Teleportation: a real possibility

I was reading in Acts this morning when I came across a story about Phillip talking to an Ethiopian. In the story the Ethiopian was having trouble interpreting a passage in Isaiah. Phillip comes along and explains how it is about Christ an then the Ethiopian asks to be baptized in some water that they were passing by. After the baptism "the Spirit of the Lord carried Phillip away," and he found himself about 30 miles from where he was.

I want to do that.

Now at that time, even though Christianity was on the rise, there were only a small number of men going around spreading it (probably something to do with the whole Paul dragging Christians to jail thing). God wanted someone in Azotus, and no one was there, SO HE TELEPORTED PHILLIP THERE! This is one of the coolest things God has done via awesome power of the Holy Spirit, and if I had to pick one awesome thing for the Holy Spirit to do to me it might be teleportation.

What would be you Holy Spirit powered awesome thing?

Vacation: All I ever wanted?

I've been on family vacation now since Thursday. We started off going to New York City for a few days to spend some time with my brother and sister. What a blast! Most of our trip centered around what restaurant we were going to visit next, but no complaints here. Here are a few of the things we've experienced so far.

-A doughnut shop that makes the following flavors of doughnuts: PB & J, creme brule, carrot cake, blackout(4 forms of chocolate), and more.
-The best coffee ice cream on the planet
-rice coffee (iced coffee from a store called Rice)
-Manhattan's best coal baked pizza
-A sandwich from where Harry met Sally (I'll have what she's having)
-Lobster Rolls at a flea market
-Sweet Potato Cheese Cake
-Corn on the cob on a stick with cheese and paprika
-The best steak dinner ever...ever.
-Brooklyn Lager, Coney Island Lager, Luger Lager, 6 Point light, and my sister's grapefruit beer.

And that's just the food. We also walked to Brooklyn Bridge, went to Liberty Island and Elise Island, saw Million Dollar Quartet, went shopping in SoHo (got a pair of H&M jeans for $10), and spent plenty of time playing with Megan's dog, Cliff.

Yesterday we arrived in Rehoboth, a beach town in Delaware. We'll be here until Saturday. Already we've had some great food and beer, and later today I'll be hitting up the ocean. Not to mention there are enough books to keep me satisfied far beyond our stay here, and bikes for us to use in the garage.

All in all sounds pretty great, right?

I've converted back to little kid mode. Dad is taking care of everything and I'm just having fun. However, the timing of this vacation means that I'm missing everyone coming back to BG. I'm missing the start of the Cru season and catching up with friends who have been gone all summer.

Bummer.

Also, despite having plenty of time for it, I've been neglecting making time for God on vacation. Maybe now that we left the business of New York it will come a bit more naturally, but nonetheless I don't want my vacation to be a vacation from God.

I would like the rest of this trip to not only be a time to have fun with my family and relax, but also to be an opportunity to reflect on what God has done this Summer (it seems like so much) and to continue to draw near to Him.

My friends, I cannot wait to get back to BG and see what God had done for YOU this summer.

The Barnly House: A Reflection

This summer our community in Bowling Green has been greatly blessed by the acquisition of the Barnly House. Open to all at all times, it has been a central hub for hanging out, parties, fires, hooka, praising God, Lifegroups, and shenanigans of all kinds. As I sit here in the living room, Dylan and Cory asleep upstairs, I can't help but be glad for the area they have provided, that God has provided this summer.

I am saddened to see this place move to new hands, but grateful for the time I was able to have here.

But really, is it a location that makes the place great? Well, that helps a little. But really, it is the people and how they choose to live there. This place was great because its doors were always open. Because people were encouraged to come over literally any time. Because the people who live here sought out earnest, deep relationships, and shared all that God provided. Do you want to get back to the way that the church was early on in Acts? Start with the guys at the Barnly House.

I don't know that there will be a place in our community this year quite like the Barnly House. People will be much busier. And everyone will be centralized around campus again. But the Union does not quite do this place justice.

Nonetheless, I certain the community will survive. It will grow again as the kiddies all return from their summers. If anything can be taken away from here this summer may it be this; that people would live there lives openly, intentionally, together.

Persistence

Lately I've been reading through Luke. Something that seems to keep popping up is the idea of persistent prayer. The idea of continually and constantly asking God for something until He gives it to you. And I must says, it has me thinking.

I've been unsatisfied with my own prayer habits for years. I've often felt I don't pray enough, and most of my efforts to revise this have ended poorly. However, recently I've started something new. I set up on my phone three events that happen everyday, and sure enough everyday at 8:30, 2:00, and 7:30 my phone starts beeping telling me to pray. It has been working well so far, I've only skipped a couple times. My hopes though are that soon I won't need the alarms.

But back to the idea of persistence.

So Jesus says a few times that we should keep on asking God for things in prayer, and he will give it to us. He said, "Ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened." There is another example in Luke 18, and a few other places. But is this really true?

When I was in fourth grade I had a little girlfriend, Christina. However, at the end of the school year Christina was going to move away to Eastlake. I prayed every night for a long time that her house in Eastlake would burn down and that she would have to stay in Euclid. That didn't happen.

Why though? Was I doing something wrong?

I believe God want us to be persistent in asking Him for things because it gives us time to analyze our own hearts. Are the things we are asking for good things? Or am I praying that God will give me something that I will use to replace Him, or at least distract me from Him.

Truly God would like to bless us, but are the blessings we are asking for really what we need? If so, God will provide. If not, He may very well say, "no."

Keep up your persistence in asking God to bless you, to bless others, or whatever it is you are petitioning God for. I hope you get it, but if you don't, I hope God is teaching you something by saying, "no."

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

is the title of the newest release from John Green, who incidentally is one of my favorite authors. It was actually a tag team effort, co-written by Green and David Levithan. At any rate I started reading last night at 2:45 in the morning, and then finished tonight at 11:50. So all the reading took place on the same date.

When did I turn into a book worm?

Seriously though, I couldn't put it down. The amount of painting I did today was pathetic. I'm going to have to bust my butt tomorrow to make up for it.

Here is a link of John Green reading the beginning of the first Chapter to his brother Hank and the followers of the Vlog Brothers (aka Nerd Fighters). I'll let him tell you about the book, but I will say this, it is pretty fantastic.

John Green has three other Novels out: Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and Paper Towns. Alaska has been my favorite so far, but the others are good too.

In case my Currently enjoying section on the side of the blog isn't enticing you enough to read the same things I do, maybe this will.

Missed Opportunities

You ever feel like you've missed a great opportunity? Like there was an open door, and all the while it was open you couldn't care less, but now that its closed its all you want?

That's kind of how I feel.

Trying to care less. Trying to trust God.

Test Run

One of my favorite Christian Blogs, "Stuff Christians Like" has opened up the doors for guest posts. Here is the entry explaining. At any rate, I want to do this, so I though I'd test my draft on you, the readers of Christ and Calculations. Let me know what you think, won't you?

Replacing Your Entire Music Collection with only Christian Music

It is a well known fact that God hates secular music. Try as they might, those shout outs given so freely at the MTV awards are earning no merit for today’s musicians and their worldly music, even if God does make the top of the thank you list. And if you listen to their music, well you’re a sinner just by proximity.

A few years ago I bought my father a Casting Crowns CD. I figured he would like it, but I had no idea that it would soon start a war with the rest of his music collection. In a realm once ruled by The Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, and Chicago, the power of classic rock and 70’s pop was disappearing faster than crock pot casseroles at church potlucks. Not only that, but soon there were more Casting Crowns CDs, and the assault moved to his wife’s music, and soon my little sister abandoned her Miley Cyrus CD for “The Alter and the Door.” Casting Crowns even worked its way into my own music library. Before I knew it, the only chance of hearing any secular music was in the short pauses while turning the knob on the radio to the Christian station.

I soon found Grits replaced any and all rap I had, Thousand Foot Krutch came in to replace that double dose of rock/rap heatheness from Linkin Park, and even Jars of Clay made a comeback to replace any music from the 90’s. If my music wasn’t praising God, or challenging my faith, why should I bother listening to it? Sure, James Taylor hasn’t really sung anything against God, but unless his next single is “Wonderful Grace of Jesus” I’m not getting it, and neither should you.

“I need more variety,” you say. “It sounds like you’ve replaced thousands of songs with three Christian CDs.” Yes, yes I have. If you find that you need more Christian Audio, get an audio bible. Those things take over 24 hours to listen to the whole way through. Consider each book a band. You just got yourself 66 new albums. That enough variety for you? My iPod, now affectionately referred to as my iGod, contains nothing but the music from my Christian CDs, an audio bible, and sermon podcasts. I’m currently working on installing a shofar as my car horn, so that as I’m driving I can add some extra praise to my listening experience.

Seriously though, God may be calling you to give up explicit music. I love Wu Tang Clan, and God does too, but He probably isn’t wild about all their songs. Is God calling my Dad to give up James Taylor? I doubt it. But if my Dad chooses to give up The Doobie Brothers for God, rather than giving them up out of some sort of religious obligation, that is pleasing to Him.