Fresh Air, God's Creation, and A Brother

Cory, remember when you took me to Fresno Dome and we hiked up the non-trail 7% grade?

Refreshing: the autumn leaves are magnificant. The air is cool. A spirit of peace flows through the land. Cory, I will be back to visit you and Lyndsay in the near future.

Mom's Stuffing

I am thrilled to say I do not have school or work tomorrow. Instead, I will be driving to my mom's house in lettuceville (Salinas) for Thanksgiving. This is an important trip. Yes, I will have Thanksgiving dinner with my family, and I will be able to see some friends I am not able to see....But, I will also learn how to make my mom's unique and traditional stuffing. Now, the word "traditional" carries negative connotations, especially concerning doctrine and/or theology. Yet this tradition is more important than immersion juxtapose sprinkling baptism.

Allow me to boast, my mom makes the BEST food. Of course, you all will say there is someone you know, perhaps your mom, dad, uncle, sister in law's baby cousin Tracy, yada yada who cook the Best. It's all relative. Anyway, I am excited to learn this recipe and how to make my mom's stuffing so I can pass it on to my family. This is vital people!

Well, I'm going to come back, hopefully, knowing how to make this stuff....I suppose I will make my first attempt to cook this during Christmas because I cannot go to my mom's house due to work....blah. So, anyone around Long Beach who wants to try out my first stuffing attempt, let's have a party.

My Tears Are Two-fold

Earlier today I was given the privilege and the honor of paying a tribute to Dr. Wilson during the beautiful memorial service Dr. Yarchin and the Haggard school of Theology staff put together. (Travis and Cory, I let everyone know you were regretfully unable to attend. Diane wants us to come over for dinner sometime in the near future).

Today was the second time I shed tears in the last 8 years! The first time was during The Passion of the Christ, though it was more of my eyes watering up rather than streams falling. No, I do not pretend to be some macho guy who holds back his tears for fear of being portrayed as a weak individual. Rather, I have built walls around my heart up so high and so thick from events during my early teen years, I have actually lost the ability to cry. There have been times in the last 8 years I wish I could have been emotional for people, but was too calloused. However, today was a different story. As what appeared to be rivers flowed from my eyes, I realized God worked through Dr. Wilson one last way for me. That is, God used G-dub's passing to break some of the thick wall which has captivated my heart for so long. My tears were a manifestation of liberation from the bondage of empty emotion. It is amazing to see the power of a God who loves us so much...

Thus my tears served two purposes today: They marked the beginning of a fully-liberated heart. Second, they shouted praises to God in joy as we commended our dear friend's spirit into the arms of angels.

A Hero Has Fallen...

There are many people who have made an impact in my life. I call these people my heroes. These are men and women who have inspired me, taught me, and lavished me with their love. Last night, I received the dreadful news: One of my heroes fell...

It was Fall 2002. I was signing up for my second semester of classes at A.P.U. (Azusa Pacific University). My roommate Travis told me I should take Hebrew. He said Cory was taking it and the professor was amazing. I was intrigued by the Hebrew language and thought it would be a good idea. 4 semesters later, I found not only was it a good idea, but it was a life-chagning journey. Dr. Gerald H. Wilson impacted me, as he did many other people, in such a deep and powerful way. Amid teaching us a language in which no rules really apply, all of the time anyway, Wilson walked beside us, took us under his wing, loved us, and truly cared. He was more than a professor. He was a friend and a brother.

We called him "G-dub" and it was one of many different attributes that expressed we could have such a close and intimate relationship with such an honorable and great man. Cory, Travis and I sit here confused, yes. I would lie if I did not say it feels like someone has punched me in the stomach. But I have much to rejoice over: G-dub is with our heavenly Father. A man who loved God so much and had such a passion to teach about God's love is now seated at the great table of heaven having a feast with the one he loved so intimately. As Cory states in his blog, I have no idea what heaven is like. But I know I have a hero to look forward to seeing when I get there.

G-dub: Once a hero has become legend.
Gerald: We love you, we miss you, and we will NEVER forget you. Thank you for making such a difference in the lives of so many of us. Thank you for taking the time to care that a punk kid with a lip ring and dyed hair learn about the compassion and love God has for us. Thank you for taking the time to teach this kid Hebrew. Thank you for teaching me what it looks like to be a true man of God.

Tar Pit Trap

What does it mean to be held in captivity? What does it mean to be trapped? These terms represent a state of being. One in which a person is held down by shackles immobile.

The trap is the sin we keep coming back to. Why? Why do we return to death? Why do we choose to eat the rotten, maggot covered apple when we are given a royal feast? No trap is easily noticed. Thus Satan and his demons have portrayed a false illusion of pleasure. The rotten apple appears to be the most delicious and desirable fruit we have ever seen. The sin which wraps around our ankles and lures us into its deadly pit is our trap.

The pit is the depth of our downward spiral to death. Some will go only deep enough so they are able to climb out themselves. Others fall deeper into the pit and need assistance from a brother or sister. Still others fall so deep only the divine hand can pull them out. Yet for some reason we all play on the edge of the pit, waiting to be pulled in by the trap which we have fallen into for so long.

The tar is the deadliest. The residue left from the sin is a target for the enemy to wrap its poisonous vines around our legs so we are unable to stand fast. The tar is a scent for the enemy to devour us because we have put down our defense and left ourselves open to the flaming arrows of our vile foe.

To conquer sin, we must work backwards. Our first move is not to stop a certain sin, for we shall fall into another trap like it. In the same manner, our first move is not to fool ourselves into believing we can live a life far from the pit, for we are dead to sin. The pit will be our adversary until we rendezvous with the father. We must first clean the tar that has stained our soul. We are all broken, hurt, and wounded. Our wounds must be healed for us to fully conquer sin, otherwise we leave an opening or weakness in our stronghold for the enemy to creep through and destroy our temple from the inside. We must seek help and healing. Then, we can work on navigating away from the pits of life and the traps we shall see for what they are, death.