Read Acts

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted.  I keep meaning to post weekly here, but that doesn't always happen.

The last few weeks I've been reading through Acts.  This is part of an initiative of my church to encourage us to be in the Word daily.  We are reading one chapter a day, every day. 

Paul gets warned that he will be in danger if he goes on to Jerusalem.  He goes anyway.  Stephen and James refused to deny Christ,at the price of their lives!  In the end, 11 disciples  gave their lives and John was banished because of their faith in Christ.  Then you add in all the others who did things to help.  Lowering Paul out a window.  Sending Paul off and staying in a dangerous city.

Then you have the miracles God did through and with the followers.  Philip seems to have been instantly teleported somewhere at least once.  Peter and John healing the lame man.  Even Paul was so gifted that people would touch handkerchiefs and other objects of his and be healed!  Peter was so filled with the Holy Spirit that his shadow would heal people.  Then you have the angel walking Peter out of jail with the guards right there and not knowing it was happening!

There is so much of what God does that we have not even looked for.  Certainly we must be wise in how we do it.  But as nerds/geeks we often talk about powers and amazing events, but are we really asking God for them? 

Have you read Acts lately?  Give it a try and then start praying and looking for opportunities to lovingly and gently share Christ.

Water Dancing and Running

I just came across this post from GeekRest.com featuring a commercial for what I think is a bank based in either Hong Kong or Singapore.  They add a substance to a swimming pool so people can run and dance and such across it.

The line "you can do more than just walk across water" caught  my attention.  This is obviously a reference to the experience Jesus shared with Peter of walking on water.  You can find the story in Matthew 14:22-36.

In the video they were dancing, playing soccer and running on the water.  Some things didn't work, such as standing still or riding a bike. 

As we begin a New Year, think about your relationship with Christ.  Are you walking on water?  Sinking?  Staying in the boat?  I want to swing dance and jump bounce on the water with Christ!

Remember that not all things work.  Jesus called us deeper into life and away from sin.  He challenges us to leave selfish patterns behind us and embrace what He has for us.  Would you dance with Jesus on the water?

The Fire without the Doctor

My house burned on the Day of the Doctor...and he was not around.  There was no blue box.  No "whirr-wrrrr" of a time machine that is bigger on the inside than the outside.  All 13 of him were busy moving a planet.  Gandalf didn't come.  I hear he was on a journey with or preparing for a journey with a hobbit named Bilbo.  Thor didn't come because he was fighting dark elves.   I do not know where Superman, Luke Skywalker, or Chuck were.

I do know that he Lord God was with us.  I won't tell you how it started, but the flames went right between my Dad's legs as he was running out of the room it started in.  NOT A SINGLE BIT of his jeans was burned.  God was with us.  He protected us. 

"To You, Lord I call; you are my rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me.  For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to that pit.  Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place....Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy" Psalm 28

 

Hey guys.

Last week I saw Gravity at the theater with my brother.  This film is about astronauts trying to make it back to Earth after their shuttle was to damaged to use, and essentially destroyed.  What got me is the amount of knowledge they had to use.  They had to know about space stations and escape pods they were not supposed to go to on that mission.

Life is the same way.  We need a lot of information.  We need to know how to tie our shoe laces.  How to cook or fix food.  How to get from place A to place B.  Most importantly, we need to know the Bible.

I have found myself in times of spiritual warfare when I only made it out because of the Word of God and because of some training from a teacher.  The Psalms talk about the Bible being a light unto our path.  What do you need to learn? 

Tennant, Smith and the Transfiguration

Greetings in Christ.

Are you excited about this weekends 50th anniversary of DOCTOR WHO??!!!!!

I am!  I am excited to see the 10th and 11th Doctors together and to find out more about John Hurts character, "The War Doctor".  This will be interesting seeing the 3 discuss, argue, and have adventure.  I am looking forward to see what they do with Rose Tyler, as it seams from the trailer has something more going for her on than just another journey in the Tardis.  Will Bad Wolf come back?

Now as we get excited about this combination of characters and actors, imagine how Peter, James, and John felt when they and Jesus reached the top of the mountain for the Transfiguration.  He had done so many miracles for them, and to be sure they didn't even realize how much he had yet to accomplish!  But then, he became as bright as the sun in front of them and was immediately joined by Moses and Elijah, two of their other heroes!  Then, a "bright cloud" surrounded them and a voice from this cloud spoke of love for Jesus and commanded that they listen to Him.  In their culture that meant not just hearing, but obeying.  

Peter wanted to do something of a service for them by building shelters for them.  I love that his first thought with them there was one of service.  It is such a far cry from our culture which would be screaming and pushing for autographs. 

We know that they talked with Jesus as they came down the mountain, but I wonder if, before that, there was some silence.  They had heard a voice from God the Father that came from a bright cloud surrounding them, met two of their heroes from scriptures and history, and seen their master Transfigured with blinding light.  I am amazed that Peter was able to speak out in the middle of all this to suggest building a shelter!  I mean, yeah, just meeting Moses and Elijah might not have taken a persons breath away, but the cloud, Jesus becoming light, the voice of the Father.  This was a lot to take in!

In the middle of our excitement about Christmas gifts coming, the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, the future possibilities of Star Wars Episode 7, Avengers: The Age of Ultron, Batman/Superman film, many video games and board games and conventions, let us keep our focus on our Christ as if He is always Transfiguring before us.  In awe and service let us trust in Him.  

A couple quick things:  If you haven't read the story of the Transfiguration in a while I encourage you to open your Bible up to Matthew 17 and do so.   Secondly, remember that I extended the deadline for the King David stories.  Email me your story about King David meeting a fictional character with no more than 1,000 words by December 1st.  My email is ericanderson25@gmail.com.

Greetings.

I am sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I meant to and when I had ideas I was focused on other things.  GRRRR.

I also need to apologize for not getting out reminders for the King David Story Challenge.  So far no entries have been submitted.  Therefore I'll be postponing the deadline until December 1st to give it another chance.

This month is such an exciting time to be a nerd!  We have Thor:The Dark World starting in theaters this weekend.  In a couple weeks we have both the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who and the release of Catching Fire.  We just had the release in theaters of Enders Game.  Video gamers are getting excited about BlizzCon this weekend.

I have been reading James a lot lately.  My church is going through a series on it and we are reading a chapter a day from it through the series.  This way we will read James 7 times along with hearing on it at church and talking about it at small group.

I think it is easy for me as a nerd to get caught up in exciting nerd stuff, but keeping caught up in the Word is far more powerful.  Fortunately the Bible is full of things we nerds can appreciate: the logic of Paul, the Poetry of the Psalms, the adventure of Genesis and Joshua, the battles of the Old Testament, the Imagery and mystery of Revelation and Daniel. 

I would like to hear from my audience.  What movies/video games/board games are you anticipating?  What Bible verses are you stuck on and frustrated with?  What is a challenge for you?

Comment on here or on the Facebook page/posts.

King David Story Challenge

Hi there adventurers and honest seekers.

How is your day going?  Mine is going fine.  What is your favorite adventure story from the Bible?  There are quite a few to choose from.  Paul's travels and David's battles and Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.  Plus so many more!

I like David's stories a lot.  David did not do everything right.  He faltered in sin many times, but he was open to admitting his sins when confronted about them.  He also fought many battles, showed mercy to King Saul (even when Saul did not deserve it), and he also wrote many Psalms that expressed his frustration and joy and have helped many millions more express both joy and anger, along with other emotions.

So here is my challenge to you.  Write a short story of an interaction between King David and a fictional character from one of your favorite franchises.  I warn you that the fictional franchises I know best are Stargate, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Marvel and DC.  I do know a fair amount of Star Trek knowledge as well but I have never watched DS-9.

Please limit the stories to 1,000 words or less.  The due date for this challenge will be November 8th.

The story I like the most that can help us discuss life issues and does a good job representing both characters will get published on this blog as a "Guest Entry".

Email your story to me: ericanderson25@gmail.com