tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33792616069670210692024-03-04T21:02:33.903-08:00Soldier of ChristChris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-494281424349881582010-08-11T13:31:00.001-07:002010-08-11T13:44:42.241-07:00Eating Solid Food<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuhajiQ1fzQqpo45XH5Pw3lXMTyzvWC3dCmh3GN32i3N3GqIZ_c__MvYh7Ol2HwW2dIQKYc7ztqtfC07RIDfgBgm5TvDx2QXCeVi5R9l7xJDRR7mG9rQuSZlRSlEaPgYaqO3L2BIiSke9/s1600/thumbnailCASI6FSB.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 123px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuhajiQ1fzQqpo45XH5Pw3lXMTyzvWC3dCmh3GN32i3N3GqIZ_c__MvYh7Ol2HwW2dIQKYc7ztqtfC07RIDfgBgm5TvDx2QXCeVi5R9l7xJDRR7mG9rQuSZlRSlEaPgYaqO3L2BIiSke9/s320/thumbnailCASI6FSB.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504252690827337890" /></a><br />Friends one of the good things about being a follower of Christ is the ability to be humble and admit when you’re wrong. The other day while talking to my brother Tony I made a comment to him about how I thought his blogs and some of the things he has written about were on a much higher spiritual level then a lot of people can comprehend. I think the analogy I used was that he was writing on a 4th yr college level while I was reading on a 12th grade level. Now I have a bad habit of not being able to communicate my thoughts well and make sense of them (in case you haven’t noticed) and I think I did the same here with my Brother and I was wrong! Big time! I realized this after I started reading the book “The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment” by Tim Challies (which I highly recommend by the way)<br /><br /> In this book Tim talks about our need for Spiritual Discernment and how the lack of discernment can lead to Spiritual Immaturity, Spiritual Backsliding and Spiritual Death. Now what I want to talk about today is Spiritual Immaturity and Backsliding or falling away as it is called in the book of Hebrews. <br /><br /> Hebrews 5:11-14 (NIV) tells us “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”<br /><br /> This verse really hit home for me. I have realized that I too have been slow to learn. Sure I have been a Christian for many years and have even taught Sunday school and other bible studies but I was still was living on milk instead of solid food! I have been lazy in my efforts to learn anything else other than the basics we hear every week in Church. Challies writes “We would not consider a child healthy who, at six years of age, still drinks only milk, for that child would be weak and sickly. The same is true in the spiritual realm. A person should pass quickly from spiritual milk to solid foods, from the basics to what is more advanced.” <br /><br /> Tim also talks about how children, especially babies will put anything they see in their mouths without evening thinking about it. I think we as Christians do the same thing. We will follow all kinds of people who we think are cool or hip, and might even pastor a mega church without even discerning what kind of spiritual food they are feeding us. I won’t mention any names but there are some preachers on TV that will only preach messages full of milk and cookies with no Solid foods. You can tell who they are by the way they smile all the time and tell you everything is going to be ok. You will never hear words like sanctification, justification or discernment which according to the Hebrew verse above means to “have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil”. If we ever want to grow spiritually we need to stay away from this kind of baby food and seek something with a lot more substance. <br /><br /> So what’s the take away for me? Simple! Get off the milk and starting eating some real solid spiritual food. For starters I am going to get deeper in the Word and also start reading books from some of the greats in the theologian community. Guys like A.W Tozer, Bonheoffer and C.S Lewis just to name a few. I know a lot of these guys are a hard read but I feel the only way to improve your reading ability and spiritual growth is to challenge yourself and work your way through it. Also pray for God to give you understanding and wisdom along with discerment like Solomon did in 1 Kings 3:9<br /><br /> God Bless!Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-24034382796374469332010-07-20T12:05:00.000-07:002010-07-20T12:08:20.400-07:00The Bucket List<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoTVzXG-OQKW0LAh8Cv3U_Dlz3mcqCsi96cycXMcPq7kMKlLsbs1qRCC664zCMg4ZTjPWtH6-RSX0uFCOen4yg11viERmIszb5_iSEQmmgEjkEoDOC6Aj2akB0E8DpjAV7ssyD1NTdZhv/s1600/bucket.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnoTVzXG-OQKW0LAh8Cv3U_Dlz3mcqCsi96cycXMcPq7kMKlLsbs1qRCC664zCMg4ZTjPWtH6-RSX0uFCOen4yg11viERmIszb5_iSEQmmgEjkEoDOC6Aj2akB0E8DpjAV7ssyD1NTdZhv/s320/bucket.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496067005475376546" /></a><br />Every since the movie “The Bucket List” came out people have been sharing their lists with others and even big cities like Atlanta advertise their own versions of the list. But I guess this is nothing new. I am sure ever since our creation man has been thinking of things they wanted to do before they passed on. While thinking about my own list I was wondering if I should make the list about myself or should I try to make it about others. Well I’m still thinking about that but what I have come to realize during my 44 years here on Earth is that life is not about possessions, money, travel or experiences. I think the most important aspects of our lives should be our relationships with friends, family and especially our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So how does that apply to your “Bucket List”? Well for me it would mean that I would take this list in reverse order and focus on my relationship with our Lord and Savior and my work spreading the Gospel. I would also reach out to family members whom I have lost touch with and try to strengthen the bonds I already have with my loved ones. Finally I would work on building lifelong friendships with others and try to be a good ambassador of the Kingdom.<br /><br /><br />Below is what former President Bill Clinton put on his list. What will you put on yours?<br /><br /><br />"I'd like to climb Kilimanjaro before the snows melt, I'd like to run a marathon before I give out, there's lots of things I'd like to do," Mr. Clinton said Monday in Vienna.“His more important "A" list, he said, includes living to see his own grandchildren (his daughter Chelsea is about to get married) and living "to know that all the grandchildren of the world will have the chance in the not too distant future to live their own dreams and not die before their time”Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-78259458133063364852010-07-15T16:36:00.000-07:002010-07-16T10:21:46.419-07:00My First S.O.A.P Journal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU0RklS89fJ2fEIguKvOzC4x_AQWFeD1avg5ljOkHxpcvTvCXw7Xp1i0JZTKmYzY2HuWLm2BfEykN78AxFfQQn7RLC7N5l47kDfut8hCfrOaGiMJknxwVex7gLAYpzfjgpD0Uo3TTywaj/s1600/thumbnailCAMJEBJP.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU0RklS89fJ2fEIguKvOzC4x_AQWFeD1avg5ljOkHxpcvTvCXw7Xp1i0JZTKmYzY2HuWLm2BfEykN78AxFfQQn7RLC7N5l47kDfut8hCfrOaGiMJknxwVex7gLAYpzfjgpD0Uo3TTywaj/s320/thumbnailCAMJEBJP.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494282362700480786" /></a><br />Friends,<br /><br />My Brother Tony has introduced me to a new form of Bible study called SOAP journaling. Below is a brief description along with my first journal. Hope you enjoy…Chris<br /><br /><br /><br />How Do I Use SOAP?<br /><br />S for Scripture<br />Open your Bible to the reading found under today's date of your Bible bookmark (see below). Take time reading and allow God to speak to you. When you are done, look for a verse that particularly spoke to you that day and write it in your journal. <br /><br />O for Observation<br />What do you think God is saying to you in the Scriptures? Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and reveal Jesus to you. In your journal, paraphrase and write the verse(s) down in your own words.<br /><br />A for Application <br />Personalize what you have read, by asking yourself how it applies to your life right now. Perhaps it is instruction, encouragement, revelation of a new promise, or corrections for a particular area of your life. Write how the verse(s) can apply to you today.<br /><br />P for Prayer <br />This can be as simple as asking God to help you use what you have learned. Remember, prayer is a two way conversation, so be sure to listen to what God has to say! Now, write it out.<br /><br />Following the Holy Spirit Acts 16:6-10 ESV<br /><br />(S) Acts 16:6-10 ESV 6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.<br /><br />(O) What’s my observation? Well the first thing I noticed is the that verse 6 tells us the Holy Spirit forbade them from speaking the word in Asia, then in the next verse it says the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them go into Bithynia. I find it interesting that in most of the translations there is a difference in the naming of the two Spirits. The other observation I made was how the Holy Spirit lead them to where they needed to go. Although they wanted to go (or felt led to go) to Asia they were turned away by the Spirit.(after reading the notes in the ESV it says that Spirit of Jesus would be the same as the Holy Spirit which makes sense)<br /><br />(A) The application for me would be to do listen to the Holy Spirit instead of trying to suppress it all the time and actually praying for our Father to open my heart and let me receive the Spirit and lead me to do the His will.<br /><br />(P) Father God, Thank you for all of the awesome things you have done in my life and in the lives of my loved ones. You have blessed me more than I could ever have imagined. Thank you for sending your Son to die on the cross for our transgressions. Father forgive me for my sins and for not following the example of the One who has paid it all. Father I ask you to open my heart and help me welcome the Holy Spirit in my life and trust Him to lead me and guide me to do you will. Father I ask all of these things in Jesus name Amen!Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-87101222380305518372010-06-21T21:50:00.000-07:002010-06-21T21:55:46.445-07:00Spiritual Fitness<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-FhxW26zBIvxny9kGgdoQPawBMcQv8IK7R4O7uMRqrHRNjwLKmg5x-EAPLGj5kfDTcG3MfwiIklSc-70_QDhILrcxmFKGOWu37plM3HPRDLXcwHJ2Yyqx2lqcSZ47hVCmYJqzrmLg9iG/s1600/spirit.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 106px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-FhxW26zBIvxny9kGgdoQPawBMcQv8IK7R4O7uMRqrHRNjwLKmg5x-EAPLGj5kfDTcG3MfwiIklSc-70_QDhILrcxmFKGOWu37plM3HPRDLXcwHJ2Yyqx2lqcSZ47hVCmYJqzrmLg9iG/s320/spirit.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485456785613184578" /></a><br />Friends back in 2008 I wrote a blog about Jesus being a lifestyle and not just being a diet, using a physical fitness analogy. Well I’m back this year to try to revamp that message. During the past 6 months I have been able to lose a lot of weight (45 lbs) and get myself in good physical condition. I have done this by doing 1 hour of cardio a day and eating a low carb diet. I did this for 40 days and kept dieting and exercising until I reached my goal. But now that I am where I want to be I find myself starting to get lazy and not really wanting to work out and eat right. I know of others who have done the same thing. Then I started thinking about how I got out of shape in the first place and then it hit me. I have become complacent and forgot what it felt like to be out of shape, because as we all know that getting out of shape kind of just creeps up on you and before you know it your miserable again. I know that’s how it was for me. <br /><br /> Well I feel our Spiritual fitness works the same way. When we get saved or make our way back to the Lord we start out strong, we pray every day, we get in the Word and study it or we join a study group. Then after a while it happens. We start getting lazy, we get complacent or we start thinking we can coast through our spiritual life. We might stop praying everyday with our family or stop reading our Bibles. I know how it is, I have been there and I’m just now getting back on track. But like I said before being a follower of Christ is a lifestyle and not just a quick fix or diet to use my earlier analogy. We are to be students of Word for the rest of lives. The Bible is not meant to be read in a year then forgotten. It is meant to be studied; it is the “Manna” that God uses to feed our spirit and soul. We must maintain our spiritual fitness or fall prey to the enemy.<br /><br />The New Testament uses the imagery of training as a guide for growth in the spiritual life. "Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value but godliness has value for all things holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (I Timothy 4:7-8).<br /><br />"Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last but we do it to get a crown that will last forever" (I Corinthians 9:24-25<br /><br />How is your Spiritual fitness? I know mine is lacking in many areas but the good news is I know what needs to be done to improve it and I serve a God who has filled me with the Holy Spirit and given me the tools I need to get there. Thank you Lord!Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-46807228756089622642010-04-22T13:26:00.000-07:002010-04-22T13:31:36.616-07:00The Caesar of Leisure Part II<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAjcSyEyVGRquW9Mv1tJMX6Tn4R91qZoNHCZ-gumCBax8dbIu-5tvAIBXfWMS2yukvdWMwr4dxFkChF_qQEFCsr3-dQf69DomR483Qq0kz49UyJaoEqirCvNOYmt_SjAr0_sDsHfXV46s/s1600/time.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 115px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisAjcSyEyVGRquW9Mv1tJMX6Tn4R91qZoNHCZ-gumCBax8dbIu-5tvAIBXfWMS2yukvdWMwr4dxFkChF_qQEFCsr3-dQf69DomR483Qq0kz49UyJaoEqirCvNOYmt_SjAr0_sDsHfXV46s/s320/time.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463061414585460306" /></a><br />Welcome back friends to Part II of my blog “The Caesar of Leisure” Last time I talked a little bit our obsession with leisure and how it was robbing us of time we could be spending at the feet of our Lord and Savior and time that could be spent with our loved ones in fellowship. This week I will be talking a little bit about some more aspects of leisure that we have to keep checked. One of the biggest trends we see in our culture that even encompasses TV and internet is Busyness. We are always busy doing something and with the invention of the Internet and Television we stay busier than ever. One thing that keeps us way too busy as parents is the false ideal our culture promotes about keeping our children involved in a lot of organized activities. We as a culture are so obsessed with getting our children involved in more activities and events then we have time for. Now again these things are all good but when we try to do too much or feel we have to get our children involved in every activity out there we have the tendency to let these activities dictate our schedules, and I feel we, as well as our children suffer from it. <br /><br /> Trevin Wax writes in “Holy Subversion “Parents taxi children from one event to another, focusing all their leisure time on dance classes, organized soccer, Little League, or music lessons. Many times the children are as unhappy with their hurried lifestyle as the parents, and if given a choice, would simply want to go home”<br /><br /> Does this sound like your family? I know sometimes my schedule can be kind of hectic. So what’s the take away? Well I think we need to prioritize or lives and put some of these activities on the back burner. You should ask yourself how these activities are going to interfere with going to church. How will they fit into family time? How will they fit into personal time? Again these are just observations but it’s something you see all the time. Remember a Christians life should be grounded in the Cross not leisure!<br /><br /> I believe the way to accomplish this is to structure your free time. We need to prioritize our leisure activities so that it’s clear that Jesus is on the throne of our lives. We should make time for daily bible studies and prayer; we should share meals together instead of going our separate ways to go finish watching a TV show. We also need to plan moments of contemplative solitude. Trevin Wax writes “The constant barrage of noise and entertainment today can effectively drown out the voice of God to us, so that even when we open the scriptures, we are too distracted to hear what God has to say.” Trevin also writes “A spiritual discipline that keeps my life centered on Christ is the practice of praying briefly three or four times a day at certain hours.” These are just a few ideals to help us get our focus back on the Kingdom and not on things of this world. How do you spend your free time? I know I waste too much time! God Bless..Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-22443453766023831752010-04-14T13:15:00.000-07:002010-04-14T13:29:45.604-07:00The Caesar of Leisure Part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjlH52oCS46oXnos5cIYowpCsgcmLHgFlGSYWfLiJjHyeiqysbhyphenhyphengMljNoCD0BksDw4hF_RCIWy0QU5a3mWHD0VaM2-zlqSSKraAGZZdvAQs2iXUiIgrW9rxoQAxTfNRzJZT1S1v7hx42/s1600/Caesar-augustus-572095.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjlH52oCS46oXnos5cIYowpCsgcmLHgFlGSYWfLiJjHyeiqysbhyphenhyphengMljNoCD0BksDw4hF_RCIWy0QU5a3mWHD0VaM2-zlqSSKraAGZZdvAQs2iXUiIgrW9rxoQAxTfNRzJZT1S1v7hx42/s320/Caesar-augustus-572095.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460091604986357458" /></a><br />Friends for the past week I have been reading this awesome book by Trevin Wax entitled “Holy Subversion”. The premise of this book is about how Christians should be living their lives and what they need to subvert in their lives to really live for Jesus. The term “subverting” in this book refers to “undermining” or “Pushing” something back down to its proper place. Another term Trevin uses in his book is “Caesar”. Caesar of course comes from back in the days of the Roman Empire. During Jesus ministry the Roman Empire ruled most of the known world and the leaders of the Romans were referred to as Caesar, named after Julius Caesar. <br /> <br /> The early Caesars had been declared “divine” shortly after their deaths and before long the Caesars began accepting that title of worship during their lives and expected to be treated as such. Everyone under the rule of the Romans were forced to bow down and confess Caesar as Lord. So when he talks about the Caesars of today he is talking about anything we put up as idols and worship instead of worshiping Jesus, these include money, power, sex, self, success and leisure. The Caesar I would like to talk about is one that is dear to my heart “Leisure”<br /> <br /> It’s funny that I chose this topic because my brother and I have had many discussions on this topic and I have always came back with my balance theory. That theory meaning you should balance your time with God, family, work and friends. Trevin Wax devotes an entire chapter of his book to this subject and I will be quoting a lot of it. He writes<br /><br /> “We can enjoy the fruits of our labor, admire beautiful art, soak up the glory of creation, and play sports and games for recreation. Yet leisure is all to ready to leave its proper place in our lives and steal the throne. Instead of being a friend to a hard worker, leisure often morphs into a taskmaster that squeezes the life out of us. Just as the early church rejected the addictive entertainment of the Roman games, subversive communities of faith will encourage believers to consciously monitor their media intake. In order to subvert the Caesar of Leisure, we must begin thinking seriously about our free time, structuring our time in order to show that God is our first priority, and focusing our leisure time on people instead of the newest distractions of our entertainment culture”<br /><br /> Does this sound familiar? I will be the first one to tell you I have been bowing to the Caesar of Leisure. I posed this question during our monthly men’s ministry meeting while discussing starting a book study “are we spending as much time in the Word as we are on Facebook” ? This was in response to a question of do we have the time for a book study. What are some other things that fall into the category being a Caesar for our Leisure? <br /><br /> How about TV? We might as well go for the jugular here. Trevin talks a little bit about the good ole Television set and its impact on American culture. John Piper also writes in his book “Don’t Waste your Life” “Television is one of the greatest life-wasters of the modern age. And, of course, the Internet is running to catch up, and may have caught up. You can be more selective on the Internet, but you can also select worse things with only the Judge of the universe watching. TV still reigns as the great life-waster. The main problem with TV is not how much smut is available, though that is a problem. Just the ads are enough to sow fertile seeds of greed and lust, no matter what program you’re watching. The greater problem is banality. A mind fed daily on TV diminishes. Your mind was made to know and love God. Its facility for this great calling is ruined by excessive TV. The content is so trivial and so shallow that the capacity of the mind to think worthy thoughts withers and the capacity of the heart to feel deep emotions shrivels”<br /><br /> Now before you go out and start giving away your TV sets and cutting the cable off like some people have been proud to announce to the world that they have done, sit back and think of ways that you can use the TV to bring the family together and not drive apart. One of the biggest issues with TV that Trevin brings up is the fact that everyone has their own TV and the family no longer spends time together watching it. Again I have this issue in my house as well. With today’s incomes and the low cost of TV’s it’s easy to provide every member of your house to include the dog a TV, and I’m not saying that your family must watch TV together all the time but it is something that at times should be done together. So what is the answer?<br /><br /> Trevin suggests one way would be to practice “intentional TV watching”. That would be getting a movie the family would enjoy watching together and making it a family event, or watching a favorite TV show that everyone enjoys. Some of my fondest memories as a child was watching the “Walton’s” with my family. We had one TV and it was in my Aunt Kay’s room that she shared with my mother (yes we were poor) but that one night a week we would all pile up on her bed and watch what was going on with John Boy and Marry Ellen. My job was to make the popcorn for everyone. But that’s what we did back then and we loved it. My brother Tony and his family do something like this as well. They have a DVR and during the week record a lot of shows they like to watch as a family then on the weekends get together for some family time and catch up on the latest shows they like. <br /><br /> These are just a few solutions for subverting the TV idol. Remember you have more control over television than you know. You have the ability to record multiple shows at once while watching another. Use this to your advantage. Is there is a good show on and dinner is ready? Well record the show and sit down with the family and eat together and when you do get a chance to watch it you can fast forward through the commercials. Well this is all I have for this segment but on part 2 I will be talking about video games, sports, an overbooked calendar and about spending some quite time with God. I will leave you with EPH 5:15-17 ESV “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” Peace and Blessing…ChrisChris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-11439007515884106172010-04-08T22:10:00.000-07:002010-04-08T22:27:52.241-07:00Death of a Coal Miner<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVKIvSoscESaPBnQR_F22l1u7fjuiyjaViwBWhwj2294uXUabTNLtMeW4Dnb8Gkd3pBzHasmfKN6D2hz5pE8kuKBxG1EHHAilBtbmCqhuqBZJCS5NCNqyGnlKW79aZfJjWboapsvLDPMe/s1600/miners01.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVKIvSoscESaPBnQR_F22l1u7fjuiyjaViwBWhwj2294uXUabTNLtMeW4Dnb8Gkd3pBzHasmfKN6D2hz5pE8kuKBxG1EHHAilBtbmCqhuqBZJCS5NCNqyGnlKW79aZfJjWboapsvLDPMe/s320/miners01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458004965546817666" /></a><br /><br />Friends the recent tragedy at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia has been headline news around the world and for people who have lived in mining communities it has really hit home. I am proud to say that I come for a mining family. My father briefly worked in the coal mines and was actually part of a mine rescue team back in the 60's, my grandfather Barnette was a miner, worked as a federal mine inspector and after retirement owned a mine with his sons. My grandfather on my mother’s side was not so lucky. When he was just 38 yrs old he was killed in the mines trying out a new piece of equipment. Below is an article my aunt Barbara wrote in memory of her father. Please continue to pray for the families of those who lost love ones and pray for those who do this dangerous job everyday. God Bless<br /><br /><br />Death of a Coal Miner<br />Cebert Dean Murphy <br />born June 17, 1918 died October 30, 1956 in a mining accident in Vivian W. Va.<br /><br />Cebert with joy in his face told his wife Agnes, that when he went to work that night, he was going to get to operate a new machine called a “Continuous Miner.” This was a far cry from the time he had to work on his knees because of the low ceiling to load coal with a shovel. Cebert was like a little boy with a new toy...he explained to Agnes that a Continuous Miner cut and loaded coal simultaneously. It would now be possible to cut and load a ton of coal in a matter of seconds. For safety sake, it required an operator and another man behind him to let the operator know when he needed to back out for the roof to be supported with timbers; once the machine cut and loaded a large amount of coal, the operator would back out and timbers would be installed to support the roof. <br /><br />Cebert left home that night a very excited person. Before entering the mines, he fills the bottom of his lunch bucket with fresh water that the mines supplies. As he opens the top of his lunch bucket to get out some bubble gum--he notices that his daughters, Kay and Barbara had packed two salami sandwiches and they had also put in a fried apple pie that his wife had made that day. He took out the bubble gum, unwrapped it and placed it in his mouth. He now chews bubble gum when he works in the mines because it cuts the taste of the coal dust. A lot of men preferred to chew tobacco, but his youngest daughter Lizzy thought that chewing tobacco was nasty and had packed bubble gum in his lunch bucket instead of the tobacco. He smiled to himself thinking of “Lizzy.” With her dark sparkling eyes, he knew that he could never turn down any request from her. She was his youngest and very dear to his heart. He admitted to himself that he did spoil her. He admired the way that she stood up to him. He placed his goggles on top of his helmet and tested his light going to his helmet to make sure that it worked. Turning the light off, he then placed the helmet connected with a cord to a battery light on his head and hooked the battery pack to his belt. With his lunch bucket in one hand, Cebert got onto the electric tram along with the other men that were working the hoot owl night shift. The electric tram took the men to their designated work location. After being on the job for two hours, he was involved in a fatal accident which cost him his life. <br /><br />Cebert came back home resting in a coffin. The man who was his “spotter” either didn’t get his attention or he didn’t hear him, he went too far and a very large piece of roof fell on the machine and crushed his head--the only part of his body that wasn’t enclosed in the seat of the machine. He was killed instantly. He left behind three sisters, two brothers, a widow, an enlisted son in the Air Force, and three teenage daughters; ages sixteen, fourteen, and eleven. Cebert died doing what he enjoyed most--playing with a new toy.<br /><br />Barbara Murphy Winter, ex-resident of AnawaltChris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-10741530894980691762010-02-18T12:31:00.000-08:002010-02-18T12:38:56.260-08:00Too busy for Jesus<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkU48s4zkLZ360MO3mnwnXz4dliVmkW5cdOWShEqob5CSt69DPjXqY32ryMouXJfiGLsW0AYL-aNO6H5fvB5OE-XVSXR22mo13DaHKijoNiFAQnvRQrIwBlbG6Mrd6LU9CM-IEmyRNah2Q/s1600-h/thumbnail.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 159px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkU48s4zkLZ360MO3mnwnXz4dliVmkW5cdOWShEqob5CSt69DPjXqY32ryMouXJfiGLsW0AYL-aNO6H5fvB5OE-XVSXR22mo13DaHKijoNiFAQnvRQrIwBlbG6Mrd6LU9CM-IEmyRNah2Q/s320/thumbnail.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439684686656347250" /></a><br />Friends I have a confession to make, I have been too busy for Jesus. While preparing a lesson on Martha and Mary for my Sunday school class I realized that I am like Martha in the sense that I have kept myself way too busy to focus on Jesus. For those of you who are not familiar with this story it’s about two Sisters who along with their Brother Lazarus were good friends of Jesus. In Luke 10:38-42 NIV we hear about a time where Jesus stopped by and shared a meal with Martha and Mary.<br /><br /> “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She was too busy to enjoy His company. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42<br /><br /> Can anyone relate to this story? Do we get distracted by all the preparations everyday life throws at us? I know I do. Another question could be do we bring these distractions upon ourselves? I think we do. In today’s society we have some many things to do that waste time and everyday it seems like we invent new ways to cram even more stuff into the little time we do have. Computers, iphones and TiVo are just a few items that I have used to cram more junk into my time. Another thing our generation has started doing is overloading or over scheduling our daily lives. We feel like we have to have something going on at all times which usually leads to over committing ourselves and getting stressed out.<br /><br /> Last year I wrote a blog about the Sabbath and how important God felt that day of rest was for us. But I hear the same excuses “I have too much going on to take a day off”. I have to clean house, kids have ball practice, birthday parties, grass needs cutting..ect ect ect. But the funny thing is most of your well known preachers take a day off to rest and you can imagine how busy their schedules are. So what suffers as a result? I feel our relationship with our Lord and Savior suffers. I have actually heard people say that Sunday is the only day they can relax and spend time with their families. I have asked “can’t you do that at Church”? I also get the “sorry we couldn’t make it last week, we have been so busy” I’m not sure why they apologize to me, I wasn’t offended by their absence. But you get what I’m trying to say here. <br /><br /> So back to the two Sisters, you have to love how Jesus responded to Martha’s complaint about her Sister just sitting at his feet. He tells Martha "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." What he was trying to say was nothing is more important than his teaching and that Mary knew it was better to listen to him instead of being worried and upset about other things.<br /><br /> This lesson has really hit home with me and tells me that I need to spend more time with Jesus and less time with things of this world. Jesus said in John 16:33 NIV "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." Jesus has overcome the world and with his help I feel we can do the same. It’s going to be tough turning off the computer, Tv and xbox but I feel if I put Him first then I will be able to have a lot more peace and enjoy the life He has blessed me with and who’s know I still might be able enjoy a few minutes online playing games Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-84617778567613369852009-12-30T08:26:00.001-08:002009-12-30T11:51:29.128-08:00Going through the motions<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRKChu3IQcaWpcEz1XdkNZEEu8WejTBE-oVBd0H47Kjl0wh_BIYrMzOYBzLLd2CARJtumglgnv_nDgAB_y_MPGoI76BWnGKiXLW6ITtf3HfBDHS3wApwt5SaoV_aKQgBvEmAYTTcq6t8x/s1600-h/lukewarm.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 257px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRKChu3IQcaWpcEz1XdkNZEEu8WejTBE-oVBd0H47Kjl0wh_BIYrMzOYBzLLd2CARJtumglgnv_nDgAB_y_MPGoI76BWnGKiXLW6ITtf3HfBDHS3wApwt5SaoV_aKQgBvEmAYTTcq6t8x/s320/lukewarm.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421066742341055442" /></a><br /><br /><br /> Recently someone asked me about all the things I do at my local Church and just for those who don’t know me I teach Sunday School, a couples class on Sunday evenings and sing in the choir. They ask me if I am really feeling it or just going through the motions. Well to be perfectly honest it’s a combination of both, but more feeling it than anything. Often what starts out as going through the motions quickly becomes a heartfelt worship experience. I think we all go through times where we are just coasting through life and going through the motions but I feel these are times where we are most vulnerable to falling into the traps of our enemy. In the Army our commanders warn us of the dangers of complacency and I think we as Christians we should also heed this warning. The book of Amos also gives us a warning about being complacent. <br /><br />Amos 6:1-7 NIV 1 Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come! 2 Go to Kalneh and look at it; go from there to great Hamath, and then go down to Gath in Philistia. Are they better off than your two kingdoms? Is their land larger than yours?3 You put off the evil day and bring near a reign of terror. 4 You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves.5 You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments.6 You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. 7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end. <br /><br />This is why I feel it is so important to stay plugged into your church. A lot of times we don’t feel like getting up and going to a service but like I told my wife I can’t ever recall a time where I wish I would have stayed at home and not gone. Yes we all get tired and overwhelmed with all the stress we put on ourselves but for me listening to the Word and worshiping with others brings a kind of peace and rejuvenation that can’t be described. It also keeps feeding the fire in my spirit. We often hear about people being on fire for Jesus but I often wonder how that fire is being feed. For me it’s staying involved and fellowshipping with others. But I have to admit I still struggle with staying fired up. <br /><br />I believe another area we should aware of is being lukewarm. I recently started reading the Book “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan and in chapter 4 he starts talking about being a Lukewarm Christian. Again this Chapter could have been written about me because a lot of times I feel I am neither hot nor cold, just somewhere in the middle. In the book of Revelation Jesus says:<br /><br />Revelation 3:15-16 NKJV “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth”. <br /><br />Wow this really hit me hard and made me evaluate myself and to be honest I didn’t like the results. I have asked myself do I really walk the walk or do I just talk the talk? Have I given all I have to follow Jesus or just enough to get by? Am I just drifting along with the crowd, singing songs in church and doing good things on occasion? Here’s a big one, have I reached out to family members who don’t know Jesus and tried to share the Gospel with them, Co-workers? Strangers? The Bible tells us in a couple of places to examine ourselves to see where our faith is, here are just a few.<br /><br />Galatians 6:4 “But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor”.<br /><br />1 Corinthians 11:28 “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup”.<br /><br />2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”<br /><br />The test results are in and I have failed my exam. But the good news is that I will be given another chance to take it and this time it will be open book. Like I said in the beginning I do a few things with my church but I believe it’s not enough. Jesus wants me to be full time and not just show up on Sunday and Wednesday. He wants me to be his first love and not get what ever I have leftover. He even tells us this in the book of Revelation.<br /><br />Revelation 2:4-6 NKJV “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place — unless you repent”<br /><br /><br />I know I will be doing a lot of repenting and for my “Westwood” family cleaning out my tent. I hope you all have a very blessed New Year! ChrisChris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-61796794009092003252009-12-04T11:36:00.000-08:002009-12-04T12:05:09.685-08:00Crouching Tiger Hidden Sin!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwpoNObplSkoaqBNpTzVJLAFEr7EWrMa7YtKVNhSJR3vV90e81YtUmcmmQgqku0FzvKMuqBpQcycsBQVDB8z0Kano9dSUPl56IrKogowAmlRz1u3TIMMHsKKIPC_jfe6LQYskA6b-IN4E/s1600-h/tiger3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwpoNObplSkoaqBNpTzVJLAFEr7EWrMa7YtKVNhSJR3vV90e81YtUmcmmQgqku0FzvKMuqBpQcycsBQVDB8z0Kano9dSUPl56IrKogowAmlRz1u3TIMMHsKKIPC_jfe6LQYskA6b-IN4E/s320/tiger3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411468247079111810" /></a><br /><br />Friends,<br /><br />The “Big Story” or “Breaking News” this week of course is the Tiger Woods saga. I like many others have joined in on the jokes, forwarded the funny doctored photos of Tiger and had lengthy discussions with friends and co-workers about the speculations of the case. But I have also been in the same situation and kind of know what he is going through. Take away the fame and fortune and it’s the same story with different characters. But this is nothing new, for over 2,000 years the Bible has been warning men about this very issue. If you just look in Proverbs you will see the warnings that King Solomon gave us on adultery.<br /><br /> “1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, 2 that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, 4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; 6 she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. 7 And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. 8 Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, 9 lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, 10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, 11 and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed,” Proverbs 5:1-11 (ESV)<br /><br /> “15 Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. 16 Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. 18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, 19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love. 20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? 21 For a man's ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths. 22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. 23 He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.” Proverbs 5:15-23 (ESV)<br /><br /> “21With much seductive speech she persuades him; with(DN) her smooth talk she compels him.22All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast[s] 23till an arrow pierces its liver; as(DO) a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. 24And(DP) now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth.25Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths,26for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are(DQ) a mighty throng.27Her house is(DR) the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.” Proverbs 7:21-27 (ESV)<br /><br /><br /> As you can see things have not changed much in 2,000 years, but what we also have to remember is that we serve a loving and forgiving God. God sent his only Son to die on the cross all of our sins including Tiger’s and mine. So I would encourage everyone to pray for him and especially his family and also pray for God to use him to help others who might be tempted to go down this path. The Bible is full of murders and adulterers who have turned their life around and have done great things for God. King David is one of the best examples. I have included a article by C.J Mahaney that ties in with this. God Bless<br /><br /><br /><br />Hunting Tiger Woods<br /><br /><br />by C.J. Mahaney <br /><br />Tiger Woods wants his privacy back. He wants the media entourage to disappear from his life. He wants to be left alone so he can manage his personal problems in private. <br /><br />Not a chance. <br /><br />The story began unfolding in the early hours of last Friday when he crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a tree and a fire hydrant near his Florida home. He refused to speak with the police about the incident, raising curiosity about the circumstances. The story has now escalated into allegations of marital infidelity, and that generated a blog post from Tiger that stated, “I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart.” This statement by Tiger has led most to believe that the allegations of infidelity are true.<br /><br />Hunted by the Media<br /><br />As expected, the allegations of adultery involving a public figure are attracting a media pile-on. This is a big story with a big audience and it’s a story that will not disappear soon. Tiger Woods is being hunted by the media. <br /><br />But let us make sure we do not join the hunt. A Christian’s response to this story should be distinctly different. We should not be entertained by the news. We should not have a morbid interest in all the details. We should be saddened and sobered. We should pray for this man and even more for his wife. <br /><br />And we can be sure that in the coming days we will be in conversations with friends and family where this topic will emerge. And when it does, we can avoid simply listening to the latest details and speculations, and avoid speaking self-righteously, but instead we can humbly draw attention to the grace of God in the gospel.<br /><br />Hunted by Sin<br /><br />But Tiger is being hunted by something more menacing than journalists. Tiger’s real enemy is his sin, and that’s an enemy much more difficult to discern and one that can’t be managed in our own strength. It’s an enemy that never sleeps. <br /><br />Let me explain.<br /><br />Sin Lies<br /><br />The Bible in general, and the book of Proverbs in particular, reveals an unbreakable connection between our character, our conduct, and the consequences of our actions. These three are inseparable and woven by God into His created order. <br /> <br />Deception is part of sin’s DNA. Sin lies to us. It seeks to convince us that sin brings only pleasure, that it carries no consequences, and that no one will discover it. Sin works hard to make us forget that character, conduct, and consequences are interconnected. And when we neglect this relationship—when we think our sins will not be discovered—we ultimately mock God. <br /><br />Sin Hunts<br /><br />We’ve all experienced it: Sin lies to us. We take the bait. And then sin begins to hunt us.<br /><br />One commentator on Proverbs articulated this truth like this: “The irony of a life of rebellion is that we begin by pursuing sin…and end up being pursued by it!….You can ‘be sure your sin will find you out’ (Num. 32:23…).”* In other words, sin comes back to hunt us. <br /><br />In light of this fact, sin is an enemy Tiger can’t manage. He can’t shape this story like he does a long iron on a par 5. Tiger doesn’t need a publicity facelift; Tiger needs a Savior. Just like me. And just like you. And if by God’s grace he repents and trusts in the person and work of Christ, Tiger will experience the fruit of God’s promise that “whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).<br /><br />Conclusion<br /><br />Tiger cannot intimidate this enemy like he can Pebble Beach or any of the field of professional golfers. And there is no privacy he can claim from this enemy, regardless of his resolve, his silence, or the name painted on his yacht. It’s likely Tiger only perceives the press hunting him out of a vain “curiosity about public figures.” But Tiger is being hunted and hounded by a far greater foe: the consequences of his sin.<br /><br />And this story should humble and sober us. It should make us ask: Are there any so-called “secret sins” in my life? Is there anything I have done that I hope nobody discovers? Is there anything right now in my life that I should confess to God and the appropriate individuals?Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-61817819659753304182009-09-05T10:01:00.000-07:002009-09-05T10:06:03.680-07:00Have we gone too far with all these Czars?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0bI9N1aGlraNGQBfe0FkjQ91S9jAGGTLOizfUqfxtRo4IzSuMZiI-qBrMLCQUG4UqtQmr-KvzJZQ3385Kut0kW3Owgk4qqhG369KF6FXBqlg4WO8wcrraexNozBHL5Uf_1QZeBY64ydS/s1600-h/czar2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0bI9N1aGlraNGQBfe0FkjQ91S9jAGGTLOizfUqfxtRo4IzSuMZiI-qBrMLCQUG4UqtQmr-KvzJZQ3385Kut0kW3Owgk4qqhG369KF6FXBqlg4WO8wcrraexNozBHL5Uf_1QZeBY64ydS/s320/czar2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378030356575458226" /></a><br />I think so, sure I think it’s awesome that Baskin Robbins has 32 flavors of Ice Cream but do we really need 32 Czars? According to some sources that is exactly how many we have in the Obama administration. This means we have more czars than Imperial Russia. So what is a Czar anyway? According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary a Czar is “one having great power or authority”, in government they are appointments of a few special officers to play a constructive role in a given administration. But the problem is they are not subjected to Senate confirmation and congressional oversight and pose a grave threat to our system of checks and balances. I found the next two quotes on another blog.<br /><br /> “Even Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd (W.Va.) was fearful enough to pen a letter to President Obama in February highlighting his concerns with the administration’s tactics. The Constitution mandates that the Senate confirm Cabinet-level department heads and other appointees in positions of authority — known as “principal officers.” This gives Congress — elected by the people — the power to compel executive decision-makers to testify and be held accountable by someone other than the president. It also ensures that key appointees cannot claim executive privilege when subpoenaed to come before Congress.”<br /><br />“The biggest problems that we’re facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all. And that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m president of the United States.” — Sen. Barack Obama, March 31, 2008<br /><br />“To say President Obama failed to follow through on this promise is an understatement. By appointing a virtual army of “czars” — each wholly unaccountable to Congress yet tasked with spearheading major policy efforts for the White House — in his first six months, the president has embarked on an end-run around the legislative branch of historic proportions.”<br /><br /> So what kind of Czars are out there you say? Here are just a few examples. The administration has a Mideast peace czar (not to be confused with the Mideast policy czar), a Sudan czar and a Guantanamo closure czar. Then there’s the green jobs czar, sometimes in conflict with the energy czar, who talks to the technology czar, who sometimes crosses paths with the urban affairs czar. We mustn’t forget the Great Lakes czar or the WMD czar, who no doubt works hand in hand with the terrorism czar. The stimulus accountability czar is going through a rough time right now, as is the TARP czar — but thankfully they have to answer to the government performance czar. And seemingly everyone falls under the auspices of the information czar. In a government full of duplicative bureaucracies, adding more layers with overlapping responsibilities hardly seems the way to go.<br /><br />The car czar, who stepped down this month amid controversy over his former firm’s role in a scandal, had been managing government’s recent takeover of a huge swath of the domestic auto industry and making decisions for auto companies. The pay czar — also known in White House circles as the “special master for compensation” — has the power to reject or accept any current and future compensation for the top 100 earners at companies that received, in some cases under pressure, money from the Troubled Assets Relief Program. In the coming months he will decide the fate of $235 million in pending retention bonuses at AIG. And the health czar, meanwhile, has become as influential as perhaps anyone in the Obama administration, spearheading White House negotiations with doctors, hospitals and other health providers. She will play a key role in determining which medicines, treatments and cures are deemed necessary for the public.<br /><br /> You know I could of sworn we had cabinet heads (secretaries if you will) to cover all these areas. I think I want to become a czar. Maybe a video game czar, I can get a fat paycheck, have a staff and determine if some of these games are worth 60$ or not. Or I can be a college football czar and make it illegal for top ten teams to play against community colleges. An example would be #1 Florida playing Charleston Southern. Really? I thought preseason was over. So what kind of czar would you like to be?Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-31228748349604831522009-07-15T12:57:00.000-07:002009-07-15T13:07:53.062-07:00Leaving a “Spiritual Inheritance”<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-51T8FOsXjmPmMm7Gncji5qxwEcpFoznX00Ln33zFz9i4L_W6PLHekWv1gEuHFHa8xuB4Lft_JIAEc0mNFQilSs24ytkSRjinzC3HMrtq5BzNaXgzwOlKf_3jE_iJ_-wI51Yn1E3Oj6uY/s1600-h/bible.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 169px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-51T8FOsXjmPmMm7Gncji5qxwEcpFoznX00Ln33zFz9i4L_W6PLHekWv1gEuHFHa8xuB4Lft_JIAEc0mNFQilSs24ytkSRjinzC3HMrtq5BzNaXgzwOlKf_3jE_iJ_-wI51Yn1E3Oj6uY/s320/bible.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358779592759478290" /></a><br />Friends,<br /><br /><br />While preparing for my men’s book study “The man God Uses” I came up with a question for next week’s lesson. The question is “What does it mean to have a Spiritual responsibility to your children and grandchildren?” Now the book we are reading had some great examples but I also came across an article on the internet that talked about leaving a “Spiritual Inheritance”. I have never really given it much thought but I do know after Heidi and I were married my grandfather gave us a bible with a personal note and some scriptures that would help us in the future. I think that’s what their talking about. I can remember another time when my brother and I were talking about books and what to do with the ones we’ve read. How about leaving them for our kids? How cool would that be to see what your parents were reading and to look at things they highlighted or notes they may have jotted down? You know we are always worried about leaving our kids money but how awesome would it be to leave a “Spiritual Inheritance”? I would love to have more personal things like this from my parents and grandparents. So my challenge to you all is to start preparing your Spiritual Inheritance for your kids and grandchildren. Below is an article I pulled from the internet that has some great ideals. You might even want to save your blogs for your children as well. <br /><br />http://www.spiritualdisciplines.org/inheritance.html<br /><br /><br /> LEAVE A SPIRITUAL INHERITANCE<br /><br />"A good man," says Proverbs 13:22, "leaves an inheritance to his children's children." Leaving a material and financial inheritance in a wise manner is good stewardship and can be a great blessing to your heirs. But have you considered ways to leave an inheritance to your family that will have a more direct spiritual impact on them?<br /><br />These spiritual lives we're trying to simplify aren't lived for ourselves only. We also bear responsibility to influence others spiritually, especially the members of our own family. To that end, here are a few items to leave as spiritual time capsules with the belief that they will bless many generations of your descendants.<br /><br /><em><strong>Prayers</strong></em>. The beloved old Bible commentator, Matthew Henry said somewhere that wise parents are more concerned about leaving a treasury of prayers for their children than a treasury of silver and gold. God can answer long after we are dead the prayers for our children and future generations we bring to His throne today. King Hezekiah's wicked son, Manasseh, repented and turned to the Lord many decades after Hezekiah died (see 2 Chronicles 33:12-19), but no doubt the father left behind a rich inheritance of prayers to God for his wayward boy. You may want to preserve some of your prayers for your descendants in letters or journals.<br /><br /><em><strong>Journals</strong></em>. One hundred years from now, quite possibly all that will be known of you will be from photographs or videos, and from what you write. Despite your decades of life and labor, few, if any, of even your direct descendants a century from today will know anything about your spirituality. (What do you know about the inner life of your ancestors who, just 1200 months ago, were as alive as you are now?) Leave your heirs a clear, written testimony of how you came to know God through Jesus Christ. Provide them with a record of answers to prayer, remarkable providences, significant spiritual events, and other works of God in your part of their family history. Write letters to your descendants, urging them to trust Christ, to maintain a Christian heritage in the family, and to meet you in Heaven. Make a list of books that have influenced you.<br /><br /><em><strong>Books</strong></em>. Leave a library—especially of Christian books—for your children and their children. The Lord may use the books to bring them to Christ and to give solid guidance to their spiritual lives long after you are gone. Collect good books for your children or grandchildren even before they are born. I've always bought books (both Christian and general reading) for my daughter, Laurelen, years before she could enjoy them. In fact, I started buying books for her future children when she was just six years old. So if I find a bargain on boys' books, I'll buy them—even though Laurelen will probably never read them—in anticipation of having grandsons some day. Who knows whether some of the great old used books I find for them today will still be available or affordable by then?<br /><br /><em><strong>Daily planners</strong></em>. If you have the space, archive your daily planners. These reflect how you've spent your time and, combined with your journals, provide a fairly complete biography of your adult life.<br /><br />Of course, your most immediate spiritual legacy is the life you live before the watching eyes of your children and grandchildren. However, some (all?) of your grandchildren or great-grandchildren may never know you personally. But if you leave them a rich spiritual inheritance, they may say of you, "He being dead still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4).Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-57643195033336221652009-07-10T09:08:00.000-07:002009-07-10T09:16:42.920-07:00Don’t mess with the Bull you’ll get the horns!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48P_jXSBlclx7_735ErVYkYaa4Pw_WJyZb3urshQepuASAitdTX06uxzlbEI6rKt7GtlNfyPnrIWaXNGuzf0_x6kFFHGTuYFZM2aKTHBOWYULy2ZKgQvo6dmYe9MuBlcI51zkbTE8Wle3/s1600-h/090710-pamplona-hlarge-5a.hlarge.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48P_jXSBlclx7_735ErVYkYaa4Pw_WJyZb3urshQepuASAitdTX06uxzlbEI6rKt7GtlNfyPnrIWaXNGuzf0_x6kFFHGTuYFZM2aKTHBOWYULy2ZKgQvo6dmYe9MuBlcI51zkbTE8Wle3/s320/090710-pamplona-hlarge-5a.hlarge.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356864626284681922" /></a><br />One of my favorite quotes from the movie “ The Breakfast Club” besides “does Barry Manilow know you stole his wardrobe?” is “ don’t mess with the bull, you’ll get the horns”. Well that’s exactly what happened the other day in Spain during the annual running of Bulls festival. Here is some of the story from the AP<br /><br /> PAMPLONA, Spain - A charging bull gored a man to death Friday at Pamplona's San Fermin festival, the first such fatality in nearly 15 years. Nine others were injured in a particularly dangerous and chaotic chapter of the running of the bulls.<br /><br /> The San Fermin festival Web site said the unidentified man was gored in the neck and lung during a run in which a rogue bull separated from the pack, which is among the worst things that can happen at Spain's most popular fiesta.<br /><br /> My question is why do we even entertain doing stuff like this? I know I have done some crazy things in my past. But I always have to ask myself “what was I thinking?” I have to admit before this guy was gored to death I have always thought it would be cool to run with the bulls. Also have you ever noticed it’s always young to middle age white guys doing crazy stunts like this. Do women have these ideals and just not act on them? What is it about us that make us think things like this would be a cool ? Putting a lit bottle rocket in your butt is another example reckless behavior guys have engaged in. Is it the “Jack Ass Syndrome” ? <br /><br /> Hopefully I have grown out of this stage of my life but I have to worry about my son and his buddies and I pray they won’t try to act out some of these things they see on you-tube. What are some of the craziest stunts you have ever done? For me it would be running over a junked car with a tank, and driving 125 Mph on the Autobahn in Germany. What was I thinking?Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-37729211500297476632009-07-02T11:41:00.000-07:002009-07-02T21:56:13.524-07:00Church: Love It, Don't Leave It<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDQ1v0i9vf0SmuBrhVhtF3isrSa_EDPo13yxZ4LIIb9Ri3oCEKFiZ0RbZD6xam14UmVBEFtvs-TolGLtPcxWrJ9KCQERBd07D2_2YDl5HXi4Tt7uA7-JORpVyRHYFUsBuWIWsQB8nGFbE/s1600-h/church2_copy1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDQ1v0i9vf0SmuBrhVhtF3isrSa_EDPo13yxZ4LIIb9Ri3oCEKFiZ0RbZD6xam14UmVBEFtvs-TolGLtPcxWrJ9KCQERBd07D2_2YDl5HXi4Tt7uA7-JORpVyRHYFUsBuWIWsQB8nGFbE/s320/church2_copy1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353940901715998370" /></a><br />Friends,<br /><br /><br />I found this article in the Washington Post and thought it was worth sharing. Seems like lately we have been trying to come up with our own style of church instead of following the example Jesus set for us over 2,000 years ago. I am all for meeting at houses or coffee shops for some fellowship and worship as long as it's not taking the place our weekly Church services. As a matter of fact I think we need to spend more time together in fellowship and worship. I am really encouraged when I see how our Westwood youth get together and just hang out at Church. What do you all think? Are we too caught up in the world to give more than 2 or 3 hours a week worshiping with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ? I know I spend that amount of time just goofing off at the house everynight. So while I am taking the plank out of my own eye let us try to come up with some ways to get together and fellowship more..What says you? Below is the article from the Washington Post<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Church: Love It, Don't Leave It</strong><br />By Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck<br /><br />Here's what Bono, Oprah, and the guru speakers on PBS won't tell you: Jesus believed in organized religion and he founded an institution. Of course, Jesus had no patience for religious hacks and self-righteous wannabes, but he was still Jewish. And as Jew, he read the Holy Book, worshiped in the synagogue, and kept Torah. He did not start a movement of latte-drinking disciples who excelled in spiritual conversations. He founded the church (Matt. 16:18) and commissioned the apostles to proclaim the good news that Israel's Messiah had come and the sins of the world could be forgiven through his death on the cross (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:14-36).<br /><br />For almost two millennia, it was axiomatic that Christians, like, actually went to church (or at least told other Christians they did). From Cyprian to Calvin it was believed that for those to whom God "is Father the church may also be Mother." But increasingly Christians are trying to get more spiritual by getting less church.<br /><br />Take a spin through the religion section at your local bookstore. What you'll find there is revealing - there are "revolutionary" books for stay at home moms, teenagers, and Christian businessmen. There are lots of manifestos. And most of the books about church are about people leaving the church to "find God." There are lots of Kerouacian "journey" stories, and at least one book about the gospel according to Starbucks. It used to be you had to overthrow a country to be considered a revolutionary, and now, it seems, you just have to quit church and go pray in the woods.<br /><br />We've been in the church our whole lives and are not blind to its failings. Churches can be boring, hypocritical, hurtful, and inept. The church is full of sinners. Which is kind of the point. Christians are worse than you think. Our Savior is better than you imagine.<br /><br />But the church is not all about oppression and drudgery. Almost every church we know of visits old people, brings meals to new moms, supports disaster relief, and does something for the poor. We love the local church, in spite of its problems, because it's where we go to meet God. It's not a glorified social/country club you attend to be around people who talk and look just you do. It's a place to hear God's word spoken, taught and affirmed. It's a place to sing praises to God, and a place to serve others. It's a place to be challenged.<br /><br />The church is more than plural for Christian. It is both organism and organization, a living thing comprised of a certain order, regular worship services, with doctrinal standards, institutional norms, and defined rituals. Without the institution of the church nurturing the flock and protecting the faith for two thousand years, there would be no Christianity. If Gen Xers (like us) and their friends want to be against something, start a revolution. If you want to conserve truth and grace for twenty centuries, plant a church.<br /><br />We love the church because Christ loved the church. She is his bride--a harlot at times, but his bride nonetheless, being washed clean by the word of God (Eph. 5:25-26). If you are into Jesus, don't rail on his bride. Jesus died for the church, so don't be bothered by a little dying to self for the church's sake. If you keep in mind that everyone there is a sinner (including yourself) and that Jesus Christ is the point and not you, your dreams, or your kids, your church experience might not be as lame as you fear.<br /><br />Perhaps Christians are leaving the church because it isn't tolerant and open-minded. But perhaps the church-leavers have their own intolerance too--intolerant of tradition, intolerant of authority, intolerant of imperfection except their own. Are you open-minded enough to give the church a chance--a chance for the church to be the church, not a coffee shop, not a mall, not a variety show, not Chuck E. Cheese, not a U2 concert, not a nature walk, but a wonderfully ordinary, blood-bought, Spirit-driven church with pastors, sermons, budgets, hymns, bad carpet and worse coffee? <br /><br />The Church, because it is Christ's church, will outlive American Idol, the NFL, and all of our grandkids. We won't last, but the Church will. So when it comes to church, be like Jesus: love it, don't leave it. As Saint Calloway once prophesied to the Brothers of Blues, "Jake, you get wise, you get to churchChris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-20165930086020437872009-06-05T12:22:00.000-07:002009-06-05T12:55:01.230-07:00Addicted to Entertainment<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8cmsGDAUKEHu5jFo5RQLG19JGYcwiJBWcpuexmrZH38iNNzfyXS0lTBVfkA18stilQKIKMMo9jpMBbrW8QZRsk6Nf3A1whegFXtyfkta0DnxLbIN5EJK21flAPtiH17CemFNIEdeY5Eb/s1600-h/hulu.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 106px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl8cmsGDAUKEHu5jFo5RQLG19JGYcwiJBWcpuexmrZH38iNNzfyXS0lTBVfkA18stilQKIKMMo9jpMBbrW8QZRsk6Nf3A1whegFXtyfkta0DnxLbIN5EJK21flAPtiH17CemFNIEdeY5Eb/s320/hulu.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343926542235902834" /></a><br />Friends,<br /><br />My name is Chris and I am addicted to entertainment! I never really gave it much thought but its true. A couple of weeks ago my friend Shawn mentioned he was cutting off the TV for awhile, another friend Benita mention she was giving up “Farm Town”. I have had other family members mention packing up their TV’s and video games. So it looks like I am not alone. I am addicted to all these things! Now with today’s technology, we have enough media at our fingertips to be able to watch thousands of hours (days/Months) of TV shows and Movies. With Netflix and Hulu alone you can spend every min of the day watching something new for the rest of your lives. Wow! Sometimes that’s enough to stress you out. I have about 30 hrs alone on my DVR that I don’t have time to watch. Let alone the hundreds of DVD’s I just had to have. Am I really going to have time to watch all 5 Star Wars movies again? I don’t think so.<br /><br /> But is all this bad? That’s the million dollar question. I think if it controls your life, keeps you from worshiping God and spending time with your family it is. I was thinking about this the other day. I have recently decided to start doing some extra activities at Church (couples class on Sunday evenings and Men’s book study on Wed). All of this combined with the services on Sun and Wednesday adds up to about 7 hrs a week. That’s a lot! But then I thought about how much time I spend on entertainment I felt ashamed. I can’t even give 7 hours to worship and fellowship with other belivers?<br /><br /> So what’s the take away? For me it’s balance and prioritizing. It’s about putting God first, and then your family and anything left can go for entertainment. For the longest time I have had these in the reverse order and trust me it’s a daily struggle. But if you read the attached article there are some good tips from Tim Challies and John Piper on overcoming this addiction. Another thing I would suggest is to take it slow and wean yourself off these addictions. Look at it like steering an 18 wheeler that you are trying to turn around. Make a slow gradual turn. A lot of people want to get radical and go cold turkey. Examples being, taking out the TV or shutting off the cable. It never works. Like Brother Steve said the other night about good intentions being the path to you know where! Remember “I was gonna” died and didn’t make it to Heaven because he “was gonna” and never did. The below excerpt comes from Tim Challies’s blog http://www.challies.com/ Hope you enjoy…Chris<br /><br /><br />Addicted to Entertainment (II)by Tim Challies<br /><br />Yesterday I looked briefly at entertainment addiction and attempted to propose a definition of entertainment. I said that entertainment is an escape or distraction from normal life. Perhaps I should have added that it is an “enjoyable” escape or distraction. While this is an imperfect definition, I think it is useful, at the least. We seek entertainment to take our minds off the stresses and strains and reality of life.<br />Today I want to offer a couple of ideas that may help you see the impact entertainment has on our lives.<br /><br />QUALIFY ENTERTAINMENT<br /><br />I think we need to first qualify our entertainment. We need to figure out what constitutes entertainment and this may well vary from person to person. A lot of what we may think is news or information or otherwise beneficial information may really be entertainment thinly disguised. Do you check Drudge Report eight or ten times every day looking to see the newest headlines? If so, I suspect you are being entertained more than you are being informed. That little bit of information you get from glancing at the headlines and skimming through the stories should probably be filed as entertainment. The same is true of much of the evening news or the blogs you read. Are these things really integral to your life and faith? Or are they really just a form of entertainment? In Amusing Ourselves to Death Neil Postman asked when the last time was that you read a news headline and were compelled to take action. He realized that the vast majority of the news that comes to us is news which demands no action; instead, it is mere information that entertains us but without edifying or challenging us. Even news is often entertainment. <br /><br />So my encouragement here is to take a look at your day and especially the time you spend in front of screens to determine how much of it is genuinely useful, genuinely applicable to life and how much of it is really a form of entertainment. Which of the shows you watch are entertainment and which are genuinely useful? Which of the web sites you read are entertainment and which actually impact your life? Which of the books you read are amusing and which are edifying? Just pause briefly to think about it.<br /><br />QUANTIFY ENTERTAINMENT<br /><br />Once you have qualified what you do to entertain yourself, try to quantify it. Here you simply attach a number to your entertainment—a number of hours or minutes every day in which you enjoy entertainment. I suspect that, almost invariably, you will be surprised at how large that number is. <br />As of 2008, the average person between the ages of 18 and 24 spent 8.5 hours every day in front of some kind of a screen—whether computer, cell phone, television, or any other. Mom and dad (aged 45 - 54) fared better (or is it worse?), clocking in at 9.5 hours. These are incredible statistics that give a sense of how digital technologies are reshaping our world. Consider that in 1940 the average would have been 0 hours per day. In just 70 years we have radically reshaped our lives.<br />How much of this screen time is entertainment-related? In most cases I suspect that it would be the vast majority. Almost 5 hours of the 8.5 for that 18 to 24 year-old are spent watching television (with mom and dad tallying over 6). Can any of that be deemed something other than entertainment? Not likely. How much of the computer time is related to work or school and how much is chatting or browsing or looking at pornography? And even when we seek to be productive on our computers, how often do we switch quickly to email or Digg or Facebook, even if just for a moment or two at a time? How much of the time spent texting and chatting on the cell phone is for entertainment purposes? And even when we do sit back on the couch with a good book, do we keep the television on, just within our peripheral vision?<br /><br />Even when we look exclusively at screen time we find that people must spend several hours a day being entertained. And this does not include all the other means of entertainment available to us. So quantify your entertainment. For just a day or two track what you do and define appropriate categories. Keep an eye out for how often you switch from work to entertainment, school to entertainment, even if for only two or three minutes each time. I suspect you will find that you are demanding hours of entertainment every day.<br /><br />WHAT TO DO?<br /><br />Before we continue, I wish to emphasize once again that entertainment is not inherently evil. In fact, I am sure that God created us so we desire and pursue times of entertainment. However, I do think we live at a time when we pursue entertainment with reckless abandon and when we demand it in unprecedented quantities. And for this reason it does us good to think about it, to qualify it, to quantify it. <br /><br />Now we return to the question that triggered these articles. Somebody wrote to John Piper and asked “I believe I do love Jesus, but most of the time I’d rather spend time being entertained than spend time in God’s word. How do I break this hold that entertainment has on my heart?”<br /><br />Here is Piper’s reply:<br /><br />1. Recognizing it is a huge step in the right direction. <br />2. Seek the Lord earnestly about it. Pray like crazy that God would open your eyes to see wondrous things out of his law. <br />3. Immerse yourself in the Bible, even when you don’t feel like it, pleading with God to open your eyes to see what’s really there. <br />4. Get in a group where you talk about serious things. <br />5. Begin to share your faith. One of the reasons we are not as moved by our own faith as we are is because we almost never talk about it to any unbeliever. It starts to feel like a kind of hothouse thing, and then it starts to have a feeling of unreality about it. And then the powers of entertainment have more sway in our life.<br /><br />What I have sought to do yesterday and today is give some guidance, some context, to this first step. I want to help you recognize if and where entertainment has dominated your time. If you quantify your entertainment and find that you are spending four or five hours a day being entertained, you may will identify with this person’s honest statement: “most of the time I’d rather spend time being entertained than spend time in God’s word.”<br /><br />At this point I’d encourage you to pursue Piper’s remedy. I know there is much more that could be said at this point but his suggestions are, at the very least, a great place to start. Pray like crazy, immerse yourself in Scripture even (and especially) when you do not want to, talk with others about serious things and share the gospel. Let God’s Word shape and mold you, showing you what really matters.Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-74910855078388693662009-05-19T13:40:00.000-07:002009-05-19T13:42:50.916-07:00Son's messy room leads to dad's 911 call<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44cb4Vqb5WhqQARiZNVMCDCnwbMiGkKIWny6ec-EMu9EgJe7QWi1FQq6Dqib3ZDI3IU1DKatjRs8SSemjR-Es6NNpRX7GX-IY9qVIBoQsK4HP6CeX40aNy8G1sU_kvHAmF3RoENC2O5Sg/s1600-h/img_bedroom.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44cb4Vqb5WhqQARiZNVMCDCnwbMiGkKIWny6ec-EMu9EgJe7QWi1FQq6Dqib3ZDI3IU1DKatjRs8SSemjR-Es6NNpRX7GX-IY9qVIBoQsK4HP6CeX40aNy8G1sU_kvHAmF3RoENC2O5Sg/s320/img_bedroom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337638243473598642" /></a><br />Friends,<br /><br />I found this on MSN this morning.<br /><br />“BEDFORD, Ohio - An Ohio man who argued with his grown son over a messy bedroom says he overreacted when he called 911.Andrew Mizsak called authorities Thursday after his 28-year-old son — who's a school board member in the Cleveland suburb of Bedford — threw a plate of food across the kitchen table and made a fist at him when told to clean his room. The son, also named Andrew, lives in a room in his parents' basement. The father declined to press charges and told police he doesn't want to ruin his son's political career. The son, who also works as a political consultant, says he's lucky to be living in the house rent free. He also promises to keep his room clean.”<br /><br /> How many of us can relate to this guy? I know I can. I also know if I had a dollar for every time we have told our Son to clean his room we could pay our house off. But you know this really got me thinking about how our Heavenly Father is doing the same thing with us. Using our “Room” as an analogy for our “lives” I am sure our father is constantly telling us to clean up! Do we listen? A lot of times we don’t but he loves us anyway and doesn’t give up hope that one day we will change. I often equate being a parent to the way God is our parent. I often tell my Son that I love him and that I would give my life for him just like Jesus did for us. I tell him that God forgives me when I mess up and I will do the same for him. He still has a messy room but has a closer relationship with his parents and for that I am eternally grateful<br /><br />Father thank you for the Mercy and Grace you have shown us in dealing with our “messy Rooms” We know we are undeserving of your Love and Forgiveness but you give it freely anyway. Father thank you sending your Son to die for our sins and thank you for not giving up on us. It’s in Jesus name we pray Amen!Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-84651513664204419302009-04-27T12:23:00.000-07:002009-04-27T12:32:06.204-07:00Unashamed<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwO1p8aHTXQ-QXRLmwwXwE4s3UMjq6xnQSXX8QL4nYW1tDTj0koxJNLXKuq1LRrUfCeBok7HsZBnn_LcxYZin1HJrNBFQUW-rRMHzgzTCwjg4cA-WxSBADKtWmxsnKc606koXvwjWXo2dI/s1600-h/arms.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 119px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwO1p8aHTXQ-QXRLmwwXwE4s3UMjq6xnQSXX8QL4nYW1tDTj0koxJNLXKuq1LRrUfCeBok7HsZBnn_LcxYZin1HJrNBFQUW-rRMHzgzTCwjg4cA-WxSBADKtWmxsnKc606koXvwjWXo2dI/s320/arms.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329454896976510466" /></a><br />Friends I have been so blessed to belong to a Church family who loves me for who I am and who loves me unconditionally. When I think about what I have been going through these past couple of years and especially the pain I have caused Heidi and my Son I have to wonder how can anyone care about me? I am very ashamed of what I have done and I have asked for forgiveness from my family and from God. I do believe that I have been forgiven and have been shown more mercy and grace than I deserve, but then again that’s what being a Christian is all about. Here are a couple of scriptures that come to mind.<br /><br />Romans 3:23-24 tells us that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”<br /><br />Romans 8:1-2 also tells us “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death”<br /><br />Wow pretty powerful stuff. I have to credit my Brother Tony for quoting these to me when I have been feeling down and discouraged about my transgressions. I have been forgiven and I am still covered under Gods Grace! Friends it took along time to realize this. Like I said in the beginning my Church family has also been awesome through this whole experience. They really stood by Heidi and Cj and welcomed me back home with open arms.<br /><br /> The main reason I am writing this Blog is to reach other people who might feel too ashamed of their Sins to come back to Church. I talked to a very sweet girl and her boyfriend yesterday after the service and asked about her Mom and Dad. Her parents had divorced 4 yrs earlier and recently reconciled and remarried. Her Mom was in our Sunday school class and I can remember the day she told Heidi that she was getting back together with her former husband. Just thinking of the happiness I saw on her face brings tears to my eyes. God has restored another marriage! He has healed another family! God does not know the meaning of the word impossible!<br /><br /> Well to get back to my point. After this couple remarried we haven’t seen them in Church that much and Mom has not been back to our Sunday school class. When I asked the daughter about it she said they are visiting other Churches. I hope and pray that they don’t feel too ashamed to come back and get involved with our Church. Like I said before Westwood has welcomed me back with open arms and I know they would do the same for them. And besides what a blessing it would be for everyone to see how God has worked in their lives. Friends we need more of this! We need to share our victories! We need to see God working in our lives. We need to hear from people who have been through the storm and lived to tell about.<br /><br /> Friends if you or someone you know is avoiding the Church because you feel ashamed of your past sins or feel unwelcomed I beg you to give Jesus along with his bride (The Church) a chance to work in your life. I am so glad I did! I will leave you with a verse from Colossians 2:13-14 ” And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” <br /> Remember we have all fallen short of Gods glory and there has only been one without Sin and that was the one who took our place on the cross! Take care my friends, I’ll see you later at our Fathers house.Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-15579940486544206242009-04-15T08:51:00.000-07:002009-04-15T09:35:06.980-07:00The Basement!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VtM3BbUcsYUm0UQQ23fuht5QGZy1jm2PIW_Od0TrpD3RllmKimx38WVi-jHW0wyXrh0c4oU6saNwa7uSyS1LA6nfIFIeQ31TWNtI0fZ2v1fdJInb_tom0p-Ub8v2AW12412eZ1lWPAE5/s1600-h/basement+logo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324948635909562594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VtM3BbUcsYUm0UQQ23fuht5QGZy1jm2PIW_Od0TrpD3RllmKimx38WVi-jHW0wyXrh0c4oU6saNwa7uSyS1LA6nfIFIeQ31TWNtI0fZ2v1fdJInb_tom0p-Ub8v2AW12412eZ1lWPAE5/s320/basement+logo.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Those of you who have been following me on Facebook for the past couple of weeks know I have been really hyping up “The Basement”. Well there is a really good reason; simply “The Basement” is awesome. Now to give you a little background on the Basement I am will borrow some quotes from an article in “The Christian Science Monitor”<br /><br />“The Basement isn't a club. It's a youth-oriented church service – part concert, part pep rally – led by 25-year-old Matt Pitt, a self-taught evangelist who's been preaching his message of clean living, racial conciliation, and sold-out-for-God Christianity since 2004. What began as informal street preaching has become a full-blown enterprise requiring police, security guards, lawyers, and accountants. Mr. Pitt's life has changed seemingly overnight, and many of the teenagers who flock to Birmingham's Cathedral of the Cross to hear him speak say he's changing them, too."</div><div><br />“Pitt is one of a new generation of young evangelical pastors around the country trying to reach out to kids who feel alienated by traditional churches. Mixing prayer and pulse-pounding music, the services speak to teens in a vernacular and environment they're used to, often emphasizing personal testimonies rather than authoritative teaching. Services at The Basement open with roughly 45 minutes of hip-hop performed by local Christian rappers who whip the crowd into a frenzy, encouraging them to dance mosh-pit-style to lyrics like, "Jesus is my rock/ Jesus is my rock star/ Jesus is my rock/ And he's totally cool." </div><div><br />“Pitt arrives onstage afterward, looking somewhat like a rock star himself as his lanky frame, clad in a black T-shirt, jeans, and sandals, is projected across two large screens. "Look at those Jesus freaks right there who are not ashamed," he says, pointing to a row of gyrating worshipers. "Jesus is the only way. The Basement can't do it for you. This is not about a man or a ministry. I'm just the messenger.”</div><div><br />“Keeping it real is a big part of Pitt's message. He addresses issues like school violence, sex, absentee fathers, racism, and suicide. He speaks openly about his personal struggles, as well as those of his family.” Follow below link for the complete article</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0917/p20s01-ussc.html?page=1">http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0917/p20s01-ussc.html?page=1</a></div><br /><div>This article is good but to really get an ideal of what goes on at the Basement you have to see for yourself. The doors open at 6:45 on Tuesday nights at “The Cathedral of the Cross” Church in Centerpoint.</div><br /><div>Now for the past couple of weeks I have been taking a small group of kids from Westwood with me on Tuesday nights and it really has been a blessing. Last night one of the kids we took, I believe got saved. He name is Trevor. He is a friend of my son Cj and had just started coming to our youth group on Wed nights. We saw Trevor hanging around the Church last night and invited him to go with us. Well half way through the service I noticed him sitting in the pew with his head in his hands. I asked Cj if he was sick and he said “no dad he is an atheist and I think he is changing his mind” Wow that was powerful! </div><br /><div></div><div>Trevor continued to sit there while we all were worshiping and then Cj, Kat and Randy Bailey (yes I said Randy Bailey) hugged him and prayed with him. It was very emotional. Usually the service ends with Matt leaving the stage while the crowd gathers up front and worships to a couple Hillsong tunes. Then we usually leave after a song or two but last night we stayed an extra 20 minutes singing and praising Jesus while the kids gathered around Trevor and held him. Wow! I still get emotional thinking about. Then after we got back to the church Cj informs me that his friend Jacob has also been inspired by going to the Basement. All I can say is Praise Jesus!</div><div><br />Now we also have a great youth program at Westwood led by Joseph and his wife Kara and they are doing an awesome job. I think the Basement is just a great way to get our youth on fire for Jesus and invite them into the family of Christ. Now the youths weren’t the only ones on fire last night, if you would of seen Tyrone and I jumping around you would of grabbed a fire hose..Take care friends and hopefully I’ll see you at the Basement! God Bless</div>Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-34356524798132948302009-04-13T08:48:00.000-07:002009-04-15T05:51:31.512-07:00A Family that prays together....Love Dare day 37<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcQDxoh_t3vmGSwPp1WgSoJgDLBm5OC5kzLxt9UXCemSHeskM3MX_QrxBEgT7BPOK_FAEz-AZlZTniK_Cw2KocFft2MFdaqVZ6jW21ax4QZJEpF6Ri4bn4lWUp1PRxqA3gsUstzeSw9kT/s1600-h/praying+together.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324204645290933250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcQDxoh_t3vmGSwPp1WgSoJgDLBm5OC5kzLxt9UXCemSHeskM3MX_QrxBEgT7BPOK_FAEz-AZlZTniK_Cw2KocFft2MFdaqVZ6jW21ax4QZJEpF6Ri4bn4lWUp1PRxqA3gsUstzeSw9kT/s320/praying+together.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Friends,<br /><br />As you know Heidi and I have been attending a Love Dare Bible Study at Westside Baptist Church in Jasper on Sunday nights. We have one more session to go and during that session we will renew our wedding vows, but what I want to talk about today is praying as a couple and family. I have been hit and miss on my Love Dare blogs but I feel this is one of the most important dares you can do. So here it goes.<br /><br />TODAY’S DARE<br /><br />“Ask your spouse if you can begin praying together. Talk about the best time to do this, whether it’s in the morning, your lunch hour, or before bedtime. Use this time to commit your concerns, disagreements, and needs before the Lord. Don’t forget to thank Him for His provision and blessing. Even if your spouse refuses to do this, resolve to spend this daily time in prayer yourself.”<br /><br />Wow..This is powerful! John and Lisa (our class leaders) have been emphasizing praying as a couple since day one but until a couple of days ago we haven’t been doing it. Then last Thursday we did it. We woke up and “I said I think we need to pray together”, Heidi agreed and then I started thanking the Lord for blessing our marriage and giving us a second chance. I also thanked him for all the other blessings we have received and then ask him to watch over us and our family. It was awesome! Now I have to admit I am not very comfortable praying aloud but this morning I felt at ease and the words just flowed out and it only took a couple of minutes. The best part was later that evening Heidi came home from work and expressed how much the prayer helped her through her work day. She said she felt lifted up all day and nothing really bothered her, which was great! We also did this with our Son the other day and he was real receptive to it. What an awesome way to start the day and strengthen your relationships. Thank you Jesus! A couple of scriptures come to mind when I think about praying together.<br /><br />“If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father”. Matthew 18:19<br /><br />Also Ephesians 6:11 tells us to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil”<br /><br />I firmly believe that prayer is the first step in putting on the whole armor of God on and when we do this we are preparing ourselves for anything the enemy throws at us. Praying together also brings us closer to God and to each other. Try it! Take care yall..God Bless…..Chris </div>Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-46978098154298515982009-03-27T10:59:00.000-07:002009-03-27T11:07:26.090-07:00Just some random thoughts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFjTJ9vAZiQgVJEdHr-uCd4IQbB7aENjydoihegWMP1tyvL55PzOCM0ttjsJi9Eeei0-4gWcBe6I-G02m4gcbcyxCYa3QRkduQjYHLatJaQZqOJcs1ea76YXQgNc_r4U3nbpkn0ogm_ey/s1600-h/watercooler.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317929343932166386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 88px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFjTJ9vAZiQgVJEdHr-uCd4IQbB7aENjydoihegWMP1tyvL55PzOCM0ttjsJi9Eeei0-4gWcBe6I-G02m4gcbcyxCYa3QRkduQjYHLatJaQZqOJcs1ea76YXQgNc_r4U3nbpkn0ogm_ey/s320/watercooler.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>In the office today we had a discussion about gossiping around the “water cooler” but since we don’t have a “water cooler” we meet by the scanner and fax machine (that seems to be obsolete in today’s high tech world) and share our stories. Now when I say gossip I mean small talk and not necessarily talking about others.Where do you all gather for your daily dish of office gossip?<br /><br />I read an interesting blog about Facebook today. Seems like some folks are addicted to the Social Networking page that most of us belong to. This Blog starts out telling a story about a guy checking his Facebook page during Church then the writer goes on to explain how Facebook, Gmail and other internet usage are preventing him from his daily Bible reading. Now I will admit I spend some time one these places myself but let’s be honest with ourselves here, there are a hundred other things out there that will keep you from staying in the word on a daily basis. We have TV, music, video games, sports..ect.. ect more stuff to do than time to do it in. If you are not reading your Bible or a devotional book everyday don’t blame technology, the kids, or your job. Take responsibility. Blame yourself and make the effort to put your daily time with God first. Friends I am the biggest violator of this. I spend way too much time watching TV and goofing off on the internet but I have to blame myself and not these things. </div><div><br />Getting back to Facebook, I love it! I think it is a great tool to keep up with friends and loved ones. How do you all feel about technology(and Facebook/myspace/twitter) and being able to stay focused on God at the same time? I feel it’s a balance that we all can achieve and who knows we as Christians can even use technology to spread the good news. Below is the link to the Facebook Blog I mentioned earlier..Peace and Blessings my friends..Chris<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0002003.cfm">http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0002003.cfm</a> </div>Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-47228865823560767342009-03-25T12:47:00.000-07:002009-03-25T13:02:05.292-07:00Love is Faithful<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRQq_SdXHH9BMTOniIl7gAalC3ZDgDBoYjHQ0Rkeno5zMQvM2EvHw22xE4m3_5x7-P_BEm1dPWPwhzb42oW3oY_1M8Gd4ByjGMqzKITsmpBnf9tlpFmkscPlSL0VDdkLNhntAV7xskAzZ/s1600-h/love.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317216487235525410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 119px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRQq_SdXHH9BMTOniIl7gAalC3ZDgDBoYjHQ0Rkeno5zMQvM2EvHw22xE4m3_5x7-P_BEm1dPWPwhzb42oW3oY_1M8Gd4ByjGMqzKITsmpBnf9tlpFmkscPlSL0VDdkLNhntAV7xskAzZ/s320/love.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><a title="Permanent Link: Day 22: Love is faithful" href="http://lovedare.bhpublishinggroup.com/lovedare/week-4/day-22-love-is-faithful/"><strong>Day 22: Love is faithful</strong></a></div><div><br /><em>I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.<br />—Hosea 2:20</em></div><br /><div><br /><strong>TODAY’S DARE</strong></div><br /><div><br />Love is a choice, not a feeling. It is an initiated action, not a knee-jerk reaction. Choose today to be committed to love even if your spouse has lost most of their interest in receiving it. Say to them today in words similar to these, “I love you. Period. I choose to love you even if you don’t love me in return.”</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br />Friends,<br /><br /><br />I know I have been hit and miss with my Love Dare blogging so bear with me. Today’s dare talks about being committed to love. It starts off with saying love is a choice. Wow I never really thought about that before. Do we choose to love someone? I always thought it was a feeling that you had no control over. I guess on the other hand you could choose not to hate someone. What are some of your feelings on this? I also heard something interesting in our Love dare Bible study the other night. Our teacher told us that you must “lead your heart instead of following it”. I am still trying to grasp what that means so again feel free to chime in. I guess it means you can will your self to love someone and lead your heart where your flesh doesn’t want to go.<br /><br />Well getting back to the Dare. I usually tell Heidi I love her a good 10-15 times a day whether it be in person, cell phone, e-mail or text so I think we have this covered. But then I got to thinking if we tell each other “I love you” that many times a day why don’t we do the same for Jesus? I have to admit I am lucky if I pray once a day. That is an area that I really need to focus on. But I was thinking I can just close my eyes for a second and tell Jesus “I love you” and not ask for anything. I can tell him everytime I get in the car or better yet when I get out of the car and thank him at the same time for getting me to my destination safely. I can think of alot of times where I have a minute or two that I can just say I love you!. Well friends that’s my 2 cents for today. Let me know what you think…take care..Chris</div>Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-52718727030975368642009-03-16T22:01:00.000-07:002009-03-16T22:06:31.737-07:00Love dare..Day 14<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5dnIv_daVqtcBSFhcjjm8ciZbDxygUyN7jsHMd3lnF-7k1ahJoVeIx_z0qqJW7kOxs_WjO4wrnEuRUSUsVlCluN7LJCweCJscaGfHKQhWCO_Sc0K1Dib4uD5iLP0n8zfYXEQznx_4hlM/s1600-h/00005153.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314018058093378402" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5dnIv_daVqtcBSFhcjjm8ciZbDxygUyN7jsHMd3lnF-7k1ahJoVeIx_z0qqJW7kOxs_WjO4wrnEuRUSUsVlCluN7LJCweCJscaGfHKQhWCO_Sc0K1Dib4uD5iLP0n8zfYXEQznx_4hlM/s320/00005153.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>Friends Thursdays Love Dare was:</div><div><br />Day 14</div><br /><div><br />Purposefully neglect an activity you would normally do so you can spend quality time with your spouse. Do something he or she would love to do or a project they’d really like to work on. Just be together.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /> Well for the past week I have been playing a lot of online video games with my Brother so Thursday I decided to put down the games and spend some quality time with my <a class="GVAdLink" id="GVLINK_1_0_0" href="http://lovedare.bhpublishinggroup.com/cbarnette1966/2009/03/17/love-dareday-14/#">baby</a>. I started out by cooking dinner, then afterward we watched a movie together. It’s amazing how much time we could spend together but it always seems like we have other stuff to do. My suggestion would be spend quality first , then do whatever you thought was so important afterward. I always have a couple of hours after Heidi goes to bed to play games or piddle around the house. Thanks for stopping by..Your Brother in Christ…Chris</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br />Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life.—Ecclesiastes 9:9 HCSB</div>Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-27935771396978291482009-03-13T11:58:00.000-07:002009-03-13T12:15:37.665-07:00Love Dare Blog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFoHnJvYV6N_0sLJ-oYLZ1LfRddyJWsoUNazIpvG0H3YBj3BKSyfVdk4dfvr73hPtxbVc_aLVGnVgfdoGNbrfoyc5G0JEKlgpA1fXuZiPbSc90DbiFPW8ISiWDwjn1EMb3BlJOJUXyzk9/s1600-h/lovedare_book_md.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312751745531422882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 145px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 226px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFoHnJvYV6N_0sLJ-oYLZ1LfRddyJWsoUNazIpvG0H3YBj3BKSyfVdk4dfvr73hPtxbVc_aLVGnVgfdoGNbrfoyc5G0JEKlgpA1fXuZiPbSc90DbiFPW8ISiWDwjn1EMb3BlJOJUXyzk9/s320/lovedare_book_md.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div></div><div></div><div>Friends,</div><br /><div></div><div>I have started a blog just for doing the Love Dare. I will still maintain this on but wanted to get involved with others who are doing the Love Dare program. Today i will post a link and my first Blog post from the Love dare site. Feel free to put your 2cents, well 1cent in since were are in hard economic times.</div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://lovedare.bhpublishinggroup.com/cbarnette1966/">http://lovedare.bhpublishinggroup.com/cbarnette1966/</a> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://lovedare.bhpublishinggroup.com/cbarnette1966">Compelled by Love</a></div><br /><div><a title="Permanent Link to Day 13" href="http://lovedare.bhpublishinggroup.com/cbarnette1966/2009/03/13/day-13/" rel="bookmark">Day 13</a></div><div></div><br /><div>March 13th, 2009 </div><div></div><div><br />Friends, </div><div><br />For the past couple of weeks Heidi and I have been attending a “Fireproof” Bible study at Westside Baptist in Jasper on Sunday evenings. I have decided to start blogging about this as a way of keeping up with our love dares and to share experiences with other couples going through the same thing. This is my first Blog on an actual dare and yes I know I am starting in the middle and out of order but if you look in the love dare book there are some things you can’t do on certain days. I am starting out with day 13 then I might jump back to some others. So here it is. Please feel free to comment and let me know what you came up with.<br />.</div><div>"If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand".—Mark 3:25</div><br /><div>TODAY’S DARE</div><div><br />Talk with your spouse about establishing healthy rules of engagement. If your mate is not ready for this, then write out your own personal rules to “fight” by. Resolve to abide by them when the next disagreement occurs.If a [...]</div><br /><div><br />Wow what a good Ideal. Come up with some ground rules before an argument or conflict arises. Well here is our list that we both came up with.<br /></div><br /><div></div><div>Day 13<br /><br />Talk to your spouse about establishing healthy rules (guidelines) of engagement<br /><br />1. No yelling or raising voices<br />2. Use speaker listener technique, Listen first to the other- then speak, no interruptions, and a promise to listen openly<br />3. No low blows or bringing up the past<br />4. Before speaking put best thought forward<br />5. Call time out when an issues get too heated and can’t be immediately resolved.<br />6. Pick good time for discussions (not while going to Church, getting ready for work, or on date/family nights/vacations or meal times)<br />7. No going to bed angry<br />8. End disagreement/discussion on good note, giving a hug, kiss and saying “I love you”</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-83314150044493399882009-03-10T08:17:00.000-07:002009-03-10T11:11:25.708-07:00Romans 13<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-B-ne_M-4bp93ZJmwKgJLaKjZbMmbttr7fxSvfAVFkueNSsjDNhoto1Sj9ezIZ-6RUVWBiVj577GT6OwepMZOQ4ywp2AZF5oLm9HzXaUpahEk0zSsM5XLbXFPFT6HzrhVUqFF9ZTqsTW/s1600-h/romans_2008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311579556256201954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-B-ne_M-4bp93ZJmwKgJLaKjZbMmbttr7fxSvfAVFkueNSsjDNhoto1Sj9ezIZ-6RUVWBiVj577GT6OwepMZOQ4ywp2AZF5oLm9HzXaUpahEk0zSsM5XLbXFPFT6HzrhVUqFF9ZTqsTW/s320/romans_2008.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Friends,<br /><br />In an attempt to get more into the Word and learn some scripture I have joined Tim Challies and his fellow bloggers in a weekly scripture memorization group. Each week Tim posts a passage of scripture for us to learn and memorize. I will attempt to keep up with this and blog a little on the scripture as well. This week we are memorizing Romans 13. This is a good one. I think my brother Tony quoted this to me after the election. The basic themes are Submission to Authorities and to Fulfilling the Law through Love. </div><div><br />After the election one of my co-workers (an Obama supporter) asked me if I was ok. As in was I disappointed? And my response was “I am great, my guy won!” She then looked at me like I was crazy and I explained that God is in control and that his will was being done. Romans 13:1 tells us “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” There you have it “those that exist have been instituted by God” he is in control and he knows best.<br /></div><div>Now the second part of Romans 13 talks about how Love fulfills the Law. Wow how simple is that! Basically if you follow what Jesus says about love you will not break any of other the other Commandments? That’s it “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”. Romans 13:10 tells us “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” To quote the Beatles “all you need is love”. Just think of how much easier our lives would be if we could just remember that. I know I struggle with it sometimes.<br /><br /><br />Father God,<br /><br />Thank you so much for giving us your inspired Word to help guide us through our lives here on Earth and to prepare us to one day to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and spend eternity with your Son. Father thank you for giving us your Son to who has shown us what true love is all about. Lord it’s in your name we pray. Amen </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Romans 13 </div><div><br />Submission to the Authorities</div><div><br />13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.<br /></div><div>.</div><div>Fulfilling the Law Through Love<br />.</div><div></div><div>8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 <a name="OLE_LINK4"></a><a name="OLE_LINK3">Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law</a>. 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.</div><br /><div></div>Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379261606967021069.post-88809554712165081312009-03-03T13:57:00.000-08:002009-03-03T16:08:12.754-08:00Shopping for a Church<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxWG3wUFOIKbbeeZ422rXlxNCG2W58Er7vU8Lelzdflbz3wu1z8r7fXbHn_08bsIXJeMbwrsWbVVsuD0VuSfNpkWX2HUF3CUHxVoYKZWsTmGWuVfvm5Kn3Alo-H3xlSwWqYpOoILzrNOMd/s1600-h/shopping.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309084271678430978" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 151px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxWG3wUFOIKbbeeZ422rXlxNCG2W58Er7vU8Lelzdflbz3wu1z8r7fXbHn_08bsIXJeMbwrsWbVVsuD0VuSfNpkWX2HUF3CUHxVoYKZWsTmGWuVfvm5Kn3Alo-H3xlSwWqYpOoILzrNOMd/s320/shopping.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Friends,<br /><br /><br />Today I came across an interesting story on MSN about the new “American Mania” of shopping around for a Church. Shopping for a Church? Now I have heard of looking for a Church before but shopping? Do we shop for a new Job, or a new School? I think my Church is more personal than that. I think the article was referring to the White House statement saying the Obama Family was “still shopping for a Church in Washington”; well anyway besides the play on words here I believe a lot of Americans have been looking for a good place to worship and call home. According to this article “One in seven adult’s changes churches each year and another one in six attends a handful of churches on a rotating basis”. Wow that seems like a high number but I guess it’s possible. I know we have had a few people rotate in and out of our doors but not that many. But in today’s society we have more choices than ever about every aspect in our lives; examples are school, work, doctors and yes even Churches. Wow so many to choose from and so little time to do it. Now friends I am a firm believer in finding the perfect Church for your family no matter how long it takes.<br />While visiting my brother in Nashville over the past couple of years I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of Churches. Each one of them has been awesome and unique in their own way. I still don’t know which one I would choose if I lived up there but I do know I would find one who would love my family and I like their own. Kind of like my Westwood family. I know I got all mushy about Westwood in a previous post but I can’t help bragging on them. But back to the topic of Church shopping, what do look for when deciding on a Church to attend? What is it about the Church that makes you feel like a part of the family? How did you come about attending the Church you are at now? For me it was a matter of the Church finding my family. After moving here in 2000 we were visited by a group of folks from Westwood who invited us to Church a couple of times. At first we really didn’t get a warm fuzzy about Westwood but as we got to know some people we started to feel at home and really felt in our hearts it was the place to be. What’s your story?<br /><br />Father God,<br /><br />Thank you so much for not only giving us your Son but also giving us so many places to go and worship him as a family. Father thank you for our brothers and sisters in Christ who make our Churches more than just places of worship but homes where families can gather as one. It’s in your name that we pray. Amen</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>.</div><div></div><div>.</div><div>MSN Article</div><div></div><div><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2211937/?gt1=38001">http://www.slate.com/id/2211937/?gt1=38001</a></div>Chris Barnettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16987144962396165770noreply@blogger.com4