Book Review: A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett

Greetings All,

I have long been a Jimmy Buffett fan, in fact Margaritaville was the first real song I ever learned to play on the guitar.  I have loved the spirit and the stories behind each and every one of his songs.  I was in Half Price Books the other day, perusing the clearance section where you can find hardbacks for a mere $1 and after my exciting find of five Southern Living Annual Cookbooks for a $1 a piece, I ran across something I had never before seen.  A novel by Jimmy Buffett, when I saw it I vaguely remembered something about him writing a book years ago, but I had honestly never paid attention.  My love of Buffett and the lure of it only being $1 caught me and I bought the book.  Buffett is as good of a storyteller in prose as he is in song and I think I have a new favorite book.  Here is my more formal review, but I recommend Buffett to any one be it as a book or as a song!

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

A Salty Piece of Land
by Jimmy Buffett
published in 2004 by the Little, Brown and Company

Summary: Tully Mars, a character from one of Buffett's Margaritaville short stories is back.  He is a Wyoming cowboy whose heart lies in the ocean.  The ranch he has worked all of his life is bought out by one Thelma Barston and turned into a poodle ranch.  Cowboys don't take well to poodles and a quick toss of a massage table through a plate glass window later, Tully is on the lamb, headed beachward with his trusty horse Mr. Twain.  This begins a journey towards a lighthouse on Caya Loco that involves fishing guides, country music singers, ex-girlfriends, bounty hunters, shaman and an eccentric 102 year old woman named Cleopatra who is the captain of a classic schooner named Lucretia.  She travels the oceans of the world in pursuit of adventure and a light for her recently acquired lighthouse on Caya Loco.  It is a journey that carries you through the Caribbean and Central America and connects you with some of the most genuine and compelling characters you will have read in a while.

Review: I can't tell you the last time, if ever that I have been on the verge of tears when finishing a book but that was truly the case with this one.  Buffett has weaved a fictional masterpiece with characters that have depth and wisdom, humor and hope; with a compelling storyline that draws you in and makes you want to be part of the story, with a pace that makes you want to keep reading.  I think I have a new favorite book and it has made me want to read everything else Buffett has written, which it turns out is quite a bit.  The book is well researched, but equally well connected with what is I think the life that Jimmy Buffett has lived.  It is a book rooted in a love and passion for the ocean, for lighthouses, for fishing and for the tranquil moments of life that can only be found in the company of dear friends. 

Reading Recommendation: Absolutely Yes, Yes, Yes!!!  And when you are finished look up the song A Salty Piece of Land and listen to it!

The Wake of Grief

Greetings All,


I just finished A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett and I think I have a new favorite book! Once again he has tossed out a little piece of life wisdom that we all need to hear when it comes to grief. Ix-Nay is sharing his shaman wisdom with Tully as they are overlooking the ocean from the point above the fresh grave of their friend Cleopatra Highbourne.

"'Old friend,' Ix-Nay said, 'grief is like the wake behind a boat. It starts out as a huge wave that follows close behind you and is big enough to swamp and drown you if you suddenly stop moving forward. But if you do keep moving, the big wake will eventually dissipate. And after a long enough time, the waters of your life get calm again, and that is when the memories of those who have left begin to shine as bright and as enduring as the stars above.'" from A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett, pg. 431

Grief is a funny thing. At times it comes to us when a loved one or good friend dies, at other times it comes with changes in life like a divorce or the loss of a job, and at still others it comes with moving to a new place and a new station of life. At its most basic, it comes with change. The change of no longer waking up with that person you have loved for so long; the change of only having your kids half of the time, the change of a new city, new job or new life. With that change we have a choice, to sit still and let that change overwhelm us like the grief wake that Ix-Nay describes or to put one foot in front of the other and move forward into the change. With that forward movement comes the gradual lessening of the grief, the dissipation of the fear of change, and the smooth waters of the boat of life as it comes up on plane in the water. Thank you Jimmy Buffett for the wisdom hidden in your songs and books.

Always putting one foot in front of the other, your brother in Christ,
Faron

Eye Slaves and Lip Service

Good morning all,


Once again quiet time catches my attention from various sources as God merges them into a coherent thought. Let us start with two quick pieces of scripture, the first from Colossians and the second from Matthew.

ESV Colossians 3:22 Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

NEB Matthew 15:7 What hypocrisy! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 "'This people pays me lip-service, but their heart is far from me; their worship of me is in vain, for they teach as doctrines the commandments of men."

The first was brought to my attention through the Michael Card book A Better Freedom. As a reminder, the books premise is that we are all slaves, we just get to choose who will be our master and that a better life, a better freedom is found when we choose Jesus as our Master. The chapter today was about eye-slaves. This is a term we do not have in English, there is a single Greek word ophthalmodoulia, we need a phrase to translate it, "working only while being watched," the Greeks needed but the one word. In essence an eye-slave is one who only works while being watched. Paul is encouraging the slaves in the Colossae not to be eye-slaves, but the encouragement is to all of us as Christians. When we choose Jesus as our Master we must make sure that we are not eye-slaves, that is only living God honoring lives when people are watching. We must live our lives in a way that makes it easy for people to believe in Jesus 24/7, all of the time, regardless of being in public view or completely alone.

As further support for how important this is for how we live as Christians, we turn to the Matthew passage where Jesus is chastising the Pharisees for only giving lip-service to God. He is accusing them of worshipping God in word only while their hearts are far from God. He says it is not enough to just give lip-service to God, we must give Him our whole hearts and when we do He will transform them and make us whole. It is out of that transformation and wholeness that we can live our lives as devoted followers and not just as eye-slaves giving mere lip-service to God.

In this day and age where we have so many public figures professing their Christianity, whether it is praying after scoring a touchdown, or wearing a cross around a celebrity neck, or making a Presidential spectacle out of going to church, it is so important for all of us ordinary Christians to make sure that we are neither eye-slaves nor lip-servicers because we are the ones that truly impact the lives of people around us for the Kingdom. People see these folks on television and at times become suspect, but as they watch us live out God honoring lives, lives that by definition and design are meant to make it easy for others to believe in Jesus, their hearts become strangley warmed to the joy that is life in Jesus.

Will you join me today in living lives that are neither lip-service nor eye-slavery but are intentional about making it easy for others to believe in Jesus?

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, November 27, 2011

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from yesterday's sermon.  It is for the first Sunday in Advent and is titled The Promised Coming: Near not Here!   The primary text is Mark 13:24-37.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Recipe: Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

Greetings All,

This is a recipe I modified a bit to suit the tastes of my children.  The good news is that these are really yummy, the bad news is that my children seem to be cinnamon roll purist only wanting cinnamon and icing.  I would like to tell you that these are healthy and calorie free, but they are not; they are waste expanding, cholesterol rising, diabetic coma inducing buns of yummy goodness.  Eat sparingly, but eat!

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns
Ingredients:
1 c. milk plus 2 Tbls
2 pkgs of fast rising active dry yeast
2/3 c granulated sugar
24 Tbls softened butter or margarine
3 eggs (at room temperature)
5 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp maple extract (or imitation maple flavoring) divided
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 c. chopped pecans
1/3 c. caramel topping sauce
1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1. Scald milk (heat to steaming) and mix in sugar until dissolved.
2. Mix flour, salt and yeast in a bowl set aside.
3. Add eggs and 12 Tbls of butter to the milk and sugar in a mixing bowl.  Beat with the paddle attachment until blended.
4. Gradually stir in bowl of dry ingredients.  Beat approximately 2 mins.  Scrape sides of bowl, switch from the paddle to a dough hook and blend for an additional 3 minutes until dough ball starts to form.
5.  Lightly grease a bowl, place the dough ball in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside in a warm place until the dough has risen to approximately double its original size.  This will take 45 minutes to one hour.
6. Place paper cups in two 12 cup muffin tins.  Spray the inserts with cooking spray, set aside.
7. Melt 6 Tbls of butter and stir in 1 1/2 tsps of maple flavoring.  Set aside.
8. Mix brown sugar and chopped pecans in a bowl. Set aside.
9. When dough has risen, gently punch it down and divide it in half.  Roll each half into 12 by 18 inch rectangles on a lightly floured surface.  Using a brush, spread the maple butter mixture on each rectangle.  Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar/pecan mixture on each rectangle.
10.  Working from the 18 inch side, tightly roll each rectangle into a log and pinch the seams.  Cut each log into twelve 1 1/2 inch pieces.  Place the pieces, cut side up, in the muffin tins.  Cover the muffin tins and allow to rise an additional 30 minutes. 
11. Bake at 325 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes.
12. Melt 3 Tbls butter, mix with caramel topping and 1 1/2 tsps of maple flavoring.  Set aside.
13. Melt 3 Tbls butter, place in mixing bowl with 2 Tbls milk and gently beat in the confectioners' sugar.  Set aside.
14.  Remove muffin trays from the oven, then remove the buns from the trays and place on a clean baking sheet.
15.  Drizzle the caramel mixture of each bun, followed by the icing.  Serve warm or cool. 
16.  These can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days after being cooked.  Or if you don't need 24 buns, before you let them rise the second time freeze them in the tray.  Once frozen, they can be removed from the tray and placed in a zip-top freezer bag.  To cook simply thaw and allow to rise to double the size and then cook as originally directed.

Wisdom is Revealed in the Results

Greetings All,


My quiet time this morning took me into Matthew chapter 11 and I wanted to share a thought with you from it this morning. Let's start with the scripture:

NLT Matthew 11:13 For before John came, all the teachings of the Scriptures looked forward to this present time. 14 And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come. 15 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! 16 "How shall I describe this generation? These people are like a group of children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, 17 'We played wedding songs, and you weren't happy, so we played funeral songs, but you weren't sad.' 18 For John the Baptist didn't drink wine and he often fasted, and you say, 'He's demon possessed.' 19 And I, the Son of Man, feast and drink, and you say, 'He's a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of the worst sort of sinners!' But wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it."

Historically I have always found great comfort in this pericope of scripture as a recovered alcoholic because it gives me a window into the life that was Jesus' and how He would have been likely to have hung out with someone just like me. When you feel beat up and tore down by life, to have a place to go and read that the Son of God would be right there with you in your brokenness is both comforting and ultimately healing.

Something struck me a little differently this morning as I read the end of the 19th verse, "wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it." Jesus has just finished describing this generation as one that is never satisfied, the won't be happy at a wedding or sad at a funeral, they wouldn't accept John as the Elijah rather calling him demon possessed and they wouldn't accept Jesus rather calling Him a drunkard and glutton for behaving in the exact opposite way of John. They will only accept what they want and nothing else.

They have so narrowly defined what they are looking for that they are missing the complete big picture of what God is doing in the world. This is an important message for us today as we look around at a changing world and a changing church. We must be careful not to look for only our narrowly defined view of what God is doing, rather we must look for the evidence of the working of God in even unexpected places. "Wisdom is revealed in the results," is how Jesus put it; "God is revealed in self-sacrificing love," is how we might put it today. When we find that kind of love, even if it is in the most unexpected of places we can be sure that God is at work. Don't define the presence of God at work based on a person's behavior, define His presence by the love that comes out of that behavior. Let's keep our eyes wide and our definitions of God's work broad as we look for His transforming presence in the world and the church.

Your wide-eyed brother in Christ,
Faron

Dissatisfaction with Life?

Greetings All,

I hope everyone has had a blessed Thanksgiving Holiday and that you all survived Black Friday shopping! Amidst the chaos of family, food and Christmas shopping frenzy it is good to slow down for a moment and glance back towards God to be reminded what this life is all about. Let's start with a piece of scripture and then an observation.

"NLT Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?" 2 "Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. 3 "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die." 4 "You won't die!" the serpent hissed. 5 "God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil." 6 The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too. 7 At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves. 8 Toward evening they heard the LORD God walking about in the garden, so they hid themselves among the trees."

This is familiar scripture. We all know the story of the serpent and Eve, the conversation, the hope of something better, the sweet taste of the fruit in the moment and then the shame and fear at the realization of what has been done. What struck me recently is how this isn't just Eve's story, but all of our story. So often we focus on this passage of scripture through an interpretive lens of Adam and Eve wanting to be like God, but what happens when we change the lens to one of dissatisfaction with their current lifestyle. I would venture to guess that most of us do not envision our lives and think, "we want to be like God;" but I would make a large wager that many of us look at our current lives and feel a great sense of dissatisfaction, so much so that we will try just about anything when we think the grass is greener on the other side.

That really was a driving force with Adam and Eve, the serpent told them something that made them feel like their current lives were not enough, that something more was out there to be had and that something would make their lives better and more fulfilling, if they would simply eat this fruit their dissatisfaction would be replaced by a deep sense of fulfillment. This is starting to sound like modern day advertising and marketing, and having been in that industry for years I would know. That is what marketing does, it paints a picture as if our current lives are somehow lacking to create in us a false need for their product. It doesn't matter if we need the product or if it will even improve our lives; we listen and think we have to have it. Most times we discover that the product does not live up to the hype and our pocketbooks are a little lighter and in fact our lives might be a little more stressed because we should have used that money for something else. True satisfaction can never come from materials or even human relationships; true satisfaction can only come from God.

Satan's product was disobedience to God's command and distrust of the person of God. At face value, we would never buy a product like that, but with his deliberate packaging and marketing message, he had Eve and Adam buying it hook, line and sinker. Their lives end up in shame, fear and banishment. We are just as susceptible; it is important that we pay close attention to this because we can so quickly find ourselves in the same trap. This weekend and even this entire Christmas Season is a time when we are being hit with marketing messages left and right to make us feel dissatisfied with life. Don't buy into this mentality! Equally though we get these messages from other more seemingly innocent places where we get the same "grass is greener" message and we need to be on guard. Facebook is a good example, as it has proved to be a detriment to many marriages today as one spouse begins to reconnect with old high school friends, to reconnect to a time without responsibility and sacrifice. Suddenly the memories of that life and those people makes the grass look much greener than a life of sacrifice, responsibility and discipline that marriages and family require, but let me assure you that there is no green grass in divorce court! Satan woos us today, just as he did Adam and Even in the garden. We must be vigilant! Facebook is just an example, there are so many places we can encounter the message that we should be dissatisfied with our life and we need to be constantly on guard.

Let's be clear, there is nothing wrong with setting goals to change our lives for the better; like pursuing an education, or learning to play a musical instrument, or going the extra mile to make sure we are in line for that promotion. All of those involve deliberate planning and work and can lead to a better life and a deeper material satisfaction; it is the illusion that we should be dissatisfied with this life and pursue something that involves no sacrifice, discipline or even work to attain true satisfaction. Again, true satisfaction can only be found in God!

Be assured that it is God's intention for all of us to be satisfied and deeply fulfilled with a life that has Him at the center. When we embrace that life, we will no longer look for greener grass because we will be satisfied that God will take care of and provide for us and we will find our satisfaction in places of service, worship and love. Let's not forget that this weekend or this season.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Book Review: The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

The Great Divorce
by C.S. Lewis
published by HarperSanFrancisco in 1973
originally published in 1946

Summary: This is Lewis' first person, fictional account of a fellow who finds himself boarding a bus to travel from the gray city to a destination unknown.  It turns out that all those traveling on the bus are ghosts seeking the possibility of entering paradise.  The narrator wanders in the new land encountering different ghosts until he finally happens upon a guide who can shed some light on the strange nature of the landscape and the strange behavior of both the ghosts and solid people.  This is a fictional account of what one might encounter after they die.

Review: This book is a quick read as it is short, only 146 pages, and it is in a story format which compels the reader forward much like Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia.  That being said, it is a bit of a challenge to follow the line of the story or the train of thought.  Lewis is trying to use the novel format and metaphors to elucidate his theology on life after death, but on a first read it is complicated.  Being that this is a book review and not a theological review of Lewis I will stop there, but offer this suggestion to readers of Lewis.  He is one of the most influential and profound theologians of the 20th century, always worth reading, but I would encourage those reading to understand his theology to read with a companion book of a Lewis scholar who has studied and can make clear his theological positions.

Reading Recommendation: Yes, mainly because it is a Christian classic and we need to read those authorial greats of the past to remember upon whose shoulder's we stand and that there is nothing new under the sun.

Slaves

Greetings All,

Well I finished The Great Divorce yesterday amidst my Bowling Green travels and started a new book this morning by Michael Card called A Better Freedom: Finding Life as Slaves of Christ.  Michael is a song-writer and scholar.  Perhaps you know the song made popular by Amy Grant El Shaddai, that is one he wrote.  This book is rooted in his scholarly side and comes out of his experience with the African-American church, to be clear Michael is Caucasian.  In his worship he was continually drawn to their practice of calling Jesus master as it was something he had not seen or heard in Caucasian church.  What he discovered as he inquired was that it was a practice rooted in the times of slavery as the slaves made a point to call Jesus Master so they could be clear that their human master wasn't actually their master.  Michael's goal with the book is for us as Christians to begin to rethink our relationship with Jesus as one of slave to master and to embrace the new kind of freedom that can be found in such a relationship.

The thing that struck me in my reading this morning comes from an early chapter where he is telling the story of one of the earliest martyrs of Christianity, Ignatius.  He is also one of the earliest writers after those that penned the New Testament, so we have some of his letters to his churches.  He addresses them as "fellow slaves."  The reality of that statement is that many of them were actual socio-economic slaves, but all of them were slaves to Christ.  Michael made the observation that Ignatius recognized that the choice we face with Christianity is not between slavery to Christ and freedom; rather it is simply a matter of choosing who or what we are going to be enslaved by.

What a powerful realization!  We are all slaves.  Some of us to our jobs.  Some to our families.  Some to our past mistakes.  Some to our circumstances or addictions or our perceived realities.  Many of us are slaves to the acquisition of stuff.  All of those can be brutal task masters with whom we find no freedom, even though we thought we were choosing freedom by serving those.  The truth remains that the only real freedom we can ever have is when we embrace Jesus as Master and become slaves to Him.  In Him we are free to simply be, to receive His love, forgiveness and will for our lives.  In Him we do not have to be driven to acquire stuff, or titles, or status because in Him our status is all the same, children of God, beloved, forgiven and free.

So today we are faced with a choice.  As we realize that we are all slaves, who will we call master?

Your fellow slave to The Master,
Faron

Quiet Time

Greetings All,


You all know my love of music, especially jazz and songs about the beach, and my knack for hearing real truth in the words of some troubadour, but imagine my surprise when I discovered that Jimmy Buffett of Margaritaville fame is also an author. Turns out the little life truths you find like hidden gems in his songs are in his book as well. Sometimes folks that are just writing as opposed to writing Christian books get it more right. I wanted to share a quick passage from the book about quiet time that the hero, Tully Mars, is sharing with another fishing guide, Ix-Nay.

"Every good fishing spot had a nickname, and Quiet Time was properly named. Just off the beach, I spotted the tails of a small school of bonefish swimming lazily in a circle near a crescent-shaped sandbar. Not far from them, a medium-size barracuda lay motionless, his black eye on the fish. Normally this would spell trouble for the bonefish, but not at Quiet Time at this phase of the tide.

Ix-Nay had revealed the secret of the spot the day after he had saved me from the crocodile attack when we met. We had climbed into the branches of a tree to eat lunch. As we were propped up in the shade enjoying our ham-and-cheese sandwiches, I spotted two huge snook sitting motionless in the water. Right nest to them, a six-foot shark inched his way along the edge. I thought for sure the shark would lunge instinctively at the fish and join us for lunch, but he just cruised by the snook and disappeared over the turtle grass.

'That's odd,' I said, referring to the lack of predatory behavior in the ocean.

'Not really,' Ix-Nay told me. 'It always happens a the slack tide. Most of the time fish are swimming around either eating or avoiding being eaten.'

'I know a lot of humans that do the same thing.'

'But fish know they need a break from the cycle of the food chain, and that happens at slack tide.'

'So it's kind of a universal time-out?'

'I call it Quiet Time,' Ix-Nay said. 'People would be better off if they did the same.'

'How so?'

'You have to think more like fish than a man and look for the slack tides and the pools and eddies in life so you can catch your breath and reflect on the good moments.' from A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett, pages 206-207.

A fictional Mayan fishing guide and a on-the-lamb cowboy from Wyoming in one simple conversation just defined a truth of the Christian life that most of us miss. Will you join me today in looking for a pool or eddy from which we can catch our breath and reflect on the good moments of life?

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Book Review: Every Man's Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker

Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time (The Every Man Series)
by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker with Mike Yorkey
Published in 2000 by Waterbrook

Summary: This is the authors' attempt to present a solution for men to the growing issue of sexual temptation, specifically as it relates to visual imagery like pornography. Fred is the originator of the book as he related his personal struggle with sexual temptation in a manuscript he submitted to editor, Mike Yorkey.  Stephen is an "experienced and widely respected counselor" that the publisher invited to be part of the project to offer a professional foundation rather than simply anecdotal stories addressing the issues.  The book attempts to define the problem both practically and theologically, connect that problem with "every man," and then present a solution to have victory over the problem of sexual temptation.  This book has become prolific in Christian men's circles and is in many ways a standard by which men use to address this problem.  In the books defense it is at least an attempt to address a growing problem at a time when the Church wasn't really talking about it.

Review: In a phrase, I absolutely, unabashedly, without reservation hate this book!  It frightens me to think that Christian men and pastor's are using it as a standard to help men with this problem and it sickens me to think of the damage we are doing to actual sex addicts who turn to this book for help.  The problem begins with the title Every Man's Battle, this is a premise that I hope is not true.  Does every man have issues of lust and the objectification of women?  Or more likely are the authors presenting a cultural myth as an absolute?  Clearly our culture in marketing and life objectifies women and men for that matter, particularly from a sexuality point of view; but I would argue that lust and objectification is not the natural state of every man's heart.  From a philosophical standpoint it is the fallacy of moving from the particular to the whole, if it is true for some it must be true for all.  So I reject the premise of the book from the outset.

To build upon the problem the author's then do a very poor job of delineating between the simple issue of lusting versus actual addiction.  They present stories as if they are representative of every man's problem, but they are stories that are much more representative of a sexual addict.  Two that come to mind are a man who is watching TV with his sister-in-law and a fellow at the bank.  The first man decides to masturbate on the couch behind his sister-in-law after she falls asleep and he can see her underwear; the second man upon leaving the bank having been helped by a beautiful young lady has an overwhelming urge to pull over and masturbate.  These are not every man's situations!  These are men with a much deeper issue.  The problem here is that it begins to cause men to categorize themselves into potentially false categories.  The man who doesn't really have a problem might begin to categorize himself with actual sexual addicts while the addicts may dismiss their problem as something far less than it really is.  The addict, who has deep issues of which the viewing of pornography our "lusting" are but mere symptoms, finds himself frustrated and hopeless as the technique of "bouncing your eyes" fails him time and again.  The man who occasionally finds himself captivated by a beer commercial with beautiful women, much like the first year college psychology student, begins to think he has a very serious problem, thus creating issues of self image and self esteem.

A further rant of mine is that this book is basically written to married men yet is called "every man's battle."  The authors solution for a single man to overcome lust and their "male urges towards sexual behavior" is to bounce your eyes and have wet dreams.  Seriously, this is what we are putting out there as a standard for men?  The authors even suggest that women need to help men by dressing modestly.  So suddenly women are given part responsibility for "every man's lust?"  I don't think so!  Okay, I could go on and on and write a review that encompasses pages but I will stop here as I am guessing you have gotten the idea that I do not like this book.  I would welcome comments and input from any men or women for that matter who have read this book.  It would be nice to engage in a healthy dialogue around this book over healthy views of Christian sexuality and the issues we are being faced with regarding the oversexualizing of our culture particularly as related to pornography.

Reading Recommendation: Run away, do not read this book!

Sermon: Sunday, November 20, 2011

Greetings all,

Here is the audio file from yesterday's sermon.  It is titled Who Will We Serve? and the primary text is Luke 12:31-21.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

The Tension of Grey

Good morning All,


The rain is falling, the sun is rising and silence fills the house as all of the munchkins and their friends are still sleeping soundly. For a moment there is peace. This is that place in between, between the sweet oblivion of sleep and the constant urgency of children's demands, between no stimulation for a while and over stimulation as a half dozen different kids seek your attention, between rest and work. Between it is where we live and frankly where I think God intended for us to live. We hear all of this talk about Christianity being black and white and that these is no grey, that color in between; but it has been my experience that Christianity like life is mainly gray! Before I slip off that slope and end up somewhere I didn't intend to this morning I am going to abruptly change directions.

Well not so much change directions but take control of the wheel. What I wanted to share this morning was a different revelation about that gray tension, that space between than simply a moral understanding or a theological understanding. You see this morning has been quite wonderful and I have found myself in a new kind of in between. As I was journaling about God in my life today at this moment I became acutely aware that His presence not just today but always lifts my shoulders in a state of hope and drivenness. That state carries me forward to serve the Kingdom, to serve my family and friends, to serve my community which are all things that should lead to tiredness and unrest as I seek to serve more and more, but at the same time that my shoulders are being lifted in hope they are equally being relaxed with contentment and joy.

There is that other understanding of grey, that tension of inbetweenness. How can I be lifted and driven by hope, while at the same time find contentment. If I am content shouldn't I not be driven? If I am being lifted to a state of service shouldn't I not be relaxed? That is the funny thing about life in God. He defies our understanding at time and gives us that privilege of living in between. The tension of the grey doesn't always have to be a stressful tension, it can be a peaceful one that knows both driven hope and contented joy. This morning I have had the privilege of experiencing both and I just wanted to share the observation with each of you. May your day today be marked by both hope for the Kingdom and how you are going to serve it and contented joy at the sheer peace that God brings to your life.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Recipe: Ginger Molasses Sugar Cookies

Greetings All,

Sometimes you find recipes in the most unexpected places.  This one was posted on Foxnews.com the other day.  I had been in bed for two days sick at the point I ran across it, so realize my mind was a little cloudly when I thought, "yum, that sounds good."  I saved the recipe and opted to make it today and much to my delight these are wonderful cookies! 

Enjoy!
Faron

Ginger Molasses Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
• 4 1/2 cups of flour
• 4 tsp of ground ginger
• 2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 sticks butter - room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs - room temperature
• 1/2 cup molasses
• White granulated sugar for rolling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light a fluffy. About 5 minutes.

Next, add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in molasses. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dry mixture until incorporated.

Make 2 inch rounds (I like to use an ice cream scoop to insure the cookies are the same size), roll in sugar and bake for 12-14 minutes.

The total time will depend on your particular oven.

Are We Like God?

Good morning y'all,


I have been away for a few days down with a sinus infection, but I am back at 100% and ready to go. As I was preparing stuff for our stewardship campaign a couple of weeks ago I was reading a book called Enjoying Intimacy with God and the author tossed out an observation that really struck me in regards to the way we live our lives in regards to our finances. Basically he said since we are created in the image of God, thus being like God, then our lives should be marked by generous, liberal and abundant giving. God in His very nature gives all that He has to us. In the Garden He gave us the entire Garden with the exception of the fruit from one tree; on the cross He gave us everything up to and including His life; at the empty tomb He gave us eternity. He gives more abundantly, more generously, more liberally than anyone ever in the history of the world. We are created in His image, we are called to be like Him; therefore the way we live our lives should have others talking about our abundant generosity. The question for us today is simply this, "In regards to the material and financial resources in our lives, does the way we live look like God who is the most generous giver ever, or does it look more like Scrooge before his ghostly visits?"

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Confidence!

Good morning all,


The rain is falling softly, Clapton is playing, and I am having this strong desire to crawl back under the covers, but I have way too much to do today. I wanted to share a quick thought from the Psalmist. Let's start with the scripture, Psalm 27:1-3.

NRS Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh-- my adversaries and foes-- they shall stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.

I love this passage because it sheds light on the balance we need to find amidst the reality of life. God is our light, our hope, our joy, our salvation; who takes away fear and gives our lives purpose and hope. That is absolute truth that is completely independent of the circumstances of life. Just because life rises up and overwhelms me, like it is prone to do, it does not in any way alter the truth of who God is for each and every one of us. Sometimes life will feel like it is standing against us, shouting at us like Goliath saying, "Just give up it is hopeless!" It is at that moment that each of us has a choice. We can listen to the giant and give up, crawl back under the covers and let the rain of life fall down on our heads or we can do like the Psalmist and stand confidently in the absolute truth of who God is in our lives and press forward towards the end He has for us regardless of the challenges of life. Will you stand confidently with me today?

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Book Review: Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz

Crocodile Tears (Alex Rider)
by Anthony Horowitz
Published in 2009 by Philomel Books

I have been a bit remiss in posting my book reviews, despite having been reading voraciously so I have opted to start over from here forward. Time permiting I will go back and post some of the older ones, but for today we push forward with a quick review of the 8th installment of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series. From the opening nuclear disaster in India and Alex's decision to no longer have anything to do with MI6 the book moves along another happenstance adventure that lands Alex once again in the throws of danger and manipulated by Blunt to serve as the teenage spy. Horowitz has done his research into the science of genetically altered plant life to introduce a new disaster brought about by another larger than life villian.

This book like the rest in the Rider series is geared towards teenage boys, but it is another fun read for this father/son pair who enjoy reading the same books. The science behind the disaster is complex but presented in a way that is compelling and can inspire a young mind to want to know more. Alex as always is larger than life while still wrestling with common issues of a soon to be 15 year old young man. The villian, while a bit of a characature of a reformed Christian, is fitting for the day as he is driven not by world domination or revenge but sheer greed as he seeks to make a billion dollar payday.

Reading Recomendation: If you are a young person that likes to read about larger than life teenagers, or someone who enjoys a well spun espionage tale, or simply a parent who enjoys reading books with their kids spend the time reading not only Crocodile Tears but any of the Rider series. You will find it a quick, enjoyable read!

Sermon: Sunday, November 13, 2011

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled Pineapples, Watermelons or Limes? and the primary text is Matthew 25:14-30.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Confidence Amidst Despair

Greetings All,


The Book of Habakkuk ends with what is in essence an Psalm, a prayer of trust in God despite the challenges that life is bringing. I share it this morning knowing the reality that most of us do not choose Habakkuk for devotional reading. Heck the only reason I did was because it was up next on my journey from Genesis to Revelation, but sometimes in monotonous discipline we find unexpected joy! May Habakkuk's prayer be our prayer today!

NLT Habakkuk 3:17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains. (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Selah

Good morning All,


SELAH. Have you every noticed this little word when you are reading the Psalms? If you haven't then you haven't been reading the Psalms because it shows up 71 different times. It only shows up in three other verses in the Bible and all three of them are in Habakkuk. If we are being truthful we have no idea what it means. It is one of those words that only exists here, so instead of translating it we simply transliterate it, that means we convert the Hebrew letters to English letters and make that the word. Some argue that it is a direction for the musicians, others suggest it is a command meaning to lift up your voices or exalt. All of those folks are way smarter than me so I will leave an exact definition up to them, but what I find with Selah when I am reading the Psalms is a moment of pause, of rest, of abrupt silence. It is not a word that flows, or is part of a sentence or that even connects with any other words. It is just there and when you read it you can't help but pause, slow down and rest if even for a second. It is like a very mini Sabbath in the Psalms. A reminder to us all that amidst the busyness of what ever we are doing we need to take those moments to slow down and pause, those moments just to stop and appreciate the moment be it the colors of a sunrise, the beauty of an eagle soaring over a river valley, or the innocence of a small child. We must find those times in our life to just stop and appreciate the majesty of God and the truth that the one who created all of this loves each and every one of us. Will you find a moment today to pause and appreciate?

Selah
Faron

Facing Evil Without Fear

Good morning All,


My morning Scripture reading includes a Psalm everyday, so I end up reading through the book of Psalms 3 to 4 times in an 18 month period. Not to long ago I started back at the first one again and quickly found myself at the 23rd. As many of you it is one of my favorite Psalms, part of it is because it is one of the earliest pieces of Scripture that I truly knew by heart but the other part of it is a product of Texas A&M and the Fish Drill Team. For those of you who have never heard of the drill team, it is a precision rifle drill team made up entirely of Freshman much like the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team. At Texas A&M all freshman are called fish, hence the name Fish Drill Team. Before every competition we prayed the Fish Drill Team prayer, which was a modified PG-13 version of the 23rd Psalm. I can't recall the whole prayer today, but the phrase I do remember is "yea though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil, because I am the meanest, baddest, ?#@%&$# in the land." We were national champions. We were tough. We were bold, arrogant and obnoxious. We were in no way Godly, but we did pray this prayer before every meet, but we did understand this part correctly. We were not afraid to confront any evil, any competition, any challenge that life presented us because we were confident in ourselves. Where we failed to understand is that self confidence only goes so far, true confidence must come from a trust and love of God that transforms our hearts.

I bring it up in this post because as I was re-reading the 23rd Psalm for the I don't know how many hundredth time this is the phrase that really caught my attention.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

What struck me was the confrontation of evil. David doesn't ask God to help him escape evil or to protect him from evil, or to make sure he never encounters evil in his life. He just confidently states that because God is with him, comforting him, he will fear no evil. There is evil in this world. It was in the garden with the serpent, it is alive and well today. If you are unsure about this truth, simply watch the five o'clock news and you will have it confirmed in the first two minutes. As Christians we could try to insult ourselves from that evil by building isolated communities, walled away and hidden from the "evil" world but to do so would be to fail at the mission God has called us to which is the transformation of the world.

God has called us to live in the world, evil or no evil, because He knows that we have the power within us through the indwelling Holy Spirit to eradicate the presence of evil in this world. God is not going to have us escape such evil, He is going to comfort us amidst it so that we will not be afraid. With God confidence we can face any obstacle, challenge or evil this world throws at us and overcome. When we have no fear and are confident in God's love for us, we become free to love and it is the love of God that truly eradicates evil and transforms the world.

God is with us. We need not fear. Can we walk together through this world eradicating evil with love?

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Laying Down Our Life for a Friend

Greetings All,


It is Wednesday morning, the wind is pounding away at the siding on the house, the clouds are moving in and it is not quite as bright as it should be at 8:30 in the morning, but the light of God is shining bright in my kitchen as I sit here basking in His word and the words of His servants as I read Christian authors, even if I disagree with their theological premises. I make a point to read authors from all different denominational and theological backgrounds because it effects me in two ways: first, it forces me to consider my own beliefs and really reinforce why I believe what I believe; secondly, it at times sheds new light into my beliefs and lets me reconsider and alter them if I am missing the mark. The whole process keeps me humble and reminds that it will never be the case that I know all there is to know, or that there is only one way to consider Scripture and Theology.

A few weeks back I was reading someone, sadly I don't remember who, but whatever they were sharing in their book caused me to begin to reflect on John 15:12-13. Read it from the New Living Translation before I continue.

NLT John 15:12 I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. 13 And here is how to measure it-- the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.

We have all heard this verse thousands of times in hundreds of different settings, some Christian, some secular. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend. If you are like me this verse has probably been preached to you through the lens of Jesus on the cross; that the greatest love for us was shown when Jesus died on the cross for us and for us to do the same is the highest honor we can have bestowed upon us. Christian martyrs reflect this truth across the ages. That makes sense, clearly there is no greater love for us than that of Jesus on the cross or a martyr dying for Christ, but the challenge in that understanding is that Jesus is not talking about himself. He is commanding His disciples about how to live in His physical absence. He is telling them that the way the world will know they are His followers is in the way they love one another. If they all die for each other, and under the Roman emperors there were plenty of opportunities for Christians to die for each other, then who would be left to carry on the message of the Gospel?

It is that reality that struck me as I was reading my unremembered author. What if laying down our life for another has nothing at all to do with dying and in fact has everything to do with living? What if laying down our life for another means shifting the priorities of our life from putting our self first to putting others first? What if instead of buying the new car that I want, I helped a poor family with rent until they could get on their feet? What if instead of insisting we go where I want for dinner, we let our spouse make the choice? What if instead of keeping that extra five dollars to buy a Starbucks coffee on the way to work in the morning, I gave it as an additional tip to the young waitress struggling to keep her family fed? What if I shifted my priority from acquiring stuff to giving as much as I can to others?

I have come to believe that laying down our lives for others is all about how we live! For years I have been closing the service saying something to the affect of "live your lives in a way that makes it easy for others to believe in Jesus." That is what Jesus is talking about here isn't it? We lay down our priorities for others and when people see us do so, they see God begin to work in their lives and then they want to do the same thing. If suddenly the whole world lived from the point of view of always putting other people first, we would suddenly find ourselves living in a society where no one was ever last! That is the Kingdom of God present here on earth!

Can we each lay down our lives for another today in a simple, small way that makes it easy for others to believe in Jesus? As we do so I ask each of you to post a comment to this post and tell us how you laid down your life today as inspiration to the rest of us with new ideas of how we can do the same.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Ancient Imagery

Good morning All,


When I first saw The Passion of the Christ, the Mel Gibson movie from a number of years ago, I was struck as many of you were by the scene when Christ is scourged. The scene is brutal as was the practice, most likely portrayed more violently than it actually was, but none the less it was striking. This morning I encountered in my reading of the Apocrypha what well may have been the source behind this violent portrayal. It comes from 4 Maccabees in the 6th chapter and it recounts part of the story of Eleazar, the man from the priestly family we mentioned yesterday; the part of the story where Antiochus tries to compel Eleazar to turn his back on the Mosaic Law and eat pork by scourging him mercilessly. I present it here for you to read, not so much to consider Eleazar and his plight, but to make the jump from this description to the scourging of Jesus. Considering once again what our Lord endured for us that we may be reconciled to God.

NRS 4 Maccabees 6:1 When Eleazar in this manner had made eloquent response to the exhortations of the tyrant, the guards who were standing by dragged him violently to the instruments of torture. 2 First they stripped the old man, though he remained adorned with the gracefulness of his piety. 3 After they had tied his arms on each side they flogged him, 4 while a herald who faced him cried out, "Obey the king's commands!" 5 But the courageous and noble man, like a true Eleazar, was unmoved, as though being tortured in a dream; 6 yet while the old man's eyes were raised to heaven, his flesh was being torn by scourges, his blood flowing, and his sides were being cut to pieces. 7 Although he fell to the ground because his body could not endure the agonies, he kept his reason upright and unswerving. 8 One of the cruel guards rushed at him and began to kick him in the side to make him get up again after he fell. 9 But he bore the pains and scorned the punishment and endured the tortures. 10 Like a noble athlete the old man, while being beaten, was victorious over his torturers; 11 in fact, with his face bathed in sweat, and gasping heavily for breath, he amazed even his torturers by his courageous spirit.
Have a blessed day! Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Irrational Ethics?

Greetings All,


I hope your morning is going well. Mine has involved children, beignets, laundry and church sound systems and will soon include building a billboard frame, but amidst it all I did manage to spend a few minutes with God. That time is necessary for me to start the day off right. It helps remind me who is in control (not me for the record), whose guidance I should seek in all things, and who is the one source of endless love that will never let me down. My time this morning once again included Scripture reading, the Old & New Testaments, a Psalm and something from the Apocrypha. I never cease to be amazed at how some of the writings from the Apoc can really strike me. Here is the one that struck me this morning, 4 Maccabees 5:21-24 reading from the New Revised Standard Translation.

NRS 4 Maccabees 5:20 to transgress the law in matters either small or great is of equal seriousness, 21 for in either case the law is equally despised. 22 You scoff at our philosophy as though living by it were irrational, 23 but it teaches us self-control, so that we master all pleasures and desires, and it also trains us in courage, so that we endure any suffering willingly; 24 it instructs us in justice, so that in all our dealings we act impartially, and it teaches us piety, so that with proper reverence we worship the only living God.

Our author is recounting the story of Eleazar a man of a priestly family and Antiochus the tyrant occupying ruler of Israel who has demanded the Jews ignore the Mosaic Law and eat all foods. In the "striking" passage Eleazar has responded to Antiochus as to why he will not transgress the law by eating pork. Eleazar, who has been called a philosopher, is refuting Antiochus's belief that for the Jews to follow the Mosaic Law is irrational.

That is the thing that struck me this morning, the idea that to follow a holiness ethic that is rooted in Christ in our culture is often called irrational or simple-minded. Those that speak against it today are just like those speaking against Judaism 2200 years ago, and the reasons that Eleazar gave then are just as valid today! He comments that to follow such a code teaches us self control by which we master all pleasures and desires, note he doesn't say eliminate, but master. It is not God's desire that we experience no pleasure, just that pleasure and desire don't have control over us. That should be true for Christ followers today, we are not controlled by our desire for pleasure but by our love for God.

Secondly, he tells us that the law teaches us courage so that we may endure sufferings willingly. Teaching us courage to be able to suffer. That is not a definition of courage that ever occurred to me, but it completely fits within the Christian life. We are to place the lives of others ahead of our own and at times that will lead to suffering in our own lives. It takes courage to live for others, following Christ and inviting the Holy Spirit's power into our lives enables us to live courageously, deliberately choosing to serve others over serving ourselves, even if it means personal suffering.

Thirdly, he informs us that the law instructs us in justice so that in all of our dealings we act impartially. Again, this fits within the Christian ethic; to follow Christ is to have a heart and focus for justice, to see that the least and the lost and the less thans are never taken advantage of and are served so that they too can know the love of God. To love justice and act impartially is to share God's love equally regardless of socio-economic status, race, gender or family background. Christ reminds us that we are all equal at the foot of His cross.

Finally the author reminds us that the law teaches us piety so that we worship God with proper reverence. Which brings us full circle back to my need to start the day with God. The law, the Christian lifestyle, the hope in Christ all teaches me to keep God first in my life. Worship reminds me that He is everything and I am nothing in comparison, but equally worship assures me that even though I am small and insignificant, the creator of the universe loves and cares about me. With Him in my life I can face all things!

There is nothing irrational about following Christ. Living for others will never make our lives less, it will always fulfill us and then the day will come when we stand face to face with God and He tells us, "Well done my good and faithful servants!"

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Cooperative Redemption?

Greetings All,


Part of our covenant as a men's group is to read the same devotional every day. The one we have chosen for this past year is This Day with the Master by Dr. Dennis F. Kinlaw. It has been a wonderful read for spiritual provocation, that is it really makes you thinks at times and November 2nd was one of those times. He is a marvelous story teller and that day was the continuation of a story that had begun the day previous about Robert Morrison, a man who had been called to the mission field of China years ago but was driven out time and again. Morrison ended up translating the Bible into Chinese from a Portuguese colony called Macao where he died.
The story picked up on the 2nd with Dr. Kinlaw standing above Morrison's grave remembering a previous trip to China where the government had aloud four churches to open. In the one that he was at there was a Bible study with over 300 attendees, all of whom were benefiting from the tireless translation efforts of Mr. Morrison. These folks and thousands before had come into a relationship with Christ because they had access to the truth of the Scriptures in their own language. Kinlaw closes the story with a curious statement, "Everybody's redemption begins in somebody else."

Wow, what a statement! It really makes one think about the impact of their life and the way they are living it, well at least it made me think and that is why I am sharing it today. It is never the case that we can "save" anyone, it is by grace and grace alone that we are saved, but we can make sure we live in such a way to make it easy for others to believe in Jesus. Someone's future redemption may begin in the way in which we love them today. Someone finding hope amidst a life of sorrow and depression may be the way we bring them fleeting moments of joy through a smile, our acceptance, or the time we invest in them. Someone may be struggling to truly understand God when they can't see Him, but they do see Him in the daily interactions we have with them as we live to share His love with others.
As we begin the day, let us consider all of the people we will encounter. Any one of those people's redemption could begin with one of us! Will we make sure that we live in such a way to make that possible?

Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Big Words and Balance!

Greetings All,


Lately in my quiet time I have been reading the Apocrypha from beginning to end. I have read bits and pieces before, but I have never read it all the way through, so I thought it might be time. It has been a fascinating read as it has given me a real window into Jewish history and thought in that chronological time period between the Old and New Testaments. While all of that is well and good and I would totally encourage y'all to give the Apocrypha a read, that is not what struck me enough to blog.

What did was a word that I encountered in 4 Maccabees 1:27. It belongs to a portion of text where the author is discussing the supremacy of reason over the emotions and he begins to list some of the things that reason can overcome. The verse which had the word that caught my attention reads, "In the soul it is boastfulness, covetousness, thirst for honor, rivalry, and malice; in the body, indiscriminate eating, gluttony, and solitary gormandizing."

So did you read it? The word that caught my attention. A word I have never heard before. A word that I was compelled to look up. Yes, it is the word, "gormandizing!" I have never heard of it and since it is written in the context of eating and I love to eat I decided to look it up. Some of you may have known this word, but I alas did not so I was dependent upon old Mr. Webster and here is what he had to say: gormandize is to eat gluttonously or ravenously. Okay, so I am and have been for some time a gormand, but that confession is not what motivated me to write. What did was the fact that it is a less common form of the word gourmandise which means a love and taste for good food. I clearly have a gourmandise, but what struck me so much was how something that started as a love for good food turned into eating ravenously.

There is a truth in that realization for all of us regarding life. Those good things in our lives when taken to an extreme can suddenly become bad things. Everything in moderation can be good for us, at least that is how Paul puts it, but taken to an extreme anything can become very bad. A glass of wine can be enjoyable with a meal, but for the alcoholic that good thing has become a life altering substance. Catching up with some old friends on Face book can bless our lives, but when our day is suddenly consumed by social networking that good thing has become very bad. The same can be said for church. Participating in Sunday worship and a small group or Wednesday night is necessary for growing a deeper relationship with Christ, but if we suddenly find ourselves at church every time the doors are open that good thing has become bad.

Our lives must be a constant striving for balance in all things. Whether they are physical, spiritual, or emotional things we must constantly be on guard to make sure our taste for good food doesn't turn into ravenous consumption. Are we spending balanced time with family, friends and by ourselves? Is work or church getting a disproportionate amount of time compared to our family? Do we spend more time in front of screen than face to face? Are our lives marked by gourmandise or gormandizing? As we ask ourselves these questions we may discover that we are more gormandish than we realized. The good news is that we are not in this pursuit of balance alone. We have Christ and a Church family to help us on the journey! Let us strive together to have balanced, gourmand lives.
Your brother in Christ,
Faron

Sermon: Sunday, October 30, 2011

Greetings All,

Here is the audio file from Sunday's sermon.  It is titled What We Do Know! and the text is 1 John 3:1-3.  This is the day we celebrated All Saint's Day.

Your brother in Christ,
Faron