ministry of archers...

What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him, visit him every morning and test him every moment?
Job 7:17-18 ESV

I've been reading through the book of Job lately, and it's really been a powerful experience. I've read it before, but it's hitting me different this time. It used to really depress me, and now I really find myself relating to it. Not that my world has all come crashing down around me like Job's, but I guess I just really appreciate his honesty. He is honest enough to call God out, and ask him questions like that in the verse above. He also writes, "he (God) set me up as his target; his archers surround me." Job 16:12-13 ESV
Life really feels like that sometime. I know that God is good, and that I serve a loving, wondrous God, but at the same time there are days when it feels like God is out to get me. Everything goes wrong and I forget God and all His promises.
Keep me ever mindful of you, o Lord.

thou my best thought, by day and by night...

It's amazing how much I feel like I've been pulled through these last few weeks. We went from summertime relaxing, to Peter's wedding, our anniversary, to Mari starting school, to me working about double what I have been at work (which is a good thing), to getting everything together to lead worship at church on Sunday. Wow! Everything seems kind of fuzzy in my memory right now. I usually like to take life at a slower pace and have time to reflect on events and really let them sink in. I haven't had that time.
God grant me peace and strength, help me live one day at a time.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; praise him above, you heavenly hosts; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

paperback writer...

"Accept the next proposition you hear."
Jones Soda (fortune underneath the cap)

I don't know how long I'll keep this Jones Soda thing up. It just seems that I have to be drinking one before I write a new post. This probably has more to do with the fact that I do most of my writing while I'm at work than anything else.
Do you ever reach a point where you're practically begging to be intellectually stimulated? No book, nothing can satisfy my hunger to learn right now. I feel like I'm at an age where I should be accomplished at something or at least be ready to graduate from college, seeing as how I'm lacking in both of those departments I'm trying to make up for it by reading voraciously (I'm even using big words). I go through these periods from time to time. They usually last for a couple of months and then I don't feel like touching a book for a good long while. At that point the couch and the TV are my friends. It's funny now that I'm a husband and a father though there really isn't much time in the day for reading, so I've become kind of an insomniac too. I stay up till all hours of the night reading. I do a lot of my reading at work too. I think all this reading is my response to a desire to write. I really want to write, to write something beautiful, something meaningful, but since I won't be writing the Great American Novel anytime soon (or ever), I'll settle for reading the Great American Novel.

I'm currently reading:


which is neither American or a novel.

latersss....

"Your sense of humor will be your key to success."
Jones Soda (fortune underneath the cap).

That made me laugh. Mostly because I have such a great sense of humor!

thoughts on a verse...

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin."
Psalm 51:1-2 TNIV

What an honest verse!  Why don't we all react like that when we're convicted our sins?  Why don't I?  Why don't we all take the cross seriously?  Why don't I?

It's amazing how desensitized I can become.  How I can become so used to the idea of God himself being hung on a tree and killed that I can mention it in one breath and not pause to think about the gravity of what I've just said.  

God, make me ever mindful of You.  Make me aware of You and help me to never forget the awesome sacrifice You made.

i've got the fever...

I guess I've jumped on the World Cup bandwagon this year. I tried watching it back in 2002, but all the games were on TV at about 2 or 3 in the morning and I didn't have that kind of dedication back then. Fortunately al the games are on about 10 AM and 2 PM this year, so I'm able to watch them with Joel or keep track of them when I'm on the computer at work (which is the case right now). I was pulling for the US even though I felt like we were highly overrated going into the World Cup. Now I'm hoping England and Brasil (no, that's not misspelled) will both advance. I really like the style of play that both teams have. Brasil plays a lot more aggressively than other teams. I think that's why they dominate! I like England too, their style seems to be a bit more reserved and classy.
So what I'm trying to say is that I'm slowing converting to the sport of soccer (or football as the rest of the world knows it). After the World Cup I want to start watching Premier League soccer. A friend of mine and huge soccer fan told me it's the best soccer in the world. Well, back to the game! Go France!

you are strength to me...

I feel weak, like I need to be carried.  I thought growing up would be easier than it is.  I can do grown-up things like get married and become a father and still not feel very mature.  I don't feel like the kind of "super dad" or "super husband" that I want to be.  I want to be the kind of man that makes his entire family feel safe just by his presence.  I want my family to know that their loved and protected.  I want to be superman.