And now for something completely different

Yesterday I was playing with my "Pet Dragon" over on Facebook (shocker, I know), who I loving call "Tron", I got to reminiscing about my youth. Specifically my days spending my quarters in the local arcade, and then about the video game "Dragon's Lair".
Well, to make a long story short, I kind of consolidated some of my geekiness I guess. I will name my "Pet Dragon" there 'Tron: the Singe Construct'! LOL

I was never very good at that video game because it was $0.50 - which was a lot of money to play one game - and I just never got good enough in the timing of the controls. Besides Pac Man, it was one of the earliest "pattern" games out there. There were books on what you needed to do for each screen. That is there might be a pattern of; left, left, up, sword, right, back, jump. Once you had the pattern, and the timing down you "owned" that screen. Once you knew all of the patterns it was just a matter of time. Sometimes the game would "mirror" a scene to throw you off though. LOL Still, this game is available for my son's Gamecube. Hmm.... lol

I was mostly a Pinball player in my day - which was pretty old fashioned for a kid growing up in the early 80's. One of my favorite Pinball games was "Black Knight" by Williams. When I ever I spied one out I would drop in a quarter even if I didn't have time to play a full game.

Now I like to collect P/C pinball sims. Some of the best out there were by a company that used to go by "Pro Pinball", and I have found out that some of their sims may be out for one of the game platforms. Hmm...

Who am I kidding. I don't get to play games anymore.

But my all time favorite game was "Cyberball". It was a game that I would sink quarter after quarter into. It combined some of my favorite interests... Football (American), Video Games, and Sci-Fi/Robots.

Ah, but we can never go back.
Verse for today:
Philippians 3: 12-16, ESV
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

You are what you think about...

"You are what you think about when you can think about anything you want.'


I read that in a daily devotional earlier this week, and it really caused me to stop and think. What is it that fills my mind when my work day is over, after the kids are feed/bathed/and in bed? I've really been taking an inventory (so to speak) of late. I really want to discipline myself to focus more on God in those times. I know He gave each of us creative abilities, and I tend to fill my time with thinking about stories, or some such thing, but I do not remember a time when I really sat down and meditated on something, anything, about just God.

I am not getting down on myself, just an observation that I wanted to share. Self discipline is good so long as it doesn't become legalistic and my basis of my relationship with the Lord.
Verse for today:
Philippians 4:8-9, ESV
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Preparing for "battle"

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any [katana], piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:11-13, esv - note: actual text uses 'two-edged sword' )

I need to confess something (even knowing that some people who I know and live near, actually read this). I do not read my Bible enough. I do not pray enough. I do not study enough. And I am a poorer man, a poorer Christian, a poorer disciple for it.

The picture of the samurai of old have been blurred by time, distance, and my American cultural bias and influence. I know they were not perfect, and for the most part, not men who followed Christ and his teachings (even after the Portugese missionaries arrived). But, to reuse a bit of scripture from yesterday for an anology: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippeans 4:8, esv)

The first image that comes to mind of a samurai is the katana, or long sword. We (Americans at least) think of these men as masters of the sword. From a very young age they train to master it. As a Christian what is my sword? The Bible tells me that it is the very Word of God. If I am not in His word, if I am not studying His word, if I am not making His very word a part of me, then I am not learning how to use His word. Not for my own purposes, because if I am truly following Christ than I have laid down my life, but for His purposes and glory.

A samurai lived to serve his lord. He was about his lord's business, and in everything he did, it was an effort to not dishonor his master. I don't know if the Daimyo actually knew his samurai personally, and with them still being human, this is probably not the best example. But my Lord, Christ, desires to know me personally. He wants to spend time with me. How do I get to know my Master? It is done in spending time in prayer, in thinking and meditating about what His word is showing me. About looking around and weighing it against what He has revealed to me.

In my opinion, I am a rather weak 'samurai' in the service the Lord Jesus Christ. But even the weakest samurai was to be of use to his lord to the Daimyo. And I further can benefit in that in my weakness, He is revealed to be strong. But that can only be possible when I yield myself to Him.



Verse for today:
2 Timothy 2:15-19, ESV
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, [2] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

Concerns about the term "Christian Samurai"

Recently a fellow Christian who also refers to himself as a 'Christian Samurai', brought to my attention an article from "The Berean Call" titled "Samurai Christians". In it they expresses "concerns" regarding Christians trying to be seen as 'samurai'.

Mainly they raise three points:

1) PANTHEISM AND REINCARNATION.

2) RITUAL SUICIDE

3) CHILD MOLESTATION

I would like to put forth my own reply, for what it's worth.

Item 1 - As Christians there is an obvious answer to this concern. When I refer to myself as a Christian that means I believe in the Bible, and the Bible is very clear. "“You shall have no other gods before [or besides] me." (Exodus 20:3, esv) This is the #1 of the Ten Commandments. As a Christian I believe that there is but one God in heaven, and that 'the heavens' is not God. As a Christian I also believe that there is only the resurection of the dead to stand before God on the final day, there are no 'extra turns'. "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment..." (Hebrew 9:27, esv). As Christians we cannot be 'double minded' - just as a house divided cannot stand, nor can a man be double-minded (or divided of mind) and still be able to serve God.

Item 2 - I am not God, therefor it is not up to me to determine when I am no longer of use to my Lord. There are a lot of Christian teachings concerning suicide and I don't think I need to beat this horse. No where (that I can find) in the Bible is suicide condoned, and therefor - where my desire to be like a samurai, and the ways of the samurai may contradict the teachings of the Bible, I must conform my thoughts, beliefs, and actions to the Bible.

Item 3 - This is just plain sick in my mind. First and foremost as Christians we are to submit to the rulers that God has established over us (so long as the very same do not 'encourage' us to contradict or go against God). The laws of the United States, and most (if not all) of the world agrees. This is strictly forbiden and there are consequences for such actions.

I consider myself a "samurai Christian", but I am a Christian in the service to the Lord Jesus Christ first, above everything else. I have read Paul Nowak's book "The Way of the Christian Samurai", and I can find no mention of his support for the items listed as "concerns" (my term) mentioned in the aformentioned article. He is quite clear, and I agree, that what we are trying to espouse are the areas of the samurai that can show us ways of being more sincere, more dedicated, more 'single minded' if you will, Christian.

The enemy of our souls is crafty. It is not beyond him to insert strings of Truth wihin his web of lies and disception. This is true of anything we can encounter here on Earth.

I will wrap this up with two quotes from scripture:

1 Thesselonians 5:12-24, esv (emphasis mine)

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, [3] encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

&

Philippians 4:4-9, esv (emphasis mine)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

So, in essence, I consider myself "Kurisuchan" (クリスチャン侍), or a samurai who has the mind of a Christian - or the mind of Christ. Just as I do not feel that any one person, or denomination, has it all perfect in their pursuit of Christ, I know there are things that the samurai of old may have done that I will NOT do. But that does not mean that there are things that they did, that were not praise worthy and worthy of being emulated.

Rest interrupted

Well, my 'mini vacation' was interrupted by the telephone at 06:50 this morning. It was the midnight shift guys letting me know that the 'bossman' was very ill, and I would be needed to come in and attend all of the daily/weekly meetings for him. Such is life, but I've since talked with 'bossman' and he's agreed to let me take a replacement day saometime in the "near future". Who knows... I might be able to start my Thanksgiving break a little early? :)

Today has been a whirlwind, but here are some random thoughts...

For some reason the song "Juke Box Hero" (by Foreigner) has been playing in mind over, and over, and over again... I really have no idea why. So, I've played it a few times from a You Tube video. I don't get it... but it's like being unable to scratch an itch or something!



For the past week or so, I have really been turning over the subject of knowing, and being known by, God. The verses "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" (Matthew 7:21-23, ESV), has been something I dwell on from time to time. Not just for my own edification, but so that I can (hopefully) explain it others if asked. One particular sub-theme of this as been (for me) the act of repentence. Over at Steve Camp's blog (yes the contemporary Christian musician) there is an excellent post regarding this very subject. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to ponder such things.

I enjoy writing the occasional short story, but I have been 'dry' for about 3 months now. I have ideas and concepts... continuations of several story lines I've started, but it's just not coming out. At least not in a cohesive form. I'm itching to write... I've just not had the time to sit and plug (i.e. bang) away at it until I clear that hurdle. I've been trying to carry a notebook around to jot notes in... but I've not been disciplined enough to follow through on that. gotta get off my duff!

Speaking of discipline... I need to get out and start running again. I know this is not the normal time a year to start such things, but my back has sidelined me from doing any serious exercise since late April. I've already missed two APFT test times, and I don't want to go out (retire) on a profile - unable to complete my expected check marks. My back still has some aches, and I am still seeing a chyropractor once aq month, but he feels it should be ok to start light running, and even some sit-ups (the later filling me with dread even thinking about it).

Coming back to music before I close things out for today, if you are one who enjoys praise and worship music I can cannot recommend the blog Worship Matters enough. It is written by a man who leads worship in church every Sunday. For me it has been very insightful.

Well, that's all I have for today... God bless...



Verse for today:
Phillipians 4:8-9, ESV
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

"Are you cold at night?"

Yesterday my beloved asked DS2, "are you cold at night". Most people who read this will know what she was asking. My beloved wanted to know if he was having trouble sleeping because he was too cold. She wanted to know if he had enough blankets, etc. His answer made me laugh. "Yeah, but then I heat it up and I have to move to find a cool spot." LOL - he was saying that he was getting too hot, and had to shift around so he could get cooler in order to get more comfortable. The acorn doesn't fall too far from the tree. We're both nuts. :) I'm in trouble. I will be leading the discussion for our Bible study Friday night and I've not even started to study up! *sigh* I still have 48 hours though... There is a really good blog entry over at "Preachers Preaching" about "Lazy Preachers" - in my case, I am being a lazy 'lay-leader'. Verse for today: Philippians 4:4-9, ESV Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I'm sayin', but I'm not sayin'

I have been receiving some really good, thoughtful, comments from my blog entry the other day, titled 'The Objective and the subjective'. But I think I am being mis-understood. In regards to God changing His mind. Did God really change His mind regarding Sodom and Gomorah, or was He teaching Abraham to be concerned with the welfare of others? Was it God saying, "maybe I shouldn't destroy these cities", or was it God shaping Abraham to teach him that He can interact with God regarding such things? I mean, in the end the cities were still destroyed. Only Lot and his daughters were saved. In the end, our input is heard by God, and I firmly believe if we "ask not", we will not see any changes. God desires our interaction that is for sure. His Word is clear in that we are to seek Him, petition Him, and ask Him for things. This is one of those things that we will enjoy getting to know about God as we walk with Him. The second item brought up was regarding 1 Corinthians 9:20-23. There is definetly no one right way to preach the Gospel. I fully believe Pastor Orsteen is sincere in his efforts to reach the lost for the sake of Christ. And I fully believe that he is doing that. But, if we allow those who are brought through the doors to remain in such a state they will at best remain ignorant of exactly what God has accomplished with Christ going to the cross, and at worst they will remain connected to the church because it is so welcoming - but remain seperated from God, never having seen the need to accept His work on the cross. America is full of people professing to be Christians, but having a schewed view of what exactly being a Christian means. And they are from all points of view. Some that are incredibly legalistic (*), while others are the exact opposite (God's grace in all things, no matter what I do). We have churches that are failing to grow spiritually, or even worse they misrepresent God. God is unchanging (Malachi), His ways are perfect (2 Samuel), He cannot lie (Numbers), and He cannot contradict Himself, thus my concern for what I perceive as a misrepresentation of God. Especially when it is in the context of we being able to change God's mind when it comes to 'difficulties' or 'hardships'. And when the message is consistantly leaning towards how good and gracious He is, without any mention of why God is so good and gracious to us, then I am concerned. I never debated that the situation changed for the King in 2 Kings, and I never said that Pastor Osteen was preaching a false gospel (if he ever mentions it at all) or that he is not bringing people to Christ. What I am trying to say is that - I feel - that it is a weakened presentation, and that it does not fully represent the God to whom he is calling people to. "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (John 17:3, ESV) "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:17, ESV) Some people when they come to Christ are not ready to hear what they have been saved from, others cannot be saved without knowing it. Some people come to Christ in an instant and/or when they are very young. Others after many years of faithful witness and/or when they are older. Some people are never ready to hear the "whistle of the train coming". No matter how we are brought to Him can we ever adequetly justify a complacency, an "I have arrived" type attitude if you were? And what about looking to ourselves for change? If you've ever heard "The Message" this is exactly what is being presented. When we constantly look to ourselves, we eventually fail. We "work out our own salvation" (Phillipians 2:12), but we never achieve the ultimate goal on our own - our salvation, without God's gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8-10). It is one thing to presnt a "feel good message" in order to draw people to Christ, it is another thing entirely to present a false image of God. When that happens we are creating idols, and I think we know how God deals with idols. Before I "close out" this blog entry I think I need to also say that, when I stand before the throne of God, and my life is reviewed, I am confident that there are a great number of things (I dare say - most) that I will be mistaken on. I know that my views are not perfect. But I feel compelled to share these concerns - and thus I have prayed, I rely, and I trust that the Holy Spirit will use these imperfect words as He sees fit, and ultimately for His glory. If what we "know" contradicts what His Word says, we must carefully examine our own heart and mind, and ask for Him to reveal it to us - because ultimately we are subjective, and He is objective. Verse for today: Numbers 23:18-19, ESV “Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, O son of Zippor: God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? * the definition I find most helpful was summarized by CJ Mahaney (in one place in his book "The Cross Centered Life", by Multinomah books, 2002, pg 25, para. 2), he summarizes it like this, "Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God, through obedience to God."

Making my escape

Or at least for a 'time-out'. :)

I have started, and restarted this blog three times today. I'm just gonna go with this for today.

At my homegroup bible study on Friday I proposed the guys get out for a movie night or something. Unfortunately there is only two of us going tonight. One guy commutes over 90 minutes to work, another has to close his store, and the other guy lives too far away - so it's just the two of us.

Fortunately my beloved has stepped up and will take all three kids to soccer practice while me and my friend drive out to the $2.00 movie theater. We're going to go see "Transformers". It will be something I don't have to try and digest. I will maintain my guard, but I don't have to try and figure out the plot.

Verse for today:

Philippians 4:4-9, ESV

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Talking about what is good

The past few posts have not really been all that helpful. Well, maybe they have been, but it feels like they have been slightly negative in tone. That really was not my intention. It's just I want so much more for the body of Christ, for my 'brothers' and 'sisters'. I want more for myself. Especially when it comes to my relationship with Christ. I am not really sure what else to say today. May the Lord be with you... Verse for today: Philippians 4:4-9, ESV Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Weighing the Pros and Cons

Ever have a situation where you have to make a really tough decision? Common advice is to pull out a piece of paper and write out all of the pros and cons of each decision and then make your decision. What if it's not about you? What if it is about those who God has brought into your 'sphere of influence'. God's Word is pretty clear. We are to put aside our preferences in order to serve our neighbors. Treat others as we would want to be treated. Love your neighbor as your self. When one is limited as we are (being human) there are times when decisions are to choose between the rock or the hard place. Verse for today: Phillipians 4:4-7, ESV Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.