Christ For President

Let's have Christ our President

Let us have him for our king

Cast your vote for the Carpenter

That they call the Nazarene

The only way 

We could ever beat

These crooked politician men

Is to cast the moneychangers

Out of the temple

Put the Carpenter in

Oh it's Jesus Christ our President

God above our king

With a job and a pension for young and old

We will make hallelujah ring

Every year we waste enough

To feed the ones who starve

We build our civilization up

And we shoot it down with wars

But with the Carpenter

On the seat

Way up in the capitol town

The USA

Be on the way

Prosperity Bound

A Music Post

So, this morning as I was making all of my message board rounds, I stumbled across something that really made me worry about the future of America as a whole.  No, it had nothing to do with sports (those are typically the message boards I read, after all).  It had nothing to do with an impending category 4 hurricane that's about to hit the Gulf Coast again.  It even had nothing to do with this upcoming presidential election.  

What I saw was...

Everlast covering Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues."

WHAT?

There are some songs you can cover and get away with, no problem.  There are other songs that only the greats should try to cover.  There are some songs that are just untouchable.  And there are some artists, as a whole, who are untouchable.  Folsom Prison is one of those songs, and Johnny Cash is one of those artists.

It's kind of a disturbing thing in music these days though.  I mean, covers have always been popular.  "Hallelujah" has been covered so many times that people have a tough time remembering who originally wrote it - Leonard Cohen.  The occasional cover of an 80s song by some pop-punk band is fun from time to time.  But people are starting to cover classics - and butchering them.  "Sweet Child of Mine" and "Behind Blue Eyes" are two in particular.  The one that hurts me most, personally, is Uncle Kracker's cover of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away."  And I think the reason it bothers me is that kids now look at these songs and say "Oh, that's a Limp Bizkit/Uncle Kracker/Sheryl Crow song" instead of whoever originally wrote it.

The other thing is...it's just lazy.  When Johnny Cash covered Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt," he basically rewrote the music to the song.  In the aforementioned covers, they just play the song the way it was written, record it, and make money.  There's nothing to it - somebody else wrote it, somebody else recorded it, somebody else made it famous, so all you have to do is get on a tab website, learn how to play it, and record it EXACTLY THE SAME and you make a million.  Super easy.  

It's ridiculous, and it needs to stop!  If you're going to do a cover, at least do something to make it your own.  If not, then just don't bother.

1 Corinthians 13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. t always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

So.  This is a passage that we read A LOT, at least I have.  But honestly I've never given it much thought until recently, when I was talking with a friend.  And you know how it can be with friends, especially really good friends...they have to tell you some hard stuff sometimes.  Well this particular friend was telling me that while there are a lot of things I am good at, they all pale in comparison to love.  And I am not always the best at showing people love. 

See, I have this problem.  I believe that I am the most important person in the world.  I think this is a struggle with a lot of people, honestly, but I know I do.  I mean...it manifests itself in so many ways.  For example, I tend to get pretty agitated at Wal-Mart when the person in front of me takes too long to find their wallet or has too many items or whatever the reason happens to be.  Why?  Because I think I'm entitled to being able to get in and get out in like 30 seconds and that everyone should be accommodating to me.  I get cut off on the road and I get super pissed because I can't believe that the person driving the car doesn't drive as well as me or whatever.  Even in my joking, and my friends all know this, I can be really, really mean and just generally un-loving.  

The concept of love is something I've always been really into.  You know, caring for the poor, spreading the Gospel, ministry, all of that good stuff.  But applying that to my daily life is something that I have never been so hot at.  Proverbs 15:1 says that "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."  In my every day life, I have an opportunity to show love with a "gentle answer" or to show un-love with a "harsh word" and too many times I choose the latter because it may get an extra laugh or others might think I'm a little cooler than I actually am, even if it is at the expense of others.  

There are a couple of reasons this might happen - the first being my aforementioned attitude of superiority.  The second, I would have to say, is insecurity.  I feel that if I can prove myself better than people, if I can make myself look good or something, then I can prove to myself that I am better than someone.  

So what's the root of the problem?  I don't know for sure, but I think it has a lot to do with whether or not I believe a few basic truths about who God says I am.  Scripture says a lot about this.  Jeremiah 1:5 says "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you."  Psalm 139:17-18 says "How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly.  I can't even count how many times a day your thoughts turn towards me.  And when I waken in the morning you are still thinking of me."  Then, a little bit later, it says "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test my thoughts.  Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  He knows me completely.  He knows the thoughts I think, He knows what I do in my room when no one is looking, He knows what I do in public when everyone is around, He knows the words I am going to say before I say them, He knows what I feel about every situation, He knows my favorite TV shows...He knows everything.  And yet He still chooses to love me.  Ultimately, according to Romans 5:11, Paul refers to us as "friends of God."

So basically, I struggle with believing that I am actually a friend of God.  I have a hard time believing what He says about me - that in Christ, I am pure, righteous, and holy.  

I've been presenting this to God since I have been home.  And the amazing thing is that He has blessed me.  One particular instance came last Wednesday, which I guess would be August 13, when I drove up to Oxford to poke around and look for a place to live.  Heading north on I-55 I was driving in the left lane and another vehicle started pulling over into my lane right on top of me, and instead of freaking out and yelling and probably having a few choice words, I thanked God that I was safe and understood in my mind that sometimes people just don't pay attention.  That's a minor thing, and I think I still have a long way to go, but this is a process done in baby steps.  

Ultimately, my prayer is that I would see other people through God's eyes.  This, as well as loving other people, is something I can't do on my own.  But that's the beautiful thing about baby steps - as we trust God with small things, our faith grows.  My faith has definitely grown since I have been home because He has made good on His promises, and that is something that is very exciting for me.  I want to continue to grow in faith and love.

Slight Change to Operation 220

I shaved the stache off temporarily because of a few things I am going to where I need to look "nice" or something. So it's temporarily on hold, at least the stache part.

Operation 220

So, back in April I weighed myself and I weighed 270 pounds. That's a lot. So I started eating (a little...not much though) better and playing basketball a lot and then recently I weighed myself again and I was down to 239. Since I have been home, however, my eating habits have gotten horrible again and I have basically become a sloth...again...so I have come up with Operation 220. I have shaved off my beard with the exception of a terribly hideous mustache, and I will not shave the stache off until I reach 220 pounds. That's 19 more from where I was about a week ago. I have no idea where I am right now but I'd guess around 245 or so. So, there it is. Operation 220.

Update on my life...

So the picture for the next year is becoming a little bit clearer. I drove up to Oxford today to look for a place to live and to meet with my academic adviser. No luck on the place to live, but after talking to my adviser the next step is going to be to take a full load in the upcoming year. I'll be finishing up my liberal arts degree, which is what the journalism class I have to take is for, and I will be getting a sociology minor, which would give me two separate degrees...one in political science (with the sociology minor) and the other in liberal arts. I am basically 22 hours short to do this...3 journalism hours (271) which will complete my journalism minor, and then 19 hours to finish the sociology minor - 15 hours of sociology classes and then 4 hours of electives. So that's the plan. 6 full years of college. Wow.

The Gamble of Grace

This is a piece written by a guy named John Lynch called "The Gamble of Grace":

What if I tell them who they are? What if I take away any element of fear in condemnation, judgment or rejection? What if I tell them I love them, will always love them, that I love them right now, no matter what they've done as much as I love my own Son? What if I tell them that there is nothing that they can do to make my love go away?

What if I tell them there are no lists? What if I tell them I don't keep a log of past offenses, of how little they pray, how often they let me down, or made promises that they don't keep? What if I tell them they are righteous with my righteousness right now? What if I tell them they can stop beating themselves up, that they can stop being so formal, stiff, and jumpy around me? What if I tell them that I am CRAZY about them? What if I tell them even if they run to the ends of the earth and do the most horrible, unthinkable things, that when they come back I'd receive them with tears and a party?

What if I tell them that if I am their Savior, they're going to heaven no matter what? It's a done deal! What if I tell them they have a new nature? Saints, not saved sinners who should now "buck up and be better if they were any kind of Christians after all he's done for you!" What if I tell them that I actually live in them right now, that I've put my love, power, and nature inside of them at their disposal? What if I tell them that they don't have to put on a mask? That it's okay to be who they are at this moment with all their junk. That they don't need to pretend about how close we are, how much they pray or don't, how much they read the Bible or don't. What if they don't have to look over their shoulder for fear if things get too good, the other shoe's gonna drop?

What if they knew I will never, ever use the word 'punish' in relation to them? What if they knew that when they mess up, I will never get back at them? What if they were convinced that bad circumstances aren't my way of evening the score for taking advantage of me? What if they knew the basis of our friendship isn't how little they sin, but how much they let me love them? What if I tell them they can hurt my heart, but that I will never hurt theirs? What if I tell them I like Eric Clapton's music too? What if I tell them I never really liked the Christmas handbell deal with the white gloves? What if I tell them they can open their eyes when they pray and still go to heaven? What if I tell them there is no secret agenda, no trap door? What if I tell them it isn't about their self-effort but allowing me to live my life through them?

____________________________________________________________________

I wonder what believers would be like if we really believed this? What if we really believed what God says about us? Or, better yet, what if we...myself included...really looked at Jesus as the most important person in our lives? Our emotional well-being is, in a large part, determined by what the most important person in our life thinks about us. In my experience, this is true. There have been times in my life where I was so into some girl that I was crushed and depressed and all that when I found out she wasn't into me...so I wonder...if Jesus was the most important person in my life, how would my self image be affected? There are times where I know He is number one, and these are the times when I am the most joyful. The times where he isn't, and these are the times where I try to gain acceptance from other people or other things. My prayer for this particular stage in my life is that God would continue to mold me into the person He wants me to be and that He would continue to increase my trust in Him, because the times I trust in Him are the times when He is the most important person in my life. When He is number one, I have a peace and joy...plus I see myself the way He sees me. When I can see myself the way He sees me, I can see others the way He sees them.

Why I'm Writing

So, after this past summer, which was my second at Discipleship Focus in Branson, I have come to the realization that six months from now I am going to be completely free. I don't have the slightest idea what is next. So, in consideration of that, I decided I'd start up a blog mostly to remind myself where I am now so that in six months, if I'm still writing this, I'll have something to look back on to see where I've been. This is pretty much going to be my thoughts on everything...my life, religion, politics, sports, music, whatever I feel like writing about. So I hope I'll stick with this.