The Decade in Review A.K.A. Leaving Egypt out of It.

 When I sit back to remember I usually do it in one of two ways.

1)  I focus on why I am glad to be where I am at this very moment

2) I begin to remember how it used to be and find myself longing to be back there.

  I realize this is not exclusive to myself.  As I read the scriptures I begin to see that it was a pretty typical practice of God's children to reminisce about "the good old days."  A certain story about a group of people coming out of Egypt always seems to come to mind.  As I write my final blog post for 2009 and wrap up a decade of significant changes this is where I have landed.

  Like all blessings that God has given us the art of remembrance can be warped by Satan.  

  There are many instances in the Bible when God commands his children to remember events in the past and focus on how God has either delivered them or blessed them through those events.  I believe that God is please when his Children practice the art of remembrance today.  So as the decade wraps up, take a moment to focus on what God has delivered you from, or blessed you through, and for just a few moments leave Egypt out of it.

Happy New Year see ya in 2010!

P.S. Leave a comment and let me know what you favorite event of the past decade has been. Mine is a tie between balloon boy and Stephanie Meyers making Vampires fun again.

Are you calling my wife ugly? A.K.A Why I think Jesus Might Feel Like Beating Us Up Sometimes.

   I have noticed that a lot of my blog posts have been kind of negative.  I did not mean for this to happen it just kind of did.  I have been thinking long and hard lately about my view of the Church, and the tone set by my views and the views of others that I talk to and listen to.  It is beginning to occur to me that it has become the cool new trend to point out everything that is wrong with Christ's Church.  I know that this is something that has been going on for awhile, but it seems to become more and more rare that I read or listen to something that is positive about the Church.  I am always hearing how traditional, new age, unrelevant, sneaky, and boring it is.  Sad to say most of those comments come from regular Church attenders.

  I am in no way a head in the clouds type of guy, I know that the Church as a whole has some issues today, but with that being said I have started to stop and hesitate before insulting Christ's Church.  I look at it this way.  The Church is symbolized as Christ's Bride in the Bible.  As a husband, I have to wonder how I would feel if every time my wife was talked about, she was talked about negatively.  It would not take too much of it before I was ready to bust some heads.  Which leads me to wonder, if perhaps some of the negativity that we use so much of to speak about the Church has any correlation to its success?

    The first rule of sales is you have to believe in the product your selling, and I wonder sometimes if we actually believe in the Church?  We preach and teach about its necessity, and the good that it will do for people, but our closed door conversations, hall way monologues, and frequent blog writings seem to suggest that we don't believe in our own product sometimes.

Anyway I say all of that to say this.  I would like to hear your comments about why you love the Church?  I don't want any negative comments, there is plenty of time for that and if you want any examples just read back through a few of my posts. I'll go first.

I love Christ's Church because it is the only place I know that gives everyone regardless of age, race, and history, meaningful and everlasting significance.  

What's Yours?