February 2007
Monthly Archive
I've got Joost! And an invite ;)
Posted by mistic on 28 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: myspace
so if you havn’t heard, Joost is this cool new online tv video thing that is totaly sweet. And I happen to have a beta account. And an invite =D
First person to ask (and seem like they really want it) gets it!
Maybe if a bunch of people want one, we can do like a round robin system.. right. like a ‘bunch of people’ read my blog.
(And you already got sent my other invite Josh, so don’t ask)
Man, I have like 16 other blogs to post and this is the one that goes up.. oh well.
God Bless yall!
Love,
nate
Abba, Father
Posted by mistic on 21 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: God, cool
Abba, Father , by Nathan James
Did you ever ask yourself, “Why did God create the earth?” I have, and I’ve seen the answer in God’s Word. In Genesis, we see clearly that the world was made for mankind. Indeed, even the stars, so very far away, are there for us.
Genesis 1:14 and 15:
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons. and for days. and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
The sun, moon, and stars were all made for mankind, to give us light, and seasons, and days, and years, and to be signs showing God’s master plan. The stars announced the birth of Jesus Christ. That’s how the wise men knew to come looking for “…he that is born King of the Jews….” (Matthew 2:2) It wasn’t because God lacked servants that He made the earth. He had the angels to serve Him, and to acknowledge Him as God. What was it, then, that God gained in mankind? It was the father-son relationship. That is something God did not have with the angels.
Hebrews 1:5:
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
God’s heart’s desire was fulfilled in mankind, but not in every man and woman. Although some teach that everyone is a child of God, this is not what God says in His Word. God has said that Jesus Christ is His firstborn. Christ, whose birth was foretold in the Scriptures, and heralded from the sky, was the first to truly be God’s Son. He is called the “only begotten” Son of God (John 3:16) because He is the only one who is God’s Son by physical birth. The Scriptures testify to the closeness of the Father and the Son.
John 11:42a; and 16:32:
And I knew that thou hearest me always: …
16:32 Behold; the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
Jesus Christ had great confidence in his relationship with his Father, and he and God looked forward to a whole family of sons,
Romans 8:29:
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he [His Son] might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Who now makes up this family? Who are these “many brethren?” They are the men and women whom God knew would believe in Jesus Christ. These are the sons for whom God lovingly prepared the earth. When you and I believed and confessed Jesus as the Lord, we became born again. Now, we are brothers of Jesus Christ and, truly, sons of God.
The Lord has left us a phrase in the Word that highlights the closeness of this father-son relationship which He so longed for throughout the ages. This phrase is, “Abba, Father.” It is rather amazing that the word abba has been preserved, and even carried into our modern English Bibles. Abba is an Aramaic word, and it was transliterated into Greek letters when it was written in the Greek manuscripts. It was later transliterated into English letters. It is a foreign word that God has preserved to draw our attention, and it shows us something amazing.
The Greek word for “father” is pater, and it has a broad usage. Pater could mean a father, or an ancestor, or a respected elder, or the inventor/originator of something. It was also used as a title of honor for teachers, and even members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of ancient Israel. The Hebrew and Aramaic word that is equivalent to pater is ab. Ab is very formal, and was used in ways similar to those mentioned for pater. Abba (from ab), on the other hand, was used very specifically of one’s actual father. It is more intimate, like the English word “daddy.” Some scholars say that Jesus, who spoke Aramaic, not Greek, referred to God as his abba frequently. Speaking to God in such an informal and familiar way would have been seen as disrespectful by the religious leaders of the time. That’s because the Jews never spoke to God as their father. Throughout the Old Testament, the believers’ relationship to God was that of servants to their lord. Jesus Christ, however, was God’s only begotten Son. He had every right to call his Father, “Daddy.”
There is only one place where abba is recorded in the Scriptures as being spoken by a man to God. That is in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus Christ prayed privately to His Father before His crucifixion.
Mark 14:36:
And he said; Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will. but what thou wilt.
This is not flowery, poetic speech. This is not a lengthy and ornate prayer. This is God’s Son coming to his Father with a heavy heart, saying, “Father (Dad), if there is any other way….” If it were possible, Jesus didn’t want to be scourged and mocked; he didn’t want to be beaten and crucified; he didn’t W ANT to die. He went to God with the simplicity of a child to his father, his daddy. “Nevertheless” he said, “not what I will, but what Thou wilt.” He made his decision to follow God’s plan.
Although this is the only place in the Bible where Jesus is recorded as saying, “Abba, Father,” amazingly, this phrase occurs two more times in the Word. Upon whose lips has God put these words?
Galatians 4:6:
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts. crying, Abba, Father.
We, who have been saved according to Romans 10:9, and are born again of incorruptible seed (I Peter 1:23), are now sons of God (I John 3:2). The essential part of this is the holy spirit that God gave us at the moment we believed. It is a “sonship” spirit, and it is by this spirit that we can call God our abba, “daddy.”
The final occurrence of abba is in Romans 8. Here, again, we are told about the spirit we have received. In the King James Version, it is called a “…Spirit of adoption (huiothesia).” Adoption, however, is a poor translation of the Greek word huiothesia. The problem is that we don’t have an exact English word that matches it. It actually means, “the quality or state of being a son,” or “sonship.” The term was applied to adoptions during ancient Roman times, and that sense of the word has carried over into our English Bibles. According to Roman law, a man would give the huiothesia to another, thereby making him a son by adoption.
Romans 8:15:
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the [“a”] Spirit of adoption [or “sonship”], whereby we cry, Abba. Father.
Interestingly, under the law of the times, a Roman citizen could legally disown a son by birth. If the son was a disappointment or a disgrace, the father could disown and disinherit him. If the man, however, picked out someone and made him his son by giving him the huiothesia, he could never disown him. The thinking may have been that he knew in advance what he was getting into.
Brothers and sisters, God knew what He was getting into when He made us His sons. He knew who we were, and who we would become. He foreknew us, as we have seen from Romans 8:29. He chose us, knowing what blessings we will be to Him in the ages to come. We can never disappoint God, and He will never disown us. He has written it in His Word, which He magnified above all His name (Psalms 138:2b). We are children of God, and no matter what, we can come to Him with open hearts and child-like simplicity. Just like our Lord and elder brother, Jesus Christ, by the spirit, we, too, can say, “Abba, Father.”
(Nathan James was brought up in a Christian home, and in 2001 he became active in ministry service. During 2005-2006, Nathan participated in “The Fellowlaborers” program offered by Christian Family Fellowship Ministry of Tipp City, Ohio. Presently, he serves as CFFM’s audio engineer.) [This article originally appeared in The Ryburn Christian Chronicle, Vol. IV No.2, Winter 2007]
mike near the evidence.jpg
Posted by mistic on 20 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: myspace
You know how people will grab somebody’s camera and take a few random pics? Nuff’ said.
In album Moblog
AAAH! Tims Leaving Orange Willard
Posted by mistic on 19 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: myspace
I think This says it best.
Fortuinately he’s joining another kickass local band - FLUWID, but still! It’s the prin- no..uh.. something of the matter!
Anyways, come to Tim’s Farewell Show:
Hosted By: Orange Willard
When: Saturday Feb 24, 2007
at 10:00 PM
Where: Oregon Express
336 E. Fifth St.
Dayton, OH 45402
United States
Description:
Orange Willard
blessings and happieness :)
Posted by mistic on 19 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: myspace
Wow. Last weekend was a super-awesome-amazing-indredible-fun-rockin-fragilistic-great-hardcore-bitchin-way-cool blast! I think Erica said it best: ” It was the best weekend in my short 27 years!”
It was the Young Adult Advance at my church, and it was about 50 youngins like me hangin out and digging into the Bible harcdore with teachings from both the clergy there and from some of the folks our age and it was just the coolest thing ever. On top of all the Gods Word, we even got to do fun stuff like a mini version of the amazing race and sledding without sleds and just have a great time hanging out.
So, on top of that I come home and start reading up on things I’ve missed and come across some real gems: How to give good compliments and a more general How to make people happy
I think my favorit art of those came from a comment on lifehacker (again):
Make others happy: My favorite way to make someone happy is to anonymously buy their drink/food for them. At Starbucks, you can leave an extra five dollars and say that it’s for the drink for the person behind you. It’s a simple thing to do but you have no idea how much it means to the customer getting the free drink. You can do the same thing at a fast-food restaurant, leave some extra money and say it’s to help pay for the food of the people behind you. This is the most unexpected way to share happiness and one of the easiest.
- evagation
and finaly, something that made me happy, I stumbled across The Dilbert Blog!
here’s a choice post:
Man Mistaken for Rodent
I opened my web browser today and noticed a story about a man in Oregon who was snorkeling in a river and got shot in the head because some other guy thought he was a rodent.
There is nothing funny about being shot in the head. Unless you were snorkeling in a river and someone thought you were a rodent.
Fortunately, the snorkeler is recovering well. Apparently the bullet hit the densest part of his skull and shattered.
To reiterate, there is nothing funny about being shot in the head. Unless you were snorkeling in a river, someone thought you were a rodent, and your skull is so dense it can stop a bullet.
The shooter mistook the snorkeler for a nutria. That’s a rat-looking thing that swims. Apparently the river has a lot of swimming rodents in it. I don’t think I have to tell you that the very best place you can snorkel is a river that’s full of swimming rats. It is good scenery and good friends all in one.
The snorkeler said he was in the river looking for different species of fish. There was no mention in the story about whether he saw any, thus making the entire thing worthwhile.
I admire the snorkeler’s sense of adventure, and apparent lack of plane fare. I wish I had the kind of spirit where I could wake up in the morning, turn to my wife and say, “Honey, I can’t spend time with you and the kids today. I’m going to go snorkel in a rodent-infested river and look for fish the hard way.”
I would hate to be on snorkeler’s end of the “told you’s” today:
I told you not to snorkel in the river.
I told you that nutria aren’t a new species of fish.
I told you to wax your back so you don’t look so much like a giant rodent.The man who did the shooting got arrested for being a felon in possession of methamphetamines and marijuana. (This is just a guess, but I think the police missed a drug or two.) I know you’re probably thinking the same thing that I’m thinking: If I were a felon in possession of illegal drugs, I’d be shooting a rifle into a river too. It’s hard to imagine that plan somehow going wrong.
I can’t decide if the snorkeler was unlucky because he got shot, or lucky because the bullet hit the densest part of his skull. I’m an optimist, so I see his skull as half dense. You might be a pessimist and see the river as a shooting range that’s full of rats plus one guy who seriously needs a new hobby. You are entitled to your opinion.
now to hit those 81 emails I got piling up..
Pray for Francis’s dad!
Posted by mistic on 07 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: myspace
I got this in my email this morning:
Hi Nathan, I’ve got a prayer request for you guys.
Last weekend dad went into the hospital with sever abdominal cramps and was diagnosed with colon cancer. They performed one surgery to releave the pressure, and are scheduled to go in and remove the cancer and part of the colon tomorrow. This is serious, invasive surgery with plenty of room for complications.
Your prayers and believing for a complication free surgery and speedy recovery are much appreciated.
Love,
-Francis
PS: Feel free to pass this on to anyone you are inspired to
Please keep Fracis and his dad in your prayers.
Love you all,
Nathan
Cheep dates that don’t look cheep and good first impresions
Posted by mistic on 04 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: myspace
This is a double win from lifehacker
How to date on the cheap (without looking cheap)
Valentines Day is quickly approaching, and to deal with the possible money crunch, AskMen has come up with a list of ten cheap dates that will save you some coin, but won’t make you look like a loser. Hopefully. The list includes:
- Coffee dates: Cafes are great for first dates as they’re casual and you’ll likely only be footing the bill for a couple of lattes and biscotti.
- Hike dates: A walk through nature provides a wonderful opportunity to chat up your date, enjoy the outdoors and show her you’re a versatile guy (or girl).
- Brunch dates: Admittedly, the brunch date is one of the more expensive cheap dates, but it’s still certainly more cheaper than dinner.
There are plenty of creative, heartfelt ways to woo your sweetheart without breaking the bank, and this list is only the beginning. Got any other romantic, yet financially savvy ideas? Thoughts in the comments.
Chris Coyier says:
11) Local music
And, according to Erin, I realy need to listen to my copy of The Art of Dating by DR Victor Paul Wierwille. I think shes right.
Oh, and this is a cool video about how to make a good first impression. Except for the teeth.