Hey hey hey!

It's been some crazy kind of spring this year! With all the people from out of state coming to our house, and all of the people that live in the state that come regularly, it's been really whacked-out! And now I'm sick. Sinus infection, big time!
:(
I hate it. Really really hate it.

On a big time positive side, I'm car shopping online, and I found a totally awesome one. Unfortunately, blogger is being retarded, so even if I really really really wanted to show you guys what it looked like, I couldn't. I just couldn't.

I got this from Brant. He's pretty much a genius...

If Jesus Had a Blog...

Most people that I know read my blog read Brant's blog too, so this will probably just be a re-read for most of you. But, with any luck, maybe someone who doesn't read Brant's blog reads my blog, and will see this post.

We FINALLY got an internet cafe in Galilee. The ESSENES have DSL, and we're just getting dial-up. That should tell you something!

Anyway, I was hanging out with some religious leaders. They got on my case for not keeping their Favorite Rules (apparently, you HAVE to wash up before dinner, in accordance with scripture.) I told them religious leaders love to have rules to make everyone else feel inadequate. They "tithe", and stuff, but my Father doesn't care, because He's all about people having hearts for mercy, and justice, not the tithing rule.

Didn't fly very well. :0

Posted 12:36 p.m. in Category "Stuff I Was Talking About in Aramaic Today but Now I'm Typing in English"

12 Comments

----------------------------------------------

COMMENTS

Jesus, love ya, but I think you're throwing the baby out with the bathwater again, here. There's nothing wrong with tithing, there's a lot of scriptural precedent for it.

I "get" where you're coming from, a lot of the time, but this is a little too simplistic. I encourage you to continue to learn and study.

-- karifish777

I normally don't comment, but I had to come out of lurking here.

"karifish" is right, Jesus. It's easy to criticize and critique, but how exactly do we measure "mercy" and "justice"?

Maybe pray about this and talk to your pastor about it. Oh -- I forgot -- you don't HAVE a pastor! (I still remember that "brood of vipers" entry...)

-- chapterboy21

J -- I usually love your blog, and I appreciate the need for "love", here, but you're basically saying (am I clear on this) that it doesn't matter if I give money or not?

You go off on these guys, but they're following their convictions. I appreciate your emphasis on having a heart for mercy, but that's not the only issue. We need people to DO things that show their hearts, and tithing is part of that. I'm glad I tithe.

My dad is a pastor, and I showed him your blog. He said (no offense) you've probably got a thing with authority. Anyway, I don't think you do, but you tend to over-simplify things.

-- buckeyesgo02

Dude, what are you smoking?

Honestly I love some of the funny stuff you post here (that cartoon of Herod was over-the-top, though) but this is just wrong, I'm sorry. You are too reactionary against religious authority. God put those authorities in your life. Look it up in the Bible, the Word of God. (I know, I know, I caught your post about how YOU are the word. Didn't care for that, either.)

-- quiettimephil

OMG. I *love* this.

THANK YOU for posting this. I have felt like a loser for so long, like I can't keep up with all the rules and everything my church is asking me to do and I feel like a failure as a single mom. And you're saying you just want to see me love people!

I'm crying. Thank you.

-- karen83

J-Train -- Love the blog. Keep it comin' brother!

You do seem to lump all religious leaders together. I appreciate your point, but the fact is, there are LOTS of great religious leaders out there. You've got a little 'tude going on there, and you speak in big, blanket statements.

Yes, our religious system is messed. But we don't need to trash it. We need to reform it. Blasting our leaders doesn't help. We NEED great religious leaders. I just wish you'd acknowledge that.

Anyway, just a thought from a brother.

-- agape4U

Get great deals on meds NOW! Viagra, Cialis online at 50% less at onlinemeds.net SAVE TODAY ON FAVORITE MEDS SAVE TODAY ON FAVORITE MEDS SAVE TODAY ON FAVORITE MEDS SAVE TODAY ON FAVORITE MEDS SAVE TODAY ON FAVORITE MEDS SAVE TODAY ON FAVORITE MEDS

-- yourmedsnow2323434

I linked to your blog from your woodworking site. I had ordered a new wood pulpit, but now I'm going to cancel, now that I can see where your head is with regard to religious leaders and our system.

To be honest, I'm surprised you have a public platform in Christian ministry, and that you're still allowed to do it. I wonder if your audiences knew what you really thought...would you still have a job?

-- preachtheword9021

Yeah, let's all stop tithing. Let's stop obeying all the rules. There won't be any pastors, and we won't be able to pay the bills for our churches. Nice.

While I'm at it, I'll quit as worship pastor and give all my money to the poor. Why don't you quit ripping on everything and tell us how church government is SUPPOSED to work? You never detail that, you just rip, rip, rip.

-- jesusfreak777

Dude -- This story is CLASSIC.

This is why I try to link everyone to your blog. In fact, my church-planting site is all about trying to get people to believe what you're saying. You RULE, man.

I'm so totally with you on the establishment, too. The weird thing: Almost as soon as I get a new group of Jesus-blog-followers going, and then I try to recognize the mature SERVANTS among them, they all start ranking themselves, and jostling for position and attention. Unbe-freaking-lievable.

I write letters to them, telling them to quit putting rules on people, and then they make rules out of my letters. Hellooooo?

Anyway, I used to be one of those guys putting rules on people, trying to make things complex. Swet gig, that. THANKS -- seriously -- for putting me out of THAT job.

-- saul_call_me_paul23

Love the blog. I think you way over-simplify, and I don't think you're right on all this stuff. But if you are, I just wasted three years in seminary.

-- lutherules99192

i don't understand the tithe thing but i like yourblog and i read the thing about how kids rule and i liked that a lot

i like the little yellow flowers U made UR AWSOME

-- horsegirl1999

Wow, I didn't even have to ask nicely.

About two days earlier, facebook disabled my account, claiming I was "spamming." So I sent them an e-mail. It was far from polite, and I don't think anyone there really enjoyed reading it, but they didn't seem to mind. (Well, for one, I'm surprised they even read it.) Anyway, they reactivated my account after reading about my situation with sending messages. So it's cool now, I guess. But still, I didn't even have to ask nicely, I thought for sure they'd hate me for that e-mail, but instead they did me a favor.

Thanks, geniuses!

Geniuses, I tell ya, geniuses!

I'm talking about the geniuses who run the internet social utility called "facebook."
They are absolute geniuses. Because they know how to cut you off in a conversation with a friend that you can't see every day, and you have to use facebook to talk to them. If you want to keep your facebook account, don't send messages back to your friends, because if you do, they'll disable your account. and say you were "spamming."
What I don't understand is why they disabled my account and not my friend's too when they were sending messages just as often as I was. Thanks to these geniuses, I don't know when I'll see my facebook again. Why? Because these geniuses are idiots.

The great commision, and the battle that's already been won.

I was reading a book called A Scandalous Freedom by Steven Brown when I read an excerpt from him that said, (and I'm paraphrasing) the battle has already been won by Jesus. What the author left out is our role after that. If the battle is already won, why are we still here? Then, as I was reading on, God reminded me of something not even in Steve Brown's text, but in His text, the Bible. He reminded me of the Great Commission. When Jesus commanded the apostles to make disciples of all men, I believe he was telling them to love. How else do you make disciples? There is no other way. So then I thought, if the battle is already won, then why are we making disciples? Has Jesus not won them over already? Well, the obvious answer is that not everyone has been won over by Jesus. So is the battle really won?
Yes.
The reason we're still here is we, as Christians, have been assigned a task out on the battlefield. Now that the enemy is defeated, it is our job to tend to the wounded. Those who were damaged by the original sin, and still need help getting to a doctor. There's only one doctor that can tend to their wounds, and that's Jesus. So our assignment is a recon mission. Out to find the wounded and bring them to Jesus. We aren't fighting anymore, we're healing. We're leading our wounded brothers back to the medic. All men are our brothers. We must tend to their wounds, and be sensitive to them. Those of you who understand this metaphor, thanks for reading.

When life gives you lemons...

Just thought I'd like to remind anyone who reads my blog and might be going through hard times about one of my favorite scripture verses:


We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

If you're struggling, and you're down in the dumps, no matter how hard this may be for you to believe, please know that whatever you're going through is for God's purpose, and that His will for you is unmatched in how good it is for you. It may be hard. May seem impossible, but faith in God's promise to work all things together for you and His purpose will bring a way through the impossible. So remember, when life gives you lemons, God is making lemonade for sure.

Just thought someone out there needed that reminder.

Title

Blog Entry (a.k.a. post)

Easter Wellabration!

Not much to be said about it. It was just like the new Year's Wellabration, except there were eggs flying in the air instead of fireworks. It was, once again loads of fun. We had egg relays and egg tosses, and kinda left the true meaning of Easter to be taught by the parents at home, because it was not time for Easter sermons, it was a time for Wellabration!
Hey-yeah!

Whew!

I know it took forever, and the anxiety of anticipation was unbearable, but here are the pics from Disney World. Enjoy! One is sideways. No big deal. We went to all four parks, but we only have pics from Animal Kingdom and MGM Studios. Sorry.

About those pictures...

They'll be here soon. As soon as I feel like installing the equipment needed to put them on the computer, since we bought some funny digital from Disney, our computer shut down the last time we tried to install it, it even had the blue screen of death, but no information seems to be lost, miraculously. Anyway, I don't really feel like posting anything else until I have the pictures, so if you ever really cared to read this blog in the first place, you're just going to have to cope until I get them ready. I'm sure you'll be miserable until then...

Hello everyone!

I'm back from Disney World, which hardly anyone knew I was even going there. But I was, and I did, for four days. And it rocked!! Pictures and more info soon. :)

Something about the phrase"plugged in" really bugs me.

So, some who read this blog may know that I am not "plugged in" to any "real church" "program." Instead, me and a good forty to fifty people meet on Sundays as friends before God, and learn from eachother, and God's word. Mostly God's word, and how we daily experience the truths of His word in our lives. It's a beautiful scene every Sunday which was put together by God's beautiful scheme. Unfortunately, some people feel that it's not enough to be doing what we're doing every Sunday. They think we should be "plugged in" as if the Bible tells us to be "plugged in... or else." My older sister, a senior in high school was at a youth group she had enjoyed attending for about a year. There came a time (very recently) when she became interested in going on a mission trip to Jamaica with the youth group. Keep in mind that she does not attend the church. Because that's the thing that gave the youth pastor grounds to say, and these were the words, "No, you don't come to this church, you're not plugged in. I'm looking for people who will work well together as a team, but I don't see you as one of them. You don't attend this church."
What a shame! How wrong is that? In an effort to get her to attend "his church" this guy used something important to her, already a believer, as leverage. This is not how it should be! The dude is going to Jamaica to spread God's word, and he rejects the help of a sister in Christ because she is not "plugged in." I would dare anyone to justify his reasoning! Such a rejection is uncalled for! How can you turn away someone so willing to come with you? Just because she's not "plugged in?"

Pillar, For the Love of the Game...

This will be THE album of the year in my book! Buy it like it. If you don't, you belong in a phyche ward. Deal with it. I don't care who you are, you should like it, because this will be THAT good. I mean it. Not that good, or That good, or even THat good, but THAT good. Get it, it rocks!!!!

FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Human Target...

So, that's what I was at lacrosse practice yesterday. Seriously, I might as well have been in goal. But, I wasnt'. I was outside the goal, playing defense, because that's the position I play. Then, I was probably hit from five to seven times. No, not by people, not by passes, but from shots. See, in lacrosse, shots are supposed to go somewhat towards the gaol. Well, that wasn't the case. I was the new goal. An interesting style. Most goals are about 6ft.x6ft. I'm about 6ft.x1ft. A much harder target to hit, but I wasn't missed.

Three times I was hit, it was by the same kid. The first two times, I took it to the leg. It hurt. I didn't complain, but I was in pain. But when he had the ball the third time, and I saw him wind up for the shot, I turned around, knowing it would hit me. Sure enough, right on my left quadricep, the ball bruised on impact. Will I heal? Of course, what kind of a question is that? Will I start to dodge shots? Of course not! I'm still stupid enough to suffer for the sport I like. Will I shoot back at that kid the next time he shoots at me? Probably. Will I ever be a goalie? Well, I've got potential... sort of.