andrew dodson

Based out of Lexington, Kentucky, Cricket Press is a small operation with a big client list.  I discovered them through The Dame, who benefits from CP’s concert poster designs.  Their designs are very, very good.  If I was a good graphic artist, I’d aspire to be like these people when it comes to design.  One day, maybe…. one day.  If you’re looking for posters, letter pressing, invitations, signage or anything of the sort, check them out.

Stuff like this motivates me to become a better graphic artist.  With that said…. back to work…

Powered by ScribeFire.

Move aside ESV Journaling Bible.  This is the coolest Bible idea I’ve seen to date.

Powered by ScribeFire.

New Attitude has posted a blog update about their busyness in preparation for the upcoming conference in Louisville (this weekend).  The cool part is they have a small photo gallery of the process of making the t-shirts.  Go check it out…. it’s how it’s done, folks.

Powered by ScribeFire.

As with most things that don’t go our way, the day has turned out well.  The issue with the job system was a quick fix - McAllen was on top of it quickly.  The Wi-Fi issue was resolved by mid-day (thanks Tim!).  It’s turned out to be a good, productive day, and life is good.

Powered by ScribeFire.

As of 8:42 a.m., this is what has happened so far today:

• While at McDonald’s, the poor lady in front of me went digging through her purse for five minutes looking for her debit card.  While this happened, the line next to me moved very quickly as I was stuck behind the lady.  Eventually, McDonald’s gave her the meal on the house.  Good for them.
• I get my order and instead of a regular Coke, I have a diet.  I get the issue resolved.
• Hop in the car only to discover that my sausage, egg & cheese McGriddle is actually a BACON, egg & cheese.  No biggie.  I like bacon too.  It was still wrong though.
• Get to work and find out our Wi-Fi network isn’t working.
• Two minutes later, discover that our job control system is also not working.
• My allergies seem to be in full effect this morning.

Awesome!

Powered by ScribeFire.

This week, my small group is going over

Galatians 5:16-25 Listen

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

in our John Stott study of Galatians.  This is where the great “Fruit of the Spirit” passage exists. Paul explains that if we follow our (natural) sinful desires, we can expect these things of our life:

• sexual immorality
• impurity
• lustful pleasures
• idolatry
• sorcery
• hostility
• quarreling
• jealousy
• anger
• selfish ambition
• dissension
• division
• envy
• drunkenness
• wild parts
• ….and “other sins like these.”

If we allow the Holy Spirit to work within us, it produces these things in our life:

• love
• joy
• peace
• patience
• kindness
• goodness
• faithfulness
• gentleness
• self-control

I was surprised to see how

Romans 8:5-14 Listen

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

is basically Paul’s own commentary for this passage to the Galatians:

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. (

Romans 8:5-14 Listen

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

, NLT)

While this is a wonderful selection of Scripture that we can apply to our lives, I was just surprised by the unity of Paul’s writing spanning two different letters. They were written approximately eight years apart from each other (Galatians first). Paul didn’t have access to copies of his earlier letters like we might have today (computers, etc.). This is just simple proof in my mind of Paul preaching the same message to all, given to him by God.

Powered by ScribeFire.

It saddens me to say… my beloved Cincinnati Reds flat out stink right now.  Their supposedly powerful offense has been slumping and the bullpen has been about as bad as they can be.  Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo have been the lone bright spots so far this year.  I guess you can throw in a healthy Ken Griffey as a pleasant surprise - he’s having a great month of May.

The good news is that they’re in a weak division.  The Brewers are playing out of their minds right now, but everyone else in the division is also slumping.  That’s good news for the Reds if they can start playing to their potential.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Not that a lot of people care about my Friday night plans, but this is my blog, so I figure I’ll write whatever I want 

Anyway, tomorrow night, I’ll be heading to Lexington to return a book to Barnes & Noble.  Considering there’s a Chick-fil-A close by, it’s easy to figure out where I’ll be eating dinner.

The point of this isn’t to show how big of a geek I am by spending a Friday evening at a bookstore.  My point is that I wish Frankfort would get both of these places to come to town.  Heck, I’d even settle for a Borders.  While Poor Richard’s has the charm of being the “small town” bookstore, I totally dig the fact that B&N stays open late and has a great selection at good prices.  Not to mention, they’re actually pretty good to their members by offering discounts and coupons often.  These reasons would be my biggest problems with Poor Richard’s - “poor” hours, not-so-good selection and… well…. I guess I can’t complain about their prices.

What can you say about Chick-fil-A?  Good, Christian organization and great food.  Why wouldn’t we want a Chick-fil-A in town (yes, I’m aware of the one on KSU’s campus, but there’s something odd about going to a college cafeteria for food when I’m not a student there)?

So… you know where to find me tomorrow night.

Powered by ScribeFire.

I just came across this article, which is in strict opposition to the popular Life Application Study Bible.  That article claims the LASB promotes a love of self.  Being a fan of the LASB, I think the author is missing the point.  The entire premise of the study notes explain how apply Scripture to your life.  Hence, the name.  I find it to be the most complete study bible on the market, and I applaud their efforts to make it available in the translation-of-choice of the consumer (NIV, KJV, NASB, NLT to date).  I find the study notes extremely helpful, there are very detailed book introductions, wonderful profiles of important people of the Bible, detailed concordance, a reading plan, and more.

In regard to the author’s “too much love of self, yadda, yadda,” claim, I would argue this:  Most healthy, strong Christians I know also have strong self-esteem.  Please know that I’m not supporting a gospel of self-esteem.  But, these people I think about have a strong sense of who they are in Christ, and are filled with Him to the point of being satisfied with their own self.  These people are also joyful and encouraging to be around.  There has to be a line drawn between joyfully knowing who you are in Christ and idolizing yourself.  I don’t think the LASB promotes idolatry.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Here’s a rundown of a few random things:

• Jerry Falwell passed away today.  Shane did a short write up, and Challies chimed in as well.  I don’t know much about him, but I know that you either love him or hate him, judging by society’s opinion of him.  Not long ago, I watched a sermon of his on television, and actually took notes.  I have to admit that I didn’t agree with a lot of what he said in that sermon.
• I ended up leaving work at five.  I figured if I waited around and the system didn’t get fixed, I would’ve wasted my evening.  Instead, I’m enjoying a night at home.  I’ll just need to buckle down and be efficient tomorrow to catch up.
• I officially canceled my Verizon account today.  For the past several months, I’ve carried a Sprint Treo, but the cost to cancel my Verizon contract was more than it took to just pay the bill each month until the contract ran out.  I was pleasantly surprised that the call took less than five minutes.  They were extremely nice and didn’t question me at all.  No transfers to retention departments.  Easy as pie.

Powered by ScribeFire.