Let There Be Light

Christmas time is filled with lights. Twinkling christmas lights, icicle lights, candle lights, fire glow, the soft glow of a warm house etc. . . . .

Light is foundational to human existence here on earth. Being the first creation of God for the world, light holds a strong place in all aspects of humanity. The light from our perfectly placed sun runs our everyday lives as it keeps time across the sky.The Christmas story is filled with light references (the star, the light from the angels, "Light to lighten the Gentiles"from luke 2:32, etc) It is no wonder then why we celebrate our favorite time of year with many kinds of light. However, the true light we get to celebrate is the Light of the World: Jesus Christ. Just as our whole lives, figuratively and literally, revolve around the sun, our physical light source; so must our entire life revolve around the Son, our spiritual light. We are told in Revelation 22:5 that:

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

One day Christ will be our physical and spiritual light source. What a day that will be! Until then, lets go out and celebrate this wonderful time of year: When God, for the second time, said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT".

Get Real

I know its long but please read it all.

I guess being a college student screams "give me any and all advice you can give!". I am fine with this since I greatly value good advice. As I travel down the path called college though, I often get advice that starts off this way. . . ."Well, once you get into the real world. . . . " I am sure many of you have had someone tell you this while you were still a "youngin" or in high school. If not, then you probably aren't reading this blog because you can't read english. Many of the people that start their advice-giving this way do it , I think, because they know that I have been raised in a Christian home my entire life. They may also do it because I go to a "bubble" Christian university.

Note: A "bubble" Christian university is code language for Bob Jones University aka BJU. It is called a "bubble" because it a very small campus to which almost my entire life outside of church is confined. I eat, sleep, and breath BJU for 9 months out of every year. There is nothing wrong with this at all. It is exactly where God wants me (thats another story)

Anyway, back to business. I am very appreciative of the advice that tells me about this mysterious "real world" that I will soon encounter. However, this semester God has taught me a lot about this "real" world.

The "fake" world that many of my advice-givers think that I live in is a world that is seen with a Biblical world-view. This Biblical world-view allows me to see things the way God sees them. Whether joy or sorrow, hurt or happiness, even loss or gain--I can see all things the way God sees them when I view life through the lens of His perfect Word.

Now I ask myself, "Is my 'world' the fake one?" Is the "real world" really real? That may sound confusing, but let me explain. The "real" world that people tell me about is one where the world is seen however anyone wants to see it. It is the materialistic, fortune-seeking, entertainment-crazy, sex driven, tolerant society around me that is called the real world! How can that be? If that is the real world . . . .then what is mine! ?

No.

The real world is the one viewed biblically. It is the world where sin is condemned not praised, where God is real and not fake, where I am weak and not strong, where loss is gain, and where death is life. The people living in the so called "real" world wouldn't recognize "real" if fell on their head! Just ask Elisha's servant.

You remember the Bible story. II Kings 6.

¹³And he(enemy King of Syria) said, Go and spy where [Elisha] is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

¹⁴Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

¹⁵And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

¹⁶And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

¹⁷And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

¹⁸And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

Elisha's Servant was not seeing the real world when he only saw the Syrian army. He only saw the real world when he saw THAT GOD WAS IN TOTAL CONTROL WITH A MASSIVE ARMY OF HEAVEN.

So, to my well meaning advisees, I say this:

Yes, the rest of the world does not have a Biblical world-view . . . in that sense their world is very real. But in the sense of true reality. . . .The only accurate view of this world is God's view. It is only through the perspective that He gives through His Word that we can see things the way they truly are.

I hope this post helps you to open your eyes to the real world around you that can only be seen through Scripture.

Thanksgiving!

Woo Hoo!! Back in PA with my family! I am so thankful for Thanksgiving. Wow. Now that I have some free time I can blog again.

Let me start off by saying that Thanksgiving has got to be my stomach's favorite holiday. Christmas and Easter are favorites for other reasons, but when it comes to food, Thanksgiving is King.....Emperor even. My mother happens to be the world's best cook and I am sorry that all of you reading this from somewhere other than my house will not get to taste the best food this side of heaven on Thanksgiving Day. Andrew Lee, a life long friend of mine, and Zach Sanders, my roommate at BJU are over for Thanksgiving this year and they too will attest to this truth I am sure (ok ok I know everybody says their mom is the best cook but they are wrong. Mine is.)

I am so thankful for everything that God has given me. He has blessed me so much this year in so many different ways. Too many to list here. Every little blessing in my life comes straight from God! I am overwhelmed by His goodness to me! If you are a Christian reading this then you should know what I am talking about. James says that "every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning". Everyone ought to be thankful to God! Even people that don't have a relationship with God owe everything to Him. As Christians we have the blessing of getting to attribute everything in our lives to Him! I cannot wait to thank Him in person some day, but I am so glad that I don't have to wait until then. I can thank Him right now.

Almost there

I know I know, Long time no see right, well I have not been
blogging for the past few months because I am at school ( not that
great of an excuse, but good enough) I have definitely had lots and
lots to blog about but Have been too busy doing things to have time to
blog about them. I am sure I will share some stories from this
semester in the future. I cannot wait for thanksgiving and will
definitely have some good posts then. . . .just hold your horses. .
err..... horsepower i guess is correct nowadays

Pig Pickin

Forward, backward, sideways, front flip, back flip, eyes shut, and
"surfer"-- These are a few of the different ways to go down a giant,
inflatable slides. Let me explain.

Today was my church's (Morning Side Baptist......my church at college,
don't worry, HBC is still my home church ;) annual church picnic. This
festive event is lovingly called "pig pickin." This is obviously a
southern thing. Few people in the North would not usually attend
something called pig pickin. We like "chicken dinners" ,"chili dumps"
and "bean-hole suppers" (that one was for my Grandma in New England).

Anyway, I got to go to the picnic with my brother and two roommates
along with 20 of the bus kids from our route here in Greenville. We
had a lot of fun with them on the giant slide, face painting, and
horse rides. The food was AMAZING. There were so many different kinds,
so I will not bore you by naming them all. The dessert line was so
long and I think my bus kids ate half of it.. . . which provided an
eventful ride home :)

The end of the day found all the workers pooped and all the kids as
hyper as ever. What a great day to get to spend with bus kids and
church friends alike.

Sunday Summary

Today was my first Sunday back at college. I love Sunday's and today
has been no exception. I got to go to the morning worship service here
on the campus of Bob Jones University and was truly blessed. Even
though I miss my home church an awful lot, it is amazing to see how
God can use His word to speak in any circumstance.
I wanted to blog today on what the message was about in church. The
speaker, Dr. Stephen Jones, opened his message with a startling
illustration. The story goes like this:
In a busy metro in the heart of Washington D.C. one morning, a lone
musician pulled out his violin from its case and began to play. As he
did, thousands of people passed by. Few paid the man very close
attention, and even fewer stopped to drop him a dollar or two. The
violinist played several pieces by Bach for a few hours that morning.
Sporadically, people would stop for a few moments to listen and then
pass by on their way to their destination. Children craned their necks
to watch and listen to the violin as parents urged them to keep pace
so as not to be late. As he made his way home at the end of the
morning, the musician packed up his violin and collected the $32.00
that had been dropped into his open suitcase. Never to return to that
metro.
What has not been told to you is the name of this violinist. This
musician happened to be the world-renowned violinist, Joshua Bell. A
few nights earlier in Boston, Mr. Bell had performed in a musical
venue before thousands of people. An average seat in the concert hall
that night cost about $100. That day in the metro, Joshua played on
the same 3.5 million dollar violin he had played on the week before.
This little event was a part of a sociology study to help determine
the answer to this question: If put in a common place and context,
will incredible beauty be recognized?
Dr. Stephen used this illustration to emphasize the fact that most
Christians do the same thing! The text for the message was Psalm 23.
The very first verse of this passage says, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I
shall not want." What an incredible verse! The LORD (God's personal
name) is MY shepherd! How AMAZING! But so often, we just skim right
over Psalm 23 as common knowledge and don't take time to revel in the
beauty of our God's design. From the passage we can see that his
children are free from FEAR, free from NEED, and free from and END of
his fellowship. The message's focus on this truth gave me a fresh
appreciation for the personal care that my God provides for me. I hope
it has done the same for you!!

Scott Buhr

CTR

Wow. Today was my last day at work for the summer. I can hardly believe it. This finishes of my 4th summer at Classic Tent Rentals and Party Supplies.

This post is a tribute to my work place. CTR has been the inspiration for previous posts and will remain the source of many good memories. Here are a few highlights:

BIG BUTLER FAIR

Customer: Are you a professional tent builder?{creepy note: this girl has been staring at my sledge hammer skills for the past few minutes}

Scott: Umm.... Yes....

Customer: (with eyes as big as dinner plates) Really? Where do you set them up?

Scott: Umm. . All over.. . . Umm. . . .

Customer: ALL OVER BUTLER!?!?!?! (Butler is a small city outside of pittsburgh---population 182,902)

Scott:Ummm. . . no. . ha ha . .. uh all over Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania. . . . .

Customer in awe: Oh. .. Woooow . . neat. . . ..

The girl promptly turned and left. As she walked away, I could not help but notice her shirt which read "Butler Bunn Bunch"------The local BUNNY RABBIT CLUB. My guess is that this girl never left the fairgrounds. . . . . .

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

HIGHLAND PARK BRIDGE

Many vehicles have be driven by the employees of Classic Tent Rentals. Box trucks, vans, pickups, SUVs, and forklifts are all a part of the Classic Tent Experience. One truck, however, will remain as legend in the memories of CTR Staff. I am, of course, speaking of the Yellow Truck. My favorite memory of this truck happened last summer. Two trucks had been sent to the same job and were following each other to the job site. The yellow truck was leading with the new white box truck right behind. The yellow truck has a bad reputation of running out of fuel (this could be because of the broken fuel gage and inaccurate dipstick). Well this particular day only helped Old Yellow live up to its reputation. Sure enough, right as we were crossing the Highland Park Bridge( one of the busier bridges of the Steel City), Old Yellow came to a complete stop right at the end of the bridge with the white directly behind. So what do you do? Wait for someone to bring diesel? Of course not! There are cars filled with busy people the whole length of the bridge! Our only option unfolded this way: I got out of the trick I was in, walked to the middle of the road, and held up both hands to stop two lanes of traffic on the Highland Park Bridge. While I directed traffic, the WHITE TRUCK RAMMED THE YELLOW TRICK DOWN THE BRIDGE. Zoom out of the situation for a second and take a birds eye view. One 18 year old guy stopping traffic on the HP bridge while behind him a large box truck is being pushed by another truck. To make a long story short, we ended up getting the Yellow pushed right up to a diesel fuel tank. . .. . .. that was out of order.

I would go on, but i am beginning to feel the snowball effect and will soon be blogging crazy stories all night.

So to Classic Tent, I tip my hat and say, "Thanks for the good times!"

I don't think this post communicates clearly everything

I wanted to say, but it was something that was on my mind

and just had to come out in a blog.

This evening I went to the restaurant Chili's with a bunch of friends. We had lots of fun and great fellowship. This post is not about what happened at Chili's, but rather about our waitress.

Our waitress was probably in her early forties with dark hair and black-rimmed glasses. Nothing unusual. She was very good at her job and was one of the better waitresses I have had, but you could tell something was just not right. At the end of the meal, I walked over to her to give her a tip and thank her for her service (I most always give tips in person because it is far more personal and effective at connecting with the person). I asked the lady if she went to church anywhere and come to find out she was a Jehovah's Witness. I was able to tell her about my church and invite her to the grand opening of our new building in September. Again, nothing unusual here just a friendly invitation. I found out later that this woman's husband of 25 years had just recently passed away. I cannot even imagine the pain she must be going through. She was obviously still recovering from the initial shock of it all as well she should be.

This post is not about the waitress at Chili's. I bring her up to point out a thought I had as I was leaving the restaurant. --Can you imagine going through the death of your spouse without knowing Christ?-- Many of you reading this are friends or family and know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. Some of you do not. For those of you who do, you know what I mean. having known Christ for many years now, I just can't imagine going through any hard time without Him. I am absolutely nothing without my Saviour. In fact, Scripture tells me that even my righteous works are as filthy rags without Christ. If I was not a Christian, and did not know Christ as my Saviour I would be completely hopeless in time of trouble.

Suicides are common every day all across this country. I used to not understand why anyone would want to kill themselves. But you know what? Those people have grasped a truth that many Americans have not. Without Christ, WE HAVE NO REASON TO LIVE! **(now do not get worried, I am not nor have been contemplating suicide)** I simply want to point out, that wealth, careers, friends, fame, and even family are nothing to live for. They are all temporal and can be taken away suddenly. Christ is the only reason we have to live. He shed His blood on the cross not just to save us from eternal death, but to give us a purpose and identity in life.

So what is the conclusion? The conclusion is that if you do not have a relationship with Christ, you need to get one. If you do know Jesus then maybe you needed this reminder of what He is to you. Are you living for Him? Are you telling others about Him? I think I am like a lot of people and need to grow a lot in this area. Praise the Lord though that I have a Savior who can take me every step of the way.

Art

I just finished writing a paper for my History class on the accomplishments of art during the Renaissance. BORING! or so I thought.

I have always had a mild appreciation for art mainly because I am soooooo horrible at it. I know, I know what you are thinking right now. . . "Me either, I can't even draw stick figures". EVERYONE says that. Even if they can draw, paint, sculpt, and wood burn like a master. I have never heard someone say to me after telling them that I am terrible at art, "O that's too bad because I am an excellent artist." NEVER!

All that aside, after writing this paper my appreciation for art has increased dramatically, especially for sculptures. The picture included with this post is that of Michaelangelo's Pieta. Just look at Mary's robe. It looks just like fabric would be draped. Can you imagine hewing that out of solid marble. Marble is HARD. I know because when I was two years old I tested the hardness of the marble floor in our house by diving face-first at it from 10 feet in the air(just thought I should throw that in there to verify my authority on the subject of marble hardness).

What I like best about this work is the way Christ is sculpted. Although it is hard to see in this picture, Christ's body has been fashioned in such a way to give the idea that the body is still alive. A closer look would reveal the veins of Christ to appear as if blood is flowing through them. This symbolism is so cool to me! I would never have thought to do that. . . . .. and that is why I am not Michaelangelo and never will be.

It's a bird, It's a plane, It's Superman!!!!!!!

As young boys growing up are apt to do, much of my childhood play time was in the world of a superhero. I mean what is not to like: incredible powers, never dying no matter how impossible the situation, and always saving the girl ( although never settling down with a traditional family cuz that would end your career :( )

My friends and I would always claim our favorite superhero.... " I'm Batman" "I'm Spiderman" ...."I'm Wonder Woman"........(if we were playing with my sister of course)

Superman has been my favorite super hero for as long as i can remember with the Green Lantern coming in a very close second. But really, why would you want to be any other super hero than Superman? HE CAN DO EVERYTHING!!!! Fly, Heat vision, X-ray vision, Super-strength, super-speed, turning back time (Superman the movie I), psychic powers (Superman the movie 4) you get the picture. Also, my. . i mean HIS. . . only weakness is A ROCK FROM ANOTHER PLANET THAT GOT DESTROYED.. where are you going to find one of those. I suppose he could hire Batman to get rid of all the Kryptonite anyway. Speaking of B Batman. . .

I am making a motion in the International Order of Superheroes (IOS) ***don't tell anyone that i am a part of the ISO it is a secret*** Anyway, I am making a motion to kick Batman out of the Order. HE IS NOT A LEGIT SUPERHERO! Superheroes have special powers. Batman has a cool belt. Superheroes work a day job. Batman is a millionaire with too much free time. Superheroes are special. Batman is not. OK OK for you Batman fans, I am making the motion that he merely be demoted to hero status ( getting into the IOH).

Well i have to fly. . .. i mean run, but i hope you enjoyed this Super post........

What if I told you that right now there is a $100 bill hidden somewhere in the room you are right now. Seriously, all you have to do is find it and it is yours to keep.

If you believed me, you probably would not be reading this paragraph right now but would be searching frantically all over the room for the $100. Of course you would, I know that is what i would do if someone told me that.

Switching gears, the book of Proverbs talks about searching for hidden treasure. Not $100, but definitely something of far greater value.

Read Prov. 2

Do you want to "find the knowledge of God" and "understand the fear of the Lord? Among the list of guidelines is the truth that we must study the Word of God as if we were looking for that hidden $100. Wow! It is not enough to just simply read your Bible everyday. It takes work. Bible reading is and active, Searching, process and must be approached with the same passion as finding earthly treasures.

It is so easy to just check off the devotions for the day without getting anything out of it. Spending quality time with God is not something that just happens when we read the Bible. Our attitude is so key! Every time God reminds me of this, I get so much more out of my devotional reading. God wants us to find that spiritual treasure. He wants us to know His mind; but we must dig for it.

Ahh! And when we do find those spiritual truths that seem to jump off the page at us, there is nothing more refreshing and encouraging.

If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

Sledgehammer. One of the simplest tools ever invented by mankind. It performs one of the simplest tasks of mankind. . . . Smashing.

Harkening back to Norse mythology, the Germanic Hero Thor wielded his sledgehammer called Mjöllnir ( don't ask how to pronounce it) with might and precision. It was the equivalent of Excalibur to Arthur.

Today, I use a sledgehammer, although not in the epic proportions of the no-necked norsemen of old. In the tent business, a sledgehammer comes in mighty handy when pounding stubborn stakes into the unforgiving ground. As a professional sledgehammer user, I would like to share some of my insight on the subject with you.

First off, you must choose your weapon wisely. It's all in the weight of the head. Some prefer the tiny 8-pound head, while others the massive 16-pounder.

The type of sledge you choose often reflects the style with which you will swing.

There are the number of styles:

• Rookie--Random, inaccurate, powerless swings. Few stakes are pounded and many a sledge is broken with this style, but hey, you have to start somewhere.
• Slow and Steady-- Moderately high swings that are usually accurate. Although you wont win in the sledging race, you are sure to keep a consistent pace and will usually not break the sledgehammer.
• Maniac-- This style is characterized by short swings that are repeated very quickly. Each swing may not pack that much of a punch, but the sheer amount of swings produces quick and efficient results
• Around the world-- My personal favorite. This style is not always the most accurate, but it is definitely the most effective. Although difficult to master, the around the world swing beats all in my opinion. Swinging the sledge as high as possible, letting it fall while pulling it toward the stake, and connecting at last with the head of the iron beast is truly what sledging is all about. Few people ever master this style, but when they do, you can tell.

So the next time you are watching your average sledgehammer user, remember this segment. Appreciate all the complexities of one of the simplest tools on earth.

Technopoly

I recently read the book Technopoly by Neil Postman. What a great read! It is especially good for those of us tech geeks who are always keeping up with the latest products. The main thrust of the book is on the idea that we often think of what technology can do FOR us, but we rarely think of what technology does TO us. So often we tend to look at the latest technology through the lens that it is all good. Whether it be the newest iPhone or the latest software, we rarely weigh the benefits of these advances against their consequences. We live in an age of instant information. This can be a great thing, but has anyone thought that it could be a bad thing? Has it crossed anyone's mind that having instant communication with anyone on the planet might not be the best for society. . . I will not rewrite the book on this blog(cuz that is illeagal!), but I will say that if you are not currently reading a book, Technopoly is a great one to pick up.

Now before you brand me as an anti-progressive, old-school only, stone-aged dull face. . . . . (I may have gotten a little carried away there) Be looking for my post on Apple computers. Those that know me realize that I am a Mac fanatic and have no trouble voicing my beliefs about the greatest computers on earth. Of course, even Macs must be viewed in light of their negative consequences. . . . but I have yet to find one :)

Looking for a serious post? Look elsewhere today. I would like to share with you my favorite tongue twister. yes i did say tongue twister. This one is not my favorite because it is hard to say (because it is not), nor is it my favorite because it is incredibly witty (it's not that either). It is not one of those trick tongue twisters like "Owa tagoo Siam" ( say it 10x fast). No, No my friends, my favorite tongue twister is just simply fun to say. Are you ready? Ok for those of you still figuring out the trick one, it sounds like you are saying " O what a goose i am".

Now that we have that out of the way, we can move on to my favorite. Here it goes:

"A Noisy Noise Annoys an Oyster"

If you have not already, say it out loud. . . . . No really, go ahead and say it out loud right now. There, isn't that fun! Definitely my favorite one.

p.s. the picture is of a real restaurant in Maine that my sister snapped a photo of in honor of my favorite tongue twister.

On Sunday, I was driving with my family to church. Going the way we always go, we happened upon a huge traffic jam about 10 minutes away from our church. Come to find out, the jam was due to an accident that had taken place a few hours earlier. Normally I would not blog about something like this, but I was so frustrated when I found out that the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident was drunk. Here is the kicker though, the drunk man was 73 years old. He hit and critically injured a 60 some year old man at an intersection. This terrible "accident" ( in quotes because the man willfully chose to get drunk) started me thinking about what a terror alcoholism has become in our country. I started searching around on the internet and came up with some pretty scary figures from sources that I believe are reliable.

Now, I know that the numbers do not correlate, and I am not a statistician who can relate the numbers correctly. However, these facts alone are startling. . . . So far this year ( 6 months) there have been approximately 2,600 deaths in the United States directly caused by drunk driving. Now, lets think about the war in Iraq. From about the time the war started in May of 2003, there have been about 4,200 deaths of U.S. soldiers. This is over a SIX YEAR PERIOD. Far fewer soldiers have died in Iraq over 6 years than will die in the U.S. this year alone at the rate we are going. I know that there are more people in the U.S. so the numbers are not directly related but STILL!!!! Think about it. Right now, I wonder if it is actually safer for a 20 year old guy like myself to be hear in the States, or over in Iraq. I am a total supporter of the troops and am confident that the Iraq war was justified, but lets not forget about the battle on the home front. The battle for broken families and ruined lives due to the awful effects of alcohol.

Fireflies

Last night my siblings and some other friends of ours went out into a field and caught lightning bugs and pout them into a jar. I have not done this since I was about 7 years old. It was a lot of fun. I was struck (not by lightning) by a thought that my brother pointed out. God probably put lightning bugs on earth just for us. I mean, yes, they ultimately bring Him glory as the creator, but they are so fascinating to us humans. Summer time would just not be the same without them and countless memories would not exist if lightning bugs disappeared. Our God is so great, and I am so thankful that He cares about giving us the big things as well as the little things like fireflies.

The Joke is on You!

I work at a tent rental company. As with any rental business you meet all different types of people. However, it is not everyday that you get to set up a tent ( or 3 in this case) for a professional football player like I did today. James Harrison: #92, linebacker, NFL 2008 defensive player of the year. All of that information I looked up 2 seconds ago on wikipedia. If it were not for my coworkers, i would had never recognized the name or recognized the fact that Harrison was responsible for the incredible interception runback for a touchdown in this past superbowl ( even though i did watch it)

Regardless, this is what happened at his house today: From the get go, i doubted whether or not we would be setting up of the James Harrison or if we were headed to the house of "old man Jim" in some remote wood. Well, I was wrong ( first time ever btw) I immediately knew that i was at the home of a pro football player by the "toys" that he had in his garage ( Hummer, Denali, Streetbike, etc. . ) The fellas with me ( my brother, Andrew, and friend, Josh Brinker) were met by a short, stocky man who proceeded to tell us that the "big wun goes ova by da poo". We began setting up the large tent toward the end of the driveway, the whole time wondering if we had just talked to was James. Well a few minutes later, another man about my height ( 6 foot) came out and told us again where the tents would go. Instantly we knew that this was the guy. Dressed in a baggy red t-shirt, bball shorts, and Jordan bball shoes stood James Harrison in all his glory. . . . . glory is not the word to use. Periodically James would come out and check on things and give us the impression that he did not want to be bothered. After about 30 min of work, my brother had to inform James that he was going to need to purchase a few water barrels in order to weigh his tent down, and that we would need to use his water to fill the barrels. Begin fun part of the story> Upon hearing this, James Harrison went into a complete frenzy. The frenzy consisted of his yelling and screaming at us for having to charge him for water barrels. He stormed into the house from the balcony and I could still hear the screaming. When he came out to the garage where we were setting up, he began to walk all around the tent still yelling and making a big scene. Not wanting to make the man any angrier, i began to explain to him why we needed to use the barrels and blah blah blah. During this time, my brother is on the phone with my boss trying to convince him that it would be best if we brought our own water to this job. Right in the middle of the tirade, James Harrison turns around and gives me the biggest smile. Almost on the floor, and laughing, he tells me that the whole thing is a joke!!! He is not angry at all!! BUT I AM!! jk I look up to the balcony overlooking the driveway and their is a girl VIDEOTAPING THE WHOLE THING!!! A few of his buddies come out of the garage laughing their heads off while i breathe a sigh of relief. At this point andrew is laughing and decides to continue the joke with my boss ( still on the phone) Andrew gives the phone to Harrison who quickly begins his whole rant over again. Andrew got the phone back and let my boss know it was a joke. We were all laughing very hard. wow. After that, things went smoothly and the rest of the job was normal. . . . . . . except for the end when we were getting pictures with James and I took one of my brother and James Harrison, and then took one of Josh and James Harrison, and then Josh took a picture of me and James Harrison. .. . . . . but Josh was not used to my phone and DID NOT SAVE THE PICTURE! O well, i really could care less. While he may be a star athlete, he is NOT a hero of mine. After listening to his sailor mouth and reading about his arrest for assault, ( yeah, did not know that before hand) he is not a role model that i would want to be like. My Dad definitely has that position.

I will not quickly forget the funny things that happened today, but in the end: James Harrison is just another man. He puts his pants on the same why I do. . . . . one leg at a time.

Corrupt Communication

The other day I was sitting out by the pool in my development memorizing verses ( the only way to memorize is pool side by the way). One of the verses i was working on was Ephesians 4:29 --" Let NO corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifyin, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. " I was stuck with the fact that i could not remember the last day of my life that absolutely NO corrupt communication came from my lips. In verses 3 & 4 of chapter 5 in the same book we are told that ".. Fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness let it not be once named amoung youas becometh saints: Neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks -- Wow this all just jumped out at me and reminded me that i need to keep my powerful toungue under control and watch what i say. I don't struggle with swearing or taking God's name in vain, but some of the offences in these verses are things that everyone struggles with. Let's keep our conversation clean!!!!

At jr camp . . . . definitely stories to come
~scott

I know. . . Long time, no post. . .

This post is also a serious one, so if you were looking for some whimsical whit and jolly jokes. . stop reading.

I just recently read a couple of different articles on self-esteem. Don't worry, i am not going off the deep end of psychology, but was just reading about how much damage the self-esteem movement has caused especially for Christians. The whole concept of self-esteem is quite unBiblical and very destructive to any accurate interpretation of the Bible. The very premise of self-esteem is to promote self-love and acceptance in the mind's eye of the individual. The Bible has a drastically different view. God's Word portrays us as hopeless sinners with no good thing in us. Even the righteous acts we try to flaunt are declared as filthy rags before the holy God of the Bible. Unfortunately, many Christians are beginning to accept the lies of the self-esteem movement. Already the word "sin" is becoming watered down. Robert Schuller, pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in California has misdefined sin as "Any act or thought that robs myself or another human being of his or her self-esteem." This definition is garbage. Scripture clearly shows sin to be the transgression of God's law. Something that is of great offense to Him, requiring a large consequence. However, the popularity of this movement does not surprise me because it was predicted in II Timothy 3:1-2-- "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,"

American Christians will never see revival if we continue to have a lofty view of ourselves compared to God. We deserve His ultimate wrath and it is only by His grace that we do not. Let us see ourselves in our sin and turn to the only one who can, and gloriously has paid the price for our sin, not low self-esteem.

Long day

Wow. All I can say is that I have been way to busy to blog anything of value lately should be good ones ahead...

Wow. A lot has happened since my last post. I was in a car wreck with my brother late last night. I am fine, but he has some blood in his eye. Praise the Lord that he is ok though.

My brother is hilarious. If you have met him, you know what i am talking about. He was joking around

with the EMTs like he knew them. They were pretty much rolling on the floor when he was done.

Andrew even got them to give him a small stuffed dog which Andrew lovingly named "sugar"

Nothing will sober you quite like a car wreck. I am thankful for this opportunity to get some perspective on what really matters. If you are reading this, take a moment to pray for my brother's eye, and to thank God for your health. Also, please reflect on what really matters in this life in light of the next.

I love breakfast! I don't know why, but there is just something about eating in the morning that just makes me feel super happy. Call me weird, but I would rather have a simple, hot breakfast in the morning than a 5 star steak dinner later in the evening (but don't worry, the star steak is my second favorite).

Deep thought: This past Easter, I was struck with a new thought about the Gospel. Being a very "churched" person, I know the Easter story inside and out. But this year God brought a new thought to my attention as only His Word can do. I was discussing God's love with a friend and he pointed out how much we as Christians feminize God. Now don't get me wrong, God IS love. I am not in any way denying that Scriptural fact about Him. However, we do sometimes tend to make Him a little more "cuddley" than necessary. While God is infinitely loving, He is also infinitely wrathful toward sin. This seeming paradox is brilliantly resolved by the person of Jesus Christ. You see, God sent His only Son Jesus to take God's wrath for me. The amazing truth that I came to realize this spring was: The greater I believe God's wrath to be, the greater His love for me becomes. Reading in the Old Testament especially, one might get the picture of a God who does nothing but pour His wrath upon those who disobey Him ( Though this is not even close to the picture painted in the Old Testament). The fact of the matter is that when i get to the New Testament and see that God put Jesus, His most beloved Son, in the way of that incoming wrath it shows me how much God must really love me. With that I am signing off, feeling God's love greater than ever.

Perhaps one day some comedian such as Brian Regan will do a bit on the thought I had the other day. You are standing in the card aisle at any given store. Let's say you are buying a birthday card. You grab one that looks promising, only to find it to be the worst card ever written. Obviously not wanting that card you begin to put it back in its place. . . . only to find that you do not remember where you got it from. Even though you grabbed the card only seconds ago, it is quite impossible for you to recall which one of the thousands of slots you took it from. But you are saved, for in a stroke of genius, you decide to put the card facing backward in a slot that you know very well to be the completely wrong one. Unfortunately, that person standing next to you looks down and gives you that look that says, "Don't you even think about putting that card in the wrong slot". Not just the wrong slot, but you are putting the birthday card under the sympathy heading. After what seems like hours of searching, you find that perfect card. However, there is no envelopes behind it. It takes you almost twice as long to find and envelope that fits as it did to find the card and you leave the store frustrated and $6.95 poorer.

Hello All,

I am officially now in the company of some of the greatest writers of our time by opening my very own blog. Being just one of the over 70 million blogs on the internet right now, I am sure that you will take the time each and every day to pore (and yes that is the correct spelling) over my frequent electronic journal entries. . . . . . Yeah right.

O well even if nobody ever reads this ( it is not like i can just bury this blog in a time capsule or throw it into the ocean for future generations to read) i will have had a blast posting.