andrew dodson

The remainder of my week will be fairly jam-packed.  I have a lot to get done before I leave for Seattle at the break of dawn on Saturday.  Just to fill you in (since I know you’re on the edge of your seat), and to wrap my head around what I have to do, here’s a breakdown:

Life at CLS

After a slow January, work is picking up at CLS.  A couple of days last week were fairly busy, and today got a little more hectic as the day went on.  I’m hoping to have a really productive day tomorrow to stay on top of things.  Not only do I need to stay on top of things, but I also need to get ahead, since I’ll be gone all of next week.  To top it off, I need to post over thirty new t-shirts designs to our Got The Shirt site, as we try to finally get that project off the ground.

Life at The Point

I’ll be missing the Sunday service at TPCC for the first time in a very long while.  I really don’t remember the last time I missed.  Tomorrow night, I’ll go to the Habakkuk bible study, but then I get to go home.  I won’t have to stay for praise band rehearsal since I won’t be there on Sunday.  This actually helps, even though I hate to miss.  Not having to go to rehearsal will give me an extra couple of hours to get some things done.  One of those things being preparing for my PCG on Thursday night (and cleaning my apartment!).

Life at BADmedia

My goal by the end of this week is to have completely finished rough mixes for the Polston recording I did a couple of months ago.  I still need to get with a couple of groups to do overdubs, but I hope to have the project completed in the next few weeks.  With moving and everything else, it’s taken me longer than usual to get around to mixing, but I’ve finally found the time.  I hope to use my free time tomorrow evening to mix down a couple of the group’s performances.

On the website side of the business, I did a quick site update tonight.  My only real issue is The Point’s media site, which has been down for two weeks.  iPower is working on the issue, but it’s out of my hands – very frustrating!  I hope the issue is solved by the time I return from Seattle – hopefully sooner!

Other

I’m really excited about the Seattle trip.  It’s funny – a few weeks ago, we were all wishing it would hurry up and get here.  Now, it’s finally here and I wish I had another week!  A lot to do in very little time, it seems.

I finally got my internet up-and-running at my apartment tonight.  Since I have a wireless network, I went into my router settings and restricted access to only my computers.  This is my first time living in an apartment building, so I haven’t had the need to do this before.  But, I also don’t want people leeching off my connection.

In my quest to blog more often, I’m considering a schedule of some kind.  Like, Saturday would be YouTube video day, Sunday would be blog link day (linking to stories on other blogs – some people call this a blog carnival), Friday would be PCG Notes day…you get the idea.  I’m also considering have guest bloggers from time to time.  Anyone got any other ideas?

Crossway will be releasing some new compact ESV’s soon.  I’ve got my eye on the chestnut crown design.  I have the black crown design in the currently available compact ESV – so, if I buy the chestnut, I’ll have a matching set!  But, the text is pretty small in my current compact ESV.  I’m happy to see they’re increasing the font size (not to mention switching to a more readable font, and reformatting the page).

I’m wondering if they’ll be available at the Resurgence Conference bookstore next week?

I know… I’m about five days late posting these… but… better late than never!  Our PCG didn’t actually meet last week, so these answers are mine alone. 

Luke 7:1-10 Listen

7:1 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

1.  What is the will of God?

God wants us to have strong faith; He wants us to understand His authority and sovereignty over our life; Faith is believing God will take care of us.

2.  In light of God’s will, what is He like?

God is trustworthy – He will reward our faith in Him.

3.  What are practical ways we can apply God’s will?

Verse 6 is a display of humility; True faith requires humility – recognizing that we cannot live this life on our own and we need God’s help; Daily, we should look for opportunities to rely on God’s help, instead of trying to get by on our own strength.  Service is an opportunity for humility – being sensitive to the needs of others and focusing on them instead of our own personal needs and desires.

4.  What are ways we blow God’s will?

It would have been easy for the centurion to get angry with God because of his servant’s sickness.  When we face trials and tribulations, it’s very easy to get upset with God for not making our lives easy.  Job’s wife told him to curse God and die for his troubles.  In natural disasters, war, mass murders – we get upset with God for letting these tragedies happen.  We blow God’s will by becoming angry, upset and disappointed when faced with adversity.

5.  What thoughts are revealed by our actions?

How could God let this happen?  Why can’t life be easy?

6.  What beliefs about God are revealed by these actions?

It shows our lack of faith; If we had a true 100% faith in God, we would not be shaken by trials and tribulations.  But, in showing our anger and disappointment, we prove how little faith we actually possess.

7.  How are you doing in this area?

If I’m very honest, there is a lot of frustration, doubt and disappointment present in my life.  Living with peace and contentment and a satisfaction in God alone is a struggle.  I need to rest in the fact that my family, friends, job, abilities and relationships are all a result of God’s plan for my life.  I can do nothing to change His plan for my life.  Having faith in God’s plan for my life is sometimes difficult, especially when I can’t see what’s around the bend.

As the steroid saga continues to unfold in Major League Baseball, I came across an interesting quote. This quote sums up sin and repentance quite nicely. In particular, this pitcher’s confession of steroid use publicly is an encouragement to the church. We should confess our sins to one another. Once they are made public, we have nothing to stand behind. If we are truly loved by our Christian brothers and sisters, they will show us mercy, compassion, support and encouragement. Here is the quote:

“I didn’t used to be this way, but I’m at the point where I know what I did was wrong 100 percent, no excuses, not justification, no rationalization. I screwed up and I crossed the line,” the 37-year-old pitcher told The Associated Press in an interview from his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Wednesday.

“I feel like I’ve been shown mercy in all of this,” Herges said. “If I’m not standing there naked in front of the world with my big secret, I’d still be holding onto it, hiding it. It would still be eating at me. It’s not fun by any stretch holding onto something like that, so secretive, so dirty. I’m grateful it’s out there. I’m freed a little bit, a lot actually.”

Read the full article here.

There is an invaluable review of Rob Bell’s NOOMA bible study series here. I’ve known of Bell’s popularity from the NOOMA series, as well as his books. But, I’ve never really looked into his teaching. But, I’ve also never heard him mentioned in a positive light in reformed circles. So, this was a good read for me to confirm that his theology is shaky. I encourage anyone and everyone that is a fan, not a fan, or not sure to read the review.

I’ve started reading John Piper’s When I Don’t Desire God. I’m only a few pages into it so far. Early in the book, he distinguishes between “delight” and “desire,” and how these terms apply to our relationship with God. For both terms, he steers us to Psalm 37.

Psalm 37:4

4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Many times in life, we desire certain things – a new job, new car, stable relationships, better relationships. By nature, we get frustrated or disappointed if these things don’t work out. It’s interesting in this verse that we’re first told to delight ourselves in the Lord and then we’ll receive the desires of our heart. If we’re in tune with God, we’ll only desire things that are pleasing to Him. This makes it all the more easy for Him to grant us these desires.

Psalm 37:5

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.

Once again, we’re first told to act toward God, before He’ll act toward us. Do you see a pattern developing here?

Psalm 37:7

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Then, we’re instructed on a fruit of the spirit – patience. Our desires may not be granted overnight. Many have waited years for healing, restoration, or blessings for their toil. But, in our faithfulness, by waiting for Him and keeping His way, we will be exalted:

Psalm 37:34

34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

Our fight to delight in the Lord is not easy. We will face troubles. We will face persecution & spiritual warfare. But, thank God for this:

Psalm 37:39-40

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

There may yet be hope for society. According to this article, only 40% of people swear on their blogs. I’ve never thought about this, but I would’ve guessed the percentage to be much higher. I mainly read news blogs, Christianity blogs, and my friends’ blogs (most are Christians), so I don’t come across much profanity on these. But, from my days at Blogger and randomly clicking through blogs, it seemed a lot were vulgar.

I’m still excited about the snow. A lot of people around here don’t like snow or cold, but I do. Actually, I don’t like cold without snow. But, cold with snow I’ll take. Anyhow, here’s some random blogging:

• I’m going to see Christian comedian Tim Hawkins tonight with a group from The Point. It should be fun, and I’m looking forward to it.
• I don’t think my PCG is meeting this week, due to Valentine’s Day. As much as I’ll try to get them to postpone their celebrations until Friday, I think I’ll be out-voted. Regardless, I’ll still be posting PCG notes for this week’s text on Thursday.
• The Josh Martin Band settles back into gigging with a performance this Friday. It’s a small gig for a church Valentine’s Day dinner, but a gig nonetheless. We’ve been working on a few new songs as of late, but I’m not sure we’ll play any of them just yet.
• I writing this post using ecto – a desktop blogging software. I’ve tried desktop blogging before, but ultimately went back to using Wordpress directly via the web, or ScribeFire (a Firefox plugin). It seems software like ecto has become more powerful since I last tried it (probably back in 2006 sometime). With the rising popularity of blogs, it seems desktop software has grown in features. We’ll try it for a few days to see if I like it. I’ve also tried MarsEdit, but ecto has more features that suit my tastes.
• Don’t miss the Extreme Makeover Home Edition this Sunday! It is a two-hour special, and it is the Louisville episode. If you remember, CLS was a part of this construction, as we assisted with some printed curtains and pillow cases.
• I can’t believe my parents are registered Democrats. Poor folks will have to choose between Hilary or Obama if they vote in the Primary. I would vote don’t vote in that case. Or, vote for the most beatable of the two, hope that one wins the Primary and then gets beat in November. I think they’re switching parties before the Election, finally.
• I haven’t publicly (on this blog) endorsed a candidate, yet. Maybe in the next week or so, I’ll post my choice and why I support that candidate. Not that it matters to you much – you can make up your own mind. But, it might drum up some support for my choice, or cause you to consider them for your vote.
• Thanks to everyone who, through the blog, Facebook, MySpace, phone calls, text messages and emails, wished me a happy birthday. I really appreciate it!

Some people say the only guarantees in life are death and taxes.  I would say that snow on February 11th in Frankfort, Kentucky comes pretty close to a guarantee.  Nearly every year that I can remember (I’ve lived in Frankfort since I was about seven years old), there has been snow on the ground for my birthday.  The past few years have been hit-or-miss, but, this year, we have snow.

I’m a fan of snow, so I’ll take it!  We’re expected to get 2 to 4 inches tonight, and that’s just fine by me.  The more, the better.

Twenty-eight years ago today, my mother gave birth to me at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington.  Yes, today is my 28th birthday.  I’m accepting monetary gifts for those of you that are interested! 

I’ll be celebrating my birthday today by working at CLS, dinner at Penn Station with a couple of JMB guys, and then we’re having rehearsal tonight at The Point.  Yes, I go all out for my birthday celebrations.