July 2nd

Some things I bet you didn't know about July 2nd:

• It's the 183rd day of the year. That's the middle day. There are 182 days before it and 182 days after it.
  
• It's the same day of the week as New Years Day

July 2nd in history:

• It was day two of the Ghettysburg Battle in 1863
• In 1776 The Continental Congress adopted the resolution severing ties with Great Britain, though the formal Declaration of Independence was not adopted until July 4th
• In 1947 an object speculated to be a UFO crashes near Roswell, New Mexico, though the U.S. Air Force claims it was a weather balloon
• The first Wal-Mart store opened for business in 1962 putting Arkansas on the map
• The Susan B. Anthony Dollar was introduced in 1979

People born on July 2nd:

• Shawn Blanc (1981)
• Thurgood Marshall (1908)
• Dave Thomas (1932)
• Jose Canseco (1964)

Closer to 30

My 25th birthday is this coming Sunday, July 2nd. That means that on July 3rd, I'll be closer to 30 than 20...but I'm not here to muse on that right now. Instead I'd rather vent my excitement about one of my favorite days of the year.

I've always been a big birthday guy. I love birthdays. I've been having big birthday parties since I was a kid. The traditional play of events used to be that I would call my best friend about a month in advance to make sure his parents would let him come over for my birthday. All the other attendees were not as big of a deal.

The staple food for my birthday was pizza and ice-cream cake. Especially ice cream cake. I remember one year I wanted to branch out, so I didn't have ice cream cake and it was a sore dissapointment. But that tradition faded out over time. I think I'll have to revive it this year.

On Friday my good friend Josh and I are having a dual party (his birthday is also this weekend, on Friday). We're inviting people over to my house for potluck BBQ and dessert. Then we're all going to this summer's inaguration of "Theatre in the Park." Where you go and set up picnic and watch a movie followed by fireworks.

Next, on Saturday, Josh, his wife Sarah, Anna and I are going to Worlds of Fun for the first time.

Finally on Sunday the 2nd I get to hang out with Anna. We're going to grill ourselves some steaks, bake some potatoes and then go out for ice cream.

Another One Bites the Bean

While my mother-in-law and her sister were in town for the past week my aunt joined in with Anna's and my daily morning coffee ritual. While she was here got to taste coffee that was ground just before brewing and that didn't come in a red can. She kept telling us how she was going to have to start making coffee this way instead and how much tastier it was than what she was used to.

Once we ran out of the cheap starbucks coffee I opened up our bag from Crowfoot Valley Coffee Company which is a local roasterie back in our home town of Castle Rock. Holy Moly, those beans are so easy to brew. I'm now kicking myself for only bringing back one lb. of coffee last time I was home.

New Problems in School

I read an article in the Kansas City star today that said approximately half of college grads will need some kind of phsycheatric help before they graduate because the stress and pressures of college and life in college are so heavy.

I think that doing a Biblical internship before college is a great idea; get rooted in the Bible and get your heart in love with Jesus and then go get your degree.

Besides, I don't think you can use student loans to pay your psrink.

e-mail it or lose it

At the IHOP-KC all staff meeting today we found out that if you don't
check your e-mail for 4 months you may lose your staff designation
and not even know it...

Luvcatology

I picked up The Divine Imperative, by Emil Brunner, at a used bookstore in downtown Kansas City a few days ago. I'd never even heard of the book or the author, but while I was paging through the book while standing in the aisle I came accross this line which made me buy the book to take home.

Love in the sense in which the New Testament uses the word, is not a human possibility at all, but it is exclusively possible to God. Love is an "ultimate" eschatological possiblity; for it will be the last thing when everything else, even faith, has vanished. Hence the state of "living in love" is not something which man can achieve by his own efforts and in his own strength, but it is something which happens to man in faith, from God. The decisive element in this life in love is therfore always to allow ourselves to be loved by God.

He goes on to write some more profound statements about God and about Love:

Therefore God only demands one thing: that we should live in His love...Or, still more plainly: to "Remain in love." It is the summons to remain within the giving of God, to return to Him again and again as the origin of all power to be good or to do good. There are no "other virtues" alongside of the life of love.

Emil makes an awesome point about 'doing good':

True good can never flow from this feverish intensity of effort or from all this painstaking endeavour to attain the Good, but simply and solely from the Central Source of goodness as a state of existence (i.e. to Remain in Love). The "Good" which issues from effort is, for that very reason, not really good; the Good must descend from above, not be striven for from below, otherwise it lacks genuineness and depth.

This is such a clear understanding as to why humanitarianism will ultimately become satanic. Just because someone is feeding the poor and taking care of the needy does not mean that it is a Kingdom building activity. Yes, Jesus wants us to take care of the poor and needy. James tells us that pure, undefiled religion is to visit orphans and widows in their trouble. But these acts must be consecrated to God and done out of a living, remaining, relationship with God and with His love.

There will be an antichrist ruller calling us all into a one-world religion on the basis of compromising for the greater good of humanity. We have to stand strong and un-compromising in our belief of Jesus as the only way of salvation.

Poison Ivy

About a week ago I got this big itchy spot on my left forearm and I didn't know what it was. After moving out here from Colorado I am continually discovering new, and usually annoying, plants and bugs that I never knew existed such as Chiggers.

So before I got this itchy spot I had been pulling weeds in my back yard. I don't know what kind of weeds I had but they looked like Strawberry Reubarb on steroids. So I'm pulling these huge weeds by the side of my house and notice this dark green ivy plant hanging out all over the place and climbing up the siding. My first thought was to rip it out also but I thought it looked kind-of nice so I decided to leave it (hindsight being 20/20 I definately made the right choice).

So back to the itchy spot on the forearm. At first I thought it was a chigger bite since it started out as a small little bump. But as time progressed it started to get worse. I'll spare you the details of what happens when Poison Ivy get's worse...

I wasn't for sure it was poison ivy because I couldn't figure out where I had gotten it since I hadn't been hiking deep in the back woods for quite some time, but wanting to eliminate all the possibilities I thought that I should check my back yard just in case. I got onto Google Images and searched for poison ivy only to find out that the huge growth of nice green ivy on the side of the house was not so nice after all.

After making Anna promise not to tell anyone how ignorant I was, I went to the hardware store, bought some poison ivy killer, dressed up in a sweatshirt and rubber yellow gloves, put plastic bags over my shoes and went to terminate with my spray bottle. That poison ivy will be a thing of the past in only 2 to 4 weeks.

Apocolypto

Mel Gibson's new movie, Apocolypto, now has the trailer released.

You should check it out for two reasons:

1. The movie looks really cool
2. If you go slow you'll find something hidden in one of the frames that will make you laugh

Another Reason Why Colorado is the Greatest

Smoking ban to take effect July 1

Colorado will become a mostly smoke-free state on July 1. The law prohibits smoking in most public places.

One Step Closer to a One-World-Religion

Episcopalians refuse affirmation of Christ

This is un-real. Below is a resolution submitted to the Epsicopal Angelican Church that was shot down by thier commitee because it is 'the same kind of language that was used to to alienate the type of people who were executed in the Holocaust.'

Resolved, the House of _____ concurring, That the 75th General Convention of the Episcopal Church declares its unchanging commitment to Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the only name by which any person may be saved (Article XVIII); and be it further Resolved, That we acknowledge the solemn responsibility placed upon us to share Christ with all persons when we hear His words, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.


No-one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6); and be it further Resolved, That we affirm that in Christ there is both the substitutionary essence of the Cross and the manifestation of God's unlimited and unending love for all persons; and be it further Resolved, That we renew our dedication to be faithful witnesses to all persons of the saving love of God perfectly and uniquely revealed in Jesus and upheld by the full testimony of Holy Scripture.

One of the men voting in favor of discharging the above statement was Rev. McDowell.

McDowell explained that how one lives his life is the more important issue than whether one affirms Jesus as Lord. To place a statement of belief over actions is the essence of "self-righteousness," he said. "Actions speak louder than proclamations...What Jesus calls us to do is to live our lives."



McDowell outlined his basic theology of grace: "Salvation by grace is remembering that we are the children of a living God. Grace is already there. And salvation is realizing we now live into that salvation. And sanctification is the transforming of my life from one that's me-centered to one that's God-centered."

This sure sounds like it's just one step away from, "All religions lead to the same God. What's important is that you are a good person and treat others as you would like to be treated."

As believers in Jesus Christ we must not compromise one iota for the sake of 'humanity'. Making things 'more simple' or 'easier' for people to get 'saved' does not help them. All we're accomplishing by that is raising up people that hear the word immediately receive it with joy; yet have no root in themselves, but endure only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble (Matthew 13).

We can't kid people into thinking that the way of salvation is easy and broad.

Staying Steady

I've been meditating and thinking a lot lately about 'staying steady'. About maintaining a longevity and passion in my life with God. There have been so many people my age that have started out strong and passionate and then fizzled out 5 or 10 or 15 years later and are now lukewarm, bitter or have even given up their faith. Just because I am hungry for God now does not guarantee I'll still be longing for Him just 5 years from now, let alone 25.

I've been reading the letter to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2. They were a massive revival center, if not the revival center of the earth at the time. Jesus exhorts them with some powerful words of encouragement saying

I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary."

What a powerful statement. How many churches in the western world do you know of right now that we could say the same things about? How many churches could we say are laboring, have patience and zeal for righteousness? How many churches have such a spirit of discernment that they are exposing false apostles? How many churches today have perseverance and patience and have labored for the Gospel and are not weary? Not many places could we label with these banners, and those that we could would probably be very highly thought of. But Jesus has more to say:

Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have lost your first love.

What a powerful accusation! This has been burning in me lately. Despite their good works and labor and perseverance the Lord holds against them that they have lost their first love. But what is more striking to me is what Jesus says He will do because of their current problem:

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent.

This statement by Jesus is a wind that blows opposite the current of our western church society. This reminds me Matthew 7 where Jesus is speaking about false prophets He says that we will know them by their fruits. He says a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit...therefore by their fruits you will know them. This statement is so often related to ministries where we say, "Oh look, that ministry has cool people, they have lots of members and they're doing outreach so they must be a good ministry. Look at the fruits of their works." Except I don't think that is what Jesus was talking about. Let's look at another passage:

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons i Your name, and done many wonders in Your name' And then I will declare to them, ' I never knew you; depart from Me you who practice lawlessness!'
- Matthew 7: 21-23

I realize I've opened up quite a bit to chew on right now so let me make my point.

I think that the 'fruits' Jesus spoke of is not the 'outward success' of a ministry but rather the inward influence of the Holy Spirit and the practical expression of a Matthew 5-7 lifestyle. We will know them by their__________ (Meekness, Humility, Spiritual Hunger, Joy during persecution, Prayer Life, Charity and Generosity, Love for their enemies, etc...).

Those people and ministries that are in a similar position as the Church in Ephesus are in danger of being like those Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:21-23. Those that 'did the stuff' but never had the "first works" which I think is the "first commandment"

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.
- Mark 12:30

Jesus wants us to have a ministry. If we're working a job at McDonalds or if we're traveling the globe doing massive crusades and raising the dead God is primarily concerned that our heart loves Him. He wants us to keep our first love as the first goal in our life. I don't know how many people I've met or talked to that have the testimony of going hard after God and then their ministry 'got in the way' and they neglected their personal life with God.

So what does all this have to do with staying steady? I think everything. If our life in God is only a means to an end then we are already off course. If we are praying and reading our Bible for the sake of finally getting anointed one day then we are already fallen and back-sliden. We also can't just pray a good prayer one day saying, "God I promise to stay steady and keep you first for all my days" and then assume we're good. Staying steady is something that has to be pursued daily. We must daily build our house on the rock. We must daily be sure that we are walking on the narrow, difficult way. We must daily re-evaluate our life and see how we can better align ourselves with the truth in the Word of God.

If we are ever pursuing roads and other things that do not fuel our personal relationship with Jesus then we are in danger of losing all that we have. Jesus was more concerned that those in the Church of Ephesus were in love with Him than anything else. Why is He so concerned with our voluntary love? Because that is the one thing He cannot do. He can't make us love Him because if He did then our love would not be pure and voluntary.

The highest calling for any of us is to love God well.

Dwayne-isms

Some new words thanks to Dwayne Roberts:

"Dourney" - A Journey to the Depths

"Buke" - a.k.a. book

"Stunder" - To study in order to understand

"Orientated" - a.k.a. oriented

"Disorientated" - a.k.a. disoriented

"Encrouchly" - To hide like a tiger from within the bowels of the jungle foliage

"Relevization" - To have revelation and a realization at the same time

Chi Town: Day 1

Yesterday we flew into Chicago via Southwest; which was a much needed breath of fresh air after after last month's nightmare encounters with Delta. Southwest is hands down the kindest, cheapest, most accommodating airline I've ever flown.

After arriving and loading up our 46 checked bags** we grabbed some lunch and then went to the church. We had a record breaking set-up and sound-check time in the history of the Onething Regional Conferences: less than 3 1/2 hours! (Last month in Florida it took us over 8 hours.)

Once we were done at the church it was time to go downtown for some Chicago style pizza. Last year when we came to Chicago we all had heard the rumors of this glorious pizzeria, Gino's East, and we were looking forward to some good (and I mean good) Chicago Pizza. However, our hosts had other plans and so our experience at Gino's had to be put on hold. So after an entire year of planning the moment when we would say, "Please don't feel the need to make dinner plans. We heard that Gino's East had pretty good pizza so we thought that we would try and go there."

And it worked! But why does it seem that something can never happen the way you want it to in order to be just right? It is supposed to be a 60 minute drive from the church to Gino's. So we called ahead to order the 7 pizzas for our entire crew plus in-town friends and family. However, thanks to Chicago Grid-Lock our tour through downtown took nearly two hours, allowing our pre-orderd waiting-for-us pizza to get cold. How anti-climactic can you get? How many people can say they waited 12 months for a slice of cold "Meat Legacy" pizza?

But don't let the story get you down: There was enough of us that we had to order a few more pizzas, so in the end I did get a slice of hot, thick, melted cheese, sausage supreme. And it was good (but, actually not that good.)

After we stuffed ourselves (**See Note Below) we went down to the Navy Pier, which like a boardwalk but on a pier instead. After walking past many bars, shops, video arcades and funny mirrors we heard some live music and some seriously off key vocals: Live Band Kareoke! Well of course with our in-house diva, Sarah Motlong, in town she had to sing. So after enduring through a few more acts, the final one being a guy in white tight jeans, and a short black t-shirt with the shiny silver letters: "AC/DC - Back in Black", a few large silver and gold neclaces, a scruffy beard and shoulder length curly hair, singing " ", Sarah finally get's her chance. Singing "RESPECT" and recieving just that. It was out of control. The best part was towards the end when the song has those breaks the drummer would toss his stick in the air and let it do like 9 rotations and then catch it again:

"BRANT"
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
"BRANT"
Find out what it means to me
"BRANT-BRANT"
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Take Care of TCP
Sock it to me, Sock it to me, Sock it to me.....

You get the idea...in fact maybe you feel like you were even there.

**Note about the 46 checked bags: We've never ever checked 46 bags before. But since more people were flying with us this trip we had more allowance so I think that some 'rule' or 'law' came into play that says, "You will consume and or use the maximum amount you have allowed." It's the same idea when a huge plate of food is before you; you eat the whole thing not because your incredibly hungry but because the food is there. You have to eat it.

My Sister + Trampoline + Digital Camera

Apple's New Get-A-Mac Ads

Apple released three new ads the other day for thier 'Get-A-Mac' campaign.

One of the ads, "Touche" is about Boot Camp. Boot Camp is a beta pre-release of what will be standard operation in Apples up-and-coming OS, Leopard.

I think Boot Camp is a pretty cool idea, but in all honesty is it really released primarily as a feature or is it really just a marketing ploy to wheel in those people that would buy a mac but think they can't.

I used to be one of those "Windows till death" people. My roomate and I always used to knock on people that used Mac OS or AOL. (Looking back, I can't believe I put Apple into the same barrell as AOL, I feel I should personally ask Jobs for his forgiveness.)

Even though I learned to type on the Apple IIe when I was in like 3rd grade, I always thought Macs were a little 'post-dated' for the times. But then when I started getting more and more into music and graphic design I realized that Mac had leapfrogged far ahead of Microsoft Windows.

Once I got my new PowerBook and had finally transfered all my old documents from my high school graduation present: a Dell Inspiron 3800 I kept the old 'lappy' around for a while in case I needed it for something, but I never did. Not once. In fact the only time I've needed to Anna's old Dell tower downstairs was to see if The Blanc Spot loaded up o.k. on web-designer's nightmare: Microsoft Internet Explorer.

The more and more that Apple presses into the computer world it seems like many people are drawing their lines deeper and deeper in the sand. Those that are still undecided on the fence can be swayed by the arguments on either side:

"Don't buy a PC they'll crash all the time and you have to watch out for all sorts of viruses, etc..."

"Why whould you buy a mac? You can't do anything on it. It's completely irrelevant in the real world because everyone else runs PC and you can't work with them if you don't have windows."

So to silence the final argument against buying from Apple, they've now made a computer that can host either Operating System, I think it's mostly for the point of getting people to fall off into the Orchard. Once they're in and they've played around with OSX for a little bit they'll realize what they've been missing all this time.

The Fasted Lifestyle

David Sliker on the fasted Lifestyle:

Voluntarily embracing weakness in what we do and who we are with our time, money and giftings.

The fasted lifestyle is a constant decision to lay aside the short-term gain for the point of long-term gain (eternity).

To really embrace the fasted lifestyle you have to make many internal decisions that make you relate to God and men in a different way. Most people don't have their values really in line. People need language and tools to lay hold of what's real according to what's Biblical not cultural.

Great Wife

I just wanted to mention how wonderful Anna is.

Today, she mopped the floors, cleaned the kitchen, did some laundry, cleaned (and I mean cleaned) our bedroom and even vacumed....all this while I tirelessly slaved over the computer updating my weblog and re-liniking it.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that after I mowed the lawn this morning she made me a strawberry-lemonade-slushie.

Boosting Weblog Traffic

Seth Godin shares the best ways of How to Get Traffic to your blog.

As of this post I am currently majoring on his points 36-39. (Within this post I am attemting to apply points 38 & 39)

36. Run no ads.
37. Keep tweaking your template to make it include every conceivable bell or whistle.
38. Write about blogging.
39. Digest the good ideas of other people, all day, every day.

Note the puncuation at the end of his bullet-points. I happen know on good authority from a certified 'web content editor' that those periods are a no-no.

We Have Moved

"The Blancspot: Blogstyle" has now officially moved, please update your bookmarks and tell all your friends.

http://theblancspot.com/blog

The Blanc Spot goes .com

So I officially launched Anna's and my webiste yesterday!

http://theblancspot.com

After 3 different layouts and lot's of "This page under construction" I finally knocked it out this past weekend. It's got a lot of room to grow still but what else is new?

It's primarily designed as an interface and touchpoint for our supporters.