July 10, 2004

July 10, 2004

Evangelism

I was walking across the parking lot at Mission Beach the other day, when this guy comes up to me and says “hey, did you know Jesus loves you?”  At first I was just surprised (that’s not exactly what I was expecting him to say), but when I tried (unsuccessfully) to assure him I was also a Christian, his attempts only got more rude and condescending.  By the time I got rid of him, I was thoroughly annoyed.   It got me to thinking about evangelism, what it means and how it’s supposed to work.  

When I was attending the local J.C., I interviewed a handful of non-Christians about their thoughts on evangelism.  Their reaction was complete disgust.  I discovered that most of them would rather be shot in the foot than have someone hand a track to them.  In the few times I’ve gone out to “evangelize” the majority of the people I talked to were highly offended and/or annoyed.  It’s amazing that while most Christians get seriously upset with telemarketers, it doesn’t seem to bother them when they’re guilty of the same thing. While I realize that if even one person out of fifty receives salvation then it is “worth it”.  I question the method we use to “lead people to Christ”.   I also wonder where pastors and evangelists find their views of evangelism in the Bible.   I have honestly not been able to find, “accept Jesus into your heart” and “Jesus loves everybody” in my Bible anywhere.   

That said, I’m not claiming any authority on the subject.  I know that we as Christians should be evangelizing, but I think mainstream American Churches have completely twisted the application of scripture in this area.  While I’m not exactly sure what the Bible says about the best method of evangelizing, it is perfectly clear about what evangelism is.

Evangelism means preaching the gospel. It does not necessarily mean handing out tracks or accosting people in the streets, and it certainly doesn’t include telling them that they need to accept Jesus so they can go to heaven. The power, by which people repent and believe, does not rest with the sinner or his/her ability to accept Christ.  People are saved and loved by Christ.  The gospel is the means by which sinners are saved, given repentance and faith.  Their minds and wills have changed and they are irresistibly and beautifully called to Christ.  That is what’s found written throughout scripture.

 A lot of videos, books and tapes on evangelism completely miss the point of evangelism, because they equate the gospel with accepting Jesus into your life and being saved from hell.  All of Scripture is the gospel, because all Scripture reveals Christ. The gospel must be preached everywhere, and evangelism is the mission of the Church, but in a much different way than is commonly being taught.

….and that’s all folks

  Thanks enduring to the end (if you did) And sorry for running out of thoughts so abruptly.

Until next time…

July 6, 2004

• A guy walks into a store and says “I see you have a job opportunity that promises to be rewarding and fun”  The manager of the store says “Yeah, you interested?”,  “sure am” the guy says.  ”all right” the manager replies, “lets get you started”.  He hands the guy a tux and dress shoes, ”you start out by walking 5 miles in these” then he pulls out a set of two, five pound weights, ”you’ll need to carry these with you at all times, and whatever you do, don’t put them down…somebody might steal them”  The weights are followed by a twenty pound back pack which is also added to the list of things the guy must carry.  So the guy (completely dumbfounded by some people’s definition of “fun” and “rewarding”) then gets handed a list of rules:  NO SUNGLASSES, NO FOOD, NO BREAKS.    Hoping that things can only get better from here,  the guy finds himself running laps around an outdoor banquet, filled with laughing people relaxing and enjoying food, wine and music. 
  
  …welcome to the life of  a wedding photographer.     

June 24, 2004

Disclaimer:  I am in no way associated with nor desire to be in the same genre as the typical cowgirl.  I find the stereotypical western thing to be somewhat pathetic (although maybe it’s because I’ve visited TX one too many times).  I do not own a pickup truck, I do not like beer, I do not wear a cowboy hat, and only occasionally wear pigtail braids.

I’ve been told that horses have brains the size of walnuts, which doesn’t bode well for us humans as I find horses to be generally more intelligent and much more entertaining than some humans. 

Let me introduce you to my herd:

Kayla:  Big, black, Quarter horse mare.

Better known as “The Queen”  She reins supreme in our little world up here.  She is surprisingly nice to new people,  but if you are a new horse….watch out!   She’s a retired rodeo horse who hasn’t quite figured out what it means to be retired.  If you’re on her back and she sees a barrel…hang on.

Shady:  Same as above only a baby.

Shady should technically go on the bottom of this list as she is the youngest.  However, since she is the princess (and the daughter of Kayla) she demands a spot right up at the top.    Shady doesn’t know what it means to be un-liked, or unloved.  Every horse and person who meets her can’t help but spoil her.  She adores people (especially kids) and pretty much gets away with murder.

Raina:  Not-so-big, Peruvian Paso, Bay Mare

Most people would describe her as obnoxious however I will disagree and go with this recent description, “…It’s like she’s going through menopause”.   Sometimes she’s happy and a great horse , and then other times she pins her ears back and runs kicking and bucking across the arena like she’s possessed.  She’s convinced that Shady should have been her baby. She’s tried more times to seize Kayla’s thrown than all of the other horses combined, and I’m sure she’s hatching a new plan right now.

Marley: Small, Icelandic, Gelding

      Marley (named after Bob Marley) is our little punk with an afro.  He thinks he’s hot stuff and is in love with Rosie who is his best friend (she’s also the only one who can put up with his  attitude)  He is currently in the process of trying to beat up Zak who is roughly twice his size.

Rosie:  Sort of big, Peruvian Paso, Light Bay, Mare

Rosie is my horse.   She is loved by all horses and misunderstood by most humans.  She is extremely aware of the smallest movements, making her an incredible horse to ride.  She tries very hard to please everyone, will do anything you ask that is within her power but only if she is convinced you are capable of being a leader.  She cannot tolerate incompetent people or horses.  If you are unfortunate enough to be on her back when she decides this about you, she will simply get rid of you.   

Zak:  Big, Chestnut, Quarter Horse, Gelding

     Zak used to be our ol’ cripple.  He too is a retired rodeo horse due to foot problems that rendered him useless.   However recently, he went through corrective foot therapy that has turned him into a completely different horse.  I’m not sure what to say about him anymore because I didn’t know he was capable of acting like this. He is a ton of fun to ride even if he is a little stubborn.

 He is doted upon by Kayla, loved by Shady, tolerated by Rosie, despised by Raina, and hated by Marley.

I didn’t realize this turned into such a long entry. I guess time flies when you’re having fun.

Hey, tell me who you think would be the most fun to ride.  

June 21, 2004

Here goes my second attempt at blogging. 

After finally deciding that I would surrender my individuality and join the ever popular crowd of bloggers (no offense to any of you), I realized that my thoughts are way too ordinary and mundane to actually put on paper (err…computer).   However, since nobody has to read this if they find it stupid or boring,  I will quote my grandmother in saying, ”Esther, get over it”, and try to do just that.

Two things about last Friday, and then I promise to end this entry.

First, I have a new experience to add to my list of “Things I never wanted to Experience”.  I had the privelage of having a loaded 22 rifle pointed at my face.  When I told the moron (moron would not be an overstatement) who was holding the gun to kindly point it in another direction, he laughed and said “Don’t worry, the safety’s on”.   Yeeahh, that made me feel a whole lot better.  Since when is it ok to point a gun, loaded or otherwise, at anybody?  Thankfully that was the worst he did that evening, the rest consisted of shooting the tops of handles and shooting spit wads through his straw, and no he wasn’t a little kid, he was a twenty-year-old, and yes I wanted to spank him and put him in a crib.

Anyways,  the other person that begs a description would be my darling brother-in-law Jeff.   He is totally charming and Jim and I love him to pieces, but sometimes I wonder if his head is in another dimension or if he just despises us.  He took a vacation to San Diego this last weekend but failed to inform  us, his brother and sister-in-law, that he was coming until the day before he arrived, at which time he stated that he had only time for dinner with us.  ….dinner?….DINNER?… who does he think we are, some long ago friend that he feels obligated to check in with?  HELLO! we are f-a-m-i-l-y.  We would love to see him anytime and for as long as possible.   Oh well, kids these days.  So to the rest of you young folks out there, (ok, so I’m not as old or mature as I think I am)  family is important! (and yes, that deserves an exclamation point)

June 4th 2004

I know  “Shades Of  The Sky” is probably coming across as either incredibly droll, melodramatic or just silly.  The truth is, the sky isn’t appreciated half often enough, unless of course you drive frequently on a freeway remotely near L.A. in which case you can’t miss the think layer of pollution and consequently be supremely grateful for clean, clear sky.  

   Living on a hill, where the view is predominantly sky, I couldn’t help but notice that there are so many different shades of blue, pink, orange, red, gray, purple and black.  I guess as a sort of pathetic analogy, that is what I am attempting to do with this. To observe and/or describe the “shade of blue” I’m living or seeing at the moment. 

I suppose that finishes the explanation of the title, and with nothing left to say at the moment…I’ll end with a good natured cheerio!