Autumn Breeze Makes Me Feel Fine

Anyone else tired of Sunny with a high of 100 and a humidity somehow defying laws of fundamental physics? I AM.  I'm over it. Completely over it.  Highs that only get into the 60s and a nip in the air that warrants long sleeves is starting to slowly creep in, and I for one am for it.

Sure a few months from now when I can see my breath, on a sunny day, at noon, I will ask myself why in the hell I ever wished this weather away. It happens every time. But just like an Alzheimer's patient here I stand yet again, staring autumn right in the face and telling God to bring it on.  Thank 6 pound 8 ounce baby Jesus for this weather! It's time for staying under blankets and having the feeling that they weigh 100 pounds and are keeping you in bed against your will (if you own a Martha Washington blanket you understand).  It's time for soups for dinner. It's time for looking outside on a sunny day and not feeling guilty for that nonsensical "you're not taking advantage of the day" talk.  It's time for 6 am in middle Tennessee to mirror Ireland, that damp, foggy aura of climatic apathy.

You take a look outside and experience weather like this and it's no wonder that Seattle produces moody rock music. You would too. And yet I'm ready for everything that comes with it too.  I'm ready for the leaves to fall en masse.  I'm ready for curling up with a blanket and my wife and staying out of the cold.  I'm ready for football to kick into high gear (oh and the American kind too).  I'm ready for that annual pilgrimage to Jackson's Orchard with the Beltons and that excited look on Evan's face when we get there.  I'm ready for E to experience a college football game in Bowling Green. I'm just ready.

And I apologize to those of you who are putting away your bathing suits until next year.  I'm sorry that trips to the beach are no longer an option. I'm sorry that for the most part the grills are being put away.... and the golf clubs too. I'm sorry that your shorts are no longer an option....and the flip flops too.  For those of you that may suffer, even mildly, from Seasonal Affective Disorder, for you I am also truly and deeply sorry.

But it's time. And I'm ready. Bring on the fall. The warm and vibrant colors that work so well to neutralize the cool breeze and dark sky.  The hot chocolate, hot coffee, hot soup, hot tea, warm fire (or in our case gas powered heat). After all, "there is a time for everything and a season for every purpose under heaven" (Eccl 3:1).

So it'll be casual dress at work that will see shorts for the last time this year, then it's off to Fairfield for the last 54 holes perhaps of the year, and maybe a 70 degree day or two while we're there on the golf vacation.  And then it'll really be over, and I'm ready, and it's time.

Autumn, it'll be good to see you again when I get back.  We've got some catching up to do.

What I Believe

I believe in choice.  This is a big one for me.  I do not like the notion of opinions developing into stringent law. People have steadfast beliefs on a series of issues that quickly become hot topic, red button debate points for politicians.  Allow me to present a very interesting possibility: maybe, just maybe, the politicians of this country keep us bickering with each other over our moral stance so that we forget the important issues that they continually fail to fix and continually fail us as a result. Hey it’s just a thought. 

What will you do for the economy? Will you blow up another country? What will you do to prevent another country from blowing up ours? Will you raise taxes? Will you help those in need? Will you care for education? I’m sorry but I just think an overuse of attention is directed to gay marriage, contraception, and legalizing pot. But that’s just me.  And in my belief in choice, I sincerely believe in your right to choose to disagree with everything I’ve said and honor that we can disagree.

With that, I believe in free speech. In other words, I believe in the right of someone to openly express themselves. What I do NOT believe in is hate speech. You lose your right to talk when your talk is oppressive, slanderous, racist, objectifying, and belittling. That is when you have the right to shut your mouth.  Everyone’s mother said it, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” My dear God if only we had listened this world would be a lot better

I believe in freedom of religion.  I believe that I have a right to live free of oppression for the belief I have in my God and the faith that I put in my savior Jesus Christ. I also believe that people in Murfreesboro have a right to practice their faith in a Mosque too. Not all Muslims are terrorists.  I repeat: NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS.  I believe in experiencing other faiths, delving into other cultures, breathing in other lives, experiencing other customs. Live and let live, learn to coexist, appreciate one another, love one another. Jesus did not say, “Love your neighbor that goes to the same church as you love yourself”. I’m pretty sure that middle part isn’t in the Bible.

I believe in my stepson. He is truly amazing. He lights up a room, has the best disposition, a curiosity to learn, a wonderful sense of humor, and a great spirit.  For a man that will soon become a biological father and may not be the same to him, I certainly love him as though he were.  He will go places; he will do amazing things. He may break a few hearts and he almost certainly will screw up, but we all do. And we’ll all be there to dust him off and get him going again. And maybe he’ll be midfielder for Chelsea (hey I can dream can’t I?)

I believe in my wife.  I have known her for nearly 15 years now, and she has the best soul of anyone I know. We see each other so clearly. We share many feelings and sentiments, and without having her screen this, I can say with most certainty that she shares my beliefs. We walk in unison; we do this thing called life side by side, hand in hand.  She’s my best friend, truly my BEST friend.  She is smart, funny, thoughtful, and passionate.  Oh and a looker at that.  She is a terrific mother to my stepson and will be the perfect mother to our little Lucy. She has raised a fine young man in Evan, and I can only hope and pray that Lucy is half as pure and good a soul as he.

I believe in myself. And that hasn’t always come easy.  I used to think that the goal of doing well in school, on the soccer field, in life in general was to make your parents proud. Don’t get me wrong, it is great that my parents have pride in their son, but it is more important to me that I have confidence and belief in myself, that I did college for me, that I work for me and my family.  I have reached a point in my life (partly because of faith, partly because of a family that has my back, and partly because of friends that encourage me) where I truly feel that I can conquer any obstacle.  So look out world, I have a power strong enough to overcome you: BELIEF. I BELIEVE IN ME.

My Happy, Hectic, Busy LIfe

Sooooo.....I got a few things going on.  A schedule with such wrinkles that for the first time in my life, I am keeping a detailed calendar.  I knew this would happen eventually. I knew that I would pay for all of those years of care-free play as a child, all those "hang out" days as a teenager, and all those free spirited, occasional sleep-in hookie days as a college student.  Life has come back to collect its backpay, and with a vengeance.

I'm a data lead.  Since July of last year, I have been blessed to go from unemployed to temp employee with no benefits to full time with benefits to leading a group and owning stock.  Admittedly that's not too bad in a year's time.  My company has done me well, and not to brag, but I think I've done it quite well also.  It's a great place to work, downtown is a fun place to work, and I have some great co-workers.  One little thing though: it's a sales company. SALES.  As in 4 times a year, life becomes absolute madness, Murphy's Law run amok, HELL on wheels. The end of a sales quarter is similar to the last 5 questions of the SAT when you have 30 seconds to finish.......AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!  What's crazy is that I never saw myself in the sales business, I could not imagine myself in a high-rise in Nashville, and certainly couldn't see myself dealing with an end of quarter sales atmosphere.  And now I love it....and truly love my job.

I'm a kids minister.  That's right. Kids Minister.  15 years ago, I didn't think I would be worth a crap at anything God-centered.  I didn't know God that well, and I definitely didn't do well to listen to him.  But I found myself called to his service in helping with the kid program at my church.  It does ask for a little bit of my time and a little bit of myself.  I try to be diligent about presenting information to teach the kids about God, to help them worship Him, and to help them glorify them.  And I try to make it FUN, because at their edge they need to have a good time and learn God seemingly by accident.  It's tough at times; I wouldn't have imagined myself doing it.  But goodness how I love it.

I'm a soccer coach.  This is the one that's easy to see.  Everyone who has met me for more than 5 minutes knows that I am an absolute nut about that sport.  So when E hinted a playing, I was happy to offer up my services at the orientation.  Teaching 5-year olds about soccer is a blast, and at the same time one heck of a challenge.  Sometimes it's easier to have them play tag and jump in a puddle than to focus on kicking a goal.  But then there's Saturdays. There's watching a little girl score and displaying unbridled joy. And there's watching E score and the Evan Army shout in unison in joy.  It makes every practice and every late night at the fields worth it.  I love being a soccer coach.

I'm going to be a father.  I'm excited. I'm in love. I'm scared to death.  In all of the emotion, I doubt very little that Sara and I will be great parents, and I also have no doubt that Lucy will be amazing and a joy to our lives.  But I honestly have these great leaps of faith because of her.  I have seen how my wife works as a mother. She's brilliant. Brilliant.  Want the proof?  Look at E.  You DON'T get a kid like that by accident.  He's a joy, simply a wonderful child in every way. Because she's a wonderful mother.  I've got some skills myself, but I know that we will do just fine because I know that I could not have a better partner to raise our little girl.  I'm lucky, I'm bless, and I'm gonna love being a dad.

I'm a busy guy. Every day has something on the calendar. Gone are the days of laziness, video games, all-day basketball tournaments as a kid, and sleeping in and skipping Physics in college. And I would not have it any other way.  This life is treating me wonderfully.  And I love my happy, hectic, busy life.

3 Months, 1 Blog, 1 Freckles

Well I stink. 3 months and no blogs.  I'm terrible about sticking to this.  Truth be told, without some form of accountability I'm about as reliable as a sundial at midnight. But here I am again.  Three months have passed and so many little things have happened. And with all apologies to the people, the places, the events, there was one trip and one very big thing that gets the highlight here.

For months we had planned it.  Rental car booked months in advance. My dad passed along timeshare so that we could stay free (kudos Dad!).  I had map quested, google mapped, bought a globe, bought a De Lorme, and brought in a cartographer (okay maybe not).  But we were ready for the insanity that is Walt Disney World.  E deserved it. That kid is amazing; believe me when I tell you that I am the luckiest step dad in the history of ever.  And Sara and I had decided that he was fully deserving of a trip to see Mickey and Minnie before starting Kindergarten.

And so we went.  If we didn't think he deserved this trip before, the 12 hour drive without incident proved it to us that E is the best and easiest kid.  And yes parents that are currently prying your children off of a chandelier you should be jealous (and possibly hate me a little bit). But I digress.

The amazing Star Island resort was a great place to stay, the weather cooperated rather magnificently, and as soon as we entered, the 5-year old was overwhelmed and the grown ups that he brought along became 5 years old themselves.  There was a show with all the Disney characters at the Magic Kingdom castle, there were rides, the Swiss Family Robinson house, a train, a haunted house, you name it. And thank God for grandparents or any one of us would have expired trying to attack that place alone.  And after the long and amazing day (approximately 7 pm when our faces started to read "I've had enough") we returned to the resort to relax.

And then it happened.

"Jonathan?" Her voice was almost unbelievably questioning in tone.

And there she held in her hand what had changed our lives. There was a line.....a dark, clear, perfect, wonderful line.

I honestly can't remember what I said; I probably didn't speak English for a minute.  For the next 24 hours I couldn't stop smiling.  And to be truthful, I've really been smiling ever since.

Amongst all the apprehension and uncertainty we patiently waited, nearly 3 months from the time.  Without a picture or the sound of a heartbeat, we didn't want to get too excited. Then the ultrasound flickered, the heart thumping so rhythmically and so beautifully. Freckles, as E has affectionately decided to name our little miracle, was even practicing for the 100m freestyle on camera. I teared up a bit and was proud to do so.

And it has changed me. It has changed how I view the blessing of helping with our children' ministry. It has changed how hard I work, how much more I love her, how much more I appreciate and love that amazing step kid of mine.

Jonathan Bowers: child of God through His mercy, husband through His grace, father through His and our little miracle.  I can't wait to meet you, Freckles. And my God how I love you already.

And then P90X killed me

Back in my school days, and especially back in my soccer playing days, I considered myself to be in fairly good shape. In high school, Mark Lamberth made damn sure of it. Sometimes the conditioning that we would go through in preparation for the season looking eerily similar to this

with your friends one by one falling at your side. The wonderful grass on the field at White House High School was proudly sowed by the members of the 1998 White House High School soccer team stamping it into the ground while running gassers (current members of the team, you're welcome).

I was reminded by a friend recently that we would run cone sprints for upwards of 20 minutes straight and then, after a 30 second water break, would be expected to (as a TEAM) run a 2:10 1/3 mile. If you're a runner, you know that's not that tough. If you've already run cone sprints until your struggling for breath, it's BRUTAL. And if any one of us didn't make it, we got time for a breather and then had to make it (as a TEAM) in 2:20. I swear, at times, in my light-headed, nauseated, sweaty state, I could see Coach Lamberth turning red, growing horns and a bifurcated tail, and carrying a trident.

After suffering through that regimen through high school and being expected to keep healthy and fit throughout my years of playing organized sport, I guess that I decided I was done caring for a while. And then came college. I ate unhealthy food and the only recognizable exercise I got was walking this:

It took me half a semester in jogging class to manage to run two miles without stopping. Sad. And then I got it back and was running 2 miles in 12 minutes for my final. And I was proud....and happy....and feeling pretty good about myself.

And then I stopped giving a big fat crap again. This time for about...ohhhhh.....5 years. And then I started dating and married my wife who decided that it was this real big freakin' awesome idea that we care about ourselves and eat healthy. Since then I have gone through a bit of an awakening. I have eliminated most of my fast food consumption and replaced it with fruits, vegetables, wheat pasta, and Coke...Zero. I take my sandwich wrap, salad, and Greek yogurt to work instead of grabbing a burger or gyro at work.

I was proud....and happy.....and feeling pretty good about myself. But NOOOOOO! Then Sara has to start running........and running.......and running some freakin' more. I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of her (she's about to log her 100th mile running), and to be honest her dedication to fitness is extremely sexy, but man it was starting to make me feel like a lazy oaf.

But then I sat back and started asking myself why I couldn't get up and do it. Why I couldn't find the motivation to try to get into shape. It was at the time that Evan and I finished detailing her car and walked into the house that the exercise demon attacked. Its name is P90X. Sara was getting into the workout and suddenly I found myself grabbing a resistance band and joining in the fray. And holy crap it almost killed me. My abs are on fire and tomorrow I will be sore in spots that I didn't even know I had muscles. That was just arms, shoulders, and abs. Sara showed me that there's a whole freakin' volume library of DVDs to go!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In looking back, I guess Mark Lamberth did me a great service. He tried to kill me getting me in shape but pushed me when I wanted to give up. He showed me I could do it. That was when I had a teenage metabolism. The more impressive feat is what my wife has done for me in my post-teen I don't give a rat's ass time. McDonald's burgers and laying on couches replaced by turkey burgers and doing crunches. She is wonderful; she makes my life great but on top of that insists upon me living it better and more fully.

Tomorrow will be day 2 with P90X and I'm excited about it. And now I'm proud......and happy......and feeling pretty good about myself.

But make no mistake. I'm still convinced that P90X will kill me.

Christian Rebuttals

Judgmental.

Hypocritical.

Antiquated.

Three words that a non-believer quickly springs for when attempting to dissolve any effort to witness to them. Rational gripes. The simple truth is going around spreading the Gospel is not as easy as smacking someone with a Bible until they agree with you; running around shouting “Praise Jesus!” until they do the same or listing out a person’s sins for them until they agree they need forgiveness. Telling a person the many reasons they are going to hell won’t get you far either. No, you’re going to meet resistance. Lots of it. What do you do about it?

How about addressing each gripe? Maybe we can better witness our faith to those that don’t have it, don’t want it, or see no value in it.

But first allow me to say something that may possibly piss someone off (sorry by the way). If you go around using your faith as a weapon against non-believers, use it to explain to them why you’re right and they’re wrong, if you wave a banner of righteousness and cast a critical eye on those who need witnessing because you believe in God and they don’t, if you have arrogance that bleeds through, you have failed to witness to those that need it, you have failed your fellow man, and you have failed to properly represent your God.

And that’s why I say the judgmental gripe is a rational one. Because we as Christians sometimes flat out stink at this one. Don’t let your pride foolishly get in the way. You’re human, you poop, you put your pants on the same as they do, you once didn’t have God’s salvation, and you screw up too

Read Matthew 7:1 – “Judge not, lest thee be judged.” Period. That’s it. End of conversation.

Rule #1. No judging. Ever. God’s way better than you and me; only He gets to do that.

Second on the list is the hypocrisy beef. And another shocker alert; some people are going to think that I’m mental for saying this, but I would agree with the premise that we’re kind of hypocritical. Hypocrisy is defined in Webster as “the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own practice or behavior does not conform; pretense.” We all try very hard to be more like Christ.

And then we fail. Sometimes miserably. We go to church and hear an incredible message, have a Wednesday night meeting that really touches our heart, go on a mission trip that really opens our eyes, and then we get out of the setting and big dumb stupid do the opposite. We know we must be humble before the Lord but then let our pride get in the way. We know we must serve our God but then we also serve money as a master. We know we should pray and then we don’t make time to. We become selfish instead of selfless. We try to take what we can instead of giving until we can’t. We. Screw. Up.

And Christ is amazing, because he forgives and forgives when we don’t deserve it. “Claim to have moral standards to which one’s behavior does not conform.” Yep. That about sums it up for me. If we’re to be truly honest, that’s a defining characteristic of Christianity. That’s why we needed Christ. Because we are not hypocrites but we certainly have hypocritical tendencies. Because we do fall short. Because we don’t always practice what we preach. Because we don’t always do what we say we’ll do. We don’t always listen when God speaks.

Rule #2. Try to be more like Christ. Try not to be hypocritical. And confess and ask forgiveness when you are. And don’t let your pride get in the way. It’s ok that people see that you are human, that you aren’t perfect, and that you acknowledge that you need forgiveness.

Lastly is the outdated stigma. “The Bible was written for sheepherders who lived without electricity and indoor plumbing thousands of years ago. It doesn’t apply to me; I have Twitter! Moses couldn’t Google. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey; I drive a Subaru. I mean, having good moral principle is a good thing and all, but I just don’t see how you people lean so heavily and place so much faith in an archaic book written thousands of years ago by people who don’t understand your problems and don’t live in the world we live in today. It’s outdated. It’s out of touch. It just doesn’t apply to these times.”

You’ve heard this. Or some variation of this.

As for this one…well, I’ll use that outdated book and prove just how “in the now” it is.

I bet I can find a few verses to apply to today. Heck, I bet I can do it on a daily basis for a good long stretch.

Challenge accepted.

And one blog entry begat another.

To be continued…..

Gospel of John - Part 1

Okay, so I've decided that it would be kind of fun to read the New Testament, take notes, and throw them on my blog. I hope these may be of some help or use to those who may read. Please give feedback if you can. Add notes, tell me where I'm full of poop, let me know what you think, etc.

John Part 1 will be the first 12 chapters or so that speak of Jesus' birth, ministry, and miracles. It's basically bulleted pieces of info that I found pretty cool, interesting, or thought-provoking.

Part 2 will be the last nine chapters about his last teachings, arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.

I really hope to put these up periodically but want to give them time and good thought so it might be a couple of weeks in between. If you start to notice me slipping, call me out!

Enjoy and God Bless!

The Gospel according to John

Setting

· John the Baptist was baptizing and preparing for the Messiah in Bethany, a town on the east of the region of Judea near the Dead Sea (Chapter 1)

· Jesus also turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana, a town in the region of Galilee northeast of Nazareth & northwest of Bethany (Chapter 2)

· Jesus settled in Capernaum in the region of Galilee. It was a port town east of Cana on the Sea of Galilee. (Chapter 2, Verse 12)

· Jesus traveled to Jerusalem in the region of Judea, which was a far journey south through Samaria (Chapter 2, Verse 13)

· Jesus went back and taught in Samaria as well (Chapter 4)

· Jesus fed 5,000 in Bethsaida, a northern port town on the Sea of Galilee. This is where he also walked on water. (Chapter 6)

· John’s gospel is a story of the ministry of Christ nomadically preaching through all of these regions. He eventually returned to Jerusalem for Passover before his crucifixion.

Key Players

John the Baptist

· Prophet in Judea

· His role was to announce the coming of the Messiah

o Even as he spoke with authority, and even as hundreds came before him to repent and be baptized, John never forgot his role and renounced any praise, pointing beyond himself to the coming of the real Savior

· John stood for truth, seeing it and his obedience and service to God as more important than his own life

The Disciples of Jesus Christ

· Andrew - Simon Peter’s brother

· Simon - Renamed Cephas (Peter) by Jesus

§ Peter means rock, foreshadowing what Jesus would later say “On this rock I will build my church” as Peter became of the first leaders of the Christian church

· Another Simon – Called Simon the Zealot

· Philip

· Nathanael – a.k.a. Bartholomew in other gospels

· James - son of Zebedee, Brother of John

· Another James – son of Alphaeus

· John - son of Zebedee, Brother of James

· Matthew – a.k.a. Levi in other gospels

· Thomas

· Jude Thaddaeus – a.k.a. Thaddaeus, Lebbaeus Thaddaeus, or Judas of James

· Judas Iscariot

Nicodemus

· A Pharisee and part of the Sanhedrin (Jewish high council) in Jerusalem who actually believed in Jesus

· Raised questions to the Sanhedrin about the justice in eliminating Jesus

· Helped to bury Jesus

Caiaphas

· Leader of the Sadducees

· Directly involved in the death of Jesus

· Persecutor of Christians

John

· Discliple of Christ

o “The disciple whom Jesus loved”

· Authored, though questioned by scholars, five New Testament books

o Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation of St. John

Mary Magdalene

· Follower of Jesus present at his death and first to see him rise from the dead

· Jesus drove demons from her

· Taught of the importance of women in the ministry of Christianity

Thomas

· Disciple of Christ

· Best known for his doubt of Jesus’ resurrection, claiming he had to put his finger through the holes where the nails were to believe

The Miracles of Jesus in John

· Turning water into wine (2:1-11)

· Healing of the government official’s son (4:46-54)

· Healing of the lame man (5:1-8)

· Feeding of the 5,000 (6:1-15)

· Walking on water (6:16-21)

· Healing of the blind man (9:1-12)

· Raising Lazarus from the Dead (11:38-44)

Coming of the Christ (1:1-1:50)

· 1:1-3

John refers to Jesus as “The Word”, meaning to Hebrews that he was the Creator, a revelation of God, and a living testament to God’s holiness

o The Pharisees and other Jews saw this as blasphemy to speak of this human as God

· 1:10-11

The very people of God were the ones who did not recognize Christ as the Messiah that had been foretold by the prophets

· 1:14

You cannot minimize or underestimate the humanity or the divinity of Jesus Christ

o He was completely man and completely divine, not partly both

· 1:25-26

John the Baptist was baptizing Jews in water; this was a practice normally done only when Gentiles converted to Judaism so the Pharisees were asking what right John had to treat Jews like Gentiles

Ministry of Jesus Christ (2:1-12:50)

· 2:1-11

Water into Wine - Jesus was not simply helping wedding attendees get drunk. A wedding in those days was a week-long ceremony and to run out of wine was embarrassing and broke rules of fundamental hospitality

· 2:12-17

Jesus clears the temple - Jesus was righteous….and angry

o People had turned the Temple into a marketplace of greed

§ Money changers charged high exchange rates to visitors during Passover

§ Visitors bought animals to sacrifice at extremely inflated prices

· 3:16

The most commonly spoken and referenced verse in the Bible – This is the thesis of the entire Gospel: the awesome and powerful love of God

· 4:23

Father in Spirit – God is spirit means that he has no physical limitations

o The emphasis is not on where you worship God but how we worship

· 4:34-38

The sowers Jesus referred to may have been the prophets & John the Baptist

· 5:39-40

When religion gets in the way of a relationship with Christ - The Pharisees and religious leaders were so entrenched in rules and a system that they missed the big picture of the Messiah that the Scriptures spoke of.

· 5:45-47

“Your accuser is Moses” - To say to the Pharisees that Moses would be their accuser was the ultimate insult because they prided themselves so much on following Moses’ laws that they missed the Savior of whom Moses alluded to

· 6:5-8

Jesus feeds five thousand - The disciples assumed that even though they had something that it would not be enough so they gave Jesus nothing to feed the people. Conversely, a boy gave 5 loaves and 2 fish and it fed 5,000

o Give what you can. Even the smallest gift given in earnest God can use in incredible ways much like Jesus did in this story

· 6:38-40

It was God’s will that Jesus would come to save us

· 8:1-11

The adulterous woman

o When Jesus was writing on the ground with his finger, some suggestions speculate that he was writing all of the officials’ sins or the Ten Commandments

o Jesus was teaching that none are worthy of the ultimate judgment of sin but the ultimate Judge who is Jesus

· 9:13-34

Pharisees question the blind man

o Even with the miracle of giving a blind man sight, the Pharisees could only see bad in these works

o Once again, they were so concerned with their own pride, power, and blindly following the Law that they missed the One who fulfilled it

· 10:16

Other sheep – Non-Jews – Jesus was alluding to the fact that he came to save the world, not just the Jews.

· 11:35

Jesus wept – When Jesus saw the Jews and Mary mourn over the death of Lazarus, he was moved. Jesus has compassion for that which hurts us and causes us grief and sorrow.

Jesus proclaimed that a DEAD MAN rise; what problem can you possibly have that he can’t solve?

· 12:42

Ashamed to believe – Many leaders believed in Jesus but did not admit it for fear the Pharisees would find out. They wanted to be with the “in” crowd and cool rather than doing what was right in God’s eyes. You can’t be concerned with what people think; concern yourself with what your God thinks.

Vacation/Honeymoon/Let's Get Out of Here Trip

Thank God for paid time off! And thank God for timeshare! The wife and I have spent the last couple of days in an amazing condo in the Smokies thanks to my dad. This place is kind of awesome; wonderful Jacuzzi, comfortable bed, oh, and did I mention that this place is nearly as large as our HOUSE?

For those of you who aren’t aware of my personality, I’m sort of spastic. I’m always up doing something, and this beautiful woman I live with is a good complement to me because she tries to chill me out and allows me time to relax. And this is what we both so desperately needed out of this weekend. A recharge of the battery. In pajamas.

It’s not like we’re doing anything extraordinary. We spent a day shopping in Gatlinburg, which aside from the unique shops you can do anywhere. We indulged in some chocolate covered raisins from a local candy store. We had a nice dinner at a local restaurant, although for some unknown reason they force their waitresses to dress in colonial dresses that look as though they’d double for a country kitchen tablecloth. We’ve watched our Netflix DVDs, same as we do at home.

But we’re having a lazy day. And we don’t have to break from it to do laundry. We don’t have to do the dishes, or vacuum the floors, or go to work tomorrow. It didn’t matter where we went; we just needed a relaxing weekend together. We’ve been married a little over three months now, but we never treated ourselves to the whole honeymoon thing, or the vacation thing, or the let's get outta here thing.

I have been on vacations before. I’ve been on golf outings, beach trips, spring breaks; you name it. None of them compare to a lazy weekend with her. Because I’d rather be lazy and do nothing with her company than any other trip I’ve been on before. Because now it’s not the what I’m doing that’s important; it’s the who I’m sharing it with that is.

And because of that now I’m absolutely certain that I married my best friend. God, she's beautiful. She's wonderful. She's such a good friend and companion.

So God, since you knew we needed this break and a chance to be together in a relaxing moment, thank you for PTO. Thank you for timeshare and a father kind enough to lend it to us.

But most of all God, thank you so much for her.

Men of Revolution

Ok, so in case you haven't noticed by the posts, I am a big fan of our church. Huge fan. I am admittedly a person that had become burnt out by the very institution. I had a wonderful church home growing up, and when I left for college I could not recapture that in other place. Some experiences of churches had left me shaking my head in disappointment. There were the money-hungry churches, the exclusive club churches, the judgmental churches, you name it. There was a time where I genuinely believed that I would never find a church that fit me.

Then I found one. I found a church that is focused on Christ, not my checkbook. I found a church whose members are not determined by the money they make or people that they know but rather by the commitment they make and the Christ that they know. I found a church that doesn't judge by the Word; they leave that judgment to the Author of the Word. They serve God for humility, not attention. Most importantly, they acknowledge that to be a sinner and need redemption is a Christian's defining characteristic. They strive to be perfect, knowing they aren't instead of conceding perfection pretending they are. And they love God and each other.

They have inspired me to know God more. I have said before that there is a woman who worked with my youth group who God used so that I would find my salvation, and I am forever in her debt. I am equally in the debt of the people of this church for helping me tap into that relationship with God more deeply. And I think that's why He called me to this action; it's time to repay the debt to my church.

While I was sitting at a Super Bowl get together this evening, God decided that I was in His house so Patriots playing or not He would be borrowing me for a small chat. I don't know how powerful, how deep, how thought-provoking, or how successful this journey will be, but He has laid it on my heart and therefore I have no choice but to go for it. God has told me to tap into the relationship a little more deeply again, and this time I'm supposed to have people riding shotgun.

There typically exists a women's ministry in churches, and my wonderful wife is being very instrumental in ours. But God has called me to pull together a few good men. A few men that want to delve into His Word a bit more. There are 27 books in the New Testament, and a few good men are supposed to read them all by years end. They will come together and have a come to Jesus about coming to Jesus. I figure that since He organized this whole thing, he'll drop in too.

So, men of Revolution Church, if you have an interest, if you feel God pulling you, if you want to read the Word, learn about it, learn from others, fellowship, and have an excuse to get together over a slice of pizza, here's the challenge. Join me. Let's do this. I don't know what day, what time, or how this will happen, but God has put in on my heart so I know it will happen. And I'm not friends with everyone on Facebook, and I'm sure there are those at our church that know nothing of my blog. So spread the word.

If we all come together, there with us will be a God and Spirit that knows the whole thing cover to cover. We can grow together, learn together, live this Word together, love as this Word says together, and serve others and one another by the power of this Word....together.

Who's in?

My Idea of Fun

Changes in perspective. It's just another of the growth spurts I've been experiencing. Marriage has given me keen insight. My idea of fun and relaxation have evolved through the years.

Jonathan Bowers - Age 1. I can talk pretty well. Time to make noises and communicate. This is fun! Maybe I should do it all the time. It's 3:30 AM. Hey isn't God still asleep? What's that Mom? You need a 4 AM scream at the top of my lungs wake up call? Challenge accepted.

Jonathan Bowers - Age 3. Time for a bath. YES! Bath tub plus letter and number blocks makes for a great time! Perhaps next bath I'll bring goggles with me so I can be underwater and observe Aquaman ruling the world of Atlantis located on the north side of the bathtub's vastness near the drain.

Age 7. Dirt piles make perfect arenas for a killer marble game. Until that's not fun anymore. Then we'll switch to pretending red and green berries from bushes are armies fighting each other in the battle of Backyard Hill. Tactics. Strategy. Hundreds of berries will be mushed. War is hell.

Age 13. High school time. Math classes spark my curiosity. Travel league soccer team. What fun to learn that I have such unique and personal diversity. The ultimate human hybrid: dork meets athlete.

Age 17. College time. Independence! The fun of being your own boss, going to classes and living alone like a true grownup! And how relaxing to have your first class at 11 and sleep until 10 am. Clutch. Oh, and still running home to do laundry, eat worthwhile meals, and return to childhood on weekends. Did I mention eating cereal for at least 10 meals a day? Another 5 meals are Ramen. The final 5 are burgers or pizza. You see, I'm a health guru.

Age 21. Working as a biologist. My job is going to a preserve, being outdoors, canoeing, etc. Oh and justifying spending the American citizen's tax dollar to frolic across the western U.S., camping and sightseeing every national park and forest west of the Mississippi. What do I have to do in exchange for this all-expenses paid journey of intense awesome? A 15-minute talk. Yeah I think I'll manage that hardship. A tour of the Western U.S.'s natural beauty. For. The. Win.

Age 25. Done with school. Time for real jobs. Real life. Real responsibilities. But every now and then the guys get together to remind themselves of the good times. Every few months it's time to go out, enjoy a good time. Fun and relaxation now mean escaping the every day grind. Oh, and golfing. A fun escape. Especially when it's in southern California and the weather is unfairly perfect.

Age 28. Bringing us to today. I have a great job that has me working long hours at times. I love what I do, but in the midst of trying to provide for my family and making a living sometimes we aren't able to stop and enjoy having a life. That's why I so long for those special weekends where Sara and I just plain do what we want.

My beautiful wife and I have been married about 2 1/2 months now. Typically after the getting married part is the get away from it all, time to relax part. But we've been working, being active in the church, working on the house, and surviving the holidays. It's time for a break, a deserved one. So we're going to the Smokies. 3 days and nights of relaxation. I have no idea what specifically we'll do. I just know it will be whatever we want, and that's perfect for me.

Sometime this month, Evan and I are going to watch Star Wars in 3D. Cause you know, every now and then the dudes have to go hang out. And as Evan said, watching Star Wars with the glasses that makes it look real will be pretty awesome. And after that we've got a little date with Bridgestone Arena and the Predators. Just two guys out looking for a good time.

I've grown in marriage, and this is just another way. They've shown me a truly good time. Fun and relaxation. The new definition. The new and improved definition. This fun's got ages 1-27 beat. Big time.

The Little Things

You know sometimes we just need a laugh. Sometimes we need to forget that life around us wants us to be so proper and serious and have a good laugh over a fart joke, or something equally as juvenile. With that in mind, and with the help of some jabs that I've learned listening to a lot of stand up comedy, we are going to focus on those aspects of our lives that we share. I hope you enjoy; it's Monday, I went back to work, and I decided that I needed to do the lighter side.

We all have moments in our lives that we have ALL experienced at some point but have decided are socially taboo or too embarrassing to admit to.

Some are just awkward crowd moments. A perfect example is the unsettling feeling you get when you know you might need to pass gas, and you're around people, that you don't know, or have never met. And while we're at it, why does the sudden urge to fart come over us only in heavily populated and intimate settings? I think the answer might be God's perfect humor and timing. The same situational comedy applies to an uncomfortable wedgie.

Or how about when you're in a crowded and loud party. Sometimes you have to scream to talk to the person next to you. Don't ever shout something intimate at a time like this. Because, like clockwork, the WHOLE PARTY will shut up at the moment you go to speak. Trust me.

Have you ever run into a wall? I mean run RIGHT into it? And I'm not talking about a wall in a narrow hallway that you're not familiar with in the dark. I'm talking about a wall in your own house. No you haven't? You. Are. Lying. We've all done that, and you're no better than us. Be sure to laugh at this, because it's so dumb you have to. By the way, this doesn't happen as frequently, but I can't count on one hand the number of times I have seen someone walk right into a sliding glass door thinking it was open. I also can't count on one hand the times I have laughed hysterically at them.

How about shooting milk or soda through your nose from laughing too hard?!? At times a bit too painful for the actual shooter to enjoy, but your friends will think you're riot. And if your friends are particularly evil, they'll wait for you to take in a big swig of Dr. Pepper to throw a funny zinger your way.

Have you ever completely forgotten what day it is? This can happen in a number of ways:

1. You wake up to go to work, shower, shave, dressed, pack a lunch, get into the car, take a quick look at your phone to make sure you're on time......and that's the moment you notice it says SAT or SUN in big letters on your phone screen. Damn.

2. You fall asleep for a late afternoon nap, and then you wake up after dark. This is kind of frightening, because it's almost like there's a layer of fog inside your house and you have no clue what day it is. "Have I slept until tomorrow night? Was I asleep for 30 minutes? Did anything important happen? Where am I? WHO am I? Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

3. You keep convincing yourself all day it's a different day. This has happened to plenty of us, mainly wishful thinking. It's Thursday but your brain keeps trying to play it out like Friday. And somehow on Friday you're not confused anymore. You just tried to have two Fridays in a row. Something is wrong.

Ever gone into a room and forgot what for? Ever went to the grocery, forgot your list, then suddenly can't even remember if you like white or wheat, regular or diet? Ever went to the fridge and couldn't remember if you needed ketchup, mayo, or carrots? Or if you were hungry or thirsty? We all have some form of forgetful early onset of Alzheimer's; it's just a matter of degree.

Have you ever had to sneeze while you were peeing and thought the WORLD was going to END?! Have you ever gotten a good hot shower and then immediately afterwards had to go to the bathroom and could only think that you had just wasted time and hot water.

Has an alarm clock given you the two most polarizing feelings?!? It has me. Very few things in this world stack up to waking up in the middle of the night, thinking it's time to get up, and realizing it's 1 am and you don't have to be awake for another 4 1/2 hours. Ahhh and the sleep after that never felt so good! Conversely, is there a crappier feeling than having a 5:30 am alarm and waking up at 5:28?!? It's like every minute of sleep you just had was robbed from you at gunpoint.

Have you ever been to a sporting event, ordered a $6 super extra jumbo king deluxe soda, gotten all the way back to your seat, and realized that gave you diet instead, or that the syrup on the machine had gone out and you basically got carbonated water, or there was a hole in the bottom of the cup and it's been leaking on you since you left the concession stand? All of the above make you consider violence for a split second.

There you have it, a jumbled, no order whatsoever kind of blog, but I find some of these experiences amusing. Sorry if this didn't strike your fancy; a comedian I am not. But I figure it was time to loosen up and attempt some fun. After all, it's Monday, and a little laugh never hurt anyone.

An Idiot Named Jonathan Questions God and Other Tales

I am going to start saying this prayer EVERY DAY: "Lord, give me the strength to be silent, and when they doesn't work please compel me to shut the HELL up when I question Your awesome. Amen."

For someone that tries desperately to follow Christ, to read God's Word and live by it, and to do well unto others, I do a real crap job of actually placing my trust completely in Him. I rationalize which in my experience is irrational when talking about a God that pulls off the impossible.

I had apprehension when I started attending a new church. "You're going to love it!" my then girlfriend and now wife told me. But I wasn't sure. I had seen over recent years certain qualities in organized religion that did not set well with me. I wasn't in a good place spiritually. I had seen money-hungry churches, judgmental churches, you name it. And I projected that without knowing a thing about the church. God told me to trust Him, that I was going to enjoy it and feel different. I went hesitantly yet convinced in my own head that this church would be no different and that God just didn't know how I felt about church. Wrong and wrong. And I have been with the church ever since, have felt the Spirit move through me in ways I hadn't before thanks to this church. I deeply love that church.

God 1 - Jonathan 0 (plus a great church home)

What?!?! You want me to tithe to that church, too?!?! God, for the love of You, we're broke! We've barely got money to cover the bills. What do you want me to do, turn off the cable?!? "Ummmm.....yeah."

Crap. OOOOOO-KKKKKKAAYYYY. I'm telling you I don't have the money, and when I give it up, life is gonna kind of suck. Just sayin'.

"What, Jonathan? I've got this."

And we started to give, and it did hurt at times, and our life grew spiritually. Then it happened. After only 6 months on my job, I went from a temp hire to a full time employee with benefits receiving a near 40% raise. What was I thinking? Jesus fed 5000 people with a handful of bread loves and some fish and I didn't think God could take some paper money and multiply it?! Dummy, dummy, dummy.

Call it fate, call it good work, call it karma, call it luck. I CALL IT GOD.

God 2 - Jonathan 0 (but with a promotion)

I started course on the New Testament and Revelation on iTunesU. At first I was excited, then the New Testament professor spoke to me through my Mac in a way that spelled certain doom for my learning.

"We will not be studying the Bible from a spiritual viewpoint but rather a historical and often times secular view."

Well, crap. There goes that lesson. And then the Spirit talked to me.

"Keep with it. You're going to learn something."

Not-uh, God.

"Yes you will. I'll bet your tithe on it."

God seriously bet his money on it. OOOOO-KKKKAAAAY God. And then I learned. A lot. In spite of the view. And it has strengthened my faith and made reading the Bible all the more fun, enjoyable, exciting, and learning an experience.

Ok this guy's good. God 3 - Jonathan 0 (Back to School Bible Bliss)

Finally the other day, I had the nerve, the gaul, the audacity to complain about the flu to God. In case you haven't gotten the point thus far, he's been alright to me. On my 28th birthday, I got the flu and felt terrible. Not cool.

"Of all days, I have to be sick on my birthday, God?!"

I didn't get a direct response, but from the point I uttered those words, the worship song "Mighty to Save" was in my head, and I went from looking like death eating a soda cracker to all better within 12 hours.

Final Score. God 4 - Jonathan 0 (plus a church, promotion, Bible wisdom, and health)

Ok, you've got my attention. No more doubting you.....until the next time. But the awesome thing about my God is that he will blow my mind again when I question him most and deserve it least.

Like I said, He's really good. ALWAYS.

Back to School

Over the past several days I have gone back to school, and if you had read my blogs previously you know that I am using iTunesU to study a course from Yale University on the New Testament. I've only made it halfway through the Gospels so far, and I am already seeing the benefits of going back to class. It keeps my brain sharp and alert, and I am learning things about my faith and my God that I hadn't caught the first time around, either theologically in my growth in the church or academically in my time at Western's Religious Studies department.

This experience has even challenged me to view the Bible in a way that at times has felt perverse: historically and at times even in a secular manner. Many would suggest that you simply can't derive anything from the Bible this way. There have even been some to suggest to me that it is "wrong", "sinful", or "blasphemous" to study the Bible in a context other than in worship and praise. These are the same people that told me it was a hell-worthy trespass to learn about other religions, to read the Qu'ran, to go to a synagogue, to visit a Hindu temple, to share a religious conversation with a person of another faith.

WRONG. ANSWER.

It challenges, it allows for deep introspection, careful scrutiny. You begin to ask the tough questions that you have been taught to think are wrong to even consider. You think that God gave you that inquisitive mind, that matter in your skull for looks? Believe me, if you attempt to process the information in the Bible, from all angles, through all lenses, this will not deconstruct your faith, but rather reinforce it.

I learned about the debate of where the Gospel of Mark is supposed to end (my money's on 16:8 for those keeping score), that Matthew "borrowed" a bit from Mark's Gospel, that most New Testament books may be inappropriately attributed to certain authors. With the roll that I'm on, I'm really looking forward to looking into Revelation. I've learned that it took a lot of committees and a lot of tough calls to decide on the 27 books of the New Testament. I've learned that there's a LOT more books out there to be read in the Apocrypha and other added texts.

There are gospels of Thomas and Judas that are thought-provoking even if it provokes thoughts in my Christian brain like "what the hell?" "what were they drinking?" and "did anyone ever actually believe that?" Acts as a book plays out and reads like a radical movement that you could have charged to show on Pay-Per-View.

And if you hated history class in school, let me tell you this. Digging into the history of biblical times can actually be kind of fun. I find it fun to learn about the times of the New Testament because I am passionate about the subject matter. Give a class like this a shot. You'll find learning more about your faith can be intoxicating. And if you do decide to give it a shot, please let me know. I've done a lot of shopping on iTunesU and would be glad to help. Furthermore if anyone wants to go through a class like this with someone I would love to share in that with you.

So on this journey, I have gone. I am looking at Matthew and Mark with different eyes now, and I now have new perspective. And I have so many more New Testament books to delve into, dissect, analyze, and ultimately scrutinize. And in each I will have more faith, more understanding, and more wisdom than before. God tells us to seek wisdom out; I'm just following orders.

I questioned if I would learn anything, to which the Spirit responded to me that he'd bet my tithe on it (fear not, church, God won the bet :-) I don't get everything that I hear in this class. Hell, I don't even believe everything I hear, but it is making me think. And though some would say you are to be a mindless drone in your faith, I'm pretty sure God gave me this brain so that I would use it.

Class dismissed

Jonathan, it's the Holy Spirit on Line 1

One fundamental construct of most denominations of Christianity that I have always had difficulty wrapping my brain around is the Holy Trinity, the idea that God is one and is three in one: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I thought "if the Holy Spirit is God, why doesn't the Father just talk to me and smack me in the head instead?" "If Jesus is God, who was he praying to in the garden at Gethsemane?"

At one point someone attempted to explain that the Trinity is like an apple. There is the core, the flesh, and the skin, each are apple but none are completely the apple and in and of themselves are the whole of the apple. Where the metaphor loses me is that the core, flesh, and skin are parts of the apple and not the whole apple whereas it has been explained to me that the Father, Son, and Spirit are wholly and completely God, not simply parts.

It's not additive, Father (1) + Son (1) + Spirit (1) = 3 but rather multiplicative: Father (1) x Son (1) x Spirit (1) = 1. Then I read an explanation which provided a lot more clarity. Even if it's a stretch, heck, it worked for me. Picture water. It exists in the natural world in three different states dependent on temperature, gas vapor, liquid water, and solid ice. Each are completely and totally water in one form of another; it's just that each have unique properties with unique and critical functions.

God, the Father, Creator, the Alpha and the Omega, the Almighty, the Great Judge, Abba, The Most High who created the heavens and earth and all that dwell in them. Lord of Lords

God, the Son, Jesus, Wonderful, Counselor, the holy Messiah who redeemed the people of God's sins by sacrificing of himself, bringing God's people out of the darkness, uniting them once again with the Father and reserving their place before the throne in Heaven.

God, the Spirit, who is God dwelling within us, giving conviction of sin, comforting us, growing us in Christ, and speaking to us, giving love, peace, understanding, and inspiration.

The latter has been moving in me a little more often than I had previously felt (or more likely, than I had previously noticed). And it probably helps that my understanding of the Spirit has grown as well. Previously I thought that God was speaking to me through the Spirit only if I was holding snakes, speaking in Mandarin, or flailing my arms like I was seizing.

But it's not always that way. Sometimes it is just the "gut feeling". Sometimes it is a voice of reason in your head that won't go away. Sometimes it is the chills that move over you when singing during worship. The clarity of thought when reading Scripture. Or the sense that you should, no, must do something.

It has moved me to help with our church youth, to reach out, to volunteer hours when I was "tired", to juice fast with my wife in support when I was "hungry", to give when I thought I couldn't. And the experience has blown me away.

Want my advice on a way to feel a better and closer connection to God? A way to know the love and compassion the Father had when he sent His Son? To know Jesus, His love, His mercy, and His sacrifice? Let the Great Communicator tell you all about it. God has put His moral compass inside of you. It is one of His greatest gifts. Listen to your gut. God's in there, waiting to be heard.

Time to listen. Pick up on line 1.