Are you hot?

Why in all of Gods green would we give a rat's about being hot? Mindless programming through tv and fashion has so many of us on a quest for sexual marketability.

I'm at a hotel this weekend with judy and Seth. We are accompanying her to Indianapolis during one of her regional director's training.

From the tv to the pool, to the tons if people around us, it doesn't take a chemist's incredible knowledge and good looks to deduce that the question of the age is "am I hot?"

Today's 20th most popular YouTube bid is a public service health announcement on sexually transmitted diseases. A full 50% of Americans will acquire an infection through sexual contact, during their lives.

Just a decade ago, that number was much smaller.

So, Wow. Why do we care about hotness when...

Proverbs says,"There is a way that seems right to people but it's result is death." Not that all STD's are fatal, but do you get it?

God is pretty cool to us to have put sex on the top shelf until we are ready. Don't rush. Grow up. Listen to Dad. He loves you.




-- Post From My iPhone

bunnies and rabbits

i think that about 3 days back, something clicked and I accepted it: February is upon us. I have so much to be thankful for, but today it's insomnia.

insomnia.

all of you who know me know that I'm working up some kidney failure with the coffee--that I'm a serious caffeine junkie. I don't know how I'm gonna make it through the first 3 weeks of whatever hard times are coming down the pike, because 2/3rds of my personality is drugs.

perhaps a bit of hyperbole there. perhaps a bit of addicted denial HERE.

But no matter what, February is upon us, and we await the relief of temps in the 40's. There is this wack slush everywhere, snow 5 inches deep on everything, and ice. Ice covers every twig and power line. Trees are bent down and people are without power...

What do you do without power? I mean, our gas furnace is electrically regulated...

If my power went out, and it looked like it would be out for days, I'd drain the plumbing. That'd suck. I'd probably have to drain the radiators, too... wow.

I don't think we could get this big 110 year old former funeral home warm enough, unless we coated the floor with rabbits and just had rabbits running around everywhere, pooping and peeing all over the floors.

yeah. i think we'd need about 10,000 rabbits to get through this winter...

i want to heat my house with nothing but rabbits.

you know the difference between a rabbit


and the animal they call a "bunny"?

One is an option for food. The other an adorable pet.
So from among our rabbits might arise a "bunny" caste of favorites, whose lives would be begrudgingly spared each killing season. I can accept that. a few bunnies here and there...

but can we eat bunnies who have tragic "accidents"? ...and who do I pay to arrange those "accidents"?

yeah right. like I could pull this off without real hardship. have you ever looked at a rabbit's nose? try to kill that! you'd have to have a pretty good recipe for me to choose that little nose's death over chicken mcnuggets.

...anytime i read a story about cabin fever resulting in cannibalism, I will think about this post, warm up my coffee, and turn up the electric space heater.

February

Tithing, Jubilee, Sabbath Years...

We have all been here before, if we've been around for a while. Needs come up and I mention the basket, and then there's a question about tithing, and before we know it, my phone is blowing up with all kinds of WONDERFUL, AMAZING, GREAT, INTELLIGENT, BEAUTIFUL DISCOVERIES!!!

I
Love
the
way
you
people
learn
from
Jesus.

I love that you call me up and say, "Hey, what's the deal with the Jubilee..." or the sabbath year cycles, or gleaning, or alms, or all that... I love that we discover together that the Mosaic law of the tithe is a THING that we can look at and discover and understand and examine...

i love that you aren't powerless to evaluate what you hear, anymore. I love that you know that you can understand things, because you trust in Him and in His word. I love that you will save me from stumbling one day, if I need it!

I love the idea that someday I'll be knocked down, but good. There I'll be, with my hopes shattered and my mind riven by black despair. And there you will all be, armed with the Word--even the words that I've said myself so many times--ready to teach me what I taught you and what we are all being taught!

I love that I need you people, and that I have no strength or authority on my own--that my strength and authority derive, not from my perfect alignment with God's Word (hah!), but from His perfect Love for me, who is Jesus Christ the Friend of Sinners! And that perfect Love, who is Jesus, is in you who are becoming wise and strong all around me.

I am watching a forest of people growing on all sides, and what was once a barren plain, destroyed by war and fire, is now host to all kinds of richness and life, yet wild and untamed...


...where the wild things are!

somehing about scriptures

You guys know what? You seriously need to bring those pens and papers and list those scriptures on Sundays. If you don't do that, ask Lauren for her list! She is the official scribe, now. Thanks and hats off, Lauren! ...and tell Sam we all said "Hi"! haha, just kidding. but seriously, "Hi, Sam."

oh and also, hey, when I put a post up here with all those scriptures, it's fun to get the Biblegateway going, but it's better for your head to open up a paper bible and flip to them and annotate the cross-referencing and to do all that stuff, like note-cards and journaling andall that old-school paper stuff.

and by saying "...it's better for your head..." I mean "Hey, make me a happy older brother dude and get your danged Bibles out and pour over this stuff!" In a minute you'll be wise and snappy!


...snappy?


snappy. hmmmm. maybe that coffee was TOO good.







wise and snappy. what next?

something i said

Last Sunday morning was pretty typical in a lot of ways... mostly kids and babies everywhere... making and eating a meal... catching up with folks... you know, church.
and then i bust out the guitar, and JP has his guitar, and David has his guitar... and there are a couple djembe drums, and a couple of plastic toys that make silly noises and you wonder how the kids always find them and bring them out on Sundays while we're trying to get serious... i love that. God saves us from self-seriousness, with children!

We actually have one toy at our house that has this "stop and go, stop and go, off to school where the big kids go..." song in it... to the "barney" tune... what delightful medicine for the soul. "...with a beep beep honk honk all around the town. Stop and go and round and round..." can you dig it?

anyway, we make and eat, we sing a lot. for like an hour. just unarranged songs that we'll request, or teach... i've been bringing up some old/new songs lately... and then we "shift gears" into a time of sharing from the Life, who is Jesus.

During that time on Sundays, it is typical for several people to share scriptures, insights, revelations, dreams even, and for old sinner Lew to open his mouth to teach. Lew doesn't always teach, because he prefers the Holy Spirit minister through the church to the church, but it is often expedient that he teach... presently it is expedient that he refrain from referring to himself in the third person.

As for that teaching, it is almost never something I have "Prepared" in the classic modern seminarian style. It is a sharing "from the Life, who is Jesus." It doesn't matter what kind of week I have had, because Jesus is always the same, although I enjoy life more when i've had a week of living temperately and with self-denial and sacrifice. (or radical shredding on my skateboard with my sons!) I think i had a week like that in '03, maybe. But I was also really proud that week... (I get the shred on much more regularly)

During that time of sharing this week, we had a slight contention arise around my effort to equip us to discern leadership's faithfulness in the light of scripture. I urged all of you, and always will, to test the fruit of your leaders! Examine their way of life, as you walk with them. Ask the tough questions and do it all in the light of Scripture, the gentleness of humility, and in undying loyalty to Christ.

when this is done in the humility of wisdom (James), and the gentleness of the Lord's nearness (PHil 4), it will cause that kind of division (mat.10) which is an effect of the presence of Jesus, in truth. By "...in truth", I am attempting to make a distinction between the presence of Jesus that is proclaimed by some man in front of a room, who by merit of his salary and office is "in charge", yet the real Jesus, who is described in Scripture, would have this guy out!

I would like to make a distinction between That presence of Jesus and the REAL/IN TRUTH (John 4--spirit and truth) presence of the ACTUAL JESUS, who is authoritatively and reliably described in the Scripture! So when I say to you that a certain degree or quantity of division is the natural outworking of the presence of Jesus, look at Mat. 10 or 1 Cor 11:18-19.

Think about it. Look at Galatians, where Paul opposes Peter. Listen to Paul telling Timothy and Titus to command certain ones not to teach certain things! Listen to Jude calling out false prophets! Now turn back to Matthew 6 and hear Jesus! Get to 7 and hear Him telling you to beware of false prophets, and toknow them by their fruit.

As I was pressing this home, I said something to the effect of, "If you examine what I am teaching, and it isn't faithful to Scripture to some significant extent, and I won't listen to you or those to whom I am accountable--RUN AWAY!!!"

...and i mean that. i stand by that! As our experience of church fills daily with such pleasant things as shared life in parenting and daily table, we have to stay on our guard against false teaching that would lead us to "groupthink". And the "leader" is just the guy to start making that happen! So I urge all of you to examine the things I teach--that are all on audio recordings that are available to you--and really test and see for yourselves whether or not these things are as I am asserting.

This is especially easy for me to say, because I am one among brothers, here. A good number of you have been with me for 3 to 5 years and have not only proven the outcome of my doctrine (which is not mine at all), but have become adept students of the Master, who is the Word--the author of the Bible. Between David, JP, Chris, and Britt here in Northside, I don't have a chance to get far on the wrong track. With Mike Rea in orbit around us as an elder to me, you guys have someone to talk to when I get wacky.

Yes, it wouldn't be hard to confront me for bad doctrine, if I started a line of teaching that was contrary to Scripture or any of the solid traditions of the church, or any sound judgment of Spirit-filled men, or contrary to the Spirit's guidance in the church... and all of them must be attested to by the whole Body of Scripture, not just wack snippeting.

But!

if what I am teaching you, in regard to your relationship to the Old Covenant laws of Moses and their use and abuse...
...if what I am so confidently asserting during these times of teaching IS orthodox, and in line with the traditions of our elders...

If my doctrine truly is of Christ, and not just to please men, then you should recognize that I have stepped out of the picture, and you are no longer dealing with me, but with the subject of that doctrine, Himself--Jesus Christ! And how you are pleased or perplexed by Him, and your response to that perplexity or pleasure, are a matter, not of opinion-sharing or discussion, but of worship!

This is why the Bible says,
1 Peter 2

1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,[a] 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

See that "...if indeed..." there? That is there because there are many hearers of the word who have not tasted grace! This may be you! Or maybe they knew the grace of Father's love in Christ, but left that path for the path of perfoming for men's approval. This is why Paul said in 2 Cor. 11:3

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy... Go read it!

I myself feel that jealousy keenly, in a house surrounded by people who lean in for anything that might better clarify their sense for God's grace...

"if indeed" in that Peter passage shows us that, as Hebrews 3 says, it is possible to miss the grace of God, even while we attend the meetings of the church! Go on and read Hebrews 4 and you'll see clearly that this is talking about that very thing I'm saying--that it is far too possible for you to miss God's Grace, folks.

This is why we are so committed to meet.
This is why we sing and pray and share life.
This is why we take pains to remind and admonish one another to always trust and forgive and pray and never give up!
This! That it is possible to fade off of grace.

Now, someone might say, "he is able to keep me" and I say, Great! Just only make sure you occupy yourself with what the clear teaching of the Word says! Because if He's going to keep you, He'll be keeping you in that! Your proclamation of His "ability" is proper, except if it is a cover for laziness! Get serious, and get helpful to each other!

Maturity in Christ is described in the end of Hebrews 5 as an ability to distinguish between good and evil. I'm not making any plans to fall off the Jesus wagon, but if I did, I am sure that you all can tell, and would be bold to call me back. What say you?

One of the things I love the most about Sundays, is that there is a "completeness" to what is taught, because several believers are sharing from their walk with Jesus, at a time... I don't think words can describe how much Jesus loves us all and how much I love you guys. I wrote this because I think you need to sharpen your game--all of you. You live in a perverse generation. Get your heads on straight and put all of your hope in Jesus! Don't live for TGIF or your favorite show to be on! Stop learning how to think from TV. Stop! Open the Scriptures. Paul told Timothy that they can make you wise. Get wise!

For posterity

This video "fell out of" my blog last year. I wanted to post it again, and hopefully the internet won't eat it again...

This along the lines of Jeremiah's Judah, per our studies here...

From Isaiah

GOD, the Master, The Holy of Israel,
has this solemn counsel:

"Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves.
Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me--
The very thing you've been unwilling to do.

You've said, "Nothing doing! We'll rush off on horseback!'

It amazes me to read this. Just amazes me. That even from the Old Times, God has been communicating to us that what He is after is our reliance on Him, our TRUST.

The image of His hearers rushing off to find help from Egyptian Horse-markets, against Northern invaders... man, how much easier it would be to declare a fast and call on the LORD and let Him come and defeat the enemies! Look at King Asa, and how later in life he chose to work out his own way, even though he had experienced God's deliverance.

This is because there is something fundamentally offensive to human pride, and fundamentally tiring to our flesh, in the "...work of God...to believe in the One He sent." (John 6:29)
His yoke is easy
His burden is light
but we still prefer to choose our own yokes
yokes that kill us
and drag us down
to the yoke He has provided us so freely...

...then there are those who have never heard, never understood the "yoke" of Jesus. They remain in the dark because of the false, lying way that what has called itself "church" has presented Jesus. God have mercy on us for this...

reading the law of moses

when we read the law of moses, we are reading the compulsory prescriptions that Moses gave during the wilderness travel. These prescriptions/commandments were given under the full authority of God, so they carried amazing authority...

those of us who have put all of our trust in Jesus, who have partaken of the covenant of the cross--who are now adopted children, not just cowering slaves--we are not bound by the letter of these commandments.

go read all of Hebrews. Here is one scripture that pinpoints it for you. The Authoritative claim of the Mosaic/Levitical/Old Testament Law has been superceded by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who writes God's heart on ours... God's mind on ours...

So now, when we read what was commanded to them, we can look forward to that righteousness' MANFESTATION in us as a fruit of the Spirit of God who indwells us!

What? What's that? Oh. okay, let me say it this way: God had moses boss them around and hedge them in with rules. The rules were good. The people were bad. It didn't work.
So God has found a way to put His own goodness in people, commandments or no. It is by Forgiving us and coming to walk with us in a way that Scripture describes again and again...
This is the mystery that once was hidden! That Christ is with you, even IN you, working and speaking and teaching and forming that fruit in you which is from His very presence...
This is why 1 Cor. 6 calls our bodies the temple of the Holy Spirit and calls us to flee prostitues and sexual sins of passion.

The whole thing has changed. That which God was commanding into their ears, He is now speaking into our hearts... and as we give ourselves more deeply to Jesus, we find that He is really, truly THERE. He causes us to manifest the righteousness of God as an "accident" of His presence.

...as a consequence of His presence.

He displaces our sin.
He displaces our evil, self-and other-destructive desires.
He can literally change our hearts...
and our lives follow suit.

Now, here's the problem:
...lots of people actually prefer the commandment-way. It is so much less dependent on the ACTUAL working of the INVISIBLE Christ. It takes so much less risk, and when it seems to be working out, it provides us with that good, lucky righteous feeling. Pride. Pride. Pride. Pride.

The Lion's share of people prefer to carve oranges out of a tree to being an orange tree. we prefer to bring to God baskets of injection-molded fruit with realistic fragrance implants, to the actual dirty work of being rooted in Christ and waiting on Him, trusting that He will bring fruit in season.

We prefer to build UP, not dig down and lay foundation. matt 7? big storm? beachfronnt properties? yeah. hmm...

Well, as we are reading in the Law of Moses, just remember the promise that drips from the words of Jesus as he said in Matt. 5
"you have heard that it was said [insert moses here], but I (Jesus) tell you [insert something waaaay deeper and more impossible here]..."
...How is that dripping with promise? Because the impossibility of the true spiritual life that Jesus describes, coupled with His obvious willingness to take us up as His kids, shows the total universality of this opportunity...

That is:
if NONE of us can make it on our own effort, by Laws and rules,
then ANY OR ALL of us can be received by the One who relates to us in MERCY!

This makes Righteousness a matter of Mercy and Love of the Redeeming Creator toward us. When we do right from the work of the Spirit within us, we are filled with Joy. We even find ourselves laying down our lives for one another, to our surprise. We had ourselves pegged as a bunch of real ninnies, and here comes fruit from God to show How faithful He is!

Ps. 23 says he leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake--it's all about HIM.

John 14 says the path is a man with a name: Jesus.

So just love jesus while you breathe today. just breathe prayer that he change you and thank him for his mercy, and trust that He will do it. Relax about yourself and become gentle as you stop being so surprised at your failures. Delight in the fact that the Lord of Glory has loved you, and proven that love in the amazing atonement of the cross. Commit your life to that work of that One and stop worrying about what you can never control.

in a minute we'll all be with him. all that is unfinished will be made more than whole.

Moses' Law on Fighting: Ex. 21:18-19

Here is a video we watch around here when we want to have a laugh at the whole fighting thing... soooo much american time and money go into martial arts lessons... soooo much american attention goes into becoming powerful...

I found this passage on fighting fascinating. As a person who has taught martial arts, and having a black belt and a bunch of experiences, I am very comforted and stabilized by the thought that if I ever injured someone in some situation, I might be held to nursing that one back to health!

Here it is: if you hurt someone in a fight, you'll have to provide for their thorough healing...

I have often said, "before you break someone's nose, or face, THINK and consider that God made that nose by hand." You don't go destroying God's handiwork for the sake of pride or a credit card you could have cancelled... And if you ever needed to put yourself in harm's way for someone else, you better not be brutal.

Yes, we are like sheep to be slaughtered. That is the way of the Master, Jesus. We can prefer Him to the world.

So for all of you who are tempted to accrue to yourself worldly power and confidence through the physical prowess of martial arts, get ready to pay for recuperation.

I like reading the law of Moses.

Check Seth!

Hack job haircut.
Bulldog face.
Seven years old.
Seth is the man.




-- Post From My iPhone

Living in Northside

You all may or may not know about


Northside, Cincinnati. That's the neighborhood that judy and the boys and I live in.

These are pics I snapped off on my way into the Sidewinder Cafe.







I took them at the intersection of Chase and Hamilton.



Yeah, Northside has a good skatepark plan coming up. We are looking at a good time for a while to come, God-willing I should even live...


-- Post From My iPhone

Broken Ankles and getting better.

Just saw a friend of mine here at the Sidewinder Cafe in Northside. Duder broke his ankle about fifteen months back--real bad break.

I did my ankle when I was about fifteen years old. Left(front). Now I'm twenty one years older and I still take it easy on the tech tricks. I just love moving and don't need the flashy status, you know?

I never have had the temperament to spend
My bone and sinew to get tech. Not my personality. Hats off to those who push the boundaries back with their amazing skating. I'll be on my way to the 'winder for a coffee. Meet you there.

Props to my neighbor, Gary Collins, who has pushed the limits back for us all, here in Cinci.

Props to Doug K, whose new film 8isenuff is a grrreat view on city skating.

Now go push around somewhere. Layers are the key to winter skating.

This is a pic of my presently unbroken ankle.


-- Post From My iPhone

are we under the influence???

Looking at these two pics: one of my youngest in raaaaaad mode, the other of a "Zombie Jesus" collector's deck from Creature Skateboards, you may wonder if we are slipping into something very dark...

Well, Creature is raad. Waaaay Rad. And Jesus loves those guys more than can be described in English, so I'm going to try to say it in French. That IS the language of love, right?

C'est a dire que la compagnie Creature represente tout un groupe de gens dont la Bible parle beaucoup! La Bible decrit un Jesus qui les aime et se leur presente comme un ami. Es-tu ami des pecheurs? Est-ce que cela te chocque?
Moi, j'aime bien que les non-croyants se moquent de Jesus. Cela me convient. Pourquoi? Parce-que cela ouvre la porte pour que je les aime.

So i hope that clarifies things for you...

Marcelo Has Gone Back to Brazil

Our man Marcelo has collected his skateboarding skills, dismantled his boards and packed them into two 70 pound suitcases, and headed for the motherland. Sunny Brazil, brace yourself for the return of a rebel ripper... And Marcelo, the only reason i was ever mean to you is 'cos i was really a Dad.

Being a Dad to dudes like Marcey is a huge honor of my life... God has blessed me with not a few dudes and 'dettes over here. Thanks, Dad!

Lots of stuff...as usual

Life is absolutely full... there is a constant flow of joy and crisis... Folks need new jobs, new places to live... folks are getting married, having first babies, having second and third babies... folks are meeting their new midwife and getting ready for babies...

We are looking at having at least 15 kids and only around 17 adults... we are thinking about what it means to be the family of God... we are wondering where the old people are? We are all under 40, banded together under the Grace of God, awaiting the coming of Jesus, walking out childlike faith with stumbling love...

angels don't know what to make of such a motley, beloved crew...

Revving up

I have been revving up to do a Bible Study through the Early Days. I love the history of creation that we find in the Bible. Period.

It is so EASY for me to believe it. Just to believe it. That adam was a man. That methuselah lived 969 years and died just before the flood.
That the ark's on Ararat.
That Leviathan was a thing that breathed fire... that Rahab was a serpent of the sea...
that Mizraim was Egypt, and Nimrod was a hunk.

I believe the stuff.

Waaaaaay more than I believe Carl Sagan and Cosmos, or Leonard Nimoy as Spock. ...uh, whatever...

So I'm getting ready to unleash a Saturday Morning hourlong at the Sidewinder... details pending...

What a day/week

Sitting down for a moment at Sitwell's in clifton. Waiting for Seth's school to let out. Full-on parenting. Working in skatepark consulting. Starting a board company. And the JOY of living life in the Church.

Since I left staff-style church and put it all into LOVING with Jesus, I have so few regrets.

Sunday meetings are now just about as big asnthe house permits, with this
Great "undertow" of the noise of kids. I love meetings with all of you, my family in God.

I love my work within the skateboarding industry. And I love the amazing people I get to be around. Father has made no two alike. You are all stars.

Well. Now it's time to go. More soon.


-- Post From My iPhone

Welcome Addilyn!!!

Congrats to Charlie and Crystal, and hearty thanks to our heavenly Father.



-- Post From My iPhone

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable.

this is spot on... hilarious... there we are.

I been looking at porn stars on the internet.

Every week, at least, I go down to my sponsoring skate shop, The Galaxie Skateshop. I chill down there with my good friend and skateboarding industry colleague, Andrew Martin. I can't tell you how good it is to be on the brobrah with such chill folks. I give thanks!

So The Galaxie (The best skateshop in Cincinnati: conveniently located in Newport, KY) is located on Monmouth, just down from 7th st. Do you know that block? That is the block that has the Brass Bull, The Brass Donkey (Ass), and some stores that sell stripper fashion clothes...
When I'm in there, it isn't that rare to see ladies walking by on their way in to work at the Brasses... The Galaxie Skateshop itself is named in honor of a former strip club of some renown that was located nearby... So you can see that "strip culture" is a part of my life (sphere of dailies), like it or not.

One time (a couple of times) one of these dear ladies comes in to put money down on some stuff for her kid... dude it is such an honor to be near people who, when they show up in the Bible, God just LOVES them!!! Forget about it! He just LOVES them... he has like, NO BAD NEWS for them... outside what they already are knowing... God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

So this dear lady comes in, and she's putting money down, and she had that look. Not that fashion look of a stripper. There was that, yes. But she had THAT look:

Meth.

Skin, Teeth... hollow eye sockets... do you know what it looks like? Meth melts out your teeth and drops your eyes back in your head by about a half-inch. I'm not kidding. you look like a zombie. And this dear one loves her son sooooo much and is putting layaway (Galaxie has a strict no-layaway/no credit policy) down on a board for her son (all of Andrew's strict disappears when it comes to this kind of thing). She still had a handsome physique, but she was all dried up. It wouldn't be long before... before she gets the boot... or worse.

it wasn't 4 months later when there was another murder in the parking lot just 2 doors down from Galaxie, at the Ass. I'm serious. This stuff (human appetite gone wild) is death-laden.

The clip I loaded in this post is from a site I kinda hate. And I kinda hate on craig and the boys sometimes. sorry dudes. I just have a gut reaction to not seeming to keep it real with the difficulties that Jesus poses... but you know what? I'm a jerk sometimes and you gotta judge what I say by the Scriptures. .

But Look at how the appetites of basically just men with money... look at how those appetites created this market for human flesh. Look at how the broken down boundaries of a person in that lifestyle allow them to burden down with debt and get leveraged into an industry that's going to give them "prestige" for their effing lifeblood... these are people who die alone... They get diseases. They get attacked. They live in isolation, emotionally. They are on the outside with their families (some). Listen to these stories...

what happens to the "Lion's share" of these people in this industry when they get old? Do you honestly think they are okay in their fifties? Some may be... but i can SEE, in real life, that this isn't good. period. that's that.

am i really going to listen to some young twenty-year old tell me what's good? shut up. you don't know anything. I'm going to believe what the old people say. Don't hurt yourself by the choices you make. You are not as strong as you think you are... Pay attention to God while you're young. You won't be sorry. Don't be rebellious against the ancient paths! What?

For some people, even listening to stories like these 2 ladies' can take them to a bad place. But here it is... God is saying, "Don't do that, brah." and we're like, "no, I can do that." but you can't. Seriously...

so here they are.

read the dang scriptures...

here's the deal today.

don't let the fact that God loves us throw you off from reading the scriptures.

What?

Yeah.

don't get lazy. Keep listening to who God is through the solid voice of the Scriptures... and live in awe of who he really is.

You see, the problem with Jesus is that He is the very image and essence of the God of Joshua and Moses, who presided over the slaughter of the ten nations and the failed ethnic cleansing of the territories of Canaan.

yep. I said that. because they were... In fact He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of whom Isaac was the nicest, Abraham was the coolest, and Jacob was the son-of-a-bitchiest. basically all of them were touched with the rat-bastard-ness of human life, and all were the man (not the Man).

Don't forget Joseph and the patriarchs, with Reuben and Judah--oh my god, these guys were the gnarliest! I mean READ about it...

It's gonna really perplex you. How is it again that God's love is the message of this book? Get in there and dig it out. Kill your tv. I am serious. If you are a christian and you're putting down serious tv time, but don't read this stuff--shut it off and get digging in the writ!

seriously, there are plenty of people who just don't do it. they go on with religious lives, but slide off the sure footing... you guys can pray that not be me...

but badk to the problem with Jesus...
you see, being the God of Joshua and Moses and abraham and the dudes kind of makes God look bad. I mean it makes him look kind of hateful and judgmental. Hmm... and does that gel with the image you're trying to absorbe about our sweet Jesus. Mmmm. Maybe there isn't a problem with Abe and Mose at all. Maybe our problem is with the possibility,nay the reality, that God is untamed and horribly dangerous.

How could you call God "horribly dangeous"? Ask the dead. Ask those who stand before him after a life of ignoring Jesus on purpose. Ask the wicked people who live their lives fat and happy for the appetites of their bellies and nethers. Ask those who oppress their neighbors and waste the welfare of the widow... hey, God is the judge, remember?

aaah. you DON'T remember, because you don't read! you don't read because you don't agree with it! You don't agree with it because you're taking the good news about Jesus and spinning it into a "god is so nice" campaign, instead of falling at the feet of the Son of Man and being amazed that such a consuming fire, holy God has loved you enough to go to the cross for you...

and the amazement of grace is extinguished as we re-imagine Jesus in softer terms... well the real Jesus, that Scripture describes with both historical accuracy and faithful authority, that real Jesus is a dangerous man, indeed.

the real Jesus is a dangerous man, indeed. That's why Psalm 2 says, "Kiss the Son, lest he become angry, and you perish in the way."

Hey, I'm serious. Believe the Scriptures! Not just read them. Allow the realities they speak of to undo you.

some salt...

Shifting...

an admission:

i have "quit" reading scripture.

I say "quit" because it has mostly felt like that, not really been that... what i mean is, technically i still do read the scriptures, pretty much daily. I open them at some time or other and bam, reading done.

but i used to really read. I used to get up early and spend 2 hours just soaking the old noggin in holy writ...

And I loved Jesus. Nothing I did wasn't inscribed with His name. You could see it written on my forehead and my right hand that i was a servant of Jesus... you could see it a mile away and hear it within the first sentence when you met me. I even burrowed into professional religious communities and jobs because of my knowledge and devotion...

a lot of things have ended in regards to that... I get sick at the thought of offering good news for money, but my friends help us live here with their gifts. Jesus has become more precious to me than I could have imagined, but my "expert" life has fallen to pieces. I have decided to live from who I really am, loved by God, as a person-being-rescued-by-Jesus, and that has made all the difference...

So instead of reading a lot of scripture over the last year, I've been remembering a lot of it. Sometimes it overwhelms me. It comes in waves, every day, like when I wake up. And it is amazing...

I quote a lot of it.
I contemplate it...

and my earthly days get more and more invested in non-religious directions (like my involvement with the skateboarding industry), yet more and more full of JESUS, Himself...

i don't know guys. i still love to read the scriptures, and i still really urge christians to do it a LOT (o god please help your kids get their heads right). But the fallout of all that scripture reading for me is that Jesus has brought us good news: God really really does love us. He really does.

And that amazes me...