dolphinboy54's Xanga

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Thu, 04 Aug 2005 17:49:14 GMT

Hey, everybody! I love the fact that I got three Xanga-feedback e-mails this week even though I haven't posted in two month--oops, broke that streak.

Anyways, feel free to come and visit my new blog, Step Onto Liquid.

With love, peace, and what!?

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Sat, 18 Jun 2005 12:40:26 GMT

My fellow Xangers-

The day has come. This site will no longer be my primary blog. For a variety of reasons, I have decided to switch to Blogger. I still plan on coming back to Xanga and reading and commenting on other blogs. Also, one of the nice things about Blogger is that anyone can post comments. You can even link your comment there to your Xanga. Feel free to come check out the new site, Step Onto Liquid.

Whatever you do, keep blogging!

"Yes, I'm blue but from holding my breath
Like I have from the start
I'm the villain and I should confess
I liked you better before
So long, so long and on to the next one
Go on, and it won't be too soon
I'm gone, I'm gone
Bet ya saw this one coming
So long..."
-Guster, "So Long"

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Wed, 15 Jun 2005 17:05:15 GMT

Brevity is nice...

This past Sunday I heard a great message on hope. My father taught from 1 Peter 1:13 on fixing our hope on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I was really encouraged by the message, especially to gird up my mind for action. My father pointed out that Christians should be hopeful people. Even though circumstances can be rough, Christians should be confident that God will be good to them.

Why should Christians be this way? Because we have a living hope! Most of the hope in the world today is dead. The word hope implies wishful thinking not confidence. It need not be so with Christians. Our hope is alive because Jesus Christ is. We can rest assured in times of uncertainty because we know that God is good and that we have an imperishable inheritance reserved for us in Heaven.

How sweet is that?

Love, peace, and joy out...

Friday, June 10, 2005

Fri, 10 Jun 2005 19:30:01 GMT

Each Wednesday morning during the summer, the women of Believers Fellowship have a Bibly study at the church. While the ladies partake of the Bible study, their lucky children get to attend the Happy Bible Club. The Happy Bible Club, started by Bobby Blakey, is a fun-filled time that includes wild games of Happy-Happy-Sad, Sharks & Minnows, and Days of the Week, along with times of singing, teaching, and snacking. This Wednesday I had the wonderful privilege of leading the Happy Bible Club. During the teaching time, I talked to the kids about forgiveness. I told them, "You cannot be truly happy unless you have been forgiven." We talked about Psalm 32:1, where David says, "Blessed (Happy) is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." One of the things that stood out to me the most as I prepared was that God's forgiveness is complete. David talks about sin being covered. I received a vivid mental picture of this today as I painted the laundry room in my house. Our dog, Baxter, sleeps in this room, and therefore the walls were filthy. However, as we painted, any stains on the walls were covered by a fresh coat of pure white paint. All the stains were covered. When I look at the walls now, I do not see the old stains, I only see the new paint. The same is true for us. When God looks at us, he does not see our sin, he sees Christ's righteousness. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Tyler and I continued our study of Galatians this week. While we were discussing Galatians 4 at Taco Cabana, I was feeling quite nauseas. I think it was only because there was a McDonald's right across the street. (For background on that, see the May 19 entry.) Anyways, we talked about this chapter where Paul makes a comparison between a slave and a son. Slaves are forced laborers. They do not receive the blessing of being a son and an heir. They serve because they are forced to. The son does not do the forced labor of a slave, yet he received the blessings of being an heir of his father. Slaves spend their days in toil, hoping that they will find favor in the eyes of their master. A son inherently finds favor in the eyes of his father because he is his child. Therefore, the service that a son does for his father is different; it is not done out of a mercenary desire, it is done out of love. Thank God that he saved us from slavery to sin and adopted us as his own children. "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are."

That's all for today; I'm off to play Strat-O-Matic. Until next time, waste not.

I'm alive.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 19:49:13 GMT

Dude, one of my blogrings got invaded...

I awoke this morning a little after 7 o'clock, and I went straight to WalMart to get the new Coldplay CD. I returned home only to find that www.godsongmusic.com had been updated. What a day for good music...

At first listen, X&Y, Coldplay's new album, seems underwhelming, as my brother put it. But as I continue to listen, the album has grown on me already. I don't think it is as good as Rush of Blood to the Head, but then again that might just be the best album of my lifetime. "Speed of Sound" is the first single off the new album and a quality song. The first song that really stuck out to me as a great song from the album is "Fix You." I've also started to like "White Shadows," a great song with a big sound. The last song of the album, "Kingdom Come," is a mellow tune, but also one of my favorites from the CD. I'm not yet sure how X&Y, stacks up against their older tunes, but I do know that Coldplay is still making good music.

If you haven't been to Godsong's website recently, you should go. The site has a new format and now includes a blog of its own. Godsong has also posted the first song of their own new album entitled Possible. The song is called "For All Who Will Follow," a wonderful song about the beautiful path of following Jesus Christ.

This is the first time I have updated my Xanga for a while, but part of the reason is I was in California for most of last week. My Dad's mom passed away last month, and we just had the memorial for her last Wednesday. It was a wonderful service, and it really helped me appreciate all the care my Grandma showed me. I also got to see some relatives that I had not seen for over 10 years. It was good to be able to spend time with them and get to know my family better. The trip helped me realize that you cannot take time spent with people for granted, for you don't know when or if you will see them again.

Well, I'm off to enjoy the summer and good music. Until next time, get some fresh air, take a jog.

"For you I've waited all these years
For you I'd wait 'til kingdom come
Until my day, my day is done
And say you'll come and set me free
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me"
-Coldplay, "Kingdom Come"

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Wed, 25 May 2005 23:06:25 GMT

Check that last thought; I think I am more mesmerized by '24'. Talk about intense...

The long awaited summer is here, and so far it had brought some needed rest. It has brought time to relax, and maybe play a little more Civilization III than I should. My brother Billy is home for the summer; I'm excited about that. He and I have started watching the first season of '24' with the Sultzes. Right now we are at 3AM, and we are all already hopelessly sucked in.

I have also been able to continue my study in Galatians with Tyler, and we are both continuing to learn some amazing things. I have been learning a lot about the law. Before we are saved, we are in bondage to the law. We are unable to keep the perfect standard of the law and, therefore, condemned. But when we believe in Christ we are justified--declared righteous. The law no longer hold us in bondage. And after salvation we do not return to the law. Paul says in Galatians 3:3, "Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" The implied answer to this question is a resounding no. Salvation frees us from the law, and we must never turn back. We are now free to live in a new, revolutionary way. I like to say that life changes from a "got-to" to a "get-to". Instead of saying, "I have to do this" and "I have to do that" in order to please God, we realize that God has declared us righteous, and we are now free to obey him because he has delivered us from our sin. Now we "get-to" serve him. We "get-to" spend time with him.

Both Tyler and I have also learned that faith implies action. In both Galatians and Romans, Paul refers to Abraham and that his belief in God was counted to him as righteousness. How do we know Abraham believed? Because of his actions! He believed God and moved his family to a new land. He believed God and was willing to sacrifice his son. True faith will produce action.

I also want to remind anybody that is reading to be checking out www.godsongmusic.com throughout the summer. There will be lots of exciting changes on the site, especially new music. So make sure you check it out.

Go Braves.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

Thu, 19 May 2005 03:06:03 GMT

I watch the patchwork farms
Slow fade into the ocean's arms
Calm down, release your care
The stale taste of recycled air

Some people do not like to fly. They find it tiring. They do not like airports. They are afraid of heights. They get sick. They clutch the armrests everytime the plane hits the slightest bump of turbulence.

On the other hand, I absolutely love flying. It is a thrill for me to look out the window and see birds flying in formation below me. I actually think that a Sprite tastes crisper at 37000 feet. When I fly, I feel as though I am unconnected momentarily with the world below, both literally and figuratively. I usually spend flights reading and thinking, about the future and the past. I usually land refreshed and ready to take life's next challenge. Such was not the case last Saturday morning...

Last Friday night, I graduated from high school. Words can barely describe the graduation feeling. Imagine the normal excitement you get on the last day of school and multiply that by at least ten--that's the best that I can do. After the ceremony, I headed down to the Riverwalk with the rest of my graduating class. To some of you that might seem like a big trip, but remember that my class consists of seven graduates. We had a great time eating, chilling, and revelling in the fact that we were graduates indeed. However, I did not get home from this jaunt to the river until 1:30. I got home, talked to my brother, and then got in bed and set my alarm for 3:30 AM, two hours later.

Mr brother Billy was graduating from the Master's College in Santa Clarita, California, later that morning, so I head to catch a flight to California with my fam. After the late night and early morn, I was surprised at how well I was feeling, and so as we were walking by a McDonald's that was just opening up, I thought it would be a good idea to get some breakfast. Despite warnings from my brother, Bobby, I ordered a McGriddles, a hash brown, and an orange juice. I downed these before getting on the plane.

After getting on the plane, I tried desperately to sleep; the lack of sleep was getting to me. However, the Land of Nod eluded me, and my brothers warnings proved true. Nausea overtook me and I threw up. (Thank God for barf bags.) The flight attendant quickly gave me water and disposed of my goodie bag (as I have affectionately come to call them.) She also gave me a few more of them, and it was a good thing, too, for in a few short minutes I vomitted again. My brother handled the situation quite well and resisted the temptation to give me a royal "I told you so." However, the people sitting across and in front of us did not react so well. After my second technicolor yawn, a man sitting only a few feet in front of me gave me a frightened look. After a second glance at me and my goodie bag, he grabbed his elderly mother and bolted towards the front of the plane like the apocalypse was upon them; they neglected to even gather their belongings. This turned out to be fortuitous for I was ushered to their seats so I could recline on an open row. This was good for me, and I finally was able to doze off.

Unfortunately, I made quite an impression on these people, and they were also on our next flight from Phoenix to Burbank. Apparently three rows was not enough separation for them, and they quickly moved forward after I found my seat. Poor folks, I really wasn't trying to frighten them.

Thankfully I overcame my nausea, and the rest of the trip was wonderful and relaxing. I got to visit with my Grandpa, who is doing pretty well considering the circumstances. The return flight was much better, and I did land refreshed and ready to take on this summer that God has placed in front of me.

Rarely am I as ensorcelled by the television as when I am watching "Lost."

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Thu, 12 May 2005 03:10:07 GMT

I just had a great time in my room playing this song and looking at this goofy picture of last year's Mr. McCulley class. Wow...serious good times at good ole BA.

I still haven't quite come to grips with the fact that I'm graduating on Friday. I have gone to Believers Academy for so long, that it feels like I will be coming back and starting another year in the fall, but I won't. I've been to so many BA Graduations, and I've always thought what it would be like to be graduating, and now that's me! Wow, time flies.

I think I am actually starting to feel this graduation thing. I am totally ready to move on to the next stage of life, for me at Master's. But even thinking about how school, wow, I've had so many good times in high school. I've learned so much about life in high school. There were so many times in high school that I didn't think I was going to make it, but (Praise the Maker) I did.

Thanks to God, life is so amazing. Even time itselt reflects the faithfulness of God. It just keeps moving on, every second of every minute of every day. It never slows down, never speeds up; it just keeps moving on. And God is right there leading us every step of the way.

Who knows what the future holds?
Who know what tomorrow brings?
I've seen stories the past has told
I hear the song the present sings.

What do all these things proclaim?
God is faithful; God is good
When seasons change he stays the same
By Him the times are understood.

As God was once, He e'er shall be
So in the future I can rest
Because He's marked the road for me
And I know His plan is best.

Saturday, May 07, 2005

Sat, 07 May 2005 00:50:42 GMT

Carryin' the Banner

Today Richard, my Bible teacher, his wife, and I went to check out the new Mormom Temple here in San Antonio. Tomorrow is the last day they are giving tours, so I figured this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. To sum up some of my thoughts: awesome building, weird place. The temple building sits on a hill in a nice neighborhood on the North of San Antonio. The view from there is amazing. Our tour took us through five rooms in the temple. First, we went through to the baptismal room. Here Mormons can get baptized not for themselves, but for dead relatives. They believe that the deceased then have a chance to accept or reject the gospel. Then we went through a dressing room. Here Mormons who come to the temple change from street clothes into all white apparel. They say that it symbolizes both purity and equality. Next we went into a succession of three rooms, each getting bigger, brighter, more beautiful. The first two were instruction rooms, where apparently the Mormons learn more advanced things about their religion (I guess like Honors Calculus, as opposed to Regulars). The third room was the celestial room, one of the most spectacular rooms I have ever been in. Apparently Mormons come here after their time in the instruction rooms for thought and contemplation. Our guide did not talk to us in the Celestial Room. The final room here visited was the Sealing Room. Here Mormons get there marriages and families sealed for eternity. They believe that civil marriages last only "'til death do us part", but in the temple you can get your marriage sealed for all eternity and your kids bound to you.

This concluded our tour of the temple building. As I said, awesome building, weird place. After the tour we visited the hospitality tent, in which Mormon missionaries served us punch and cookies and offered to answer any questions about the church. Richard got into a pretty good conversation with Sister Eddy; I mostly listened to him and looked over some of the Mormon literature. Tyler and Alyssa started asking questions to another missionary. It seemed to me that the answers provided carried little substance, and after a while other Mormon missionaries would come visit our conversations, really bringing them to an end.

Through the temple visit I did learn more about the Mormon church and what they believe. I'm still pretty confused about a lot of it. Through eavesdropping on other conversations I learned that many think the Mormons are just a part of the Christian church, but the doctrines of the Mormon church and the truth of the Bible do not match up at all. I think it is very important that Christians proclaim the truth about Mormonism and the many differences between Mormonism and true Christianity, so that's what I did next.

After finishing the tour and arriving back at our cars. Richard and I stopped by a nearby tent that was offering Christian information about Mormonism and was run by Evidence Ministies. Here we met our old friend Luke Weissgarber, who was helping the group pass out flyers. Richard and I enlisted for the afternoon. I spent the next few hours standing on the median at Stone Oak and Huebner passing out flyers to all who would take them with Luke. Even though I was not really saying anything, this was a different witnessing experience for me than in the past. No longer did witnessing make me feel like I was back at West Telemarketing, smiling and dialing. I knew now that there is only one message that I'm pushing, and that's the gospel, the euphoric message.

"As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." -Galatians 1:9

"Try Bottle Alley or the harbor
Try Central Park it's guaranteed
Try any banker, bum, or barber
They almost all knows how to read.

Ain't it a fine life carryin' the banner through it all?"

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Thu, 05 May 2005 01:37:14 GMT

As I have been learning (and posting) lately, the gospel should not be something that Christians learn and move on from. It should be the theme of our lives. The more I study the Scripture, the more I see it is the theme of God's Word, especially Paul's epistles. Recently I have started studying the book of Galatians, and have already started learning more about the God's glorious gospel.

As I started studying Galatians, I thought for a while about the greek work from which we get gospel. It is the greek word, "euangellion." Eu- meaning good, and -angellion meaning message. The gospel is the euphoric message. It's more than simple good news. It is the best news I will ever hear, and the whole world needs to hear it.

In the first chapter of Galatians, Paul sets out to defend two things: his apostolic authority and the gospel. Paul spends less time on the salutation of this epistle and says straight-away in verse six, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel." The Galatians were abandoning the gospel for a legalistic way of salvation. They were beginning to follow the Judaizers, who taught you must be circumsized and follow some aspects of the law to be saved. Paul jumps to the defense of the gospel by twice declaring a curse on anyone who preaches a different gospel.

He then starts defending his own authority. Paul explains that he does not preach a gospel "according to man." He was not preaching something he or anyone else concocted. Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he recounts his conversion from a religious zealot to a missionary.

The first chapter of Galatians taught me some important things about the gospel. First, I learned the importance of knowing the gospel. How can I beware of false gospels if I don't know the real one? I was encouraged to look to the Bible and read about the euphoric message of salvation in Christ. Second, I was challenged to think about ways I try to pervert the gospel. I might not be tempted to become a Judaizer, but there are times when I can forget the gospel and try to do things on my own. I need to always remind myself of the fantastic reality that when God looks at me, he sees Christ. (2 Cor 5:21) Third, I saw how the gospel gives hope. At the beginning of Acts, Paul is actively seeking out Christians, so he can imprison or kill them. At the end, he is actively seeking out the lost, so he can spread the gospel. Only this euphoric message can change someone from a persecutor of the church to a preacher of Christ, and only in the power of the gospel can I find the power to change.

Only a chapter into Galatians I already feel like I've learned so much. I hope you are encouraged to think about the gospel. Defend it, stick to it, find hope in the euphoric message that God can forgive and change sinners like you and me.

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end..."
Class of '05