Run Like Elijah

"The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel." I Kings 18:46

I think this display of God's supernatural power is just awesome. It comes briefly after showing His power through sending fire to light a very wet sacrifice on fire, proving that He was God and Baal was not. (some good trash talking from Elijah to the prophets of Baal is in there as well) It also comes just after Elijah had prayed for a three year drought to be lifted. Once a cloud appears, Elijah sends word for Ahab to hitch up his chariot and skeedaddle because it's about to rain something fierce.

I don't know how many horses a typical chariot would have but am guessing the king could afford several so suffice it to say that Elijah was booking it in running "ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel."

I recently ran a half-marathon and while the spirit of the Lord did not give me supernatural speed, it was a good time of seeking His power to complete the race and glorify Him in it. I think Elijah's seeking after God and walking or rather running with Him is something to aspire to. Will God always reveal Himself supernaturally? Probably not, but if we continue to pursue Him and stay in His will, someday, we may run like Elijah.

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt by Louis Auchincloss

Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most dynamic presidents in the history of our country. After being born in affluence, he established himself as a man's man by becoming the leader of a crew of rough country characters and city men and leading them in the Spanish-American conflict in Cuba. He himself led the charge up San Juan hill which proved to be pivotal in winning the battle.

He also had stints as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Commissioner of Police in New York City, Governor of New York, Vice President, and ultimately President following the assassination of William McKinley. Throughout his life, he was a diligent reader and even endeavored on writing several books himself. He had a very excitable and strong personality with a constant bent towards leadership and inspiring others to his vision.

The only short coming of this book is the concise almost cliff notes story of his life. He had so many exciting experiences and such vivacity of life that I would liked to gone into more depth and may check out additional accounts of his life.

Inquire of the Lord

David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him, "Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand." -1 Samuel 23:3-5
"David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." -1 Samuel 30:8 
"David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees." -2 Samuel 5:23


David's life is such a great example of a man seeking after God and yet at times really messing things up. At various points during his life we see him "inquiring of the Lord." This is coupled with resulting wisdom and success in his endeavors. At other times, he did not "inquire of the Lord" and reaped negative consequences such as a broken family, adultery, murder, and a plague upon the nation of Israel.

I think his life can very easily be applied to most people today. How often are decisions made without inquiring of the Lord? While sometimes things work out fine, at others the Lord could have provided insight and wisdom into the situation that would have resulted in greater success or avoided poor decisions and heartache. In my own life, I sometimes do well at inquiring of the Lord and seeking His wisdom. It is at these times that I most sense His presence and guidance in my life. At other times, I do not inquire of the Lord and rely on my own understanding and capabilities. Inevitably, mistakes or awkward situations occur that could have been otherwise avoided.

I Thessalonians 5:17 says "pray continually." This fits nicely into inquiring of the Lord. When we are continually in a state of prayer, we inquire of the Lord and have His constant guidance. It is definitely something that takes practice to become skilled at. Next time you're driving in the car, exercising, shopping at the store, or doing other daily tasks, visualize Jesus presence there with you and talk with Him. By building a constant relationship, you can much more easily hear His prompting and feel comfortable inquiring of the Lord.

A really good short book written by a 17th century monk that covers this concept very well is called The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. He writes about learning to experience and know God's presence even in regular tasks like cooking or washing dishes rather than only in dedicated "sacred" times.

San Diego: Torrey Pines, Padres, Historic Gaslamp District

This past week I took a trip to San Diego and while there got to visit the Torrey Pines nature preserve along the Pacific Ocean as well as go to a Padres vs. Cardinals game and checkout the historic gaslamp district. Here are a few photos:

Runners be not jealous, I got to do a mile repeat speed workout along this stretch.

This guy was hanging out around my hotel along with a few of his buddies.

Praise in Battle

Running has so many parallels to the spiritual walk/run and life in general. I was reminded of this again yesterday while doing a 10 mile long run. I'd been running for around 4 or 5 miles and listening to a worship album by Paul Baloche and really enjoying the time of praise and singing while running. Cars kept wizzing by and while that's not out of the ordinary when running on the roads, it definitely keeps you on your toes.

The spiritual parallel I saw in this was the times when going along in a season of joy and worship and then something catches you by surprise. I can be in a worshipful frame of mind and praising God for who He is and the things He's done in my life then an arrow from the enemy comes firing my way.

It's important to always be mindful that I'm in a spiritual battlefield and attacks can come at any time. My Commander is able to see attacks coming and give me power to resist and keep my eyes fixed on Him. There's something powerful in weathering the storms and battles then coming out on the other end still holding on to Jesus.

I think He sometimes guards us and prevents the enemy from interfering with our lives in order to give us seasons of rest and rejuvenation. It is during these peaceful and quiet times by abiding in Christ that we firmly root our souls in Him.

When the storms and battles do come, we may undergo blows and be battered by the wind and rain but with our feet planted firmly on the Rock, we can stand and praise Him despite the circumstances. "I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." -Psalm 121:1-2

Speed Up a Podcast or Slow Down a Song

Windows Media Player has the ability to either speed up or slow down a podcast or song. I've found this useful when listening to a podcast but want to get through it a bit faster. Of course, if you're listening to a deep sermon by a pastor that you really want to absorb, you might even consider using the slow down feature.

Another really good use of the speed settings is if you are trying to learn a music part by ear and it's crazy fast like the bass solo of Salvation Is Here by Hillsong United. (I actually learned it at normal speed but this would be a good application for the tool)

To do this, simply right click while playing the song or podcast then go to Enhancements, Play speed settings and adjust to your preferred speed. I've found most podcasts to be fine up to the 1.3 to 1.4x speed but much more than that and you feel like you're listening to a chipmunk hyped up on Mountain Dew.

If you're working on a Mac this can be done in Quick Time by going to Window, Show A/V Controls, playback speed.

In pursuit of His best,
Andrew

Prayer CATS

An acronym that can be helpful when thinking about prayer and how to pray is C.A.T.S.
Confession
Adoration
Thanksgiving
Supplication

Sometimes this acronym is in the order ACTS but I think it's good to confess sin first thing before getting into the other areas. Just seems to make sense if there's something that's not straight with me and God to fess up then get down to business. Then, I can focus on the praise and worship of who He is followed by thanks for the many blessings He's given me and after each of these elements, intercession and prayer for myself and others. Of course, it doesn't always have to follow this order but it's at least a good tool to keep in the back pocket.

In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Lead Me

I really like the song "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real that we're playing at church this weekend. Even though I'm not a husband or father yet, the song has a powerful message of relying on God to give strength and give guidance to a man as he leads and provides strength and protection to those he loves.

The Pursuit of His Best

What does "In pursuit of His best" mean? Glad you asked :-) The overarching goal of my life is to pursue God passionately in all I do and to seek His best. Ephesians 3:20 says that He is able to do immeasurably more than all I can ask or imagine according to His power that is at work in me. I am not always successful in pursuing His best, but I've found that when I pursue Him with all my heart, mind, and strength that I am most joyful and He is most glorified.

Thanks for reading and welcome to the pursuit.
In pursuit of His best,

Andrew

Farewell Wisdom of Dre

Over the past month or so, I've been thinking and praying about the title of my blog. Since it's inception a little over 4 years ago, I've used the title The Wisdom of Dre. It has served well to capture the essence of tone and style to this point. However, as with all things, seasons come and go and it is now time to close the season of The Wisdom of Dre.

For the past few years, I've used the tag line "In pursuit of His best." In praying and thinking it through, I believe that this more accurately describes the tone and direction of my life. I've also decided to take the plunge and use a for real domain name which will be www.PursuitofHisbest.com. You should still be able to access the blog by going to aallen820.blogspot.com but the official address may be easier to remember.

Farewell Wisdom of Dre, it's been a good ride.

Empty Me

A song that's been speaking to me recently is "Empty Me" by Jeremy Camp.



The lyrics are:

Holy Fire- burn away my desire, for anything
that is not of You and is of me
I want more of You and less of me

Empty Me, Empty Me, Fill Me, With You

I also came up with a bridge section:

Strip away all the things in me
all my pride and selfishness
let my eyes be only fixed on You
May my heart's chief desire
the passion of my soul inside
always be for You alone my King

This is my prayer but it can be a painful process. When you've spent a lifetime building up an identity, desires, talents, and abilities, it can be tough to lay those down in light of Him.

I think God creates each person with unique gifts and abilities. Our experiences, books we read, music we listen to, places we go, and people we come into contact with shape who we become. They represent who we are and God can be glorified in them. But, if we operate out of our natural strengths and find our sense of worth in these apart from Him, they are hollow and empty.

When I allow God to strip away everything in me that takes His place at my center and the core of my being, it gives Him the ability to work in and through me to accomplish His best purposes.

John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" in John 3:30. He was speaking of his own ministry and the ministry of Jesus but I think it can also be applied to our personal lives. When Jesus increases in influence and flows more abundantly in my life, it is at these times that I am most fulfilled.

Wake Up O Sleeper

We're playing this really fun bluesy gospel song at church on Sunday. I really like the version by Glory Revealed.



Here's the Bible passage that the verse comes from:
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord. 11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."

15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." Ephesians 5:8-17

Eat A Frog

“Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” -Mark Twain

Vicarious Christianity

Real relationship with Christ cannot be obtained through vicarious experience.

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" Romans 3:22-24

Have you ever experienced times in life when you gain spiritual nourishment from sources other than Bible or God directly? I enjoy listening to worship music, playing it myself, fellowshipping with other believers, reading books, articles, and blogs about faith, listening to podcasts and sermons, and hearing about God's work in others' lives. These things can be great facilitators to spur me on in my faith. However, if I do not personally engage with God on a daily basis, my spiritual walk will suffer.

Activities like prayer, reading/meditating on the Bible, journaling, and worshiping God from my heart have been the most effective in facilitating my personal walk with Him and keeping me revived and abiding in Him on a daily basis. There are so many blessings that come from just spending time with Jesus and sharing your life with Him. He wants us to talk with Him. "Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know" Jeremiah 33:3

As Colossians 3:1-2 says, "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." We have direct access to the throne room of God through Jesus. Let's be sure to take advantage of this tremendous privilege.

How to Ice a Knee and Still Be Upwardly Mobile

From time to time, athletic pursuits result in soreness, inflammation, and occasionally injuries. While propping up a knee, relaxing, and icing said knee is preferable, sometimes this is not always possible due to competing time demands. There is now a solution to icing while remaining upwardly mobile. I present to you, the Saran-wrap frozen veggies/fruit icing method.

This is easily accomplished by taking your favorite or least favorite bag of frozen vegetables or fruit and wrapping several layers of saran-wrap around the knee or other appendage. Tape helps to keep the ice wrap in place. And voila you are now both icing a knee and upwardly mobile.

Straight Up Truth

Have you ever been reading the Bible and the words jump out at you to speak directly to something you're experiencing or have been thinking about recently? A couple nights ago I had this experience with some passages, a few of which are listed below.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life...Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." -Proverbs 4:23, 25-27

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" -II Corinthians 10:5

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" -Hebrews 12:1-2

These passage are great reminders to be focused on pursuing Jesus and not become distracted by the temporary things of the world. When our eyes, heart, and mind are fixed on Him, we walk in paths of righteousness and don't get tripped up by temptation or allow outside influences to disrupt His best for our lives. I want my pursuit of Him to be so intensely focused that all else falls to the side.

The Bible is straight up truth brothas and sistas.

Ryan Hall on Running and Faith

Below are excerpts from an interview with world class runner Ryan Hall by RunningTimes.com in which Ryan discusses the intersection of his Christian faith and running. He's got a great perspective that can be applied to any profession or area of life.

For the full interview go to: http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=19104

Ryan and his wife Sara's website is: ryanandsarahall.com if you'd like to read more about them.

Running Times: Why do you think God takes an active interest in the outcome of sporting events? Given that the outwardly faithful more often than not don’t win, what does that mean about God’s involvement in these events?

Ryan Hall: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts [emphasis added, Isaiah 55:9]."

...
From my experience through my running career of weathering many lows and enjoying some really high mountain peak experiences, I have felt that the sweetest part of running is feeling God with me as I run, and the great thing about that is it isn't something that only one person or a couple of people can experience in a race. We can all experience it. We can all feel something that is even sweeter, available every time we toe the line and more lasting than winning or setting a record. Today, whenever I sign my name to an autograph I always write John 10:10 (The thief comes only to steal kill and destroy, I came that they may have life abundantly and have it abundantly) with it because it is the best part of following Jesus and having his Spirit in me – it makes life sweeter. My running is better, my daily life is better, etc. Following Jesus doesn't mean abandoning the fun things of this world; it means having more fun, being free from the worries of daily life, and experiencing things in greater, more fulfilling ways...

...While I cannot coerce God into moving in this (miraculous) way I still have childlike faith knowing it’s possible, which I reflect in my running by being bold, taking chances and giving God an opportunity to do something amazing. However, I have found from my experience that often times what I hear God telling me is, "My grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9)." God has always provided enough strength for me to do what He wants me to do on the race course. It doesn't mean I always win or do something miraculous but I always have enough to accomplish the purpose which God called me to race for...

...The most important thing I can train is my heart. It is what drives the body. Christians should be able to compete with more freedom, less pressure and more joy. I have become better at being OK with whatever God has for me in a race knowing that at the end of the day, though I try to wrap my head around how God moves in sport, in the end, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9)..."

...In a world where it is all about the guy on the top step of the podium and we are defined and define ourselves by the time on our watch, at the end of the day I am trying to spread the word that it ultimately isn't all about that. The sweetest part of life is that we can all have God. God is with those who are with him. It’s our choice and a free invitation to everyone...

...Being highly favored, or winning as we might call it in the sports world, is an inner peace, joy, and freedom that comes from having God with us. It’s not about the circumstances we are in but rather about the heart that we are able to have because of who is walking through all the circumstances of life with us...

...When we lose our focus on just following Christ and we start looking to how God is moving in other people’s lives it totally steals our joy, thankfulness and power...

...I believe that God created me to run the marathon and run it well and I will not stop until he tells me it is time, and I will not be distracted unless he directs me to something different...

Running Times: Are you this good because you have worked and trained harder than everyone else, or because you are more blessed?

Ryan Hall: Neither. I am what I am because of the grace of God. God’s grace has allowed me to pick myself up out of the dirt time and time again. That grace is something we can all have. It obviously takes a lot of focus, discipline, humility, hard work and all those other things that make up great athletes but that is just who I am. We can all achieve a level of greatness when we are who we are meant to be to the fullest...

...The Olympic Marathon Trials is probably the time when I felt the Holy Spirit the strongest in a race. It was an incredible experience that I believe we can all experience, even in the same race (meaning you might not win), depending on how desperate for God we are...

...Running is my ministry. I am using the body that God gave me to do what he wants me to do, including feeding and taking care of the poor...

...I have learned that my primary role as a Christian is to receive God’s love and then to love others from that love. Now I am much more interested in hearing what others believe and why they believe it. I really enjoy talking about spiritual matters but if I sense my teammates don’t feel like it or don’t enjoy it, then I respect that...

Running Times: Are you currently learning anything about who God is through running or racing?


Ryan Hall: Every day, man. God is always teaching me more about who he is and who I am while I am out there. For me running is the ultimate school ground.

Abide In My Love

"Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; abide in My love." -John 15:9

This verse comes right after Jesus talks about the analogy of the Father as a gardener and himself as the vine. Pruning can be painful but at the same time a strengthening process. I've found in my own life that God has to prune me sometimes and tear away the pride and selfish motives in my heart in order to grow me. Life truly does go better when I abide in Him and allow Him to live through me, producing fruit.

It can be easy to get caught up in a performance mentality in the sense of "I'm going to produce fruit by working really hard and making plans of my own." While there's nothing wrong with hard work, if it is not fruit that God has ordained, it's false and produces sour grapes. In seeking after the fruit of the Spirit by remaining in Christ, He transforms me and grows me as He desires rather than according to my plans.

Performance based mentality can also lead to a sense of failure and belief that He doesn't love us due to trying hard to please Him when in reality, all He wants is for us to abide in His love and allow His power to work in and through us.

Abide in Him.

Crush It

I recently read Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk, a book about Web 2.0, social media, and how to leverage the numerous resources on the internet to market your brand. Vaynerchuk used hustle and determination to grow a family liquor store from $5 to $50 million within a period of about 8 years. He then built on that success with the creation of WineLibraryTV.com where he provides insight into all things oriented to wine. Through the use of social media, WineLibraryTV has become an enormous success. Vaynerchuk gives lots of great insight into building community for your brand including such platforms as Twitter, Facebook, uStream, Viddler, YouTube, blogging, and podcasts, amongst a host of others.

The title "Crush It" comes from identifying passion and what the person or company enjoys doing more than anything. By engaging in the identified passion and utilizing the Web 2.0 marketing tools, the company or person can Crush It, Blow it Up, or other terms indicative of outstanding success.

Vaynerchuk notes that once you identify your passion that you should work at it at full speed, constantly. The only drawback to the book is that it is in written form. With the social media landscape changing so rapidly, perhaps Vaynerchuck could work with organizations such as Amazon to release an ebook version every 6 months or so to provide updated content based on new innovations. Crush It could become to social media what What Color Is Your Parachute is to career guidance.

This book is good for anyone looking for a fairly comprehensive look at social media and how to leverage it to enhance your passion and brand.

Tax Planning: Charitable Donations

Well friends, it's that time of year when tax returns are in the air. Many people include charitable donations as itemized deductions on their tax returns. Not only are cash contributions available as deductions but property donations such as clothing, furniture, cars, and musical/athletic equipment to a charity can also be deducted for fair market value.

Another charitable deduction that is not as widely known is mileage driven for charitable activities. For example, if you volunteer with the Boy/Girl Scouts and drive kids to various activities related to scouts, the mileage could be used as an itemized deduction. Similarly, if you volunteer at your church or local soup kitchen, mileage would also be deductible. For 2009 tax returns, the charitable mileage rate is 14 cents/mile in contrast to the business related rate of 55 cents/mile. See IRS.gov for more details.

Another very good tax planning strategy which is best implemented at the end of the taxable year is donating property which would have a capital gain such as shares of stock or investment real estate to a charitable organization. Let's assume you purchased 100 shares of ABC stock at a price of $40 per share and it is trading at $50 per share at the end of the year. Rather than selling and paying tax on the $10 per share profit, by donating the stock to a charitable organization you would avoid paying tax on the capital gain as well as benefit the charity. It's an opportunity to choose where your dollars go rather than depending on the government to make that choice for you. This technique, of course, assumes that you have charitable inclinations. NationalChristian.com has good information on setting up a donor advised fund or Charitable Remainder Trust if these are options you'd like to explore.

Using itemized deductions requires that you have total deductions greater than the standard deduction level which for 2009 is $11,400 for married couples, $5,700 for single folks, and $8,350 for heads of household. http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=187825,00.html Other common deductions in addition to charitable deductions include mortgage interest, state income tax, property tax, education expenses, and business expenses exceeding 2% of adjusted gross income.

Happy tax returning!

Matt Papa "Your Kingdom Come" Album Review

Two things stand out in listening to Matt Papa's album "Your Kingdom Come." One, that he walks closely with God and two, that he knows and reads the Bible, a lot. The songs proclaim the attributes, mysteries, and praises of God as well as weaving Biblical truths throughout (ex:"Every Knee Will Bow"). The overarching musical style is guitar driven rock with a tasteful dose of piano in the mix.

Some bands or musicians use formulaic musical techniques but Papa has a plethora of interesting things going on musically (listen closely and you may hear a harpsichord on one song). The bulk of the album is filled with songs you can enjoy like a juicy steak, both flavorful and something to chew on.

One album theme is the missional call to go out to the world sharing Christ's love heard in: "Your Kingdom Come," "To the Least of These," and "Here am I, Send Me."

"Hallelujah, Our God Reigns" is a rocking declaration of God's holiness and attributes as if a rock band of angels got together and rocked the praises straight from Revelation. The radio single and one of my personal favorites on the album is "Open Hands" which shares of learning to live a surrendered and unselfish life with open hands so as to tell the world of how Jesus loves, died, and sets us free.

"God of Grace" celebrates God's provision for people in all sorts of life circumstances and His sacrifice and love for us as we are. The song "You Can Do Anything" is primarily in the pop punk genre but is the only song on the album in performed in this style. "Hymn in C" is a great declaration of Christ's love and sacrifice for us and the transformation that occurs because of a relationship with Him. "Alive" has a Christmas feel to it reminiscent of Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime."

Papa doesn't pull punches with songs such as "Where is the Difference" and the sardonic "Woe to You" that cut to the quick, calling out superficial Christianity, self serving religion, and materialism.

"Here It Comes" starts out with an army marching into the opening guitar riff that opens a straight up southern rock song including a gospel choir and finishes with a ripping guitar solo and wild celebration. "No One Else" expresses desire for God being primary and above all else with anthemic worship and praise as one might imagine the Psalmist David expressing his heart and soul's desire.

Papa uses a shouting singing style at the top of his vocal range in parts of a few songs. This can be overlooked though due to his joy and heart for God leaping through the lyrics.

If you see a photo of Matt, his appearance is a cross between Keith Green and David Crowder. :-)

Over the next few weeks, I plan to work through the many scriptures listed as sources for the songs. Some writers rely on christianese "praise phrases" in their songs but Papa goes straight to the source for inspiration with resulting theologically deep passages.

This is the best rock/worship albums I've heard in a while and it will be receiving serious play time in my listening endeavors.

If you found this review helpful, please let Amazon know at this link.

Debt Snowball

A debt snowball caught on camera in the wild!



See DaveRamsey.com for info on implementing a debt snowball.

God is A Mighty Warrior

"Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of buckler and shield and rise up for my help. Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me. Say to my soul I am your salvation." -Psalm 35: 1-3

God is a mighty warrior who fights for us against all kinds of evil whether spiritual or man made. He defends us and acts as our rear guard. As you run along the path, a fearless and awesome warrior guards you against all who pursue. There is impending violence foretold by the drawing of spear and battle-axe. Woe be to the enemies of the Lord. They will meet with bitter blows for contending with God's chosen ones.

"Say to my soul I am your salvation." We are not alone in the fight. He is ever present and available to defend us. How many times do we take on a battle in our own strength that He intends to fight for us and end up falling prey to an enemy conquerable only through Him? In the spiritual realm, we have a very real foe who attacks us at every opportunity. Recognize the attacks when they occur and take hold of God's power in battle. Let us continually call on the name of Christ to fight for and defend us as we "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)"

Listen to God Almighty by Chris Tomlin and Mighty To Save by Hillsong United for soundtrack.

Winter Wonder Run

I went for a run this past week while it was snowing and found this great spot for some pictures so came back and set up a tripod to get a few good shots. Running in the snow is fun and quite beautiful if not overly cold.

Pursue Wisdom Like a Beautiful Woman

"Blessed is the one who finds wisdom and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed." Proverbs 3:13-18

"Prize her (wisdom) highly and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown." Proverbs 4:8-9

Proverbs often refers to wisdom as she or her. There is a definite parallel between wisdom and a beautiful woman. (by beauty, this refers to true beauty not something superficial) When a man pursues a beautiful woman, his thoughts are constantly dwelling on what he can do in order to spend more time with her. If a man pursues wisdom in a similar manner, the end result is a life guarded with the insight, knowledge, and immeasurable riches beyond worldly wealth that comes from her.

The book of Proverbs is chock full of wisdom for numerous subjects. Seeking God's wisdom is crucial for a life fully lived and set apart to Him. Ask and He will direct and guide you. "For the Lord gives wisdom from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." Proverbs 2:6 But just as a man needs to spend time with a beautiful woman to get to know her, so he needs to spend time gaining wisdom through reading the Bible, meditating on its truths, praying, and seeking Godly counsel from others with wisdom based in experience.

If you'd like a good place to start, read the chapter number in Proverbs that corresponds to the day's date. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs and you're sure to find something good regardless of the day.

Now Go Get 'er!

Drew Brees Interview

Here's a great interview with Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, sharing about his faith in Christ. It's awesome to see athletes of this caliber sharing publicly about their relationship with God.

The Man Who Fears the Lord

"Who, then is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear Him; He makes His covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare." Psalm 25: 11-15

This passage strikes a chord with me. I want to be a man who fears the Lord. How rich and deep a life for this type of person. How awesome for the God of all the universe to confide in me and do His work through me. Let my eyes be ever on You.

Daily Audio Bible

A neat podcast that I found on iTunes is the Daily Audio Bible. It is structured so that if you listen to it everyday, you will listen through the entire Bible in a year. It's nice if you like to exercise with an iPod or other mp3 player to be able to listen to scripture. The podcast covers a section in the Old Testament, a section in the New Testament, a Psalm, and a short section in Proverbs. Brian Hardin is the reader of the passages and offers some thoughts on the passage each day as well. There is also a website where people can discuss the daily reading and see prayer requests from others as well. The website is: DailyAudioBible.com.

Submit Yourself: A Living Sacrifice

"Submit yourselves, then, to God..." James 4:7

This does not mean make plans and then submit them to Him asking Him to make them successful. It does mean lay yourself in front of Him and ask Him to guide you and lead you in His plans.

I was reading from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers today where he says: "Have you come to your last days really? You have come to them often in sentiment, but have you come to them really? ...Do you agree with God that you stop being the striving, earnest kind of Christian you have been? We skirt the cemetery and all the time refuse to go to death. It is not striving to go to death, it is dying, "baptized into His death."

I find this challenging in my own life to truly submit myself to Him and die to self seeking after His desires and plans rather than going through motions and rote Christianity vis a vis as a living sacrifice.

Man Cold

A man cold is a very serious condition. If you or someone you know acquires a man cold, please seek immediate attention.

Christmas Songs at the Plaza

The Sunday before Christmas I went down to the Country Club Plaza and played Christmas songs on the sidewalk in front of Barnes & Noble while wearing a Santa hat. It was a lot of fun and I actually made $23.85 in tips. The cash money song seemed to be Feliz Navidad. Occasionally, people would start singing along. It was interesting to see how some people deliberately tried to not make eye contact and others cast a sideways glance into my guitar case to see how much in tips was there. I was able to connect with some kids and get them to smile and sing or dance along which was a lot of fun.

Facing Your Giants

Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado

In Facing Your Giants, Lucado examines the life of David and the literal giant Goliath as well as other figurative giants he faced such as being persecuted by Saul, warfare, family issues, and others. The book, like most of Lucado's books, is uplifting and encouraging to those facing tough circumstances in life. Whether it be sickness, career difficulties, relationship problems, or something else, he provides encouragement and helps the reader examine the life of David and how he worked with God through some of his own giants.

Multiple versions of the Bible are referenced and at times can seem as though they are chosen specifically to fit what Lucado would like the passage to say. This is not to minimize the scripture references but translations closer to word for word such as the New American Standard and King James are used minimally in favor of versions such as The Message and the New Living Translation.

Lucado definitely has a gift for story telling and uses this to provide visual imagery and possible thoughts the characters had during the Biblical stories of David. Some of this is interesting and provides a new perspective on familiar stories but the reader would do well to keep in mind that some of this imagery is Lucado's personal interpretation of the stories and not gospel truth.

A study guide is located in the back of the book which would serve as a good resource for further reflection or even as a group study.

As a whole, I found the book to be encouraging and thought through several difficult "giants" I've faced in my own life while reading it. Facing Your Giants would be good for anyone facing difficult circumstances to gain encouragement and inspiration through learning about the life of David.

If you found this review helpful, please let Amazon know at this link.

Christmas Lights

These are some pictures I took of Christmas lights in North Kansas City as well as a home close to where I live. The picture of the house is currently posted on KansasCity.com.

How to Eat a Gingerbread Man

How do you eat a gingerbread man? Is it head first, leg by leg, the arms or do you prefer the more torturous (for the gingerbread man) method of picking each individual eye and button off? Maybe you lick the icing or just gobble down the first thing that comes to your mouth. Whatever your method, we here at the Wisdom of Dre salute you and your holiday cookie consumption. Remember: there's no wrong way to eat a gingerbread man.

If you choose to eat, please do so responsibly, excessive consumption of cookies has been known to cause weight gain. zero based caloric formula 1 cookie= 1 mile walked/run

Thanks to www.debbie-gray-illustrator.com for the gingerbread man illustration.

Global Warming

I'm not convinced

Kansas City Board of Trade

On Friday, I took a field trip to the Kansas City Board of Trade where they trade Hard Red Winter wheat commodities. This is the image you get when you think of the stock market and see people in a pit on TV waving hands frantically trying to buy or sell. This is a hub of trade for a large quantity of wheat trading that occurs in the United States. There are a few other trading exchanges for wheat as well, but this is a major one.

The majority of trading is done electronically via computer these days but there is still some that happens in person. As trades are executed, they're recorded and the price of wheat changes as a result whether up or down. The electronic boards in the background track the prices of wheat that is scheduled for delivery during various time frames. Some traders are just trying to make a margin on trades or speculation and some are hedging risk so that they get a guaranteed rate to buy or sell at. It was very interesting to see the market in person. The last 30 seconds close of the market was fairly rapid and exciting as well.