Then we all went on a walk.  Except for Ben - he actually rode the bike we bought for him last year.  Turns out that all of the tires were flat and maybe THAT was why he could never seem to make it go.

(Yes, we are good good parents.  I'm sure that in the past year and 4 months we never said anything to him about the fact that he COULD NOT PEDAL THE TRIKE AND THAT WE *MIGHT* HAVE WASTED AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF MONEY ON THE FANCY GERMAN TRIKE THAT WAS NEVER GETTING RIDDEN.  Never.  We would never do that.)

Enjoy :)

The younger you are, the quicker you learn.

"How's this bow hold mom?"

"I don't know, it just doesn't feel right!"

passionately plays a tune

Oh well.  Maybe in a couple of years :)

I am a big values kind of guy, so that is how I base my vote off of because if I can't agree morally with the candidate, then I don't care how much money they can give me.

So, on that note here are my thoughts on what has transpired recently.  Note:  I am not smart and I am very immature, so if you are a sensitive liberal head hippie, then go hug a tree.  If you are an incredibly old republican, then just go put on a cowboy hat and don't show any emotion at the RNC.

Obama is a great performer!  as a theatre major, I can see he  looking over peoples' heads as he makes empty promises.  I say empty promises because while he was on the senate for Illinois, he did nothing for them.  if he can't do anything for one state, how is he going to help 50 states, plus Iraq and Georgia.  He smiles when he needs to, looks confident when others don't think he will, and says all the pretty answers that people want to hear.

As a Pennsylvanian, it was nice to hear him relate to us as gun bearing people who are middle class.  On that note, I was actually surpised to hear him bash us as he was talking from his other face to Californians thinking we were too stupid to know he said bad things about us.  What does he stand for?  HONESTLY.

I think he wants the best for America, but I feel he wants it because it would make him look better.  If he was given the opprotunity to make America better by not being President, I don't think he would do it.  ( side note: I think we would be better off if he wasn't president.)

Biden: I hate his teeth and hair, and he looks like  a stuck up old guy.  That's all I know about him.  BUT READ MY LIPS . . . . . lol . . . little attempt for political humor.

McCain:  I don't know exactly how he is going to make the country better yet, but I do know that he puts the country before himself.  Obama seems to have his priorities as 1. the world, 2. Obama/America 3. His grandma and wife with creepy eyebrows.

Putting aside the sacrifice John made for this country, I still feel that he is the only Man in the race for President.  Obama seems like a boy wearing daddy's pants.  John is all for drilling for oil where the hippies don't want him to.  John puts human rights first and then the land and animal rights after (which is the way it should be).  Why not drill for oil and lower the prices so the middle class people can actually afford to live off of a paycheck for a change.

The dems that don't want to drill are not realizing that it will help people survive while we look for new energy sources.  If America is in the best interest, I would give it to Mccain because he is drilling to lower gas prices and release us from the shackles of foreign oil!

John is a straight talker and not a performer.  I don't know if he can act at all.  yes he is old, but that  helps give him the attitude of "I don't care what you think.  I'm doing to do what I want!"

Palin:  A hot governor of Alaska with the straight talk attitude.  Lindsay Lohan said that she didn't like how Sarah put the focus on the daughter having a baby instead of her reasons for VP.  Lindsay . . . she didn't focus on it. . . .the liberal media did . . . go back to your girlfriend and live the fallen celebrity life that you are living (which is a wealthier life than my middle class life.)

Palin will fight for corruption and take out terrorists and bad guys in the whitehouse.  I have a feeling the bad guys will be some republicans and a lot of democrats. ;)  wink wink

The debates between McCain and Obama will be great because McCain will go for blood and Obama will cry like a baby and try to use big words and avoid the issue so he can have everyone like him.

Jessica Alba's eyes were opened at his speech at the DNC, and I admit, it was a good performance.  This is what Biden said about Palin as well.  If you cancel out performers , you are left with McCain and Biden.  Biden is a doosh, so that leaves mcCain.

Hollywood . . . .man, I can't wait to go out and try to mAke it big, but one thing I can't wait to do if I make it big is to be a decent political fan.  It seems like all of Hollywood loves the left side because they focus on gay rights and women's choices to spread their legs whenever they want without worrying about keeping that annoying kid of theirs.

How can you be a christian and not vote for christian things like a child is a human at conception and marriage is for a man and woman? honestly . . . only christians who don't pursue God everyday would vote for the democratic beliefs.  I'm not saying jesus is democrat because he's not republican either, but . . . .he would vote against abortion and the marriage between dudes and dudes and girls and girls.

anywho . .  .. . . Obama is a good talker but cant' walk his talk.

Biden is a doosh.

McCain is a straight talker so you know he will fight for what he believes.

Palin: Hot, could possibly turn washington upside down with mccain as they fix what Bush did and initiate the CHANGE that Obama and Biden can't provide.

anywho . . .thanks for listening to me rant.  again . . . i'm not a good writer or a good political type person, but Allegheny College made me realize that I need to speak out like all the hippies do or I am never going to be heard, and maybe, just maybe, someone won't feel so alone in their beliefs when they read this (all 1 people who read this . . .thanks mom :))

toodles

We all go through trials and tribulations, be it at work, at home, with our kids, or in our marriage.  When we seek God and live according to His word he confirms his promises to us.  God does not lie!  You just have to believe in the Word.  Declare it!  There are promises in the word for every situation.

 Your home-You and your house will be saved in Jesus Name! (Acts 16:31)

Your marriage-What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate in Jesus Name! (Mark 10:9)

Your needs-And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19)

I can go on and on but you must declare the word of God in yor life, "Nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).  I encourage you to "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1Peter 5:7).  I am just filled with so much joy and faith that I pray that everybody that reads this that is going through a difficult situation in their life will be able to set their sight on God and His word and believe what He promised.  Remember the trial is only temporary the enemy has been defeated we just have to proclaim our victory  and live victorious in Jesus Name!

Have a Victorious Day!

Blessings,

Bethliza

Sehr gut, wie ich finde.

luke

Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
       but keep my commands in your heart, 
 2 for they will prolong your life many years
       and bring you prosperity. |
 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
       bind them around your neck, 
       write them on the tablet of your heart. 
 4 Then you will win favor and a good name
       in the sight of God and man.

Luke 2:51 Then [Jesus] went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

It seems clear to me that Luke deliberately parallels Proverbs 3 here. He points out that Jesus grew in wisdom, and the Proverbs are for the attaining of wisdom (Proverbs 1:2). These thoughts led me to another.

When Jesus studied the Proverbs, with all the exhortations following the address, "My son...", I wonder what He thought...

I just graduated from school and Jamie just graduated from his church and we've both started a business together so we've been pretty busy. This is not an excuse, just reality. So here we go...

The Joy of the Seventy

There are many places in Scripture where there is a period of time that lapses between two verses and in Luke 10.16-17 we have one of those occasions. We don't know how long it was between the time the disciples left and returned, but there was a span of time. I suppose Jesus set a date when he could meet with all fo them at once to review how the trip went. Or he happened to meet them along the way as he was making his rounds to the various places he ahd sent them. Nevertheless, the report is unanimous: these disciples have a joy within them. The Greek word is charis, which is simply "gladness, a state of rejoicing, happiness" (Dictionary of Biblical Language). These men return from their mission glad, happy about the work they have done for the kingdom.

Jesus then lays down the hammer. Mind you, Jesus is not tryng to stop these men from having this joy or put a damper on their victory; on the contrary, I think he rejoices when we overcome the evil one. But he is trying to keep the disciples from allowing this joy to become pride, the very thing that led to Satan's downfall (cf. 1 Timothy 3.6). It is ok to have joy and rejoice that you have come out of some trial or temptation (cf. James 1.2-4). But take heed lest that joy turn into pride. Jesus says he watched Satan "fall like lightning." Many people think this refers to the pre-incarnate time when Jesus watched Satan fall from glory (heaven). However, another interpretation is that heaven refers to a position power and Jesus has been watching (Gk. "I was watching," imperfect tense) as the gospel of the kingdom has been preached Satan's power flash out like lightning as these disciple's fulfilled their mission. As these disciples drove out demons, the kingdom of darkness was diminshed and the kingdom of God flourished.

Jesus tells the disciples that they should not so much rejoice that the spirits submi to them but they should rejoice over a greater thing: their names being written in heaven. Indeed, what a grand thought to think that in the registar of heaven, our can name be written and mentioned by God if we are under his reign and rule for our lives. The disciples will do great and grand things like trample serpents (Satan?) and scorpions and not be harmed, but ultimately our joy should come more from the fact that we are known by God in heaven.

The Joy of Jesus

We teach our children the song "I got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart..." Well, in this passage (v.21) Jesus has the joy down in his heart and he got it from the Holy Spirit. The NIV says he was "full of joy." Other translations simply say he "rejoiced," losing some of the translation. In the Greek it is all one word (egalliasato) and it means to be "extremely joyful, filled with delight," also "to rejoice exceedingly." This is a great joy, a lively joy. This word is usually used in reference to the joy a kingdom dweller experiences (cf. Matt 5.12; Luke 1.47; 1 Peter 1.6). Out of this joy, Jesus praises the Father (denoting compassion), the Lord of heaven and earth (denoting his sovreignty). Why? Because of the revelation of God of his grand scheme. "These things" are those things pertaining to the kingdom which the seventy have experienced in their mission. And it was not to the great, the wise, the learned whom God revealed these things to, not those who are "great" by human standards. Instead it is to the "little children." Paul quotes from the Old Testament to drive this point home when he writes, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate" (1 Cor 1.19). This was all according to the pleasure of God.

To Jesus, God has committed "all things" pertaining to salvation and redemption. Hence, he is on earth to fulfill that grand plan to save man. And there are depths of the Son which the human followers cannot comprehend; only the Father knows them. On the other hand, the same is true of the Father to the Son. But those who are "chosen," then Christ has revealed the Father to you. This points to the exclusivity of the kingdom; there is bu one way for a person to know the Father and that in Christ. Hence, if you are outside of Christ, you do not know the Father.

In private, Jesus sheds more light on the situation. There were many who sought to see what their eyes saw: prophets and kings. But only in their time has it now been "revealed" (Gk. apokalupsis, from which we get our word "apocalypse"), that is uncovered. Thus, the disciples are "blessed," enjoying the state of bliss only the gods enjoy. Truly, they were engaged in something special.

How great a blessing for us to read and hear of all this wonderful things Christ has done! He has conquered sin, hell, and the grave in th cross. He has opened up a new and living way which we can enter into. We, like these disciples, are blessed to have all these things and so much more. We can enjoy the joy of our salvation. We can enjoy the joy which the Holy Spirit brings (see 1 Thess 1.6). We can experience the joy of knowing we are known by the Father in heaven. Let us do our best to praise God for what he has done and tell others of the blessed state of a disciple in the kingdom.

He told me that he is playing the guitar (don't you love the bowtie?) and I am playing the drums, complete with foot pedals. I am also, apparently, playing some type of horn/harmonica? in front of me that is on a stand, which people thought was a microphone. I am obviously very talented. We are standing on a stage, and there's a speaker next to me. The brown thing is his guitar case, and the pink line going around it is just the cord from his guitar plugged into the speaker. There are lights at the top of the stage.

Good work, people! Matt and I were cracking up at everyone's answers.

If you haven't seen Luke's Christmas lights drawing, you might want to click here. They were hilarious!

So what happened?  Despite the grand expectations the boys simply hadn’t adequately prepared for the rigors of serious Trick or Treating:

Alexander:  “My feet hurt.”

Luke:  “Yeah, and my arm is sore from carrying my bucket.”

Alexander:  “My neck hurts looking through my mask.”

And on and on…even after I agreed to carry Luke’s mask and Alexander’s flash light for a while…I felt like I was dragging around a bunch of old men.  So we cut our grand candy expedition down significantly after we’d milked Quietwood – a five or so block stretch of Marinwood in which almost every house is outfitted with tombstones, buried skeletons, and giant spider webs outside their house. 

Finally, I told the boys since we were in the neighborhood we should also go by the Newman’s – friends Jack and Haden.  Unwilling to walk 4 more blocks -- “No, that’s too far.”  -- I packed the boys in the car and drove the boys to the final destination.  Did my Dad ever do this for me?  Hell no, I guess I’m a softie…what are you going to do?

So we get to Jack and Haden’s house and the boys pile out of the car and head to the door.  Thirty seconds later Alexander comes back.

Dad:  “Were they home?”

Alexander:  “No, they weren’t, but they did have a basket of candy and a sign that said “take two””

Dad:  “Cool, where’s Luke?”

Alexander:  “I don’t know” [we both look around and about 20 seconds later Luke climbs into the car.]

Dad:  “What kind of candy did they have?”

Luke:  “Butter Fingers, Milky Ways, Three Musketeers, and Kit Kats.”

Dad:  “Which did you grab?”

Luke:  “All of them”

Dad:  “All of them?  You were only supposed to grab 2 pieces!  Didn’t you see the sign?”

Alexander:  “Yeah, dumb dumb.”

Luke:  “I saw it, but I didn’t read it.”  [God only knows how many pieces he grabbed – well, actually we have a good idea, read on]

So we finally head home and dump out our candy buckets.  Luke has a noticeably bigger pile than Alexander so we start counting.  Now keep in mind that I walked with them to every house and they both ate about the same amount while we were out and about.

So what was the final tally?    Alexander had 105 pieces – a nice haul if I do say so myself.  And Luke?  He had 139!   One hundred and thirty nine pieces!  By my reckoning that means Luke probably stuffed some two pounds of candy in his bucket when “he didn’t read” the take two sign…The next day we saw the Newman’s and they noted that when they got home – not that much longer after we left their house – that they were surprised that their bountiful basket of candy was empty…Now, as a parent, I had a problem.  No, I was not worried about poaching all of the Newman’s candy – although I guess I probably should have been. 

No, I thought to myself, what do I say to Luke, our “most logical child” when I try to tell him that age old wisdom -- you have to be able to read to get ahead?  Most probably, he will listen for a second and then give me his best “Cool Hand” Luke smile while thinking to himself that Daddy might know many things, but sometimes its pays off if you can’t read…

Last Christmas, I had the privelege of preaching at our Church's Christmas Day service. Me, being a guy who doesn't know where the box is half the time, let alone think inside it, thought I'd be a bit creative with my sermon choice. So instead of preaching from one of the accounts of Jesus' birth, I preached from Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. I'd hoped to upload the sermon mp3, but some how I'm missing a huge chunk of it. So here is my best attempt to present my sermon in written form.

Christmas is always a big time in my family. When me and my brothers were kids, we'd be waking up before the crack of dawn. Our parents had barely got to bed themselves before we'd be making a ruckus and knocking on their door, trying to wake them up so we could open presents. As we became teenagers, the waking up part got later and later. So much so that Dad would be sitting in the lounge room, waiting for us to wake up so he could open his presents. Times sure did change.

My parents never do anything by halves, so when we'd enter the living room, we'd find the place full of presents. You could barely move. Each of us would stake out there little bit of space where you could unwrap your presents and pile up your loot. Most of us live out of home these days, but the practice hasn't changed. A couple of years ago, my youngest brother was wondering what happened to his copy of the memo that said Christmas morning was bring a date, seeing as I was there with my wife and my other two brothers were there with their girlfriends.

After we'd unwrapped our presents, either we would go to one of my aunts places, or they would all come to us. My mum is one of six kids. And they all have kids. So you can just imagine my grand dad's 18 grand kids running around the place, plus their partners as we started to grow up, plus any other random people that happened to join us that day. It was a loosely organised chaos.

Some time in the late afternoon, we'd get our act together long enough to bring out lunch. There were tables upon tables of food. Cold meats, salads, potato bakes, seafood, you name it. And we'd all get our food and find somewhere to eat. One thing that never happened with my family was grace. We didn't pray before meals. That wasn't our thing. It's not something we ever did. It was an alien concepts. When I married Katherine and started having Christmas dinner with her family, it was weird to me to have a civilised meal around a table where grace was said before eating.

What's meal time like at your place? Is it organised chaos or a civilised affair? Do you say grace before you eat? What do you say as you pray? I'd like to show you what meal time is like at Ricky Bobby's house. Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a movie starring Will Ferrell. Ricky Bobby is the number one NASCAR driver in America. He has it all - fame, wealth and a beautiful wife. Let's check out his place at meal time.

When Ricky Bobby prays, he's praying to Jesus. Jesus is the focus of his grace. Look, I like the Christmas Jesus best and I'm saying grace. When you're saying grace you can say it to grown up Jesus or teen age Jesus or bearded Jesus or whoever you want. He's praying to the Christmas Jesus. Here we are on Christmas morning and we're talking about Christmas Jesus. That's what you expect when you come to Church on Christmas morning, right? You expect me to say that Christmas is all about Jesus, and not about Santa or presents or any of the other stuff that gets in the way at Christmas time. But when I say that Christmas is all about Jesus, which Jesus am I talking about?

Christmas time is a birthday party for Jesus. It's a time when we remember his birth and celebrate that he came into this world. Luke 2:1-20, a popular Bible reading at Christmas, shows us the birth of Jesus, with all the angels and manger and shepherds. At most shopping centres this time of year you'll find a nativity scene on display. Christians are on about the birth of Jesus being central to Christmas. It's all about Baby Jesus.

But what's so special about a baby? Across the world, 260 babies are born every minute. They're not unique. Everywhere you go, there's babies. And babies don't really do anything. They just sleep, eat and produce waste. When you think about it, praying to a baby is pretty stupid. What's a baby going to do? They can't even hold their own head let alone answer your prayers.

We celebrate Christmas, not because it's a birthday party, but because God himself came into this earth as a human being. Philippians 2:5-11 tells us:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature a God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature b of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death-
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus Christ, in very nature God, became a human being. The creator of the universe, the big brains behind the Big Bang, became a baby. A defenseless, powerless baby. A baby that, just like every other baby, is entirely relient on another being just to survive. A baby can't look after itself. Let alone do anything of lasting consequence. If the story of Christmas was the climax, if God becoming a baby was the end of the story, then this is all a waste of time. There would be no point to celebrating Christmas.

But Jesus didn't stay a baby. Like most kids, he grew up. He spent time with his family. He learned a trade from his step-dad. He made friends, got an education, and grew to maturity. In the same time it takes most people he went from being a little baby to being a full grown man. He lived amongst us. He went through all the same trials and tribulations that we go through. He may have never had to deal with his internet connection crashing, but he knew what it was like to make friends and lose friends. To balance respecting his parents with doing his own thing. To be picked upon and be accused of things he didn't do. To have people he cared about get sick and die. To want to change the world, only to find that the world didn't want to be changed. He went through all of this before ending up crucified on the cross. God himself lived amongst us and ended up executed for his trouble.

We celebrate Christmas because God gave us the ultimate gift. Jesus was born so that he might die and save us from sin. We couldn't get to heaven on our own. Because of our sin there was an impenetrable barrier between us and God. We couldn't be his friends, let alone spend eternity with him. As much as we tried to deal with our sin on our own, we kept coming short. We needed God to step in and rescue us. By dying on the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. By rising from the dead, Jesus established the new deal, the new way of doing things. God has raised Jesus to the highest place. He is the king over all creation. Jesus Christ is Lord! We celebrate Christmas because we remember that God put his plan for salvation into action by sending Jesus to earth.

Everyone who follows Jesus receives a "Get In To Heaven Free" card. His death was sufficient to pay for the sins of everyone on this planet, including you. At Christmas time, you'll often hear the song Santa Clause Is Coming To Town. You know the words.

He knows when you are sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake.

If you want the gifts that Santa is offering, if you want to get the most out of your Santa experience, then you need to be good. You need to do the right thing or you'll miss out and get a lump of coal instead. Jesus is not Santa. Jesus is far better. Because Jesus brings a gift that will outlast any toy or gift voucher. Jesus brings the gift of eternal life with God. And unlike Santa, this gift Jesus brings us is not contingent on being good. It doesn't matter if you've been bad or good. It doesn't matter if you're on the naughty or nice list. We're not living in a perpetual state of uncertainty regarding if we're getting something good or a piece of coal. Because God is checking HIS list twice. And if you're a follower of Jesus then you're on the list and you're going to heaven.

When we think about Jesus at Christmas, we need to move beyond the baby Jesus. We need to move beyond the imaginary Jesus' that live in our heads. Ricky Bobby might have his baby Jesus. His friend Carl might have his own idea. But they're not the real Jesus. As much as I'd love to think of Jesus as a ninja fighting evil samurai, it's not the real Jesus. The real Jesus, the Jesus that we find in the Bible, is far greater. Jesus is God in human flesh. He lived a human life. He died on the cross. He conquered death and rose again.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is real and powerful. He is the mighty king over all creation. There will come a day when everyone will have to bow down before him, whether they want to or not. He is not a feeble little baby. He is God himself.

When you sit down to lunch or dinner together with your family today, you might find yourself saying grace. Who are you going to say grace to? Are you going to pray to the Christmas Jesus? The small, innocent baby lying in the manger? Or are you going to pray to the powerful king of the universe? Remember which Jesus you're praying to. Because Jesus is someone who is real and worthy of honour and praise. Remember that we are celebrating the arrival of the one who would save us from our greatest enemy, sin. Remember that Jesus has offered you this gift of life and there's nothing you need to do to accept it. Remember that because of him, you can guarantee your place in heaven.

Jesus "appointed" these 70 or 72 (depending on translation). He hand selected these men from among other men to be ambassadors, preparing the places he was about to go. Now about this 70 or 72 business: which is it? It depends on which manuscripts you use. Some say 70, others 72. One commentator said that the "good" manuscripts have 70 (hence, the RSV reads 70). What number it is makes very little difference unless you are trying to make something of the numbers. For example, some say it was seventy for the seventy elders of Israel on whom the Spirit descended upon (Num 11.24, 25). Others say it has to do with the number of nations from the genealogical record in Genesis 10 where the Hebrew has 70 and the Septuagint has 72. Whatever significance it may have had, we know that Jesus had a busy itenerary before him, for these men went to the cities he was no doubt about to visit.

Their Assignment

The mission Jesus sends them on is great. First, they must pray for laborers. Jesus says the harvest (lit. the summer time, when the fields ripened) is plentiful (or excessive) but the workers are few. Hence, whom can we turn to for help? None other than the proprietor of said harvest: the Lord. Jesus warns, though, their mission will not be an easy one for there are many wolves. "The simile points to the danger and the helplessness" of the situation. The disciple cannot rely upon his own strength; instead, there must be full reliance upon God to take care of you, even in the wolves den. Also, he is the God who provides for the everyday needs. Therefore, there is no need to take equipment of any kind. No money bag (purse), or a clothing bag, or even sandals (probably an extra pair). What about not greeting people? Is Jesus advocating we not be friendly? Not at all. Instead, he is saying not to engage anyone with a long, drawn out greeting, such as was common for the Pharisees of his day. In a way, Jesus is condemning their practice by saying this (cf. Mark 12.37-40, esp. the part about being "greeted in the marketplace.").

Second, the disciple has somoe business to take care when he arrives at a house. There is a blessing of peace upon the the house and those who live in the house. The "man of peace" is one who is "inwardly prepared to embrace the message of peace." He is a peace-lover, one ready for the Messianic lordship of Jesus in their life. If there is no man of peace in the house, the peace bestowed on the house would return. I think the message is clear: these sent ones will not bless those who are not willing to receive it. If they do not want the blessing, then they won't get the blessing. Jesus is very clear to stay with those whom these disciples have blessed, eat what they feed and he tacks on the principle of why this is acceptable: the worker deserves his wages. No need to move around a lot; just find a good place and stick with that family, the two parties enjoying the harmony in that house. Oh, a good principle to live by: eat what they feed you. But Jesus is digging deeper than that - he is saying don't wrangle over the food set before you. Some of these disciples were probably headed for Gentile cities and some of the food set before them may not have met the rigorous standards they held. So Jesus is in essence saying what Paul said in Rom 14: don't destroy the work of the kingdom over food.

Third, these disciples were to preach the good news of the kingdom. The confirmation of the word spoken (as always in Luke) was the miracles that were worked. Healing the sick, they preached the kingdom. However, if they were not welcomed, they were to shake the dust off of their feet as a testimony. And even if they did not accept the message, keep preaching it (v.11b). It is at verse 12 that Jesus begins to denounce these cities who would deny or had already rejected the message Jesus or his disciples had been preaching.

Even the wicked town of Sodom would have it easier than those who rejected the word of God at that time. This was serious business. Jesus pronounces woes upon them. If you recall the Sermon on the Plain study where Jesus used the same word, this is to say how horrible, dreadful it will be for them. These cities have been found wanting or lacking something (faith, it would appear, in this case) and thus they are to be considered a thing of horror. Korazin was a town north of Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee. Apparently "miracles" had been worked there presumably by Jesus. Also, Bethsaida is included in this woe. Interestingly named, Bethsaida means "house of fish" (or fishing) at it was here that Jesus fed five thousand (9.10ff). However, the house of fish refuses the one who fed them from the two fish and five loaves. If the miracles performed in these two cities alone (nevermind the rest of the marvelous things Jesus had elsewhere) had been performed for the cities of Tyre and Sidon, their inhabitants would have donned the garments of repentance and repented. On the day when the Lord comes in judgment, it will be much more devestating that what Tyre and Sidon had experienced. Indeed, this "judgment day" has come for these cities, for Korazin has been all but wiped from the planet, leaving nothing but a desolate lot of ground and some ruins. And Bethsaida is also in ruins, "completely destroyed." Don't forget Capernaum. The woe pronounced on this city by the Master was so severe that the site of this city has been disputed by scholars for some time. Only recently has it been identified as Tell Hum. Indeed, this city went down into Hades for their unbelief.

Their Authority

Certainly the miracles attested to the fact that these disciples had authority. But Jesus presses the issue more by saying that the words they speak are nothing short of the word of God. Jesus says that those who "hear you hear me." Hence, those who reject Jesus, reject his word which is the Father's word and by so doing they reject God. When Jesus authorizes someone tospeak on his behalf, that person speaks with divine authority. The responsibility of the disciple is to accurately and boldly proclaim the word of Christ. The responsiblity of the hearer is to respond appropriately to what he hears.

As disciples of the Lord today, we do not need to confirm the word ourselves; that word has been done by the seventy, by the Twelve and by the Lord himself. Hence, our responsibility to be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within us to anyne who asks (1 Peter 3.15). We have heard the word of Christ and it was as if Jesus spoke it directly to us. We heard his disciple which is to hear the the voice of the Lord. We have responded appropriately and now we seek to speak the word of the Lord, that others may experience the peace that is in our house and in our hearts. God has raised up to walk in newness of life and to be laborers, co-workers with him in the harvest. But this harvest is so great, we cannot do it alone. We need the Lord. We need to communicate to him our thoughts and feelings to him and express our need for more workers in the harvest field. And then rejoice when he answers that prayers.

This week he loves apples.  I found these great little tiny gala apples at The Store and today when I opened the fridge for something unrelated, Luke reached in, grabbed one and proceeded to eat it.  Just like that.

I was a little skeptical about how that would go but he came to me about 10 minutes later and handed me the last 1/3 of it.  He'd apparently eaten the rest.  I'd have gotten a picture but my battery is dead after this weekend.

His brother spent the day begging for goldfish.  *sigh*

 
Bennett colored this at Cracker Barrel yesterday! I'm so glad he's enjoying coloring again. He's so quiet when he does it. And it's a welcome relief for the moment from just drawing on paper, because Bennett gets SOOO frustrated when he can't duplicate the complicated stuff that Luke draws. Also, right now, I would like to focus on a positive attribute that Bennett has (coloring in the lines nicely), because I'm really ticked at him - he woke Jack Henry with some crazy tantrum about his books falling over, and then decided to take a nap himself. Grrr.

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Matt and I got our picture taken pre-game on Saturday downtown by some guy from a local website. It's here.

The Gospel, that is.

We've been studying Luke's gospel for the past couple of months, as we will be continuing to study it for roughly 17 and a half years.  I've heard the secret to teaching a book is doing it fast enough so you can remember the beginning at the end.  Well, hopefully we have some good memories.

Debbie taught us yesterday, and highlighted a few ideas.  First, we saw Jesus presented at the temple as an infant.  They were at the temple both to present Jesus and for Mary's purification.  Thus, for Mary's purification, they offered two birds (either turtledoves or pigeons) as the law required after childbirth.  This was the offering a family could give if they didn't have enough money for a lamb.  This is significant, because we see that Jesus comes as a poor person, with a ministry to the poor, outcast, and religious nobodies.

We looked at Simeon's blessing and prophecy (Luke 2.29-35) and learned that his prophecy that a 'sword' will pierce Mary's soul falls in line with Hebrews 4.12 -- the word of God piercing to the division of soul and spirit, revealing the thoughts of the heart -- as Simeon prophesied would happen to Mary.  Traditionally, this verse is interpreted as referring to the pain Mary would feel at the cross, but it also refers to the Word (i.e. Jesus) and that his life and work would reveal the thoughts and attitudes specifically of Mary (and all of us, as seen in Hebrews 4).  A new understanding of the text, one that works in the biblical narrative, especially with the theme of the sword piercing the soul, something that technically is impossible.

Further on we saw the boy Jesus at the temple.  We talked about the fact that at some point he would have realized he was the Son of God and realized his mission, and likely this could have happened in his twelfth year.  What a realization!  For some reason, I think of it as realizing I had a test that I hadn't studied for in college that morning: and I would feel incredibly intimidated.  Yet, for Jesus, the responsibility was probably outweighed by the care and connection that he had with God.  He was, after all, the Son of God.

We also talked about how this passage is tied together with the Word: we see Simeon's prophecy to Mary of Jesus revealing thoughts and attitudes, and we see Jesus anxious to learn more and debate at the temple.  It underlines a thirst for God-as-Trinity: the God the Father, the Word and Son, and the indwelling Spirit.  Beyond this, it points out the need for community and learning: if Jesus needed to discuss, how much more do we?

And, this week, it brings questions to us.  As we go through our regular week, are we people who are thirsty for God?  Do we let the Word, especially through Scripture, reveal our thoughts and attitudes?  Are we living in step with the Spirit so that we can see when Jesus shows up, like Simeon and Anna?  And finally, are we thirsty to talk and discuss and learn more, so that we can be people who "increase in wisdom...and in favor with God and man"?

,ou não