GOD & MARRIAGE

So Hanna and I watched Fireproof. Probably some of the worst acting I've seen since the 80's. Of course there were some amazing actors in the 80's, but most of the movies, especially comedic movies, seemed to focus on one liners or the big messsage. The first fifteen-twenty minutes of Fireproof seemed especially horrible for some reason.

I think the movies released in the 80's were given so much grace when watched, while the exact opposite happens these days. Even though I have no idea if there is any validity in that statement, I just assume there was because some people were truly pleased with the movies from the 80's. And that is why I believe there was much more grace for the movies back then.

I think that people had to have a mentality of grace because they would end up being extremely (and wrongly, in my opinion) critical. Now-a-days with the many critics, if a movie is horrible in the first fifteen minutes, they'll turn it off or walk out. That criticalness is similar to the music industry.

From about the ages of seventeen to twenty, I was set on pursuing to be a well-known artist. I released two CD's by the time I was twenty, averaged two shows every weekend for over a year, and attended workshops that only striving, hopeful local artists attended.

At the last workshop that I attended in Seattle, there was a statement that completely caught me off guard. A top recruiting agent from Columbia Records said something along the lines, "Ninety-five percent of songs with an intro of strictly music (w/o vocals) that lasts over twenty seconds, we throw out." I was caught off guard because I don't think that I recorded one song that the lyrics started before thirty seconds! HA.

It's obvious that Record companies are extremely critical. Similar to todays movie watchers, they also "throw out" a movie if the acting/story line/filming/CG/etc. is not up to par in the first twenty minutes.

With a graceful attitude, I think that we can be tolerable of any movie. Hanna and I got through the first twenty minutes and I am so thankful for that because Fireproof is actually a beautiful movie. It hit home for me.

Personal synopsis: A couple that are semi-newlyweds (not really) are in an unhealthy marriage driven by selfish motives/actions, rather than selfless motives/actions. They find themselves on the verge of divorce when the husband's father challenges him to the "Love Dare" for fourty days. After the husband accepts and faithfully carries out the Love Dare, he meets God, finds conviction, and desperately fights for his marriage. Watch the movie for the rest.

The Love Dare is freaking beautiful! It helped the main character find, devote his life to, and passionately love God. God has created with me with a tender, sensitive, and humble heart where I find myself tearing/sometimes sobbing at movies that are done well. As I watched this movie portray God changing the hearts of this couple and witnessing the power of God in their lives, it made me LIGHTLY sob. HA! It was serioulsly beautiful and I think they did a great job of showing the power of the gospel in a culturally relevant way.

In conclusion, what hit for me was the script at the end of the movie. It resonated so much with my own heart and desire for my future marriage. And future marriage is coming in THREE MONTHS!!!

Thanks for reading. I usually don't like reading or writing critiques, but I do love God and marriage and that just happens to be what Fireproof is all about.

I love you all.

(4) Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
(5) Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has said, "Never I will leave you, never I will forsake you."
-- Hebrews 13

Hungry & Desperate

I'm desperate.

I've been desperate for a while now... desperate to go deep.

I guess what I really am is hungry.

Well, I'm hungry and desperate. Yes. I am hungry and desperate.

I hunger so much for the Lord every day. I feel like a meth addict in my garage throwing empty paint cans, misplaced tools and empty candy bar wrappers out of my way as I wrestle through my junk in search of the proper things to get my fix. I want to be drunk on the Spirit. I love when I get in that state of fulfillment.

I usually find myself drunk off the Spirit after a worship night. After being completely surrendered and passionately and deeply seeking the Lord, I find myself drunk. It's beautiful.
Unfortunately, I do have a block of my life where I got drunk off alcohol. It was a dumb time of my life, but I am thankful that the Holy Spirit has empowered me to break away from that generational curse.

The drunk state that I'd get in from alcohol was totally WEAK compared to the state of fulfillment ("drunk-ness") that I'd get in after a night of worship. There's honestly no feeling in this world that I have felt like being overwhelmed by and in the Lord our God.

That probably is why I have been desperate. I am desperate for an atmosphere to get drunk off the Lord. Just like man-made narcotics that exist to get us intoxicated or high and cause us to get jittery and whatever happens when we don't get our fix for a while, I am desperate for that. I don't like the term fix though. To me, there is some negative cognitation attached to fix. I like to think of it more like fill. I'm desperate for that fill.

I'm desperate for a group of others who desire to ooze Jesus to the world. I'm desperate for an atmosphere that is filled with fellow Believers who hunger for the trinitarian God-Father, Spirit & Son. I am desperate for that.

I want to constantly be talking about Him... singing to Him... resting in Him... loving in Him.

I love holidays, especially holidays that celebrate Jesus. What I don't like is that the fire burns out in people a few days (it'd be a stretch to say a few weeks) after we celebrate those holidays. Jesus asks for our lives. Jesus asks for our hearts and minds. Not just a few weeks and that few weeks includes every Sunday of the year- assuming that we give our hearts and minds to our Savior every week.

I'm going to stop with that because my goal is to definitely stray from legalism and I have no desire, at the moment, to preach about the complacency among Christians. I am simply just hungry and desperate for the Lord. I do feel a tug on my heart by God the Holy Spirit that something big is going to happen in the Puget Sound (Tacoma to Poulsbo). That is probably why my hunger to go deep is so strong lately.

In this place of my life, I'm going to just learn from what Jesus said, and rest and wait upon the Lord, constantly seeking to be filled and a power to reign upon us.

"And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" - Luke 24:49 (KJV)


Lord God, you said ask and ye shall receive. My prayer oh Great God is that You would send fire to fall down amongst us. Lord, that you would see the stirring of your people throughout the Puget Sound begging for more. Jesus, send your Holy Spirit to reign down upon this sinful area to empower your people so that we can be lights to our world so that those who oppose will no longer oppose... that those who resist will no longer resist... that those who run will no longer run... that they will turn to and praise you, whom is rightfully seated at the right hand of the Father. I love you Lord Jesus. Amen.

First Monumental Step

Last weekend was the beginning and end to my first monumental step, in my opinion. Well, it was more of a get a head start and leap, rather than a step.

As you all know, I am engaged/married withOUT the benefits (that's an entire blog on its own). I am in the works of being the Youth Pastor at my future Father-in-Law's church. His wife, my fiance's ma goes back and forth between... youth pastor and youth leader so I've decided to tell people that I am this... I was thinking of calling myself a Youth Pader, but people can not see/nor will they understand that I combined Pastor & Leader so they will think of Youth Patter instead of Youth Pader. Ip-so-fact-o, that would destroy my ministry career like Jesus is going to open a can on Satan & Hades. To conclude this extremely random note, I tell people that I am the Youth Leastor at Living Hope Church in Indianola, WA. (I'm probably going to write that on my applications for Pastoral positions after I've graduated from Bible College). So back to my first monumental, get a head start and leap, rather than a step....

I'm the official Youth Leastor at Living Hope Church in Indianola, WA working under my future parents-in-law. Indianola is a beautiful hippie town with an enormous dock that that extends at least a couple hundred of feet above the Puget Sound, extremely far from civilization and celebrates New Years Eve with a polar bear swim ... old and young, man and women, some nude, some not. PERFECT! Because I have agreed to this amazing Youth Leastor position, I had a make my monumental, get a head start and leap, rather than a step. I officially moved out of my parents house into another place and never will reside at their house again for the rest of life. I have lived out my parents house before. I lived in an apartment for a year and a half with a buddy of mine, been on several mission trips for a few months, and lived in the dorms. But! I have always had a room at my parent's house waiting for me and in that room was my stuff. Now, it is not that way. I have moved entirely from my rent's house with the entirety of my stuff.

To some this may not be as big of deal, but to me, it's my first monumental, get head start and leap. Why that obnoxious saying instead of a 'step?' In my opinion, taking a step is much easier then having to do something that requires you to get a head start and leap for it. So, today is Friday, April 17th. Just shy of four months I will be getting married and would have to make the move that I did last weekend. But it is finished and now, I will be awaiting the day that Hanna and I will have a house to live in with all my stuff, all her stuff, and our own junk combined.

The one hour move from Gig Harbor to Poulsbo is over, hallelujah! I am reaping the second hand smoke from the fire, but soon clear skies will be here. I know it. I believe it. I freakin' love it! I've taken my first monumental, get a head start and leap and now patiently wait for the day to take my next monumental step, which will getting married and living with the most gorgeous girl.

The Engaged Life - Part Two

It was a couple weeks ago when I started this two-part blog. The big celebration a couple weeks ago was Hanna and I celebrating our seventh month of being engaged. Now... the big celebration of ours is that we have four months til' the day we say, "I do!" Our good God continues to send many blessings our way and I constantly praise Him. What an awesome God!

I'll continue with Part Two to conclude my two thoughts I've been thinking about for many days and many hours.

Short recap... the idea of spiritual warfare amongst an engaged/married couple (Part One) and the truth and relevance of Ephesians 5... I believe around 22 to the near end (Part Two).

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Part Two - Damsel in Dis... A Selfless Prince

I really just want to start by thanking those who have been a part of my blogging experience. After writing Part One of this duo, I fully understand why the Pastor/Professor/Friend who "intimidated, yet inspires" me suggested if we truly are called to ministry and plan on pursuing that, we should consider opening a blog. Love you all!

This blog was inspired by a lecture that I sat through spoken by my lovely.... fiance. :) We were were talking about life and some specifics, which I don't quite remember what they were. Hanna happened to bring up the fact that the man/husband is the one who is called to sacrifice, not the woman/wife. And as simple as that statement was, it remains to be one of the wisest things I have heard in a while.

Now let's go to scripture, yea?

Ephesians 2:22 says, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." And Ephesians 2:25 reads, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." Both the wife and the husband have perfect examples of how they should be, and that perfect example was shown by the Word.

Wives, according to the verses 22-24 and interpretations by most, are to model their submission to their husband after the church submits themselves to Jesus. I understand that model and do like that, but I prefer the model of submission to Father God that Jesus set for us. The church, the body of believers in Corinth, Ephesus, and so on to the actual establishment of the church in Acts, DID submit to Christ, but they were sinful and flawed. Unlike the church, Jesus is not sinful and flawed. He was submissive "as to the Lord."

EPHESIANS 5:25!!!!

So there's this story about a damsel in distress. Whether we have heard the original story about the damsel in distress or have seen any major motion-picture (specifically romantic-comedy or drama) revolving around the theme of a woman 'in distress' waiting to be 'rescued' by the 'prince.' I personally have never heard the original story, but whether we have heard it, watched a romantic comedy, or simply grew up in a community where families are valued, I think that in men, especially every man of Christ, this idea of being the mighty prince/rescuer is something we all desire.

I remember, before I met Hanna, watching movies where the "rescuer" became like the Hulk and was unstopable, and thinking how lame and repetitive these movies were getting. But since I've been rescuing Hanna, there have been many times when I became like the Hulk myself. I remember many times while I was half way done with a long distance run and I was getting extremely tired or thought I couldn't make it, I would think to myself that Hanna was in trouble and I needed to rescue her. It's amazing how God built us men that way. I don't think that drive is limited to gender, but according to Ephesians 2:25, men are to "love our wives as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for her." So, the church was rescued by a good fight and a sacrifice by our rescuer.

So Hanna, at the will of the Spirit, said that men are the ones called who to sacrifice, not women, and men shouldn't expect anything in return. She told me that a while ago and I looked up Ephesians 2:25 in the Message (a different translation) and this is how I was confirmed that Hanna was at the will of the Spirit.

The Message... Ephesians 5:25 reads, "Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church- a love marked by giving, not getting..."

ARE YOU KIDDING!?!? How beautiful is that!? Spoken to by the Lord God through Hanna, I realized that we, men of Christ, really have a task. Whether married, engaged, in a relationship, or single, we should start practicing being selfless and I believe that out of our selflessness, "a love marked by giving, not getting" will be start to produce. I wish that I realized how important Paul's words of living a selfless life really are. Even though I missed the band wagon to 'a love marked by giving, not getting,' I've been on the train of being the rescuer, but not I'm currently cruising toward being a selfless prince.

The Engaged Life - Part One

This week, Hanna and I celebrated our seventh month of being engaged. Yes-sir-e, exactly seven months ago, Hanna said yes to the big question. God has taught me so much during this time, yet I have tons to learn. God has blessed me incredibly since then, yet I believe there will be more blessings to come. Some things are simply beautiful and so amazing that I question, why do I deserve them? In contrast, there are things that happen that are difficult that I question, why me?

A couple thoughts that I have drowned myself in and thought many hours upon is the idea of spiritual warfare amongst an engaged/married couple (Part One) and the truth and relevance of Ephesians 5... I believe around 22 to the near end (Part Two).

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Part One - God's Creation or Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is so interesting to me. It's as if when I first gave my life to Christ, God's Spirit was covering my eyes like a parent covering their child's eyes during the scary part of a movie. But eventually the parent doesn't cover their child's eyes because that child is "mature" enough for whatever reason. And that is an illustration of the Holy Spirit unveiling the existence of spiritual warfare to me.

As I have defined in previous blogs, spiritual warfare is simply anything that is not of God. Spiritual warfare is something that was around since the beginning of our parents, Adam & Eve. We all know where I'm going with this and that's to the fall of mankind. If I take this story and look at it broadly, everything that is good (of God), I'll call God's Creation. And everything that is not of God, I'll call Spiritual Warfare. So from the beginning of Genesis, the heavens and the earth is God's Creation. The creation of Adam and Eve is God's Creation. The tree of knowledge is God's Creation. The serpent is Spiritual Warfare. And to the obvious, Eve being tempted and eating from the tree is Spiritual Warfare. God is the Creator of marriage, but God did not create sin.

According to my definition, everything that is not of God is spiritual warfare. We all know that God has never sinned, nor did He create it. So does that mean that spiritual warfare is sin, or sin is spiritual warfare? I don't think spiritual warfare is sin or that sin is spiritual warfare. I think that sin can be a result of spiritual warfare, or spiritual warfare can lead to sin. God gave Adam and his wife free will. After the first case of spiritual warfare, Adam's wife chose to sin. The idea of spiritual warfare leading to sin is something that Hanna and I have battled with just like Adam and his wife Eve did. I don't know how Adam and Eve dealt with spiritual warfare and sinning as the first married couple, but Hanna and I have found a solution for us.

I believe that this solution is something that is applicable for anyone, engaged/married or not. Hanna and I recently decided that whenever we hang out, we will pray together uniting us as one spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ. There is power, no matter if you're married or not, coming against Spiritual Warfare in the name of Jesus Christ. There is power in claiming the blood of Jesus Christ, which has covered us and our sin. And their is power in proclaiming that on behalf of our testimony, we are children of the Living God. As the body of Christ, we are left with a choice and that choice is God's Creation or Spiritual Warfare.