I have been reading out of the book of Mark for the past few weeks. It moves fast, Mark rarely beats around the bush…he gets right to the point of the story. No fluff, no filler. The entire book moves fast…sometimes so fast you can miss important details.

This morning I was reading out of chapter 11. In this one chapter mark covers the Triumphant Entry, Jesus cursing a fig tree, and Jesus clearing the temple, and Jesus’ authority is challenged. So what stood out this morning? A picture of contrasts.

As Jesus is clearing the temple, the Pharisees are flaming hot angry at him. In fact, they decide right then and there that they are going to kill Jesus (that’s murder one in case you’re keeping track). But they don’t do it right away. Why?

But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at His teaching.
Mark 11:18, NLT

That’s kind of where that story ends. The next day the religious leaders decide to challenge Jesus…ask Him where He gets the authority to do what He does (they never learn). Jesus refuses to answer them unless they tell Him by what authority John the Baptist came from. Oops…now they are stuck! They refuse to answer. Why?

For they were afraid of what the people would do,
because everyone believed that John was a prophet.
Mark 11:32, NLT

No matter how wrong these guys were, at least they were passionate about being so wrong. Yet, they were afraid. But not afraid of what Jesus might do or afraid of what God might do (or what He wanted for that matter). What were the afraid of? The people. They were afraid of losing what mattered most to them: popularity, power, and influence. They loved the spotlight and would do anything they had to to keep it. Sound familiar?

This attitude (and the actions that go along with it) stand in stark contrast to the way Christ followers should think and act. It’s the very attitude that God seeks to change deep within our hearts. He wants to transform this part of our spirit and change where we seek this kind of praise:

A person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
Romans 2:29, NLT

The Pharisees lived a life of fear…fear for what they could lose. We are called to live a life of faith…faith in a God that makes all the difference. Fear or Faith? It’s our choice. It’s a lesson I am still learning. How about you?

Today was not what I would call a typical Sunday since our church only had one service and then we ran up to Aurora Reservoir for the Annual Church Picnic and Baptism. We had great weather and a good time with friends. And it’s always great to see people get baptized and hear their stories of faith.

This afternoon was a typical Sunday afternoon. Everyone taking it easy and getting in those last moments of fun before the new week starts. In fact, Anita and I had just settled down in our bedroom to read the paper and browse the Internet when we get a call from a friend (their son is actually here playing with our boys). She says that 9News is reporting a tornado has touched down in Castle Pines and is heading towards the new reservoir being built about 3 miles SW of us.

As Anita says, “There’s a tornado?” I look out our bedroom window and see this…

That’s a sight that gets you moving in a hurry!! So we instantly get the kids rounded up and into the basement (after they each get a quick glimpse). I of course take the time to take a few pictures. By the time I get the video out the twister has lost steam and you can’t even see it anymore. The excitement is over…lasted all of about five minutes. But it certainly gets your blood pumping. The kids are still a freaked and amped up.

And now that the danger is gone, it sure is a pretty sight. I think this might be one of my favorie pictures of the year. As long as it didn’t rip my house to shreds.

It has been a crazy week…hence the few posts this week. That didn’t stop me from permanently scarring my body!  I have been thinking about getting a tattoo for a couple of years, but finally made the decision to actually do it the last time we were up in Winter Park.

So I started doing my homework. First was deciding on what I wanted. I knew I wanted a cross, but wasn’t sure exactly what design I was looking for. After many hours of Internet searching I came across this picture that became my initial inspiration…

I didn’t like the banner, but the cross itself is the design I was looking for. As soon as I saw this picture I knew this was the direction I was going. So I traced it to get rid of the banner (btw, I am no artist and can’t even manage to trace a cross very well). Thank goodness the tattoo artists is actually an artist and understood it was simply a guide.

My secondbit of homework was picking the tattoo shop that would do the work. There are several around town and I checked out three before making my decision. The first shop I went to was Ancient Arts right here in Parker. They do good work ,but even he said I should check out several other places before making my decision (especially since this was my first). He advised e to make sure I liked the shop andthe person doing the work. The second shop I visited was Bonaroo Tattoo, also in Parker. Didn’t like this shop at all!

Last weekend Logan and I visited Red Sky Tattoo down in Castle Rock. I had visited their website and looked at the galleries of each of the artists. I really liked the work of Jimmy the Kid and was hoping he was there. Not only was he there, but he was the guy who greeted me. I showed him the tracing (as well as the photo) and asked him what he thought. He was awesome! He immediately came up with a couple of ideas and saw what my vision was. I liked him. I liked the shop. I put down a deposit and scheduled a session for the next Friday, August 22nd at 5:30 pm. I was committed now.

So yesterday I took off from work a little early and headed down to Castle Rock with the entire family. I’m not sure who was more excited…me or the boys. I was also a little anxious having been convinced the pain would be just short of having a compound fracture.

Jimmy had told me he was going to draw up two versions of the cross: one in stone and one in chrome. When I got there he showed me both of his custom drawings. Here they are:

Now all I had to do was decide which version I wanted…and it was a tough choice. I liked (and still do) both versions. So I did what any warm-blooded American would do and I put it up for a vote. Everyone liked the stone version. After some further pondering and decision making I agreed. Stone Cross it was. Jimmy wanted to do a few minor modifications (mainly making the cracks a little smaller) so he re-drew it once more and made a stencil. The first stencil was a little small so we bumped it up a little. The next version was perfect! Here are the pictures from the one hour session:

 
The Stencil Before We Got Started.
Do I look worried?

 
The First Needle Shot.
It wasn’t so bad!

 
Oops…spoke too soon.
The top right part of the cross was the worst part.

In all honesty, the pain wasn’t anywhere near what I expected to be. The top right part of the cross was the worst and even that wasn’t what I expected the worst to be. The outlining was the worst. But after a few minutes the whole thing was a little numb and we settled into a groove. Outline…then shading…then a little white accents. The it was over.

AND I LOVED IT!!!!

The end result was better than anything I imagined. It’s good when something this permanent not only meets, but exceeds, your expectations. Jimmy did an amazing job! Thanks man!

Here is the end result:

 
In context.
It’s still a little red but you get the idea.

 
The Closeup

Overall this was a great experience and I am very pleased with the results. I can’t wait for the color to settle down and the redness to fade away. I can honestly say that this is not likely my last tat. For now, I’m off to admire the work in the mirror and put some Diaper Rash cream on it.

Let me know what you think…

Jesus has come home. He has made a stop with His disciples in His home town…His old stomping grounds. He is among the people that now Him best. He is teaching. He is healing.

And they don’t buy it…

Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?
He’s just a carpenter…They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Mark 6:2-3, NLT

Ouch…sometimes it hurts to go home again. But there was more going on here than just a bunch of “homers” that didn’t believe in Jesus. Their lack of faith had a profound affect…one that we would do well to consider carefully…

And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles
among them except to place his hands on a few sick people
and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Mark 6:5-6, NLT

Wow…because of their lack of faith, Jesus was unable to perform miracles among them. Their unbelief had the power to limit Jesus’ power. Now, of course, Jesus still had the power to perform miracles (He does so later in this same chapter). But their unbelief limited the power and affect of Jesus in themselves.

How about you and me? Do we limit the affect and power of Christ in our own lives because of our unbelief? Our lack of faith? Have we limited what God wants to (and can) do in our lives because we just don’t have enough faith?

Is God amazed at our unbelief? Is Jesus amazed at your unbelief? I wonder…

I found my new favorite website yesterday while doing a little web browsing (actually got there from another blog). The site is called Cool Stuff and it is full of weird, funny, and cool videos. I will be sharing one of my favorite videos every Friday to launch us into the weekend (yes, I know it’s Saturday…I’m a late bloomer). Most of the videos will have a slight bent toward stuff guys like (meaning stupid stuff only guys do). Here’s the first installment…let me know if you want to give this a try! Gotta love lighting stuff on fire!

Have a Great Weekend!!

This morning God led me back to a passage He had me in almost a month ago (told you I was a slow learner): John 15:9-17. Then it was about “remaining in His love”. Today was a slight variation on that theme (although they are related).

First, Jesus starts off with this:

When you obey my commandments,you remain in my love,
just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
John 15:10, NLT

You are my friends if you do what I command.
John 15:14, NLT

I don’t know about you, but two things came to mind here when I read this:

1. Yuck…I hate commands. I hate being told what to do (my authority issues)
2. OK, now that my tantrum is over…what exactly is Jesus commanding anyway?

The first reaction is of course not so good…but it blows by quickly. The second however is important. What is Jesus’ command for us? If we are supposed to follow His commandments, if we are supposed to do what He commands…what is it? (And of course we always think it’s going to be hard and no fun).

Jesus gives us the answer in this very same passage…twice (and it’s still easy to miss)…

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.
John 15:12, NLT

This is my command: Love each other.
John 15:17, NLT

Doesn’t sound so bad right?

Or does it?

I’m off to give it try…

This topic of faith has come up several times this week. This morning was the real eye opener. I was reading Mark Chapter 5 when it came up. In the second part of the chapter a man named Jarius comes to Jesus because his daughter is sick. As was common, Jesus agrees to go to this man’s house and heal the little girl.

But something happens along the way. In this case, something good. A woman who needs healing reaches out and touches Jesus’ robe and is healed. Jesus feels it happen and stops to see who it was. He commends the woman for her faith and tells her that her suffering if over. Great story. I’ve heard and read it many times. But usually something gets lost in the story…

While he was still speaking to her,
messengers arrived from the home of Jairus,
the leader of the synagogue.
They told him, “Your daughter is dead.
There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”
Mark 5:35, NLT

Total downer! Jesus is in the middle of doing a good thing and they get the news that this man’s daughter (who Jesus was supposed to be healing) is dead. Now you and I can already imagine our reaction…can put ourselves in Jarius’ shoes for a minute. I gotta tell ya…I don’t think I’d have a very good reaction. And what do I expect Jesus to say? Some words of comfort maybe (that’s what we would say). Or maybe even the miraculous…something like, “No worries…I’ve got ya covered. She’ll be OK!” But that’s not what Jesus says. Here is his response:

But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus,
“Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” 
Mark 5:36, NLT

He has just been told that his daughter is dead and what is Jesus’ response? “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Wow. Not what you’d expect (but Jesus rarely does the expected does He?). And that’s our message too. If Jarius is supposed to not be afraid and have faith in his situation, the worst imaginable, how about you and me? Of course, we know the answer…but doing it is far different than thinking about it. When tough times come, when bills are piling up, when our kids are acting like aliens, when life happens…Jesus’ response?

Don’t be afraid.
Just have faith.

I need some help, so I am coming to you for some assistance. As a regular part of my devotional and spiritual life I like to read. You can see some of my favorite books here. I just finished up two very good books that have helped me grow spiritually…they challenged me and gave me new insights and practices to put into place in my journey with God: Walking with God and Messy Spirituality. I highly recommend them both (and in that order).

My problem? I don’t know what to read next. There are two books I am considering, but they aren’t so much focused on spiritual growth or development (but maybe that’s a good thing?):

1. Simple Church
2. unChristian

But I am not convinced that either of these is what I should pick up next. So I open the discussion up to you. What do you recommend that I read next? Leave your thoughts and recommendations in a comment and let’s work toward a final decision.  Now, I have read a lot so don’t be discouraged if I’ve already read your selection…just keep ‘em coming. And thanks in advance for the help!

I’m still not exactly sure why, but yesterday was full of discouragement as a dark mood settled over me. As I pray and think about it I am sure it is because of the great weekend we had with the boys (more to come on that in another post, but I want to give it the attention it deserves). It really hit me after lunch…more specifically, after going to the gun range with two of my buddies.

But when it hit me, it hit me pretty hard. I started thinking about all the stuff I have to get done this week, this month, this year. I started thinking about finances. I started thinking about my garage. I started thinking about my uncertain future. I started thinking about homework. I started thinking about being there for my family. I started thinking about church responsibilities. I think you get the picture…it was overwhelming.

It is times like this when I usually would turn to something I shouldn’t (food recently, porn a few years ago). But God has been working on me to turn to Him. So I did. I put all of this on the table, confessed my discouragement and asked Him for a little encouragement. Did I get it? Yes and No. He isn’t letting me off quite that easy, but He does hear me and He does love me…and He is working on me ever so slowly.

So what did I hear from Him? Here’s what I got: “Be Still”. Not exactly word of encouragement, and not exactly new words of instruction for me. This is also an area He has been working on…my need to slow down, be still, and be with Him. Seems counter-intuitive to my mood this morning. Wasn’t what I was looking or hoping for. But then He reinforces the command with this…

Be still, and know that I am God!
(Psalm 46:10a)

Okay…even I get it. Be still, right? But that’s not my nature. He knows. So here I am, doing my best to be still and wait on God. He’s here. I’m waiting…