Who do you want to be?

Unless you live in a cabin in the woods, you probably saw it! Much like the hoopla surrounding the recent release of the iphone, hundreds of thousands of people turned out in droves to make their purchase of the final installment in the much beloved and yet belittled series of Harry Potter books. Now in all fairness to the serious Potter fans, I've only read one of these books and it was the very first one to come out. Overall, I enjoyed the story and even enjoyed the movie that soon followed. However, for whatever reason, I never saw to it to read another one. So, I can't grasp camping out anywhere and waiting to purchase much of anything be it an iphone, a CD, or the recent Potter book (Read my blog on the iphone for more on this.) Most things can wait until the next day when the lines are gone and you can take pleasure in whatever you've purchased because you enjoyed a good night's sleep the night before.

The second thing I saw were the countless numbers of people turning out dressed as their favorite character. Not only would I never wait up until 12:01 AM to buy the book, I would most certainly never do it dressed in some crazy garb. Okay, so I've done something similar every year since I was 4 or 5 years old on the day known as Halloween. But I did it for one reason and one reason only - CANDY! Anyway, back to what I was getting at. People dressing up as characters they will never in fact be - after all, the book is a work of fiction.

Yet, as Christians, we can dress up and be that which we aspire to be. In the timeless classic My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers points out that we are wrong to hold Jesus as simply a great teacher. If Jesus is merely a teacher, all He can do is tease me by setting the bar to a height to high for me to ever attain. Chambers states: "What is the good of telling me to be what I never can be - to be pure of heart, to do more than my duty, to be perfectly devoted to God?"

The Good News is that when we are born again of the Spirit of God, we gain a new understanding that Jesus didn't come to only teach; he came to make me what he teaches I should be. Chambers goes on to say: "The Redemption means that Jesus Christ can put into any man [or woman] the disposition that ruled His [Jesus'] own life..." Wow! What an awesome thought. To receive the "mind of Christ" - that's what I'd wait overnight in line for. And I might even dress up.

The Howl of Bigfoot

I Knew It! Bigfoot is real! They've even just heard his (or her) "howl" in the Upper Penisular of Michigan. Check out the link below for the full take on this ground-breaking story.

Sorry, I don't have the link but check out today's headlines in the Detroit News.

I can't wait for this same group to head to the swamps next to uncover something equally profound about the Creature From the Black Lagoon.

Vision - A Lesson in Humility

Recently, I've been struggling with the whole idea of vision and trying to communicate that vision to others successfully. During my devotions, I liked what Oswald Chambers said about vision: "God gives us the vision, then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way." This is where I feel I'm at right now - in the valley. And honestly, there are days where I'm left wondering whether it's all worth it or not. To have your leadership called into question, to be criticized and judged for what your saying or not saying - is it worth it? There are days when it would be a whole lot easier to be a follower than a leader.

Still, when you have a vision from God, it's tough to just ignore the plan that God has laid upon your heart. Chambers concludes: "If you have ever had the vision of God, you may try as you like to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never let you." That's where I'm at. I'm stuck. Thankfully, one of my spiritual gifts happens to be faith, so I don't have to have it all figured out. I know and have faith that God will clear things up for me and make this vision a reality in His timing. In God's words to Isaiah referring to a future time, he said: "And the parched ground shall become a pool." While I'm excited about seeing the "pool," I know I'm also in the valley for a reason. And with God's help, I will not "faint or give way."

New Gadget

As I sat in line this past week waiting for my new iphone... (just kidding). No, I wasn't the fist pumping guy you saw on TV last Friday. And, no, I don't have an iphone as of yet. Although, to be quite honest, they do look pretty cool. Nevertheless, as I saw the countless hundreds and thousands of people on TV waiting for the latest gadget that technology has provided us, I was struck by the craziness of it all. I mean, standing in line overnight for something that you'll have to shell out over $500 bucks for... come on!

In all fairness, I'm not the stand in line kind of guy. The lines at amusement parks drive me crazy and I'm always in too much of a hurry to enjoy the line at any particular store. So, standing in line overnight for something makes absolutely no sense to me. I can think of a hundred (maybe a thousand) other things I'd rather be doing. Anyway, as I pondered this phenomena known as the iphonemania, I'm left wondering what sort of things I would stand in line for as a Christian? In other words, as a Christ follower, what is it that I'd be willing to camp out overnight for? The iphonemaniacs were pretty jazzed and excited about getting their new phone. What am I bursting at the seams for when it comes to being a Christian?