Couple brief comments about tonight’s debate:

• I was happy that it played out more (slightly) like an actual debate, albiet hilarious to watch them shoot back and forth, beg for more time, get denied, then sneak their rebuttal into the next question when it wasn’t even relevant
• I still have a hard time putting their responses through the “stump speach” filter…it’s not very fun to watch generic republican A battle generic democrat B but I’m trying…
• I was impressed with both candidates tonight and a little depressed with both.  McCain seemed more controlled and had some very quality responses, but had plenty of poor ones that were little more than some rhetoric and repetition.  Obama is always well spoken but seemed to lack depth and never really convinced me of his capabilities, although he had some inspiring reponses.  
• I look forward to seeing all the crazy SNL skits that shall arise from this one, as they’ve been twice as fun and nearly as informative as many of these.  
• Hopefully we can see more true “debate” filled debates as they lock up in the future.  

This past week I had the privilege of sitting down with some high schoolers and discussing the “Prosperity Gospel” in modern America and it’s contrast with scripture.  For those unfamiliar,  the “Prosperity Gospel” is a term used to refer to the preaching that focuses on God “blessing” his people with material things, health, etc.

Here is a quote from a “popular” American preacher who regularly preaches the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel.  I’m omitting names as the point of this post is not to vilify anyone but rather open eyes to what’s going on…

“It’s God’s will for you to live in prosperity instead of poverty.  It’s God’s will for you to live in health and not in sickness all the days of your life”

The message that God wants you to have material things, wealth, cars, money, and to simply “be happy” is the message being pushed all across the globe by “prosperity gospel” preachers.  People find it ever so attractive (as you might expect) as preachers exclaim over and over again God’s plan for your life, and how it involves financial prosperity and good things.  As one preacher said, “Make church relevant… I find today people are not looking for theology.”

As believers, as people searching for truth, we must first hear these things and react like the Bereans do in Acts 17:11.  We must examine God’s word and see if what’s being said and taught is true.  With these prosperity teachings becoming more and more prevelant in modern preaching, television, and literature - it’s key to examine and refute false teaching.

A quick glance at Romans 5:3-4,  James 1:2-3, and 2 Corinthians 8:1-2 give us some quick Biblical perspective that flies in the face of this modern popularity.  The biblical perspective of suffering, poverty, trial and hardship is not one where these things are to be “absent” from our lives, but rather embraced with JOY as an opportunity for persevearane, character, and hope.  The Macedonians had great affliction and poverty yet had an overwhelming joy in the midst of it.

Their joy was in God, not circumstances, and certainly not material things.  It comes down to what your treasure is.  Is it money, health, prosperity?  Or is it God?  In fact, Christ himself said in Luke 14:33 that anyone who does not renounce all he has cannot be his disciple.  Seems quite the contrast to the popular prosperity teaching.  Not to mention countless warnings about riches, including the likes of 1 Timothy 6:9 that warns us that the desire for riches is a trap and a temptation.

Across the globe there is so much more “cost” to the faith of believers.  They’re lives are filled with persecution, hardship and death.  Where is their prosperity gospel?  I wonder how America would look, how Christianity would look if there was great cost associated with faith.  If people didn’t have the luxury of simply showing up to church once every couple weeks or arbitrarily calling on and abandoning the name of Christ in American leisure.

The prosperity Gospel is dangerous because it teaches us to treasure things above Christ.  God’s word doesn’t teach that.  It teaches that we may suffer, we may be broke or lack many things the world has, and yet that is our opportunity to take joy, our opportunity to hold Christ higher than all else, to shine our light before men, and to treasure the only true Treasure that exists.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”  - Matthew 13:44-45

Here’s an audio clip from a sermon by John Piper, a pastor in Minnesota whom I greatly respect and admire. His website is www.desiringgod.org, also available in our “friends and links” section.

Though I often feel the victim, I saw today the joy that can only be experienced in the deliverance of God.  Once might hope that God could grant some supernatural joy at all times.  But even that would have a different and distinct quality than the joy of deliverance that I found in my heart and soul today.  I found the beauty and majesty of God within this pain.  And I sure didn’t see it coming.

To joy in suffering seems at first a paradoxical bit of nonsense.  How does one rejoice in the darkness of pain and suffering?  I would be a fool to claim even a small crumb of consistency in practicing this truth, but as I have suffered in emotional physical ways in the past year, my eyes are opening more and more to His holy intentions for the seemingly endless and painful trials we face.

Many of you know the recent health hardships I personally have been dealing with.  Physical pain that has passed it’s torch to emotional pain.  It’s been difficult.  And yet somehow today I see the majestic beauty within it.  The distinct, unique, overwhelming beauty of God that can only be seen and only exists within the framework of pain.  It is not nonsense and it is not meaningless.  And it is certainly not cliché.  I don’t believe that everything happens for a reason.  That’s too arbitrary, too comfort driven.  I believe our pains and our sufferings, our trials and joys, exist to glorify God to the fullest.  God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him, in the midst of loss.  In the midst of suffering.  He can be uniquely praised, uniquely worshiped, sincerely worshipped, in the deepest of valleys and darkest of nights.

I am starting to see the grace within suffering.  The blessing that it can be.  The reminder that God has not let me alone, he has not given me over to death.   Yet he lets us suffer, let’s us fall into trials to the praise of His glory and for the building of qualities that are incapable to develop outside of pain and trial.  And what a beautiful, lovely, wonderful joy I have found in this place where once only tears fell.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
James 1:2-3

Today we visited Baby’s-R-Us once more, and at Briana’s urging finally picked out a crib and dresser and ordered them;  very nice, dark cherry wood, and we’ll have them within 7-14 days.  Bri insisted we order them early due to the fear that they wouldn’t be in stock or available soon.  I told her they would surely be available immediately and sure enough they were.  I was right! (I get to be right once every 7-14 days….)  I’m glad we ordered them though…every little purchase like this, every preparation, makes it all the more real.  Here are some pics of the purchases…

Now we have to get the room ready and paint it (I’ll be doing that to prevent pregnant-paint-mommy-syndrome…very scary).  The crib is convertible, meaning it will be able to become a regular bed once that day comes.  Because of this, we also had to order the rails for it as well as a guardrail, because if we wait it might be out of stock by then.

I completely remember having a guardrail as a kid.  My dad made me one.  I was terrified of falling out of bed at night. One time, in the middle of the night, I somehow fell off and got all wrapped up in my sheets, and was left screaming for help from the floor of my room.  Luckily my pops saved me from under the covers.  Phew.  Remembering that guardrail had me thinking of a common Christian misconception though.

A lot of the time people on the outside of Christianity look at things like God’s precepts/commands as rules and regulations that those inside must “follow” in order to be seen as righteous in God’s eyes.  They don’t realize that God’s commands and precepts are truly just like guardrails on a bed.  They’re there for a purpose, and the purpose is not to make people jump through hoops, but to protect us.  Christ alone is our righteousness, not our obedience to rules.

God gives us his word and the wisdom and truth within it as a “guardrail” for our lives.  He knows the things that will make us fall out of our beds and get twisted up in the sheets that would destroy us.  It may seem like a silly metaphor but it’s an appropriate one.  God knows what’s ultimately best for us, and a Christian’s obedience is a reflection of their faith in Christ and comes through an understanding of God’s ultimate control and sovereignty.  That his “guardrails,” his Biblical precepts and commands, keep us from self-destructive lives in which we fail to glorify Him.  What’s amazing is that those times we still manage to jump over them and fall out of bed (which I all too often do), He’s there to comfort us and rescue us in the middle of the night, just like my Father did when I was a little dude…twisted up in my dinosaur sheets.

One of our favorite artists, Bebo Norman, recently released a song entitled “Britney” which I thought was worth posting on here.  Of the song, Bebo says “‘Britney’ is a song about what our culture says and does to young women these days. It’s about the lies we tell them about fame and money and what’s beautiful and what will give them life. It’s an apology for those lies. But more than that, it’s an invitation to the truth about a God who is bigger than the pain this world so often leaves them in.”

The song exclaims the tragedy that breaks my heart on a daily basis.  Maybe it’s such a core issue for me because I have a little sister that I want to see grow up with a focus on what’s really important and not our culture’s distorted perceptions of what makes you a woman.  But more than that, I think it’s such a big issue in my heart because it’s such a big issue.  Girls are growing up to believe there is no option but the lies of society.  That fleeting beauty and sex are somehow all they are worth.  It makes me sick to my stomach.  You can listen to Bebo’s song above, and check out his MySpace page by clicking here.  He has a new album coming out soon that is sure to be good…

Briana and I are reading through Jeremiah, so I thought I might throw a few reflections on here.  Jeremiah was a prophet about 30 years after Isaiah was, and his role was to speak God’s words to Judah on the brink of their Babylonian captivity.  We’ve quoted Jeremiah 1:5 on here before.  It speaks of God’s plan for Jeremiah, that he knew him before he was born.  But if you read on, you’ll see Jeremiah’s response in Jeremiah 1:6.  Jeremiah is almost unsure of God’s calling for him.  He seems to be taken back, or frightened, or most likely simply feels unequipped.  He knows God has called him to speak to the nations, but his first response is hesitancy.

God responds then in Jeremiah 1:7-8.  He could have simply repeated his command to Jeremiah.  He also could have condemned Jeremiah for a lack of faith, or for his hesitancy.   Instead, He reassures him, letting him know he doesn’t have to be afraid.  He promises Jeremiah that he is with him.  That he will rescue him.  It is wonderful to know that the infinitely all-powerful God is not absent of mercy or compassion, but rather infinitely merciful and compassionate.  He knows what we feel, he knows that we are weak and afraid sometimes.  He truly is our Father and not simply some dictator.  He doesn’t send us out alone, but gives us the assurance that he is always with us, no matter how scary the situation.

A few months back Bri started talking to me rather giddily about a 3D/4D ultrasound.  At the time I didn’t know much about it, considering we hadn’t even had a good regular ultrasound yet, but finally I got to see what they are and it’s awesome!  We scheduled one for October 4th, and we’ll be able to get a DVD, high-res pictures, and see some amazing stuff (hopefully) and 100% confirm that Caleb is indeed a Caleb…

We’ll be sure to post them all on the site for all to see our little guy.  The picture above is an example of the type of thing we’ll hopefully be able to see!  Incredible stuff.  You can see more sample pictures of the place we’re going to by visiting their site at www.peekofyou.com

I find myself intimidated and sometimes anxious about my impending parenthood.  How do I hold the baby right, take care of the baby right, do the right things so it doesn’t get sick or take care of it or keep it well.  Is it sleeping too much?  Too little?  Is he supposed to look that way?  These are all the questions, and many more, that I figure I’ll be asking and anxious about when we finally get to take Caleb home with us.  Scary!!!  And then there’s the countless advice (welcomed advice!) from so many sources all around us!  I suppose you might call it a whirlwind of learning, growing, changing, maturing, all the while being terrified and excited all at once.  I’ve blogged before about how much of a comfort a reliance on God is in times like these, because He is ultimately the one in control.  But how does God see parenthood?  What does God view as important in regards to parental duty?  After looking at scripture, I can summarize some of what God has in mind for parents:

God’s word tells me that we are to love our children, to bring them up in Christ, train them up for God, instruct them in God’s word, tell them of God’s judgments and miraculous works, to command them to obey God, to bless them, to provide for them, to correct them yet not provoke them.  To always be in prayer for their spiritual welfare, their temptations and their times of sickness.  Also to always remember that we receive our children from God.

Seems like a heavy load!  And yet I know that when I am weak, He is strong!  And that his commands are not burdensome.  That we can rely upon Him when we struggle and know that His ultimate plan for Caleb will be carried out.

I am still a scared, foolish, anxious soon-to-be Daddy, but I know my heavenly father will build me through this, build Bri and I through this, and teach us so much in spite of our often goofy and anxious selves.  I can’t wait!

________________________________________________________________

Scripture on Parents/Children :: Tit 2:4, Mt. 19:13,14, Pr 22:6, Eph 6:4, De 4:9; 11:19, Isa 38.19. Ex 10:2, Ps 78:4, De 32:46; 1 Ch 28:9, Job 42:15, 2 Co 12:14; 1 Ti 5:8, Pr 13:24, 19:18; 23:13, 29:18, Heb 12:7, Eph 6:4, Col 3:21

“I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own;
it is not for man to direct his steps.”
- Jeremiah 10:23

Some call it a “leap”, but there is a foundation established in the word of God that grants assurance instead of doubt or fear when it comes to faith. God’s word testifies to his everlasting and never-failing faithfulness.  He has and will always deliver on his promises.  They’re not ambiguous or abstract. They’re real and alive and openly displayed within his Word.  What a great joy this foundation is, - especially on the brink of fatherhood.

So many things rattle through your brain at a time of change, but the largest and most ever-present realities are those of my entire lack of control - of Bri’s health, Caleb’s health, and Caleb’s ultimate salvation.  I want to be able to cradle and protect and nurture each of those desperate cares.  And yet, it is such a time that forces such a wild and complete reliance upon the God of all.  The verse at the top of this post has been one of the defining verses of my life.  It was the hand-holding comfort on my trip to Israel.  It was my assurance on the path of courting and moving and marrying Briana.  It has been my desperate hope in the times of deafening pain.

A man’s life - a little new baby’s life - is not his own.  It is fully and completely within the hands of the praise-worthy, faithful, wise, passionately loving God.  What an amazing hope.

One of the most amazing things about this pregnancy has been the incredible awe I find myself in each and every week that goes by, as we learn about the baby’s development, and my protectiveness grows, and I have to trust God every day for the development of my child and the protection of my wife.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
- Jeremiah 1:5a

What’s even more incredible is how incredibly alive this child is so early on. At 6 weeks its heart is beating 160 times a minute, developing eyes, ears, nose, organs. It shocked me prior to our own pregnancy that some could find it conscionable to abort a child at all (outside of exceptional medical circumstances), and now, understanding more about the pregnancy, it appalls me even further. There are no morally impacting differences between a 6 week old pregnancy and a 6 week old baby. None. I am in awe of the handiwork of God within the womb of Briana. It blows my mind and gives me a humble fall-on-my-face kind of reverence for God the creator.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb”
- Isaiah 49:1,3

So Bri has been gone now since Wednesday, and gets back Tomorrow (Sunday) night.  These were hailed as my 5 days of bachelorhood, in which I would live the wild and crazy single life once more.  Here’s how things panned out…

Wednesday…

Sick as a dog…get my Dad to drive Bri to the airport while I attempt to wrastle up some sort of antibiotic   for a terrible respiratory infection.  The doctor doesn’t open til noon but I find out my Dad has a refill on his and get it filled early to try to get better faster.  Shhhh…don’t tell the doctor.  Day 1 of bachelorville consists of 1) coughing 2) sneezing 3) coughing & sneezing 4) sitting 5) lying down.  Woo.  Hoo.

Thursday…

Pretty much identical except the part where I start to feel a little better and start sneezing a little less.  Did I mention that my Mom & sister are in New York and my Dad is thinking about heading up north for a while, which would leave me and my brother as the last Holloways standing…I decide to watch a couple movies and do more of that fun sitting and lying down game that was so very fun on Wednesday… Yip.  Eee.

Friday…

Fourth of July and how do I celebrate?!  With Mucinex and a shiny new humidifier!  The sweet and wonderful Arizona air is as dry as my wife’s humor…(I’m allowed to say that, she’s in Maine!).  I do manage to take some pictures of our wacky sky as a storm begins to brew.  We’re not too used to clouds!

Other than that I skip the fireworks and rent a movie with a friend. The coughing and sneezing has fully subsided under the powerful help of the little pink pill.

Saturday…

Whoops.  I think I made a couple of mistakes.  1). Mucinex Sucks.  I’m coughing more and feeling worse.  2).  The Humidifier sucks.  I’m coughin more and feelin worse.

Little known fact.  Apparently if you have Asthma (which I do) then a humidifier can actually make you worse…especially if you have hard water (like we do) because it’ll push those fun little particulates into the air..and then into your airways.  You also have to be careful with how humid you make it…(which I wasn’t.)  We’ll chalk this day up as a step backwards…as I abandon my humid bedroom and sleep on the couch.  Which is what I’m going to do here in a minute after I finish this blog.

Moral of the story:  Bachelorhood does not exist after you are married.  Any pursuit of it will lead you down a dark and saddening road of sickness and misery for days on end!

COME HOME BRIANA!

Under the sweet guise of purchasing it for our “new baby” - we picked up a new Digital SLR camera and are now in the process of learning how to use it in all it’s glory. We got a Canon Rebel XSi and took a few quick shots around the house etc to give it a whirl. Should be pretty cool for baby pictures once that baby boy/girl is crawling around!

Have you ever really sat down for a few moments and contemplated eternity? One thing is for certain, we are all part of the ultimate statistic. Ten out of every ten people die. Reflecting on that truth should drive us to contemplate eternity and the afterlife.

Many times we tend to approach this topic with various preconceptions, whether they be childhood experiences, television and movies, or works of literature; each working to alter and skew our view to cultural stereotypes of God, religion, and eternity.

You may believe there is no God. You may believe there is no eternity. What if you’re wrong? If God is real, he exists whether you believe in him or not. His existance is not determinate upon your belief in him any more than the fact I have to pay taxes exists despite my best efforts to believe they don’t exist! Truth is truth! And if God does exist, the Bible tells us that there will come a day when you and I will have to face him on judgment day. You will have to whether you choose to believe in him or not.

The question then, as posed originally, is where will you spend eternity?

Will you go to heaven or hell? Have you ever thought about that question?

It’s easy to look around at the world today, see the bad people on the news or in the papers and conclude that we’re “pretty good” and headed for heaven. In comparison to some of the evil done in this world, we sure seem alright. In fact, we’re pretty good people. Are we?

Let’s a take a moment at test that conclusion. The easiest way would be to go through the ten commandements, and see how we do. Ready for the quick and easy ten commandment test? Let’s give it a shot.

• Have you ever stolen anything, at any point in your life? If you answered yes, as I did, then you and I are thieves
• Have you ever lied before? It would seem we all have at some time or another, and so we must admit that we are liars.
• Have you ever used God’s name in vain? If so, you are guilty of blasphemy, which is using the holy name of God as a filth word.
• Have you ever looked at a man / woman with lust? The Bible tells us that those who look with lust are guilty of adultery, which makes you an adulterer.

Now we’ve only gone through only FOUR of the ten commandments. If we answered yes to the questions above then by our own admittance we are lying, adulterous, blasphemous thieves, and we have to stand before God on the day of judgment.

Will you be found innocent or guilty? Just looking above it’s clear we would be found guilty. So where will you spend eternity? Heaven or Hell? Take a moment and answer this question to yourself. It’s worth taking a moment and thinking about.

But isn’t God loving? Doesn’t he forgive? Won’t he see that I’m pretty good most of the time?

It is true that God is a loving, merciful God; but he is also a just, holy, and sinless God. Just as you and I would expect guilty murderers, rapists, and child molestors to be punished in accordance to their crime, we too are guilty and worthy of punishment. The Bible says that we are all guilty, and that there is no one righteous, not even one.

So I’m destined for hell?!

It is necessary that we pay for our sins. We are guilty and deserve punishment. We walk into the courtroom of the living God with a fine to pay, and yet we cannot pay it.

Do you know what God did for you and I? God sent his one and only son, Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life on earth, to die for our sins. Christ stepped into the courtroom of God 2000 years ago and paid our fine for us, with his blood. Those who put there faith and trust in Christ Jesus as their savior have their fine payed, and justice has been served through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God remains perfectly just and holy, and we are cleansed! Pretty amazing isn’t it! What we could not do ourselves God did for us by his love and mercy, wishing none would perish.

Salvation is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, only that which deserves punishment, and instead God has granted eternal life to those who place their trust in Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior!

I pray that you take some time to contemplate eternity, and you’re place with God. It’s not enough to simply live a good life, or be a good person. Without the penalty paid for our sins we have no hope and are destined for hell.

If you ever want to chat please feel free to contact me. There is no more important choice you can make then the one you could make today about eternity and Jesus Christ.

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” - C. S. Lewis

One of my favorite songs…

When trials come no longer fear
For in the pain our God draws near
To fire a faith worth more than gold
And there His faithfulness is told
And there His faithfulness is told

Within the night I know Your peace
The breath of God brings strength to me
And new each morning mercy flows
As treasures of the darkness grow
As treasures of the darkness grow

I turn to Wisdom not my own
For every battle You have known
My confidence will rest in You
Your love endures Your ways are good
Your love endures Your ways are good

When I am weary with the cost
I see the triumph of the cross
So in it’s shadow I shall run
‘Till He completes the work begun
‘Till He completes the work begun

One day all things will be made new
I’ll see the hope You called me to
And in your kingdom paved with gold
I’ll praise your faithfulness of old
I’ll praise your faithfulness of old

Regardless of your background, it would be naive and innacurate to claim that the US was founded absent of a devotion and reverence to God. People battle and argue over specifics and phrases like “seperation of church and state” - for various reasons - but the founders of this country were clearly reliant upon the Almighty. Such a truth shapes all 50 state constitutions, our constitution, and much of our history. Not every founding father was a Christian, but many were and their lives and the foundations of this country were chisled from their faith. In modern times, the battles rage and the winner today is often various definitions of equality and relative truth, seperation, elimination, moderation, and most of all a concession of anything entirely “right or wrong” - they call this open-mindedness, etc. To draw too hard a line, is to step out in judgement, arrogence, etc.

The difficulty in Christianity today is the constant devotion to avoiding those taglines and not realizing that one cannot. It would be as though a mathmatician in his defense of 2+2=4 attempting to battle stereotypes of “narrow-mindedness” and “not being open to more answers” or “always stepping out against 2+2=5″ etc. The example is outlandish but the truth remains - namely truth. When something is true, it is not false. When something is naturally absolute, there aren’t other options. This is called narrowmindedness in modern culture. Christians attempt to avoid narrow minded accusations, instead of realizing that they are truly narrow minded. And that that is okay.

The problem lies in perception, and we all hate to be perceived the wrong way. Everybody does. The difficulty lies in our attempts to correct that perception. Do we conceed truth? Do we alter the un-alterable? Do we say 2+2=4 but that we will accept trains of thought that think it’s 4 1/2 or 40 or 44 or 5 in order to become socially attractive? Our purpose as Christians is NOT to become 1) socially attractive OR 2) judges and accusors of others. Is there a third place? Is their a more true and achievable goal for us?

As a Christian, loyalty and devotion to Christ should manifest itself in you - and the result is a God fearing, truth-wearing soul that puts on humility and love, not dedication to a human religion. We are to be like our king, not the world. God never said become socially more attractive so you can win people. He said to speak the truth in LOVE, not self-righteous anger or arrogence.

As a Christian, my desire is to speak TRUTH, never alter, falter, or malign it.  Never conceed to become attractive, never hold my position in Christ in front of others as though I earned it.  I didn’t.  I fell, faltered, and am fatally wounded - and yet saved in Christ.  My sins bought me death.  Christ gave me life, unearned, - the definition of grace.  Christians who wear pride on their backs destroy the faith, because then their Christianity becomes more about themselves and less about Jesus Christ.  Christ is the convictor, the way, the truth, the life.

These various national battles will not cease.  They won’t stop and the perception of Christianity may take walks down many different roads.  I can only pray we remember our first love, our first devotion, and hold it higher than every temptation to become socially attractive and desired.  The world will love, hate, criticize, destroy, malign, accuse - just like it always has.  The only question is whether we are firmly in the rock or shifting on the sands when the winds blow.