I Did It..

http://bobby0.wordpress.com/

I'm Turning Into Clint

I'm thinking about switching over to wordpress..
And about getting the new iphone g3.

No Title Fit

I mourn and grieve. O, the sorrow, to keep a restless boy awake!
My fits of rage toward Truth confuse me. Why?

Tonight a prayer is answered.

I have been praying for an abhorrence of my sin for a while now. I think I just got it. Or I'm beginning to get it. It's not right for me to explain it now, maybe later. But I am comforted by the words of woman, and not ashamed. God has used her.

"My sin, o the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part but the whole was nailed to the cross and I bear it not more! Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul!"

Jesus Grows Up

Does anyone know anything about what happens between Matt 3:12 and 13?

If he begins his ministry at age 30, then why aren't we told about the previous years? I know Luke says something, but very little. I suppose it doesn't truly matter, but I'd like to know more about my saviour!

3 down..

Walk not I, save I in You
Lest fading faith as morning Dew
Befall my glancing eye.

Grace displayed bright shining view
May glory be unknown from You
For I would surely die!

Yet, be Your grace sufficient hue
And show Thy glory daily new
Not the wind but ever nigh.

Iambic pentameter inspired by Kevin Dowker's One-ism and Two-ism

Interpreting Scripture: Part II

As you may remember, in a previous post, I had shared what I had learned about interpreting scripture. You may read (or re-read) that post here.

I left off with a question, which thankfully no one took upon themselves to answer, so that I may follow up with a second post. Well here it is.

The question was now that we have determined that all of scripture must be understood in light of the person and work of Jesus Christ, how do we in fact do that?

Let me begin with a bit of Socratic methodology :)

In order to read scripture properly, we must read it according to what it is, right? So, then, what is scripture? According to it's own claims, scripture is God's self-Revelation through the writings of human authors. This is important for three reasons.

First, our interpretation of the bible must be concerned with discovering what God is saying, namely through human authors. We do not attempt to discover what God is saying to us apart from them, do we? We may seek to discern God's intent by discovering the intent of the human authors.

Second, since scripture is God's word, there is an overall unity to the bible, despite the diversity of authors over a long period of time. Scripture may be rightly viewed as a unified, divine, communative act, declaring God's plans and purposes.

Lastly, It is notable that scripture, not unlike God's plan of redemption, did not come to us all at once. Rather, it has been given to us over a period of time, all of which, as scripture states, are ultimately centered in Jesus.

So, we may conclude that our interpretation of scripture must be a grammatical-historical-canonical one. In other words, given what scripture is, we must always read the parts in terms of the whole and vise versa. Remember that scripture is unified throughout itself and that God's intent can be discovered under the proper exegetical interpretation.

If none of this makes sense, get a book.

Discerning God's Peace

I am drawing near to the end of The Mortification of Sin by John Owen. I have only been reading one chapter a week.

Sidebar: Reading a chapter a week of a book of such weighty proportions is a great idea. It really lets the chapter soak in and dwell for that week. I've been book hungry, and it's good to have a book that is a constant, steady flow of truth.

In the chapter I read this week, Owens talks about waiting on the verdict of God for peace.

"When God stirs your heart about the guilt of your sin, concerning either its root or indwelling, or its breaking out, be careful you do not speak peace to yourself before God speaks it. Listen closely to what He says to your soul."

It is the great prerogative of God in His sovereignty to give grace to whom He pleases (Rom. 9:18). And just as God creates peace for whom He pleases, so it is the prerogative of Christ to apply it to the conscience. He bears testimony to our condition in truth.

With those to observations in mind, Owens gives 5 rules by which men may know if they speak peace to themselves only.

1) When we do not view our sin with the greatest hatred imaginable.

2) When we reason from the gracious promises of God in a purely rational and natural way.

3) When we make the healing of our wounds an insignificant work.

4) When we are concerned about one sin, while at the same time there is another evil of no less importance lying upon our spirit, about which we have had no dealings with God.

5) When we are not humbled by this "peace".

He then addresses the question "How will we know it is indeed God's peace?" Unfortunately unbelief frequently prevents receipt of this. But there is a secret instinct in faith, whereby it knows the voice of Christ when He truly speaks (John 10:27).

So if the Word of the Lord does good to your soul, He is the one who speaks it. If it humbles you and cleanses you, It is He who speaks it. "Without a right consideration of this, sin will have a great advantage, and tend to the hardening of the heart!"

Redemption; Not yet complete?

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

We have been redeemed.
We are being redeemed.
We will be redeemed.

How is this possible if all statements are true?

The City That Never Sleeps

Wednesday, Colby, Keilan, and I headed off to JFK for Colby's flight to iceland. We stayed the night in Jersey. You can read about that here.


Thursday, Keilan and I did some sight-seeing.





All-in-all, I had a blast and a second trip has already been planned.

Interpreting Scripture

Thinking about Colby's ongoing Covenant posts, I have learned something more than where to find the Mosaic covenant and its requirements, parties, promises, and so on. I learned that all of Scripture must be understood in light of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Isn't that what he teaches?

Luke 24:25-27

And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Hebrews 1:1-3

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

It seems that as we move from the OT to the NT, God is continually speaking. In the OT, the revelation was incomplete and anticipatory. But now, in Christ, what the revelation pointed to, has reached its fulfillment in the complete and final revelation of the Son.

So it seems clear that Scripture, all of Scripture, points to Jesus. So the question becomes, How should we read the bible in a way that we can rightly interpret the text, not just in their immediate context, but also in a way that those texts find their terminus in Christ?

Somewhere There Is Something I Can Learn..

I've tried and tried to formulate a point to what your about to read. But it can't be done. So I will just say what I want to say, and leave the rest open for comments.

Last Sunday at Pillar Church, Clint preached about insincere worship. He talked about the Pharisees and their fasting, Isaiah's chastisement of Israel for Their fasting, and three main reasons for fasting. The sermon isn't really relevant to anything, other that the fact that, after being told about the sermon, a curiosity and desire toward fasting began to take place.

So on Monday, June 16 2008, I fasted for the first time. I wasn't sure what to expect or how to go about any of it, but I knew that if I just replaced the time spent eating with prayer or something, good things will happen.

All things started out well enough. I met up with Keilan in the morning and prayed. He knew I was fasting and decided to fast as well. It was also his first time. Then things started going down hill. I was asked to eat by practically everyone I knew, but I didn't want to say anything because I would feel like I was boasting. And I couldn't to go pray or read scripture, because most of my day consisted with driving these people around.

All said and done, I broke my fast at around 6PM. There are a few things that I would do differently.

Pick a better Day. I had to many plans and not enough escape routes, if you will, to leave and pray and truly fast. When I think of people fasting, I think of someone who devotes a whole day to the event. Someone who will meditate on the Word in prayer for a large portion of time, and doing very little. Mostly I think of them fasting for some type of answer or guidance on an issue they need resolved.

Pray more. I certainly did not pray as much as I wanted.

Have a more specific goal. I know what fasting is, and what it signifies. But I should have had a more defined reason for the fast. I did have somewhat of an idea but nothing really structured or set.

Nonetheless, it was truly an act of worship, and I know God was pleased with me today. I genuinely wanted to come to Him for strength and depend on Him for endurance and His word for wisdom. I am just inexperienced, I suppose.

Any thoughts, comments, tips?

(I usually don't write like this, but it's late and I need sleep.)

Peace and Poetry

As the days turn into one, and all of my feelings and emotions start to run into each other, making it hard to distinguish who I am at times, it is startling to find peace in my life. When i feel like I can't stop moving, I do. I rest.

Poetry has become more real to me than ever before. I don't necessarily like to read it, but I find peace in writing it. It's a form of therapy for me, and so I keep a lot of it in a book that will never see the light of day.

Here are few;

Haiku 1
Content with his life,
He aspires for nothing.
What a tragedy!

Haiku 2
I'm stuck in my house.
My grades have got me grounded.
O, to ride my bike!

Unnamed
O, to hope for something Perfect!
O, to yearn for something Great!
O, that Dawn may bring Tide's cleansing
and wash away my helpless state!

Glory
O, Sun,
Bright shining Sun,
Come quick to save the day
where night,
gloomy dark night
brings with it shades of gray.

Cutting Edge Christianity; Your Thoughts?

Is it possible to come up with something new? It seems that the only change in Christianity is the package that it comes in. If truth is objective and unchanging, then why does it seem that we are evolving? Is it just ministry and evangelical techniques, blowing which ever way the culture takes them?

I am strangely unsettled tonight.

Nobody Loves Me by Derek Webb

"The truth is never sexy, so it's not an easy sell. You can dress her like the culture, but she'll shock 'em just as well. She don't need an apology for being who she is and she don't need your help making enemies."

I would like to read what you guys have to say regarding this matter, so I open the floor.

A Familar Land Becomes Foreign

All I can say is that it helps to remember my sin; my state; my sad, sad state.

Change

A wind is blowing from the east
and with it blows a thousand leafs
And one by one, they begin to turn
till not one is left. Each thousand learned.

And with that wind, a tide pulls way
exposing wounded earth's decay.
A thousand waters by graceful hand
to quench the dry and thirsty land.

Grief

"How can we get past heart break over the loss of someone or something? We must give the person or situation to the Lord and ask Him to remove the sorrow and grief from our hearts. We can keep the good memories of a lost loved one, but we must not allow the enemy to torment us with the grief of our loss. God will replace the emptiness we feel from the loss of a mate, a child, a friend, or a home, if we ask Him to do this. Jesus died on the cross, not only to give us eternal life, but He also died to take our grief and sorrows. Jesus Christ, on the cross bore all of our iniquities, pain, sickness and sorrow. Since He took them, we do not have to take these things, but rather receive our salvation, healing, deliverance and peace by faith."

This is all well and good, but it is a lot easier said than done. Surrender is not a quality I find admirable, nor would I ever seek to obtain it. Yet it is the only thing I am asked of. Surrender. Have faith.

These are the emotions from which the previous poem came.

Where?

O, my soul,
my stubborn soul
and heart with heavy grief.
Wherein my sin
hides it's face;
void comfort and void peace.

One waking hour
like thousands more.
From dawn 'til dusk 'til morn.
Within the center
of unruly lust
crown it doth adorn.

Let it be
that flames descend
burn passion at it's core.
And strip away
my guilty stains.
Be peace forever more.

Fortune

"It doesn't matter. Who is without a flaw?"

Does any one else find it ironic that "Gift" is the word on the back?

(Ephesians 2:1-9)

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

A Confession;

For some reason, I am troubled by the thought of going off to school. I feel a bit apprehensive about leaving my church, my community, and my family to receive a piece of paper proving that I've learned something. Especially something as broad a subject as biblical and theological studies. I wholly believe in higher education, but I think school ought to be for a certain trade/skill. If I am to learn the bible, what better place to learn it than the church? If I am to learn theology, what better place to learn it than the church? I think if the church wants somebody who is committed to the community and the body, knowing their needs and their strengths and weaknesses, they ought to look in the body itself. Why outsource to some seminary to find someone who may not fully understand what the local church needs until he's been there for an extended time?

Certainly there are credentials and requirements one must have in order to obtain a certain position, but why can't they come from the church themselves, and not an outside source? Shouldn't the Church have some kind of system of communication that allows an established church to vouch for a particular person to another church regarding a particular area of study and devotion?

I am rambling, I know. And I'm sure I haven't thought this through logically or exhaustively, but it's weighing me down. If it's not necessary for me to leave, then why leave? I could be getting hands-on training and education, all the while studying the same things another man is in some seminary or other bible college.

I guess what I'm saying is that I'm looking for an institution, implemented by the church, to train and raise individuals up in the ministry for the purpose of the spiritual growth of the Church (locally). Then, if God wills, one may take that experience, accredited by the church, not a piece of paper, and pursue further education from a non-ecclesiastical organization pertaining to a more narrow and defined ministry field.

I don't want to say that a seminary or bible college is not Church-affiliated, but I just don't like the system. Maybe, someday, I will get the chance to make a move toward this re-structuring. But until now, I will continue to pray and seek God's wisdom concerning this matter. I know He calls me to learn, I just don't know where or by what means.

Any thoughts or comments or even rebuttles would be greatly appreiciated, as this post is more from a state of confusion than frustration. I need direction, soon.

The Value of Chirst and The Anointing at Bethany (Matt 26)

Matthew 26:6-13 (NIV)

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked. "This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor."

Aware of this, Jesus said to them, "Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

As I read this passage, I was (un)surprisingly convicted by the similarity of the disciples' response and my own response to Christ.

One line in particular stands out; "Why this waste?"
Waste? Waste?! Waste?!?! This is the Son of God, and it's waste?! How could they think that Jesus is not worth enough to be anointed with some perfume? How much do they actually value Him?! The pagans would build idols of gold, but these guys, who knew that Jesus was not just some false idol, thought this act of worship to be a stupid one?!

And then it hit me. How much do I value God? How much is He worth to me? Thirty pieces of silver? Where is my faith? Where is my love? I sing of surrender, but I wouldn't break my patchouli over His feet.

It's a funny thing, how we can get caught up in being a "Christian" by doing so many good things, but forget why we are doing it. We may say, "So the world will know Christ" but come on!! The world knows Christ. They know He died. But they don't know His love; His Mercy. Thus they do not value Him. They do not find Him worthy of worship.

So I am in the midst of a heart-check. I'm finding that I hold things higher than Christ. I'm finding that instead of offering the things that mean a lot to me, I hold onto them because I've incorrectly valued them.

We ought to re-evaluate our heart's affections, and if Christ is not in the center of our lives, then we are doing something wrong. How much more is a life than a bottle of oil? I want to give Him that.

Not Just Stationary

I love wearing jeans.
I love the holes in my ears.
I love my semi-apathetic attitude.
I love not wearing deodorant.
I love Patchouli.
I love completely dismantling people's prejudices against me.
I love shock and awe.
I love challenging puzzles.
I love the fact that I wasn't raised Christian.
I love my friends.
I love my family.

I love my life.

In light of it all, I love my life.

Absolutely Nothing Obeys God!

I planned to write about something from 2 peter, on false prophets and teachers; a part of that really weird night I had about a week ago. But something else is on my mind.

Absolutely nothing obeys God.

That sounds like heresy. But it's true, if you think about it. Read Genesis 1.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light....And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." .. and it was so..."

This pattern of creation continues until the end of chapter. God spoke, and it was so.

DOES THIS BLOW ANYONE ELSE'S MIND?!

Absolutely nothing obeys God! He just spoke and it came to be. That is glorious; That is awesome; That is the power of our God, the God who breathed into us our life and existence. And to turn our backs on something so divine is suicide. How dare we suppose we are any great being, having accomplished anything good! All we accomplish is Satan's work!

And the greatest miracle of all? The miracle of redemption! The miracle that God would look at me as perfect. What Just and Righteous God would allow such a creature into heaven? My God, because he is also loving. Loving enough to pay the devil for my soul. Hallelujah.

Nothing obeys God. Absoultely nothing!

Long Time, No Blog

Here are a few things I thought about blogging, but decided not to (for obvious reasons):

If pro-life people contend life begins at conception or shortly thereafter, then wouldn't we all be about 9 months older? Shouldn't I be 20 years old? I think you could argue against this and probably win, but it's fun to play with.

A few nights back, before I went to bed, I decided to scratch my head. I mean really scratch. I scratched all around, really getting that blow flow to my brain. It felt so good, I wanted to tell the whole world to do it. Maybe it would produce some really neat dreams, or at the very least, help you sleep better. Good thing I did not tell anyone to try it. I stayed up 2 hours, turning in my bed, trying to sleep. I thought about everything some one could possibly think about before I was finally able to drift off... and the dreams weren't even that great (I know this because I can't remember them)! So, my advice; Don't scratch your head before bed!

NOW, let me tell you about a project I've been working on. It's called [TheWhiteGuitarSessions] and it's really humbling and fun and creative. Basically, There is this guitar. It is white. It is a cheap, ugly, broken guitar. The bridge is made of toothpicks. The end pins are for another guitar, as well as the tuning pegs. Not to mention, the whole thing is painted with white primer, even the fret board. It only has five strings (The high E is missing) and it has numerous dead spots and an annoying fret buzz.

however,

It actually sounds pretty nice. It is tuned 3 steps lower than your regular tuning, thus creating a really cool resonate vibe that is smooth, yet coarse enough to rip through accompanying instruments. [TheWhiteGuitarSessions] is this: an attempt to record some of my catchy master pieces that only come while I'm in the flow. I have a mic and a sound hole pickup that I record with. It is all one take, made up on the fly, and everything is recorded including ringing phones, fret buzzes, all (and there are many) of my voice cracks and way way way off note vocal screw-ups. I have already recorded 2, which can be listened to here, at my Myspace. It's humbling for me to put them online for anyone to hear, because of all the mess ups, but that's the point.

What I want to be able to accomplish with this project is taking all of the thoughts I have trapped in my head and just release them into this monstrosity of noise, be it about my not wanting to be a Christian, my jealousy, or my complete happiness in where I'm at in life. I want something beautiful to come from something ugly. With all of it's seemingly uselessness, I want this guitar to be the medium of truth in my life. Bringing everything back to basics. So I hope it all works out. It's been alright so far.

I'll stop writing now, I got a text message I should read and I've already said enough.

It's Late. No, It's Early..

I can't sleep. And I am heavy laden with the burden of my sin. At first it was dismissible; the usual guilt, then I swept it into the dark of my mind. I sank into bed, and my mind began to race. I sat with my eyes open for close to an hour in the black of my room. The only light came from the moon half-covered by trees. But it was light enough to see. I thought about the state of the Church. I want to be careful, but I don't know from whom these thoughts flowed. But flow they did. What I saw, (I was not dreaming) was the pulpit, myself behind it, in a building not unlike my church. I felt as I do now; tired, but restless. I began to preach. It was not condemnation. Nor rebuke. It was an encouragement, or at least I hoped. It was a plea for reform. For revival.

I remember a dream I had a long time ago about a church I was to build. The details, being fuzzy, do not matter here, but I was hindered from erecting the building. There was God, not in any form that I can recall, nor in any audible message, but He instilled in me the knowledge of His plan. I was to overcome. That was the dream. I don't know what it means but right now that's all I can think of. That dream and this weighty all-nighter I find myself in.

I suppose I will not forget what the message and main points of the sermon I preached tonight on were. Nor the scripture I quoted. But for now I will spare you the read. Perhaps, however, I will at least outline my thoughts in future posts. I do not believe that it will be any divine revelation to anyone, or anything new, for that matter. But I suppose I ought to practice diligence in writing and grammar, and voice my thoughts on the matter of Christian radicalism.

I think I can sleep now.

Restoring Sight Looks Easy Enough...

There was a show on television, I was told, about a boy who was born blind. He underwent, with the aid of breakthrough medical research technology, a procedure that restored his sight. When he eventually came to, he could see! But that is not the end of the story.

Apparently, for those of us fortunate enough to be born with normal vision, from the moment we enter this world, our brain files and catalogs every image we see. Eventually, we will recognize certain images, such as our mothers or our favorite toy, and even link these images to certain emotions and feelings attached to those things.

So the boy in story, though he could see normally, had no recollection of things visually. He could recall a voice or a sound, but could not match anything with its image. He could not walk, write, tie his shoes, etc. without having to close his eyes and repeat from memory what he was forced to learn in his past. His brain had never cataloged any images, therefore had nothing to relate what he was seeing with what he knew to be real. He eventually learned, as babies do, to tie the two together and function normally.

What amazes me is that in the bible, we read about Jesus healing men blind from birth, men twice as old as I am, and those men functioning immediately with full rationality and clarity. They were able to communicate with others, spreading the fame of Jesus without delay or any time to "catalog" images. Jesus spits dirt in a man's eyes and is able create this mental system of visual recognition from the moment the man opens them!!!

I'll leave you with Matthew 15:29-31:

"Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel."

God Requires Universal Obedience

As I read Chapter eight of The Mortification of Sin by John Owen, I was deeply struck by the profound simplicity and strong convictions of dealing with some expectations of God. As one man attempts to mortify a lust in his heart, yet only deals with it in prayer alone, then his efforts are in vain.

Channeling our obedience into one aspect of battling sin, yet neglecting our other basic necessities (i.e; prayer, fasting, meditation, reading, etc.) will only result in vain labor.

"He who truly seeks to mortify any disquieting lust, must be equally diligent in all parts of obedience."

Maybe this new found conviction will get me to read my bible more, and maybe then I can answer some of Colby's homework assignments!

The Sun, The Genome. and the Internet

"In this visionary look into the future, renowned physicist Freeman Dyson argues that three rapidly advancing new technologies - solar energy, genetic engineering, and world-wide communication - together have the potential to create a more equal distribution of the world's wealth. He proposes that the advent of solar power in the Third World would connect residents of even the most remote areas to the vast stores of information on the Internet, which could ultimately end in the cultural isolation of the poorest countries. Similarly, he contends, breakthroughs in genetics might well enable us to give our children healthier lives and grow more efficient crops, thus restoring the economic and human vitality of village cultures devalued and dislocated by the global market."

- Review of The Sun, The Genome, And The Internet, by Freeman Dyson.

I recieved this book today in the mail, along with my new Jars of Clay CD. I guess the dealer really wants to push this thing. It will be in my pile of 'things to get around to reading, eventually..' books. So, if you think you want to take a gander at it before i get around to it, (which might be a while) then you're welcome to it.

An Addition my Previous Post

Jenna Q puts Christmas in a great perspective:

"December 25th is traditionally the day we commemorate the birth of Jesus, which, in and of itself, is a small part of the story. I mean, it was just one day in his life too. And kind of a cold, unglamorous one, I should think. He didn't heal people and teach that day; He didn't die on the cross; He didn't rise from the dead. He was just born like a baby. And we celebrate that little event like all the virtues of love and peace and joy are wrapped up in it. That’s because the salvation that had always been in God’s heart dawned that day, in our world. It was always coming. But when Christ was born, the plan that was in motion became visible. We could see; and know that God was faithful. And rejoice."

You can read her blog here if you want.

And im not really sure why im talking about Christmas so early in the year.

Merry Christmas! Andrew Peterson, Eat Your Heart Out!

I wrote a Christmas song with the dynamic and lyrical aid of Keilan, so you know it's good. Here are the words:

Sleep, child, sleep. Sleep for tomorrow You reign.
Sleep, child, sleep. Rest O Ye beautiful Name!

My soul, my soul is saved;
My soul, my soul; by a babe!

God became a boy tonight; a boy tonight.

The Son became a sin for us; a curse for us
When God became a boy for us; a boy for us!

Jesus Christ will die! (This child)
Jesus Christ will die! (This child)
Jesus Christ will die! (This child)
Jesus Christ will die!

So many (decent) Chirstmas songs lack a key part of our celebration during Christmas. Yes, we are celebrating His birth, but why was He born to begin with? Our salvation is through His DEATH, not his birth. Therefore I chose to use a clear picture of what we really cleave to. I like the fact that the line "Jesus Christ will die" is so real. It's a bold statement, so unused. I was thinking of writing more about His ressurection, but decided that it would have to be another song. Can't wait 'till Easter!

This could be a song.. or a hymn?

I was flipping through a notebook of mine and stumbled across a body of text. It has no date, no subject, and no scripture references. I can't, for the life of me, remember why I wrote it or what I was thinking when I did.

"I know the truth, but then again, so does the Devil. But what we bleed when we are cut makes all the difference. By grace through faith I am saved. I will get up and walk. I wonder if I would've shunned the greatest penman or if I would dismiss the tax-collector, Matthew; most hated, accepted and called, but the scribe sent away. For he healed the sick, not the healthy."

Here is my interpretation (of my own words): It is obvious that I must have just read Matthew 9:1-13. The main theme seems to be about sharing a heart with Jesus. What we should bleed, figuratively, when we are cut is compassion, acceptance*, a second chance. If by grace I am saved, how much easier, then, should it be for me to sit with the tax-collectors of my generation? The penman here, I believe, is Saul, the great Christian persecutor. God used him for something great, but would I have even given him the time of day? Anyway, I thought it was interesting, if only for a moment. Carry on...



*Acceptance; That is, loving, with open arms. Not to be confused with tolerance.

Hi, I'm Bobby and I'm an Addict

BIBLES!

I love them. I love to buy them, read them, feel them..

The thought of unwrapping a brand new bible from its plastic prison is so overwhelmingly sensational that I have begun to collect them just for the sake of owning them. I have two bibles that I use regularly, but oh the mass of God's Word stacked high beside the computer at which I sit!

I think my obsession (or dare I say, addiction?) stems from my mother. She would take me to her work when I was still too young for school (I never went to your snobbish preschool) and would sit me in front of office supplies. It did keep me busy for hours, but I believe it also sparked a fascination with anything that is stationary (paper, envelopes, stamps, notepads, etc.) I find all of those things very interesting and amusing.

I seem to have this problem under control for now, but I do not know how long I can supress the urges from inside! Help!

Life lesson and a few additions to the Do/Dont list

Having been feeling a bit overwhelmed, it is good to remember this truth: Don't sweat the small stuff. In God's sovereign providence, it is reassuring to know that I will do the work of the Father.

So, clearly, I have been relieved of this burden. Business can be Satan's sharpest weapon at times but I have a greater Shield, and better yet, a greater Sword.

So in light of this discovery, a few things may be added to the DO list:

-Laugh
-Spend time with friends

And one to be added to the DO NOT list:

-Sweat the small stuff

Good lesson, yea?

A NOTE TO D.C. (a frequent checker of the Bobby O blog): I didn't get any texts, but I have your number now!

Burning the Midnight Oil

After youth group last night, Colby invited some of us boys to stop by after he put the girls to sleep. After some political mumbo-jumbo and a short discussion about black T-shirts, the subject of steak arose. One thing led to another and Fauquier's Finest Filet Mignon steak was slapped on the grill (after a little seperation problem) and a game of hearts had begun.

Now hearts is a unique game. It is a game of strategy and intelligence, two things that I lack. Long, Long story (night) short, Colby won the game. But really we all won because of the near perfect steak enjoied in the company of such honorable men.

"Buckle Down and Straighten Up!"

Prioritizing is key, I've found, in this part of my life. Seperating what I want to do from what I need to do. Take for instance, my college application. There is a deadline (Which I dont even know, but it draws near). Instead of filling out this simple, short application, getting recomendations, and taking my ACT test, I find myself at Poker Night (yes, it's capitalized).

Also, my truck is in need of power steering fluid, and even more in need of a whole new power steering pump. Oh, yea. And a wiper motor (DO NOT pray for rain)!

So Prioritize is the name of the game.

Finally. $40 POT!!

YES! i finally won poker night!!!

It felt good to win, but during the showdown, I was a wreck. I couldn't imagine playing for millions of dollars. But who knew gambling could be so much fun?

ALSO...

I am yet again out of ideas for this month's AGS writer's conference songs.

Addition to DO NOTS: be over compulsive or a perfectionist

Present for Duty

Right now, I am at Caribou Coffee with Ben Cartwright. We just came from Lakeside and decided to chill and play with our computers for a bit before we call it a night.

The coffee here is okay, but Dunkin's is really good. (I challenge anyone to try it.) Naethan has a hard time beleiving me, but that's okay. He'll soon repent.

It's been a long, tough week. But you gotta just keep on keeping on. Life's a garden, dig it?

wisdom

DO NOT's:

eat chinese
see 'The Invisible'
eat alot of candy at once.. or at all
drink alot of coffee at once.. or at all
pass up opprotunities to learn something
pass up opprotunities

DO's:

read old purtitan writings
eat Wawa Ciabatta
take the time to be thankful


dont ask where i picked these up.. just rules i learnedin life recently

Writer's Block

So I need 3 new original songs by, or more preferably; before, 3 weeks from now.

It's not my record label pushing me, it's the writer's convention, recently formed by Josh Burke, Keilan Chreech, Ben Cartwright, and myself. We set a deadline for ourselves that by that time next month, or the next time we meet, we would have 3 new songs to share. It is a way of promoting and encouraging song writing and whatnot, and it seems to be working.

The problem is, however, I've never been able to write songs, let alone 3 in a month's time (nothing worth listening to, anyway). I want deep, rich, thought-provoking lyrics, sung with a memorable melody, all placed on top of a catchy riff and hook. And, yes, I am aware that I just stated what every musician desires, but it's all true.

Anyway, I can't seem to get anything down. I have a few riffs that I'd like to think are catchy, but when it comes to melodies and lyrics, I go blank.

So that's where I'm at. Any insightful wisdom or encouraging words are welcome. Who knows, maybe I'll use them in a song.

A taste of what you've been missing

Went Hiking at Great Falls. DO NOT TRY THIS, KIDS!

Also:

Don't eat Flaming Lamb Kabobs

DO eat Wawa Subs; (i.e. Ciabatta)

Djembes are for Lovers

Other nice photos:

Good weekend. Long Weekend.

Friday night was a songwriting convention, inspired by Bob Dylan and such, initiated by Josh B. Good times.

Saturday was poker night at Ben's (See Fig.1 below). It's only a 5 dollar buy-in and alot of fun. Cheaper than a movie too. We made eachother turn OFF the cell phones, and in case that wasn't enough, put them in the other room. 7 dudes and a mini-fridge full of DP, creamsoda, and root brewskis. Ben came out on top ($35), but at least I stayed in longer than Keilan and Phillip. It was only my second time playing.

Sunday was phenom. DC Washington blew my mind. And due to the amounting sermons lately, I think I might sell all I have and just go. Seriously.

I also made a purchase this weekend. Here's a tip... It's a djembe. (See fig.2 below) I want to build my arsenal of instruments to take with me when I go to college.

Fig.1:


Fig.2:

It's not about the music

A multitude of talented people and I dropped the beat at SBC last night.




Shred the rad, brah.

Male Bonding Time

Skipped running today. Went and had lunch with Jon. Always a pleasure.

Today i did something. Something that im kind of embarassed to admit.

I went shopping.

Not alone. Nayrb Ttocs was with me. I feel like a bargain shopper. So fabulous! I'd show you what I got, but that might be pushing it. I don't think I'll even tell you. But it was fun.

My advice: An occasional shop session with another male is healthy. Even if he does tell you that you look good in those shoes.

Better late than never, I supose..

I seem to have been bitten by the blogger bug. Some of my most respected freinds are bloggers, and i had no idea.

So let us begin!

This morning I ran. I ran with the good ol' (but by no means "old") Jonathan Burke and one Zach Castle. It seems as though my long stride automatically places me ahead of the pack. I hope I can keep the commitment to run daily. I need to cancel out all the bad things i eat.

Anyway, im on break from work now, and must return.

Ah, Fresh

New Blog.
New Hair.
New Clothes.
New Shoes.

Off to work.