When the Golden Calf Becomes A Bronze Bull

Jesus People Pray That False Idol Will Save God’s Economy

I have so many thoughts that come to mind when I see this picture and read the headline above. "Jesus People," that's me... "pray that false idol will save God's economy." Hmm, ok this is clearly an incorrect assumption of all Christians. Should I, as a Christian, be praying for the economy? Sure. Should I spend $900 in airfare to go pray at the bronze bull in lower Manhattan? Certainly not. Then again, for people to be saying that those here are praying to an idol is ludicrous, they are praying at a statue for the economy, a statue that represents the monetary system...

Here is what one very liberal writer said in mockery:

Did you know that some Christian dingbat has dubbed today the “Day of Prayer for the World’s Economies?” Well here they are, at the Wall Street bull statue thing, praying to Jesus for money. The dingbat has explained, “We are going to intercede at the site of the statue of the bull on Wall Street to ask God to begin a shift from the bull and bear markets to what we feel will be the ‘Lion’s Market,’ or God’s control over the economic systems.” Don’t they know that God taking over the economic systems would be SOCIALISM from SPACE? Also: God will be very mad that they are worshiping a bronze idol here, since his second commandment PROHIBITS THAT, duh? Thank you Wonkette operative “Dan the Man” for the photo. [CBN]

I sometimes wonder about radical Christians that make so much noise in protest or in this case bugling a horn to get people to notice them. I wonder if those that are not Christian, those outside the church get so confused by our actions they don't what a Christian really is. One day they see some radical pastor shooting and killing an abortion doctor and on another corner see other Christians with signs saying "Turn or Burn" and "Gays are going to hell." When will Christians just live life as an example and learn to LOVE? If our demonstrations were in truly loving then nobody could be offended, maybe someone could be offended by a glass of cold water, but the Bible is clear that we break no law if we simply love.

Maybe what they were doing in this picture was right, maybe not. If my friends were going today to pray at the bronze bull I would stay home, that's just me. Maybe this is similar to See You At The Pole, where kids every September stand at their flagpole at school to pray for their nation, school, and friends. I see it a little different. The school represents the kid's mission field. I also see this as a easy way to publicly show they are Christians in a non-threatening way with the hope of starting conversations. See You At The Bull however, to me is a little different.

Is it different? Should it be different? I honor their prayers at the bull and hope and pray that America learns to steward itself better. Then again it was America's greed for money and devaluing the end user/buyer to make some big/quick bucks that has put us here. Lenders creating explosive home loans set to explode after 3 or 5 years and called them adjusting. Yeah they adjust, they adjust out of the reach of the home owners while you sit back and make millions then when it get's tough, big brother will bail you out, yeah the big brother that just a few months ago rolled 10 trillion dollars in debt. I will keep praying in my prayer closet. not for 'them', but us, we all got into this together and now we need to all get out together.

So I offer my prayer...
Lord Help?!?

This is very open ended discussion but what is your thoughts?

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Lego Blocks [An Architective Design of Life]

Blocks even though much bigger than Legos, which happen to be my favorite, are one of Amberlyn's favorite toys right now (here you can read an old blog on Legos here). I am a typical father that loves playing with his child and because of my affinity towards Legos and blocks I can spend a long time playing with Amberlyn. As I sat down to play, I knew that meant quality time with my daughter.

As I began playing with her I realized she had a process to her building. I did architecture, both commercial and residential professionally for 6 years and have done a lot of remodeling and construction so I assume it must of been in my jeans figuring I learned all my construction from my father. I am proud that she cares about your building construction if only with blocks. She began to grab a block and add it the construction project. I would move it and place it where it 'should' go. Sometimes she was okay with that, sometimes she would move it back to where it was letting me know with her action that I was to follow her moves and I was merely invited to her construction project, I kept forgetting that. We began building bigger and higher and I was getting excited for how well her skills were for constructing such a high tower.

Higher, higher I told myself as I would point to where to put the purple 3 block, then came the 4 block and I would point 'here'. Then the 4x4 block and I point to the place that Amberlyn needs to put the block on our building. Then the hot pink single block and point to its future destination. Then I keep instructing her where to put the blocks so that our structure becomes a masterpiece. I have become the project manager. Notice the change from her structure to our and the her to I.

Then it happens, in an instant she is no longer an architect or contractor or project manager, she has thrown in the towel and found a new job of a demolitionist. She begins taking it all apart. Not as crazy as you would think, her girl qualities are apparent. She is descuplting it piece by piece. Where is the pile that it all goes, on daddy's lap. Each one at a time is placed on my lap and if one should fall she is quick to pick it up and place it in it's primary location that she has decided and I recognize my position is not of management but merely a hired hand in her demo crew. [That's the pic above of her placing the pieces on my lap.]

I realize the life lessons learned from a child, in this moment all is good and she has taught me a valuable insight into my life and hopefully yours.

You see God begins to place things in your life and asks you to do something or move, change directions, don't say something, speak into someones life, etc and many times we listen. Then it's almost as if God becomes predictable so we begin to look ahead at the seemingly predictableness and make the decision for Him. Not a big one, we are not that proud, we humble ourself and make a seemingly easy decision despite God's desire, why would we? We know what God wants. Next thing ya know we become the project manager for our life and begin to direct it and tell ourselves what to do, where to go. When something doesn't go right we respond to the problem instead of respond to the foundational issue. I became the project manager in the structure for my daughters creation. Many of us take the same role in our own life, we become the manager of our structured life.

Even worse, there comes a point that our life is so much a mark of our own architetive design that it no longer resembles the creation of our creator, like Amberlyns structure had become that of her dad's. Then what happens? Well with the blocks Amberlyn began to painstakingly take it apart one piece at a time.

There is a story in the Bible where Judah is stepping out of what God has for them, they are constructing their own fate. The are trying to build an alliance with Egypt and God is explaining to them the true depth of how bad Egypt has it in for themselves. In the beginning of Isaiah chapter 30 God is warning them. He tells them in verse 12 since they have rejected Him they will suffer, He explains that they will begin to fall and crumble as if Judah was this block construction of mine and they watch Amberlyn begin to destroy it one block at a time. God even says in verse 14 that their collapse is like the smashing of a potter's jar. I see Amberlyn destroying the structure taking it all apart and laying it as ruins, clay pieces in my lap.

Then verse 15 is the key to it all. God promises that in repentance and rest they will be saved, in quietness and trust is their strength. Here are four things to consider when you have began to make your own choices and run your own life

1. Repent - self explanatory, say you are sorry and vow to turn away from those decisions.
2. Rest - When we rest we are not making any moves.
3. Quietness - I am no longer making the call, I am quiet.
   
4. Trust - I give God the control to make my life into what He wants.

Here is the astonishing situation. Verse 16 God says, And you said, “No, for we will flee on horses,” . It is amazing that in those simple 4 steps Judah failed. They thought their choices were the best. Lord break me into the smallest pieces, into dust, that I can no longer build so that I can only depend on You!

Are you able to put those 4 steps into practice? What is stopping you? What makes it difficult?

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Tech Stuff

Let me introduce you to Delicious Library 2. If you have any sort of library of books or a pile of toys and tools, music, software, electronics or movies this is for you. Ever have people borrow things and forget who has what? Want an easy way of checking stuff out to people, knowing who has what and when it's due that also automatically puts it in your calendar for it's due date? Want a simple way to look at everything you own on a nice bookshelf on your computer screen (Mac only!)? How about a way to input it all by scanning your items by it's UPC with your digital camera, video camera, laser barcode reader, or the best, through your iSight camera. Ever want to be able to see the library of others in your office and what they have soyou can borow? What about a program that will take your library and export it as a website that anyone can see, here's mine that I was messing with.

From their website:

When we demo Delicious Library to people, about ⅔ of them instantly say this:

“Wait, I just hold a CD or DVD or video game or book or whatever up to my webcam, and it magically reads the UPC and downloads that item’s cover and all pertinent information about it, and displays all my stuff on photorealistic shelves? I’ll take it! Right now! This is why I bought a computer in the first place! ”

This is a must checkout, it is awesome! The free version allows for 25 books, $40 gets you an unlimited library. Let me know what you think when you try it out.

CLICK on the picture above to go to their site!

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MADE Week 5

This is week 5 of RMCC's series based off the MTV show Made where Pastor Jeff will be discussing what is our purpose in life. We will be hitting several areas, lifegroups, where real life happens, worship encounters, where we get to experience God, and volunteer teams, where we get to serve the body and people of our community. Join us as I get to coach Cougar McSangston on life and how to get made into what God has him to be.

This week I get to coach Coug in the area of serving. He decides to help me out in making some food for a homeless shelter. Of course there were challenges along the way. Enjoy!

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