‘Ain’t No Reason’
I was listening to Cities97 the other day, and heard that Brett Dennen was in town. I had heard a couple of his other singles, like “Blessed,” and stumbled upon this video.
It’s called “Ain’t No Reason”
If you’re going to watch it, watch the whole thing. It’s got guts.
lovely logistics
the move is getting closer.
as we prepare for it, the details are beginning to settle in…
Like- renting a Uhaul.
Did you know that renting a Uhaul to get out to Washington is gonna cost $1200 bucks? Just for a stinkin’ Uhaul. Fortunately, the only things I really have to my name at this point are, well:
1. A bookshelf
2. Lots of books
3. A mattress
4. Some blankets
5. A bunch of used clothing that I call my own
I’m debating whether or not I should sell my snowboard. I already sold one of my boards to Ann this fall and I think it was a good decision. I really don’t want to sell my favorite baby though. That board has been with me through the good times and bad- to Breckenridge and Wild Mountain, Lutsen and good ole’ Coffee Mill. I have this deep hope that once I get out to Washington, I’ll really get into snowboarding again. I mean, the mountains are two hours away. MOUNTAINS. I mean, not hills covered in ice and edge-hitting nastiness.
I really think that the Seattle team should have a mass moving sale. We’re gonna have alot of stuff to get rid of- furniture, clothes, music, cookware, house decor, bla bla bla. This spring it would be really cool if we could have a church-wide sale, and for all the proceeds to go to the SCP. Maybe that would help pay for that stinkin’ Uhaul.
We’ve been looking into alot of apartments in the Seattle area. The problem is, we don’t want to go too far north of the city, too far south, too far west, or too far east. That makes the search narrowed into a few places: Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont, Green Lake, Magnolia, Shoreline, Northgate, Madrona, the Central District, Capitol Hill, the University District, Wallingford, Greenwood… check it out here.
Rent seems to be an average of $1800-5000 depending on the location and whether it’s a house, townhome, etc. If we’re willing to share, live simply, and cut some costs by potentially sharing rooms, it’s gonna work out.
I read something about how there are over 200 nonprofit organizations fighting homelessness in the Seattle downtown area. So that’s good. At least I’ll know if I end up homeless I have 200 shelters who will feed me.
The Church in Ephesus
Do you remember when we talked about the seven churches in Revelations? The Church in Ephesus worked hard, they persevered and put to test false apostles- however, all was not well in the Ephesian church- the Lord said in Rev. 4: “But this I have against you- You have left your first love.” Their first flush of intimacy had passed. Their early devotion to Christ had cooled. They had been in love with Him, but they had fallen out of love.
A new perspective is essential in order to rekindle that first-love kind of relationship where God is real again, where you and He are on much closer speaking terms. The kind of intimacy that doesn’t require a stirring message from the pulpit and doesn’t depend upon a great worship event or concert but simply exists as a natural part of your walk.
INTIMACY WITH GOD REQUIRES ACTION
Distance from God is a frightening thing. God will never adjust His agenda to fit ours. He will not speed His pace to catch up with ours; we need to slow our pace in order to recover our walk with Him.
How do busy people, living fast-paced and complicated lives, facing relentless pressures, consistently walk with God?
Whatever would be included in the answers, we can be assured that they will not come naturally, automatically, quickly, or easily. I do not think a person on this earth has ever been automatically godly or quickly godly or easily and naturally godly. Everything around us is designed to make us dissatisfied with our present condition.
So how do we pull it off?
Charles Swindoll
Becoming Like Christ: Developing Spiritual Disciplines
The next several posts are going to be excerpts from a book I’m reading called ‘So You Want To Be Like Christ?’ by Charles Swindoll. This book has challenged and changed me in practical ways. So let’s begin:
Achieving anything requires discipline – determined, deliberate, definable actions with a clear goal in mind. Seeking intimacy with the Almighty requires focused determination, demands specific changes in attitude and behavior, and will come with a number of heartbreak and setbacks.
First, conditioning involves repetitive training exercises.
Second, no one can condition someone else. You can’t hire someone to do it.
Our goal as Christians is to become like Christ.
So why exercise spiritual disciplines? To know Jesus Christ. They are simply a means by which you come to know Him experientially. By imitating Him, by sharing His experiences, by living life as He lived it, allowing the Holy Spirit to shape you by the disciplines from the inside out, you will become more like Him. Disciplining ourselves will require the same kind of focused thinking and living that our Master modeled during His brief life on earth. Everything starts in the gymnasium of the soul.
“Their first flush of ecstasy had passed. Their early devotion to Christ had cooled. They had been in love with Him, but they had fallen out of love.”
I have recently been experiencing frustration in regards to pursuits- the deep desire of my heart is for more of Christ, but in the meantime, my impatience sees it somehow fitting to look other places for joy. I have always been comforted by the future- entirely scared of it, of course- but encouraged to know that life in the present just wouldn’t make sense if there was someone else in it. I feel so foolish, especially when I don’t know what I’m basing these feelings on. Am I afraid that there’s no one out there for me? Am I jealous that my peers are finding mates and getting married, settling down? Am I just letting my expectations feed into my insecurities?
Do you know what it is like to desire God? This is the enticing kind of desire, the kind that isn’t built on duty, but a sense of admiration and real beauty. Intimacy. I need to love Him, to know Him. I need to progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person…
(Phil. 3:10) I know that I must remain solo for the time being- my determined purpose must be to know Him. I find myself again and again having to look to heaven and learn a whole new way of walking. And best of all, my first love really is blooming.
I will flourish if I believe, and maybe someday I will flourish with another.
(I won’t even mind if he’s a brilliant world leader or a missionary doctor)
