Nonsensical Ramblings of Mark

Only unstable people get their kitchen remodeled in December. So, we began packing up all of the dishes we could tonight in preparation for the cabinets getting ripped off the walls and the floors getting ripped up this Wednesday (December 4th). We do not have all of the cabinets and appliances yet, but that doesn't matter. Not to us anyway, well see what the installer says when he takes stock of the situation we are putting him in. This blog will be updated with before, during, and after pictures so check back if you are the least bit curious about what we are doing to our kitchen.

Made in the image of God I am an image of God. That is, when I am who I was created to be I am an image, read "idol" (the words are the same in the Bible), of God in this life I live. I am not an idol that should be worshiped, obviously, but I need to cooperate with God as he conforms me to an image of himself, or, more specifically, Christ. Now, there are characteristics about God that I can participate in and, thus, imitate him. Things like his mercy, love, faithfulness, and holiness. These are his communicable attributes and I can make these an ever-increasing part of my life and bear his image more completely to the world around me. Basically, when I am more merciful today than I was yesterday, I am a better idol of his. Now, there are characteristics about God that I cannot participate in imitation of him. These things are incommunicable attributes and are things like eternality, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. I got to thinking about these attributes in ...

Those of you who know my tendency towards train wrecks and detonations and away from harps and butterflies will not be surprised by what I am about to write. The rest of you will get a picture of me in your mind not unlike a mad scientist waiting for the lightning strike that will bring his creation to life. One of the things that I love about children's ministry is, well, the children. That is especially true when they are acting out certain scenes from the Bible that are more Cecil B. DeMille than Beatrix Potter like God's saving the Hebrews from the the Egyptian army by drowning them in the Red Sea. It was quite something to see the kids rush the stage where the Moses and the Hebrews were standing only to be hit by a wall of water (i.e. blue bed sheet) that completely covered them. The adults that I had holding the sheet did an expert job making sure that every last Egyptian was covered. Pharaoh (the teen that I had leading the army) even got into the act and drowned right...

I am at my best when I am imitating God, or, more appropriately, participating in the divine nature as expressed through God's communicable attributes. It is easy for me to get lost thinking about His incommunicable attributes like omnipresence, eternality, immutability which are all the the things I can’t fully understand nor participate in.  Recently I have gotten a sense that God wants me to focus on His communicable attributes like mercy, faithfulness, love. In looking at how these are expressed in how He leads  me I find that there are plenty I can imitate as I lead others: First , God leads me while possessing a thorough understanding of who I am:  As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.  (Psalm 103:13-14) In participation in His divine nature I need to seek both corporate and individual knowledge of the people I lead. Second , God leads me ...

Recently I was messaging with a friend about a video of a dancing banana (don't ask) and thought that I would never have the ability to move like the person in the suit did. I thought that the dance that he (she? I have no idea...) was doing looked rather strenuous and would be quite the exercise. And that is where things went a little awry or veered off into the untoward depending on your perspective. I was going to say that it looked like a "butt-busting" workout and that seemed like an inappropriate thing to say. Well, I should have stuck with that description. I then thought that a more appropriate thing to say was "gut-busting" because I am a 43-year-old male that has a bit too much of a bubble in the middle. So, with the words "gut", "butt", and "busting" rolling around in my head here is what I came up with: "Actually it would be a good butt-gusting workout" ...which is so much more appropriate than what I h...

There is a popular sentiment in our office that people want every day to be Friday.  It kind of drives me crazy.  For example, on Monday afternoon I often hear, "Is it Friday yet?" or "Which way tot he weekend?" Now I understand toil and work that can be exasperating at times, but is it wrong to assume and believe that each and every day is a gift and has a value and, maybe, even a charm all it's own? Why can't I be excited about Monday and invite others into my world? We can be and I dare say that God wants us to be. I want to get all excited about Monday but I think people will take me as being sarcastic rather than genuine. But then I am thinking about the things that I tend to gloss over and look for what's on the other side. What are those things in my life? I would like to think that they are less trivial than a Monday but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.  And I don't even own a farm.

I may have been a bit overzealous thinking that death could teach me anything. There is no doubt that my dying to myself and my desires frees me from chains of death itself (it's almost too weird to think about enslaving myself to become free, but that is for another time). But as I look on the death that is all around me I am not looking into the face of a great teacher.  The Teacher that I sit under has taught me what I should make of death: how it transforms me into the likeness of Christ when I embrace my friend in the correct manner. My Teacher has also brought death to me in a myriad of ways permanently altering both my past and present. But He has used it as an illustration. He is much too jealous to leave my tutelage to another. So, death, my friend, you won't teach me for I have been and am continually taught by One who knows more about you than you do. But never stop illustrating the lessons He speaks to me. Never stop showing me what He wants me to know and how ...