why I haven’t been updating…
Well I figured it was time to move on to things other than Christmas posts. I’m not going to go into great detail as to why I’m not updating, I’ll just let the pictures do the talking. Actually, I’ll say that I’ll let the pictures do the talking, but I’ll also offer some commentary for clarity’s sake.
Above you will see what I look like. And if you were wondering, yes, most of that ice in my stache is snot… you should have seen the 1 inch icicles… no lie. The hottest it’s been since I’ve been here is, I think, 12 degrees Fahrenheit, and that doesn’t account for the wind. Below you will see a picture of what I’m looking at. Not bad. Not bad at all.
merry christmas
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government shall be on his shoulders
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
-Isaiah 9:6
0.5 of the Luther guys 1.5 years later
Last night I was the highly anticipated Luther Street Pre-Christmas Wondergathering!
As you can see from the picture, not all of the Luther Boys were able to attend. Loag’s in France, JB’s in Jacksonville, T-bomb’s in Comanche, Kent’s married, D-diddly… not sure, and Mikey’s coming after Christmas. Still though, it was a very nice evening. We had a pretty decent five show up at the Saltgrass on I-30.
Those men standing (or kneeling) on either side of me, and the men listed above who weren’t in attendance, are some of the biggest blessings in my life. We were blessed to live with one another for at least two years, some of us for four or five. These are the people that come to mind when I hear others saying, “I have the best friends in the world.” I cannot help but thinking, “um, yeah, that’s real cute, but you’re wrong you see, because my friends just dominate yours… sorry.”
It was wonderful getting together a year and a half after graduating. We caught up and talked about all the greater issues concerning the world today, solved most of them over our steaks, then took a cute picture by the fireplace. It was a blissful evening, and if I could have that kind of a gathering each year for Christmas, that’d be… well… sexy.
I love you brothers deeply. You make me a better person. You are all welcome to marry my sister.
I can take a hint
I have no doubt that I could go ahead and leave this post a simply a picture (as I did when I redefined beauty), but I feel that both a bit of commentary and an inquiry are in order.
First I’d like to point out that both of the highest trafficked days for odfm were days when the post dealt with the fact that I was leaving. I could imply from this information that my friends are happy to see me go, but I know that not all of my readers are here in the Station with me. Perhaps it was a lot of excited Philly people reading about how I’ll be joining them for winter, but I find this unlikely as I’ve still found no success in the find-a-place-to-live department.
Regardless of why so many chose to read about how I was leaving, there is no denying the fact that the masses unashamedly hate Keith Green, Andrew Peterson, and my Christmas posts. There are of course a few exceptions, such as the Supers, Linley, Andy? Ross (who may not actually be a reader, but he loves Keith) and Hannah (who will likely never have a hyperlink accompanying her name). And it’s fine. The masses aren’t required to love everything I post. I’m just thankful for blog stats that tell me the things my friends won’t. For those of you who want to read the remaining installment of Christmas Through Their Eyes, let me know, I’ll email you or something.
On an equally serious note: It has come to my attention that some people who subscribe to odfm may not be picking me up via their feeds. Of course, if this is you, you aren’t very likely reading that this is an issue at all. I guess I’m just asking for some confirmation that you rss users are still trucking with me. The comments section would be an appropriate place to answer that question. As good a place as any, I suppose.
Christmas Through Their Eyes: Joseph, husband of Mary, Christ’s mother
This has without a doubt been the craziest year of my life. Granted, I haven’t even been alive 20 years, but I seriously doubt any of my future years will outdo this one on the craziness scale.
Things a year ago looked so differently than they do today. Mary and I had just gotten engaged and I was obviously pumped up about marrying her. She was the most amazing, blameless girl that Galilee had ever seen. Then, not long after we became pledged to wed Mary, my virgin (or so I thought) fiancé, turns up pregnant. I absolutely could not believe it. I wasn’t sure how to handle it really. I was tempted to make a big fuss about it and give her a bad name (which at that point I thought she deserved), but I knew I couldn’t do that. I decided instead to just quietly end the engagement, which I figured would bring her the least disgrace. Only our family and close friends would have to know.
Then one night I had this bizarre dream. It was different than my usual weird dreams. It didn’t consist of my flying or trying to run but not being able to move or trying to talk to someone but being unable to speak… it was none of that stuff. This was seriously crazy. Here’s what the angel said:
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
And as if that isn’t crazy enough (calling me son of David, speaking specific direction to my life, the fact that the HOLY SPIRIT GOT MY GIRL PREGNANT, and that her baby is going to save people from their sins), I didn’t forget a single word when I woke up. That never happens. It was so out there, and at the same time so clear that it was Yahweh speaking to me. Of course, I knew anybody who I mentioned this dream to would write me off as a nut bag, but nevertheless, I knew it was true.
So needless to say, I decided not to divorce Mary, but instead to stay with her and support her through her pregnancy that I had nothing to do with. The gossip around town was just out of control. It was bad enough that the newly engaged couple that everyone thought was righteous turned out pregnant, and then we could hardly justify ourselves without people thinking we were, again, nut bags. An angel appeared to Mary too. We couldn’t very well justify our virgin pregnancy and our heavenly visitation to most of the church-going people. Anyway…
We endured all the stuff that goes along with being pregnant outside of marriage and “charismatic” in Galilee until we got news of the decree from Caesar that everyone had to go back to their home towns for a census. At that point we were getting closer to Mary having baby Jesus, and I was really hoping that we would at least get to Bethlehem before she went into labor. I didn’t want to think about her having a baby while we were traveling on the donkey…
I’ll opt out of describing the details of our journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, but suffice it to say it was long, and cold, and Mary was, again, very pregnant.
We showed up in Bethlehem pretty late in the evening and quickly learned two things that didn’t go well together: One, there were no places to stay in town, everything was full and, two, Mary was less than two hours away from going into labor. So we did what anyone would do in that situation: We went to a barn that was down the road from the inn.
Again, I’ll chose to leave out the details of the whole birthing process for my wife’s sake, but it was still cold, and as any birth is, it was bloody and messy. It was both disgusting and beautiful at the same time. Life is so amazing. If you could ignore the fact that the angel told us that this baby was the Messiah (which I cannot begin to describe out absurd that is… Mary and I are about the least significant people that the world’s ever seen, and the Messiah is going to save people from their sins…) if you could ignore that, then the birth was pretty normal. Perhaps the least crazy part of the whole story.
Then arguably the most random part of this year happened. This group of shepherds had come in from their fields to visit our new baby Jesus and they said that a whole host of angels had told them how they could find us. They also said that the angels had told them that our baby was the Messiah. Out of control. After the shepherds had sat and admired our baby they left and went back into town telling everybody about our kid. I couldn’t imagine what kind of things people were going to think about us in the days to come.
Neither I nor Mary will ever forget the events of that night. I also doubt that any of us will forget what happened a week later when we went to consecrate Jesus at the temple. I’m not going to explain it in detail, but picture two other, older “charismatics” somehow rejoicing the moment we walked in with Jesus. So crazy. Oh, and I use quotes when I say charismatic because it wasn’t like Mary, myself, or these elderly people were weirdo’s or anything, but people probably thought we were.
So thus ended the craziest year of my life; the year that literally changed everything. I still cannot wrap my mind around the whole thing, but the more I write about it the closer I get (I think). So crazy. It really is.
Christmas Through Their Eyes: Justus the Shepherd
Justus, the shepherd, to Joshua, my beloved uncle.
Go ahead and sit down. You’re not going to believe this.
Well it’s been two weeks now since the night everything changed. That’s what I’ve been calling it. I can’t think of a better way to describe it. I mean, that night… well, I guess everything didn’t change. I’m still just a shepherd and all, but that’s fine. The way I view this life changed that night though. Who would say that isn’t a big thing?
It was just a normal winter night, ya know? It was cold, it was late, me and the boys were starting to wrap up our nightly joking around and all the normal stuff when… seriously, you’re not going to believe this… I promise, I’m not making this up. I’m not smart enough to… Joshua, it got bright! I mean, brighter than day-time bright. An ANGEL showed up out there in our field’s sky. Man, I’m not kidding, it was absolutely terrifying. I’ve never been close to being that scared. You would have been too! But just as me and the boys were finishing up screaming and cursing out of fear, that angel said, (I’ll never forget it):
“Do not be afraid.” (Yeah right… too late).
“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (For all the people? Then why aren’t you telling all the people? Do you realize we’re just shepherds? What do you mean for all the people?).
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (WHAT?? The Christ? The Messiah? You decided to tell US about the Messiah? We’re shepherds! The Messiah was born today and we’re going to find him in a stable?? Really?)
So that’s what the angel said, and those are the thoughts that were going through my still kinda freaked out mind when he was saying them. I mean, you couldn’t deny that there was an angel of the Lord up there. The same Lord who’s never spoken to the likes of us… or anyone else in hundreds of years as far as I know. It went against all logic and common sense, but we all knew it to be true.
Well then, as if the one angel and the really bright sky in the middle of the night weren’t enough, I mean, just when that angel was done saying those things, right after he was done, a TON of angels showed up in the already bright sky. If they’d showed up like that at first, I’m serious, I would have died. Literally. Anyway, they showed up and they were all just rejoicing and praising Yahweh saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” And at that point, though I was still very overwhelmed by all that had just taken place in the past 15 minutes, I did feel a great sense of peace. It’s hard to explain.
Well then the night sky went back to how it’s supposed to be: dark. After about 3 minutes of all us boys just standing there staring at the sky in silent awe, we decided to go into Bethlehem town and see this unbelievable event of which we were just told. So we ran, oh man, we were moving, in to town. I felt bad because we were being pretty loud (you’d have been loud too after all that) as we made our way to the manger that the angel told us about. We had a pretty good idea of the particular stable that this baby would be in, and we were right. When we turned the corner and saw that scene: the dad with his arm around his wife who was holding the baby, who, like the angel had said, was wrapped in cloth; all of them were standing on the blood-covered ground… I cannot describe how that moment felt. Like I said, we believed what that angel said was true (who wouldn’t?) but man… tangibly seeing exactly what we’d been told… I know it’s weird to say but I felt close to Yahweh at that moment.
We told the parents (they were named Joseph and Mary) all about how we’d ended up there. We stayed there for a while and marveled at the baby Messiah (his name is Jesus! The parents told us that angels had talked to them too, and the angel told them to name him that!). After we stood and worshiped Yah for that baby, we went back out through town and started telling everybody what we’d been told and what we’d seen that night. Man, those people weren’t very happy to be woken up, but when we told them our story, every one of them was amazed. How could you not be?
Uncle Joshua, I hope you don’t think I’ve lost my mind. I swear every word of this story is true. I hope you live long enough to see the stuff that this Messiah is going to do! Jerusalem is going to be restored! I got to see our King as a baby! I’m still excited about it. I got to see King Jesus on the day he was born! I still can’t get over the fact that Yah decided to send his angels to us. Not to mention that the Messiah was born in Bethlehem… there’s lots about the whole thing I don’t get, but I cannot help but believing. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on all this.
Send Sarah greetings.
Justus
Christmas Through Their Eyes: Mattias the Innkeeper
As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I’ve written a few narratives telling the Christmas story through the eyes of its characters. This is my first attempt at creative writing in a long time, so please, be gracious. That’s all.
I normally would not write a journal entry in the earliest of morning hours, but tonight has been… how do I even describe it? It’s been weird for certain, it’s been inconvenient (see my being awake at this hour), but part of me thinks something about this night is so significant. Well not the night in itself, but the events that have taken place tonight. Man. I’m so scatterbrained. This entry will probably make little sense, but I just have to write for fear of forgetting anything.
Ok. Man. Well I guess the craziness started when I rented out my final room here at the inn. I have Caesar to thank for the boost in customers this month with the census he decreed and all. Unfortunately, once the last room had been rented, the people didn’t stop coming. I had to turn down a fair amount of people from sun-down to past midnight. One of the last couples I turned down is the very reason I’m still awake. I don’t remember their names… the man looked familiar… but his wife was pregnant. Very pregnant. I felt bad that I had no place for them to stay, but there was nothing I could do.
So I fell asleep for what should have been the remainder of the night, but a few hours later (just a little while ago) I heard a group of men bustling down the street outside, talking loudly to one another. I went to the door to see what was happening, fearing that there was a fight or something. By the time I made it to the door though, I only saw the men’s backs; they were heading to the stable down the road. I recognized that the men were shepherds by their clothes, so I figured they were going to the stable to stay. Not the case.
In just over an hour after they first came by to wake the neighborhood up they came back through only this time they were much, much louder. They were knocking on people’s doors (mine included) telling the story of how they’d ended up here tonight. Something about an angel who talked to them out in their fields and told them that a lady was going to have a baby (which is probably true, because that one lady looked like she could have her baby any moment). Well as if the thought of angels coming to tell shepherds ANYTHING isn’t absurd enough, these guys were saying that this woman’s baby was the Messiah… I was amazed. Shortly after they finished telling me and the rest of the street about what had happened, they went on into town doing the same thing. Telling people what they’d seen. I don’t know what to think about all this right now. I’m exhausted. I’ll process all of this more in the morning (it already is morning)… I’ve got to sleep now.
I’m moving… for real this time
As some of you know, I’ve been talking with the nice people at Another World is Possible in Philly over the past month about the possibility of my coming to do a four-month-long internship with them in January. It’s a marketing/public relations internship, so I figured I’d send them my resume and see what happened.
Well just yesterday I got an email from one of the staff at AWIP and they informed me that they want me to come and join them this winter (oh yeah, it’s actually winter there, you see). That’s how yankees tell you that you got the position: “we want you to come join us…”
So it looks like January will find me going to Philadelphia - a city I’ve never been to - to work an internship that… ready for this?… doesn’t pay. That’s right. No cash flow will come as a result of my labor up North. However, the internship is a part-time position, leaving me enough time to also get a job that pays (hopefully at one of the two REI’s up in that area).
My main area of concern right now is where I’m going to lay my head to sleep at night. I know nobody in Philly (yet), so I’m currently asking all my friends who do have friends in Philly to see if anybody’s interested in being hospitable to D.O. for a while. Philadelphia readers, this is no time to be shy. I’ll be a nice, temporary, addition to your home.
I know that at this point some of you are wondering about what my church situation will look like when I get to the new land. Most of you aren’t, of course, but to those who are, I have this to say: Thanks. I’ve already looked at the Acts 29 Network website and found three churches in Philly, which I’m excited about visiting. Also, AWIP is a Christian deal, so my coworkers will have some insight in this area.
And now you’re updated on my work situation. As always feel free to leave some thoughts or potential roommates in the comments section.
book review vol. fourteen: No Compromise
It’s been a long while since I last published a book review, and for good reason too: it’s been a long while since I last finished a book. That said, I give you a review for No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green.
As you may have ascertained from the book’s title, this is a biography. Those of you who are really observant may have already gathered that Keith’s wife, Melody, wrote the book. I point that out just to lend more credibility to the book’s contents, which are quite enjoyable.
She tells the story of her husband who, if you aren’t familiar, was a pretty big “star” in the Christian music world in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I’d compare him to a blend of Jason Upton and Chris Tomlin today, to give you an idea. Keith was an awesome man. He didn’t become a believer until after he turned 20, and from that moment on, he went hard after Jesus and the things of Jesus.
Keith saw things in black and white, and he was a real passionate, in your face kind of guy. He’d say things from the stage - or in churches, or meetings - that weren’t popular things to say. And he didn’t do it for controversy’s sake, he did it because he firmly believed the things he was saying were straight from the heart of God. One of the things he’d often say at shows was how he hated the fact that people thought of him as a star (hence the quotes used above). It bothered him to the point that he was willing to give up his music career to avoid bringing glory to himself… something I doubt many folks today would be willing to do.
He lived out his convictions in a stronger way than most men do. At one point in the midst of his very successful music career, he felt like he should not be charging money for his music because he felt the Gospel should be free, so he put a pay-what-you-can pricing standard in place, both at his shows and at local music stores who carried his music. Another example of his saying unpopular things: he once told a group of fellow popular Christian music artists that they were in sin because they charged for their music and their shows. Like I said, things were pretty black and white for him.
This book gives a very detailed portrayal of Keith’s life, and his struggles with his faith and how it worked in the world around him. He was so honest, both in his life and in his writings, and the Lord really used him to touch a lot of people.
When Keith was 28 he died in a place crash with 11 other people, including two of his children, outside his East Texas home. Though the Lord obviously knew what He was doing in taking Keith home, I would really love to have seen what he’d look like if he were still around today, and what kind of impact he’d have continued to make on the Church if he weren’t taken home so early.
So if you’re in to examples of people living out their biblical convictions in the context of being a “star”, then I recommend this book. I’d especially recommend it for people who are in to music, and for those who are thinking of (or already are) pursuing music as a career.
Thanks to Hannah for the recommendation, and for putting the book in my hand.
it’s that time of year again
Update: This album is now available on iTunes. Click here.
You faithful readers who’ve been around over a year may recall having seen this picture on a previous post about a year ago. In it, I told you to go listen to Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God album on his website. I have no doubt that those of you who followed my instructions were highly satisfied with what took place during the hour following your click.
This year, there is no player on his website allowing you to stream the album, which is fine, because by this point you should own it. Your not owning this is worse than a woman not owning any Beth Moore books or a guy having never read Wild at Heart (tongue in cheek). Seriously though, this album is (and I’m not exaggerating) and epic. Musically it is fantastic, lyrically it’s very biblical, and spiritually it’s a blessing. Really. You need to buy this album. Click here and it’ll take you to the store where you can buy the album for $15 or download it for $10. If you decide not to buy this thing, you really are doing yourself a disservice.
On that note, last night I had the privilege of seeing Andrew and his friends perform this album in its entirety in a gorgeous Methodist sanctuary outside of Houston. I kid you not, I have not been that excited about anything in at least a year… probably 10. I was smiling like a giddy school girl for the duration of the concert, as the artists (most of whom are on the original album) played with precision their guitars, mandolins, pianos, violins, banjos, accordions, hammer dulcimers, bass and drums. The amount of talent present on that stage before me was uncanny. Normally you’d have to pay a lot more than that to see and hear such beauty performed. Afterwards as we stood to offer the artists the standing ovation they were due, I was literally shaking. It was unreal. So THANK YOU Andrew Peterson for gracing us and 18 other cities with your presence, and for sharing this story with us. I’m sure you read my blog, but in case you don’t, I’ll go ahead and send you an email as well.
If you’d like to go to a show as mind-blowing and edifying as the one I just described, you can!
Tonight (Dec 1), Richardson, TX - The Heights Baptist Church, 7pm, $10 (I may be there…)
Monday, Dec 3, Austin, TX - Grace Covenant Church, 7pm, $20
For my non-Texas readers, you can click here to see the rest of his tour dates.
In light of the inspiration I receive each time I listen to this album (both live and in my car’s CD player), I will be publishing a short series of posts on Christmas in the weeks to come. They’re going to be called “Christmas Through Their Eyes” (unless I can think of a better title) and they’ll tell the Christmas story through the eyes of some of the story’s lesser characters, if you will. It’s a new thing for odfm. I hope you’ll like it. Until then, I know you’ll like the copy of Behold the Lamb of God that you just downloaded… thank me later.