| Lee 的个人资料Crossing New Haven照片日志列表 |  工具  帮助 |
|
2006/5/18 I broke down.......I joined the rest of the herd and created a Myspace site.............
Check it out-
Moo! 2006/4/18 John 541"I'm not interested in crowd approval. 42And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God's love, is not on your working agenda. 43I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. 44How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God?
I love you Jesus- All I really want to do is seek your approval. Some how I almost always give way to my insecurities and act on what is popular instead of what is right. Thank you for working with me in this and for looking at me through the eyes of love. Thank you for seeing what I can be instead of what I am. Your patience is immeasurable and your constant encouragement is my sustenance. Without you there is no beauty. Without you I have no hope. 2006/3/29 Long Days Lately- Long OverDue Good Bye- Long Face Without You Guys- Long Title...Dear Crossing Family, In many ways I feel like I am retreating, but I know that we often have to step backwards before we can step forward. I've got some hurts that I feel God is leading me through right now, many of which deal with loss and rejection (can you relate?). These hurts have dictated too many of my wrong decisions and I know that in order for me to step into the next chapter of my life I need to re-visit the past to deal with them. For that reason I needed to step away from FloodGate, though that was really hard to do. God has armed The Crossing with some amazing teenagers who are hungry for Jesus and who I now have the privilege of calling my friends. Being a part of FG8 has been quite an experience and I will never be the same... With all that said I would simply like to thank you as a body for your support and love over the past couple of years and during this transition.
The Ipod also kicks butt!!! :) I've put 740 songs on it and I still have over a Gig to go... Thank You so much for such a wonderful gift!!
Gaters, Amanda, Cady, Cecily, Chelsie, Cassie, Kami, Samantha, Chris T., Chris W., Cody, Colton, Derek, Jakey, Joel #1, Joel #2, Keeger, Mitch---- The last few Monday nights have been hard without seeing you, but I still believe without a doubt that the timing of my departure was right on. Some of it had to do with me and my personal struggle. Some of it had to do with Luke and Laura and the fact that God is ready to multiply them in ministry. A lot of it had to do with you and where you are as a group and as individuals. I am not joking when I say that God often humbled me through the realization of how mature and wise you guys are and it has been a blast to serve and learn with you. God is simply calling me into new battles and I am unable to lead you to where He wants to take you now. But it has been exciting to see God's provision in this with the coming of Luke and Laura. I look forward to seeing you blossom and grow under their guidance.
Now I know that God will have a lot for each of you to walk through and if you remember anything that I tried to impart I hope it would be this: Some of life will be easy. Most of it will be difficult. All of it will be satisfying if you remember to keep your faith simple and focused on the relationship you have with Jesus. Do not approach Him through formulas or steps (would you do that with your parents or friends?) because that leads to religion, which leads to confusion and puts limits on how (and where) He can use you. Please don't be surprised when things get hard or think that it's the devil trying to hold you down. Hardships (and pain) are often the hammer and chisel He uses to sculpt us into something beautiful. I've found most of my greatest moments with Him have accompanied my greatest hurts. So please don't resist the struggles He places you in but rather face them with courage and remember that peace (resting on all that Jesus is rather then wrestling with all that you are not) will be your greatest ally in any situation. I love you guys and I am always available if you need me.
Lee2006/3/2 Jokes By Aaron DonleyI find it helpful to occasionally go downtown and present one of the Probably when Michelangelo was working on sculpting David’s privates and someone would come in the room he would jump and pretend to be working on the knees. Don’t you people ever think to knock? What is it? What do you want? I’m workin’ here!
I’ve noticed that the most highly active PTA members always have the ugliest children in the entire school. 2006/2/2 Was Jesus The Man A Conservative Or A Liberal?Neither, He was a servant. So, where does that leave me when as an American seeker of Jesus I'm given only 2 choices? Frankly I'm confused about some things right now and I am getting weary of wading through the political muck that comes with being a human being in the information age.
Be warned! If you are under the age of 23 you may want to stop reading right here. Otherwise you run the risk of falling asleep...
For as long as I can remember I have considered myself a conservative- I was a Republican (even before Jesus became mine) for many reasons but mainly because they seem to follow the philosophy of "helping people help themselves." Rather then giving handouts you teach people how to become self-sustaining. Doesn't that make sense? Help them earn their way so they don't become dependant on the system. But I find myself questioning that approach lately.
I think many people are simply broken and the damage is too deep to be fixed with a new job skill. They are slaves to the thought patterns that have repressed them and most likely their families for generations. It's like giving a branch that has been cut from a tree some water and soil and saying, "here ya go- now nourish yourself." Even though it has the ingredients needed to survive that branch is going to quickly wither and die.
As I see things "Lefties" (liberals) tend to be great at helping the poor and serving the needy. I mean it seems that they do it in a way that is personal and caring. Their political track record however shows that they tend to believe the needy are incapable of taking care of themselves. Their method or approach to the needy (hand-outs) seems to feed itself. The needy get needier and reproduce needy children, who reproduce needy children, who reprod... You get the idea. It is very similar to helping a butterfly out of it's cocoon. By helping it you render it helpless- leaving it weak and unable to fly.
I know that the obvious answer is Jesus, but how do you apply healing to a wound that in the eye of the wounded does not exist? In other words many among the needy are not interested in changing or are not even aware that anything is wrong... They often take on the mantle of the victimized believing that they deserve help or are even entitled to it.
Jesus said "You will always have the poor among you..." (Matt. 26:11) so no matter what we do or how hard we try there will always be needy people. Always! That makes me wonder if maybe giving handouts isn't really such a bad idea. As my wife can attest- the quickest way to someone’s heart is through his or her stomach. As far as I can tell their heart is where the real issue lays not their lack of skills.
Let me help you brother because I know you can't help yourself and honestly... I don't expect you to. Why are you helping me? Because I love you. Why do you love me? Because Jesus loves me and He has helped me countless times when I couldn't help myself.
I know that sounds a bit cheeky, but maybe with prayer, contact (touch), relationship, and unconditional love (zero expectation) over time the grace of Jesus would become real and would manifest itself through us into the heart of the broken. How can a helpless being then stand to resist the transformation that takes place when Jesus introduces Himself in that terrifying, wonderful way that he does?
Ouch! I really got sidetracked... Back to my confusion- As much I like P. Bush and believe him to be a lover of Jesus I am about at the point where I can no longer align myself to him. That really hurts me because there was a time when I couldn't stand to even hear criticism of him or his policies. But it just seems to me that from the world perspective being a "Christian" no longer means you follow Jesus, but rather you are someone with a rigid, political agenda. Right or wrong P. Bush's politics are now associated with the Church and all those people that hate Bush hate the Church or at the very least mistrust it. That leaves me with little or no credibility with the very people Jesus was closest to. - I think what is happening to me is a shift of loyalties. The blinders are coming off and I'm seeing that even though I share many of the same values as the Republican party I no longer agree with how they try to spread them. Values cannot advance like a military action (with force). Force most often creates rebellion. Only love, prayer, and patience will create real change- will transform hearts, will see the Kingdom grow.
Brace yourselves... I'm about to wax on. As I watched the "State of the Union" speech the other night it struck me that the center isle of that "hallowed" chamber (the center line of bipartisanship) could perhaps represent the plumb line of truth. A very thin strip of safety between two embittered camps of ideology.
Disclaimer: I realize that some the above observations are very generalized, but they do represent how I perceive things at the moment. Feel free to throw your thoughts into the mix as I try and work some of this out.
Ps. I still love P. Bush and pray for him often, I will simply no longer wave the Republican banner.... 2006/1/20 BurnsideI've added a link under the "Web Tools" tab called the Burnside Writers Collective. Check it out if you get a chance.
"Burnside Writers Collective is an online resource for Christians looking for a connection with the world outside franchise Christianity." 2006/1/18 Real Love Part IICould you ever hug a gossiping lady and cry with her as she mourns the death of her gossiping friend? Would Jesus do that? -------------------------------------------
Doesn't seem to have near as much sting as my Jan. 13th entry, but what difference is there between the two? 2006/1/17 Make Love Not War!Ok, I totally expected comments on my last 2 entries.... A little healthy discussion to try and determine exactly where the razor edge of unconditional love begins to cut to deeply. I am shocked that there weren't any takers, but that's ok, I'll discuss it anyway.....
I guess my main point was to stress how important love without conditions is in trying to help people that are hurting. My natural response would be one of trying to correct or fix them. Granted I would try to do it in a sensitive and caring way, but how sincere would I be in that? What I am beginning to learn is that God is the changer of men and the best thing for me to do is pray and demonstrate love. Love that doesn't condemn or judge. Love that offers friendship and understanding. Love that recognizes it's own flaws before focusing too keenly on the flaws of others.
You see most flaws stem from deep hurt and it is a fact that we all have hurt in our lives. Different hurts and circumstances translate into different flaws. Some hurts lead to homesexuality. In my case the hurt that I've experienced has led to several flaws, one being lust (which God has helped me with tremendously), but in the eyes of a completely pure God what is the difference between homosexuality and lust? Ok, lets try to make it a little more innocent... What about gossip? Is that any less wrong then homosexuality? I believe dirt is still dirt, right? And yet how often do we give in and whisper a little something about so and so? As lovers of Jesus we really need to drop all the man made social (often "Christian") stigmas regarding what is "kinda bad", "really bad" and "not bad" behavior.
Christians waging political war on the liberal way of life and aggressively passing laws against their "culture" is not going to win them to Christ, though it will most certainly imbitter them against Him.
2006/1/13 Real Love Vs. Conservative Social CrapCould you ever hug a gay man and cry with him as he mourns the death of his male lover? Would Jesus do that? 2005/12/12 This Years Christams LetterDear Friends and Family,
It seems every year around November/ December I find myself asking where has this year gone. Eventually I’ll learn that time defies all reason and will always march on at its staggering pace. Oh well, I guess that is life… Michelle and I are doing very well. As you know we had to make a lot of room in our hearts this year when we welcomed Simon into our lives. What an amazing experience of joy and effort. An author I like said that God often deals with our selfishness by giving us someone infinitely more selfish than we are to care for... Babies!!! He is so right. Michelle and I had no idea what to expect and God has used Simon to really expose us to the pleasure and struggle of loving unconditionally. Michelle has become an amazing Mom! Of course she won’t like that I put this in here, but she deserves a lot of praise ‘cause she does most of the hard stuff. It’s a kick watching her with Simon though. They truly enjoy each other and sometimes it is such a picture of pure love that it catches me by surprise.
Being Simon’s Daddy has given me a small glimpse of the Father Heart of God and as a result it seems that I am slowly entering a season of change. I’m not exactly sure where it’s leading but I believe that it involves resting on all that He is rather then struggling through all that I am not -just like my beautiful son is demonstrating to me. Outside of the parenthood experience there really isn’t a whole lot to report. Our church plant (The Crossing) is doing well and our youth group remains a blessing and a challenge. The balance between family, career and ministry continues to pull us in many directions, but we always seem to make it. 2005/11/28 Anywhere But NowReally struggling today for some reason. I don't know if it's the rainy weather or the fact that it's Mon. after a long weekend. If I'm honest I'd say it is neither. It's mostly that nagging feeling of separation from the person that I really long to be, but never seem to become. The really sad thing is that I know I am becoming that person and I can actually mark some progress, but on days like today my hope seems thin, my heart feels heavy. -I long to be the kind who gives until it hurts rather then the one who seems to -I long to be the kind who cares for people where they are instead of being -I long to be the kind who wins his wife's heart instead of beating it in foolish compitition. -I long to be the kind who wants to always please my Daddy in Heaven instead The Message says it best....
2005/11/11 The TunesI started the song in the middle cause it's so dang long, but below are the lyrics for the whole song. ENJOY!!.... I hope!?!
I am a lonesome pilgrim, far from home
Read Tunes- Continued Below The Tunes- ContinuedOk, so it's just a bit country.... But I know there are a couple of you in our circle that appreciate good music regardless of genre. And I know some of you have a bumpkin country side to you anyway, sooooo.....
This song is from an album called "The Pilgrim" by Marty Stuart. I have never really connected with his work, but this album is a story of redemption and it absolutely captured me from the first time I heard it (years ago). The music is superior and as a result of liking it so much I did a little research into Marty's history. When he was just a boy he started out playing a mandolin for the Grand Ole' Opry and at his prime he was considered to be the fastest and best player in the world. He is a Christian though I would say this album has some darker sections to it, but then what is redemption without darkness?
Anyway, I was just feeling a bit nostalgic and felt like sharing something I love with youn's. For me, after man, music has to be God's greatest creation (followed not too distantly by horses and then Alice Springs Chicken at Outback Steak House).
2005/11/2 Human Cannonball Without AimSometimes I feel as though I was born in a circus, come out of my mothers womb like a man from a cannon, pitched toward the ceiling of the tent, all doctors and nurses clapping in delight from the grandstand, the band going great guns in trombones and drums. I unfold and find flight hundreds of feet above the center ring, the smell of popcorn, the clowns gathered below amazed at my grace, all the people chanting my name as my arms come out like wings and move swan-like toward the apex where I draw them in, collapse my torso to my legs, roll over in perfection, then slowly give to gravity, my body falling back toward earth, the ground coming up so quick I can see the center ring growing enormous beneath my weight.
And this is precisely when it occurs to me there is no net. And I wonder what is the use of a circus, and why a man should bother to be shot out of a cannon, and how fleeting is the applause of a crowd, and...who is going to rescue me?
This is the openning to the book "Searching For God Knows What" by Donald Miller.
I just made a gift to all the Youth Volunteers of his book "Blue Like Jazz" which has messed me up and made me squirm and made me want to cry for my religiousness and my lack of real love for people.
I pray I don't get snagged for Copyright infringement, but I have to tell you that in a world of "self-help," "7 Steps To Blah, Blah, Blah," and all the other books that try to formulatize life and God, this guy is a breath of fresh air. He writes like I want to.
I strongly encourage you to go to his web site and hit the resources tab. From there you will be able to read excerpts from all of his writings.
What's cool is I get to hear him speak this weekend in Indianapolis. If I change my mind about him I'll let you know...
 You know, I never did thank you Mar for introducing me to his work, so-----Thanks! 2005/10/31 The TunesBeautiful Day- By U2 The heart is a bloom, shoots up through the stony ground But there's no room, no space to rent in this town You're out of luck and the reason that you had to care The traffic is stuck and you're not moving anywhere You thought you'd found a friend to take you out of this place Always Someone you could lend a hand in return for grace Always It's a beautiful day The sky falls and you feel like It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away You're on the road but you've got no destination You're in the mud, in the maze of her imagination You love this town even if that doesn't ring true You've been all over and it's been all over you Always It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away It's a beautiful day Touch me Take me to that other place Teach me I know I'm not a hopeless case See the world in green and blue See China right in front of you See the canyons broken by cloud See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out See the Bedouin fires at night See the oil fields at first light, and See the bird with a leaf in her mouth After the flood all the colors came out Day It was a beautiful day Don't let it get away Beautiful day Touch me Take me to that other place Reach me I know I'm not a hopeless case What you don't have, you don't need it now What you don't know, you can feel it somehow What you don't have, you don't need it now Don't need it now It was a beautiful day It's warm in the sun, I reach to the sun 2005/10/24 Breaking Pipes With A RockI still can't get over what an amazing correlation there is between the lesson of the round pen (horse training) and our walk with God. It has always been my experience that when God wants me to do something He will apply a litttle presure towards the direction of His will (just like Dave did to Princess). If I am paying attention to God then that preesure is very subtle and seldom requires any discomfort, but if I'm off doing my own thing (not paying attention to Him) then the pressure can get pretty intense. Anyone who lives in cold climates can tell you that pressure can bust a pipe if it is not released. I guess if you as a Christ seeker refuse to give to the presure the same thing will happen to you. You'll be busted or broken before God. (This isn't the direction I was going with this, but I think I'm being "pressured" in this direction. So once again the horses are going to have to wait)
All disobedience leads to brokeness the question becomes how will you choose to be broken- By falling on the Rock or waiting till it's too late and letting the Rock fall on you (Luke 20:18)The words that are coming to my heart as I write this can be found in Psalm 34:16-18
"God won't put up with rebels: He'll cull them from the pack. Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there."
God despises it when we rebel and yet with the very next breath He offers hope to the rebellious. So, God hates how you (or I) rebel against His will, but He loves you enough to save you from yourself and is constantly offering you a way out of your misery (a way to release the pressure).
What are the pressures that are trapping you right now? School? Work? Money? Friends? Is it possible that it is simply God trying to get your attention? Is it possible that the answer is as simple as crying for help?
2005/10/17 FG8 2nd Annual Camping Extravaganza!We survived our semi-primitive camping experiance with only a few bumps and bruises. What an incredible debt of gaditude FG8 owe's to Dave and Kelly Troyer and Robert and Krista Hershberger (their munchkins too) for allowing us to share their little part of God's creation and for their amazing hospitality. All the Kids kept saying is that they couldn't believe these kind people were related to me (that's one of the reasons I don't really like any of these kids).
 Anyway, hopefully soon I'll do a more detailed entry on what we learned about training horses and how it can relate to our relationship with God (right now I'm at work where I can actually get some rest and hopefully recover- wink-wink).
.......In the meantime check out the rookie rustlers in the new photo album.
I added another album today (Tues. the 18th) "Jeremy's Pics" 2005/10/14 The TunesFor those of you who have never heard of the "Amlettes"--- the lovely song/ sound effects you're listening to is a mix of stuff I put together for our kids camp air band this past summer. We had 3 guys dressed as amish women and 3 girls dressed as amish men. We rocked the house!!!
............. My only real regret is that I had to return the dress to the rather large, but very kind lady I borrowed it from.
Seriously, I looked that good!!!I'll see if I can track down some pictures... 2005/9/26 Jo- MamaMy friend Jo had this as an entry and I felt I should pass it on...
Good word Jo! Thanks... 2005/9/2 KATRINA MEETS OUR "ROC"One of FG8's own has been called to active duty to help relieve some of the suffering left in Katrina's wake.
Jeremy,
Your presence will be missed. You have truly been a "rock" and a friend that I can lean on. We are praying for you, Misty and the boys and hope you get your butt home soon!!! 2005/9/1 Naked, Naked, NakedI think from now on all of my entry titles will have the word naked in them.
Since I did "Buck Naked Downtown" my sites hits have tripled.
If it gets people here reading this stuff then---- NAKED! NAKED! NAKED! Marry A Prostitute Part IIStop!!! Read "Marry A Prostitute..." before you read this entry....
So, not only does God shock and shake our "Christian" sensibilities with His assignments, but He also requires us to do things that are painful. How compatible do you think this truth is with todays "I think God wants me happy" mentality?
God does not always want you happy! What is more important to Him is you being Holy. Now I realize this may be a harsh picture of God, but there is a huge piece of irony tied to this- You will never experience a happy high like the one you experience after successfully bearing a God given burden/ responsibility. It's deeper then you can imagine and it has eternal value because now you are FOREVER changed.
God,
I love You and I love the way you build character and strength in us. Thank You for the example of Hosea, but more then that thank You for Your son Jesus who bore the ultimate burden--- perfectly.
2005/8/26 Marry A Prostitute And Go Make Babies??!!!!...... What Did You Say???Oh brother....You think you have problems?... Check out the story of a man named Hosea.
Read Hosea 1:2-3
Here's another one of those things that would seem so offensive to a modern Christian, but here it is in black and white "Go marry a whore."
Isn't that freakin' horrible? I mean how proud do you think his parents were to welcome her into the family? What about his friends? Do think they were kind about it? But wait, that was only the beginning!
Read Hosea 3:1-2
The thing that really strikes me about this passage is how God doesn't just command him to take her back, but orders him to love her (I mean completely love her!). He also uses the word "again" which implies Hosea had really loved her at one point and had been abandoned by her (which most of us know how bad that hurts). Now God is not only asking him to look like a fool by taking his cheating wife back, but he is also making Hosea vulnerable to a lot more pain and suffering.
This somehow got published before I was done with it. I have more to say, but no time now.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
