Nitrous Oxide and Happy Days

Yesterday I had my wisdom teeth removed plus an infected tooth plus an extra tooth that hadn't even shown up in the X-Ray but was located right under my back left wisdom tooth. The oral surgeon only used local anesthesia so that means that I was still conscious when they did it. But the whole experience was not that bad, thanks to the wonderful invention of nitrous oxide, or "laughing gas." I think the oral surgeon used a bit more than my dentist normally does because I was literally laughing before they had even shot me up with novacain. When they asked me if I was ready, I said, "Yeah...huhuhuhu..." The doctor responded, "I've never seen anybody this happy about it." At one point during the procedure I literally had to stop the doctor because I felt like I was getting a little too happy--like my brain was about to explode. But everything turned out fine and so far the recovery process is going great. Thanks to anyone who was/is praying.

But as I was sitting there artificially happy in the dental chair , my mind was turned to even happier times. To keep my mind off the horrid things that were going on in my mouth, I chose to reflect on the two wonderful weeks that I have spent at Survival Camp over the past two summers.

For those of you who do not know what Survival Camp is, it is technically the summer camp of the high school group at the First Baptist Church of Los Altos but effectively the best week of the summer or even year for anyone who attends. Survival Camp mixes amazing times of fun and friends with awesome times of worship and learning from the Bible. But I have found myself many times, especially this year when I cannot attend Camp because my term limit has expired, asking the question, "Why can't every day be like Survival Camp?" To an extent, it is true that not every day can be. Let me put it this way: You are not going to wake up every day at Lake Camanche after sleeping under the stars and then spend the day eating three of the best meals of your life, having two awesome worship services, playing cleverly contrived convivial games, tubing, playing poker, and hanging with your friends. Not every day will be so packed full of fun.

However, as I have thought about this question of every day being like Survival Camp, I have come to the conclusion that there are definitely many ways that it can be. When you are at Survival Camp, especially when it is your last year, you have this mentality that your are going to enjoy life down to the last minute. You know that there is no time to waste on complaining or feeling down. You soak up the good times with your friends, the powerful times of singing, and the truths of God's word. Although the circumstances of life will not always be like Survival Camp, we can certainly live every day with this mindset. Solomon knew this. In Ecclesiastes he says, "There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?" (Ecc. 2:24-25)

Some days in life will be full of toil. Some days we are busy and others we might have to get six teeth surgically removed. But surely there is nothing better than to live life with an attitude of enjoyment of Survival Camp proportions, knowing that God is good and faithful every day.

TC w/ T

Once a week for the past two years I have had the privilege of meeting at Taco Cabana with my former Bible teacher, Tyler Sultze, for breakfast. There we enjoy not only the delicious breakfast tacos, but we also partake of the delectable truths of the Bible. Over the next month, we will be going through the book of 2 Timothy, so I thought I would share some of the things I’m learning from the study here.

Chapter 4

Chapter 3 of 2 Timothy contrasts the word of God against the world we live in, and Paul really drives this point home in Chapter 4, the last inspired chapter Paul would ever write.

Paul again paints a sad picture of today's world in verses 3-5. He talks about how people will not endure sound doctrine but will instead choose to listen to those who will tickle their ears--tell them what they want to hear. You do not have to go very far to see how true this is today. But in the midst of such a world, Paul's exhortation to Timothy is simple: "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season." Now we may not all be pastors and evangelists like Timothy, but we must all have this same commitment to God's word in the midst of our own evil age. We should be faithful to proclaim to the lost, we should seek to listen to the Word taught in a sound way, and we should hungrily devour God's words as we read the Bible. (Jer. 15:16)

As was his habit, Paul again encourages Timothy with his own example. Paul says that he has "fought the good fight." Paul certainly did preach the word in season and out, no matter what danger faced him. (2 Corinthians 11:22-33) And Paul knew that he was about to die and that he would soon be with the Lord. Let us all run the race as Paul did, looking forward to the prize, anticpating the appearing of the Lord.

In line with the theme of being devoted to God's word, Tyler and I noticed something interesting in verse 13. Paul tells Timothy to bring the books and parchments when he comes. This may be a direct reference to parchments containing Old Testament books or simply letters Paul had written, but no doubt they were full of Scriptural content. Even though the time of his departure is near, Paul wants to read these parchments. The Scripture is worth reading and studying even until the very end. When I'm about to die, I won't be asking anybody to bring me Time Magazine or a Calculus book, but they can bring me the Scriptures.

I'm getting five teeth surgically removed this afternoon (4 of them are wisdom teeth; 1 is just suicidal), so my number of posts for the rest of the week will be directly related to my state of consciousness. Have a great week; devour the Word.

Currently snacking on: Cheez-Its, the preferred snack of state champions.




Let Us Consider

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Here the author of Hebrews, after encouraging us to draw near to God and hold fast our confession, exhorts us to think about how we can stir up our fellow Christians to love and good deeds. God does not intend the Christian life to be lived alone, he wants Christians to walk it together and to support one another. Galatians 6:2 simply states, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

There are many ways that we can encourage each other and bear one another's burdens; one particular way that I have experienced this camaradarie this summer is through simple Bible study with friends. I have been able to meet fairly regulary with four friends of mine at a local Barnes & Noble's for coffee and Bible study. I believe each of us has been "stirred up" by these times as we have discussed our lives, the book of James, and Not Even a Hint by Joshua Harris. If you are reading this, I would encourage you to get involved in a Bible study with your friends. Every so often get together with them for the express purpose of looking at the Bible together and talking about how it applies to life. This is a great way to deepen both your relationship with God and your friendships with others.

Another outstanding way to encourage each other in the faith is through the wonderful means of blogging. One of the friends I have been meeting with just started a blog that is off to a promising start; I encourage you to check it out. Blogs are beautiful because at your blog you can post your thoughts on virtually anything on the world wide web for anyone to see. As Christians, God should constantly be in our thoughts, and therefore blogging is a great way to share our thoughts about him with the world. As we write, we are forced to think more deeply about the word of God, and as others read, they can be encouraged by what we say about the word. If you don't have a blog, I would encourage you to start one. If you do have a blog, I would encourage you to keep posting and to post often about what you are learning about God's word. Now some might say, "I just don't feel like I have anything to write about." If that is the case, I would encourage you to read this essay at Godsong Music. You might also say, "I just don't have time." This may very well be true and spending a lot of time blogging might not be wise stewardship of your days. But if you desire to blog and posting seems like it takes too much time, I encourage you to keep it simple. Don't feel like you have to write a Pulitzer-worthy article every time you post. Even a couple paragraphs about what God has been teaching you lately can go a long way.

I believe Bible study and blogging to be two great ways to stir up one another to love and good deeds, but remember that Bible study and blogging are not exclusive ways we can do this. That is why we must think and think about ways we can encourage the hearts of our brothers and sisters. So let us consider...

Moonlit Meditation




I lie upon my bed tonight
But sleepiness evades me
And as I ponder on my life
A happiness invades me

I cannot fall asleep tonight
Because of this elation
As God's goodness shines down upon
My moonlit meditation
7/22/05

I distinctly remember sitting atop the roof of the computer lab at BA one night near the end of my junior year in high school. As I sat there drinking a bottle of Vanilla Coke, my mind reflected on the year that had just passed. It had been a good year. I had enjoyed countless good times at school that year, and I had grown a lot spiritually, partly thanks to my times at TC w/ T. As I thought about the year that was gone, I began to look forward to the next year with expectation. That summer I was going to Washington D.C., Presidential Classroom, California, and Survival Camp. The next school year I would be a senior in high school, looking to go to college. I also began to look toward the next year with expectancy. I knew that God was going to be good to me. I has observed all the ways that he had blessed, and knew that whatever happened, he was going to remain faithful and good this year.

He did. As I lay upon my bed a few nights ago, I again could not help but think about how great the last year had been, and how exciting the future would be. God had again blessed me in so many ways and taught me so many lessons. And as I was thinking, he made me think of two of those:

Life changes. This lesson is one that God has made very clear over the past year, especially over the past couple months. The first thing I heard on the day that I graduated from high school was that my grandma had passed away. The next day, my brother Billy graduated from college. The day after that my dad was officially offered a job at Grace Community Church in California. So my summer has found me preparing to move back to California, both to live and to attend The Master's College, which is another change that I am excited about. But change has not stopped there. Later in the summer we received the tragic news that Bill, Pam, Bethany, and Amy Rehrer had died in a car accident. In a moment, those four wonderful souls were in Heaven. My brother Billy has now officially left home. He starts working at KPMG next month and will have his own apartment in Orange County. Just today, I found out that my brother, Bobby, and his sweet wife, Christa, are going to have a baby.

Sometimes change seems like the only constant in our world, but we must always remember that God is constant--never-changing. He is always faithful; he is always good. As life changes, we must remember that, and we must also...

Seize the time. It feels like this last year has gone by at super sonic speeds. It seems like just last week that I was at Survival Camp, but Survival Camp '05 begins next Sunday. Even thought days may seem either short or interminable to us, time is always the same, and it just keeps moving. Therefore, we must seize the time and make the most of every moment. Life does go by fast, and we cannot let it go to waste. I have particulary learned how this applies to relationships. We must maximize the time we spend with other people. We should seek to deepen our relationships with our friends because we never know when we might move or when we might die.

In time, this year will turn into next, and life will go on until the Lord returns. But may we all remember that even as everything changes, God does not. He is a rock and a sure foundation. Let us also remember to seize the short time that we have, to make the most of every day and every friendship.

Currently listening to: "Flowers in the Window" by Travis. Congratulations, Bro & Sis.

TC w/ T

Once a week for the past two years I have had the privilege of meeting at Taco Cabana with my former Bible teacher, Tyler Sultze, for breakfast. There we enjoy not only the delicious breakfast tacos, but we also partake of the delectable truths of the Bible. Over the next month, we will be going through the book of 2 Timothy, so I thought I would share some of the things I’m learning from the study here.

Chapter 3

Service was unusually slow this morning at TC, but the food was exceptional, which is actually become expectable. Tyler and I also had a great time discussing 2 Timothy chapter 3, which is what I will discuss here.

The opening verses of this chapter paint a vivid picture of the world today, one that generally has little regard for the Lord. I think the phrase that best summed it up was "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." But right after that comes a more perplexing phrase: "Having the appearance of Godliness, but denying its power." Not only are there those in this world that deny God and live in loud rebellion against God, there are those that appear religious, but they deny the power of God by not living out the truth. We do indeed live in an evil day where postmodernism reigns. Today, truth is whatever you want it to be. What can men do against such reckless hate?

Thankfully, this chapter does not end with the sad picture it paints of the world. Starting in verse 10, Paul encourages Timothy to keep pressing on and following his example. Paul does not sugar-coat his encouragement; he tells Timothy--and all of us, for that matter--to expect persecution. Paul tells Timothy to continure in the things he has learned and knows to be true from the "sacred writings."

Tyler and I both agreed that verses 16-17 are packed full of awesome. How can we stand in evil times? How can we face persecution? The Scripture. God has given us his inpired word, all of of which is profitable, so that we might be equipped for every good work. "All" and "every" are pretty inclusive words. God's word will prepare us for any trial we might have to face in this evil world. Therefore, let us hold fast to this word of life, so we can be lights in this crooked and perverse generation. (Philippians 2:15-16)

I have to report to The Master's College one month from today...WHOOO!

Step Onto Liquid: Pray

In case you haven't noticed, this blog is called Step Onto Liquid. In my first post I explained that phrase to mean "live by faith." As Christians, we are called to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Sometimes this means that we must act like Abraham, and obey God even though we don't know where he is leading us. (Hebrews 11:8) Many times we must trust and obey God even when we can't see the benefit of doing so. We must "step onto liquid." I have decided to periodically write an entry further discussing this theme of living by faith or a specific way we can apply it to our lives. Today I want to talk about prayer.

I believe that prayer is one of the ultimate acts of faith. Let me explain: When you pray, you are not talking to anyone visible. You have faith that you are speaking to God and that he is listening. Also, sometimes it might be hard to see the fruits of prayer, and it may be easy to get discouraged. However, we must have faith, press on, and keep praying, believing that God will answer.

Prayer is all over the Bible. In numerous places, we are commanded to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 simply says, "Pray without ceasing." In Colossians 4:2, Paul says to "continue steadfastly in prayer." Twice in 1 Timothy 2, Paul ugres prayers and intercessions to be made everywhere by all men. Psalm 62 tells us to "pour our heart out before the Lord." Not only are we commanded many times to pray, the Bible also gives us many examples of people who prayed.

Jesus obviously sets the perfect example of prayer. Luke 5:16 says, "But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray." Jesus would habitually go off to a lonely place and spend lengthy amounts of time in prayer with his father. The Bible even speaks of Jesus spendind an entire night in prayer.

Daniel also shows us a commitment to prayer. He would pray facing Jerusalem three times a day. He persisted even when that practice was forbidden and then faced the consequence of being thrown into the lion's den. And we all know that he was miraculously saved.

Elijah was a man who lived a radical life of faith in all areas, but one that stands out is the area of prayer. Elijah prayed in accordance with Scripture that it would not rain, and God answered him with a three and a half year drought. Then Elijah earnestly prayed that it would rain, and God answered with a thunderstorm. James 5 tells us this after saying, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Like the Bible commands and these men show, we should be dedicated to prayer. We must realize that prayer is not something we do just at meal-times because it is a tradition; we must know that God listens when we pray and that the effects of prayer can be mighty. This realization should change the way we pray. If we believe this, we will pray earnestly and consistently. We should through prayer be seeking the salvation of those we know. We should always be lifting up the spiritual walks of our friends, that they would grow. "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him." (James 5:14) Finally, we should be praying for ourselves, earnestly desiring to flee sin and draw near to God.

Prayer is powerful, but it requires faith. If we do not believe that our prayer has any profit, we simply will not pray. But we do know otherwise. We know through faith that a mighty God who possesses perfect wisdom, power, and love listens to our prayers. We can rest assured that God loves us and wants the best for us, and through his wisdom he knows what is best for us, and by his power he can do what is best for us. Therefore, if we believe this, let us step onto liquid. Let us be people of prayer.

Saturday Stuff

One of my first activities on this lazy Saturday was to go pick up Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book of the series that was just released at 12:01 this morning. I went to Barnes & Nobles last night between 7 and 8 o'clock last night, and quite a crowd had already formed. Needless to say, I did not stick around. However, some people there deserved serious props for their costumes.

Speaking of serious props, I'd say J.K. Rowling deserves them. Like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien before her, she has created her own magical world of fantasy. Other than the writing itself, Rowling has also created quite a franchise. The popularity of the series only grows with each book. Those that started reading the series when it began are certainly still reading, whether they were children or adults. And each book brings in a new generation of readers.

Today has been a lazy Saturday, indeed, for it has certainly been a crazy week. All four Blakeys here took seized the day by taking fat afternoon naps. Mine was quite nice...

Texas is diverse and its weather quite peculiar. Yesterday afternoon brought a harsh, quick thunderstorm, but by evening the sky was blue again. This morning I awoke to a steady rain, but by the time I awoke from my nap, the sky was again blue with only sporadic clouds.

I watched the British Open with my father this morning, and he was taking copious notes because he will be playing St. Andrews in just a few months time. With quite a leaderboard, I recommend you set a tape for tomorrow morning and watch it after church.

I hope everybody has a great weekend. May your time in the Word be profitable. Have a great Lord's Day tomorrow, and remember that Sunday morning starts Saturday night.

TC w/ T

Once a week for the past two years I have had the privilege of meeting at Taco Cabana with my former Bible teacher, Tyler Sultze, for breakfast. There we enjoy not only the delicious breakfast tacos, but we also partake of the delectable truths of the Bible. Over the next month, we will be going through the book of 2 Timothy, so I thought I would share some of the things I’m learning from the study here.

Recently a local news report cast the local Taco Cabana that Tyler and I frequent in not a very good light, but Tyler and I have been going there for about two years and so we weren't about to stop now.

Today we discussed 2 Timothy chapter two. This second chapter very much builds on the first. In chapter one, Paul urges Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel and have confidence in the Lord. In chapter two, he goes deeper with his encouragement and gets more specific.

Both Tyler and I observed that Paul urged Timothy to take focused action. We both noticed the number of imperative verbs in the passage. He was being urged to fight like a soldier, endure like a runner, and wait expectantly like a farmer. All the while he is supposed to be remembering Jesus Christ. (v. 8) This reminded me of Hebrews 12, where we are commanded to run with endurance while keeping our eyes on Jesus.

In the second half of the chapter, Tyler and I noticed a connection between strong doctrine and holy living. Verse 15 states, "Do your best (another imperative) to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who had no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." This exhortation is a theme for the second half of the chapter, as Paul tells Timothy to cut it straight and not get caught up in the proverbial rough of arguments and foolish controversies. Yet another theme is that of holy living. "So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with all those who call on the Lord from a pure heart," says verse 22, and verse 19 says, "'Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.'" Tyler and I noticed a correlation between these two themes. Tyler said, "Good doctrine cannot be disconnected from holy living." If we want to rightly divide the word of truth and make an impact with the Bible, we must first be cutting it straight in our own lives. We must flee from the youthful passions of lust, pride, and arrogance, and pursue the righteousness, faith, love, and peace that we read about in the Bible.

Paul wrote this letter to Timothy to encourage him, but I know that Tyler and I have both been encouraged by Paul's words. I hope they have strengthened you, too.

How Great is Our God?

Yesterday I attended the memorial service for Bill, Pam, Bethany, and Amy Rehrer. I have been to a memorial services before, including ones for family members, but never to one like this. I had never attended one for an event that seemed so tragic, especially one that involved people I knew.

The service was definitely sad and emotional, yet it was one of the most truly awesome events I have ever attended. Throughout this unexpected memorial, God was praised. And even though there was sorrow, we did not grieve without hope. The part of the service that amazed me the most was certainly the words of Matt Rehrer. Matt lost his entire family, yet he still stood up and calmly gave God glory. This man who had suffered such a great loss was standing up on the stage and proclaiming the glory of the God for which his family lived. At the end of the service much of the congregation somewhat spontaneously broke into singing "Psalm 113," the chorus of which states, "We praise the Lord on high."

After the service, we had many of those who were in town from The Master's College over to our house for taco salad--a meal we often had shared with the Rehrers. During the evening, we set aside a time for prayer and the singing of praises to our God. Despite the tragedy that had occured, we all sang songs that talked about blessing the name of the Lord even in hard times and taking refuge in the Lord, our stronghold. Bethany had been a part of a singing group at Master's called Majesty, and many of the other members of that ensemble were here last night, so the singing was awesomely beautiful.

How can all this be? How can Matt and Kara have such peace in the midst of catastrophe? How can a group of young people that just lost a dear friend sit around and sing "Blessed be the name of the Lord?"

The answer: God. In times that seen too terrible and frightening to bear, he remains faithful; he remains good. We know we need not sorrow without hope about the Rehrers because we know that they are in his presence now. We have seen the fruit he bore in their lives and the fruit he is continuing to bear. Even in the midst of sorrow, God has proven his trustworthiness.

"How great is our God
Sing with me, How great is our God
And all will see how great, how great is our God"

The Fruits of Faith



Last Friday seemed like it was a good day. I spent the morning working at church with Tyler Sultze, the afteroon shopping with the fam and Richard Carroll, and the evening watching a movie with my brother Billy. But that all changed. As I was getting ready for bed, my brother's phone started ringing. I didn't think much of it when he answered it with the word, "Rehrer." But soon I heard a tone of concern in Billy's voice as he offered to pray for Matt. Then I heard him say that Matt's family was in glory. I was shocked by this news, but it was true.

Last Friday, Bill, Pam, Bethany, and Amy Rehrer were driving to Houston to visit Matt, the oldest Rehrer child, and his wife Kara. A few miles south of Huntsville, an oncoming car swerved into the Rehrer's lane. Apparently Bethany was driving and swerved to the right to avoid this car. As she swerved back to the left the car apparenly lost control and slid through the median and into oncoming traffic. The Rehrer's Saturn was hit by a semi, and all the Rehrers were instantly killed.

This news came as a shock to all who heard it. The Rehrers were so influential in the lives of all that knew them, and it was hard to grasp that four of them had been killed in an instant. But as I've been thinking about the Rehrers, my thoughts have been drawn to Hebrews 11. Verse four of this chapter talks about Abel and his sacrifice, and it says, "And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks." This statement also rings true for the Rehrers. Because they lived lives of faith, though they are dead, they still speak.

Few men have influenced me more than Mr. Bill Rehrer. From 2nd to 11th grade, he was my principal at Believers Academy. Over the years he taught me so much about life, the Lord, and leadership. One memory I will never forget about him comes from a time where I was in trouble at school, but he cared about so much more that resolving the troubling circumstances, he wanted to make sure that I learned and grew from the experience. I will also remember the times when Mr. Rehrer would just hang out with the students. During off periods or study halls, it was not at all uncommon for Mr. Rehrer to be sitting and talking with the students on the talk. This also showed that he cared about so much more than just getting his many tasks accomplished. He cared about the students and loved us to the extent that he simply enjoyed being around us.

Mrs. Pam Rehrer showed everyone that knew her an example of servanthood; she was the perfect help-mate for Mr. Rehrer. Hardly a day went by when you did not see Mrs. Rehrer at school, serving in some capacity, whether it was working as a secretary or cleaning bathrooms. Until last year virtually every BA hot lunch was a production of Mrs. Rehrer. She exemplified humility and was always ready to serve.

Bethany Rehrer's smile was infectious. She had such a deep joy in the Lord that it was always bubbling over for all to see. If you were down, you could always count on her for encouragement. She was also an extremely gifted vocalist and always used those talents to glorify God through choirs at church, school, and college. Recently, she traveled with Majesty (a choir from The Master's College) to Israel and Spain. When one of the churches in Spain heard what had happened, it started to pass along the news to other churches. As they described Bethany, the other churches all remembered her as "the one with the smile."

Amy Rehrer also let her light shine brightly in all that she did. One thing I was remembering about Amy was her commitment to spending time in the Word and in prayer each day. You chould see how she drew strength from her times with the Lord, and she was always exhorting others to spend time with God. I also had the pleasure of playing with Amy in many worship bands through church and school. I always enjoyed leading worship with her not only because she was a skilled pianist and vocalist, but because you could always tell she was excited about what we were doing and she believed what we were singing.

These four precious souls are now with the Lord, but their impact only continues to grow. This family was so involved in our church that even this past week you could see how much of an impact they had. The Rehrers also had a monumental impact on our school; many people were even lead to Christ by the faithfulness of Mr. Rehrer in his life and his prayers. The Rehrers did not stop having an impact after they left our school. I read in one article from an Amarillo newspaper how the Rehrers' great impact at their new school did not seem to coincide with the fact that they had only been there one year.

However, there are two Rehrers that are still with us, and Matt and Kara's faith is also speaking loudly in this time. Even though they were shocked and saddened in the midst of this Job-like tragedy, they never lost their confidence in God's perfect plan. Even as two state troopers came to talk to Matt and Kara about the accident in the early hours of last Saturday morning, Matt still had the presence of mind to stop the troopers and pray with them. As Saturday went on Matt was already talking about how the Lord was going to use this tragedy for his glory.

As the news about the Rehrers' deaths began to spread last weekend, the faith of everyone who heard was put to the test--I know mine was. Suddenly everything I believed, everything I knew to be true seemed so much more real. And as I saw the faith of Matt in the midst of his sorrow, my own faith was strengthened. I have been challenged to read my Bible differently, to pray more earnestly, and to think about Heaven in a different light.

Even though Bill, Pam, Bethany, and Amy Rehrer are gone, they are still speaking to us. Their faith has turned into reality as they are now in Heaven with the Lord, but their example is still encouraging us to live by faith. May we continue to do just that. In the midst of this trying time, may our confidence in the word of God be strengthened. May we be encouraged to use this circumstance to witness for the Lord. May we continue to desire a better country, a heavenly one where we will see the Rehrers again as we all stand in the presence of our Savior as we worship him forever.

Snapshot

Out with the old...

...In with the new.

In just over a month the Blakey family will be chasing the sun back to California not for a summer vacation, but permanently as we set up residence in Santa Clarita. My dad, Bruce Blakey, is taking a postition at Grace Community Church in the San Fernando Valley.

The excitement around here is growing. I was already heading out to CA because of school, but now I am also psyched that my family is coming along. My parents will be living just minutes away from school, so that will be nice.

Over the next month, we have a lot of packing to do, but I'm sure the anticipation will grow as we get closer to moving to our new house. Speaking of which...

This will be my Christmas, summer, and sporadic bedroom. I think I'm starting to dig the green color.

Yup, this is my favorite part of the new house...

There will be some things we will miss about Texas, mostly people, but we are all looking foward to moving back to CA. We have lived in Texas for over ten years now, but the Golden State has always remained home for us. Yet even going home to CA pales in comparison to the homecoming every Christian can look forward to someday.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading; God save the Queen.

TC w/ T

Once a week for the past two years I have had the privilege of meeting at Taco Cabana with my former Bible teacher, Tyler Sultze, for breakfast. There we enjoy not only the delicious breakfast tacos, but we also partake of the delectable truths of the Bible. Over the next month, we will be going through the book of 2 Timothy, so I thought I would share some of the things I’m learning from the study here.

In order to understand 2 Timothy, you must understand the background for this epistle. This is a letter from Paul to Timothy, whom he calls his “beloved child” in 1:2. Paul had most likely been instrumental in leading Timothy to Christ and had been a spiritual father figure ever since. While Paul writes this letter, he is imprisoned in a Rome, where he expects to be executed. Paul knew this would be one of his last chances to communicate to his beloved friend and son in the faith, Timothy.

One particular thing that stood out to me from the first parts of the chapter was the camaraderie of faith. Paul talks about praying for Timothy night and day as well as remembering his tears. Paul also urges Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God.” We need to make this a model for our relationships we other believers. Do we pray for others the way Paul prays for Timothy here? Does our friendship “fan the flame” of the faith of others does it douse water on it?

As Paul continues to encourage Timothy, he exhorts him not to be ashamed. He talks a lot about fear in the following verses and why Christians have no need to be afraid. While writing this letter, Paul was in one of the most fearful situations possible. He was in a dark, cold Roman jail cell awaiting execution from a madman of an emperor, Nero. However, Paul writes to Timothy encouraging him to not be afraid or ashamed. How can this be? Paul explains. Paul, Timothy, and all of us have the same reason, and that is Jesus Christ. Paul was facing death, but he knew that Christ had “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light of the gospel.”

2 Timothy is an intensely personal letter, yet it is highly applicable for every one of us today. We should spend our time encouraging and praying for others. We should be strengthened to preach and live the gospel because we know whom we have believed in and are convinced that he is able to keep what we’ve committed to him until that day.

I have certainly enjoyed 2 Timothy so far, and Tyler and I have only gone through the first chapter. But that’s all for now. Until next time, enjoy life.

With love, peace, and joy…

God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains to the prairies to the ocean white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home!
God bless America, my home sweet home!

Last year I had a new but wonderful Independence Day experience. On July 4, 2004, I was in Washington D.C. attending the Presidential Classroom program. I will certainly never forget dangling my feet over the Potomac as I watched fireworks burst into a glorious display of color against the backdrop of the Washington Monument. It was a great celebration of a great country.

God bless America, indeed! And I praise God that he has placed me here in the land of the free and the home of the brave. The United States is a land of unparalleled freedom. The First Amendment alone lists five wonderful freedoms that were revolutionary when our nation started and have helped revolutionize countries all over the world ever since. We are free to speak our minds. I remember listening to Ralph Nader while at PC and disagreeing with most of what he said. Yet even listening to him was refreshing because I remember that his right to say what he believes protects my right to do the same. Our freedom also shows itself in the myriads of choices we are free to make each day. I love the fact that when I drive down Nacogdoches, I have literally dozens of dining options. I get psyched when I think that not only am I free to watch the Braves game tonight, but I can watch it on three different channels. Ponder on the peace we enjoy because of our freedom. We do not have to spend each day in fear of our own government, for it protects us.

America is also a land of incredible bravery. At home we see this in the fearlessness of the firefighter than runs into a burning building in order to save a life. Abroad we see this in the soldier who puts his life on the line fighting for freedom on the other side of the world, so we can have it here at home. Even today as we celebrate we must remember the bravery of those who fought over two hundred years ago so that we might become an independent nation and all the men that have fought since then in order to preserve our freedoms.

America is a great land, and I am truly proud to be an American. I live in a country where I am free to worship, free to enjoy golf, free to play Strat-O-Matic, free to eat In-N-Out Burger, and free to blog! God bless America, indeed!

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good
With brotherhood
From sea to shining sea

Currently Reading: TIME's Special Issue on Abraham Lincoln




I Live for This

If you have watched any October Baseball over the past few years, you have most likely seen a series of commercials with the theme, "I live for this." In these commercials, various major leaguers talk about their passion for the sport of baseball and then finish by delivering the catchphrase. To most of these players, baseball is their passion, their joy, their life.

Lately I have been thinking that as baseball players live to play in October, Christians should feel much more excitement about church. Every week, going to church should be an exciting thing for believers. At church we are presented with opportunities to listen to the Bible being taught, to sing songs of praise to our God, to serve others through various ministries, and to fellowship with other believers. We should cherish these times and not take them for granted. We should prepare our hearts for worship before these times by reading God's Word and musing on all of his wonders. We should leave church strengthened, ready to live for the Lord during the week.

While church should truly be a special, exciting time for every Christian, our worship should by no means be limited to Sunday morning. In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul says, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." And in Colossians he states, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Paul is not describing once-a-week activities here; God's Word should be saturating our minds, and we should be filled with the Spirit to the point where we are overflowing with praise for God. Paul exhorts us to always be giving thanks and the be doing all that we do in the name of Christ.

Basically, our whole lives should be about worshipping and glorifying the Lord. Because of what he has done for us, all believers should live for him with a true heart of worship. Therefore, we should be excited about church and every chance that we get to worship corporately with our fellow Christians, and as we go through our days, we should constantly be worshipping God. We can do this because our lives have been changed by the gospel. Because Jesus lived, died, and lives for us, we can live for him. And we it comes to worship, every Christian should be able to say without hesitation, "I live for this!"

There is no higher calling, no greater honor
Than to bow, and kneel before Your throne
I'm amazed at Your glory, embraced by your mercy
O Lord, I live to worship You