I’m not really sure who “Lucy” by Skillet is about. Obviously someone named Lucy died.

(I’m typing on the Internet, the source of all knowledge, and I am still uninformed. I take the blame.)

I heard the song after work today while driving, and it made think of how I would feel if i lost the most important woman in my life – my wife. The song put a lot in perspective. All the singer wanted to do was hold Lucy, but that was impossible. A stark, jarring reality.

Made me appreciate and love my wife. Made me want to do all I could do for her, despite being short on time and funds.

I remember clearly the time at summer camp when the preacher was recounting a time he was at summer camp and the preacher was talking about “throwing the faggots in the fire.” Back then, a faggot was a bundle of sticks, but the preacher I was listening to knew about both meaning of the word “faggot” and said both were great ideas. It was said half-jokingly, and was met with half-jokingly vocal approval, but it was still said.

It was not a big deal to tease about violence toward another child of God because of the way they chose to live their life. This was a recurring theme growing up.

I could list other examples of appalling ideas and behaviors, and then make the argument that these are the reasons I rejected my upbringing, faith, and Christianity, but that would be an illogical response. These certain examples of poor behavior are the foundation of Christianity – they are the outcome of man’s depravity. We break everything we touch.

I am encouraged deeply by my generation because there are those of us who saw inconsistencies and problems with certain things that were preached as God’s Word, but weren’t quite so upon further examination. But upon these findings and realizations, we did not throw the baby out with the bathwater – that would have been inconceivable.

We adjusted the questionable parts to conform with what was right, and kept the foundational principles. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and just because someone advocates for something stupid and off the wall does not mean that Jesus is no longer the Son of God.

[This post was inspired by this article by Perry Noble and my friends agreement and acceptance of it.]

I’m very aware I have been blessed beyond all measure. Compared to the rest of the world, I am in the richest 1% as an American.

I have an iPhone 6, and I am able to pay for service and make upgrades to my phone.

There is a great organization called XXX Church who fights pornography and provides a free alternative to the Safari internet browser app to have my internet use be monitored.

I voluntarily use this app. I could download other apps to use the Internet freely, but I choose not to. I want accountability.

But when this organization with great intent fails in the application of their purpose (it is the worst, most glitchy app ever)it is Satan using this failure to try to tempt us to not use the app.

I appreciate the people at XXX Church, but they are making it difficult to keep my promise to use the accountability app.

When deaths of civilians at the hands of cops avoid trial and portions of America seem to be ignorant of the justice system (the grand jury is nothing similar to a regular trial), we have a dangerous situation.

When a fair hearing of the facts are not allowed to be heard in a court of law, there may be those who take matters in their own hands in a fit of wrongful rage and unchecked emotion.

It was wrong for cops to strangle Michael Garner to death, it was a misuse of the grand jury to not indict him, and it was wrong for that nut job to execute two cops in NYC, but…

What did we expect? Animals are on both sides of the issue.

A cop sympathizer told me, if you don’t resist arrest, you won’t be killed.

Using that callous logic, if you don’t kill innocent civilians, nut cases won’t kill you…

(Faulty, but comparable logic in both statements.)

Growing up, it was ingrained in me that attending church 3 times a week was important to be a good Christian. A visiting preacher once dropped the phrase “three to thrive” and other preachers railed on professional athletes who were public about their faith.

Apparently, it is impossible to have a walk  with God and play professional sports on Sundays.

Today at church, we had MMA fighters Vitor Belfort and Diego Sanchez speak about their faith. Both get questions from religious people that they cannot be right with God and be a fighter.

Belfort used the example of the Pharisees condemning Christ because he healed a blind man on the Sabbath. The fighters have a voice no other preacher or church member have, and we are busy focusing on what they are doing and ignoring their influence.

This is legalism. This is unnecessary. Church does not make a person a Christian. I’m thankful for every pro athlete that speaks up about Christ.

It’s easier to “preach to the choir” than proclaim your faith to a watching world.

So the Internet is blowing up because a woman who is only famous because of her sex tape (Kim Kardashian) decided to get naked for a magazine. The magazine had the goal of “breaking the Internet.”

Besides the immaturity, does anyone find it ironic that an archaic medium (print media) thought it could create a lot of buzz using a new medium with naked pictures of a woman who leaked her own explicit video years ago?

Huh?

I’m tempted to leave social media altogether. I won’t have anything to write about her, anymore, but my newsfeed and timeline won’t be bombarded with explicit images. Besides the fact Kardashian’s pics are NSFW (not safe for work), they aren’t safe for healthy views of women either.

Real women are not airbrushed and touched up. I’m glad my soon-to-be wife does not match these magazine cover whores. She’s real with imperfections, and that’s just how I want her.

Monica Lewinsky recently made another foray into the news cycle, declaring herself a victim of “bullying.” Whether or not she has been bullied, she seemed to forget the reason she was “bullied.”

Monica Lewinsky is the 90’s version of Kim Kardashian. The only reason we know who Kim Kardashian is is because of her pornography, possibly released by Kim herself. The only reason we know who Lewinsky is is because of what she was doing with the President of the United States in the Whitehouse, who was a married man. Monica seems to forget that’s how we know her name.

Sex sells. It also garners fame and fortune

Recently I decided to start reading the English Standard Version Bible. With encouragement from my fiancee, I broke from the King James Bible, which some may consider heresy.

All I know is that every time I tried to read the KJV for myself, I found myself distracted by the need for a dictionary or secondary resource to explain what I was reading. I’m rather educated, and I have a decent vocabulary. I’m not dumb. I grew up in church and went to a Christian school where the Bible was part of every class, but the ESV has made reading my Bible much easier.

Nobody communicates in the form of English the KJV was written in, and when preachers preach from the KJV or any other version, they speak in a language the audience will understand.

People can still come to Christ and find salvation even if the speaker is not quoting the 1611 KJV verbatim, right? Or maybe I just have a wack view of salvation.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the KJV – some of the most beautiful language is in that version. Romans 5:20 is a great example.

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (KJV)

vs.

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, (ESV)

It is no contest for me. The King James wins. I get excited reading that verse, and when I read other versions, it just does not stir the same emotion in me.

This morning I caught up with a good friend from college – we are both busy and talk sporadically, but he randomly shared with me his new ESV Study Bible, and sent me the passage from II Peter 1:5-8.

Shortly after that, I shared these verses with my fiancee, who exclaimed that she was in the middle of sharing this exact same passage with me after hearing Joyce Meyer talk about it this morning.

Something for me to pay attention to. I was supposed to hear this word this morning.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)

 

Can 6 year old boys really question their assigned gender and be taken seriously?

Can 6 year old boys express much regarding their feelings? If we are a product of our environment, is it possible to let a child “express” themselves? That child is just regurgitating what he’s been exposed to – isn’t that how we learn to talk?

This story in the Tecumseh Herald, only adds to the confusion in refusing to call the child by his name, only addressing him as “Boy.” Does anyone get the irony here?

However, the broader question I want to ask regarding gender bending and sexuality is, how should we as Christians handle this? We know God made us male and female, and the two shall become one via marriage of which Jesus spoke, but that doesn’t resonate with the crowd that is going against the traditional grain of gender and sexuality.

How does a Christian deal with this issue? Showing God’s love is my default answer. God’s love and His gift of salvation are far more important than how a person is living or parenting.

Let God do the convicting in these other complicated issues. I’m not God. I’m too busy dealing with my own struggles and sin to worry about anyone else.

I consider myself fairly fit. I’ve always been on the skinny side, but in the last few years, I have incrementally become more dedicated to my fitness. I’m constantly looking to keep my workouts and diets fresh and new, and I’m happy with my progress this far.

My vanity drives me to wake up an hour early every morning and sweat.

Men’s Health pounds my inbox daily, and some of it is worth reading. Some is meant to be ignored.

This challenge kicked my butt.

5 burpees with a push up, 5 renegade rows each arm, and 5 squat-curl-press. 3 rounds.

Doesn’t seem that difficult, right?

I couldn’t get it under 2 minutes. My first attempt was 3:20.

Room for improvement.

http://bcove.me/n01curd8