO stand for than don't, but the reality is quite the opposite. Griffin's character was portraying that reality in Glee's way.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, Glee's message is about celebrating diversity and it's medium is through over-the-top comedy. That means it is going to cross a "comfort line" once in a while and it is up to each person to decide if that is worth the value of the entertainment they are receiving. This season has pushed me almost to that limit, admittedly, from--my opinion--the unbalanced tolerance storyline of Kurt. But the entertainment I get from everything else Glee does so well is enough to keep me in and enjoy it! And so I will!Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-11042222541690952842011-02-18T16:45:00.001-06:002011-02-18T16:48:50.898-06:00HB 1002Friends and family of Arkansas, we need your help. This is a serious request. I don't want to go so far as to say "if you love me, you'll do this" but this is a pretty severe problem being faced by state colleges. As you know, I work for one of those colleges.<br />
<br />
The issue is with bill <a href="http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2011/2011R/Bills/HB1002.pdf" target="new">HB 1002</a>. The name is the "Capital Gains Reduction Bill of 2011". It just passed the House by 53 votes. If this passes the Senate, state-funded colleges will lose an estimated 5-10% of their funding.<br />
<br />
I don't think I have to tell you that in an economic climate where more people have returned to school, this is not the time to cut college funding. At PTC, we have seen record enrollment of over 11,000 students. As my friend, you may be aware of the extra classes that I had to teach last semester and how stressing and awful it was to have a full time administrative job plus an overload's worth of teaching. Without administrative duties, a full load is three sciences; I taught five. Well, most of our instructors will be forced into overload schedules because we will not be able to hire to meet the demand. That means quality of our instruction goes down. Our student services and administration is already taxed; our computer systems can't stay online on the busy days. We simply can't keep our heads above water.<br />
<br />
I'm asking you to write your state Senator. Urge him/her to vote against this bill. If you don't know who your Senator is, click <a href="http://www.arkansas.gov/senate/senatorSearch.html" target="new"> here</a>. Please don't just read this and do nothing. This will affect me on a personal and daily level.<br />
<br />
Here is the letter I wrote my senator, if you'd like an example:<br />
<blockquote><pre wrap="">Dear Senator Johnson,
I am writing to simply urge you to vote against HB1002, which just
passed the House with 53 votes. I work in administration for Pulaski
Technical College. We have experienced explosions of student growth
during these more difficult economic times. We have barely contained
the record 11,000 students. Faculty are teaching overload schedules,
administration and staff struggle to stay above water with support
requests; there are days when the computer systems fail because so many
people are on the servers. If this bill passes and we lose an estimated
5-10% of our state funding, I don't want to even imagine the results.
The quality of our service and instruction to students will suffer.
This is a time we need to be expanding our workforce, our student
support services, and our economic development, not reducing it.
Thank you for your time,
Benjamin Peacock
Little Rock, AR</pre></blockquote>I was surprised to get a reply back within 10 minutes! Here is what he said:<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; white-space: pre-wrap;">Benjamin, thanks for writing. I agree with you and plan to vote against the bill. David </span></blockquote>I'm by no means any kind of activist, but internal emails from the upper echelons of PTC have notified us about the seriousness of this bill. I'm just asking for a few minutes of your time to help us out. Thank you.<br />
<blockquote></blockquote>Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-10461941545761722022011-02-15T15:14:00.000-06:002011-02-15T15:14:01.869-06:00TeaLast Friday, a buddy and I went to the mall and happened to stop by the Teavana store. I made the mistake of saying "yes" to "would you like a sample" as we walked by. That turned into a 30 minutes spiel, but it ended up being pretty interesting. And wow, were those teas tasty. See the problem, apparently, is that we have been hoodwinked by big tea companies to think that what we all typically drink as tea is <i>really</i> tea. The difference in a Lipton tea bag tea and what they were brewing was immediately apparent. Tea is meant to be steeped open leaf, not in little bags with ground up leaves. I believe it.<br />
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Teavana was a little pricey for me; if I had bought everything the guy wanted to sell me, it would have easily topped $400. They had cast iron pots (that get seasoned with each brew) and matching serving sets. That was about $300. Then he scooped out what I told him was my favorite tea--apparently a rarer Chinese white tea--which would have been another $100. o_O Yes, it was something like $20 per ounce!<br />
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I thanked him for his time, told him I am not really an impulse buyer, and explained that I would need time to think and research. I happen to watch a tech podcast where the host is really into tea. He even took a vacation to China last year just to sample local teas. He really knows his stuff. He recommended a site called <a href="http://adagio.com/" target="new">Adagio</a>. I read their lessons on tea and found it quite interesting, actually. Here are some of my notes (yes, I took notes): <br />
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Tea, properly, comes from the plant <u>Camellia sinesis</u>. There are three components to the plant that make the tea. The essential oils, which give tea its aroma and flavor; the polyphenols, which give tea its astringency and health benefits (which are <a href="http://www.adagio.com/info/health_benefits.html" target="new">numerous</a>); and caffeine, which gives an energy boost. Tea comes in many categories, but there are four main families of them: white, green, oolong, and black tea. Each is processed a little differently. Organic materials undergo oxidation, which more or less causes decay. White teas are unprocessed, so they keep their fine white filaments on the leaves--thus the name. They are allowed to oxidize very little, and as a result, are the highest in antioxidants. Green teas are also oxidized very little but undergo a series of steaming, pan-firing, and/or rolling. Oolong teas undergo the same processes and are allowed to oxidize anywhere from 20-80%. And finally black teas are processed like oolong but are allowed to oxidize almost completely. There is also a class commonly referred to as herbal teas, but they aren't technically teas. They are called "tisanes" and are caffeine free. The variety of tisane blends is a bit overwhelming to me right now, but it can be flower, fruit, leaves....whatever can be steeped.<br />
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Proper brewing of tea should consist of pure, filtered water. Approximately 2 teaspoons of tea per 6 oz water. The water should be boiling for black, oolong, and herbal teas; about 185 F for green and white teas. Steeping time is about 3-5 minutes for black and oolongs; 2 minutes for green and white teas. I'm not quite sure what these descriptors mean--seems kind of relative--but they note that "delicate" teas can be enjoyed with seafood, salads, and chicken. "Bright" teas are best with meat and spicy foods. "Rich" teas for desserts". And "Pu Erh" teas for digestive and calming effects at the end of the day.<br />
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I'm pretty excited to get into this, if the samples I had at the mall were any indication. I'll let you know how the tasting goes when my supplies arrive! I welcome the opportunity to cut back on my caffeine intake, but I don't think I'll quite give up on my "grande white mocha, extra hot, no whip" addiction just yet.Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-8555032254832556412011-02-04T10:25:00.003-06:002011-02-05T08:04:10.830-06:00A Case for Cutting Cable...Or Not?I've toyed with the idea of cutting cable and going with an internet-based TV model and wanted to do the numbers on if it would be worth it. Let's face it, the DVR has revolutionized the way we watch TV. It used to be that a station's decision to air a show at a certain time dictated when you had to be home to watch. Now, I know plenty of people who--even if they are home--wait at least 15 minutes into the show so they can fast forward commercials. I'm the same way. The only time I ever see commercials is during live sporting events.<br />
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There's a couple of other annoying factors. First is the sporadic breaks that networks take between new episodes. Especially when a show is heavily serialized, like Lost, it is frustrating to have to wait for, say, sweeps month. (That's when ratings dictate how much networks will charge for ads based on viewership.) Some networks heard this cry and the old model of starting the new season in September and running it through May is slowly dying. Shows like "Lost" and "24" began mid-season (January/February) and ran straight through. Networks are also introducing new shows staggered throughout the year. But with a new show, who wants to invest themselves in it and it end up being canceled?<br />
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Not only are commercials loud and annoying, but so are the in-show lower third banners. They are becoming downright distracting and obtrusive. I watched three seasons of "Big Bang Theory" on DVD to catch up with the current fourth season. Nice and clean. Just the show. Now that I'm watching live, I'm completely disgusted with the network's self-promoting banner ads. Unfortunately, they are becoming bigger and more frequent BECAUSE we are DVRing and skipping their commercials.<br />
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Technology has made it so we have a choice in how and where we view our favorite shows now. The market is still young and in flux, so who knows what this will look like a year from now, even. But here's what I would consider except for a couple of problems. You may think the problem is no DVR, but it's not. I'll refer to it later.<br />
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Cut cable. The first thing you can do is watch your local channels in high definition over the air. In fact, that is the best quality you can get. There is no compression from the cable provider. You'll catch a lot of sports, news, etc. Yes, you lose the DVR for shows but just wait on that.<br />
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Add Hulu Plus for $7.99/month. This gives you access to limited-ad supported, whole seasons of shows on the major networks. This effectively acts like a DVR. You just have to wait 24 hours before the show is available on Hulu. There's usually 4-5 30 second ads per hour long show. Hulu is expanding where you can watch, instead of just a computer. It's on all game consoles and i-devices. It's also coming to Boxee (a set-top box that allows you to connect to internet "channels" on your TV). $7.99 is a lot easier to swallow than $79.99, huh?<br />
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To supplement Hulu, go with Netflix, which begins with a streaming-only plan at $7.99. Netflix is so popular, it accounts for 20% of internet traffic in the US at peak times. That's enormous. I've only recently tried streaming, when it was added to the PS3. I'm watching the entire back-catalog of Stargate SG-1 right now. The first few seasons are only in 4:3 standard definition, so it looks fine on my TV. But when I've tried to watch a 16:9 SD stream, it was awful. I'm very interested to see how HD streaming is going to look. For a few dollars more, you can add disc rental and you gain the ability to watch episodes of a season of your show back-to-back rather than live. Of course, you have to wait months and won't get to talk at the water cooler with your coworkers about what happened on last night's episode. I like to talk about shows, so that is a concern for me, but then again, that's where Hulu comes in. Netflix is for those shows not on Hulu.<br />
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Well, now it is time to address the problem I have with this model. Live sports. Obviously, you still have the over-the-air local channels, but there are a lot of sports on cable networks like ESPN and Fox Sports. Well, I see two options right now. 1) Boxee has an ESPN3 channel, which effectively takes care of most of cable's sports. 2) You can buy internet packages for each sport. Some you get the whole season, every team. Others you can pick a few teams. A few examples: Baseball has MLB.TV, which I found for $99.95 for the entire 2011 season. NBA has a package for $64.95 for all season. NHL has one for $119.95 for 40 games/week all season. Unfortunately, the NFL has no internet package due to their exclusive all-access pack with DirecTV. <br />
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The quality of the streams would be a concern for me, which is my second problem. Everyone knows I love hockey; it would be a concern for me if the stream was not in HD. But not just that, all of the streams from Hulu or Netflix that aren't available in HD, whereas they are with cable.<br />
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So let's look at the cost savings here. That's probably the primary concern. I pay $74 per month for HD cable and $45 for high speed internet with U-Verse. That's $1,428 a year. If we cut the cable and bump up the internet to ensure we get good speed, internet will go to $55 per month. Add $7.99 for Hulu Plus and $11.99 for a one-disc/streaming Netflix plan (with Blu-Ray, of course). That's $899 per year without any sports packs. So savings are $529 or about 34%. However, I would want baseball and hockey, so we have to add in $99.95 and $119.95, bringing my yearly total to $1119.66. That's only saving $309 or 21%.<br />
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So now I've written this long blog post to only find out the savings for me is probably not enough to justify what will probably be a loss in quality by streaming across the board. The $309 is arguably worth keeping a DVR, maintaining HD quality, and having the ease of just turning on the cable box. But if you aren't as picky as me about HD quality and don't need the sports packs, you can potentially save a lot of money. Of course, if you don't already own a gaming console that can do these things, you'll have to buy one which will eat into those savings the first time.<br />
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This ended up being a pretty indecisive post, but truthfully I was writing it live as I researched. I didn't know how it would turn out when I began it. Turns out, it is probably easier to just keep cable for now. Ha.Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-67221672316012099452010-12-03T22:23:00.000-06:002010-12-03T22:23:45.720-06:00Thoughts on the SemesterI think everyone knows by now that I had to take some extra classes this semester due to an instructor canceling on me right before the semester began. Well the hellacious semester is over. Still have some grading to catch up on but the teaching is done. Never again. Yah, I have a pretty easy job otherwise and love its flexibility, but I think that was overcompensated this semester. After it is all done, it'll be worth it because of the things I was able to do with the extra income (i.e. backyard project, new Mac). It was also, without a doubt, the fastest semester I've experienced.<br />
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Well along the way, there are always ups and downs. And the downs this time were REALLY down. For example, I had to withdraw several students for non-attendance and in return was accused of discrimination and prejudice and was called (and I quote) cold, callous, unapproachable, and arrogant. Some of the decisions were admittedly tough to make, but a policy is a policy and I can't judge who it will apply to and who is excused. But why does one student respond that way and another come and say "thank you; I've made the changes needed and it won't happen again"? That was a really low point in my career. There's always those few students, too, who make it interesting. They just don't seem to get it and you wonder what in the world they are doing--and how they got--there.<br />
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Take my A&P I online class. I started out with 10 and I'm going to end up with 4. FOUR! And when we met in person for lab, I just felt like we had this huge disconnect. It was a zombie room. I'd go in and give instructions, ask for questions (there'd be none), and the students would work in silence. No interaction online either. Never had quite such a disconnected group before. And it bothered me.<br />
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My A&P II online class was refreshingly one of the best groups I've ever had. For the most part, they worked steadily and showed up! I probably had the best connection with them out of the five sections of classes I taught this semester.<br />
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My Chemistry online class was pretty typical. This is a tough course to do online. I typically see about a 50% retention and that was the case this time as well. I struggle to get students to interact with me online. It wasn't just this group; that's been pretty typical and I'm trying to figure out what to do about it. To encourage questions BEFORE homework is due and as they study.<br />
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Those classes are what I typically teach. The two extra sections I had to take were classroom chemistry sections. Haven't been in a classroom in a few years. I started out with 30 and ended up with 18. The reasons for the drop rate ranged from absences to personal reasons. These sections were a lot of work. I think for the most part we all got along, even though we got off to a shaky start. (I remember saying something the first day I later regretted and apologized for the next class, but it apparently stuck with some of the students.) So no real complaints here.<br />
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But I guess the biggest thing that bothers me is the reputation I apparently have among students. And it is a negative one. I think there are two reasons for it. 1. I'm tough. Won't apologize for that. 2. I need to work on my sarcastic humor and empathy.<br />
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To speak to #1: I'm pretty easy to get along with. I balance that with high expectations of hard work and timeliness. When those expectations aren't met, then I have a no tolerance policy. I will come down hard. I do so out of the desire to make the most disciplined and dedicated life-long learners. If someone wants to cast me in a negative light because of that, then so be it. I want to make the best health care providers possible and I'm unapologetic and won't compromise in that regard. I do get it, believe it or not, that life happens sometime. Yes I believe I can work on my empathy and will but we have to push on and sometimes tough decisions must be made on my part or the student's. If they can't get childcare or are ill or have family issues...well enough of those happen and the student just needs to consider trying the semester again later when things calm down for them. As I said, I can't be the judge of what is excusable or not. An absence is an absence.<br />
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To #2: I've been told I have a pretty dry sense of humor. (I know, you are saying right about now "you think?") Those students who I have the best relationships with say that people just have to understand me. What *I* need to understand is that everyone isn't going to get me. I admittedly can become quickly sarcastic when students ask questions about matters that I have already given instructions. While I do maintain a high level of expectation (see point #1), I think I can respond in a better tone. I also teach Socratically, so the manner in which I respond in that pedagogy can use some adjusting so as not to come off so sarcastically. I also know that when students come with an excuse of absence, I could be more empathetic in that moment while holding to the school's policies.<br />
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I'm taking a look at my course policies to make adjustments while still maintaining a proper level of work and attendance for students. These are going to be our health care workers, after all! And I don't know if I should have done this or not, but I was personally affected by things this semester, so I posted a personal message in each of my courses. I said much of what I did above (some parts word-for-word) and asked for feedback. We'll see what happens...<br />
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Unfortunately, a reputation can be annihilated in an instant and take years to recover. It's not so much that I care what students think of me--I'm not there to be friends--but it does matter to me that they feel like they can take my classes and when they do, they can come to me. (If nothing else, I need my classes to make, or I'm screwed financially.)<br />
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So that was a long and public expression of what's on my mind. No real point other than for me to get it out and not bottle it up.Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-47722485394852100302010-11-28T16:37:00.002-06:002010-11-28T16:53:05.054-06:00NaNoWriMoMANY years ago, when I was involved in the student ministry at my church, we would regularly make <a href="http://www.youtube.com/bpeacock22" target="new">silly videos</a>. We spoofed <a href="http://www.youtube.com/bpeacock22#p/c/E9564FD5B1A3B2B2" target="new">Monty Python</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/bpeacock22#p/c/5EBDDDBFC0BA2D30" target="new">the Matrix</a> at the highlight of our film-making. I then wrote a silly script based on Lord of the Rings that we were going to do. But due to circumstances I won't go into here, it never happened.<br />
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Well, every year about this time--namely November--National Novel Writing Month occurs. I've written about it <a href="http://bpeacock22.blogspot.com/2008/11/november-is-nanowrimo.html" target="new">before</a> and have always wanted to participate but never have. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in November. Well I took the script that has been gathering virtual dust and turned it into a book. I'll be the first to say it really sucks. Just looking over it...it's awful. The characterizations are tripe and as superficial as can be. And in some places, I felt like I got too preachy. The "battles" are horribly written. Enough criticism, though. The point was to write 50,000 words, draft quality. I made it to 51,928. That's something like 95 pages in Word (although I'm using a Mac program called Scrivener.) You can check out <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/762511" target=new">how I did</a> over the month.<br />
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To be honest, I don't think I'll go back and fix it up. And I'm so unhappy with it, I don't even know that I'll finish it. BUT...I did meet the goal and wanted to share that victory. So yay me! However awful it is, I wrote my first novel.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqw3v8WDLdoxBZg6d7ZcSfMtI_Rjv057QTlRc6xOktRFkXhiHCD6vla1_1rFcc3tCyZu8JudEOQwlJCVamI1PrkhSm5_GgR85peeOaP8b6ZqxeWfMKuJ5O7yxbXgK3IlVcdVq_iFUxqro/s1600/nano_10_winner_240x120-7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqw3v8WDLdoxBZg6d7ZcSfMtI_Rjv057QTlRc6xOktRFkXhiHCD6vla1_1rFcc3tCyZu8JudEOQwlJCVamI1PrkhSm5_GgR85peeOaP8b6ZqxeWfMKuJ5O7yxbXgK3IlVcdVq_iFUxqro/s1600/nano_10_winner_240x120-7.png" /></a></div>Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-33580678785031729522010-11-22T10:23:00.002-06:002010-11-22T12:24:57.359-06:00TSA: Privacy vs. SecurityI'm not exactly what you would call an activist, but these past few weeks, we have been inundated by stories of the TSA's inhumane practices while completing searches to insure we can all travel safely. I hope all the media attention causes some kind of action. There's got to be a better way. The people who work for TSA have got to be more caring. They cannot have omnipotent powers. Take these few examples from the last weeks alone:<br />
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1. Full body scanners are becoming more regular as a screening process. But how invasive are they when they come to your privacy, you know, down there? Well hundreds of photos were leaked out recently in a completely embarrassing breach of security in the TSA's databases. <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/16/leaked-images-body-scanners-hit-web/" target="new">Story link</a><br />
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2. A man who must wear a urine bag under his clothing was selected for pat-down. He informed the agents about the bag, but they uncaringly patted him down anyway with no regard to his medical condition. The sensitive equipment attached to his body was damaged and he was forced to board his plane soaked in his own urine. <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40291856/ns/travel-news" target="new">Story link</a><br />
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3. A personal friend said he eye-witnessed a veteran with a war injury set off the metal detectors. He was "treated terribly" by the TSA agent. <br />
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4. A woman who survived breast cancer was made to take off her prosthetic in view of the public. <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40278427/ns/travel-news/" target="new">Story link</a><br />
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5. A young boy was strip searched in front of the public, even after not setting off the metal detectors. An on-looker recorded the incident and was subsequently followed by TSA agents in the airport until he boarded his plane. <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5696217/why-did-this-boy-end-strip+searched-at-airport-security" target="new">Story link</a><br />
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A week or so ago, new policies went into effect. You either get a nude full body-xray scan or you get groped. President Obama has <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40289750/ns/travel" target="new">told the public</a> that these measures are necessary to ensure the public's safety. Don't get me wrong, I want to travel safely! But this is an abuse of federally mandated powers by the TSA. The TSA Chief gave some <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40312411/ns/travel-news/" target="new">PR nonsense</a> this morning about their procedures. I don't fly often and I honestly don't know why this has me so unsettled. Things like this usually roll off my back. Heck, I'm probably going to get black-listed for this post. But it really is a frustrating thing to see such people as those who served our country and those who have battled cancer be treated in such a way by apathetic workers, who at the heart of their duty, are supposed to have the greatest concern for our well-being.Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-17553591369827773192010-09-29T16:54:00.001-05:002010-09-29T16:57:29.575-05:00How Puzzling!Back in January on my trip to Las Vegas, I visited the Coca-Cola store. I could've bought almost everything there and wanted to, but I restrained myself and left with just a puzzle. I say "just a puzzle" but it is a doozy. It's 2000 pieces and measure about 3 feet by 4 feet. And it is mostly red. So I knew it was going to be a challenge. The goal was to add it to my kitchen decor.<br />
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Didn't exactly have a big enough space to do it, so I cut up some cardboard pieces and tried on my guest bed. I started out trying to put the edge together. Took a good couple hours to systematically sort through 2000 pieces. And let me tell you there are some funky shapes in this thing.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">After 6 hours:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0698/web.jpg?ver=12857961540001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0698/web.jpg?ver=12857961540001" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">And a few more hours after that:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0699.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12857961560001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0699.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12857961560001" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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The bed ended up being too low and proved too painful on the back for long periods of time. I was also frustrated by how slow it was going. So it sat in that bedroom from January until August, untouched. I finally decided to get it done and went to Home Depot and found the cheapest wooden panel I could find that would fit the whole thing. Brought it to my kitchen table and there I worked on it. But I was nervous...an edge piece was missing. I decided to push forward and hope it either turned up in the box or in the room. And I tore that room apart, believe you me. For three solid days, I worked. And I literally mean dawn to dusk. (The edge piece ended up being in the box.) These were the days my trees were getting cut down, so it gave me something to do since I wanted to be home while they worked. I would sort through the box and pick out the pieces for 2-3 different sections of the puzzle at a time. Put them together, sort again, and so on.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">End of Day 1. What I called the "most obvious" sections were done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0039/web.jpg?ver=12857959920001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0039/web.jpg?ver=12857959920001" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">End of Day 2. The red sections that were different enough for me to pick out were done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0013/web.jpg?ver=12857961510001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0013/web.jpg?ver=12857961510001" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">End of Day 3. The final red sections and their logos came together. The remaining holes were the solid red pieces.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0014/web.jpg?ver=12857961490001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0014/web.jpg?ver=12857961490001" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The red color didn't end up being the biggest challenge. Each sign was different enough, however subtle, to pick out. What ended up being the headache was actually the words in the logos: the Coca-Cola. Each piece had such a small portion of each letter, it was impossible to tell where it belonged at times. I would stare at the pile and have to get up for a bit, frustrated. Several times it came down to a matter of just seeing what fit, rather than trying to put it together by mentally seeing the image being pieced together.</div><br />
Of course, Naomi was a big help during the whole process. I had to keep the puzzle covered with the cardboard I originally was using underneath. She also had a fondness for frolicking in the box of pieces. At one point, she jumped in it and it scooted off the table, dumping the hundreds of pieces all over the floor. I just knew I'd lose one, but I lucked out.<br />
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Got that puppy done and glued together. Waited for a great framing deal--which was still hard to swallow--but it is done and I'm pretty proud of it. Looks great on the wall and I was able to spread the rest of my trinkets out along the wall.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Finished!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0015/web.jpg?ver=12857961530001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0015/web.jpg?ver=12857961530001" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So if you are one of those who occasionally or regularly comes to my house, be sure to step into the kitchen and see it in person!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Framed and hanging nicely on my wall.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0079/web.jpg?ver=12857961470001" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock/100194/IMG_0079/web.jpg?ver=12857961470001" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-19835537986701808352010-09-08T16:03:00.003-05:002010-09-10T17:24:13.439-05:00What's It Take to Get a Friggin' Tree Cut Down?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.me.com/ro/benjamin.peacock/Galleries/100081/tree-panorama/web.jpg?ver=12839783020001" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://www.me.com/ro/benjamin.peacock/Galleries/100081/tree-panorama/web.jpg?ver=12839783020001" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Last spring, I had my fence repaired and the guys helping me out noticed that a couple of the tall pines in my backyard were growing into my shed. We started looking around at them and noticed that another was rotting at the base, and yet another was growing into the fence. (Click the pic above to see bigger panorama.) Well great. One of the guys knew a reputable tree cutting service, so I had them come out and give me a bid. This was Quality Tree Service. Quality told me for as much it would be to cut down the four, I should just do all eight, and quoted me $2,500. Ouch. He actually called back on his own accord and lowered the price to $2000. I told him I'd have to save for a bit, but that it sounded like a good deal. Considering that would be $250/tree when they are normally $400-600 each, it was a GREAT deal. Just a lot to swallow at once.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.me.com/ro/benjamin.peacock/Galleries/100081/IMG_0028/web.jpg?ver=12839786970001" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://www.me.com/ro/benjamin.peacock/Galleries/100081/IMG_0028/web.jpg?ver=12839786970001" width="320" /></a></div>I ended up with all those extra classes this fall so I knew I could get the job done. Gave Quality a call and scheduled him to come on a Friday so that I could be home while they did it. Enter the drama. He called me that morning to say he was broke down on the highway and wouldn't be able to make it. So we postponed to the following Friday. I had already told my neighbors, so I stopped by the older couple (don't really care about the rednecks on the other side) to let them know. She really didn't like the fact I am cutting them down, but I told her why I had to. The night before that, I called him to make sure we were good to go, but he told me his wife went into labor so he had to subcontract the job to another company. He asked me to make a check for $500 to him and $1500 for the company coming out.<br />
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The new guys, from Arbor Care, arrive. They looked like they would do a good job and had quite a bit more equipment to boot. Not to mention the owner is the four time state tree climbing champion. Whaaaat?!? Now it was my understanding at that point that a guy from Quality would be helping them and that's why he was getting $500. No one showed until 2 pm and that was just to pick up the check. Which I stupidly gave him. I asked the Arbor Care guy why Quality gets $500 and he basically said he shouldn't have. So now I've got a company doing a $2,500 job for $1,500. That doesn't sound very fair to me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.me.com/ro/benjamin.peacock/Galleries/100081/IMG_0037/web.jpg?ver=12839787010001" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://www.me.com/ro/benjamin.peacock/Galleries/100081/IMG_0037/web.jpg?ver=12839787010001" width="320" /></a></div>They bring down 4 trees and start grinding the stumps. He actually gets a few bids on jobs in my neighborhood while he works. My neighbor lady came out at one point and was apparently pretty huffy about limbs falling in her yard. They told her they'd clean it up, but she proceeded to inform them she didn't want them over there and started pitching the limbs over the fence. she seems so sweet and meek before this!<br />
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They work until about 4 pm. The pile of limbs is enormous out front. I call the city to schedule a pick up. They said they'd come Tuesday. I told them to be sure to bring the dump truck and crane. You can see why. The Arbor Care guy said he'd be back on Monday--in fact he said it several times--so even though it was Labor Day, I was thusly expecting him. Monday rolls around and no one shows. I try to call both Quality and Arbor Care. No one is answering. By 11 am, it is clear no one is coming. Mildly frustrating.<br />
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Tuesday arrives and it begins to rain. But I'm actually not too sad about it because the city is coming and since there is no more room to put limbs, they can clear it out and make room for more. Except they never came. I called them up and asked what was up. Turns out the crane/dump truck service take 2 weeks to come out! Good-bye nice lawn. Glad I wasted $200 on fertilizing service this year just to have you killed. I seriously have no idea where more limbs will go.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.me.com/ro/benjamin.peacock/Galleries/100081/IMG_0032/web.jpg?ver=12839787030001" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://www.me.com/ro/benjamin.peacock/Galleries/100081/IMG_0032/web.jpg?ver=12839787030001" width="320" /></a></div>The rain continues today. So we can't get any work done because their tractor thingy would tear up my yard and my neighbor's side yard. In the meantime, I still can't get ahold of Quality. The phone is off...it goes straight to a "this number is not accepting calls" message. So I had called my bank on Tuesday and had them issue a stop payment on the $500 check. My intent was to make my message clear...I wanted him to call me. I finally got through to at least leave a voicemail this morning. Well lo and behold! His phone was miraculously working again, because he had called back within 15 minutes. I had just stepped out of my office so he left a voicemail. In it, he threatened to take legal action against me which would result in me being evicted from my home. He said he never intended to supply a worker and that the $500 was what the two companies had agreed to.<br />
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I immediately called him back but (surprise!) got a voicemail. I told him that his threat was baseless and completely out of line. My purpose in doing the stop payment proved to be very beneficial, because it had the effect I wanted--for him to call me back. I told him I found his business practices highly questionable and unethical and would be informing the 3-4 people waiting to hear how this job went that his company could not be counted on. The fact is Quality did not provide one minute of service to me! I told him I would release the check and the two companies could argue it out; I just wanted the job done.<br />
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I feel bad for Arbor Care, but that's all I can do...feel bad. I tried. It's not my place to intervene anymore. I filed a complaint the Better Business Bureau, but who knows what will come of that. Arbor Care will hopefully be back Friday to finish up. The yard is looking so much bigger already and I can't wait to have a nice grassy backyard!<br />
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Wanna see more pics of the process, including a short video clip of the four time state tree climbing champ doing his thing, go <a href="http://gallery.me.com/benjamin.peacock#100081">here</a>.Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6205770203145666305.post-38307767782055048492010-08-25T09:29:00.000-05:002010-08-25T09:29:14.444-05:00UpgradingI converted to the world of Macintosh back in 2006. Then I was an aspiring home videographer, just getting into podcasting for my church and having been making some silly little clips for student ministry. I wanted to up my game a little. And besides, Windows Vista sucked. I had also just quit World of Warcraft. So it was a tumultuous time in my life to say the least. LOL<br />
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All that to say I got my first hardware upgrade from Apple and went the desktop route this time. The unfortunate need for me to teach 5 courses paved (and paid) the way for this upgrade and I certainly went all out. I got a 27" iMac, with the 3.6 GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, 256 GB SSD, and 1 TB HD. /evil grin<br />
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Here's a little photo journalism of the unboxing. My mouth was hanging open at this thing and when I got it in place I was almost overcome with emotion. Almost. /wink<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqHCndywoyPdWsDCJh89Eu-0vqfPnbBgNuR5r2xNkAmUpkFvqUK2JRADkmd9qBGQQ-8qNBqJTAyRT7YBFyQyTrseLTIYRl08enhaKGyu_snTOSnPXKigSAykDgoBu0ejCpkGyrOqVcjQ/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqHCndywoyPdWsDCJh89Eu-0vqfPnbBgNuR5r2xNkAmUpkFvqUK2JRADkmd9qBGQQ-8qNBqJTAyRT7YBFyQyTrseLTIYRl08enhaKGyu_snTOSnPXKigSAykDgoBu0ejCpkGyrOqVcjQ/s320/IMG_0015.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifymnC_on1zxIIfkdQnwuO5bTmASQS_AHHQiYkExiFwmdCVx-tQg2gzNPeeDNyV6GIEcxdvLLDhH0g6sOX6lh4aKf_rl8fQqWMH80JdAFotgL2dtq1oafK3c5mS4pv-ahAM-9_C3zLfgM/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifymnC_on1zxIIfkdQnwuO5bTmASQS_AHHQiYkExiFwmdCVx-tQg2gzNPeeDNyV6GIEcxdvLLDhH0g6sOX6lh4aKf_rl8fQqWMH80JdAFotgL2dtq1oafK3c5mS4pv-ahAM-9_C3zLfgM/s320/IMG_0016.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmR8O12s-FDYsHsnu0kEAn6R37cixgiRCfGiM_S6FgfEGsRi7Yf_2jxKaWAlUuL7t9DATDPgq31acTsKoO1F91Sx_FsJwQWePc0BV80QcGoGMW21J6Smh92lDyx2y9nB01EUc1WkRhJs4/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmR8O12s-FDYsHsnu0kEAn6R37cixgiRCfGiM_S6FgfEGsRi7Yf_2jxKaWAlUuL7t9DATDPgq31acTsKoO1F91Sx_FsJwQWePc0BV80QcGoGMW21J6Smh92lDyx2y9nB01EUc1WkRhJs4/s320/IMG_0017.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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I spent about 6 hours working on it after unboxing. I immediately wanted to move all my files, music, videos, etc to the secondary HD. I found a tech article that explained how to do it but it ended up going very wrong. I called AppleCare and the support guy sounded pretty pissed I would do such a thing. He said I'd have to erase and install. Oh well. Nothing lost but time at that point. I did want to try again though, so I started a clean install and set up the storage path again. It worked this time, so there must have been some setting in the pre-installed OS. I proceeded downloading updates, installing software, etc. At midnight, being a work night and all, I decided to stop for the night. All that was left was to install Final Cut Studio, which I'm doing as I write this. :)<br />
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Seriously though...this thing is BLAZING. The SSD upgrade is epic. Every program opens before an icon even has a chance to bounce in the dock! LOL Can't wait to produce some movies to see how that's going to go.<br />
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To change the subject just a bit, as I was installing things, I was perusing my RSS feeds and ran across several stories about Apple possibly upgrading their AppleTV. Rumor is it will run the iOS that is currently on the iPhone and iPad. Okay wow! I mean, this could change the face of TV and entertainment. Think about it. Here are two scenarios I immediately thought of. 1) Why subscribe to expensive higher tier cable packages? Want HBO? They could just bypass cable providers and create an app for purchase and you've got it through the AppleTV. 2) How fun would it be to buy, say, the Monopoly or Scrabble app and have the board on the TV screen, then everyone with an iPhone or iPad controls their pieces from their own device? There's already a model for this...now it can be on the TV. This is certainly very exciting and if it proves to be true, I hope that the older hardware will be able to support the new iOS.Benjaminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07571709441566725524noreply@blogger.com0