What Are The Top Five Songs That Make You Cry?

(In no specific order)

Watch The Lamb - Ray Boltz

If You Want To Get free - Don Chaffer

It Is Well With My Soul - Horatio Spafford

Lover - Derek Webb

Thank You - Ray Boltz (as sung by Doug Gibson)

Die To Live

I have been thinking allot about how we, as Christ’s body relate to God (relate as in commune, understand, communicate, live, ect.). I have been listening to my pastor’s podcasts, and interestingly enough, a reoccurring theme recently has been exactly that. Here is a life-saving bit that I have discovered within the past couple of weeks:

John 12

23And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25"He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. 26"If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

This might be the first time I have ever really studied this idea that wee need to lose our lives to gain real life, or in this case (Christ’s example), die in order to become fruitful.

In one of the podcasts, Dave (pastor) makes a statement that he doesn’t trust people who perceivably have no suffering in their life, and that times of suffering are when we probably are closest to our Savior.

Another passage that drove this home for me was one that I have probably read a hundred times, but didn’t understand until last week:

Philippians 3

7But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

I always interpreted this passage as saying that all of these things aren’t worth, to my flesh, what God has for life. But I think that Paul is saying that following Christ and dying to yourself is like loosing something that you don’t want to loose. And it is painful. It should be considered a loss of something you love, and dying to that thing, but gaining everything by doing so.

All I Want For Christmas Is A Dark Room

I was perusing a gypsy camp in Des Moines about a year and a half ago, when I stumbled upon a box under a table of baby clothes (and when I say table, I mean two saw horses with a piece of plywood on top). The box had all kinds of worthless stuff in it, except this little treasure. I picked up the camera, and approached the head gypsy. " Who did you kill to obtain such an item," I asked? After assuring me that no murder took place, I moved on to the inevitable moment of the garage sale haggle. "How much for this camera? I don't think it works." "Mmmmm....... five bucks?" "Will you take two?" sold.
I finally dusted it off today, and took it into a photography store, where they were able to explain to me that not only was this a great deal, but this is how you load something called film.
I am absolutely enthralled that this camera is actually in great working order. I look forward to learning how to use it.

Introducing Gordy

What is it that brings a man to this point. I have known of Gordy (by name) for over seven years, and have never seen him do anything to change the situation that he is in. Do you think its because he is happy?
My new expressive project is called "Happy Hog Rot," which will have many different sub-projects. Hopefully this project will stretch me artistically and socially. This man is one of the subjects of "Happy Hog Rot: El Pueblo."

Although not the organized manifestation of Happy Hog Rot, you can click here to see some of my ideas. Consider it "thinking out loud."