alien invasion

In October, we'll be doing an alien themed series in YG.  We start on the premise that by definition Jesus is the Ultimate Extraterrestrial (one operating and existing outside of earth and its atmosphere).  This week, we did "Alien Invasion" (the incarnation of Jesus), next week, we'll do "Alien Inception" (salvation),and on the 24th, we'll do "Alien Abduction" (the rapture).  Below are the slides from this weeks lessons.







Jesus had divine attributes that He gave up while He was on earth.  What sorts of things do you think He gave up?  Omnipresence (He was only ever in one place at a time), omnipotence (He acknowledged before going to the cross that His physical body was weak.  His miracles were done through the HS, as He was enabled by God to bring Him glory), and omniscience (didn’t know when He would return, but only the Father knew) for starters.  He gave up His inability to be in the presence of sin, as we see that He took our sin upon Himself.

What attributes did He retain?  Impeccability (there was no way He could sin), thus maintaining His perfection/holiness, Godly love, authority



Grasped – He was equal with God, so He did not see as it as a concept that needed grasping.  It was His reality.



Therefore, He is extraterrestrial, because He existed and occurred outside of earth and its atmosphere



The fancy term for Jesus’ taking on flesh is “incarnation.”  That is why He is referred to as God Incarnate, because He is God in the flesh or God with skin.



Discovery, conquest, necessity?



Jesus came to provide light.  It says earlier in the chapter that the world was in darkness.  The darkness is courtesy of our sin, and it kept us from being able to see God.

He came to provide us with grace and truth.



Yes, Jesus came to provide light and the only way to God Himself, but He also came to provide an example for us.  What was that example?

He came to teach us how to put others before ourselves.  He showed us that we should love in such a way that we always put others first, no matter the cost.

Based on your life, did He invade in vain?

the greatest pastors I've ever learned from

Today is October 1.  You may not have known this, but October is Pastor Appreciation Month.  Since I know you are all so grateful, I will just go ahead and say, “You’re welcome.”

I want to take today, the first day of this great month, to talk about the greatest pastors I have ever learned from.  I know what you’re thinking already.  “He’s sucking up to Dave and Todd.”  They’re great guys, and I am very appreciative for what I have learned from them over this last year – or I should say what will be a year in 5 days – and I look forward to what I will continue to learn from them as we continue to work together and sharpen each other.  They are not the subject of today, though.

The greatest pastors I have ever learned from are John and Bev.  They are a couple that has been married for 41 years.  They have been in full time ministry for 37 of those years, although they have never collected a paycheck for their work.  Their work is endless, tireless, and regretfully for me, it has at times been thankless.  They will never retire, and their impact will continue well past the day when God calls them home.

They are my parents.  They are my heroes.  They are my pastors.  They trained me the way Proverbs 22:6 instructed them.  They taught me to love God with all that I am like Deuteronomy 6:6-7 instructed them.  They showed me what it looks like to pastor my own family, and that is why their ministry will continue on.  I want to pastor Jakob with my Godly wife Sarah.  I want us to train him in the way, teach him to love God, and prepare him to be the greatest pastor our grandchildren will ever know.

Happy Pastor Appreciation month.  Please be sure to encourage your pastors, wherever you attend.

just the way she is

I heard this song for the first time this week.  It reminds me of Sarah, and not just because she's the one that showed me the video.  Pretty much every lyric could be said by me to her, but it wouldn't sound as smooth, because I'm not Bruno Mars.  My lacking of singing doesn't diminish her beauty, though.

PSA: It's not just a parking lot

I'm going to go ahead and do a Public Service Announcement today.  You might read it and think it's a rant of sorts, but trust me, it is for your own good and the good of everyone, so it's really more like a PSA.

It is important to remember, when driving through a parking lot, that you should still drive like someone with some sense.  There are usually just as many people in parking lots as there are on roads.  Do you know the difference between the people in parking lots versus people on the road?  In the parking lot, many of them are walking to/from their cars.  They are not protected by big pieces of metal and the airbags within.  You should probably be even more careful when driving near pedestrians.  Don't you think?

This morning, I was walking out of a store and to my car.  The person on my left stopped at the stop sign, because she's smart.  The person to my right wasn't there when I looked the first time.  Then she was, because she blew one stop sign as she was coming around a curve.  I kept walking, because I was already to where she would hit me.  There was no point in stopping in front of her.  I noticed, however, that she was not slowing down.  She was accelerating.  I took it personally at first, but as she drew closer (much, much closer) I saw that she was texting and not even looking up.  She didn't know I was there.  The reason she didn't hit me was not because she looked up, saw me, and avoided me.  The reason I was not hit is because I have cat like speed and reflexes, much like Tommy Boy.  I quickly picked up my speed and avoided being hit by a closer margin than I prefer.  I can't say for sure, because my vision and memory are blurred by anger, annoyance, and relief, but if I had to guess, I would say it was within three feet.  The distance was close enough that had I not run, I wouldn't be typing right now.  I'd be sitting in the ER.

I have noticed that a lot of people do not drive in parking lots like they do on the road.  Most do get slower and more cautious, but there are some that do not.  I see so many people - usually they are very young - who treat a parking lot like a timed obstacle course.  They whip their cars to the right, to the left, weaving back and forth and ignoring traffic signs at high speeds.  I think there is a misconception that driving fast in parking lots makes you cool.  After all, there are more pedestrians to witness how fast you can drive, and that must be cool!  The other thing I see is that a lot of people text while driving in parking lots.  You can't do it on the roads anymore in Michigan (not that you should have been when it wasn't specifically banned), because you might get caught and fined $100, but it's okay to do in parking lots.  Right?  I mean, what can it hurt?  Oh yeah, me and a lot of other people.

They are not just parking lots.  They are more like hug pedestrian crosswalks with a place for you to put your car.  Please don't be stupid while driving through them (or anywhere).  Thank you.

I couldn't let go, and neither can He

One week ago today, Sarah and I stayed at her Aunt Sue’s house, because we wanted to get up at 4:00 AM, as opposed to 3:15 AM.  I was headed to Dallas, but not before I stopped in Baltimore and Atlanta.

Her house is not baby proofed.  So while Sarah was getting ready for bed, I was ruining Jakob’s life.  He was squirming and fighting to get away from me.  Aunt Sue has this awesome fan that we use whenever we stay there, and it is not baby safe.  The cover that goes over the fan has a little bit wider grating on it, so a little guy like Jakob can fit his fingers in there.  That is exactly what he wanted to do, but I could not let him.  I looked him in the eyes, and he looked back at me.  Tears were pouring out of his, and he looked so hurt by my not letting go.

I was getting very upset with his behavior, because it was getting late.  Then I had a great idea: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I have an episode on my computer that I downloaded from iTunes.  I turned it on, and he settled down.  The muscles in his arms and shoulders lost their tension, and he scooted up into my arms.  He laid down right by me with a big grin on his face.

I wasn’t rewarding his defiance, because I did not give him what he wanted.  I did not let him do something that would have hurt him.  But I do love him, and I wanted to give him something to do instead that would benefit him without hurting him.  I held him when he wanted to get away, which made him cry, because I love him.  I held him while he watched Mickey mouse, which made him smile, because I love him.  I held him while he slept – when he didn’t even know I was there caring for him – because I love him.

As I stood and worshipped at the D6 Conference, the words of the song, “You Never Let Go,” started tugging at my heart.  The words, “Oh, no, You never let go, through the calm and through the storm.  Oh, no, You never let go, in every high and every low.  Oh, no, you never let go.  Lord, You never let go of me,” resounded in my heart.  It wasn’t that I was thinking, “Hey, I was a lot like God last night.”  What ran through my head was, “Man, sometimes I’m just like Jakob, and he’s a baby.  But I know better.”

He holds on.  Though I put up a fight sometimes, He holds on tightly to keep me from hurting myself.  Sometimes I cling to Him, and He holds me.  Other times, He holds me and cares for me and protects me from unforeseen harm, and although I don’t always know that He’s working to protect me from this or that, He does it, because He loves me.

He never lets go, no matter what.  He never lets go, because He loves me.  I love You, too.

Pranked #1 - what I feel is more valid than the Bible

We started talking about pranks the Devil pulls last night.  The first one we covered was the idea that what we feel is somehow more valid and supersedes what the Bible says.  It's a prevalent notion.  I've heard it a lot.  I've had times where I questioned what was right, because my emotions got in the way, or at the very least, I allowed my emotions (mostly anger) to lead me to knowingly sin, but I justified it with circumstances.  I think I'll just post the slides, because those cover much of my lesson.

if looks were everything...

...Jakob would be your once and future king.

Exactly one year ago, at the same time this post is being published, the world was made better by the birth of Jakob Israel Selph.  I still remember meeting him for the first time.  I remember holding him for the first time, the first time I fed him, the day we brought him home, and so many other moments.  I cannot tell you all of them, although you've probably heard many of them if you follow me on twitter or facebook.

Sarah and I love Jakob.  We love him like I never knew we could, in a way we never understood before now.  Every time he does something new, we are so proud of him, and every time he shows blatant defiance, we forgive and continue to love him.  Knowing that God is a better Dad than me, and knowing how much I love and care for Jakob, I feel pretty good about my own future.

Happy birthday, Bubs.  Thank you for the best year of our lives.  We love you.