Christmas Jack Ass!!!

Here is the post that I have promised, Well kind of...

Originally my wife and I started out making a "Christmas Jack Ass" for our new Christmas tradition, but it turned out to be a Christmas Camel. We are still in the process of building our Christmas Camel and I will post pics when is finished.

Anyway, Here is the heart behind our Christmas Camel and our new Christmas tradition:

Christmas Tradition

Christmas Tree –

The Christmas tree has many origins, many stories, and has no one distinct background. The Christmas tree has been seen in various pagan worship ceremonies, pagan religions, or other cultural traditions throughout time. The Christmas Tree was later brought into Christianity by the catholic church in order to try and make the Christmas Tree a symbol of Christianity. The popularity of the Christmas tree however found its popularity out of various marketing strategies or pop culture trends of sorts. The Christmas tree has very little meaning and significance when it comes to the celebration of Jesus’ birthday.

Santa Clause –

Santa Clause also has many stories and origins. The story of Santa originates from many different origins, legends, myths, cultures, traditions, and stories. There is no one specific Santa belief, story, or origin. If you travel throughout various parts of the world, Santa looks different, has a different story, and has a different background, history, and purpose. The story of Santa Clause was brought into Christianity by the Catholic Church to try and make Santa Clause a symbol of Christianity. One example of how the Catholic church tried to do this was through the story of a Saint who goes by the name of St. Nick. St. Nick was known to perform many good deeds, support the poor and helpless, give gifts etc. but there is some debate as to whether St. Nick was even a real man or just a legend who later became known as Santa Clause. The Santa Clause we know today became popular through as a well known tradition, through a well known Christmas marketing strategy put together by Coca-Cola. Later, Rudolf joined the Christmas story through another Christmas marketing strategy. Santa has very little meaning and significance when it comes to the heart of Christmas…the birth of Christ.

The Camel –

In history the camel was used by travelers along the silk road for trade and in other forms of travel. Our Christmas camel is a symbol of the many travelers who came to worship Jesus and celebrate the birth of Jesus in the town of Bethlehem. Some of these travelers could have included shepherds (Luke 2:8-20), Magi (matt 2), and possibly even kings or other such visitors.

Shepherd Staff –

The Shepherd staff represents the prophetic word given and fulfilled that Jesus was going to be the shepherd of G-Ds people (Micah 5 and Matt 2:6). The duty of the shepherd was to lead and protect their sheep. The shepherd was to lead his sheep in the right direction and for them to arrive to various areas safely. He was also to protect the sheep from harm and to protect them from wolves and other such predators. Jesus was to be our shepherd, one who is to lead us as G-Ds people, to protect us from harm, and to lead us in the right directions, in life and toward G-D.

Sheep –

Since Jesus is seen as the shepherd of G-Ds people, and the role of the shepherd is to lead his sheep, then we, as G-Ds people are seen as His sheep. Because of this, the sheep represents us, as G-Ds people, and are ability to follow our shepherd, Jesus. He is our shepherd, our Messiah, our Savior. One that will lead us to G-D, will protect us and keep us safe, and will make sure we are lead in the right direction. (John 10:1-21) Many, many times throughout scripture, G-Ds people are referred to as sheep.

No Baby Jesus –

Is there anything wrong with having a baby Jesus? No, I don’t think so. But, we have chosen not to have a baby Jesus. Why? At most birthday parties you don’t sit around and take a look at a person’s baby pictures. Even if you do, we really don’t know what Jesus looked like, so that would be weird. Usually a birthday party is focused on celebrating the life of that particular person. Things like how they have grown, what they have accomplished, and the many stories that tell about who that person is and how they have impacted the world and the people around them. That is why we have chosen not to have a baby Jesus, so that we can focus on the life of Jesus, discuss the stories of Jesus and how, He has, and continues to impact our lives and the world around us.

Birthday Hats -

All the animals who are a part of the manger will be wearing birthday hats. Why? Well Duh!!! We are celebrating the birth of Jesus, the prophesied Messiah, our Lord and Savior. We will celebrate who Jesus is and how he has impacted our lives and the people’s lives around us. We will focus on the stories of Jesus, The Old Testament and Jewish prophesies that talk about a prophesied King, Savior, Messiah, and how Jesus is the fulfillment of such scriptures.

Gifts –

Matthew 2 records a story about some Magi who had followed a star to the place where Jesus was born. These Magi brought gifts to Jesus. These gifts included gold, incense, and myrrh (vs. 11). Every Christmas, these gifts will be placed in the manger and opened by our kids, our friends, or ourselves. We will then use these gifts to tell the story of the birth of Jesus and continue our celebration of His birth and His impact in our lives. This will be a time to teach the story of Jesus or to remember His story and His crazy love for us.

Gold –

Throughout history and scripture, gold is seen as a material or object that is valuable, worth a lot, and a worthy gift for a king, royalty, or someone of great power. It is also seen as a material that is precious enough to decorate temples, altars, palaces, and other important monuments. These Magi brought Jesus a valuable gift of precious metal because they knew that this was no ordinary baby.

Because of this, we use this gift of gold as a reminder that Jesus was no ordinary

baby. Jesus is to be our king (matt 2:2), our G-D (matt 1:23), and one worthy of our most precious gifts.

Incense –

A ritual incense in ancient Israel was a mixture of finely pulverized aromatic gum resins and frankincense, which was salted to produce a visible cloud of sweet smelling smoke. (Exodus 30:34-35). It was consecrated for ritual use…”holy to the Lord” (exodus 30:37)

It became a sign of an earthly act of devotion ascending to G-Ds dwelling place, and likened in scripture to prayer rising to heaven as a cloud of smoke rises in the sky (ps 141:2, rev. 5:8; 8:3-4). One example of its use is on the Day of Atonement where it is used as an offering to the Lord (Lev. 16). During the Day of Atonement, the incense was combined with the sacrifice of a goat in order to remove the sins of G-Ds people. It was also used as a daily sacrifice to the Lord (exodus 30).

Incense was another worthy gift for the Lord. Its cost and fragrance rendered it a

valuable commodity and an offering fitting for the Lord. Again we use this as an opportunity to remember whose birthday we have an opportunity to celebrate. We can also use it as an opportunity to remember that we no longer have to make a sacrifice to the Lord in order to be forgiven for our sins, because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, the perfect Lamb, the one that would truly offer total and complete forgiveness, the complete and final atonement for our sins!

Myrrh –

Myrrh was valuable and was used for a multiple of different reasons. Myrrh was used in embalming or in the anointing of the dead. It later came to represent mortality, suffering, or sorrow. The Israelites used perfume ointments of myrrh in funeral preparations to postpone the decay and alleviate odors of the deceased. For example, Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh to prepare Jesus’ body for burial in accordance with Jewish burial customs (John 19:38-42). Myrrh was also seen as a common painkiller or analgesic (mark 15:23). It was also used in cleaning wounds and in expensive perfumes, such as in men’s beards or between women’s breasts. It was also was used as anointing oil, and when combined with incense, as a symbol of prayers rising to heaven. Myrrh was bitter and had a sweet fragrance which makes myrrh to be known as something that is bittersweet.

Myrrh can remind us of Jesus’ human nature or remind us of his death on the cross. It can remind us that our G-D loves us so much that he was willing to come and live among us while also having every intention of dying a sacrificial death in order to forgive us for our sins and bring us into a deeper relationship with Him. His birth is one that is bittersweet. His birth brings about a reminder of his death, which also reminds us that his birth brought salvation and freedom as well.

Manger –

Jesus, who is G-D himself, was born in a manger. He was not born in a castle or into a rich family, a royal atmosphere, or to a great warrior. He was basically born in a stable, outside, with a bunch of animals. He was born into a poor family and as a baby. He was a G-D that chose to be able to live and experience the life that many of His people lived, understood, and connected with. Very freakin cool!!!!

A re-post...Has it ever been Christmas but it doesn't feel like Christmas?

Has it ever been Christmas but it doesn't feel like Christmas?

I know for me this has become a common thing the past couple of years. I love christmas and all, but it has slowly become more and more meaningless. I love the presents, getting together with friends and family, the presents, Christmas songs and lights, the presents but there just seems to be no heart anymore.

where is God in it all?

i know for me, that our traditions have become meaningless and they no longer bring my thoughts and heart back to God. Instead they take my heart and focus away from God and bring them to focus on meaningless things that help me forget more then remember.

How do our Christmas traditions both inside and outside the church point us back to our messiah? I know some do but most of them seem like they don't.

this past year we decided as a community not to celebrate Easter but instead to have a messianic passover. IT WAS FREAKIN AWESOME! We had a ton of fun celebrating but at the sametime enjoyed being able focus on God using all the symbolic type foods, drinks, words, teaching etc. to truly get our hearts, minds, and thoughts focused on God. this gave true meaning and excitement towards our celebration. It was incredible!

But, as I focus on christmas I wonder what our christmas tree means, or the candles in the candle light service, or the reason we have it on this day, or decorations etc. So much of it points towards meaningless and empty traditions.
Last year Sarah and I even skipped Christmas eve service to study up on hanakka to see if there was a cooler heart behind that jewish custom but even that holiday didn't have much that pointed toward God.

and so I came to the conclusion...I don't want to celebrate Christmas in the same way anymore. I want to create a tradition (yep... I know I said tradition - but not forever just until it loses its heart and then start a new one) that helps us to truly celebrate the heart behind Christmas. that brings our thoughts, minds, hearts back to the true reason we celebrate Christmas. To come up with symbols, decorations, foods, etc. that will bring us back to why we celebrate as God's people.
I don't know what this will look like yet, but I want to study more about our traditions of Christmas now and then pray about what things God puts on my heart. I am excited and I think it will be a lot of fun. prayfully others will join us in this celebration and that we totally have a ton of fun celebrating and worshiping God in crazy ways next Christmas!

The wrong question or the wrong train of thought

The wrong Question:

I love questions and I love people that ask questions. When people ask genuine questions, that means they have a true interest in finding a REAL answer. Although I love questions, I do believe that you can ask the wrong question.

One wrong question that I get asked often is, "what church do you go to?" I hate that question because usually when someone asks you that question, they already have an idea of how they want you to answer. They want you to respond with a name of some institutional or organized "church". Unfortunately I can't answer that question with most people's perceptions of how they want you to answer. I don't view "church" as being an institution, I see the church as being "the body of Christ", G-Ds people, a community of G-Ds people etc. So to answer that question is tough.

This question however has encouraged me to think a lot about "what church I go to". For example I sometimes attend a worship service at Northstar Vineyard but don't consider this to be a church I go to. I go because there are some very good friends that "worship" there on sunday morning and I do enjoy being able to sing songs of praise to G-D with other people that passionatly love Jesus. But I can't limit this to being my church. Instead I have been trying to map out in my head what "my church" is and it is soooo freakin huge it is incredible. I hang with other disiples of Jesus from all over cincinnati who say they go to different churchs. Crazy enough sometimes these people who are in my immediate "church community" know each other and are connected in different ways. They are from different races, backgrounds, cultures, areas of town etc. and I can call on them at any time for prayer, to hang, for a favor, to share a thought etc. This expands my church community so much farther!! In fact my "church" goes even further than cincincinnati, but to other cities, states, and even counties. WOW!!!

Then I begin to think about the amazing things G-D can do through the "body of Christ" as a whole. Damn!!!! We are everywhere with infinate dreams, influences, jobs, places, gifts etc. My church is the "body of Christ", "the kingdom of G-D", a diverse crazy group of people who passionatly follow and serve YHWH. It makes me smile and reminds me of how awesome and powerful our G-D is to be able to "plant a church" or "organize" his people that goes way beyond my ability to understand or comprehend.

I also get asked often if I will come and be a part of someone's church or if I am interested in checking out there church or need to see what this person's church is like because it is different than anything else that is out there...I think I need to respond with, "Hey come check out my church...it is huge...it does amazing things...it is different than anything else that is out there!!!! We do stuff that is different and there is not box or building that can keep us from doing amazing things!!!!"

Coming soon: A blog called "A Christmas ASS!"

Who is leader and who should be leader? Questions!

I have recently been studying Chronicles in the Bible for the past couple of months. Through my study, I have read about kings who were good, followed G-D, and were obedient in how they lived and how they led. I have read about other kings who were bad, chose to not follow or honor G-D, and were not obedient to G-D in how they lived and how they led. And then I have read about other kings who were good, obedient, and honoring in the beginning of their reign as king, but then fell away from G-D and became bad kings.

Then recently my wife and I were reading some of Chronicles together and I questioned why there seemed to be so many more kings who were corrupt and evil then there were kings who were good and followed G-D. She answered me with what seemed to make sense. She said, “ultimate power corrupts. When someone has that much power, they are not living in community, they let there power get to them and then become corrupt and no longer focused on G-D or how he desires for us to live” Very interesting. That really makes sense. (I mean think of our politicians, police men, leaders in the school system or non-profit organizations, etc) Is that why, G-D didn’t necessarily want to allow the Jewish people to have kings or judges to rule his people? Wasn’t it the Jewish people who continued to insist that they wanted a ruler such as kings and judges and so G-D eventually allowed this to happen? Wasn’t it G-Ds people who desired these rulers and not G-D? Even thinking forward, G-D didn’t necessarily set specific rulers to rule His church (ex. Pastors), but that is something that many of His people still say they need. Does that make them wrong? But then again, there are many church pastors, etc, that fight and struggle with power, or being led in wrong directions, or not focusing on G-D but on other things such as “cultural relevancy, money, becoming bigger, doing, sin, sexual scandals, money scandals etc.

Does ultimate power corrupt? Does G-D really desire for us to have the kind of leadership we now have in most churches? Does G-D desire to be are ultimate focus as we move and live as “His Church”?

I am going to begin studying Leviticus, Numbers etc. in the Bible to see how G-D answers most of these questions, to try and understand G-Ds heart and desire, and to see if my current understanding is right, wrong, or can just learn a bunch of very cool things from my ultimate King!!!!

Maybe most of this doesn’t make sense, or could be communicated better in words, but I think are some very interesting and challenging questions to ask. I pray that G-D blesses these questions and reveals REAL answers that make sense in my head and in my heart.

REAL meaninful lives...Bono @ NAACP awards

Check out this video from the NAACP awards. This is a sweet ass speech from Bono and a challenge for us to live crazy, but REAL meaningful lives!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6P6v4bNxJQ

the best is at the end!!!!

Need to take a good dump? Ads make me laugh!!

I was driving down the road today and I was informed by a billboard that Grand Victoria casino has the best craps. So, for anyone that has had problems taking a crap, you can go to Grand Victoria for the best craps.

Me, I prefer White Castle. A good slyder has always done me well when I need a good crap. So, until next time... crap with ease, make them loud, and make them smell.

The Voyage vs. The Toilet

This weekend I got to go to the best amusement park I have ever been to with a bunch of very cool friends.

It is called Holiday World ...you get Unlimited FREE Drinks...Free Sunscreen and can ride the best, roller coaster ever created.

I used to think that there was not a wooden coaster that could ever compare to a steel coaster. NOT TRUE!!!!

The Voyage is, by far, the best, most incredible, amazing, kick ass roller coaster every created. You get mass air time, almost never touch your seat, go completely sideways, no down time (continuous action), great hills, incredible speed, and so much more.

What I thought of great roller coasters and what makes a great coaster has changed. You got to check it out.

THE TOILET...I have lived a dream... I don't know the real name of this ride, but there is a new water ride there which kind of makes you feel like you got flushed down the toilet. It is a life changing experience as you imagine yourself as a turd and get flushed.

Healed?

I worship an incredible G-D!!

Also, Thanks to everyone for your prayers!!!!

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Dr. for a routine check up. During that check-up they took some blood and found out that my liver was functioning 3-4x harder than it was supposed to. The Dr. suggested that I go and get an ultra-sound to see if they could figure out why my liver was functioning 3-4 times harder than it was supposed to. Through the ultra-sound the Dr. found out that I had some benign object on my liver (he had some cool name for it) and wanted me to get another blood test and a cat scan to get more details on this thing that was on my liver. Well, This crazy adventure kind of came as a shocker and freaked me out a bit. I ended up, emailing and calling a bunch of friends and people who are passionate about Jesus to be praying about this crazy situation. Well guess what? G-D is awesome and prayer works!!!!!!!!!

I went to the Dr. the other day to get the blood test and a Cat scan. The dr. called the other day to let me know that the blood work has shown my liver functions to have proved dramatically and the Cat Scan showed nothing!!!!

Was I healed or are the Doctors just dumb? Some people say that the Doctors are just dumb, but you are going to have to do some hardcore explaining to get me to believe anything other than my G-D is freakin awesome!!!!

Anyway, thanks again to all that were praying!!!

TRANSFORMERS

The most incredible movie to ever be released!!!!!

I laughed!
I Cried!
I Wanted to blow things up!
I wanted a camero that would change into a big robot with big guns and would pee on people I didn't like!!!

This is by far my favorite movie of all time!!!!

“Did I Have Fun?”

I was teaching at a school the other day and had an opportunity to talk with one of the teachers there. He was a teacher that was retiring from teaching and from coaching baseball after 40 years. He is an incredibly humble man who has accomplished much, influenced a ton of people, and coached more than 5 students who have made it into the pros. He is a man with great wisdom, a love for G-D, and a love for people that you don’t see everyday. It is a great joy to see him interact with students and people. I have enjoyed every conversation that we have had, as he asks genuine questions and offers wisdom through each conversation.

Anyway, as we were talking, one of my co-workers asked him how he was able to make it these past 40 years. He told us, that every night he goes home and asks himself honestly, “Did I have fun?” He knew that if he could answer that question with a genuine, “Yes” then he was continuing to do what he was called to do.

I was blown away by such wisdom. This was the way I used to live. I used to tell people that I wanted to worship G-D with everything that I am, live the adventure of life, and have as much fun doing that as I can. But, recently I have struggled with living out this vision for life. He helped remind me of the way that I desire to live as a disciple of Jesus. You can tell that he lives this out in his own life through his actions and words. You see so many people who are tired and burnt out, but he continues to live with a smile and a joy that can only come from living out the words he spoke with such wisdom. I want to follow his example and once again live the adventure of life, worship G-D with all that I am and have as much fun doing that as I can.

So the question at the end of the day is, “Did I Have Fun?”

A very quick response

WOW!!! so much to respond to, to think about, to re-study etc.

It is always hard at times to put everything in writing…at least because I am not the best writer. Unfortunately I don’t have the time today to fully respond, but I do think that you had a lot of very cool things to say.

I respond with I Corinthians 6:19 where Paul basically says that we are the temple of G-D. yes, is commenting on sexual immorality, but it is a very powerful statement to say that our bodies are the temple of G-D considering the temple was understood to be the place of worship and the place where the very presence of G-D dwelled.

I also respond with acts 7:48-50. This is basically steven’s response to the religious peeps accusing him of speaking against the temple. Is there a place now or even in the OT where G-D house the presence of G-D.

Or what about when G-D tore the curtain in the temple that separated people from the Holy of Holies (or what was known as the place where the presence of G-D dwelled)

All fun things to think about along with the rest of the discussion that had taken place so far.

I would love to hear other people comment as well. What has your study, conversations, and discussions taught you?

The Fun Continues

Actually G-D doesn’t call us to be IN church but, to BE the church. The Idea of living life as the church is the idea of BEING the church and not going. If you go back to the very beginning of why the Jewish Synagogue was set up in the first place, it was not because it was a command of G-D, but because it was a desire of the people. So, because it was the desire of the people he allowed the temple and eventually the synagogue to exist. When he did, he set down rules and guidelines as to how the temple should be run.

The synagogue was a man made tradition which later replaced the temple which was never given any specific rules or guidelines at all from G-D. The heart of the synagogue was to go to learn and discuss the teachings of their scriptures. Most of the time there was a teacher because people couldn’t read and so it was a journey that they took together as a community.

The idea of the tithe was set up to support the people that took care of the temple. The tithe would support the Levites, priests, or other peeps that would help the temple to run smoothly.

The temple came from the “tent of meetings which was constructed from pagan religions and pagan gods. The people of G-D figured that since other gods had these little places of worship, that they should have them as well. Hence, where their original request for a place to worship came into effect.

The idea of deacons and elders were set up to structure or help run larger groups of people who gathered together as the messianic community. It was Paul’s response to how people were not living as they should in the messianic communities.

Also, there was never a command from Jesus to be in church or a part of a church, and if there was then he broke it because he never went nor was he a part of one. The focus was always loving G-D and loving others which the heart behind all that he did and all that he talked about. Nor did he ever encourage his disciples to do so.

So, By not being in church we are not defying any command that has been commanded by G-D, especially from Jesus. Although, we are commanded to live as the body of Christ, so we are called to be in community. So, I am not denying the fact that we are to be the church, or gather with others that love Jesus. I am just arguing the idea that to be in church is not necessarily a command, but we are to be the church.

I am also not saying that church is bad or to be in church is bad. There are communities of believers who call themselves a church, that I think are doing amazing things and are doing an incredible of job of living in community or living as the church or being the church. Even the ones that I don’t think are doing a good job, I do still believe that G-D does move through many of these people.

I am not denying the fact that G-D does not work in and through the institutional church as we see it today. I don’t agree with how it is run, but I believe that G-D moves in and through those communities of believers. But, we lose the heart of church when we forget that the church is ultimately, G-Ds people and not the idea of institution. When Paul refers to meeting as the church, he is ultimately promoting the messianic community. Community being the key to what occurs. Also, most of the things that Paul addresses are in response to people being stupid or choosing not to follow the commands of G-D. People ultimately not loving G-D or loving others which is what all of scripture boils down to. It is people being selfish or abusing various aspects of their faith, or life together that Paul usually addresses.

Do I sometimes go to sing songs of praise with a community of people that passionately love Jesus? I DO!

Do I hang out with many different groups of people who passionately love Jesus? I Do! Do I belong or have a membership at any specific church? Nope!

Do I tithe to any specific organization or community of people that call themselves northstar, 4 corners, vcc etc.? at times just to support the people who put those praise gathering together, BUT most of my tithe goes towards helping the poor, helping people who need help in the kingdom of G-D, etc.

Will I ever be in church, nope because I am in the church, being The Body of Christ…The Kingdom of G-D… and that is all that I need to be.

Do I necessarily agree with the church (being the organizational church)? NO! But by no means does that mean that G-D does not move in and through the people who are there. Nor does it mean that church does not occur, as people come together to BE the church or live life as the church.

The church - in reference to another post

(in response to a post at http://www.youseedrybones.com/ blog title

"G.K. Chesterton"

Isn't it fun to be able to discuss, learn, and grow together as "the church" the ekklesia :)

I disagree, I don't think that anyone should go and be a part of A church. I think they should LIVE LIFE AS THE CHURCH! i think the reason that no one has found the right church is because people don't know what the church is all about. Church is not a program, a place, a service, a ministry, a doctrine, etc. I do not like the church as an institution, but I LOVE the church, as being G-Ds people...the kingdom of G-D. Church in scripture...being the ekklesia is defined as being a gathering of G-Ds people. We are called to live as disciples of Jesus and as the church...to love G-D and Love others…that simple! I also agree with Jack Cottrell on the unity point (and I do not always have friendly words to say about this man's doctrine)but, we as G-Ds people...as the kingdom of G-D do need to be unified as the church because I don't think we look overly pretty the way we live as the church right now. We live divided…”this is my church, that is your church”…well Paul says things about this type of division as well…and they are not pretty words either. We as the church have one mission “God has a plan, and his son has a mission. Join it” (don)…don’t join a church’s mission, join G-Ds! Also, how much more powerfully could we live as the ekklesia, the church, if we live in unity as G-Ds people…I have learned a lot about the church...the ekklesia...and we are freakin awesome

Is it wrong to attend church? NO. Is it is wrong to go to church? No. Is it wrong to attend a service and have no relationships with anyone else? Yes! Why? Because church is all about Loving G-D and Loving others. That is it. Church is a gathering of G-Ds people for the purpose of worshiping G-D. And worship is not just singing a few songs. Church is a community of G-Ds people. So if you want to attend a service, or jump into a radical program, jump into a ministry, or are looking for a hip church to go to. Don’t. Gather together with a community of people that passionately love Jesus, and live life as the church. Use your imagination and serve G-D together, or come up with ideas on how you can radically Love the people you work with, or the poor, or the widows, or the bum on the street. That’s ministry, that’s evangelism, that’s life as the church.

Can we live passionately and radically live for Jesus without going to A church...HECK YA! Why, cause people aren’t supposed to go to church, they are supposed to live life as the church!!! there are disciples of Jesus everywhere...all we need is a community of people that Love Jesus, but it can be any size and number and then look around because we got other peeps all over the place…and maybe we will see unity as we live passionately and radically with those peeps as well.

"Prayer in schools"? and a cool story

"NO PRAYER IN SCHOOLS!"

"SEPERATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!!!"

"THERE SHOULD BE NO TEN COMMANDMENTS!!"

"NO RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES...DURING LEARNING HOURS!!"

I am sure I could list a lot more things that people scream when it comes to religious stuff in schools.

i think about who is yelling for such religious boundaries.

Is it parents? teachers? politicians :)? very high paid people in the educational system?

or the students? - who really should have a say in their religous beliefs and whose freedoms we are determing and taking away. right? Wasn't our country founded on relgious freedom and freedom of speech? Wasn't England trying to do the same thing to us?

I find it kind of funny. I am taking a class on diversity...finding out how the country/state desires for us to teach diversity, be accepting, integrate different cultures and people into the classroom and yet our teaching is in words and not actions. the one thing we are telling our students to do in words, we as adults can't model in actions. So, what are we really teaching our students?

I don't know...all I have to say is that I don't think there will ever be a seperation of church and state...I mean look at our history and what socities and civilizations were built on. A belief in something spiritual...a higher being. I don't think there will ever be an elimination of prayer in schools either.

and it is passioante people who live out what they believe in, that will cause my preditions to be true!!

I saw one of the coolest things the other day. i was walking into a school to substitute teach a class. OGTs were going on this week...tests that need to be passed in order to graduate. It was a class of Seniors and some of them still needed to pass some of there OGT tests. If they didn't pass...they would not graduate.
It was freakin awesome!! Some of the other students gathered these seniors (that needed to pass the tests) and gathered some of the teachers together to pray for these students/seniors that needed to pass the OGT. the students that prayed...didn't just pray an empty prayer, but a passionate, loving, heart felt prayer to a G-D you could tell they believed in and for people they really cared about.

sounds like prayer in schools...isn't a bad things. in fact maybe even makes our world a better place?

Purim is a great reason to party

We have so many holidays now days, but so many of our holidays don't have any meaning or miss the heart as to why we celebrate them. They become boring, meaningless, and are empty. But, it has been fun to revisit the heart of holidays that we celebrate or to begin to celebrate holidays that have powerful meaning and heart behind why they are celebrated. Recently, Sarah and I have been really getting into the Jewish roots of our faith. As disciples of Jesus, we desire to celebrate some of their meaningful holidays with the Jesus twist to them (which really is not a twist because he fits in just perfectly - i mean...Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies that the Jewish people were looking for.)

anyway, Sarah and I recently saw the movie "A night with a King" in the theatre, which is the story of Esther in movie form (pretty good movie) and so we began to read the book of Esther in the Bible. We came across a holiday that the Jewish people would celebrate and so we began to look into the heart of this holiday or custom called Purim. We liked it: the heart was to celebrate G-Ds faithfulness and protection.

So, we decided to celebrate Purim and invited a ton of people to join us for this celebration. All I have to say is that this holiday has been a ton of fun. Here is what we found out behind the heart of Purim and some of the traditions/customs we decided to follow:

Purim is a time for us to rejoice, worship, and celebrate G-D’s protection and faithfulness for his people.

What is Purim?

Quick Heart: In the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on its thirteenth day…on the day that the enemies of the Jews were expected to prevail over them, it was turned about: the Jews prevailed over their adversaries. (Esther 9:1)

And they gained relief on the fourteenth, making it a day of feasting and gladness. – Esther 9:17

[Mordecai instructed them] to observe them as day of feasting and gladness, and sending delicacies to one another, and gifts to the poor. – Esther 9:22

Purim is a time when Jews gather together to fast and celebrate in remembrance of G-Ds faithfulness and protection. It is a time where Jews would give gifts to the poor, deliver baskets of food to friends, read the book of Esther (hiss, boo and use noise makers when the name of Haman is mentioned), dress up in costume, fast, “drink until one cannot tell the difference between “cursed be Haman” and “Blessed be Mordecai” (ancient Rabbi’ have said), Feast and Rejoice.

How we celebrate Purim

Fasting

In Esther 4, Mordecai finds out that Haman has put out a decree to have the Jews annihilated. Mordecai then urges Esther to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. Esther knows that anyone that goes before the king without being summoned, runs the risk of being put to death. So, Esther sends a message to Mordecai saying, “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." (Esther 4:16).

The day before Purim, the Jews observe a fast day in memory of Esther who asked the Jews to fast for three days before she risked approaching the king. A fast day usually begins at dawn and ends at nightfall. It also consists of no eating, drinking, washing, or engaging in sexual activity (pregnant and nursing women do not have to fast on this day.)

So, we ask that you join us on March 3^rd (the day before Purim) to take a day to fast and remember G-D and his continual faithfulness to His people.

Lookin forward to paryin with all of you…

Oh Yeah…I also forgot last week to talk about why we drink wine on Purim…very quickly…we drink wine on Purim because it was during a wine feast that Haman’s plan was revealed.

Giving Gifts to the Poor

In the book of Ester, Haman (the king’s right hand man), sent out a decree that on a certain day, all the Jews should be destroyed (Ester 3:8-15). Through prayer, fasting, and faith, Ester, along with Mordecai and other faithful Jews, pleaded for G-D to intercede on behalf of his people so that the Jews (G-D’s people) would be saved. God demonstrated his faithfulness to His people as he used Ester and Mordecai to offer the protection that was needed as they triumphed over there enemies.

-- At the end of the book of Ester, Mordecai commands the Jews “to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. (Ester 9:22b)”. Since the time of Ester, the Jews (G-D’s people) have traditionally given gifts to the poor in order to honor this command and as an example of how G-D continues to remain faithful and take care of their needs. So, we continue to honor this command by taking time to give to the poor and remembering that G-D continues to remain faithful and take care of our needs.

Action: So, for the next couple of weeks lets take time as a community (G-D’s people) to think about how we can continue this tradition as we celebrate Purim. Lets aim for taking a collection on the day we celebrate Purim (march 4^th) and then think of ways that we can use that money to give it radically to people who need it.

Examples:

- take the money we would save on food, during the day we fast and give it to the poor

- take the money and do a soup kitchen thing and donate it to them for the food

- send it to Africa to help an orphanage

- find a begger on the street and give it to them

- take someone who is poor shopping

Pray about what G-D wants us to do with that money and then lets give it away!!!!!!!!!!!!

As we continue our journey into the heart of why we are celebrating Purim, we are going to take a look at two traditions that are usually a part of the Purim celebration; the reading of the Megilah along with Feasting and Rejoicing.

The reading of the Megilah

It is Jewish custom for G-D’s people to gather during Purim and read the Megilah. The book of Esther is commonly known as the Megilah, which means scroll. Although there are five books of Jewish scripture that are properly referred to as Megilahs, this is the one people usually mean when they speak of the Megilah. Traditionally, G-D’s people will read the Megilah the night before and on the morning of Purim. It is customary to boo, hiss, stamp, and rattle gragers (noisemakers – in Hebrew they are called Ra’ashanim meaning “to make a lot of noise) whenever the name of Haman is mentioned. The purpose of this custom is to “blot out the name of Haman”

We are going to continue this tradition as we gather on the evening of Purim (march 4^th @ 5:30) and take time to read the Megilah together before we feast and party.

Feasting and Rejoicing (Esther 9:17, Esther 9:21-22)

It is also Jewish custom for G-D’s people to eat, drink, and be merry. According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between “cursed be Haman” and “blessed be Mordecai” (Although this is true, a person should not become so drunk that he might violate other commandments or get seriously ill). There is no special food (except for Hamantashen- will explain later) or special rules behind the feasting or rejoicing… Just to have fun being together and to celebrate G-D’s faithfulness and protection.

We are also going to continue this custom as we gather together to feast and rejoice as we celebrate G-D’s protection and faithfulness in our own lives. We are using the heart of Purim to remind us that G-D has continually remained faithful to His people throughout time. As we celebrate we plan on hanging out, reflecting on G-D faithfulness, playing games, and just having a ton of fun celebrating together as G-D’s people. We encourage you to bring food and drink to share and if you have any games to add to the fun we encourage you to bring those as well.

Why do we drink wine? Esther invited Haman to a wine banquet to bring Haman down.

Giving Gifts to one another:

In the book of Esther, Mordecai declared the holiday of Purim as a time of “feasting and gladness and of sending food to one another, as well as gifts to the poor”

Because of this, it is custom for the Jewish people to send food packages or food baskets to friends and relatives on Purim. The only requirement is that the baskets contain at least two different foods that require two separate blessings (something edible and drinkable) with no further preparation, and that you send them to at least two different people. If at all possible the gifts should be sent by messengers, rather than delivered personally because the Megilah uses the word Mishloach (sending)….these baskets are usually sent on the day of Purim

In order to continue this Purim custom we ask that everyone choose at least two people whom they can send baskets of food to on Purim or the day before Purim. Why? Mostly because it just seems like a fun custom that continues with the heart of Purim and will make for a lot of very cool stories. Kind of like a ding-dong-ditch with food J all in the name of G-D.

Masks

It is customary to hold carnival-like celebrations on Purim, to perform plays and parodies, to dress up like characters in the Esther story, and to hold beauty contests. Because of this, we thought that it would be fun to wear masks to the celebration to remind us that Esther hid her true identity, but that there was no need for her to. Why? Because of G-Ds amazing faithfulness and protection. Maybe during the celebration we can have a mask unveiling and a time of prayer!

So we ask that you bring and or wear your mask to the Purim celebration on Sunday night.

that is the heart behind purim and the adventure we took with other people that passionatly love Jesus!!

IT WAS SOOOOO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOW......I CAN'T WAIT FOR PASSOVER

If its going to be cold there has to be SNOW!

This is my wife and Mr. chinamoowong.

He began to melt the next day and his head fell off :(