Hope & Glory

If you have never followed bodybuilding then you have no idea who the guy above is. His name is Dorian Yates and during the 1990's he won the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding championship 6 times. In the world of bodybuilding the Mr. Olympia is the big one. It's the title that all professional bodybuilders strive for and to win it more than once is amazing!

I found the caption on each of the pictures rather interesting. The picture from 1985 is entitled "Hope". Hope seems like an odd title to put on a picture of a guy who is already bigger than most people on the planet. Hope infers that there is more to come, maybe something better than what is current. Like I said, it seems weird to label the first picture hope. Most would feel like they have arrived if they achieved the physic displayed in the first picture.

When you look at the second picture it is entitled "Glory". Most would say that he certainly has achieved full glory in what he was pursuing. In this case and in the context of bodybuilding, yes he has obtained the full glory the sport of bodybuilding has. Of course this didn't all happen overnight, at some weekend bodybuilding retreat or even because his parents were physically fit.

Well, I'm sure there's some sort of spiritual application in here somewhere.

How did people know Jesus was coming?

Below is part nine in the "Vintage Jesus" Series that Pastor Mark Driscoll preached at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington.

A Short and Sweet Thank You

This past Sunday night I had a chance to go see Skillet in concert along with Decyfer Down and Hawk Nelson. It was a great show and Jesus was proclaimed and lifted high. If you have never had the pleasure of seeing Skillet in concert, go, you'll be glad you did!

I don't know who this guy was, maybe the father of one the the students he was with, but he was with three kids who were in their late teens. I watched him bring them into the venue that the concert was being held at. I watched him as he participated and interacted with them. They were all dancing, jumping around and having a good time. The smiles on their faces were priceless!

I wanted to say thank you to him for teaching me a valuable lesson of serving, and self sacrifice. I'm sure the type of music that was being played was not quite his style. I'm also sure that it would have been much easier to stay home than to go through all the work it took to be there.

Next time I'm called to serve someone or sacrifice a little of myself, I'll think of this guy and the smiles on those students faces.

Oh yeah, all three of the students were blind.

Decyfer Down

What makes Jesus superior to other saviors?

Below is part eight in the "Vintage Jesus" Series that Pastor Mark Driscoll preached at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington.

Why should we worship Jesus?

Below is part seven in the "Vintage Jesus" Series that Pastor Mark Driscoll preached at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington.

Persevere Until The End

Life is hard. That's sort of a rather obvious statement no doubt. It is an obvious statement but also a very subjective one. Hardships are going to look very different from one family to another and also from one individual to another. What might seem like a difficult situation to one person might seem like a walk in the park to another. At times it seems as though it would be easier to just to give up and even give up on our faith. Given the difficult times many find themselves in, I just wanted to take some time to encourage the probably tens of people who read this blog.

I'd like to go to 2 Timothy chapter 4. At this point in Paul's life he has already been mocked, beaten, stoned, left for dead and now once again finds himself sitting in prison on the brink of death. At this point, I think I would have given up trying to encourage others but he starts out by encouraging Timothy and tells him to fulfill his ministry. While that my be encouraging to many, I think Paul's own example a little further in the chapter really hits home for me.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 reads as follows: 6For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Wow, Paul is saying that the time of his death has finally come and given all that he has been through in his ministry he is still able to say those four words, "I have kept the faith". There never was a time in Paul's ministry where he made total shipwreck of his faith. There never was a time where he said, "this is to hard, I'm giving up on God because he allowed these difficult times to follow me throughout my ministry". Paul knew that he was saved by grace through faith and that faith he had was also given to him by God. So that not even he could boast in what he did.

Paul finishes up this section with the promise of a reward in Heaven that is given to those that have kept the faith. Let this be an encouragement to you to keep the faith when times are hard. God is sovereign, he knows all that is going on in your life and he will be walking with you every step of the way.

What Will Jesus Do Upon His Return?

Below is part six in the "Vintage Jesus" Series that Pastor Mark Driscoll preached at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington.