NEW BLOG!

Here's the big news: I'm moving my blog. I have decided to switch over the Wordpress. Check it out.

http://stepontoliquid.wordpress.com

Hopefully this new site will get off to a great start with a semester of blogging from Israel.

I don't like switching blogs unless I deem it absolutely necessary. And after I saw how things looked on the new site, I decided necessity was definitely absolute.

If for some reason you are still reading this, stop and go to my new blog.

http://stepontoliquid.wordpress.com

Sometimes I Wish I Was a Canine

I leave for Israel on Saturday, so today I prepared myself for my world travels by purchasing a new camera. Here's a pic I took of Buddy--the family dog.

Stay tuned to the blog over the next day or two. I've got a big change and a big post coming up.

So don't nobody go nowhere.

The Macro- and Micro- Faithfulness of God

Recently I've been reading through Genesis with a Bible reading plan from Compass Bible Church. As I read these early chapters of the Bible, the faithfulness of God stands out in big and little ways. We can see his faithfulness on both a broad, historical scale and on a small, personal level.

First, you see God's faithfulness in the immense context of mankind and world history. Let's call this God's macrofaithfulness. The beginning of the story of Genesis is the beginning of the story of redemptive history, which is really world history. We see God's choosing of a person to build up a race that will someday produce a Savior who will defeat the Curse of the Fall.

Second, you also see God's faithfulness to individual people. We'll call this his microfaithfulness. One of my favorite scenes from Genesis is found in chapter 24, near the end the story of finding a bride for Isaac. Verse 63 says, "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening." Do you ever do this? Do you ever go to a quiet place at the end of a day and think about life? I know I do. Sometimes I think about all the awesome things God has done in my life or the awesome people he has surrounded me with. Other times I might think about things that have happened that I don't understand or the uncertainties of the future. Isaac surely had a lot to think about. His mom had recently died, and he probably knew that some servant was on a mission somewhere to find him a wife.

It's at this moment of meditation when he lifts up his eyes "and behold, there were camels coming." His wife had arrived. This is just one of the many examples of God's bigtime faithfulness to little people like Isaac, Abraham, and Sarah. They probably couldn't see the full extent of what God was beginning there, but in their moments of deep personal need when they were concerned about their family or their future, they experienced God's faithfulness.

So be encouraged to have faith in a faithful God. He is/has been faithful throughout the events of history, and you can believe that he'll be faithful to you, too.

Facing Fear

This morning I had one of those Bible reading experiences where the words seem to jump off the page and slap me in the face. Today those words were...

"Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?

These words come from Matthew 8. Jesus and the disciples are out on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the storm. The disciples are convinced they are going to die, so they wake up Jesus and try to explain the gravity of the situation. Jesus responds with the question above.

Jesus had just healed a leper, Peter's mother-in-law, and a centurion's servant. He deserved their faith. He deserves mine.

I'm leaving for Israel in 12 days, and too be honest, I have some fears about leaving. Most of the fears I have are not about safety, they are more about missing my friends and my family or finding a job when I get back. Reading Matthew 8 this morning was a reminder to me that I don't need to be afraid. Jesus deserves my faith.

I had a couple other great reminders that I don't need to fear. First, I listened to a sermon my brother Bobby gave last week on "A Confident 2007" from Psalm 27. He says that the presence of the Lord drives away fear and enables us to face our fears.

Second, I looked through some ancient blogs I've written and seen moments like this where I have had fears about the future. Here's a section of one of them:

"All the driving near the end of the trip gave me plenty of time thinking about the future. And just like the nightime road, the future was dark, and I really couldn't even see five weeks in front of me. To be honest, I did not like that feeling; I was scared of what might lie ahead. But these times helped me consider the Lord, for he holds the future in his hands. I knew that I could cast my many cares upon him, because he remains the same, and he will lead me by quiet streams and green pastures, and surely his goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and through all the incredible events to come. Amen."

Get to Work

Congress is back in session today, and the Republicans are no longer in control.

The Democrats officially take control of both Houses of Congress as the new term begins. It will be really interesting to see what they do with their first 100 hours.

Also, President Bush wrote an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal today encouraging Congress to "use their time well." He pushes for a balanced budget that eliminates pork and excessive government spending. More and more I'm realizing that eliminating government spending always seems to be the goal of the minority party; the majority seems fine with spending big.

Anyways, pay attention to what happens here at the beginning of the new term. Before you know it, it will be election season again.

I'm off to Orange County and Corona for the weekend. Enjoy the blogosphere.

The Right Play

Earlier this morning, Nick Saban, the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, announced that he will be returning to college football to coach at Alabama. He will become the highest paid coach in college football; however, I don't think this decision was about the money.

I'm a Miami Dolphins fan, so I am naturally sad to see him go. But if I was in his shoes, I think I might do the same thing. I'd coach in college instead of the NFL any day of the week. The college game is simply more exciting--the rivalries are more intense; the fans are more excited. Also, as a college coach you are constantly dealing with new players to which you can teach the game.

Despite some of the issues with the BCS, you cannot dispute how exciting bowl season is. The NFL only has one bowl game, and it's not even that super. Honestly, more of the hype surrounding that game is about the commercials or the half-time shows. Who even remembers who played in the Super Bowl two years ago? On the college side of things, there is plenty to remember about this bowl season and the championship game has not even played yet.

Nick Saban called the right play. College football is where his heart is. College football is "where it's at."

All Day. Every Day. Forever.

Two of the best sermons I heard in 2006 came from Psalm 27:1-6. The first was delivered by Carl Hargrove in Chapel at The Master's College. My brother Bobby gave the second this last Sunday at Compass Bible Church. This text and these sermons have given me something to shoot for here at the beginning of 2007.

"One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple."

Psalm 27:4

Seeking the Lord needs to be my top priority in 2007. My desire must be to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. And this pursuit needs to be all day, every day, and forever.

All day. From when I get up in the morning, to when I go to bed at night, my desire needs to be set on the Lord. My day needs to be filled by reading and thinking about the Scripture and time spent in prayer. I need to spend my time in obedience to God's commands and serving others through friendship. Too many times I find myself lost in the middle of a day. I must pursue constancy and consistency each day.

Every day. Some days I don't feel like seeking the Lord. Sometimes I say that I am too busy. Other days I tell myself that I need to rest--basically, I tell myself I can take a break from pursuing God. These excuses are "weak sauce." No time is it more important for me to desire to behold the beauty of the Lord than on a busy day, and days of rest are optimal times to refresh myself through time spent with the Lord.

Forever. Seeking after the Lord is a lifelong pursuit. If you look at the words of the Apostle Paul, he describes it that way. He knew that he had not arrived, and his desire was to press on for that which lay ahead. (Phil. 3) He compared the Christian life to athletic competition that required training and endurance. And at the end of his life, he could say that he finished the course. (2 Tim. 4)

I'm excited for a new year. As usual, the future is full of question marks and uncertainties. But I look forward to pursuing the Lord throughout the course of another year.

He is good.

He is beautiful--worthy to be gazed upon all the days of my life.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome to 2007, everybody, everybody.

Among other things, I'm hoping this will be the best year yet at Step Onto Liquid.

And speaking of other things, did anybody watch the Rose Bowl? I did. USC finished up a somewhat disappointing season with a loud-and-clear victory over Michigan. It sounds like the "experts" are already putting USC atop the pre-season polls for next season. Yep, 2007 is getting off to a good start.

Photo: (Getty Images/Harry How)

Update...

I added some pics to my slide show. Give that a look.

Ponder in Your Heart

Each Christmas I enjoy looking at the Christmas story in the Bible. I seem to notice new things each year, or something imparticular will get my attention. One verse I have tried to think about this year is Luke 2:19, which says, "But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart." Seeing the movie The Nativity Story made me think about the meaning of this verse and "all these things" that Mary was pondering. So many amazing events occured that first Christmas season, from the unlikely birth of John the Baptist to the visits of the shepherds and the wise men. Mary had a lot to think about.

This Christmas, I'm trying to "ponder all these things in my heart," both about the Christmas story and about how God has blessed my own life.

One thing I love about the Christmas story is the simplicity of the Christmas message: There has been born a Savior; he is Christ, the Lord. Right there in one verse from the Christmas story is the gospel in a nutshell. There is a Savior! Jesus came to save us from our sins. That's good news. I've also been thinking about the prophetic implications of Christmas this year. Myriads of prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus' birth. Pastor MacArthur talked about many of these prophecies last night at church and did not begin to scratch the surface. However, even more myriads of prophecies remain unfulfilled. Christ is coming again, and we should be anticipating that like Simeon was anticpating his first coming. (Luke 2:25-35)

This Christmas I've also been pondering how God has blessed by life, specifically through my family, my friends, and my future semester at IBEX. I will never stop giving thanks for my family. One cool thing about my family this year has been that it has grown! I now have a nephew and a new sister! Tyler is the cutest little dude I know, and it has been so much fun to watch Billy and Cory get engaged and get married. God has also blessed me with great friends. This last week I traveled to Yosemite with people I have made friends with over the past couple years and even the past couple weeks. God is so faithful to continue to bring godly friends into my life. At the same time, I still enjoy keeping in touch with some good friends from high school. Just this afternoon I got a call from my friend Richard; we enjoyed catching up and thinking about all that has happened in our lives since our BA days. Finally, I'm so thankful for the opportunities I have to travel this next semester to Israel. It should be an awesome learning experience, and it should be some of the most fun I've ever had. I'm really excited about the group of people with which I will be traveling.

It's been a good Christmas here in Santa Clarita. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of the break hanging out with friends and family and getting ready for Israel. Hopefully, I'll be blogging it up, too! Have a great Christmas.