tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72386943328853468472024-03-12T22:49:58.637-07:00Cagle JourneyAbout family, life, and pursuing GodCobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-65593395252212061762017-10-04T07:41:00.000-07:002017-10-04T07:41:28.905-07:00Bravery Redefined<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWIM7qIY5P6iyjoEfbvslXLsxFoPzNu2r00eU7mu-jwBy0xydoWIyEYl6PZjm2wZ-Pbm9FCb4bPx8u0jeh_LiJePM6o2I3nxQ9coYUuxNr4l5gtvZvpncAS08tZljt1eqx_zPwIKA7ZE/s1600/cobycowboys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWIM7qIY5P6iyjoEfbvslXLsxFoPzNu2r00eU7mu-jwBy0xydoWIyEYl6PZjm2wZ-Pbm9FCb4bPx8u0jeh_LiJePM6o2I3nxQ9coYUuxNr4l5gtvZvpncAS08tZljt1eqx_zPwIKA7ZE/s1600/cobycowboys.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first year of football -1989.</td></tr>
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I started playing football at an early age. At the time, I dominated because of my size, quickness and tenacity. I spent the first half of the season playing nose guard. Having seen early success I got a little cocky. This one time I got two sacks in a row, the second of which came because I hit the center so hard he made the sack for me. The announcer (yes, we have announcers for little league football in Texas) did not immediately call my name. I turned to the man and pulled my jersey tight so he could clearly read my number.<div>
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There stood little Coby, confident, proud and fearless.</div>
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But then it happened...puberty. Well, let me rephrase that. Everybody went through puberty but me. In 7th grade I was much smaller than all of my teammates. I still made the "A" team because of my tenacity and technique, but I was greatly outsized every game.</div>
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There stooped little Coby, scared, insecure but bravely moving forward.</div>
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This little guy taught me a lot about being brave. </div>
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There is one moment that stands out to me that literally happened but also stands as a metaphor for what bravery means to me. I was in 7th grade playing football for the Beverly Hills Bears. At this time I was playing corner, which is basically a wide defensive end since nobody passed in 7th grade. We were playing Jackson Intermediate and they had a running back that was literally a foot taller than me and had a pubescent mustache. He came around the edge and I closed in to make the tackle. As I hit him it felt like every bone in my body broke. I literally cried in pain. And yet, I followed through with the tackle and brought him down for a mere one yard gain. To me, this is what bravery looks like.</div>
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<br />I used to think bravery meant to be confident and fearless. But here I sit, 36 years old, having lived a full and meaningful life and sometimes I still am insecure. Sometimes I'm still scared. Even though I thought I'd have all my stuff together by now, sometimes I'm still a mess.</div>
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I'm learning that bravery is not always connected to confidence. I'm learning that insecurity is not the opposite of bravery. Rather, bravery is not letting your insecurity keep you from fighting. Bravery is waking up and taking one step at a time, even when things are uncertain. Bravery is not letting your fear write the narrative of your life. Bravery is pushing through the pain and tackling a large child who has a mustache. </div>
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-83555771231426813962016-02-26T07:16:00.001-08:002016-02-26T07:23:13.544-08:003 Paragraphs: My Testimony<div>
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I have been a follower of Jesus for nearly three decades. While some question if a child can fully embrace a faith apart from her or his parents, to the best of my ability, I was fully aware of the reality of the Living God at a young age. I remember God healing and transforming aspects in my life as early as third grade. Even though I desperately struggled with doubt as a young adult, a story I'll share in a future post, I recognize that God has been with me guiding me, protecting me, teaching me, inspiring me, comforting me, and transforming me all along the way.<br />
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Now in my mid-thirties, I have read dozens of books that have shaped my faith. But there are three paragraphs that had a significant impact on my faith formation when I was in the early stages. When I was a junior in high school my dad gave me a copy of A.W. Tozer's, <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Pursuit-God-A-Tozer/dp/1557427534">The Pursuit of God</a></u>. I remember taking it to school and reading it during our mandatory reading segments (gotta love TAAS test prep). This book had a profound impact on my early faith formation. I recently picked it back up and was instantly reminded of how much of a gem it is. Even though Tozer wrote this on a train ride back in 1948, God continues to use it to teach, challenge, and transform me.<br />
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There are three paragraphs in particular that I underlined and read over and over. These three paragraphs helped give me a simple understanding of God's desire for us to enjoy God through creation and how sin can derail a person's life.<br />
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Here are my three paragraphs (Try not to get distracted by the fact that he didn't use gender neutral pronouns):<br />
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Before the Lord God made man upon the earth He first prepared for him by creating a world of useful and pleasant things for his sustenance and delight. In the Genesis account of creation these are simply called "things." They were made for man's uses, but they were meant always to be external to the man and subservient to him. In the deep heart of the man was a shrine where none but God was worthy to come. Within him was God; without, a thousand gifts which God had showered upon him.</blockquote>
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But sin has introduced complications and has made those very gifts of God a potential source of ruin to the soul.</blockquote>
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Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and "things" were allowed to enter. Within the human heart "things" have taken over. Men have now by nature no peace within their hearts, for God is crowned there is no longer, but there in the moral dusk stubborn and aggressive usurpers fight among themselves for first place on the throne.</blockquote>
These are my three paragraphs. What are yours?<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Note: I hope for this to turn into a series of posts that tell pieces of my faith story. </span><br />
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-91795851199913363782015-11-16T08:32:00.004-08:002015-11-16T08:37:32.140-08:00A Prayer for Mizzou, Paris, Beirut, and Beyond<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAHRKp3lH-uFgOPxzH9wV964h8-JOwYF_bDFtw8kO1fIdy3R7pK26ZBF8e8Mt65L0kSo_26Cy30nKv6-v0IIyDh7Hk2Z3DrYcBv7XLN-amZe79TR63sFcrCQrjZKAe_rC1b3FenYUcjQ/s1600/mizzou-protest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAHRKp3lH-uFgOPxzH9wV964h8-JOwYF_bDFtw8kO1fIdy3R7pK26ZBF8e8Mt65L0kSo_26Cy30nKv6-v0IIyDh7Hk2Z3DrYcBv7XLN-amZe79TR63sFcrCQrjZKAe_rC1b3FenYUcjQ/s320/mizzou-protest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://libertyhangout.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/mizzou-protest.jpg">Image Source</a></td></tr>
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<i>Yesterday I had the privilege of leading my congregation in prayer. Here is the script I used for the base of my prayer.</i><br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to
open our prayer time with a couple of minutes of personal prayer. This has been
a very difficult week for our country and our world. As the music plays I want
you to cry out to God. In a couple of minutes I will end our prayer time.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the words
of David in Psalm 61:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hear my cry, O God; listen to my
prayer.</span><br />
<sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">2 </span></sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my
heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I </span><sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">3 </span></sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For
you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.</span><br />
<sup><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">4 </span></span></sup><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I long to dwell in your tent forever and
take refuge in the shelter of your wings.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lord, we’ve gathered here today, some of us walked in triumphantly and some of
us barely crawled out of bed. Thank you that you meet us where we are and you
take us into the shelter of your wings. </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week we are mindful of all
of the college students in Missouri and beyond who are working to make the
universities in our country equal for all. We ask you for breakthroughs,
softening of hearts, and systemic transformation. We ask you to protect them as
they work for justice. </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our hearts are heavy for those
who suffered at the hands of violence this week. We are mindful of those who
lost their lives and were injured in Beirut, Paris, and Baghdad. We are also
mindful of those who continue to suffer at the hands of oppressors in Syria and
beyond. We pray for resolution, for the healing of broken communities and
broken bodies, and for the peace that transcends understanding to reign. </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We pray for those on the ground seeking to be the hands and feet of
Christ. Specifically, we pray for Quester, Davis who is serving Syrian refugees
in Greece. Protect him. Guide him. Help him to feel your presence.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like David, we call to you as our
hearts grow faint. Please, Lord, lead us to a rock that is higher than us. We
long to dwell in your house, lord. We take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So we cling onto your promises as
we ache for the hurting in this world. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We know that you will never leave
us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We know that you comfort the broken-hearted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We know that you are the author
of peace. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We know that you are the giver of life.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As we move forward, help our
response to have the fragrance of Christ. </span></h3>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></h3>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So come, Lord Jesus, come.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Risen Lord, teach us to trust the
power of your cross…bear the burdens we are too weak to carry.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />
In the name of the father, son, and the holy spirt, Amen.</span></span><br />
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<br />Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-12702519767669807752015-10-19T12:23:00.000-07:002015-11-09T20:25:29.410-08:00Legacy: My Message to the Carolina Panthers<br />
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<i>Last week I got the chance of a lifetime. I got an opportunity to partner with my brother, Aaron Cho, and preach a sermon at the Carolina Pathers' chapel service. About half of the 53 person roster showed up. A few coaches were in attendance as well. It was the perfect intersection of my passion for Christ and my passion for football. I was given about 15-18 minutes to present the sermon. </i><i><i>As all sermon scripts go, I didn't follow this one exactly. </i>I ended up feeling compelled to talk specifically about Christ's work on the cross and how surrendering to Jesus creates space for transformation. I also lost my place a couple of times because I got a little too excited.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Here are my notes:</i><br />
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The question before us tonight
is not whether or not we will leave a legacy. We will all leave a legacy. The question
before us is this: what kind of legacy will we leave? How do you want to be
remembered?</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">All of us in here are MORE
than the profession that we have chosen. Yes, being a pastor absolutely impacts
how the world sees me. But I am more than a pastor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I am a husband.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I am a father.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I am a brother, a child, a
friend, and a citizen of this beautiful planet. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I’m a follower of Jesus; I
just happen to have gifts and a calling that aligns with being a pastor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I know that there are
husbands, fathers, boyfriends, sons, and scholars in this room. You are not
just a football player. Yes, you have worked your butt off for over a decade to
be in this room, but at the end of the day, you are a child of the Creator of
the universe who just so happens to have gifts, a calling, and a passion that
lines up with being a professional football player.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">So I ask you again, HOW do
you want to be remembered?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">My wife used to work for an
executive business coaching firm based in Portland, OR. She worked with very
successful business men and women who wanted to not only learn how to increase
revenue, but they also wanted to learn how to be more present with their kids
and their spouses.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The first exercise they would
have their clients do is write their Eulogy. Yes, writing your own eulogy when
you are decades away from death is very somber. But the point of this exercise was
to help people figure out how they want to be remembered and make goals and
live life accordingly. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The text Pastor Aaron just
read is poem that was written by King David, the second king of Israel. If we
were to write a Eulogy for David what one sentence would we inevitably include?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Bold;">David, man after God’s heart.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I imagine that we would all
like to leave this sort of legacy would we</span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Bold;"> </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">not?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Why is it that we remember
David as a man after God’s heart?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In order for us to unpack
this well, we really need to start at the beginning.</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">David rose from obscurity
to become the most beloved and arguably the most successful king in Israel’s
history.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Do you remember, David was a
shepherd. Shepherds were not very high on the pecking order of society. They
were smelly, dirty, and poor. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">But God says -</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana-BoldItalic;">1
Sam 16:7</span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana-BoldItalic;">For
the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looks on the heart.’</span></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">God saw something in David
that nobody else saw. From the start it is clear that God does not operate in
the same manner as us. The world may have said David was not big enough, tough
enough, or manly enough to be a leader. Heck, if we were to choose a king we would
choose the most obvious candidate. But God chose - David who was the youngest
son. He was a mere shepherd…<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: black; font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">1 Samuel 17 David takes out a 9ft tall man named Goliath
without armor or a sword. Though he was small he was fierce. Nothing was going
to get in his way.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The king of Israel at the time loved David…how could he
not. But eventually Saul becomes jealous of David. People were singing songs
like “Saul has sleighed his thousands but David has sleighed his tens of
thousands.”</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Saul tried to kill David multiple times. And David had
opportunities to kill Saul. But David felt God was calling him to serve the
king. So he remained faithful. It’s a remarkable story.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Eventually, in </span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Bold;">2 Sam. 2 </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">David
becomes king. Now if this were a movie this is probably when the story would
end. Our unlikely hero rose above the villain and, using honor, integrity, and
hard work became king.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">But that isn’t where this
story ends.</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">2 Sam. 2-10 </span>David’s power increases, he even starts building a temple</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In 2 Sam. 11 our hero takes a seemingly unforgivable fall.
You probably know the story. He sees a woman bathing from the roof top, he ends
up unable to control himself…he has sex with her, impregnates her, then has her
husband killed to cover it up.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">David, a man after God’s heart.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">There is a lot here that could be said in David’s
eulogy. He killed a 9ft tall man. He rose to prominence out of nearly nothing.
He was a military hero. And yes, he was a murderer and an adulterer. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Why on earth did God choose
to use a man like this to further his kingdom? It just doesn’t make sense.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Ah, but then I remember the rest
of the biblical narrative…</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">father Abraham</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I remember Noah</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I remember Jonah</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I remember the ragamuffin
band of brothers also known as the 12 Disciples</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">and then, I remember me.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">No matter how holy, no
matter how strong, we all have the capability of falling.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #030000; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">So what do we do with this
tension? This man who committed murder is one of history’s most passionate pursuers
of the living God. Why was he considered a man after God’s heart? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #030000; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I want to read the passage
again that Pastor Aaron read. This was a poem that he wrote as soon as he
killed Bathsheba’s husband. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana-Bold;">Psalm 51</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana-Bold;">1 Have
mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your
abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my
sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what
is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless
when you pass judgment. 5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother
conceived me. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana-Bold;">10 Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 11 Do not
cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. 12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Bold; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Do you feel his pain? This song reveals what made David a great man. </span><span style="color: #030000; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">This highly
successful military hero knew he was nothing without the living God. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Bold; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Notice it says nothing about wealth, nothing about battles won, or his
high social status. David was a great man because</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Bold; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">God is a God of grace</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Bold; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Bold; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">David acknowledged his brokenness
and his sins.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Bold; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica-Bold; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And David surrendered to the
Living God. </span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The truth... </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The truth is, that each of
us is capable of sleighing giants and sleighing good men.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Again, each of us is capable
of sleighing giants and sleighing good men.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">We wouldn’t be in this room if
we weren’t courageous. We wouldn’t be in this room if we weren’t strong. But don’t
let our success mask the reality that we are sinful people in need of a loving God.
We are not as strong as we think we are.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I love the David story. I
love the David story not because I’m so much better than him. I am David. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">But that is not the end of
the story. There is good news. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Pastor and Author Eugene
Peterson says, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“David’s story is the
gospel story. God doing for David what David could never do for himself.”</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">You see this is the beautiful
thing about the God that we serve. God’s grace saves us in spite of us. In
other words, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you have been. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Your new legacy begins the
moment you surrender to Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br />
Gentlemen, your legacy, begins tonight. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Will you be remembered as a man after God’s heart?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Will you be remembered as a man who sacrificed for his
family?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Tomorrow on the battlefield…</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Will you fight with tenacity until that last whistle
blows?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Will you make the most out of every down you are blessed
to play?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Will you play selflessly in order to make your teammates better?</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Will you play with character, with honor, with integrity?<span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Will you leave everything you have on that field?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">When you play, will you play as though you are playing for
the Lord?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br />
Your legacy begins today. So I ask you again, how you will be remembered? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">The choice is yours gentlemen.
</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"><br />
Let’s pray:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;"> God, I praise you for the men in this room. I praise you for their
desire to know you, to follow you, and to help others know you. Lord we know that
much responsibility comes with success. So give them courage live with a confident
humility. Give us the guts we need to acknowledge sin and surrender to you.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">And tomorrow…</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">First and foremost we pray for
protection. Protect their bodies Lord. Keep them safe as they play the game they
love.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">We pray for strength. Give them
the mental and physical strength to play to best of their ability. Help them to
think clearly, quickly, accurately…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Ultimately, we pray that you are
glorified with every step, every play call, every throw, every tackle, and catch.
We are yours…so be glorified as we live out the gifts you have given us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">We praise you for allowing us to
enjoy such a beautiful gift. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">I ask these things in the name
of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">Now, go out there and rip
somebody’s head off…for the Lord, of course.</span></div>
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-51001371642607687392015-06-19T06:14:00.001-07:002015-10-29T08:29:34.453-07:00It is about race...<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9I3gMtDNFb7CTrqZwiWpHeSg_ziSytvTKxedcKyfxpF6wXqcb9HResvqZ3rgzexfyljzflwH_9o4zjSezlPYupychfB4gSCEGylflyXpsKO-opP0R1WbQWY5Q2nlgbJS1izeR65K7sw/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9I3gMtDNFb7CTrqZwiWpHeSg_ziSytvTKxedcKyfxpF6wXqcb9HResvqZ3rgzexfyljzflwH_9o4zjSezlPYupychfB4gSCEGylflyXpsKO-opP0R1WbQWY5Q2nlgbJS1izeR65K7sw/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I first saw this sign in 1992 when visiting my grandma in Arkansas. My step-mom said,<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"You know what
that means, right? No black people are allowed to swim at that pool." I
took this picture two weeks ago. The sign is still there.</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last night, as I held my cream colored son who shares my European heritage, I couldn't help but think about my friends of African descent who were holding their chocolate colored children. Two nights ago a white, racist terrorist walked into a black church with a rich and painful history and massacred a group of black praying saints. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is not an isolated event. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For hundreds of years black bodies have been targeted and brutalize by people who look like me. And though we think we live in the most civilized nation, race motivated murders have not ceased. So, as I held my child whom I love more than I ever thought I could love another being, I had to acknowledge that my son will not face the same threats as the dark skinned children in my church family. And I wept.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Let me back up...</b> </span></span></span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was born in Louisiana. My southern roots run deep. I grew up squirrel hunting...SQUIRREL HUNTING, PEOPLE! When I was 2 my dad got a job as a pastor at an inner-city church in Houston and we moved to a city of 5 million people. Though Houston is considered to be the most diverse city in the nation and I had friends with many different ethnic backgrounds, we did no talk much about race. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As a child I thought I only had two options: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1. be a racist </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. be "colorblind" </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I knew that racism was wrong, so I chose to try to be "colorblind." I have many white Christian friends with good hearts who are doing great work for the Gospel who continue to approach life "colorblind." <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/culturally-speaking/201112/colorblind-ideology-is-form-racism">There are many problems with the "colorblind" approach</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Succinctly put, when be believe the "colorblind" lie... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...we refuse to see the rich beauty of the ethnic cultures around us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...we are unable to see the rich beauty of our own ethnic culture. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...we are unable to see the systemic injustice that is rooted in race</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Let Justice Roll </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Justice and righteousness are at the center of God's heart. Did you know that most
of the time the Bible uses the words "justice" and "righteousness" they are
translated from the same word in the original language?
In Hebrew the word is <i>tsedeq</i>. This word is translated to "justice"
102 times, "righteousness" 394 times, and something else 14 times. In Greek the word is <i>dikaios</i>. This word is translated to "justice" 38 times, "righteousness" 135 times, and something else 7 times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am not passionate about
social justice because I want to be a part of a political movement. I am passionate about social justice because the Gospel compels me to be passionate about social justice. In other words, if Justice =
Righteousness and righteousness = being Christlike, then Justice = being
Christlike. As I am transformed by Christ, I become passionate about things that he is passionate about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Challenge to You, White Christian</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As followers of Jesus, we have an obligation. We must speak out against oppression and injustice. Otherwise we are part of the problem. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pursuing biblical justice is a life-long journey. </span></span>That being said, there are some basic things you can start doing today to shed light in the darkness.</span></span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Explore your own ethnic identity. </b>White people, listen to me. We come from a beautiful people. But we come from a broken people. Explore what it means to be white. Celebrate some of the culturally specific holidays that your ancestors celebrated. Acknowledge the beauty. Recognize the dark side of your familial history. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Build empathetic relationships with people of color.</b> Notice that I used the word "empathetic." It isn't enough to sit next to a black guy in church. When we build empathic relationships, we share each others joy and burdens.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Listen to stories. </span></b><span style="font-size: small;">As you build empathetic relationships, it is critical for you to listen and learn.You don't have the be the expert in everything. Listen. Learn. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Recognize that there is no singular narrative that defines a people group. </span></b><span style="font-size: small;">Check out this great TedTalk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie titled "<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en">The Danger of a Single Story</a>."</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Research statistics.</b> I know many of you don't want to talk about this fact, but there is systemic racism rooted in how we make and enforce rules. <a href="https://ppri.tamu.edu/breaking-schools-rules/">Start with this unbiased study done at Texas A&M University</a>. Researchers followed over a million students for six years in public schools in Texas and had some startling findings.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Consider the multi-ethnic church.</b> When
we worship, study scripture, and build empathetic relationships in the context
of a mult-iethnic environment, we are exposed to injustice and problems that
don’t necessarily influence people who look like us. We are exposed to our
blind spots. And we realize that God is much bigger than we imagined.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Go and Do Likewise </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"God and do likewise" is from the parable of the good
Samaritan in which Jesus uses a person considered to be “the other” as the
model for Christ’s love, compassion, and grace. </span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> In Dr. Martin Luther King’s last speech, he referenced this story. I want to close my post with his words.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>It's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over
that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it's
possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he
was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there,
lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the
Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to
me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question:
"If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?". That's
the question before you tonight.</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-44480620845141662292015-03-20T10:00:00.001-07:002015-03-20T10:27:25.087-07:00Building Bridges and the Drama Triangle <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lizjardinestudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Building-Bridges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://lizjardinestudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Building-Bridges.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Building Bridges" by <i style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: Kreon; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">Liz Jardine</i></td></tr>
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Once a dad of a new kid in my youth ministry set up an appointment with me so he could get to know me. I can't remember how the conversation started, but I do remember immediately feeling threatened. I felt like I was on trial for something. I eventually erupted. He had no right to put me on trial!<br />
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I'll never forget his emotional response.</div>
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"Coby, you are completely missing my heart." </h3>
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I froze. We sat in silence. My heart broke. He was right. I approached the conversation out of my woundedness and never heard what was causing him pain.</div>
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When many of us are confronted with conflict or an idea that we find threatening, we stop listening and start attacking. As a result, we don't allow ourselves to learn some very valuable lessons from the other person.<br />
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<h3>
Building Bridges</h3>
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</h3>
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Building bridges is essential for thriving and growing in a world where we have such an array of ideologies. It's easy to assume the worst in a person if you do not know their story. I believe that bridge building and reconciliation are key aspects of Christian theology. Indeed, the Biblical narrative is full of passages that suggest our relationships with other people matter e.g. Matthew 5:23-24. The reality is today most of us get so caught up in arguing a point that we "know" is true, that we completely miss out on connecting with the other person. This is particularly true in conversations about politics and religion.</div>
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<h3>
Politics and Religion</h3>
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</h3>
I spent most of my life in Texas and parts of the deep south but I currently live in Seattle. My time in Seattle and Portland has played a key role in my formation as a follower of Jesus and a minister of the Gospel. I love the Pacific Northwest. Yet, Texas is my home. Like most Texans, I have a somewhat irrational affection for my state.<br />
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As you might imagine, in my travels I have befriended people all over the spectrum of politics, race relations, and religion. When I say befriend, I don't just mean on Facebook. I genuinely love people who are on opposite ends of the spectrum of many issues. It's a combination of how I understand the Gospel and my wiring.<br />
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<b>When I witness arguments on social media I find that... </b><br />
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<b>...many people dehumanize those who disagree with them.</b></div>
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<b>...many people think the other side is comprised of halfwits.</b></div>
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<b>...few people think they have something to learn from people on the other side.</b></div>
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<b>...few know how to respectfully dialogue with a person on the other side.</b><br />
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As I have been reflecting upon this reality I realized that many of the conversations or posts that I read sound a lot like I sounded when I was confronted with the parent. They sound pointed, annoyed, and defensive.<br />
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If we don't change how we handle these conversations we will not learn and grow. If we do not learn and grow we will not make progress as a diverse society. </h4>
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The best tool I have encountered to help me deal with conflict and situations where I feel threatened is called Karpman's Drama Triangle. I think the Drama Triangle has much to say about healthy ways we can approach divisive conversations around politics, race, and religion.</div>
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The Drama Triangle</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1ugtwO5VAjfAeHR5Isdugk-scvoXV9nGTP0aLaF9vYmPGypCmykUibDm1V1xo9qaSUdxLn22JQ8Ytg1SIoNm6hqWeomdSqa-qB1GTe_VMruCWrcpo-4XStyvIiEGONMbpOnLrJ-tL9o/s1600/Karpmans-Drama-Triangle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1ugtwO5VAjfAeHR5Isdugk-scvoXV9nGTP0aLaF9vYmPGypCmykUibDm1V1xo9qaSUdxLn22JQ8Ytg1SIoNm6hqWeomdSqa-qB1GTe_VMruCWrcpo-4XStyvIiEGONMbpOnLrJ-tL9o/s1600/Karpmans-Drama-Triangle.png" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>
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The idea behind the drama triangle is that we all tend to approach conflict from a position that will lead to victimization. <a href="http://www.angriesout.com/grown20.htm">Here</a> is an in depth explanation of how it works. The best way to explain it is to tell a story.</div>
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My natural tendency is to approach conflict from the angle of the "rescuer." This is how it plays out in my family. I mean, this next example is totally hypothetical.</div>
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<i><b>My wife gets on to my son for something. In my limited understanding, I see her as the "persecutor" and my son as the "victim." I enter into the conversation as the "rescuer."</b></i></div>
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<i><b> I unwisely say, "Perhaps you are over reacting. He didn't do anything that bad." I move from "rescuer" to "persecutor" as I confront my wife. At that point she becomes the "victim."</b></i></div>
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<b><i> I hurt my wife's feelings. </i><i>Having overstepped my boundaries, my wife </i><i>responds in a way that hurts my feelings. She shifts from the "victim" back to the "persecutor." This time, I'm the "victim." </i></b></div>
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The drama triangle is this vicious cycle of victim hood. Nobody feels heard. Nobody feels validated. Everybody feels hurt.There is never progress in the conversation or in the relationship.<br />
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Where do you tend to start on the Drama Triangle? Are you a "rescuer" like me? Or do you automatically start as the "victim"?</div>
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There are a few things that we can do to step outside the Drama Triangle and pursue reconciliation. </div>
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1. Know that the other person is expressing legitimate concern. Even if you don't understand, they deserve to be heard.</div>
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2. Recognize your place on the Drama Triangle. Familiarize yourself with your triggers that send you into defensive behavior.</div>
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3. Recognize your contribution to the dysfunctional conversation.</div>
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4. Know that you cannot control other people. You can only control your response to other people.</div>
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5. Stop the blame and shame game.</div>
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6. Recognize that you are not perfect.</div>
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7. Know that the end goal is not necessarily for everybody to know you are correct. The end goal is productive movement. As a Christian, I think the end goal is also reconciliation.</div>
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Disclaimer</h3>
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The Drama Triangle theory applies to many situations at home and work. It can also be applied to conflict around really difficult topics like politics, race, and religion. However, this theory only works when the parties involved share the power equally. </div>
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In a system of oppression, people need to step in and speak on behalf of those being oppressed. That isn't being a "rescuer." That is simply being a decent human being.</div>
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In a system of inequality, the systemically oppressed group should not feel guilty when they speak up. They are not being the "persecutor." They are calling out injustice.</div>
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Thus, this post applies to situations where the power is shared equally or to people who hold the power. </div>
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-39409138454201781092015-03-19T11:11:00.000-07:002015-03-20T09:22:26.790-07:00The Danger of Confusing Christianity with Your Culture<span style="color: #666666;"><i>[<span style="color: red;">UPDATE:</span> After I published this piece I received some healthy pushback. One of my friends questioned how this was a response to Mr. Shuck and also questioned whether I interpreted Mr. Shuck's article correctly. I'm thankful for thoughtful feedback. It makes me better. I decided to change some of the wording to more accurately reflect what I meant. </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><i>I should not have used the word response. I meant that his article evoked a response in me. In retrospect, this blog post is more of a reflection that was prompted by reading Mr. Shuck's article. Also, I made an unfair, and possibly inaccurate, assumption about Mr. Shuck's use of the word culture. </i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;"><i>I decided to focus less on Shuck and more on the dangers of thinking there is a singular Christian culture. My intent all along was to challenge this belief and not challenge a random person that I do not know.]</i></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrH1hhe7o3B42feJXURLIf9vnxwc209XsqUGJ1J28pvEgeB8e9KLAA3zd7RFFZUVqmG_CU5KS8LHuIGEc37Q8q3f9O81lrCv-1dzrQ14OqQ26N9U0jb33UGQcXe6ruSj8dWKVqKuA1R4s/s1600/IMG_2155.JPG" height="298" style="cursor: move; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A worship ministry of <a href="http://mendingwings.net/">Mending Wings</a> called Dancing Our Prayers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
A
few years ago I read about a PC(USA) pastor named John Shuck who does
not believe in God but remains to be an active minister. Yesterday he
published a piece for Patheos.com titled <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/03/17/im-a-presbyterian-minister-who-doesnt-believe-in-god-2/">I’m a Presbyterian Minister Who Doesn’t Believe in God</a>. <br />
<br />
Here are some examples of what he believes:<br />
<ul>
<li>Religion is a human construct</li>
<li>The symbols of faith are products of human cultural evolution</li>
<li>Jesus may have been an historical figure, but most of what we know about him is in the form of legend</li>
<li>God is a symbol of myth-making and not credible as a supernatural being or force</li>
<li>The Bible is a human product as opposed to special revelation from a divine being</li>
<li>Human consciousness is the result of natural selection, so there’s no afterlife</li>
</ul>
I imagine many theologians will respond to one or more of those
points in the days to come. Those points deserve a thorough and
thoughtful response. In this post, I want to <strike>respond to</strike> reflect upon a point that was
buried in the article. Mr. Shuck wrote, "I think of Christianity as a
culture. It has produced 2,000 years of
artifacts: literature, music, art, ethics, architecture, and (yes)
beliefs."<br />
<br />
While I do not know exactly how Mr. Shuck defines culture, many times I hear Christians lump the church together as if we are one homogenous group. While we are certainly united as brothers and sisters in Christ, our values, our interpretation of certain passages, and the ways we worship can be dramatically different. When we lump everyone together like this we risk dismissing all of the manifestations of the Christian faith that do not look, sound, smell, and feel like ours. In conversations like this I often hear, "Aren't we all one in Christ?" Absolutely, but that doesn't mean we are the same. <b>Unity is not sameness.</b> I am not promoting universalism.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Rather, I am arguing that there is no singular Christian culture.</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b> </b></h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgwdBjozbJjFwiVjky0qpbl9xOWc3LgTRZhvoIB_QvymuukIgxneV-mLZM0Y8wvA1apifzAWkWXY13_I0E_r8oXMJEwL4o0TW-eTBLQMr90RDIsAu0b11iYtixdbpkVGbzR5yyvg3jRc/s1600/Christ.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBgwdBjozbJjFwiVjky0qpbl9xOWc3LgTRZhvoIB_QvymuukIgxneV-mLZM0Y8wvA1apifzAWkWXY13_I0E_r8oXMJEwL4o0TW-eTBLQMr90RDIsAu0b11iYtixdbpkVGbzR5yyvg3jRc/s1600/Christ.jpg" height="305" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Brazilian sculptor Guido Rocha's "The Tortured Christ." <br />
When we talk about Christian art, what is included and what is excluded?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The sad reality is, many of the
Christians in the U.S. regularly confuse Christianity with their own culture without even knowing it.</b><br />
<br />
This
is a dangerous practice because, when we live out this misguided
theology, we end up oppressing others. Conservatives do it. Liberals do
it. I've done it. This very misunderstanding fueled all sorts of
atrocities in our past and continues to fuel them in our present. Entire
people groups have been wiped out in the name of Christ because
Christians confused Christianity with their own culture.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Who are your people? </h3>
<h3>
</h3>
My friend Corey Greaves feels the pain of this unhealthy
approach to Christianity on a daily basis. He is an indigenous youth
pastor on the Yakama Reservation in Washington. Corey is passionate
about helping people learn how to worship the Triune God in ways that
resonate with their culture. He is also one of the funniest and kindest
people that I know. He has been a tremendous help in my journey to
understand my own ethnic and cultural identity.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhf0jA3BwV6aavfpseWSvr1igSdHIutdDTUpA2jfrP7GTgxScm-KIUyWPgbP5ugFdrEx_Q-sSurKhz-qVeNz42Qn-0AH-E8J50OHLbADpyNB7REXUrBiVhSKID1jESfeOdbIz4EBZSxfw/s1600/Circle+Dance.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhf0jA3BwV6aavfpseWSvr1igSdHIutdDTUpA2jfrP7GTgxScm-KIUyWPgbP5ugFdrEx_Q-sSurKhz-qVeNz42Qn-0AH-E8J50OHLbADpyNB7REXUrBiVhSKID1jESfeOdbIz4EBZSxfw/s1600/Circle+Dance.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corey (third from left) at an evangelical church with the Dancing Our Prayers team </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Corey's Christ-centered ministry, called <a href="http://mendingwings.net/">Mending Wings</a>,
has a program that teaches indigenous kids on the Yakama Reservation
their native tongue and the history of their people. In a conversation I
had with him a few months ago he said, "We have a dying language and
culture thanks to the U.S. Government and the Christian church." Imagine the horror of having everything that you value ripped
away from you by the church and the government. What
would it feel like to be forced to no longer speak English in the name
of Christ? Corey's people are
living in the midst of <a href="http://www.historicaltrauma.com/">historical trauma</a>. This is the world in which he lives and ministers.<br />
<br />
One of the many reasons I appreciate my friend Corey is that he is
passionate about helping me learn how to worship God in a way that
resonates with me. He isn't trying to convert me to the Yakama version
of Christianity. He sees value in who I am as God created me to be (sounds like a certain Jewish carpenter circa 26 C.E.).<br />
<br />
When I first met Corey he asked, "Who are your people?" This question
was motivated by a realization that the Gospel is timeless truth that is revealed in and through culture. As I study
Scripture, worship, and pray with some friends from other cultures, like
Corey, my understanding of God is enhanced. We need each other for
growth, healing, and spiritual vitality.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Culture is key to connecting with God</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
Culture is a beautiful part of being human. Culture is one of
the things that shapes how we read and understand Scripture. Imagine how
powerful Jose Ignacio's painting <i>Cristo Campesino Crucificado</i> is
to Christians living in war torn Nicaragua in the 1980's. I imagine the
metaphors in this painting stir the hearts of those who suffered during
this time.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNptNGc-qmjgSxmiN0WUJKrND96J0TrYMJv56jUhX1c80cX4267ANS7ONOWHM9520GNDTEmqSDhwCV90oIjdiBYX-2Bg6gT9NwXOW27tnodEbZueA45n7ERHW_FRD1GewThQEhnN8joQ/s1600/crucifiction.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNptNGc-qmjgSxmiN0WUJKrND96J0TrYMJv56jUhX1c80cX4267ANS7ONOWHM9520GNDTEmqSDhwCV90oIjdiBYX-2Bg6gT9NwXOW27tnodEbZueA45n7ERHW_FRD1GewThQEhnN8joQ/s1600/crucifiction.jpg" height="317" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Cristo Campesino Crucificado</b></i><b><br />
<a href="http://www.indigoarts.com/gallery_nicaragua_fletes3.html">José Ignacio</a> Fletes Cruz (Leon, Nicaragua)</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Culture is key to connecting with God. In the incarnation, the
all-powerful, self-sufficient, creator God entered into our space and
our time to communicate his redemptive love in ways that we could
understand. God chose a particular time, place, and culture. God speaks
to us in a culturally relevant manner that resonates with the songs of
our hearts.<br />
<br />
God even chose a certain ethnic group to
teach the world what it meant to be in relationship with Yahweh. The
message was never intended to stay within the chosen ethnic group. In
the Old Testament, God's covenant with Abraham specifically stated that
Abraham's people were blessed to be a blessing. But some early
Christians didn't get it. One of the first arguments in the church had
to do with whether or not Christians had to first become Jewish before
they could become real Christians (Acts 15). Remember, Christianity
started as a Jewish sect. Paul uses his letter to the Galatians to argue
that Gentile Christians do not have to adopt Jewish customs to be
welcomed into the family of God.<br />
<br />
Again, culture
dictates the language and metaphors that help us connect with the truth
revealed in Scripture. Yet, if we make the mistake that the early church
made, and insist that people must first become like us before they can
become Christians, we are perpetuating destructive cultural
imperialism. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
Where do we go from here?</h3>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
We must acknowledge that the Gospel is timeless truth but that it is always communicated in the context of a culture.<br />
<br />
We must acknowledge the way we worship, study Scripture, and pray is shaped by our culture.<br />
<br />
We must acknowledge that our culture (and nation) does not have the corner on biblical truth.<br />
<br />
We must acknowledge that our cultural (and national) values are not always in-sync with the Gospel. <br />
<br />
We must learn to listen and see what the Triune God is doing in the context of other cultures (and nations).<br />
<br />
We must commit to learning from others, especially the marginalized and oppressed. <br />
<br />
If
we do not, we will continue to preach a "gospel" that is only good news
for people who look, dress, and vote like us. And if the gospel is not
good news for all people, it is not good news.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b></div>
<br />
Looking to learn more about culture, race, and the Christian faith? Check out these resources!<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Next-Evangelicalism-Freeing-Cultural-Captivity/dp/0830833609/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426776716&sr=1-1&keywords=soong+chan+rah">The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Captivity</a> by Soong Chan Rah<br />
2. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pagan-Christianity-Exploring-Church-Practices/dp/141431485X">Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of Our Christian Practices</a> by
<span class="author notFaded" data-width="">
<span class="a-declarative" data-a-popover="{"position":"triggerBottom","name":"contributor-info-B001IGSJX0","allowLinkDefault":"true"}" data-action="a-popover">
Frank Viola </span><span class="contribution"><span class="a-color-secondary">& </span>
</span>
</span>
<span class="author notFaded" data-width="">
<span class="a-declarative" data-a-popover="{"position":"triggerBottom","name":"contributor-info-B000APJB4G","allowLinkDefault":"true"}" data-action="a-popover">
George Barna </span></span><br />
<span class="author notFaded" data-width=""><span class="a-declarative" data-a-popover="{"position":"triggerBottom","name":"contributor-info-B000APJB4G","allowLinkDefault":"true"}" data-action="a-popover">3. </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Church-Many-Tribes-Richard-Twiss/dp/0800797256/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426776765&sr=1-1&keywords=many+tribes">One Church, Many Tribes</a> by Richard Twiss<br />
4. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Disunity-Christ-Uncovering-Hidden-Forces/dp/0830844031/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426776825&sr=1-1&keywords=Disunity+in+Christ">Disunity in Christ</a> by Christena Cleveland<br />
5. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Racial-Justice-Change-Social/dp/0830837221/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426776879&sr=1-1&keywords=heart+of+racial+justice">The Heart of Racial Justice</a> by Brenda Salter McNeil and Rick Richardson<br />
6. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Disinherited-Howard-Thurman/dp/0807010294">Jesus and the Disinherited</a> by Howard Thurman<br />
7.
Every year my church in Seattle has depth/discipleship class on faith
and race. We have accumulated a ton of great resources. <a href="http://seattlequest.org/faithandrace/">Check them out!</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-9173942429934735412014-07-08T20:48:00.001-07:002014-07-08T20:48:21.747-07:00Time: The Art of Being PresentI preached on being present on July 6, 2014. This sermon is the accumulation of lessons I've been learning through pain, failure, forgiveness, and healing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv34e4W40Yur37P9xdkb74-Zr1IpM0M_gOa7t5JAB0_1Okd5XWYqe2sMn7BMdHNhZFNKID3ZHJX1_8Me-Wd5A_3ZlulZ0TwiUeVHhg2c30VDAGgX4Qkz5Rl3OpBXZKUI4dUHVHb3-8YSc/s1600/Preaching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv34e4W40Yur37P9xdkb74-Zr1IpM0M_gOa7t5JAB0_1Okd5XWYqe2sMn7BMdHNhZFNKID3ZHJX1_8Me-Wd5A_3ZlulZ0TwiUeVHhg2c30VDAGgX4Qkz5Rl3OpBXZKUI4dUHVHb3-8YSc/s1600/Preaching.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://vimeo.com/100081059">Here is a link to the sermon.</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5N_qKu7IK8cxHgz3bfQV_BbSTtx_LiOtO8ZApFvvEH6FjUrdZDOo0SX_O3pDFXjTQrhNAagnb2sCbMvhJzrLekpZngwlQuJ5IwTRf2cGQAlk2PcugQoq8Q8C2yIGb-G6_iKA8jPNJ0s/s1600/Time+Blocking+Example.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5N_qKu7IK8cxHgz3bfQV_BbSTtx_LiOtO8ZApFvvEH6FjUrdZDOo0SX_O3pDFXjTQrhNAagnb2sCbMvhJzrLekpZngwlQuJ5IwTRf2cGQAlk2PcugQoq8Q8C2yIGb-G6_iKA8jPNJ0s/s1600/Time+Blocking+Example.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used this slide as an example of how I use time blocking to organize my schedule.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-10684850139515227682014-06-30T09:01:00.000-07:002014-06-30T09:06:22.329-07:00Fight for Sustainable Ministries, Not Self-Preservation There is a difference between striving to have a sustainable ministry and fighting to stay alive. When you act out of self-preservation you ask the wrong set of questions. At best, these are questions that are inwardly focused and shortsighted. Although longevity is not bad, your main goal should not be to help your church stay alive. Your main goal should be to be faithful to the Gospel and to join God as God ushers in God's kingdom.<br />
<br />
What does this mean? Here are a few possibilities:<br />
<ul>
<li>This may mean that you build a new church building. This may mean that you sell your church building.</li>
<li>This may mean that you hire more staff. This may mean that you cut staff.</li>
<li>This may mean that you stop pouring money into expanding your empire and start sending funds to an under-resourced church.</li>
<li>This may mean that you give away all of your resources to an emerging church so that a new ministry can flourish.*</li>
</ul>
<div>
Are you following me? Being faithful to the Gospel and joining God's mission does not mean that you last forever. It simply means you go where God calls you to go. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While we shouldn't focus on self-preservation, we SHOULD focus on sustainability and health. Sustainable ministries don't drain the energy and resources out of our organizations and our people. I think sustainable ministries are simply good stewards of the gifts that God has given the church.<br />
<br />
Here are a few ways to help you start thinking about building healthy ministries and not ministries that are fighting for self-preservation. This is not an exhaustive list. Comment below if you have more ideas.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
Sustainable ministries emphasize health.<br />Self-preservation ministries emphasize numbers.</h3>
</div>
<div>
Sustainable ministries regularly evaluate the relational, spiritual, and emotional health of their group. Ministry leaders are regularly gauging the health of the congregation. Health and numbers are not mutually exclusive. I am a part of a healthy church that is bursting at the seams. Yet, our pastors, deacons, elders, and small group leaders are engaged with almost everybody who attends the church. We spend most of our time in staff meetings either doing spiritual check-ins with one another or praying for congregants by name. It's been a blessing to spend so much time focusing on spiritual formation and health. This doesn't mean we neglect our daily tasks. We simply don't let our daily tasks consume our focus.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Sustainable ministries look to empower others.<br />Self-preservation ministries try to hold on to power.</h3>
</div>
<div>
Believe it or not, you and I are not big deals. Sure, we can do some things well. But our ministries will be better if we find what is unique to our calling, do that well, and empower people to do the rest. I was recently talking with a successful lead pastor who is in his 40's. He said 10 years ago he wasn't comfortable enough in his skin to hire people who were better than him at things. Now, he proudly admits that he isn't the best speaker or administrator on staff. Not only is that good leadership, it creates space for new ideas and fresh approaches.<br />
<br />
The reality is, none of us got to where we are because of our own power. We all stand on the backs of others who sacrificed, poured into us, loved us, mentored us, and created space for us. Now, go and do likewise.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Sustainable ministries emphasize how volunteers are doing.<br />Self-preservation ministries emphasize what volunteers are doing.</h3>
</div>
<div>
Today I interviewed a high quality candidate for a youth ministry intern position. Like all people that I supervise, I told him that I am more concerned with how he is doing as a follower of Jesus, a friend, and a son than what he can do for me and "my" church. People aren't tools for you to use to build your kingdom. They are gifts that God entrusts to you to love, serve, build up, and empower. When they leave, you want them to leave better people than when they arrived.<br />
<br />
One side effect of this kind of support and care for your employees is that they tend to feel more at ease in their position which enables them to function out of their strengths. It gives them courage to dream big and take risks. And when they fail, they know that you have their back.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Sustainable ministries think about the entire organization.<br />Self-preservation ministries tend to only think about those with power.</h3>
</div>
<div>
I once served at an upper income church that was surrounded by neighborhoods that were very poor. On separate occasions I had two elders tell me that I wasn't hired to minister to "those kind of kids." They hired me to minister to "our kids." Wow! Too often I see pastors that only pursue deep relationships with people who have power and money in the church. Pastors let the bottom line sway them away from making decisions with Biblical integrity. It is wrong and unjust.<br />
<br />
If you spend more time talking about getting better attendance to events than thinking about the needs of your community, you are fighting for self-preservation.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Sustainable ministries regularly evaluate effectiveness and adjust.<br />Self-preservation ministries idolize the glory years.**</h3>
</div>
<div>
Anybody who has served in a church that is older than 12 months knows what I'm talking about here. Too many pastors approach ministry like a formula. If they had a successful gathering they do everything in their power to replicate the event exactly. The problem is that people change, culture changes, and ministry needs change. Every gathering needs to be birthed out of a prayerful response to timely needs. Do not do an event simply because "we've always done it this way." Listen to the Holy Spirit and listen to the cries of the people. You'll know what to do.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Topo and Kairos</h3>
<div>
In the opening section of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061988219/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0061988219&linkCode=as2&tag=caglejourneyb-20">The Pastor: A Memoir</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=caglejourneyb-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0061988219" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, Eugene Peterson says that being a pastor is all about topo and kairos, place and time.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Place. But not just any place, not just a location marked on a road map, but on a topo, a topographic map—with named mountains and rivers, identified wildflowers and forests, elevation above sea level and annual rainfall. I do all my work on this ground. I do not levitate. “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” Get to know this place. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Time. But not just time in general, abstracted to a geometric grid on a calendar or numbers on a clock face, but what the Greeks named kairos, pregnancy time, being present to the Presence. I never know what is coming next; “Watch therefore.”***</i></blockquote>
At the end of the day, I think this is the only true way to avoid getting sucked into fighting for self-preservation. God has called you here, in this place, for this particular time. God has called you to love and serve this particular group of people. What are the needs of the people? What gifts do you have? How is the Holy Spirit leading you to use your gifts to effectively minister to these people at this particular time? If you focus on those three questions, you will be ok.<br />
<br />
* When I use the term "emerging church" I'm talking about churches that are being birthed or planted. I am not talking about the emerging church movement.<br />
**In an old book by A.W. Tozer he says, "Let go of the good ole days that never were." I like that. We tend to romanticize the past instead of being fully engaged in the present.<br />
***Peterson, Eugene H. (2011-02-22). The Pastor: A Memoir (p. 7). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. </div>
Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-48040629554814236012014-06-09T19:08:00.003-07:002014-06-09T19:10:25.798-07:00Nothing but Net...WorthHere is another infographic I helped create. You can access all of my research by clicking the link and scrolling to the bottom of the pop-up. It looks like the graphic designer only used about half of the information that I gave him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sportsmanagementdegreehub.com/nba-net-worth/"><img src="http://www.sportsmanagementdegreehub.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Nothin-But-Net-Worth.jpg" alt="NBA Stars" width="500" border="0" /></a><br />Source: <a href="http://www.sportsmanagementdegreehub.com/">SportsManagementDegreeHub.com</a>Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-64741052814715000522014-03-26T19:38:00.000-07:002014-03-26T19:39:07.485-07:00What Pope Francis Get's RightI recently took up a freelancing gig doing research for a graphic designer. He gives me a topic, I do a ton of research around the topic, I write an in depth outline, and he creates an infographic using the information. Here is one titled "What Pope Francis Get's Right." I did 95% of the writing and research. Eric is a brilliant artist. I love how he brought my words to life.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.onlinechristiancolleges.com/pope-francis/"><img alt="Pope Francis" border="0" src="http://www.onlinechristiancolleges.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/popeFrancis.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
Source: <a href="http://www.onlinechristiancolleges.com/">OnlineChristianColleges.com</a>Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-21140737036516751832014-02-09T22:21:00.000-08:002014-02-09T22:21:20.807-08:00Without Death There is No Resurrection<i>A few years ago I was asked to give a word of blessing to a congregation that was going through a tough time. This is a congregation with whom I served in my early years of ministry. They saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. God used them in tremendous ways to bless me. Here I was 6 years later asked to bless them. I took out some names and places. This is what I said.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
Good morning church. Give me a second to connect with each of you visually<br />
as a personal hello. I think about you guys all of the time...I even pray for you some. I<br />
cannot express in words how refreshing it is to be back with you today.<br />
<br />
Once in the fourth grade I had to iron some clothes so I went into my mom's closet to<br />
get the iron out. I knew it was on the top shelf. When I opened the door of the closet I<br />
looked up to see if I could see the iron. As I looked up the iron clobbered me in the face.<br />
Sometimes reading scripture is kind of like that. You get what you need but it hurts.<br />
<br />
_______ asked me to bless you guys. What a humbling thing it is to try and bless a group of<br />
people who have loved and served my family relentlessly. I will do my best to describe<br />
how significant my time at west hills was and how significant you are to me and my<br />
family. But my disclaimer is, I cannot put into words the impact you had on us for the<br />
good. But I will try.<br />
<br />
Do you guys remember what the bible says about blessings?<br />
<br />
Blessed are the poor in spirit => they shall see God<br />
Blessed are those who mourn => they will be comforted<br />
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness => they will be filled<br />
Matthew 5:10-12<br />
<br />
Are you sure you want to be blessed? It appears as though to be blessed is to hurt. To<br />
be blessed is to feel pain.<br />
<br />
Once I was going through a bumpy patch in ministry and was hurting. My spiritual<br />
director told me, "There are two types of pain. Pain caused by neglect, abuse, or oppression. That pain is evil. There is also pain caused because the ego is dying. You need to lean into that pain".<br />
<br />
I know this has been a painful year for this church family. I find that Jesus is drawn to<br />
those who are hurting and to those who are suffering. He hurts with you. He weeps with<br />
you.<br />
<br />
Jesus told his followers to take up their cross and follow him. To take up one's cross is<br />
to die. Death causes pain. But, the gospel proclaims that death has lost her sting...death<br />
has not won.<br />
<br />
You see, after death comes resurrection. But resurrection only comes after death.<br />
<br />
It was 6 years ago that Tammie and I packed up a Uhaul and moved out to a foreign<br />
land called _________. I arrived wounded and burned out from a rough first 3 years at my<br />
previous church. I arrived dead. And through my relationships with you guys and my<br />
time at seminary I was resurrected.<br />
<br />
At ___________ I found love. I found cups of coffee, boat rides on homemade vessels,<br />
buckets of berries, jars of jam, home made folk CD's, bowls of German dumplings, hikes<br />
where the conversations left my head more exhausted than my shaky legs. I found<br />
life. The holy spirit used you to bring about resurrection. I would not still be in pastoral<br />
ministry without experiencing your ministry.<br />
<br />
We all need a resurrection. But first, we must surrender our dreams, we must let go<br />
of the good ole days, we must die to ourselves, and bury our bodies within the cave.<br />
Without death, there is no resurrection. On the third day, the stone will roll away, Christ<br />
will call us to come forth from the grave and to take off our grave clothes.<br />
<br />
So I imagine many feel like Yesterday was good Friday. You experienced a traumatic<br />
event that made you question everything about who you are and where you are<br />
going. The man you thought was going to deliver you was killed. You are hurting and<br />
confused. To you I say, be of good cheer. Tomorrow the stone will roll away. Tomorrow<br />
is the resurrection.<br />
<br />
Amen.Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-54090988653947335302014-01-15T15:31:00.001-08:002014-02-19T22:18:03.385-08:00reThinking Short-term Missions: 5 Ways to Approach Youth Mission Trips in a Healthier Manner<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<i>Recently I was asked to address a class of undergraduate students who are studying to be youth ministers. The professor invited me to choose the topic. I am going to speak on Multiethnic Youth Ministry. I'll provide those notes later. He also asked me for ideas for how I'd teach a lesson on short-term mission trips. This is what I sent him.</i></div>
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Imagine that a group of people who have different skin color as you, who dress differently than you, and who do not speak your language came to you with a truckload of unicycles. The unicycles are this awful brownish color. Let's be honest; The color looks like throw-up. The people seem friendly because they don't stop smiling. They break into tears when they see how few children actually play outside in your neighborhood. You see them pointing at your Xbox and shaking their heads in disgust. </div>
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The group stays in a gym in your neighborhood. They pass out food that smells funny and doesn't taste very good. They try to get you to ride a throw-up colored unicycle. They end up passing out these unicycles to all of the families. After five days of meeting with you and talking broken English with you, they come back in tears. They take a bunch of pictures and hug you. Then they don't show up the next day.</div>
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Later you realize they gave unicycles because they "knew" unicycles were the best way for kids to get exercise. They chose the throw-up color because it is popular among kids in their homeland. Even if throw-up colored unicycles are the best way to get kids in shape, you love your Xbox and you think unicycles are dorky. You leave the unicycle in your garage and never touch it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
While there are certainly churches that do mission trips in a healthy manner, the situation I described is the best case scenario for many short-term mission trips.This is particularly true for short-term trips to developing countries. A group of random strangers shows up in a neighborhood, sleeps at a house or a gym, passes out food that doesn't really belong in that community, diagnose a problem in the community, and try to remedy the problem. The worst case scenario is that this group of strangers actually does the gospel disservice by demeaning the community and passing out "gifts" that damage the culture. </div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
Short-term mission trips can be a powerful experience for your group. I'd much rather take 20 kids on a mission trip than to a week at camp on the beach. However, there are some things you need to do to ensure that you eliminate the likelihood that you will hurt the people you are trying to help.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<ol>
<li>Partner with healthy ministries that are already doing good work in the geographical area. This ensures that there is a long-term strategy in place. Spiritual growth thrives in the context of long-term relationships. Coming in for a week and leaving can be very harmful. Rather than just pick a random neighborhood in Mexico and go there and build houses, partner with a Mexican church in the community. Ask the people at the church to teach you cultural norms so that you do not offend the people you are serving. Partner with them in ministry. Exchange ideas. Exchange gifts.</li>
<li>Go as servants. Too often we go on these trips, teach these "poor people" about Jesus, build a house, and leave feeling really good about ourselves. The reality is, God doesn't need us. God is already at work in the community. He allows us the privilege to serve in these communities so that we may be transformed by what he is doing in and through the population. Which leads to the next point.</li>
<li>Go as learners. Sure, God can use you to teach, but you have much more to learn from the people you are serving than you have to teach. If you are going to serve on an Indian reservation, partner with a Native American church on the reservation. Let them do the Bible teaching to the community (there is a long and painful history of Euro-American missionaries doing very harmful things to the community). Ask them how you can be a better minister. Ask them what God has been doing in the community. Pray together. Study scripture together. Play together. I guarantee you would leave transformed and you would minimize the risk of being more harmful than helpful.</li>
<li>Articulate the purpose of the trip to the students. Teach them about the culture they are going to encounter. Help them understand that they are going as learners and servers.</li>
<li>Consider not calling it a mission trip. God does the saving, not you. Call it a Service - Learning Trip or a Work Camp. Call it Funky Monkey Week. Call it whatever you want. But consider not calling it a mission trip. Mission trip implies that you are going to save these rotten heathens. This can be very offensive, especially if Christians have had a negative impact on the community in the past.</li>
</ol>
</div>
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<br />
In my 11 years of youth ministry, the best organization I have found that does short-term trips for students is S.L.A.M. Trips. They are on the Yakama Reservation in Washington. <a href="http://slamtrips.com/index.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Check them out</a>! Also, to read more about doing missions in a way that isn't harmful check out the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Helping-Hurts-Alleviate-Yourself/dp/0802457061" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">When Helping Hurts</a> by <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Steve+Corbett&search-alias=books&text=Steve+Corbett&sort=relevancerank" style="color: #0066c0; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Steve Corbett</a> &</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brian-Fikkert/e/B003D0IFZ6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_2" style="color: #0066c0; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Brian Fikkert</a>.</span></div>
Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-17189350667345055612013-12-06T12:31:00.002-08:002013-12-06T20:59:28.424-08:00A Basic Bible Study of The Two Genealogies of Jesus <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few people asked me to post my lesson on the two genealogies that are found in the Synoptic Gospels. This lesson is not intended to be exhaustive. I only have twenty minutes to teach. There are books written on this subject. There are three reasons I am teaching this lesson.</span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to give the students a good foundation for the birth narratives.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want the students to be able to approach the Bible with confidence when they come across different accounts of the same events in the Bible.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want the challenge of making a text that we normally skip accessible and interesting to teenagers. This reason is secondary to the two above. I mention it for transparency. </span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are two documents from which I am copying and pasting. The first is my teaching outline. I tend to teach in a discussion format. Thus, my outline is primary stories and questions. The second document includes some of the key points that I want to address while facilitating the discussion. I have a final PDF document that I am not attaching. That document is Matthew 1 and Luke 3 set side-by-side with a few discussion questions. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lesson Outline</span></h3>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Topic: </b>The Genealogy of
Jesus<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Passages: </b>Matthew 1, Luke 3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Main Ideas: </b>Help the students
understand why Matthew and Luke approach the Jesus story from different camera
angles. Help set the stage for a better understanding of the birth narratives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Bonus: </b>The week before the
lesson, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvZW58LQg_k">email this video to the parents</a>. Watch as a family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why are genealogies important?<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do we do a good job remembering
the past in our culture? Why/why not?<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How can a limited view of the
past impact us as individuals and as a society?<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why does the author want to make
sure the readers know Jesus’ genealogy?</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tell Two Stories:</span></b></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a true story. When we
first got married, Tammie and I lived in a rough part of town. One day, as
Tammie was leaving the apartment, a guy in a minivan swerved towards her
while she was sitting at the exit of the complex. He hit her car, knocking
off the bumper. The driver of the minivan told her that he didn’t have
insurance but still asked to trade numbers so that they could work things
out. A few hours later he called and said he had a quote from a local auto
body shop for how much it would cost to fix his van.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is also a true story. When
we first got married, Tammie and I lived in an apartment that was right in
between where I was going to seminary and where I was working. One day,
Tammie called me and was very upset. She said, she pulled a little too far
into the street and got clipped by a guy who was driving a minivan. Her
bumper got knocked off. The guy did not have insurance. She felt bad so
she agreed to pay for the minivan to get fixed.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ask:</b> How are these
stories similar? How are they different? Which one is true?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Say: </b>Both stories are
true. They simply focus on different aspects of what occurred. One focused on
the driver of the minivan having shady intentions. The other focuses on the
tenderheartedness of my wife. As we’ve discussed over and over, the authors of
the Bible always had a theological motive behind what they wrote. There are a few
times when the Bible tells the same story in different ways. Skeptics have
risen up to say, “Ah ha! This is proof that the Bible is full of errors.” The
reality is, the stories that differently describe the same situations simply
have different lessons or theological truths they want to teach. They simply
approach the subject from different angles. Today we are going to compare and
contrast the genealogies of Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ask</b>: Look at the two
genealogies on this worksheet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How are they similar? How are
they different? <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why did the authors approach them
the way that they did?<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do you think they included a
genealogy in their respective accounts of the life of Jesus?<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you notice any surprising
names on the list?<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Conclusion:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
next two weeks we are going to look at the birth narratives found in Matthew
and Luke. Matthew’s is from the perspective of Joseph. Luke’s is of the
perspective of Mary. Both stories are true, they are simply shot from different
camera angles.<b style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Study Notes</span></b></h3>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why Two Genealogies of Jesus?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a simplified version of the three main theories:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph. Luke gives
the genealogy through Mary. It would be unusual to trace the linage through a woman but then again, Jesus was born of a virgin. There is nothing usual about this story.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0px;">Some attribute the differences to the "Levirate marriage" tradition.</span> This means that if a man died childless, his widowed wife would marry his
brother. The child birthed from the brother </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">and the wife would be considered “begat” by
the man who died. In this theory, Luke is the legal linage of Jesus and Matthew would be the actual/biological blood
line.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Matthew is the royal line and Luke is the biological line.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Does it matter which is correct? While the authors were meticulous
about record keeping, their records were driven by a theological motive. A
better question to ask is, “What was the theological motive behind each
genealogy?”</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the theological motive
behind the genealogy of Matthew?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Matthew was written primarily to a Jews who had
come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Indeed, the book uses at least 40 formal
quotations from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A key theme to Matthew is proving that Jesus is the prophesied Messiah. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matthew is sure to include people and events
that would resonate with the Jewish audience (Exile, Abraham, Rahab, etc.).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It’s important for Matthew to reinforce the fact that Jesus was in the line of Abraham, the father of the Jewish people.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the theological motive
behind the genealogy of Luke?</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The book was written to a diverse population. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A
key theme in Luke is one of compassion for the </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">marginalized
(Gentiles, Samaritans, women, children, tax collectors, etc.). Another key theme is that Jesus is the savior of all of humanity.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Jeconiah was not included in this genealogy. The group who thinks that Luke is the biological line use this as proof to prove their point. They argue that Jeconiah was cursed by God for being evil and could not biologically be connected to Jesus. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It was important for Luke to reinforce the fact
that Jesus was in the line of Adam, the father of all of humanity.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why does it matter that Jesus
was connected to David?</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">One key reason the authors would want to connect Jesus with David is because of the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">prophesies that proclaim that the Messiah will come from David’s
line (Jer. 23:5-6, </span><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -0.25in;">2 Samuel 7:12-13, Isaiah </span><span style="background-color: white; text-indent: -0.25in;">9:7</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">)</span></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Works Consulted:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-size: 10pt;">The Gospel according to Matthew: Literary
Aspects, Features & Themes</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> <i><span style="background: white;">by Felix Just, S.J.,
Ph.D.</span></i></span><a href="http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Matthew-LiteraryFeatures.htm">http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Matthew-LiteraryFeatures.htm</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luke 3 - IVP New
Testament Commentaries<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Luke/Jesus-One-Who-Comes">http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Luke/Jesus-One-Who-Comes</a><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THE ART OF PROPHESYING By WILLIAM PERKINS (1558-1602)</span></span></h2>
<a href="http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/perkins_prophesying.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/perkins_prophesying.html</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luke </span><a href="http://www.gty.org/resources/bible-introductions/MSB42/luke" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.gty.org/resources/bible-introductions/MSB42/luke</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Genealogy of Christ Jesus </span><a href="http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/geneology.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/geneology.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=_4XwM2LPLQYC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=matthew+royal+genealogy+luke+biological&source=bl&ots=R99tARTVLh&sig=d_OE9C4powua-t_Pr_aYjdhOMPg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=XKaiUpQ7hdagBP7RgegG&ved=0CHUQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=matthew%20royal%20genealogy%20luke%20biological&f=false">Matthew</a> by Craig S. Keener</div>
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-14310920628824259382013-11-30T00:16:00.001-08:002013-11-30T00:46:55.994-08:00The Eucharist, the Great Commission, and Destructive Leadership<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">As I am preparing to facilitate the Eucharist this week I am keenly aware of how partaking in Communion is relinquishing power. This flies in the face of how many of us "do ministry." Indeed, I am realizing that many of us who consider ourselves evangelical Christians confuse the call to share the Gospel (aka good news) with our own desire for power and influence. Power and influence in themselves are not bad. But when we desire power and influence we can easily be seduced into an egocentric form of leadership that is destructive for us and all whom we encounter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Five Ways to Avoid This Destructive Approach:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">1. Listen first and listen well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">2. Love because a person is an image bearer of God and not simply as a means to an end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">3. Give freely with no strings attached.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">4. Be willing to give up your position of power in your ministry. Let's be clear that God doesn't need you (or me). We are called to share the good news because, when we do it well, God is glorified and we are transformed in the process. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">5. While listening, loving, giving, and surrendering, prayerfully think about a wholistic approach to the Gospel. What is the good news in that moment for that particular person spiritually, emotionally, and relationally?</span></div>
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Bonus: Remember that Jesus saves, not you.</div>
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Here is a portion of my script for facilitating the Eucharist this week:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">As I was preparing for Communion this week four words came to my mind: Let go and come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Mark 10:45</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">"For even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life for many."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">When we come to this table we are identifying with Jesus' choice to give up his life. When we come to this table we are relinquishing the destructive desire for control and power and we are embraced, enveloped, and transformed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">We need only to let go and come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This passage also inspired this post:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="text Phil-2-1"><span class="chapternum" style="bottom: -0.1em; font-weight: bold; left: 0px; position: relative;">2 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit,<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29393A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></span> if any tenderness and compassion,<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29393B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span class="text Phil-2-2" id="en-NIV-29394"><span class="versenum" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">2 </span>then make my joy complete<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29394C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></span> by being like-minded,<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29394D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></span>having the same love, being one<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29394E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)"></span> in spirit and of one mind.</span> <span class="text Phil-2-3" id="en-NIV-29395"><span class="versenum" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">3 </span>Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29395F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)"></span> Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29395G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)"></span></span><span class="text Phil-2-4" id="en-NIV-29396"><span class="versenum" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">4 </span>not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29396H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)"></span></span></span></span></div>
<span class="text Phil-2-5" id="en-NIV-29397" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="versenum" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">5 </span>In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29397I" title="See cross-reference I">I</a>)"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text Phil-2-6" id="en-NIV-29398" style="position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">6 </span>Who, being in very nature<span class="footnote" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[<a href="#fen-NIV-29398a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202&version=NIV#fen-NIV-29398a" style="text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote a">a</a>]</span> God,<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29398J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)"></span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Phil-2-6" style="position: relative;">did not consider equality with God<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29398K" title="See cross-reference K">K</a>)"></span>something to be used to his own advantage;</span></span><br /><span class="text Phil-2-7" id="en-NIV-29399" style="position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">7 </span>rather, he made himself nothing<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29399L" title="See cross-reference L">L</a>)"></span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Phil-2-7" style="position: relative;">by taking the very nature<span class="footnote" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[<a href="#fen-NIV-29399b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]">[<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202&version=NIV#fen-NIV-29399b" style="text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote b">b</a>]</span> of a servant,<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29399M" title="See cross-reference M">M</a>)"></span></span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Phil-2-7" style="position: relative;">being made in human likeness.<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29399N" title="See cross-reference N">N</a>)"></span></span></span><br /><span class="text Phil-2-8" id="en-NIV-29400" style="position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">8 </span>And being found in appearance as a man,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Phil-2-8" style="position: relative;">he humbled himself</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Phil-2-8" style="position: relative;">by becoming obedient to death<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29400O" title="See cross-reference O">O</a>)"></span>—</span></span><br /><span class="indent-2"><span class="indent-2-breaks"> </span><span class="text Phil-2-8" style="position: relative;">even death on a cross!<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29400P" title="See cross-reference P">P</a>)"></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text Phil-2-9" id="en-NIV-29401" style="position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">9 </span>Therefore God exalted him<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29401Q" title="See cross-reference Q">Q</a>)"></span> to the highest place</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Phil-2-9" style="position: relative;">and gave him the name that is above every name,<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29401R" title="See cross-reference R">R</a>)"></span></span></span><br /><span class="text Phil-2-10" id="en-NIV-29402" style="position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">10 </span>that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29402S" title="See cross-reference S">S</a>)"></span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Phil-2-10" style="position: relative;">in heaven and on earth and under the earth,<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29402T" title="See cross-reference T">T</a>)"></span></span></span><br /><span class="text Phil-2-11" id="en-NIV-29403" style="position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="display: block; font-weight: bold; left: -4.8em; position: absolute; vertical-align: top;">11 </span>and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,<span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29403U" title="See cross-reference U">U</a>)"></span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Phil-2-11" style="position: relative;">to the glory of God the Father.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Phil-2-11" style="position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Philippians 2:1-11</span></span></span></span></div>
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-30482383287679659522013-11-19T22:37:00.002-08:002013-11-19T22:37:42.295-08:00Facebook Status Update Recently I "liked" a person's Facebook status. The status included 9 fun facts about the person. I enjoyed learning more about this person so I "liked" the status. Game over right? WRONG! Without knowing it, I had gotten sucked into this weird Facebook chain thingy. I don't even know what to call it. I usually hate these sorts of things. The guy whose status I "liked" sent me a message that said, "You have the number 9. Go!"<div>
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At first I ignored my assignment. I'm too cool for these stupid games. But, every time a friend of mine played the game, I loved learning about them. I thought, "What if I'm just perpetuating false humility? What if people actually would enjoy learning about me?" I gave in. Here's my post.</div>
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3,"tn":"K"}" style="color: #333333; line-height: 1.38;"><i>I was given the number 9.<br /><br />1. I met my wife in the 9th grade at my locker. She's the only person I've ever dated and the only person I've ever kissed.<br />2. I once was on ESPN 2 because the college I played football for had 3 punts blocked. Each blocked punt was returned for a touchdown. Apparently that's some sort of NCAA record. "Come on, man!"<br />3. My sister caught my hair on fire when I was a kid. We were playing Little House on the Prairie and I was "sick." She tried to warm a tissue for my head by using a candle. I'll let you figure out the rest of the story.<br />4. My last play of regulation basketball involved me accidentally stuffing my own teammate as he was trying to shoot the game winning shot from 5 ft away from the rim. Oops.<br />5. I once punched somebody's chest so hard during a football game that my finger popped out of place. In the two seconds that it took me to realize I had a dislocated finger I happened to intercept a pass thrown by the opposing quarterback.<br />6. By my senior year of college I cost the school $15 a day in tape because of my various injuries. Apparently people under 200 lbs shouldn't play defensive line for 14 years. Noted.<br />7. The two items on the top of my bucket list are to build a house with my own hands and to sing backup for a bluegrass band.<br />8. I feel the happiest when I am on an adventure somewhere outside with my wife and kids. I can walk for miles while carrying one to two small humans who look like me.<br />9. My favorite parts of being a pastor include helping a person find true worth/value in the triune God, walking people through the marriage process, and grieving with people when they experience a serious crisis like the death of a loved one. These moments are real, raw, and intimate. In these moments I see the face of God.</i></span></h5>
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-18115595909989778952013-09-05T14:11:00.001-07:002013-09-05T14:13:10.686-07:0010 Year Anniversary: Canaan Bound<div class="MsoNormal">
10 years ago today all of my family and
friends were assembling in Houston for my wedding. I asked my college mentor
Brian Housman to coordinate and facilitate the service around the theme of
faith and sacrifice. We chose the Abraham and Sarah story to be the channel for
this theme. While a few people made fun of me for an Abrahamic wedding, Tammie
and I thought it was perfect. I guess that's all that matters. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We chose Abraham and Sarah because their story is full of
risk taking, doubt, mistakes, and supernatural intervention. I love the story
because it is a raw look at humanity. It shows the beauty of humanity and the
depravity. We talk about the story as though it was Abraham and Sarah who had
great faith. And I guess they did. I mean, they left everything to follow
Yahweh into the unknown. But it is God’s faithfulness that ultimately triumphs.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Towards the end of our ceremony we had my brother-in-law
John play and sing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aQq5wOrKk4">Canaan Bound</a> by Andrew Peterson (on a slide guitar). Since
then, Tammie and I have made some huge leaps of faith. We have gone
on many adventures together, the most recent being moving out to Seattle having
only a part-time salary (<a href="http://vimeo.com/73101493">here is a sermon</a> where I share that story). I
regularly listen to this song for hope and encouragement. I pray you find it
to. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Come back in a couple of weeks to see some things I’ve
learned about relationships and love since I’ve been married.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-9817146902854166312013-08-20T21:58:00.000-07:002013-08-20T21:59:37.735-07:0010 Year Anniversary: Midnight in Tunica<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.mississippi.com/portals/0/casino%20images/Harrah's%20Tunica/Harrahs_casino_tunica_mississippi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://www.mississippi.com/portals/0/casino%20images/Harrah's%20Tunica/Harrahs_casino_tunica_mississippi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;"><span style="border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Note: My bride and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in September. I've known her 18 years. That's 3 years more than I have not known her. In the weeks that we approach our 10 year anniversary, I'll be posting mental photographs of the development of our relationship</span><span style="border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">. </span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;">Let's all agree upon one thing. Sometimes I'm a wimp. I mean, yeah, I had no problem eluding 315 pound offensive linemen or running down QB's who run 4.5 40's. But, when it came to asking my girlfriend to marry me, I was a wimp. My plan was to ask her during spring break 2003 while we were hiking at <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Cedar_Falls_Trail,_Petit_Jean_State_Park_010.jpg/256px-Cedar_Falls_Trail,_Petit_Jean_State_Park_010.jpg" target="_blank">Petit Jean State Park</a>. But as we already established, I'm a wimp.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;">One night we were talking at my house at</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;"> <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?q=1433+Goodbar+Avenue,+Memphis,+TN&hl=en&ll=35.128622,-90.01399&spn=0.004975,0.010568&sll=35.128369,-90.014260&layer=c&cbp=13,181.81,,0,14.44&cbll=35.128628,-90.014145&hnear=1433+Goodbar+Ave,+Memphis,+Shelby,+Tennessee+38104&t=m&z=17&panoid=E9iIExSNQJaDch3C-AH6og">1433 Goodbar Ave</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;">, and it all made sense to me. Why on earth would I wait another moment to commit my life and my love to this woman? So I asked her to marry me. There were no waterfalls. There were no horse back rides. There were no family members creepily hiding in the bushes taking pictures. But I'll never forget staring deep into her eyes as she said yes and wept for joy. It was a beautiful moment. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;">I wanted to do something spiritual to help us transition into engagement. I know, typical Coby. I suggested that we spend the evening in prayer. Even though I was certain I wanted to marry her I was still really nervous about the whole thing. As we already established, I'm a wimp. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;">I figured prayer would help. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;">I took her home. Then I drove around Rhodes' campus with the intention of doing a solitary prayer walk for a couple of hours. About 5 minutes into my prayer walk I couldn't contain my excitement. I went back to her house, picked her up and we did what every 20 something couple does when they get engaged. We drove to Tunica, MS to check out the casinos.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;">While we drove we dreamed about our future together. When would we get married? Where? How many kids? Where should we live? Christ met us in the midst of our dreaming. I guess I had my spiritual night of reflection after all. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;">We drove back in the early hours of the morning. She slept as we disappeared into the darkness of the Mississippi highway. My wimpy fear subsided. I knew I was home.</span></span>Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-1440899063544460832013-08-08T21:01:00.000-07:002013-08-08T21:01:48.969-07:0010 Year Anniversary: Waiting<i style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;"><span style="border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">Note: My bride and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in September. I've known her 18 years. That's 3 years more than I have not known her. In the weeks that we approach our 10 year anniversary, I'll be posting mental photographs of the development of our relationship</span><span style="border: 0px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;">. </span></i><br />
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The first few months that Tammie and I dated were exhilarating and excruciating. On the one hand, it was exciting to slowly grow closer to another person with the shared intention of seeing if we would make good marriage partners (that's the point of dating right?). It was also very painful. She was in College Station, TX and I was in 550 miles away in Memphis, TN. We went weeks without seeing one another. Though, I remember feeling like the yearning was good for me. There is much to be learning while waiting for something you want but cannot have.<br />
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That summer Tammie graduated and stayed in College Station. I got a job in Houston. We were only about 1.5 hours from one another but we were both working. Thus, we could only see each other a couple of days a week. I began to get impatient and frustrated with our predicament. Many nights I would pray "God, how can we possibly learn if we are a good match if we don't live in the same city." I never got an audible response.</div>
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Let me digress for a moment. Dating from a distance is not impossible. We did it for 6 months. However, it does skew reality. Every time the couple is together they are both full of excitement and joy. Then they go back to their respective homes and are filled with a longing to be together. The couple only experiences highs together in person. They rarely get to experience the lows and the mundane. Love is refined in the low and mundane parts of life.</div>
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One night, after I got off the phone with Tammie, I realized that what had initially started as a helpful unqueched yearning to be together eventually became an unhealthy obsession from my end. I didn't think it would be fair to request for Tammie to move to a new city 600 miles away from her family while I finished college. So I sat, hurting in silence. Through my tears, I finally let go. I prayed, "God, I want to be in the same city. But if it isn't your will, I know it will be harmful for our relationship. I surrender her and this situation to you. I let go."<br />
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I remember feeling like a weight lifted off of my shoulders. That obsession transformed into a manageable longing. I had no expectations that anything would change. Yet, the next day, Tammie called me and said, "I'm thinking about moving to Memphis."</div>
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-48032058660666969472013-07-18T09:00:00.000-07:002013-07-19T09:03:50.790-07:0010 Year Anniversary: On a Bench in San Francisco<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">Note:
My bride and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in September. I've
known her 18 years. That's 3 years more than I have not known her. In
the weeks that we approach our 10 year anniversary, I'll be posting
mental photographs of the development of our relationship</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">This post is part 2. <a href="http://caglejourney.blogspot.com/2013/07/10-year-anniversary-start-with-ending.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> if you missed part 1.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">It was Thanksgiving 2001. I was in San Francisco visiting my sister. I was at a park by the bay. I was recovering, having just tried to catch a frisbee in my mouth that was thrown by my brother-in-law John (dogs make it look so easy). And I couldn't get Tammie out of my mind. I hadn't seen her since the summer, but I had been talking to her weekly on the phone. Something beautiful was happening but I was not going to have a "DTR" talk over the phone. So there I sat on a park bench in San Francisco yearning, waiting, and dreaming. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;"><br />There is something painfully wonderful about waiting for something you want. Denying oneself is a spiritual discipline. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was ready to date. I had been waiting for a long time. Yet, I sat on a bench in San Francisco, alone. But my heart was warmed. I knew that waiting was strengthening my soul.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;"><br />Eventually Christmas came. I was able to see Tammie in person. As soon as I could, I wanted to find out if she was feeling what I was feeling. We talked in depth for a couple of hours. We decided to begin pursuing a relationship as best as we could 600 miles away from one another. Two days later we had another conversation where Tammie clarified that yes, we were indeed dating. Apparently guys tend to assume things without verbally confirming them. Whatever.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;"> </span><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;"> </span></i></span>Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-27297705965840106322013-07-17T21:41:00.000-07:002013-07-19T09:04:33.195-07:0010 Year Anniversary: Start With the Ending. It's the Best Place to Begin.<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">Note:
My bride and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in September. I've
known her 18 years. That's 3 years more than I have not known her. In
the weeks that we approach our 10 year anniversary, I'll be posting
mental photographs of the development of our relationship</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">There is a great song by David Wilcox titled "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKauiG9TRRs" target="_blank">Start With the Ending</a>." The concept is that relationships would be much better if you just started from the ended where you didn't care what the other person thought about you. That way, you could lay everything out in the open.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">Tammie and I had an early ending towards the end of high school. The short version of the story is that I wasn't ready to be in a relationship. While I knew this all along, I ran from the reality for three years as we quasi dated. This made the ending very emotionally painful for us. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">We barely talked my freshman year of college. I was at Rhodes and she was 600 miles away at A&M. After a year of barely talking we bumped into one another at an event. I remember the conversation being fun and, in no way, awkward. I remember having a conversation later about how great it was that we could be friends again.<br /><br />Fast forward to spring break of my sophomore year. I decided to drive over to A&M to see some friends. Tammie was one of the many friends I was planning on visiting. But something terrible/amazing happened. Everybody bailed on me. I came down during midterm week and everybody had to study. That is to say, everybody but Tammie had to study.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;"><br />So there we sat, at a coffee shop, catching up. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. She had grown into a completely different person while we had been apart. We both had matured as people and as followers of Jesus. I fell in love. Again.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">I didn't want to mess up our friendship. Besides, I thought she was dating a pro baseball player. I decided to start calling her again. I bought a phone card on this wonderful new invention called the internet. I started calling her once ever couple of months. Then we started talking every month. Then we started talking every two weeks. Then we started talking every week. Before long, we were having hour long conversations about life, Jesus, and the intersection of the two. Something wonderful was happening. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">To be continued... </span><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;"> </span></i></span>Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-18005654449115576712013-07-02T18:53:00.000-07:002013-06-25T18:58:17.617-07:0010 Year Anniversary: Scattergories<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">Note: My bride and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in September. I've known her 18 years. That's 3 years more than I have not known her. In the weeks that we approach our 10 year anniversary, I'll be posting mental photographs of the development of our relationship</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 22.390625px;">.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.390625px;">For some reason, Tammie and I never hung out alone when we were in high school. The only times we were alone were when i was driving her to a dance. Most of the time, we just hung out with her family and watched movies or played games. Looking back I'm thankful that we never were alone. High schoolers tend to make dumb decisions (no offense if you are currently in high school).</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.390625px;">Sometimes we played Scattergories. </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">The objective of the 2-to-6-player game is to score points by uniquely naming objects within a set of categories, given an initial letter, within a time limit. For example, say the category is food and you get "A" as the letter. Some examples of possible answers are avocado, artichoke, anchovies, etc. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">One night I was playing with all of Tammie's siblings and her parents. The game was getting intense. I was sitting next to Tammie and her sister, Emily. The category was body parts. The letter was "S". In mass confusion I blurted out a very embarrassing word that describes a male body part. I was, and continue to be, terribly embarrassed Thankfully, most of Tammie's family are deaf. Only Tammie and her sister heard me.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;"><a href="http://caglejourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/10-year-anniversary-mixtapes.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> for "10 Year Anniversary: Mixtapes"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.1875px;"><a href="http://caglejourney.blogspot.com/2013/06/10-year-anniversary-meet-cute.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a> for "10 Year Anniversary: The Meet-Cute"</span></span><br />
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<i style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.390625px;"><br /></i>Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-49956840890052466442013-06-25T18:25:00.002-07:002013-06-25T18:25:58.317-07:0010 Year Anniversary: Mixtapes<i>Note: My bride and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in September. I've known her 18 years. That's 3 years more than I have not known her. In the weeks that we approach our 10 year anniversary, I'll be posting mental photographs of the development of our relationship.</i><br />
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The summer between my 8th and 9th grade years I decided to grow out my hair and wear baggy pants. I had just concluded my "gangta rap" phase and was transitioning into my "grunge" phase. Kurt Cobain had just died and grunge music had taken the world by storm. Although Tammie grew up only 5 minutes from where I grew up, she was a cowgirl. I have vivid memories of her wearing a pink Wranglers and boots to school.<br />
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I tell you that to give context to this next mental photograph. Tammie and I both made varsity choir in '96-'97. We were in the choir room and we traded mixtapes. I gave her a tape primarily consisting of punk/hard rock. She gave me a tape of country music. My favorite song on the tape she gave me was Go Rest High on That Mountain by Vince Gill. To this day, Vince is my favorite vocalist in the country genre.<br />
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<br />Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-80250908557224602172013-06-16T22:03:00.001-07:002013-06-16T22:03:39.523-07:0010 Year Anniversary: The Meet-Cute<br />
My earliest memory of Tammie goes something like this. I was 15 years old and a freshman at J. Frank Dobie High School. As I was getting my books out of my locker this young lady walks up to me and says, "Hi. Are you Coby Cagle?" I respond, "Uh...Yes." "I'm Emily Moore's little sister. Nice to meet you." You see, my sister Mandi was best friends with Emily. The problem with that interaction was that Tammie didn't tell me her name. I remember going home that day and frantically searching my sister's yearbook from the year before to figure it out.<br />
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My bride and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in September. I've known her 18 years. That's 3 years more than I have not known her. In the weeks that we approach our 10 year anniversary, I'll be posting mental photographs of the development of our relationship.<br />
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Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7238694332885346847.post-25908557693522894672013-05-27T21:47:00.002-07:002013-05-27T21:50:22.287-07:00Free Online Language CoursesI recently discovered free online language courses. Word on the street is that these courses were created by the U.S. Government to teach foreign diplomats different languages. These courses are free because they were written 50ish years ago. Thus, they are now in the public domain. While the examples used may be way out of date, the words themselves are still very accurate. Enjoy your free online language course! I'm about to dive into modern Hebrew! Yahoo!<br />
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Here are links to the courses:<br />
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<tr><td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Amharic">Amharic</a>
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<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Arabic">Arabic</a>
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<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Bulgarian">Bulgarian</a>
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<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Cambodian">Cambodian</a>
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<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Cantonese">Cantonese</a>
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<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Chinese">Chinese</a>
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<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Chinyanja">Chinyanja</a>
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<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Czech">Czech</a>
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<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Finnish">Finnish</a>
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<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=French">French</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Fula">Fula</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=German">German</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Greek">Greek</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Hausa">Hausa</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Hebrew">Hebrew</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Hindi">Hindi</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Hungarian">Hungarian</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Igbo">Igbo</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Italian">Italian</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Japanese">Japanese</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Kirundi">Kirundi</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Kituba">Kituba</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Korean">Korean</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Lao">Lao</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Lingala">Lingala</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Luganda">Luganda</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=More">Mor�</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Norwegian">Norwegian</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Polish%20FAST">Polish</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Portuguese">Portuguese</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Romanian">Romanian</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Russian">Russian</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap"><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Serbo-Croatian">Serbo-Croatian</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Shona">Shona</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Sinhala">Sinhala</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish">Spanish</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Swahili">Swahili</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Swedish">Swedish</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Tagalog">Tagalog</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Thai">Thai</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Turkish">Turkish</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Twi">Twi</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Vietnamese">Vietnamese</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a class="menu" href="http://www.fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Yoruba">Yoruba</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you want the updated versions I'm told you can buy them at the <a href="http://www.state.gov/m/fsi/" target="_blank">Foreign Service Institute's website</a>. Cobyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184525834288975548noreply@blogger.com1