"If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha." Two strange words appear in the KJV version of 1 Corinthians 16:22. Maranatha and Anathema. (Stick with this. It's a fruitful study.) First, Maranatha means 'come Lord' or 'the Lord has come' and was a common greeting among early believers as a constant reminder of the fact the Jesus came in the flesh and He's coming again. We may do well to greet each other in similar fashion in these last days. The other word, anathema, means 'set apart' or 'separated'. Strangely enough it's similar in definition to the word 'sanctified' or even 'holy'. By this time the word had taken on a negative tone and literally meant 'a curse'. In short, it was a bad thing. Now the kicker of this verse is not in these hard words here, but in the word 'love' at the beginning. There are a few Greek words for 'love' in play in the scriptures but the word here is not the common 'agape' that is used to signify divine love. It's the lesser 'phileo' which simply means 'tender affection'. The Bible says that in the last days the 'love' of many would grow cold. We often become so opposed to anything supposidly 'soulish' or 'emotional' that we buy into the error that says if you can turn your feelings off you'll achieve spiritual maturity. NOT SO! There is a holy place for a tender affection for Jesus Christ. God help us if we have allowed our tender affection for Christ to grow cold for in doing so we allow our tender affection for one another to follow. "How can we love God who we have not seen and not love our brother who we have seen?" Perhaps this is why it's so difficult for the world to know that we are Christians for the Bible says that "they'll know we are Christians by our love". There's much more to this study but for now, ask yourself this question. "Has my tender affection for Jesus Christ grown cold?"

Ran into a teenager in WalMart the other day who was wearing an xl black t-shirt sporting the line, "God Hates Me" on the front in large white letters. After an unfruitful chat (he was in the process of getting his ear pierced for the 5th or 6th time and wasn't in the mood to talk) I wandered out of the store sure I'd see him again. He happens to live in my neighborhood. I got to wondering how comfortable we would be (as Christians) wearing a shirt that says, "God Loves Me". We don't have any problem telling people that God/Jesus loves them. I do find, however, that many believers struggle with the concept that God's love is directed at them in particular. I don't think it's a pride issue. I believe it's an issue of personal unworthiness or at lease the perception of it. Others can be worthy and it's a comfort to proclaim that but when it comes to our own it just has a hard time taking hold. Maybe that's why Jesus was so insistent that we stick together in the body of Christ. That we may 'encourage one another' since many people have such difficulty following the mandate to 'build yourself up' in the most holy faith. Do I say that we ought to go around proclaiming God's love for us in a public display of childlike confidence? Yeah. It would probably do the world some good to see a message other than, "I believe this for you but I can't believe it for me so here, you take God's grace because I'm unworthy of it." False humility is an open wound on the church that needs about 3 good stitches. Here's number one. Psalm 57 "I will praise you among the nations" Gal. 2 "For I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me..." Phil 2 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus..." I don't give the specific verse so you may be enticed to search the chapter for the passage and thereby also learn the value of context. I'm gonna give myself a little test here. God loves you. God loves me. I found the second phrase harder to type than the first. Even paused before the word 'me'. Looks like I need to meditate on this too.

Up to now I've been accustomed to people telling me that I'm waaay too young to be doing whatever it is that I'm doing. I've always been on the younger side of things in a world filled with the 'older and wiser'. Fine by me. The last thing I want to be perceived as is a 30 something know-it-all whippersnapper who has no respect for his elders. So the elders eld and the youth do their thing and then there's my new world. A crack in the chasm of the progression of time from birth to death. The strange period of time when you're still too young to be successful and too old to be cool. I've got a leg over the fence and I must tell you that sitting here is not comfortable. What makes me feel old? Hearing Van Halen on the classic rock station. Having a teenager say "Better put some sunscreen on that thinning spot on the back of your head." I have come to like eating at Luby's. Having someone hand you an xbox controller while saying, "Let the old guy play." The way the skin on my elbows seems to constantly need lotion. (According to my wife) Someone actually had the nerve to suggest that I get my prostate checked. I'm not playing any games of red rover, red rover, nurse says bend over. At least not anytime soon. Every time I buckle a seatbelt I feel old. I used to kick back in the floorboard, sit on the arm rest up front, or sleep in the back window. All while the car was doing the speed limit of 55mph. What makes me feel young? Not much. So this is 31. Hmmmm... Nice view. The sunset behind me is brilliant and the sunrise before me is cresting the horizon. Looks like a nice day coming and going.

As per yesterdays post, I've gotten some email about the video thing. Need a wedding or event videographer in Austin, TX? Hit the following link to get to my 'other' website. WilVan Productions
This site has some samples of videos we've done as well as a link to the best wedding photographer in Austin, Michelle Reed. I know, I know... A commercial is not becoming my weblog, but hey, in a year of posts this is a first so cut me some slack here.

I know, I know. I don't update this nearly enough. I lack a couple of things lately. Time and inspiration. They say the lamp of life burns longer than the lamp of inspiration. I don't know who 'they' are but that's what 'they' say. I guess that means that you'll hit some dry spots in your lifetime. Not that I've been suffering for the inabilty to quench my thirst in the river of creative juices. (disgusting visual there) I've been pouring all the energy I have into three major things. Sunday morning there's this series of messages that involve a twist on the old 'chalk talk' trend of the 50's. This involves paint and a canvas the size of a bedsheet. Actually it is a bedsheet. That's been fun, yet difficult. A stutter or stumble in a speech or sermon you can recover from. But one wrong line in a painting and suddenly John the Baptist looks like he didn't quite finish that last bite of locust. The whole effect is gone. So far I'm battin 1000 but I've got a few of these sermons to go so we'll see what happens. In all honesty, it's really a wonderful thing to be able to mix a unique piece of artwork with a unique piece of Gospel. The second thing I'm doing these days is videography. That's really a blast. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed that stuff. It's fast turning from a hobby into an outright passion. I may have a go at filming a movie here pretty quick. With some of the drivel I've seen lately, I don't think getting in the door will be that difficult. Take 'lost in translation'. What in the world??? "No, Mr. Murray. You don't have any lines. All you have to do is sit on the edge of this bed and stare blankly into the camera. No really. Critics will eat this up and we'll have a five star masterpiece on our hands." I put more thought into setting the temperature in the shower than they did with that cumbersome bore. The other thing I'm working on this summer is tweaking (my word for the day) the script for the LifeGuard Austin Character and Sexuality Program. This means a couple of months of pouring over statistics about Genital Warts, Herpes, the Clap, etc... Ever wonder why they called Gonorrhea 'the clap'? I guess it's because people are really happy when they get it. Kidding... Actually,(turns on Cliff Claven voice) Pelvic Inflamatory Disease (aka PID) also used to be called Chronic Lower Abdominal Pain, hence the term CLAP. At least that's what 'they' say. And far as I know, 'they' are always right.