theendisforever's Xanga

New Web Site

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:29:34 GMT

www.theendisforever.com

see you there.

-jordan

xanga is over

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 19:26:28 GMT

life and times of me using xanga are coming to a close. In a week I will be shutting down this site forever. I have a new web page that I hope everyone checks out and reads. You can find the web site at

www.theendisforever.com

God bless. see you on the other side

-Jordan

from pastor steven

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 15:32:57 GMT

I stole this from Pastor Steven's blog.

good stuff...

"I asked my friend Dwight Robertson to critique one of my sermons via cassette tape (remember those?) back when I was in college.
He liked my passion, but he had some concerns. He didn’t say my theology was sketchy. He didn’t detect spiritual pride, or anything like that, really.

But to him, my preaching style sounded an awful lot like another preacher we both knew and loved. My vocal inflections mimicked his. My word choices were almost identical. I was practically a carbon copy. And that bothered Dwight.

I was kind of caught off guard by this criticism. I mean, is it a sin to be inspired by someone else and desire to emulate their effectiveness?
Of course not.
The problem comes when what I see God doing through someone else puts the handcuffs on the unique gifts God has deposited in me.

Not only is it permissible to have heroes, role models, and mentors-
it’s mandatory for those who want to get better.
But sometimes your admiration for that person’s ability can actually lead to bondage.
When you hear a great preacher preach (let’s use Rob Bell for an example, because he’s freakishly smart and very original) your first thought may be:
“I wish I could bring it like him.”
Well, you can’t. You’re not supposed to. You’re supposed to bring it like you.
Rob Bell is already bringing it like Rob Bell. So you don’t need too. God’s already got the Rob Bell thing covered, that’s why he made Rob Bell.
Besides, only a freak can know that much about first century Judaism. So don’t go there.

Instead, think:
“Man, he can really bring it. I want to be able to bring it better next week than I did this week. I want to be able to bring it at the highest level of my capacity.”
And then get to work preparing instead of wasting time comparing.
Let the inspiration of how others preach, lead, and walk with God drive you to greater preparation and better creation, not imitation (dang, I’m flowin’).
Otherwise, you’ll limit yourself to being a second or third generation copy. A cheap replica.
Don’t let some other church’s growth confine you to the parameters of “the way they did it.” Learn from them. Steal some stuff, and translate other stuff to fit your context…eat the fish, leave the bones.
But don’t ever believe the lie that there is one monolithic method God blesses.

Instead of allowing someone else’s success to enslave you to emulate efforts, I pray that when you see God’s hand on others it would set you free to be yourself better than you ever have before."

Think about it.

-Jordan™

reflections

Sun, 10 Jun 2007 21:19:16 GMT

Time spent in Japan has been both good and bad. I see some things in life and church that are positive. However, through reflection I find myself a lot of times focusing on the negative. Some things I wear on my sleeve for the world to see. I take my position at the church pretty seriously. A young persons life is not a laughing matter. We have to always make sure we are doing the best thing for our children spiritually.

I got a chance to sit down with the missionary here right after I read my buddy Mark's blog. He was asking good questions for his group that stimulated and encouraged my mind. As the missionary spoke about the events going on overseas, they seemed to parallel the situations we are experiencing in the states. I started to ask questions to myself as he spoke.

Questions for GeNESIS
1. What is the point of doing youth ministry at Highland Community Church? Do we have goals we want to see accomplished in ministry for our students? How are we meeting these goals?
2. How are we sending out our students to the places that need them in missions? How do we focus on sending our students to the missions field? Are we sending our students to the right places? How?
3. How are we using our students testimonies to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ in Highland IL?
4. How are we helping and encouraging each other in leadership?
5. How can we put our passion for the gospel into the students?

We have to stop focusing on our needs and what we want to do and focus on what God wants to do in our ministry. That is the only way we will succeed. As Bethany's friend Kari says "We need our lives to count for something more than comfort and wordly success; rather, something God exalting and eternal... so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

If anyone has some ideas please feel free to let me know. I would love the feedback.

-Jordan™

podcasting

Thu, 31 May 2007 14:34:32 GMT

Nobody takes your hand in ministry. Few come beside you and spend time encouraging us on a daily basis. I feel as if i am always on the defense, even when i don’t want to be. Going Roman is about embracing the culture today while sticking to the guns of the text. We need to understand that God loves us no matter what. We refuse to let loose the truths taught in scripture. To go Roman we have to be strong, to fight, to stand up in the times of hardship and speak truth. To take the Lord at his word at apply it to the life we live. To go Roman is to embrace the culture for change, to refuse to let people live in a state of sin, and to share the love of Christ, and to embrace the relationship Christ calls us to live in with Him. Go Romans with us.

-Jordan™

from.the.fig.tree

Wed, 23 May 2007 20:08:11 GMT

We started podcasting all of our messages on Sunday night at GeNESIS. Getting them on itunes is currently being worked out but they should be up in the next few days. You can read the blog for the podcast at the following location.

http://fromthefigtree.wordpress.com/

I hope this helps in your spiritual journey. Feel free to comment as you see fit.

-Jordan™

hey mom, I'm on TV!

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:25:18 GMT

-jordan

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 19:23:51 GMT

Suggested readings

Numero Uno: Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses
Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses is the story of Bruce Feiler's 10,000-mile trek from Mount Ararat to Mount Nebo, undertaken for reasons he did not understand at the outset and accompanied by a companion who was very nearly a stranger. In the book's first chapter, in characteristically understated style, Feiler suggests a viable parallel to his journey:

Abraham was not originally the man he became. He was not an Israelite, he was not a Jew. He was not even a believer in God--at least initially. He was a traveler, called by some voice not entirely clear that said: Go, head to this land, walk along this route, and trust what you will find.

Feiler, a fifth-generation American Jew from the South, had felt no particular attachment to the Holy Land. Yet during his journey, Feiler's previously abstract faith grew more grounded. ("I began to feel a certain pull from the landscape.... It was a feeling of gravity. A feeling that I wanted to take off all my clothes and lie facedown in the soil.") Feiler's attentiveness, intelligence, and adventurousness enliven every page of this book. And the lessons he learned about the relationship between place and the spirit will be useful for readers of every religious tradition that finds its origins in the Bible. --Michael Joseph Gross

2. Jewish Spirituality : A Brief Introduction for Christians
One of the defining religious trends of our time is the gradual reconciliation of Christianity and Judaism, which usually takes the form of churches (most notably, the Vatican) accepting responsibility for the anti-Semitic aspects of their worship, theology, and history. No amount of official proclamation, however, can reconcile these religions until individual Christians and Jews recognize their common religious heritage and learn to respect the differences between their traditions. Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Introduction for Christians is an important resource for cultivating such awareness. The author, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, has long been known for his sophisticated, accessible books on Jewish spirituality (including Honey from the Rock and God Was in This Place and I, I Did Not Know). His definition of spirituality, which loops and spirals in rabbinic fashion, includes the following observations: "Spirituality is religion experienced intimately.... Spirituality is where you and God meet--and what you do about it." And Jewish spirituality, he writes, is distinguished as "an approach to life in which we strive to become aware of God's presence and purpose--even and especially in what might strike the casual observer as gross or material things." This, he points out, is a fact that bridges the gap between Judaism and Christianity: the incarnation of Christ, as one pastor explains to Kushner, demands that believers "continuously seek to find God in every person." Beginning with a summary of Jewish ideas about Creation, and then exploring topics such as the Torah, the Commandments, and the nature of God, Kushner expertly defines many of the similarities and differences between the religions. His lively, storytelling style makes Jewish Spirituality a pleasurable and challenging book that would serve well as a personal devotional, a Bible-study or Sunday-school text, or an occasion for Jewish and Christian friends to set aside time to learn more about each other's faith. --Michael Joseph Gross

Treace: For All God's Worth: True Worship and the Calling of the Church
All Christians worship God, but many do not fully understand what "worship" means. For All God's Worth is an insightful exploration of both the meaning and the results of worship. Part 1 (The God Who is Worthy of Praise) focuses on God and on what worshiping God actually means. Part 2 (Reflecting God's Image in the World) addresses a range of church-related issues that arise from the activity of worship. Based firmly on sensitive and creative readings of the biblical text, For All God's Worth is an inspiring call for renewal in the worship and witness of today's church. N. T. Wright is a New Testament theologian of international standing, a committed Christian, and (as For All God's Worth clearly demonstrates) an outstanding communicator.

Just thought you should know.

-Jordan™

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:34:01 GMT

Towzer is doing well. It seems that having a dog is like having a kid though. Nobody told me there would be this much work! i mean come on, how hard is it to go poop and pee at the same time. Still, i love him. He's pretty cool.

New Puppy Pictures!

Chillin in the office w/ dad

Passed out with Mexico

Sleeping with Mom (look at how tired Bethany looks!)

Puppies sleep a lot

Everyday at 6:30 A.M.

Happy V-Day!

-Jordan™

Monday, February 05, 2007

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 16:29:48 GMT

Welcome to our family, Towzer (pronounce To-Zer, w is silent becuase I'm awesome like that.). We named him after A.W. Tozer ( he is a theology guy). He is seriously the coolest dog in the world. We were going to get the other one (the one in the previous post) but a lady was before us in line so we went for him. He is alot cooler than the other one anyway. We brought him home monday night after a 4 and a half hour drive to pleasant hills MO (just shy of Kansas City). His birthday is December 5th, 2006. Hello responsibility.

"Refuse to be average. Let your heart soar as high as it will." -A.W. Tozer

-Jordan™