WE MOVED…

We have decided to move blog addresses… I sure hope that you do not mind.  We hope that you will enjoy our new site a lil’ better since it includes pics and soon to be videos.

http://johnnyrussellswritings.blogspot.com/

Hope to see ya there…

OH! I’m so in…

I go to bed somewhat early last night … at least that was my intent.  I am borrowing a book from a friend called The Last Jihad by Joel Rosenberg.  Have you ever heard of it?  Can you say Thriller?  And I don’t mean Micheal Jackson!  This author started writing this book in January 2001 and in it talked about terrorists using a jetliner to fly it into buildings in either Washington or New York.  He spoke about the war in Iraq.  All before it happened.  Pretty crazy.  He has written several books since then that I am looking forward to reading.  My intent was to go to bed by 10, but reading kept me up till 11 or so.  I was really excited about this morning…

My father in law was picking me up at my house at 5:30ish this morning and we were gonna go Turkey Hunting!  How about that?  And that we did.  It was really great!  I have never been Turkey Hunting.  I have been deer hunting a few times … with a rifle.  I have only killed one deer in my life.  And I have been dove hunting tons of times and love that!  But MAN!  Turkey Hunting is where it is AT!  We walked to the ‘blind’ which is a camoflauge tent.  Well, we walked to where it was supposed to be.  We got there and the tent was gone!  My FIL said a few ‘choice words’ and then said that someone had stolen his $200 tent.  I chuckled to myself.  I told him maybe someone had set it up elsewhere and that we should look for it.  It was funny because my ‘head lamp’ was really powerful and his was not.  And so his light lit up about 8 feet in front of him so he was straining to see anything.  My head lamp lit up about 25 feet in front of us.  Before you know, he is directing me where to shine my light.  He had given up on his.  I felt like a man.  We began looking around and come to find out, the wind had gotten ahold of it and it had blown it a short distance away.  So we retrieved the tent, moved it to a new spot and began to wait.  Paul (my F-I-L) begins to tell me all there is to know about Turkey Hunting.  He is an expert on this.  He really is!  It was SO fun.  I chuckled to myself because there we were, two grown men sitting Indian Style (yes, I just called it INDIAN style!  Did you know that teachers are not allowed to use that term any longer because it is not Politically Correct?  Hilarious!) at 6:15 in the morning getting ready to ‘call’ the birds in.  Paul begins digging through his camoflauge ‘Fanny Pack’ that is around his waist.  This guy is serious!  He has got all of the bells and whistles and he is ready to GO.  He has a rifle.  I have a shotgun.  We are gonna kill’em … kill’em dead.  I was so excited to just see a turkey in the wild.  Paul told me all about the ‘Toms’ and the ‘Hens’ and how they were gonna act, where they currently were and how far away they were.  He kept looking at his watch and would tell me when they were gonna come down out of the trees (did you know that turkeys can fly?), off of their roost and come and to our decoys that we had so eloquently set up.  This was Exciting!  We were actually hunting these birds.  We were gonna be ’talking’ to them very soon he said.    

Paul reaches into his camoflauged ‘Fanny Pack’ again and pulls out this wooden box with a handle on it.  It sure looked interesting.  He begins to move the top around and it is making this hideous sound.  He tells me that he is calling in the ‘Toms’ (the males).  This box thing is making the sound of a hen.  On the top of this wooden box read the words, ‘Lynche’s Fool Proof Turkey Call.’  We ain’t no fools… He was working the box and all of a sudden, we begin to hear Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!  No, FOR REAL!  And LOUD!  AND CLOSE!  It was really incredible.  I was so proud of my father in law.  It is such an art.  Such a talent.  It was wonderful.  I’m holding my shotgun at this point ready to ’smoke’ a turkey when he walks out.  The sky is turning lighter by now.  The Toms are still gobbling.  They are still in the roost Paul says.  It won’t be long now.  Along with Lynche’s Fool Proof Turkey Call, Paul is ‘working’ a black gobbler call, a battery operated turkey & hen caller and he has some little instrument in his mouth he called a diaphram.  You might be a Redneck if … This was the time of my life.  We truly were ‘talking’ to these birds.  They would gobble and Paul would gobble back with his hand held black gobbler thingy that he waved back and forth to make the gobble sound.  They would ‘talk’ and we would ‘talk’ back.  Back and forth.  Back and forth.  He would hit my leg in excitement everytime he could tell they were getting closer.  They are only 40 yards away now.  They were 180 yards away at first.  One Big Tom was 400 yards away he said.  Is he pulling my leg or is he serious?  Paul is good.  Real Good!  After a short bit passes, low and behold, 3 Toms come strutting out from the trees.  Paul is still gobbling and they are gobbling back.  Fascinating!  The Toms look really funny when they gobble.  I was looking through the ‘field glasses’ (I call them binoculars!) to see how bigs their beards were.  The size of one’s beard dictates how old one is.  These birds were ‘Jakes,’ not but 2 years old, maybe.  Their beards were in between 1 – 2 inches.  I had seen one in Paul’s truck one time that was about 10 – 12 inches long.  That is the one I want!  Bring out the Big Tom … MUY!  Grande!  Paul told me I could shoot the 2 inch bearded Tom, but I chose not to in hopes that Muy would walk out and I could then ‘touch’ him with my shotgun (that’s a nice way of saying kill). 

There were also 3 hens to our right eating some feed on the ground.  The Toms did not stay around too terribly long.  It was so fun just to watch them and how they acted.  Their feathers would flare up at the back (is this called the tail?) when they got excited.  Their heads would bob up and down.  And boy where they gobbling!  We just watched them until they left.  After they went on their way, we packed up and began to walk to the truck.  It was a great time.  We saw the same flock of birds when we were driving out in the truck.  Pretty.  Fascinating. 

Turkeys have very good sight.  Better than an eagles, Paul says.  At Ellison High School (they are the Screamin’ Eagles), there is written on the wall in the ‘Commons Area’ this fact … ‘at a quarter of a mile away, an eagle can see you better than you can see your own feet!’  Daaaaaaaang.  Now THAT is good eye sight!  Turkeys can see really well.  That is why they get in trees, to keep an eye out for predators.  But they can’t smell very good nor hear, I think. 

I am looking forward to next week because we are gonna go several times and jruss (that’s me!) is gonna kill’em his first Turkey!  A bearded one.  A LONG bearded one!  Longer than Paul’s!  At least that’s my hope and prayer.  Wink.  Wink. 

And I will get some pictures.  I may end up moving this blog to another location so that I can figure out how to post pictures on here.  I will let you know if I choose to do that.  I won’t leave you behind.  I promise.

So there it is … the Adventures of Paul and Johnny!  What a great morning! 

I feel so blessed to be able to hunt and fish and be in God’s Creation when I want.  I am thankful to those who invite me into their lives and teach me about the Arts of Hunting and Fishing.  What a Joy.  True Joy…      

The Ups & Downs…

So what is good with you?  The Ups & Downs.  It is very interesting to see how many or how few folks check out this blog each day and where they come from.  Statistics sure are amazing to me.  Anyhow, this could be a long one so get in, sit down, shut up and hold on!

Life is full of struggles.  You face them.  I face them.  The rich face them.  The poor face them.  All Ages.  All Races.  Both Genders. 

At the age of 25, an old Young Life guy of mine from Calallen is going through a nasty and heart wrenching divorce.  Thay made the unwise decision to live together before they got married and during that process, they found out that they were with child.  Such a beautiful boy the child is.  He is 18 months old now.  Full of life.  The pregnancy forced them into marriage if she was to reap the benefits of health insurance through him.  They visited the JP’s Office.  They got married.  He found out a couple months ago that she had been cheating on him for quite some time.  He wanted to work it out.  He wanted to seek counseling.  She desired none of that.  She is 20 years old.  Has zero support.  This new guy is whacked out and is causing her to become someone that she is not and should not become.  It is very sad.  Hearts are hurting.  The Enemy is Proud of his work.  He has done well. 

For the past few weeks, I have awaken in the morning very in tune with the Spritiual Battle that is going on all around each and every one of us.  Do you sense the Battle?  Remember the cartoons when an angel sits on your right shoulder and the devil sits on your left shoulder?  That’s exactly it!  It’s true.  The Battle is just like this cartoon.  The temptation to do what we know is right and yet the ‘always present’ temptation to do what is wrong.  Paul writes in Romans 7 and says, ‘The good that I ought to do I do not do, but the things that I don’t want to do, those are what I end up doing!‘  Can you relate or what?  I feel like this is my life sometimes.  I lay in bed each morning praying for me, my wife, my family by name and those friends of mine that I know that are struggling or just that I simply care about.  I pray the Armor of God from Ephesians 6 every day.  Why would I dare leave my house unprepared for battle?  Unarmed for Battle?  It goes something like this:  God help me put on the Belt of Truth around my waist.  Do I know the Truth?  What is the Truth?  What role does the Truth play in my life?  I pray for the Breastplate of Righteousness.  What does righteousness look like?  How can I be Righteous?  What does the Breastplate protect?  I pray that my feet would be girded with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace.  Am I ready to go?  Do I know the Gospel?  Is it with Peace?  I pray largely for the Helmet of Salvation.  Most of my battles take place inside my head!  This is where the Enemy targets us!  I pray for my thoughts (2 Cor. 10:5).  I pray for my eyes (Job 31:1).  I pray for my ears.  I pray for my mouth!  I pray for all of my senses.  I pray for the Shield of Faith that stops the flaming arrows of the Enemy!  If you don’t think he is firing at you, you are mistaken!  The Enemy is always working.  Back in the day, the soldiers had leather shields that they would soak in water so that if fired upon by flaming arrows, the soaked leather would extinguish these flames.  I like that.  And then the Bad Boy……I pray for the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God!  Do I know God’s Word?  Do I BELIEVE God’s Word?  Do I trust God’s Word?  Am I reading, following and obeying God’s Word?  A great tactic of the Enemy is to make us think that he does not exist and is not working and certainly is not against.  Please don’t believe that!  Please don’t believe that!  Please don’t believe that…

Issues kids (and people in general) that we are dealing with include:  depression, lack of motivation, cutting themselves, homosexuality, they hate their parents, zero relationship with their parents, many many followers and few leaders in the group, scared to step out on a limb and experience something new for the first time. 

The Enemy is a part of each and every one of these issues.  John 10:10 says, ‘the Thief (that’s the Enemy…his name is satan) comes only to Steal, Kill & Destroy, but I (Jesus, Savior) have come to give you LIFE and LIFE ABUNDANT!  I LOVE THAT!  Are you going to bat for you friends and family?  Are you battling for the souls & hearts of your co-workers?  Engage.  The Battle is taking place now. 

Daily Bible:  I am now reading in 1 Samuel and it is great.  I am learning about King Saul and King David, Jonathan and Samuel the Prophet.  To make this short, King Saul ends up getting Jealous of David because he is one bad dude.  I mean, this guy can whip some butt!  So Saul wants David killed, so he tells him that if he is to marry his daughter, the cost of his daughter is …… are you ready for this?  100 Philistine foreskins!  Serious.  No Joke.  What a price!  That’s a pretty good deal I guess.  But NASTY!  So David goes out and kills 200 Philistines and delivers a hundred of them nasty ‘skins’ to Saul.  What did he do with them?  Saul tries to kill David several times with his spear.  He does not succeed.  then he tries to do the same to his son, Jonathan.  This stuff needs to be in a movie!  David and Goliath.  Ring a Bell?  Now THAT’S a Sweet Story!  Absolutely.  I Love It!  David is just a boy.  He hears this 9 foot dude mocking David’s God and he would have none of it!  It says that (1 Samuel 17) David took his staff in his hand, choose 5 smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.  It later says that DAVID RAN QUICKLY TOWARD THE BATTLE LINE TO MEET HIM!!!!!!!!  I flung the rock.  It sunk into Goliath’s forehead.  He fell backwards and died.  Dead.  David cut off his head!  With a Sword.  Now that’s cool…

Taylor and I went camping this weekend with some old YL leaders of ours.  Tara and Isaac are such cool people.  I didn’t know such cool people could come from Colorado.  Tara is really pregnant.  Both couples had tents and enjoyed sleeping outdoors.  It rained on us Friday night which made for a relaxing nights rest with the pitter patter of the rain on our tents.  That could things down.  We hiked 4 miles round trip on Saturday to the Gorman Waterfall.  It was really beautiful.  Tara was amazed that something so beautiful was in Texas.  I hated her comment.  Have you been camping in awhile?  Taylor and really like to camp.  We have a little 2 man tent and it is really great.  No watches.  No Cell Phones.  Time sure does seem to slow down when one camps.  It is really wonderful.

What else is going on?  We are in the midst of signing kids up for summer camp at Sharptop Cove.  My goal is to raise $10,000 to help kids go to camp.  That is only 20 people to each give just $500!  Very Doable!  20 people have looked at this site today.  Sooooooo, if you are reading this, just plan on helping one kid, Just One!, go to STC this summer.  It will be an Eternal Investment.  I promise you that!  Please pray for kids to sign up for camp!  It really is the Best Week of Their Lives! 

We are watching the Art of Romance tonight for Campaigners.  Things are ‘heating up’ once again in the Scriptures.  The kids are handling this subject and topic very well.  Very Mature.  It’s actually surprising. 

 I guess it is time for me to head home.  I am grilling trout tonight on the grill for Taylor and me.  Gulf of Mexico trout caught over Spring Break.  Yum.  Yum.

Thanks for reading…

Know the Battle.

Know the Enemy! 

I haven’t forgotten…

I have not forgotten about this blog!

I just thought you should know that.  There are some really great things going on and I just have not had time to write a substantial amount of my heart and so I am choosing not to write until I can do that.  It is coming sooooooooooooon.

 I am off to the high school…

 Because high school kids are worth it!

When my wife gets angry…

I bet the title of this post got your attention, huh?  This is a quote from Wednesday night… 17 things you should never do in an argument:  When my wife gets angry, she gets HISTORICAL!  Not Hysterical, but Historical!  She is great at bringing up the past.  Let the Past be the Past!  I think that quote is really great.  We all love to bring up the past.  Or maybe it is just me.  Let’s stop that junk.  Ok?  Ok.

Have you watched the THAT’S MY KING video yet?  If you STILL have not done it, you gotta do it!  I like to watch it every day.  It gets me excited.  It’s the Truth!

Every Friday morning some high school guys and I meet at 7, eat pancakes and watch a NOOMA video.  I thought about calling it Pancakes and Prayer but quickly realized that no non-Christian high school dude is gonna come to something called Pancakes and Prayer…so now I just call it Pancakes!  Simple.  Easy.  TASTY!

In this mornings video called TODAY, Rob Bell asked, ‘how much time do we spend thinking about the past?’  Wishing we could go back.  Were those really the best days of your / my life?  For Real?  I think men are really guilty of this.  I know tons of dudes that talk about ‘back when I was growing up’ or ‘remember when’ scenarios and so many of us are not living for today.  What a shame.  I think about my past and how much I have ENJOYED my life / past!  It is amazing.  And I am serious.  I Loved Elementary, Middle and High School!  I had so many friends, was involved in so many things, played sport (yes, that is singular!) and just simply enjoyed life and felt like it was lived to the full.

And today?  Today is really no different!  Times have obviously changed.  I have much more responsibility today than I ever have.  That is a little restrictive, but still really incredible!  Tons of friends.  Involved in much.  I am not playing many sport (still singular) these days.  I love to drop this line to people when they ask if I am gonna play Football, Basketball or Ultimate Frisbee……..’Well, I would, but I have had 2 knee surgeries.  I don’t think my newest ACL is up to par and I don’t want to risk it.’  What that really means is that I am lazy and not interest.  Just kidding.  It is true.  I am a little gunshy about this newest surgery.  I just don’t want to blow ACL #3, you know what I mean?  Dang…

Anyhow, my friend Matt is always saying, ‘Is what YOU are living for, worth dying for?’  That’s a great question.  Is what I am living for, worth dying for?  I think so.  What kind of impact are you having on those around you?  Since you are reading this blog, you are obviously a leader.  I mean, only Real Leaders read this site, right?  Wink.  Wink.  But seriously, is what YOU are living for, worth dying for?  That question should keep you up at night.  I sure do know a ton of people who don’t like their jobs.  And they can’t leave.  Too much commitment.  Not financially secure enough.  Married with kids.  Just can’t go.  Personally, I don’t want to get to the end of my life and ‘wish’ I would have done this or that.  No regrets, right?  It is so sad to me how unmotivated kids are these days.  So content doing … Nothing.  Not all kids, but a whole lot of them.  This is a real struggle for me.  It makes me angry. 

How all of this spawned from ‘When my wife gets angry, she get Historical,’ I don’t know, but it did.  Funny how that happens.

Are you enjoying life?  Is this season hard for you?  

Know this……… Never Live Liked You’re Not Loved! 

Life in the Fast Lane…

It amazes me how fast life can mooooooooooooove…

Does life move fast for you?  Maybe it is just in my world.  But I think it probably is the same for you as well.

In my Daily Bible, our Judges readings have come to an end for now and we have moved on to 1 Samuel.  This makes me frown because I enjoyed thoroughly the stories in Judges… the Pulp Fiction of the Bible as one once called it! 

But before we move on to Samuel, I wanted to share what the author of the DB had to say about Judges 17 & 18 – Micah and The Danites.  You really should read this stuff.  It’ll blow your hair back!  That’s what it’ll do all right…

‘Even while God is working wonders through his specially chosen leaders, there are many Israelites who continue to be attracted by pagan idols and practices.  What follows is an account of one such Israelite who compromises and perverts true worship, and even manages to persuade a Levite (this is the tribe of priests) to participate.  Perhaps the greater significance of the account lies inthe fact that one man’s sins eventually leads to the practice of pagan idolatry by an ENTIRE TRIBE.  The power of individual influence shouts aloud in this seemingly well-motivated and innocent deviation from God’s directed pattern.’  Read Judges 17-18 for more insight. 

‘In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.’  This verse sums up Judges for me.  When we have no law, no king, no Plum Line of Right & Wrong, No Moral Standard, we live as though what we ‘think / feel’ is right is right.  We need Help.  We need Direction.  We need Rules.  I think too many parents end up screwing their kids up because they don’t give them any rules / regulations growing up.  Or maybe they do give them rules / regulations / consequences but they are not Consistent in their Discipline!  This is Brutal.  Be Consistent.  Israel was never consistent in their worship of God.  And for this the nation suffered.  Nor have we been consistent in our worship of God.  And for this we suffer.   God has given us His Standard.  Do you know it?

Men CRACK me up…. it sure does seem like all of my ‘breed’ think the same!  In the Song of Solomon study that we are doing on Wednesday nights, the pastor says that if girls wanna ‘win’ an argument, all they have to do is cry.  Men don’t know what to do with a crying woman.  But we will sure try sometimes, won’t we?

1 Samuel 1 starts off with a woman named Hannah crying because another lady has kids and she does not.  So how does her husband respond to her?  ‘Hannah, why are you weeping?  Why don’t you eat something?  Why are you downhearted?  Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?’  This is my interpretation of this passage…So I go home after work and Taylor is crying about us not having kids and my response to her would be:  Why you cryin’ girl?  You got any food in yo’ belly?  Don’t look so grim?  Babe, YOU GOT ME!  I am thinking that Hannah and her husband could not have been married THAT long because even after only being married 3 months, I know better….most of the time!  Surely Elkanah (Hannah’s husband) would have learned this by now.  This is not the right way to respond, men……..but oh so often it is!

Club on Monday was great.  Skippy the Amazing Wonder Fish zip lined from the top of Texas Boat World down a fishing line into a bucket of water!  He is one Stellar Tilapia!!!  Dan gave the Club talk and spoke about our sin and need.  It really doesn’t take much for one to look around and recognize that ‘something just isn’t right’ right now.  Our actions have consequences.  Our consequence for our sin nature is death.  Death without Jesus. 

And then Campaigners last night was Part 2 of the Art of Conflict.  Oh Boy!  Conflict… Tommy gave us the 17 things you should never do in Conflict.  I forgot the list, but will post it really soon.  These are great reminders.

I think that is all for now.  Thanks for reading once again.  There were like 27 views on this site on Tuesday.  Thanks for visiting…

Crazy Busy Day…

Have you watched the THAT’S MY KING video yet?   If not, you GOTTA scroll down two blogs and watch this video…it’ll Blow Your Hair Back!

There is SO MUCH going on right now.  I have been on the phone a ton today…pastors, parents, texting kids, Taylor is in Houston for the day figuring out Bride’s Maids dress stuff, Lunch Bible Studies, Ellison High School, Man Night tonight at Buffalo Wild Wings, old friends in town…  LOTS of STUFF!

Please know this day that although Christ is ALIVE … hence the holiday of Easter, so is His Adversary / Enemy!  We are in a Battle.  A Serious Battle!  A Spiritual Battle!  A Battle for the Heart & Soul of You!  A Battle for the Heart & Soul of Me!  A Battle for the Hearts & Souls of Our Children.  And A Battle for the Hearts & Souls of Nation / World!

Please pray for this time.  There are serious issues going on.  With you.  With me.  With our world.  Christ has come to set us Free!  The problem is that according to Romans 1, we have ‘exchanged the Truth of God for a lie’ and He has ‘given us over to the desires of our flesh.’  Satan is preying on our Flesh. 

May we know this Truth this day.  May we lay prostrate before our Savior and plea on behalf of you, me, our Children and our Nation that we would Turn To Him, Know Him, Desire Him & Long For Him. 

He is Our Hope.  Our Only Hope…

On the web…

How about it?  This is my second post for the day!  I am officially a nerd…

Anywho, I wanted to let you know my sermon is at this website www.begrace.org.  Click on Media.  You will see my name (johnny russell) and the sermon to follow.  Enjoy.  Let me know whatcha think.  I sure do enjoy doing this.

Make today count!

Is what you’re living for, worth dying for?

Longing to sit at His feet…

Do you ever get that feeling?  You know, that feeling like you are missing something in your day, week, month, year, life…

I have that feeling right now.  My longing is to sit at His feet and have Him speak to me, encourage me, love me and direct me.  Does God still speak?  Do you ‘hear’ Him?  Are you doing what He desires you to do today?  A lot of people think God is dead.  And then a lot of people think God is not necessarily dead, but that He is not engaging us / involved in our lives. 

We read books.  Lots of books.  Magazines.  Blogs.  Commentaries.  And then there is television.  These are all great things.  Most of the time.  But are we sitting before the feet of our Savior?  When was the last time you (yes, I am actually speaking to you….the reader of this blog — YOU!) sat, layed, fell prostrate before Jesus and He ‘spoke’ to you?  I know that you probably read the Bible every now and again, but when did you sit before Him with no agenda and listen?  ’They’ say communication is a 2 way street… I would say that ‘the other way’ is lacking in our prayer life!  At least it is in mine.  I am great at speaking TO Him.  I am horrible at allowing Him to ‘speak’ to me.  Why is that?  Why don’t I sit before His feet on a daily basis?  Idiot!  That’s why.

So there it is.  That is where my heart is today.  Where is yours?  Did you know that God (the God of the Universe!, Creator, Father, Maker, Judge, Ruler, All-Knowing, and on and on for all eternity) desires for us to engage Him?  Listen to Him?  Love Him?  Serve Him?  He does.  He desires you … to do these things.  He desires me … to do these things.  Can you believe that?  How incredible is that?  That is MY God!  Do you know Him?  Please check out this link and view this video… http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/index.cfm?hndl=details&tab=MM&id=28.

Are you fired up or what?  Do You Know Him?!?!  THAT God desires US to know Him more.  So join me in sitting before our Savior today.  We Need Him.  We Long for Him.  And we may not even know it.  That longing in your soul.  That itching in your chest.  It won’t go away.  You can’t find anything to cure it.  That’s because we are not sitting before Him.  Listening.  Waiting.  Yearning.  Longing for Him to ’speak’ to us!  Do You Know Him?  He’s Indescribable…

On another note, Taylor and I went to Corinth (Dallas area) this weekend for Easter.  Taylor and I had not made it ’up’ to see my parents / family since our wedding 3 months ago.  It was great to be home.  I sure am blessed to have a great home life.  Loving Parents.  Big Brothers that Bully Me.  And now…Christ that lives in each of us.  Such a blessing.  Taylor and I made it to the 7 p.m. Good Friday service at Denton Bible Church and it was really educating.  I love to learn about the Old Testament.  Tommy Nelson, the pastor, spoke on Leviticus 16 – The Day of Atonement.  He is one wise dude.  He was speaking about how Moses would go into the Tabernacle (the Holy of Holies) to make Atonement for his country (Israel) and himself to God once a year.  Well, Moses would sacrifice at goat for the people and a bull for himself.  Ok.  So what?  A goat is an animal that follows.  Goats are not ‘leaders.’  Hence, Moses made a goat sacrifice to God for the people of Israel because they were followers.  On the other hand, a bull does not follow.  A bull leads!  And so Moses sacrificed a bull for himself because he was the leader of Israel (well, God was / is really, but he is the earthly leader).  I had never heard this.  I like it.  I love it.  I want some more of it.  Now, if you are beginning to sing the country song, you listen to country music too much!  Is that possible?

I am trying to understand how to put pics on this blog.  I can upload a full-size pic, but not a thumbnail yet.  Give it time, Mav, give it time.  Thanks for the encouragement.  A full-size pic is just too big.  We don’t want that.

Please pray for Young Life Club tonight at 7:59 CST.  Dan is giving the Club Talk around our sin / need of a Savior.  We are Helpless, but not Hopeless!  I am revealing the cut camp cost tonight… We charge $499 for 9 days at a Premier Young Life Camping Facility, but for 1 month only, we are charging $298.50 (that’s HALF OFF!).  We are trying to get the ball rolling and kids to get on board with Sharptop Cove.  If kids start to sign up, I will be sending you a letter to help get them there.  See you at your mailbox.

We need Jesus.  Kids need Jesus.  In a Bad Way. 

Because High School Kids Are Worth It…   

The ‘Pulp Fiction’ of the Bible…

In the words of George Castanza, ‘I’m BACK, BABY, George is BACK!’  It is great to be back in the saddle and bloggin’ with the best of’em…

My adventures down in Corpus Christi were simply incredible!  For 1 month I have been planning this trip with these 3 guys.  Every day I would ask them, ‘are we still good to go?  Do I need to talk to your parents or anything in regards to our trip South?’  The answers were always the same, ‘yes and no.’  Yes they were good to go and no they did not need me to speak to their parents…except for one.  So on Thursday night, the night before we are gonna leave, I get a text message (such a horrible way to communicate important information, you know?) from one of the guys saying that he just told his mom (after knowing about this trip for a month, he is just telling his mom the night before, ugh!) and she says that he cannot go.  5 minutes later, I get another text from another guy and he says, ‘if what’s his face ain’t going, then he doesn’t want to go and leave his boy alone during Spring Break.’  10 minutes later….you know what is coming!  The last guy does the exact same thing!  He bales on me because his friends are not going now!  I was pretty livid, to say the least, that night.  I could hardly sleep.  Lots of praying.  Friday morning was interesting… I gave the boys till 10 a.m. to let me know.  They all said that they were still out.  And so I moved on.  I called 1 guy and he immediately said that he was in!  Even if it was just me and him going?  He said, ‘Oh, Heck yeah!’  Corpus Christi?  Who wouldn’t want to go there?  Well, I can give you the names of 3 guys!  10 minutes after that guy was in, I get a text from 2 of the ‘old guys’ saying they are BACK IN!  Incredible!  So it ended up being 2 of the old guys and 1 new guy.  Great Time…  Sun, Sand, Fish, Food, Friends, Putt-Putt, Boogie Boards, Skim Boards, Injuries, Paint Ball, X-Box 360, Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, More Food, More Fun, Deeper Relationships!  ‘Love People to LIFE!’

OK, during all of this frustration, I am still reading in the Daily Bible.  My Pastor calls the Book of Judges the Pulp Fiction of the Bible!  Do you remember that movie Pulp Fiction?  Pretty crazy movie.  Produced by Quinton Tarantino.  Weird Cat.  Very Creative.  Anyhow, I thought that I would share with you some of this Hollywood style drama that is taking place…

Judges 3:15-25, ‘Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing.  He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man.  After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it.  At the idols near Gilgal he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” 
The king said, “Quiet!” And all his attendants left him.  Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly.  Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it.  Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.  After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house.”  They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.’

Is this crazy or WHAT?  Insane!  I was amazed and baffled.  So Incredible…  But wait, there’s more.

Judges 4:17, 11, 18-22.  To give you some background, Barak and Deborah are pursuing Sisera to kill him to take claim of his land that the Lord had given to Barak and Deborah.  Sisera is on the run and the story picks up here… ‘Sisera, however, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite.  Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.  Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my Lord , come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him.  “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up.  Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say ‘No.’  But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted.  She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.  Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple-dead.’

An 18 inch sword into the belly of a fat king!  A tent peg hammered into the temple of a man who had 900 iron chariots…by a woman!

God now calls Gideon as His point person…Gideon is hesitant, as was Moses.  God proves to him by use of a fleece.  Judges 6:36-40.  Check out that passage. 

Then God tells Gideon, ‘You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into your hands.  In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’  So 22,000 men left…while 10,000 remained!  2/3 of the Army trembled in fear and so they left!  Seriously?  And God says that 10,000 is still too many!  Gideon takes these 10,000 men down to the water to drink and the ones that ‘lap the water with the tongues like a dog’ rather than those who kneel down to drink are the ones that will fight!  The number?  300!  Oh My Stars!  So God has widdled Gideon’s Army down from 22,000 men to 300!  Totally Insane…  Well, Gideon wins.  With God on his side, anything is possible now.

Lots of death.  Lots of deceit.  Lots of killing.  Lots of children, sex, prostitutes, concubines, women.  And lastly…

There was the really bad man named Abimelech who killed his 70 BROTHERS just so he could be ruler.  He is gonna try to take captive this tower and everyone in it, but everyone had locked themselves in the tower and  climbed to the top.  Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it.  But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull!  When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead…the went home!

So there you have it.  This is quite a lot, I know.  Thanks for reading and making it to the end. 

This is a GOOD FRIDAY!  EASTER IS COMIN’ SOON!