Here we go with another edition of Short Rounds on this last day of November, 2007. Can you believe that?

Amazing Techogadget – Kindle!

Have you heard about Amazon.com’s Kindle? It looks to be a fairly good attempt to make an electronic book. It’s only monocrome now, but they are working on a color one, which will be able to accurately display magazines! I’m holding off buying till then, but if t all works out it’s going to be a fantastic way to save book shelf space and take hundreds of books when you travel in one light weight little gadget!

News of the Dumb!

Baptists Blast Bloggers! Do they actually think this will help? Do they think they can win again all the bloggers out there? Do they have any understanding of freedom of speech? Don’t ask me – I’m no Baptist!

CNN Sinks To New Low! And that’s not easy to do – but they did it! Let’s all hope this puts an end to this stupid format for the fake “debates” at the very least! At the most we could pray for CNN’s demise, but I know that’s not going to happen – yet anyway!

Media Still Gets Iraq Wrong! Check out Badgers Forward informative post. When it come to the Military there aren’t many in the Lame Stream Media you can trust at all!

Internet Christmas Radio!

For those of you who can’t wait to start listening to all those Christmas songs you’ve already heard about 10,000 times – this might help. It’s a site you can set up to play the Christmas stuff you like. And yes, you can be assured I won’t be using this one!

Great Blog Posts:

Two From Chris Elrod: Chris has been on fire lately – read a couple and profit greatly!

Love Doesn’t Win

The Mythical Jesus

Here’s More From Others!

Ministry Leadership is Complex by Bill Hybels

Spiritual-Esteem Go ahead and read ‘em all! Craig is hitting something I’ve felt strongly about for years – go for it brother!

I Do NOT Want To Waste My Life - you won’t be wasting your time if you read this one!

Dangers for Seasoned Veterans – I can really relate to this one – Clayton is right on the mark here!

Cover Bands Don’t Change The World - having been in a cover band until very recently, I had to read this one. He’s right – and so is the title for that matter!

If you’re like me you’ve gotten e-mails and notices about sending notes to the troops and letting them know we support them. And if you’re like me you’ve thought, “I ought to do that,” and then promptly forgot it!

Well today I got another one of those e-mails from someone I know – and decided that I was going to do it now!

So I did – and you can too. Here’s what I wrote:

Hello there!

I just wanted to drop you a note and let you know that your incredible bravery and all your success in standing up for both the USA and freedom around the world is being noticed back home!

The word is out and even many of the cowards in congress who’ve tried and oppose you in the past are now beginning to admit things are getting better! So don’t feel forgotten – you are not! We are praying for you, believing in you, supporting you and will never, ever forget all that you are doing so well in our name and in the name of freedom!

Hang in there, keep on fighting, millions of Americans back home have got your back!

May God bless all of you!

In Christ
- Louie Marsh

Not much is it? But I hope it helps encourage someone out there.

Here’s the e-mail link if you want to use it too: RCT-6lettersfromh@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil.

For a variety of reasons I’ve been thinking lately about how God guides and leads us through life. Just about every Christian I know has gone through times where they were seeking God’s guidance about something.

When we are seeking to follow God’s guidance, what do we usually want more than anything else?

In a word: Clarity.

Which is usually the one thing we don’t get! Kinda makes you wonder doesn’t it? It calls to mind one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I’ve preached and taught on this verse many times, and have always said it’s a great picture of my own life. That was true when I said it – and it still is. Since I’m working on an outline of a sermon series on Abraham for January this verse has even more meaning to me than usual.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Hebrews 11:8 (ESV)

I think we have to be a little careful here making comparasons between Abraham and ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to put myself on Abraham’s level spiritually! Besides, we live under a different covenant than he did.

All that being said it’s still interesting to see what God did with him. Abraham was clearly knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God was calling him to leave his homeland and family, and do something completely new. He had absolute clarity about what God was calling him to do.

But he had absolutely no idea where he was going! He knew he was called, knew he had to get going, but didn’t know where he was going or how long it would take to get there or what might happen to him along the way or once he got there!

I think we all know how the story ended.

It makes me wonder about this desire of ours for clarity. It’s a very human desire which flows from our fear of the unknown and probably a desire to control as well. It can be defended logically, and is as rational as the day is long.

I also believe It’s a form of idolatry.

As a good friend of mine wrote to me not long ago, we probably learn more and grow more from the journey then we do once we arrive at our destination. Our mania for clarity blinds us to the critical lessons God would teach us as we travel the road He’s called us too.

We are often so busy trying to see what’s on and beyond the horizon, we miss the lesson God has place smack dab in front of us!

So I’m urging everyone to let go of as much of that desire for clarity as possible. Let’s stop worshiping certainty and security, and embrace the less certain roads God calls us too, the back country of faith that’s not mapped out but has hidden within it uncounted opportunities to grow, change and really live!

Another great post from Chris Elrod (who’s been on fire lately) got me to thinking about this.

If you are anywhere near my age you’ll probably remember this (you are also probably feeling old – because you are! – but that’s a subject for another post). As a kid at church camp, or even in the youth group or church plays, do you remember who played Jesus?

A girl – that’s right – a girl. Why? Because boys didn’t have long hair back then and you can’t do Jesus without long hair now can you?

That pretty well sums up the depth of understanding and perception we had of Jesus I’m afraid. I don’t think we’re doing very much better today either.

I’m sick and tired of Jesus being tied to every little cause or fad that comes down the pike! Remember a few years ago the ad saying Jesus wouldn’t drive a big car or truck because it used to much gas and polluted?

Ridiculous!

Jesus wasn’t, isn’t and never will be any of the following:

• An environmentalist
• A Republican
• A Democrat
• A Politician
• A liberal
• A conservative
• An animal rights activist
• A feminist
• An American (or African, Asian, European, etc.)
• A Communist
• A Capitalist
• A Gay Rights activist
• A Macho Man
• A Pansy!

Jesus was, is and always will be the Son of God and Savior of the world! He is above and beyond any and all of our causes, no matter how noble they may be. I believe in some of the things in the list above, but since the Scriptures don’t quote Jesus endorsing them – I’m not going to claim he did either!

Whatever happened to taking our stand on the Bible as it’s historically been understood and interpreted by the church for over 2000 years? Jesus is the hope of the world, but not some phony, faddish, good old plastic Jesus! The hope of the world is the real Jesus as seen in the New Testament! The one who died on the sins in my place so that I can be forgiven, restored and used by God!

That’s the real Jesus – let’s stand up for him so that the world can see who he is and why they must put their faith in Him!

“Stand up, stand up for Jesus!”

It works for me.

Fallout from the REVEAL study is making waves again. I’ve written a little about this before, and talked about how we can’t even agree on what spiritual maturity is, much less how to produce it in our churches!

Tony Morgan is weighing in with some good stuff. He’s helping to correct some gross distortions about the study. Chief among them being that the problems discovered only apply to “seeker sensitive” churches. In truth 40% of the churches studied were not “seeker” types and the results apply to the vast majority of American churches!

Read some words of wisdom from Tony:

In other words, we all need to take a look at our discipleship strategies to figure out if we’re really encouraging people to be healthy, fully-devoted followers of Christ. (Including asking the question what does that really look like?) This isn’t a Willow problem. This is a Church problem. We need to solve this together.

I couldn’t agree more. In fact I’m more than a little surprised that so many are acting like this study contains shocking new facts! It doesn’t really, you know. Anyone who’s been in very many churches at all, or knows what goes on in the average American church, ought to know we are failing to produce spiritual maturity in most of our people.

Churches fight and divide with a vicious vigor that makes my heart sick. We continue to selfishly demand music and programs that make us happy, regardless of how that effects our evangelism efforts. On top of all that we are losing the culture and our numbers are shrinking. Given all that what other conclusion could you draw?

If those of us who are leading were as mature as we ought to be, and if we were reproducing that maturity in the lives of our people – we wouldn’t be losing our culture!

But we are.

Tony is right when he says we have to work together to solve this problem. I would suggest a good starting point might be a time of prayer, fasting and repentance.

All of us could use it.

Craig Groeschel (who’s last name I can barely type right!) has written a good book, one that ought to be required reading for any young couple considering marriage, and most young people in general.

General Overview:

Going All The Way not only covers getting engaged and married, but also talks about dating and friendships between men and women. He manages to include a lot of humor and usually has a sound biblical perspective as well.

I really liked the way he approached all this by discussing how just about everyone is looking for “the one,” and who the one really ought to be. Groeschel believes that Jesus has to be our one and then the man or woman you marry should be your two!

A nice to way to make the point about who should be on first and who shouldn’t. There’s some great humor in all this as well, and it’s clearly designed for the young reader. I believe he’s written this in a way that should hold the attention of most young people and couples.

The Outstanding Quote:

Below are the “vows” Craig wrote up for a couple who wanted him to bless their living together. It made the point with them, and I think it’s fantastic! Worth the price of the book alone!

I, Rick, take you, Monica, to be my cohabitant,
to have sex with you and to hold you responsible for half the bills,
to love and take advantage of you,
from this day forward, or as long as our arrangement works out.
I will be, more or less, faithful to you,
as long as my needs are met, and if nothing better comes along.
If I should break up with you, it doesn’t mean this wasn’t spe­cial to me.
Because I love you almost as much as I love myself,
I commit to live with you for a while.
So help me… me.
In the name of sex, options, and selfishness, amen.

Wow!

Like I said, worth the price of the book alone. It’s an outstanding summation of the selfishness that pervades our culture – and everyone of us if we’re not oh so careful!

I’m convicted – and convinced you ought to read this book!

I’ve been forced to go to a more strict anti-comment spam captcha because I’m being buried under it!

I installed something new that is supposed to end it, and it got worse! I had 96 comment spams overnight!

Enough is enough! I’m going to do this until I can figure out where to go from here!

My thanks to the loads of losers who come up with all the comment spam robots to make life miserable!

Last Sunday I preached a message about how being thankful is part of being the Salt of the Earth. I believe it too. So I thought it might be a good way to mark this Thanksgiving week by listing some things I’m thankful for.

This is going to be a short week here on the blog. I’m taking a break from blogging starting now and running till next Monday. I’m going to put up a Short Rounds and this post and that’ll be it till then!

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Some of The Things I’m Thankful For:

• Being saved, in spite of myself.
• Being called to serve God, also in spite of my failings and weaknesses.
• My church, and the many amazing people who make things work around here!
• My parents, who love God and me and are remaining faithful even as they go through the many pains of old age.
• My many, many good friends, who’ve stuck with me through thick and thin, And believe me, there’s been a lot of the thin in spite of my weight issues!
• The opportunity to serve God overseas and my amazing 3rd world brothers and sisters!
• 40 Days in the Spirit being translated and printed – maybe it be used by God greatly many places in Asia!
• This blog, which has opened some doors for me, and hopefully will open more as it continues to bless at least some of you out there!
• Living in the USA, we’re not perfect, but still the best country IMHO!
• The United States Military (especially the Marines!) for keeping me free!
• Having been able to travel around the world, and hope to do a lot more of it in the coming years!
• Godblogcon. In spite of the hotel hassles, it was a real shot in the arm for me, and the bloggers I met really impressed and blessed me!
• That there’s always hope. In the words of Mr. Spock, there are always possibilities. And in Christ you never know where God will take you, or how He’ll get you there! I’m looking forward to where I’m going in the next 6 months or so!

Hey – Happy Thanksgiving!

Here’s some links for you to enjoy over the holiday weekend – see you back there Monday!

Gutsy Panty Protest

I’m impressed these people were willing to hold this protest in Yangon (Rangoon) itself! God bless ‘em!

Internet Archive – World War 2 Audio:

There are tons of MP3 files of historic speeches, news reports, etc. here that you can download for free! Check ‘em out!

Great Blog Posts:

Enjoy these words of wisdom as you try and recover from all that turkey and pie!

No More Lone Rangers – Jay lays it on the line!

New Forms of Doing Church

10 Things I’ve Learned In 10 Years

Lobby Tests - who’s really being reached by our churches?

Are You Listening? Really? You sure about that?

Four Ways To Be A Better Listener

Interpreting The Bible Read this one – it’s really good!

That’s it for this time – Happy Thanksgiving!

Last week the Steering Committee approved another trip to Myanmar, so Sunday I announced to the church the fund raising was on – and I contributed $1000 to kick things off.

Yesterday afternoon I went to my good friend Jan’s house and asked her to help me make a small poster to publicize things and track our giving. Jan’s an amazing card, scrapbook, you name it, maker – she has a true talent from God. Check out her blog here.

You can see what she whipped up out of nowhere below. And by the way – when I say “help me make” it – I mean she did it!!

I love it, she did her usual fantastic job!

But this year is a real challenge since funding in general at CCR has been down a bit. So I’m asking all of you to please pray that the necessary funds will be raised quickly. The believers over there need to be encouraged and that’s what I plan on doing!

Now all I gotta do is get there!

If you’d like to help fund the trip please contact me and I’ll explain how you can contribute through my church. Just e-mail me at ccrlouie (AT) npgcable (DOT) com.

I love the people over there and can’t wait to minister to them again. I only wish I could stay longer as this year more will be going on. But with Easter being right in the middle of things, I’ll have to limit my trip to 2 weeks. Maybe more next year? I hope so!

Thanks for praying and reading, and if anyone does care to give, God bless you for that too!