This is interesting…

By Anthony

Testing Before Blessing

By Anthony

Currently I am studying the book of Exodus in the Bible. While reading through books of the Bible slowly and studying them intently, many new insights can be revealed as well as many questions that I hope to have answered once I meet Jesus.

One thing I have been pondering as of late is that Israel’s Exodus journey out of Egypt and into the Promise Land of Canaan was book ended by two similar events: the crossing of the Red Sea, and the crossing of the Jordan River.

To escape Egypt, they had to cross the Red Sea while being pursued by finest of the Egyptian millitary. It looked hopeless, but God opened up the sea so they could pass through on dry land. Once all of the Israelites made it to safety on the other side of the sea, God allowed the water to retreat so that it would crush the Egyptian millitary who was in hot pursuit.

The Israelites wanted to give up and head back to Egypt when they saw the forces approaching them with the Red Sea blocking their way to safety. But God simply was testing them to see if they had trust that the God who had just miraculously delivered them from slavery could also miraculously deliever them from the forces of Egypt and the obstacles of nature.

But by His grace, God delivered them because of His covenant promises made to their forefathers and His willing servant Moses who obeyed Him and led his people thruogh the open sea.

A similar occurance took place nearly 40 years later as the Israelites were finally crossing over into their Promise Land after decades of wandering in the desert due to their sin. The Lord told Joshua, who had taken charge of Israel after Moses died, to have the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant step into the waters of the Jordan River so that when they did the waters of the Jordan would back up upstream so that Israel could cross over on dry land. And Israel did just that, this time with much more faith than their ancestors 40 years earlier.

Even though the Jordan River didn’t compare to the scale of the Red Sea, God arranged this circumstance to give the people respect for Joshua now that he would be leading them, and I believe, as a test of their faith in Him before crossing into the Promise Land. It proved to Israel that they had to rely on God from day to day and that their very existance was dependent on Him.

So as Israel was escaping enslavement and when they were entering the land promised to them, they faced a test of their faith.  And in both cases, it was God who delivered them and provided for them.

I believe that this principle translates even into our personal lives today- that at pivotal points in time- we face tests of our faith . In many cases I believe the outcomes of these pivotal points in time- even though God has known those outcomes since eternity past- depend on how we respond to faith in God. We need to expect times like this in seasons of deliverance and in seasons of blessing. We need to respond with faith. We need to realize that it is God who provides and nothing comes according to our own merit.

Children

By Anthony

It is the greatest joy in life to have children. What an honor to be able to steward God’s own creation- ones which were made in His Image!
What a pleasure to see life through the eyes of a child! How exciting to see you and to see your spouse in the face of your young! The infiniteness of possibility and innocense in their eyes is nearly unbearable!
Having a son is the greatest of responsibillities: fostering respect, leadership, determination, and awareness into a man is humbling to say the least. To know your role in shaping the next generation is exilerating, yet terrifying!
How beautiful it is to behold your daughter: nurturing her gentleness, her esteem, and her generosity is crucial to her developement and a great priveledge to do so. A daughter is to cherish and to protect.
To hear my son ramle off question after question is like looking in a mirror and brings fresh life to my aging body.
To watch my daughter dance and smile and learn to persuade those she comes into contact with is breath-taking!
From time to time I get so frusterated with my son’s attitude and rock-solid determination. From time to time I get so annoyed with my daughter’s squeels and screams and never-ending demands. But I wouldn’t have it any other way! These kids are beautiful and make life SO worth living! I am in love!

Being Healthy Is…

By Anthony

…Very difficult. But a little determination, 20 minutes of vigorous exercise a day, and eating a low calorie/ low sugar/ low fat diet can change your life and give your kids someone to look up to.

Wondering

By Anthony

I am wondering how things like cockroaches, fleas, and mosquitos fit in to God’s perfect will. How do these things complete the natural order- the circle of life, etc… They are horrible and disgusting. I don’t want them biting me or living in my house. I respect them as being created by God and God calling them “good” afterwards, but come on! I’m wondering if these things will inhabit the New Heavens and the New Earth. I guess I’ll have to wait to find out.

Rest in Peace Michael

By Anthony

An interesting week to be sure as icons of the twentieth century begin to fade into the sunset. First, Ed McMahon, a from the Golden Age of Television and a pioneer and late night comedy and talk shows. Then two days later, Farrah Fawcett, a sex-icon of the latter twentieth century, a talented actress and a determined fighter of cancer. And on the same day as Fawcett, today, Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson was a musical genius who wrote and performed brilliant songs that changed the world. He was dancing prodigy who inspired new and creative ways for performers to express themselves with their bodies for centuries to come.

Michael emerged as a star performing with his four brothers throughout the 1960’s and 70’s, but became a megastar as a solo artist in the late 1970’s and early 80’s.

Jackson apparently had a horrificly abusive father growing up which unfortunately, but not shockingly led him to VERY bizzare behavior as an adult.

Michael was almost daily crucified by the media and was driven to extreme plastic surgery, prescription drug addiction, manic depression, eating disorders, and alienation.

For nearly two decades Jackson has fought off extreme and convincing allegations of child sexual abuse on many fronts, but never has been convicted of doing so- although large settlements have been paid to the accusers families from Jackson.

He was a man who could not cope with living in the harsh realities of this world and tried to escape it all by living the life of a child for most of his life.

As mentioned before, Michael will be remembered as a musical and dance genius who, along with Elvis Presley, contributed more to his field than any other person to walk this earth. He will also be remembered as a business man, an entreprenuer, and philanthropist (giving away tens of millions throughout his lifetime to charities in need).

But I wonder how history will reflect on him in the long run.Elvis had all sorts of skeletons in his closet, but for the most part it’s not those parts of his life that are remembered collectively by the public. When people tend to think about Elvis, they think about the young Elvis who was in the prime of his artistry and carrer. Iis that how people will remember Michae; Jackson- a pop superstar from the early 1980’s who wow’ed the world with songs like ‘Bad’, ‘Beat It’, and the all time classic ‘Thriller’? Or will people remember ‘Wacko Jacko’ who was obsessed with the unusual, who lived as if he was Peter Pan, who radically changed his appearance to something almost unhuman, and who was accused of so many sexual atroscities against children?

Either way, the world has lost a man who has influenced American culture-no- world culture on a level that only a few dozen people can claim throughout the history of mankind.

Rest in peace Michael. I hope you found it through Christ so you can escape the hell that was your life.

Racing Thought

By Anthony

Rain, rain drops. Tat-Tat-Tat from the sky to the ground. Each drop its own, each drop part of the storm. One-two-three, how long can I count the falling?
Life, life springs. Inching up from the ground inch by inch, by inch. Green, Red, Orange, Yellow, and Blue each new sprout unique. Each sprout a part of the field.
Ants, ants crawl. Going to and frow and doing work. Each ant with a job to do, a task to perform. Each ant his own. Each ant part of the colony.
Neda, Neda…lying in shock on the ground. Hands trying to stop the bleeding. One bullet deep in your chest. So much life, so much vigor, so much potential. You came to seek justice, but you- Neda- did not find it. Eyes rolling back into your head- what are you looking at Neda? What do you see? Blood erupts from your nose, your mouth. Your cVs is covered, your heart forgets to beat.
What is the purpose, the meaning, in this? Where does the soul of the unjust dwell?
Andrew holds the controller firmly in his hand. His thumbs pressing buttons as radidly as he can. This is the moment he has waited all day for. Time alone. Time in front of the light. If he can simply slay this dragon and collect all of its coins- he will reach a level in life he has only dreamed about.
The mountain rises up steeply from the plains: snow capped and majestic. It slopes down gradually on the other side, only to be met at the bottom by yet another rising peak. These mountains go on for miles, and once you cross their icy terrain, the land gives way to desert: dry, mild, barren.
Follow the desert mile after mile and decend into the throat of the earth down a canyon and into a cave.
Follow the river that’s flows out of the cave and through the canyon until it reaches the sea: plummiting into the deepness and darkness of trenches never seen by man. There you will find life persivering in ways you could never imagine.
Jambe is hungry, he hasn’t eaten in 3 days. All he has to drink comes from the small pool of water that he is washing his only pair of pants in.
Alex is worried. He has lost 1 million dollars in the stock market, and now only has 78 million dollars to retire with. He now thinks twice about purchasing the 3 million dollar yacht. “What’s the world come to?”, he asks the sky.
Sarah sits alone on her squeaky bed breast feeding her only child. The father is gone. She has burnt too many bridges to go home. She has to be at work in 3 hours. She might not sleep tonight and she is nervous about leaving her baby with the new sitter, but she has to go to work- she needs the money.
Tick-tick-tick. The second hand advances. For some the second comes too slowly. For others, life is passing far too fast. Wake, eat, work, eat, work, eat, sleep, repeat. The tide comes in, the tide goes out. The world spins. The geese fly South. Leaves grow, leaves fall. Rythm- Cycle- Routine- Rest.
Where is the rest? Where is the justice?
Solomon declared that life was meaningless. I disagree. I find meaning, love, compassion, grace, and hope in the peaks, in the valleys, in the sea, in the rain, in times of plenty, in times of not. The suffering and the joy is not in vain.
I walk through this cycle we call life seeking to give, to redeem, and- I guess- to get a little too.
One life, one chance, one god, one way—so many opportunities. Live life. Find what you’re looking for in the details. Seek to save that which was lost and to bring compassion where there is none.
Come quickly Lord Jesus.

Being Healthy Is…

By Anthony

…finally understanding what Nike means by,” Just Do It.” Realizing that once you set up an exercize routine that there is no giving up or turning back. Once you begin your daily routine, and your body starts screaming at you to stop, you just realize that you have to “Just Do It.”

Tips?

By Anthony

So I have been thinking lately about tips. When are you required to give them? Wen are you not required to give them? When are they expected by the person providing service, and when are they not?

I have always been in the school of thought that at a restaurant you provide tips to an employee when they take your order while you are sitting at your table, bring out the food and drinks that you have ordered to your table, and come back to check on you several times during your dining experience to make sure that your food and drink are satisfactory and to offer you more food and drink.

When this takes place, granted the service is satisfactory, you then give that employee a 15% tip. Tipping more than 15% is excessive because, afterall, they are simply doing their job and getting paid to do so by their employer. Tips larger than 15% should only be given when extremely good service has been provided.

While tipping less than 15%, even if the service has been inadequate, is considered rude because in most places a waiter or waitress is taxed on a 15% tax average.  However if service has been intentionally horrible on the part of the employee, then you may consider foregoing a tip or giving a very small one. A better option, though, is to give a normal tip for poor service, but leave a note describing the bad service or nicely attempt to tell the employee in person.

Questions come into play, though, while at establishments where you order at a counter, but someone comes to serve you at your table. Or nicer buffet-type restaurants where someone comes to take your drink order and services your table with those drinks, but you have to get your own food from the buffet line. In these circumstances, I believe a $1-3 tip is appropriate regardless of what your bill comes to.

Things get more tricky, and more irritating, at places where you order at a counter and your food or drink are prepared for you behind that counter until it is handed to you on the other side of that counter. Usually there is one person who takes your order and your money, several people who are involved in making and preparing your order, and another person who gives you your order. All of these people are simply doing the jobs that their employer pays them to do- nothing more and really no one-on-one service has been provided. Why should they recieve a tip??

Many of these places have “tip jars” out on their counters to guilt people into tipping. One place this really gets on my nerves is Starbucks: they are extremely overpriced as it is and their employees are paid decent wages and receive decent benefits for what they do, yet they try to guilt their customers into forking over even more money than what they have already paid for a service that their employees are paid to do in the first place.

Debit cards make this process more difficult. Many of these counter service places, when you pay with a debit card, make you sign a reciept for your card purchase and on these reciepts there is a place to write in how much you would like to tip- once again guilting you into to paying more than you already have. I am always afraid that after I leave, that the employee who rang me up will add a tip onto my reciept. So, I am always sure to write the total amount of my purchase down underneath the blank left for a tip to lessen the chance of fraud.

This weekend, at a snobby-posh-overpriced counter service sandwich shop I went to, the receipt that had to be signed actually provided you with suggested tip amounts to write in!? Give me a break!

So- How Do You Tip?

I’m Worried!

By Anthony

So I am in a time of worry. I am in a time of worry because I am in a great time of need. I am in a time of need because I have no idea how I will pay my bills for the next 3 months.
I have no idea how I will pay my bills because I am following God into a new ministry opportunity- one with A LOT of risks!
I am worries about the financial implications of this ministry and I am worried about the success of this ministry.
What if it fails? What if it just stays “as is”. What if me taking on this ministry leads to a massive decline in the people it ministers to? What if the amount of money coming into the ministry plummits?
What if people don’t like the decisions I make invovling this ministry? Even worse, what if people don’t like ME because of not like liking the decisions I make?
What if this ministry becomes successful and that goes to my head? What if I forget about God and the people, and only focus on the money?
What are the implications of me not being able to pay my bills over the next three months? What if I lose my family’s car? Their house? Am I a lousy husband? A lousy father?
- Deep Breath -
I AM ANGRY BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS! I don’t know the future! I am not in control and that scares the hell (literally) out of me!!!
BUT…..this…is…exactly…where…God…wants……me.
He wants total surrunder because He knows the answers, He knows the future, and He plans the outcomes.
It’s been times like these in the past that God has used to bring me MUCH closer to Him.
Now what? Now I need to cast my worry, my fear, my anxiety, and my need upon Him- even if/when I don’t know how. Now I need to surrunder everything and realize that I am in control of nothing. I need to trust and to move out of God’s way and allow Him to work miracles in my life, in my family, in my ministry, in my neighborhood, in my city, in my county, in my State, in my nation, in this continent, in the world, and throughout creation. Because that’s what God does- He works all things together for His glory and will one day restore all things to Him.
I am just blessed beyond belief to take a miniscule part in that. And I’m definitely not saying He needs me to fulfill that miniscule part- far from it! He simply allows me to take part, I believe, for His enjoyment- and maybe for a little of mine too!
Keep me in your prayers! I have a lot of surrendering to do!