JADDOG

It’s been over a month since I last posted. Lots has happened. Sickness, work, new baby on the way, training for the triathlon and God has been faithful through it all.

This week I’m in Chicago at PyCon ‘09. I’ve been enjoying the conference and have a few new concepts to apply to my python programming.

I’m on the train to meet my family for dinner. Mmm Thai. Just wanted to through down a couple lines. I have been wanting to write a couple posts on things I’ve been learning. I finished Basic Christianity and have cross referenced Worship Matters with Authentic Christianity. I also started Why Small Groups by CJ Mahaney. It’s a book I’m reading with a Leadership Development group at church. All have a post associated with them.

I’m thankful for the desire the Lord has given me to read in the past few months and I pray the more consistent consumption of reading material continues.

Earlier this year my laptop battery died. I had to remove it from my laptop to get my laptop to even boot. Through quite a fiasco I hope the battery is on the way and I’ll have it soon. I’ve been without for over a month now. In the mean time my system clock needs updating every time I boot. I guess the laptop needs the battery to keep the system time accurate when the machine is not running. For a while my machine would boot with the date as Feb 06 2009 10pm. Today it seems that my clock boots to Feb 17 2009 10pm. When I forget to run ntpdate to update my system clock all my git commit timestamps are wrong.

Today is the second time I’ve have to fix my dates so I’m blogging this fix so it’s easier to find when/if I ever need it again:

git filter-branch --env-filter \
    'if [ $GIT_COMMIT = 119f9ecf58069b265ab22f1f97d2b648faf932e0 ]
     then
         export GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="Fri Jan 2 21:38:53 2009 -0800"
         export GIT_COMMITTER_DATE="Sat May 19 01:01:01 2007 -0700"
     fi'

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/454734/how-can-one-change-the-timestamp-of-an-old-commit-in-git

I just thrown the above command into a little bash script and called it fix. If you run this more than once you’ll get an error:

$ ./fix
Namespace refs/original/ not empty

To fix the broken “fix” script just rm -rf the directory it’s refering to:

$ rm -rf .git/refs/original/*
$ ./fix
Rewrite 6b37ac946f9b2af3a0e66657038a1c4cafaeab89 (63/63)
Ref ‘refs/heads/master’ was rewritten

As I’m writing this I’m told my manager has tried to ping me in irc to tell me my new battery is in. I didn’t get the message because my client has disconnected for some reason. Now I will have a new battery, hopefully no system time problem and a new irc problem. Such is life.

I just finished chapter 7 in John Stott’s Basic Christianity. I can’t do a better job of depicting the meaning of Christ’s death on the cross than he’s done. This quote is from pages 117-118.

… “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus Christ had no sins of his own; he was made sin with our sins, on the cross.

As we look at the cross, we can begin to understand the terrible implications of these words. At twelve noon “there was darkness over the whole land” which continued for three hours until Jesus died. With the darkness came silence, for no eye should see, and no lips could tell, the agony of soul which the spotless Lamb of God now endured. The accumulated sins of all human history were laid upon him. Voluntarily he bore the in his own body. He made them his own. He shouldered full responsibility for them.

And then in desolate spiritual abandonment that cry was wrung from his lips, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It was a quotation from the first verse of Psalm 22. No doubt he had been meditating during his agony on its description of the sufferings and glory of the Christ. But why did he quote that verse? Why not one of the triumphant verses at the end? Why not, “You who fear the Lord, praise Him!” or “Dominion belongs to the Lord”? Are we to believe that it was a cry of human weakness and despair, or that the Son of God was imagining things?

No. These words must be taken at their face value. He quoted this verse of Scripture, as he quoted all others, because he believed he himself was fulfilling it. He was bearing our sins. And God who is “of purer eyes than to behold evil” and cannot “look on wrong” turned away his face. Our sins came between the Father and the Son. The Lord Jesus Christ who was eternally with the Father, who enjoyed unbroken communion with him throughout his life on earth, was thus momentarily abandoned. Our sins sent Christ to hell. He tasted the torment of a soul estranged from God. Bearing our sins, he died our death. He endured instead of us the penalty of separation from God which our sins deserved.

Then at once, emerging from that outer darkness, he cried in triumph, “It is finished,” and finally, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit.” And so he died. The work he had come to do was completed. The salvation he had come to win was accomplished. The sins of the world were borne. Reconciliation to God was available to all who would trust this Savior for themselves, and receive him as their own. Immediately, as if to demonstrate this truth publicly, the unseen hand of God tore down the curtain of the temple and hurled it aside. It was needed no longer. The way into God’s holy presence was no longer barred. Christ had “opened the gate of heaven to all believers.” And thirty-six hours later he was raised from death, to prove that he had not died in vain.

Tonight a couple of buddies of mine and I saw the new Clint Eastwood movie. Not at all what I expected. The movie had a religious flavor to the underlying story. While there was absolutely no accurate depiction of salvation, there was a strangely touching sacrificial message delivered. Stop reading here if you don’t want the end of the movie ruined. The movie ends with Eastwood’s character, Walt, being shot an excessive amount of times by a gang. This brutal murder is witnessed by many people and has the gang arrested to be locked up for a long time. One of the gang members cousins lived next door to Walt and through out the movie is befriended by Walt, not really intentionally.

I don’t think that the movie was trying to depict the sacrificial death that Christ dies for the sake of believers. Though, the movie does a  fairly good job of it. Christ died for sinners, of whom he owed nothing to. He died that they would be freed from the wrath they deserved for their sins. Walt dies for his next door neighbors, of whom he owed nothing to. He dies that they would be freed from the pain and suffering the gang was inflicting on the family. A fairly important difference is that this family did not necessarily deserve to be mistreated by the gang. Sinners deserve eternal  death.

I’ll admit the parallel isn’t perfect. Though, it was and unexpected ending to an unexpected story. An ending that reminded me of and unexpected sacrifice that Christ made. A sacrifice that those who  believe and follow will live eternally with Christ.

Tonight, in a marriage class my wife and I are taking, one of the pastors of our church said a quote worthy line:

In the Christian life we experience moments of victory and seasons of defeat.

- Daniel Baker

I feel I’m in one of those moments of victory, as I’m about to complete reading a book in its entirety. The first in quite some time. I’ve picked up, read a couple chapters and put down a number of books over the past season of defeat. I pray this moment of victory would turn into a life long passion. I’ve always struggled to desire to read, anything. What better reason to put that weakness to rest than seeking to be more like Christ.

Touch my toes. (without bending my knees)
Run a triathlon.
Learn to play the drums.

I was stretching after running last night and realized I can almost touch my toes from the stretching I’ve been doing. Then I realized that my curiosity to compete in a triathlon will soon be completed.

I guess the drums can wait for now.

My heart keeps beating even though I can’t control it.
My lungs keep breathing I admit I don’t know how.
Bring the flood or bring the fire in this lifetime
I’m ready for the altar or the plough
There are always days when I don’t feel like singing
There are always days when I don’t care at all
But I know the King of All Creation reigns completely
Over every moment great and small

Long Live the King, Aaron Shust

I was on the treadmill tonight listening to Aaron Shust and training for my triathlon reflecting on the evening. Quite an emotional night. Today my wife had accompanied my sister to the doctor for a consult for a surgical procedure she’ll receive this Thursday. When my wife returned home we were discussing the pre-surgical consult they attended and the “slim to none” complications came up in the conversation. Somewhere in the discussion the likelihood (or rather not so likelihood) of their occurrence got lost. After losing my Mom to MS November of 2007 it was a hard pill to swallow entertaining the “worst case” complications that could occur this Thursday and the conversion started to close with me pretty shook up and upset. I think imagining my sister with a breathing tube while she will be under escalated my impression of the procedure and really threw me for a loop.

The song quoted above reminded me of God’s Sovereignty and comforted me in knowing that the outcome of the surgery and likelihood of complications is in the hands of God. His will is ordained for His Glory and without our trust resting solely in that truth we selfishly attempt to take control of a situation we ultimately have no control over. 2 songs later I was singing along with these lyrics:

Separated from night, You spoke and then there was light, They point to You
Divided water from land, Bowing to Your command, They point to You
The sun that’s blazing at noon, And every phase of the moon, They point to You.
A baby’s cry and the way, A sunset closes the day, They point to You.

Create Again, Aaron Shust

Another simple truth struck me. Months (maybe a year or so ago? haha) we had studied Romans 1. Versus 19 and 20 teach us that God’s creation displays his “eternal power and divine nature” through his creation. All and any of his creations. From rocks to babies. It goes on from there to teach us that this display is enough for us to know that He exists and is to be worshiped. No excuses. This truth is a foundation that we’ve referenced throughout our study of Romans. Last night I finished Chapter 3 in John Stott’s Basic Christianity. In Chapter 1 he starts the book out by quoting these two versus and declares this truth.

I don’t know that I started this post with a particular point to make. I just was just reflecting on sovereignty and creation.

Aaron Shust
Whispered and Shouted
© 2007 Bridge Building Music, Inc. / White Spot Publishing

One day Christ will return, hopefully before then I will actually finish reading a book. I was reading CS Lewis’ Mere Christianity, I think I’ve started it about four times by now. I put that down to study Bob Kauflin’s Worship Matters with a friend of mine. In the seventh chapter he references a John Stott book. I was discussing this with my friend and I couldn’t remember the name of the Stott book. I should have looked it up. Unfortunalty I was  little ahead of him in the book and our discussion ended up on Basic Christianity. After the conversation I picked up a copy of it. I looked up the one Kauflin references later and found out that he had referernced Authentic Christianity. So now I’ve started Mere Christianity, Worship Matters, Basic Christianity and I still want to cross reference Authentic Christianity when it shows up in the mail. A good dose of Paul’s perseverance please? At least I’m reading consistently. That’s a huge improvement in my habits.

I’ve been praying for the past year for a desire to read and a yearning to study God’s truth more earnestly than anything else in this world that entertains me. Praise the Lord for a prayer that’s  being answered.

For now Basic Cristianity is a short read and I’m enjoying it. So I’ll probably journal about that again before the others.

I was in the pool today at lunch and completed a 1000 yard work out. It was a great time of reflection that I’d like to write about.

I’m discussing the book I’m reading, Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008), with a friend of mine. He sent me and email with his thoughts on the first few chapters a few days back and I had a chance last night to sit down and digest it. I enjoyed rereading this excerpt from chapter 2 which he brought attention to:

How do I know what I love the most? By looking at my life outside of Sunday morning. What do you enjoy the most? What do I spend the most time doing? Where does my mind drift to when I don’t have anything to do? What am I passionate about? What so I spend my money on? What makes me angry when I don’t get it? What do I feel depressed without? What do I fear losing the most.

Our answers to those questions will lead us straight to the God or to the gods we love and worship.

p26.

This makes me think of two area’s of my life I’ve been pursing in the past few months. One, I’ve been irregularly meeting with a groomsman of mine where we’ve been challenging one another to pursue growing in Christ. We’re holding one another accountable to the goals we’ve set for ourselves. I’ve set goals to read the bible and Christian books at least every other day and to serve my wife selflessly. Two, I’ve committed to a 100km bike race in February and planning to sign up for a sprint triathlon in April. Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Between Paul and Kauflin I’m encouraged by conviction. I’m encouraged that I can see my goals in both biblical training and athletic training. I’m convicted that I often day dream about the athletics more than the sacrifice our Saviour made. I’ll end with another quote from Kauflin that I love. He asserts this in the context of leading a body of believers in song to worship our King.

If our doctrine is accurate but our hearts are cold towards God himself, our corporate worship will be true but lifeless. Or if we express our fervent love for God but present vague, inaccurate, or incomplete ideas of Him to those we’re leading, our worship will be emotional but misleading — and possibly idolatrous. Neither option brings glory to God.

My Prayer for myself and every worship leader is that we’ll become as familiar with the Word of Truth as we are with our instruments. Hopefully even more so. If we do, there’s a strong possibility people are going to walk away from our meetings more amazed by our God than by our music.

And that will be a very good thing.

p32.

I think Kauflin has it right here. Further I believe you can replace the role of a music leader with any role, formal leadership or not. We have to be pursuing God’s truth and refining our understanding of His word and we have to be living His truth in our daily lives. If I replace the leadership role he’s discussing with my triathlon training I have two outcomes of every day. I can consume myself with athletic training and try and find time to pursue God. Or I can consume myself with pursuing God and ask for my athletic training to bring Him glory.

I pray the later would be my mindset.

I continue to get a kick out of my first swimming experience training for my upcoming triathlon. My job provides a membership to the college campus gym that’s around the corner from us. On my way to work yesterday I grabbed my suit and goggles and figured I’d get a towel there. My gym membership with my previous job included a towel. Well, the membership I have now does not. Oddly it didn’t take me long, once I found out my membership did not include equipment, to decide to just swim anyways and I’d forgo the towel. So after swimming a workout in the pool for the first time in more than a year. I took a quick shower to rinse off some of the pool chemicals, ran my hand through my hair briskly until it was mostly dry, put my cloths and toboggan on and walked back to work to complete the work day. I’m contemplating just doing that every Tuesday and Thursday instead of fiddling with a towel. I wasn’t unbearable wet when I left the gym.