A Plan For Peace?

"It is our job, it is our responsibility, to help people make peace with God and then to help them make peace with each other. That is the commission that was given not to a government, but the church." - Rick Warren

P.E.A.C.E.

Promote Reconciliation
Equip Leaders
Assist the Poor
Care for the Sick
Educate the Next Generation

This plan is formed, by Pastor Rick Warren, to combat the Giants of spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic diseases, illiteracy and lack of education. Of course you could interchange any semi-emergent leader in Warrens place and it'd still fit. Here are some names for you to try it with: Brian McLaren, Tony Campolo, Shane Clairborne, Donald Miller, Rob Bell, and even Robert Schuller.

Okay, so how is this biblical? Why is this the churches commission? What is the hang up with people thinking Christ becomes suddenly superficial when he teaches about peace? What is the deal with pulling out the social gospel so often anymore? When does God command us to fix the worlds messed up, superficial problems? When does God command the church to make every poor person not poor and command the church to make everyone literate?

I'll emphasize that I'm arguing at the superficial standing point, and I'm not arguing this is wrong but that is is not the command from Christ for us to do. Too often people are just seemingly lazy or looking for biblical justification for the things they do when there may not be. The command from Christ is to spread the word of Him and what He has done for us. A social gospel and desire for worldly peace are not the objectives of the savior of our souls. Christ even says he does not come for worldly peace:

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34)

"Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;" (Luke 12:51)

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27)

Just as when he tells us the beatitude of being a peacemaker, it is not superficial, worldly peace He is telling us about. It is spiritual peace, which will not be accomplished by fixing this faulty planet (which is impossible by the way). Jesus also talks about the poor, saying they will always be with us and that a sign of Him being the Son of God is the fact the poor are getting preached the Word of God. Nothing about the poor getting an easier life on this decomposing planet called earth.

Making someones earthly body healthy again so it can die a few years later, or making someone earthly body recognize earthly words will not save their souls. The ultimate commission from Christ is to tell people of His grace and glory, not make them feel better about their earthly body.

"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18,19)

Christ is the reconciler, we are a way to let other know who the true Reconciler is. Our commission is to let it be know that one can only be reconciled to God through Christ Jesus, our commission is to let Christ's death for us on the cross be known, our commission is to let God grace through Jesus be known. Our peace should not be that of the world, superficial and with other men, but that of Christs, spiritual and with God alone.

The Backyard Project

Quick history, my grandfather took care of an acre of land until he died, about 8 years ago. Since then the care given to it has been extremely limited, mainly mowing weeds (that thing called grass, it's gone) and killing everything that could be. Everything else was let go, not taken care of. Over the past few months I've been working on it myself and trying to get it up to par with not only being a regular backyard, but a decent garden and general good looking place. Sometimes I look at it and can't believe I've been doing stuff with it for four or so months (since March), it looks like I've hardly done anything with most of it. I have worked one corner to be pretty good and I'm ever so slowly expanding. I didn't take any pictures when I first started, I'm just doing it now. First the little area I've been busting my butt on then I'll post the rest later, next week hopefully. I'll explain more later, next week too, about it when I have more time.

After all that, I'll be posting stuff periodically showing some progress and changes done. I'm hoping the change will be not only extremely noticeable, but fantastic looking. (Some picture you'll have to click on to see the whole thing)





Between the Mock Orange and the light were two stumps I took out, dug them, and I cleaned up all the weeds as the aera all along the fence was overflowing with them. I put down about an inch of manure mix all through the area and behind the tree slightly on the left and up.



The I took about four dying/overgrown flowers out of the little garden place surrounded by the railroad ties on the right. I put new soil down and added three Dahlias. The grass in the center was a bit of a project as I've been pulling weeds from it periodically. I reseeded the empty patches in it and the new grass is growing very well so far.





There was a stump between the tree and the Mock Orange bush (there's a few of these around this place) I dug out also. You can see where I placed the manure mix (along with some new top soil), the messy bricks and the dirt area will eventually be turned into a brick patio.





From the fence looking at the house, those bricks will just continue towards me.



I'm not sure what to put here, maybe some cat mint?



The other side, not so pretty. I'm in the process of scraping the grass out and re-seeding it all and putting in some new grass.





The well pump! Everything is irrigated by this little sucker. Well water is nice.



Not a pretty sight.



Looking out to the lawn. I like that Hydrangea, and I like that lawn.



The other Hydrangea I put in and some deer.



Some more deer action.



Along the fence. Those tall flowers on the left are Bachelors Buttons.


Thanks for looking, I hope this turns out great.

Hear Me

Free my soul from it's self made prison, Lord. I have no righteousness in me, You know that fuller then I ever will want to. I need to escape those that persecute my heart, those that pull me down and away from You. You know I have to escape these evil men and desires, and I cry out to You to come to my rescue again.

Take me off the dark path to Sheol and place me on the lit and slender path to You, I want nothing to do with the evil and violent today but I only want to follow the righteous pathway to You. Do not judge for the path Your child has taken, but forgive me. Forgive me for the hardened parts of my heart, cleanse it and make it soft in it's entirety again.

I need Your deliverance because I am weak and overpowered by evil, only You can save me. Bring my wandering heart back to You so that I may give thanks to Your name, the Lord of all!

I want to bask in the light of Your truth forever, I want to be as a firm tree by a river. I do not want to wither, but be dealt with graciously by You, my Father and God.

Humanity is a Child

Humanity is like many small children who are picky in what they eat. They get taught and shown that vegetables are good and healthy for their bodies, that brussels sprouts and broccoli strengthen them. But they ignore that and instead go for the chocolate truffles because the taste of chocolate is so much more pleasing to their palette, all the time ignoring the fact the chocolate is damaging to their bodies and is, in fact, poisonous.

Dream 2

I had a dream that I was standing in a barren field of gravel. About ten feet in front of me was a high electric fence and a gray brick wall behind that, the fence stretched as far as the eye could see on either side of me. Next to me was a chain linked fence with barb wire at the top. The fence went straight down until it disappeared in the distance. On the outside of the fence there were high bushes and thick trees, they were perfectly green and secure feeling. I started to walk forward, in between the two fences, when I suddenly came alongside an author.

I instantly recognized him as a famous Christian writer, someone who is greatly admired by many people. He was tall and wore clothes of his own making, even his sandals were his own. This author had a distraught look on his face, I told him to walk with me and he began talking about what he believed and felt. The books this man wrote grasped many flawed arguments and that was the reason for his distress. He came to the realization that his writing and beliefs where not something high, but something fruitless. He claimed foolishness and simple mindedness in those writings.

At that very moment we came upon a hole in the fence. The hole was about eight feet tall and just wide enough for two people or a small automobile. It was green with healthy bushes on both sides, and those bushes were so think it was impossible to see through them. The bushes fluttered over the pathway too, giving it a peaceful and pure sense. The ground lost all traces of the gravel and was instead grass and dirt. This path was perfectly lit, and appeared to have the sun itself waiting at the end. I looked at the author and we both agreed to turn onto the path.

At this my dream ended, that was the second.

Dream 1

I had a dream that blue was replaced with red in the sky. Thousands of people stood outside a huge building that was the size of a coliseum. The building was a church, a grandiose place that attracted more people then I've ever seen before. Those people were all standing outside and staring at a tower. It was a tower of fire, reaching almost ten stories high and with blood red flames. The flames were thin, like a vial, and circular. The crowd was fearful of the evil spreading from the fires, but the fear kept their feet in place.

Out of the circle of fire came things, inhuman but yet reminiscent of humans. They had almost a reptilian body, but stood on two legs like humans. They were at least seven feet tall, and had some distinguishing features - all of them evil. They had no clothes, but were naked. They also appeared as part of no human gender, neither male or female. They had tough and course looking skin, it was a dark red as if they suffered from a horrible sunburn the last few hundred years. Their legs and arms had jagged fragments sticking out of them, they were to be used as sinister weapons. Their face was dark, hiding all their features except two pure red eyes. Finally, the feature on their heads that caused the most stir. They had a halo, or crown, of crooked and jagged spikes. In short these beings had the look of something that was corrupted in the evilest belly of hell.

These beings charged into the crowd of people, and they began to slaughter them without mercy. They has the speed of a gazelle and the grace of bull. At times they would hesitate in front of someone, whisper something in a bizarre tongue and left the person alone. This continued for I cannot remember how long, until a man who appeared to have authority walked up to one of the beings. He stood and glared, upwards, at the being. He then exclaimed, "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is spoken of in Gods Word, I command you to leave us!"

The thing stopped and lowered its arm. After a split second it spoke in a gravelly and deep voice, "I know this Jesus, but what worthless swine are you?" He then raised his arm, bringing it down on the man. At this I awoke in an intense sweat, this was the first.

Final-ly

Ideas change constantly, and that happened to me with my final. My pictures from my first idea were not quit to my liking, but then I went to a San Jose Sharks game last Monday and everything changed. I was able to capture some shots that, to me, were much stronger. It probably had to do with the fact the pictures were more difficult to capture then the ones I did before that. To capture someone skating at top speeds on ice (up close) has been very difficult for me since I've been trying to shoot the games I go to. Three pictures I caught Monday that I did not print out were...





I liked this pictures very much too but they were the lesser pictures that got bumped out of the final because I didn't want to do more than eight prints (I also didn't have much more time to add many more). These pictures were a joy to capture.