welcome to west virginia starbucks

Today at work a fellow pharmacist told me the funniest thing i think i have heard in a long time. Now i feel i should start by saying i love west virginia and its people but geeze this was funny. She told me about a story she and her husband witnessed at starbucks here in the "hills" of west virginia. Let me tell you the story. A man and his small child around 5 we shall say. Are standing outside starbucks and getting ready you would assume to get dad a coffee and little buddy something sweet to drink here is the convo as it went down. "you shat up. and calm down or you aint getting no freagin frappachino." Well said. Welcome to west virginia starbucks welcome.

On the lake

Went boating on thursday this week with the harman's it was a lot of fun. Megan is a new girl to the study as of this summer and it was very nice of her family and her to let us come boating with them thanks a lot harman family. It was great to get out on the lake and swim and to just make those friendships to enjoy each other in a venue outside of bible study where we can be more ourselves and just relax and enjoy God together in a new place. It was a blast getting to hang with noah, aarron, morgan, megan, brittnay, and whitney and steve and beth. I really enjoyed it. We also hiked back a mountain stream that fed the lake it was beautiful just like a picture from "last of the mohicans". It was just such a relaxing and refreshing time. It really showed me the vision of wvu bible studys and the church here in general that is about friendships and connections to help each other live the life of Christ and to be more like a family as the bible asks and commands us to be brothers and sisters. Well i had a great time.

OH AND SHOUT OUT TO RYAN HUFFMAN AND HIS NEW BLOG ELECTRIC-CHEESE.

The most evil

The most evil and sneakiest thing happened to me today. I have been saving a pint of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food and have been eating it very slowly as to not blow up like a fat balloon. It has been a treat for myself. But under my very nose in my own very house a person with the most evil of hearts has eaten all my icecream with out asking who's it was or even caring that i have been saving that for sometime. And did they just eat a little and put it back NO they ate the whole stinking pint. I had only eaten one helping it was pretty much a full pint. Folks that is messed up. I dont care if people eat my rice, my bread, my apples but you had best stay away from my B AND J's or someone is going to get hurt. I just hope the culprit will replace the icecream they dont have to tell me who they were or anything just put it back in the freezer and let me be suprised to see it that is all i ask

Faith and Deeds

I have truly been thinking about faith and deeds lately and I cant help but be stuck on the third point from bible study that faith and deeds are inseparable. I guess I say this because I can see so clearly how when my actions do not match my faith the impact that has as well as how clearly I can see the impact my actions have when they do coincide with my faith. I have never after preparing for a study had such a clear understanding of a sometimes divisive scripture. I truly think that we all need to look more carefully at the true meaning of James and when it is used in accordance with the scriptures it is so right on. To say that by faith we are spurred on to works through love. We are not a people of inaction but of faithful actions. I think our problem lies when we put to much emphasis on either one of the two faith or works. Yes, faith is so very important more important than deeds, at first. Because once we have faith and have given our lives to Christ we are called to act. To go OUT and MAKE disciples of the world. To LOVE our neighbors as ourselves. To FEED the poor and CLOTH the needy. I think this all hits me so deeply and so passionately is because of the time I have failed to act in accordance to my faith. (yes and from my soap box it is a nice view) I want to be a faithful servant to Christ that is the only want in my life to serve my Lord with all my love and to love him with all my mind, with all my soul, and with all my heart. And to be a servant I must be faithful in my actions and faithful to follow the commands of my master. So I guess what im trying to say is that to be the servants Christ has called us to be we must be willing to perform the duties of a servant to act in accordance to the master's will and to yield our will to his. Only by faith can we act in such a way and only by our actions will the world see our faithful service.

The indian and his wedding

Today my great friend chief chanchanchepon married his first couple (congrats brett and AJ). I am very proud you Billy Williams and i thought i would dedicate this blog to ya. You are a great man of God and it is wonderful to see him blessing you in so many ways. Who would have thought 2 years ago that you would be leading a campus chruch, a successful bible study and marrying people. Well besides GOD. I am just so glad i have been able to be around to watch God grow you my friend and to have been able to pour in to your life as you have poured in to mine. I can not wait till you honor me and tara by making us one before God and our families. Keep up the great work my friend. and may God continue to lead your footsteps and Love ya bro

A pleasant visit

Two friends who have been gone all summer stopped in for a visit for the week since Ryan's brother is getting married saturday. Ryan and Billy made a suprise visit to the bible study. It was nice to have them there and to hear about the summer God has been providing for them in florida and how our prayers up here for them have been answered and their prayers for us up here have been answered the theme of the night seemed to be following Gods voice and being obedient and doing the work of God that accompanies faith. It was a good discussion and a good bible study. I learned a lot and had a much better understanding and clearity on the potential devisiveness of James. I hope to expound on that more in another blog. But i have patients to review for tomorrows clinic (yeah beth patients not agar or cells). Oh and little side not for my friend beth i hear that there are no such thing as channels. LOL. Hope you are a wiser professor than he was. LOL

The continually declining nature of man

I was in a debate with a roomate of mine about bringing suit against people and to my shame i got heated and exploded for which i appologized and thankfully being two men of God we mended our wrongs. But i contend that restrictions should be placed on law suits and he thought otherwise. But that is not the point i guess it could be but its not as important as the issue underlying it. Has our society gotten to the point where people must have financial burdens placed on them to teach them a lesson and has our lack of forgiveness and ability to make amends come to such a low that we can not forgive. Now dont get me wrong i believe that there is a place for legitament suits to be brought against some one but i just feel that as a society if we cant take responsibility for our own actions (stupidity) and we feel we must use a system one not of God to solve our differences and to settle matters we are in a very sad state of affairs but granted this issue goes so much deeper than lawsuits it goes to the heart of man. We are so corrupted by our systems that we have in many ways abandoned the system of God. I pray that in my life as much as i can i can direct myself and my family and friends back to the system of God to abandon the systems of this world and stop abandoning the systems of God for a more comfortable, easier, way of seeking the ends we see as right.

Connecting

Today i connected with God in a multitude of ways. I got out of my rotation early and decided to head up to hemlock trail to do a little prep work for the bible study on tuesday. But on my way it looked as if it was going to rain so i decided to opt for a venti caramel macchiato and a little barnes and noble. Once there i started to read the text , but only moments into my reading i realized how is this going to speak to me if i first dont ask the spirit to come and open my heart to the words to take the markings on the page and make them markings on my heart. I then proceeded to say a quick but now apparently effective prayer that the spirit would move in me and allow me to see Jesus and Truth in the text. I am going to teach (through the spirit of course) on James 2 the section dealing with faith and works. Never had i had such clarity on the issue and never had i been able to use the bible so extensively to solidify the points the spirit was revealing to me. I am a fan of the church fathers and their guide but so much more rewarding and much more reliable is finding support in the word of God. But in short i came to one conclusion that has allowed me to have peace with the issue and that is that faith and works are inseperable. No we can not work our way to heaven and our salvation is based on our faith in Jesus, but belief in Jesus in not an intellecual ascent to certain precepts it is a change of heart and perspective demanding action. So faith yields works and one without the other is dead.

The other way i connected with the Lord to day was after i prepared the study and did some foot work for a little discussion on the canon (to be mentioned later). I headed out to hemlock trail because it looked as if the weather had cleared for the time being. I got to go out and be with God in his creation and in prayer it was great then i got to a spot i borrowed from my friend billy and sat with my feet in the ice cold water and read a book on the rapture and allowed God to speak to me through the book and nature and prayer it was a great way to end a great time in the word.

The canon discussion is one i have been asked about the difference between the catholic bible and the one protestants use. I being an prostolic (catholic/protestant hybrid) am searching for references that are both sensitive to both sides without being judgemental. I have found some good stuff from Mcdowell and from Geisler. But am looking for suggestions. I just would like some historical understanding to the reason and times of the change and if possible an unbashing explination preferalbly from a protestant and a catholic to why the difference. Any books or sites let me know.

But that was my day and a good one at that

Deep thoughts from a shallow mind

Well not really,
but i have been thinking and lately i have been sad to an extent on my departure from WVU bible studies this summer granted i still have 5 weeks but it has been such a great summer so far that i am amiss that i must depart before it is over. I want to stick around and see the end but i know i am leaving the study in more than capable hands and that is more than reassuring. I have also been thinking about Christians in general how we have a tendency (myself included) to take other christians for granted and to take our generousity for granted. People who dont know Christ make a much bigger deal out of our generousity and that is cool because we can touch them that way but we as christians should be just as thankful and awed at peoples generousity becuase it is a view into the infinite generousity of our God and our King. Then i start thinking that we as christians should be more generous both to each other and to others. But i feel that we need to be more thankful to Gods generousity and that from which he gives us through our freinds neighbors and in some cases strangers.

On a connected but side note i want to thank you trina for brining snacks each week to the bible study. It is much appreciated by all.

Coming soon

Sorry i dont have much time to post now or the last couple days been quite busy but something good should come soon hopefully so my if any faithful readers i promise by monday there will be something or somethings new thanks for the patients (pharmacy joke) (ok not funny oh well)

Just what am I

I have been reading my reinstated Arch Nemesis' blog lately and it has really got my wheels spinning. I never really put much thought into which camp i am in when it comes to my faith. Am i evangelical dispensationalist or reform or what. Im not really sure and to be honest i never really cared. I guess i cared more about and still do about how i am living my life and if i am listening to Gods will in my life and if im living following the example of Christ. Because from that perspective no matter what some or all of my views fall into what ever camp i know i will be pleasing God and i will not be caught up in the whole trap of this is what it is and im right you are wrong thing. Dont get me wrong i love to discuss and learn where i stand but i guess i just never really put my tent down anywhere. But i now i am looking more into my faith and my views and trying to decide were i am and how all that fits in to God's will for my life. I have a feeling like most things in my life i will be of the hybrid variety. I just feel like my good friend and mentor C.S. Lewis like he says in Mere Christianity to paraphrase that the denominations are all like little rooms in God's banquet hall and the key is to find the one that brings you closest to God. But the main thing is that you have the fundamental precepts of Christian faith even to be in the banquet hall. So i guess in a long winded way im trying to better define the room i have picked or maybe im again looking for a new room one that will bring me in a closer communtion with my Lord and Savior and nake me a better man and a better follower of Christ. I pray that we all take the time to find that out however one may go about it.

family and DMB

For the 6th consecutive year my brother, my sister and myself went to the dave matthews concert. Although the concert was less than stellar this year it is the time i get to spend with my brother and sister that is always the most fun. I really enjoy my family and especially more so this year than any other since i know im going to get married next may and begin building a family of my own its nice to really take in and enjoy the my family while its still the only family i have. I have been so blessed by my family it would take to much typing and to much space for this blog. But i just had such a great time just hanging and talking and listening to tunes with my siblings. i look forward to enjoying the rest of this year with my family. I am just thankful to God everyday for the families he has given me my blood family, the wonderful family im stealing thier daughter from, and of course my family of believer here in WV and all over the world. I am just more blessed than i deserve and not thankful enough to the my Creator for being so merciful and wonderful to me and all those people i have been blessed to encounter. Well all i can say is i look forward to next year and the concert and my family.