Christians: Really?

I have always had my reservations when it comes to "Christian" branded products/services. In college I began thinking what the world would look like if Christians would just run businesses etc as Christians. Not needing to plaster the fact that it is a "Christian Business". I think people from the outside looking in would respect and be drawn to someone who worked to the standard that Christ calls us to work without feeling the need to have "Christian" plastered all over the ads.
You might be thinking, where the heck is Mike going with this? Just hang with me; here is what sparked that rant.

On my drive to work this morning I was listening to my lovely sports radio; The Dan Patrick Show. He mentioned a story about Tyson Gay, who ran a wind-aided 9.68 at the Olympic trials this weekend. That would have been a world record, but since the wind helped it does not count.
OK, here is the meat I was trying to get to. The headline for this story on One News Now, a Christian news site, read: "Homosexual runs wind-aided 9.68 seconds to make Olympics." I could hardly believe that this actually could happen. A sports blog that wrote about this story had an explanation to how it happened. I don't think it is a statement from site, but explains the process.

Apparently, they have set a filter to change many instances of “gay” to “homosexual,” which is how Tyson Gay, who set a record in the 100-meter dash this weekend, changed his name. This occurs on searches and on their home page, but the actual AP story linked from the site does use “Tyson Gay.” Headline writers everywhere are delighted the name change is only virtual. –Jim Buzinski

From my research on this story this morning, it seems only the headline links to this story had the name change and not the articles. Even more, don't you think it is the responsibility of the editors of this site to check content being posted after it has gone through its filter?

I am really interested in what you think of this story and also my thoughts on it.

Can't wait to hear what you think.

Mike

Some of My Favs

I've had this blog for about 1.5 years now. Only in the last 6 months have I really began to consistently blog. This change has come, in part, due to the gentle prodding of friends and family. I love reading their blogs, but I feel I am not doing my part if I just reap the benefits. I feel the need to contribute some content (even thought its not much) and not just be a comment blogger. In light of that, here are a couple blogs that have encouraged me, made me laugh or made me think.

Jesus is Extravagant: Owner: Gene Pensiero
-I met Gene my freshman year of college at Fresno Pacific; we were roommates. Gene came from CVC and as most of you know I from Immanuel. As you might also know, those two schools had a healthy rivalry and I was interested to meet this CVC kid. Turns out Gene was pretty cool and we laughed about most of the stupid stuff we did in high school.
Over the years I have grown to admire the Godly man Gene is. His blogs reflect the passion he has for God, the Church and his family. I have loved his most recent series titled "Working a Vineyard". If your not a regular to his site you really need to check it out. I also really enjoy the "Positive Post Tuesdays". Another must see while you're there is Gene's music page.


Andrewandlisa.org: Owner: Andrew Shinn Contributors: Lisa and Liam Shinn
-This is partly going to be a 'shout out' that is trying to get more content out of Andrew. He is my brother-in-law and I enjoy reading whats going on in the Shinn household. Andrew is very intelligent and when he blogs it is a good read. But I also love the picture updates of my nephew Liam. It is a great way to bridge the gap from Fresno - Reedley and I know family up in Lodi love the updates as well.
p.s. He is also a world renown...no maybe not...how about United States renown.....no...not yet....OK I will just say it. He is an awesome professional photographer. He does weddings, senior pics and many other creative sessions. You can check shinnphoto.com or his flickr photo stream.


Spanish Speaker in the Making: Owners: Jake and Renee Harder
-Jake and Renee are family who have moved to Guadalajara, Mexico to study the Spanish language. Jake is my cousin and Renee is, you guessed it, his wife. In this blog you will read about 2 people that have agreed to allow God to take them where he wants. There are in Guadalajara for a set but not in stone amount of time and plan to use this experience to minister to people in the Spanish language, both now and in the future. They have a little girl, Gracie, who they are teaching English and Spanish. Most of all it is fun to read about them living in a different culture and the struggles/victories they come across.

Last but certainly not least,

A Case of the Mundys: Owner: Luke Mundy
-Interestingly enough, I have never met Luke in person, but I went to elementary/jr high with his wife, Sarah. I feel like I have known Luke for years after a few months of blogs and following his twitter feed. I was introduced to Luke through Gene's blog and have been a faithful subscriber ever since. And lets be honest here, that is one clever use of a last name!! I still don't really know what Luke does for a profession, although I know he did start a new job recently. What I do know is that Luke works with the youth at River Valley Church in Clovis. I continue to follow Luke's blogs because I can see his passion for ministry and I love reading things from people with passion. I like reading his posts about that ministry also because jr/senior high school students are a fun bunch of students that make for great stories. Luke also has a "Positive Post Tuesday" series that is a good read each and every Tuesday.


To all other bloggers that read Wide World of Mike; you are greatly appreciated and I look forward to more amazing content!


Here's to a great weekend!

Mike

Expensive Monday

Yesterday, Monday, marked a wonderful day. It was the day that Fresno Pacific started the summer 4 day work schedule. Yes you heard that right. Fresno Pacific being a forerunner in something. So Monday was my scheduled day off for the next 8 weeks and this is how it was spent. Those of you following me closely on twitter have a heads up, but for the rest of you; enjoy my ramblings.

My day started with me getting up at 9am. Man did that ever feel good after a long weekend camping. I made myself a tri-tip and colby jack omelet for breakfast. I then proceeded to head to my local DMV office to apply for my motorcycle permit. This was exciting! Somehow, the DMV is a gathering place for the redneck, oakies and all other interesting people of every race, color and background. I waited for the automated lady to call my number and I went up to the counter. There I paid my fees to add the M class to my license. And then once again I waited in another line to get my picture taken and receive the tests I needed for the permit. (Side note: I did not think I would be taking a picture so I rolled out of bed and put on a hat. My new license picture I waited 10 years to take is going to be hideous!) As a I finished taking the tests I waited in the correction line. The girl in front of me that was taking the class C test for the first time missed 20 out of 36 questions and could not pass the vision test. To my surprise I passed the motorcycle test with flying colors; missed 2 of 20. I also had to take a 20 question class C test and am happy to say I passed with 100%. Long story short, I now have my motorcycle permit and the picture above is what I am thinking about buying!

I know you are thinking to yourself right now...how can this day get any better. Well as I was driving to Reedley, with the intention of getting my car fixed, it decided to not make it. My car overheated and so I pulled over along highway 41. Oddly enough, when I was sitting on the side of the highway a government convoy with police escorts drove by. I believe it was Senator John McCain. So I waited there for a little over an hour for the tow truck to arrive and take me to Reedley. Ended up I had a cracked radiator. With towing my car just cost me about $490 yesterday.

To finish the day off I watched the Fresno State baseball game. As you all know, they blew a 3 run 8th inning lead in game 1 of the college world series. Hopefully they can pull it together and come out swinging again today!

Hope you enjoyed my update. Until another time.

Mike

Thirsty Thursday: Convenience or Obedience

Today I took a look back through my journal and read some entries that really shows where I have been the last few months. I will be the first to tell you that there are many gaps in my journal, but I was really challenged by one in particular this morning. Here you go.

Every choice we make has 2 options. You can choose convenience or obedience. With that in mind I share with you my journal.
I know what it feels like to truly see Jesus. He is all around in every little moment that passes. He is constantly revealing himself to me if I am willing to seek him. It is such a wonderful mindset to 'see' the invisible God everyday. Life takes on a whole new meaning and outlook when I am constantly seeking the face of God. God becomes more then the thing I pray to when I am in need. Rather, God is a presence with me every step of the way.
God is too powerful to simply be a parachute when I am falling. God is more like a glider that will go up when I am up and float down with me when I am down. God must be present in all situations for himself to be revealed. It can't be just when it is convenient to me. What it all boils down to is this. Am I choosing convenience or obedience?

I would like to end with the lyrics to a song that has been on my heart.

Jesus, be the center
Be my source, be my light
Jesus

Jesus, be the center
Be my hope, be my song
Jesus

Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, be my vision
Be my path, be my guide
Jesus

Thirsty Thursday: The water is right there

I know it is not Thursday, but here are my 2 cents. This is not going to be a encouragement through direct scripture, but just something I have been processing.
I have been trying to be healthier with what I eat/drink. I have been drinking a ton of water and it has some unique affects. The days that I don't drink at least 100 ounces of water I can feel it in my body. It is a feeling that something is missing and my body is trying to make up for it on its own. This is many times the catch 22 I find myself falling into with my "thirst" for Christ. God gave us his word for a purpose; to quench our thirst. Yet I try to quench it myself too many times. It is something that is a constant frustration because the answer is so simple and clear cut. Yet, I still have a way of not seeking God for my thirst.
There is a reason that drinking water rather then soda is better for you. It is because water is a natural source to quench your thirst and cleanse your body. Without the water in your system you will still function, but your body has to work so much harder to process the soda into something it can use.

All this to say that God's word is the living water that will naturally cleanse us. We need to be in the word every day and continue to drink it up. This will allow our spiritual bodies to perform at a highly efficient level instead of straining for each step.

I hope that you can draw some encouragement!

Drink it up.

Mike

Thirsty Thursday: On Friday

I am coming to you today from the San Jose Airport. I am flying to Boston for a work conference, or that is what I am telling everyone.

Before we get onto more pressing matters I must start by saying I just stood behind Jerry Rice in the security line at the airport!! And no I did not talk to him. I wanted so badly, but felt I would try to be respectful and not bug him. That is also another excuse for saying I was chicken! But we did get this paparazzi picture.

No that I have that behind me I may proceed. The last week has been one of turmoil and really seeking God's will. Over the last few weeks I have been going through the struggle of knowing I need to seek after God with all my heart, but not really having the desire to. I have been really trying to follow along in my life journal reading plan to keep me consistent. Over the past week I have done well following that and it has really encouraged me. I have been reading through Proverbs and Romans with the reading plan.

From Proverbs I have been reading about seeking wisdom. All through the passages I have been reminded that if I truly seek after God's wisdom He will grant it to me. One passage that stood out to me is Proverbs 3:7-8 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."

In Romans I have been encouraged by God's promise that I am His own and free from the bondage of sin. It is very easy to fall back into the cycle of feeling overwhelmed by the sin nature in me. It is here in Romans that God uses Paul to remind me that God died and overcame the power of sin. Romans 8:1-2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Well I am about to board the plan so I hope you find this encouraging today even though it's a day late!

Thirsty Thursday: Grace is Sufficient

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surprisingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."--1 Corinthians 12:7-10

Last night I had a conversation with a good friend of mine, Dave Obwald. We were talking about a season of life I am going through right now and he kept reminding me, "grace is sufficient." Later that night when I was ready for bed I could keep hearing that run through my head; my grace is sufficient...yeah I know, I told myself. My grace is sufficient; yeah. I know. My grace is sufficient; yeah God I know. My grace is sufficient.

I felt like I was in the scene of Good Will Hunting when Robin Williams keeps telling Matt Damon that "it's not your fault. It's not your fault." It is very easy to just brush that statement off and not do anything with it. I've heard the phrase, my grace is sufficient, a million times and probably nodded my head every time. I am just thankful that I have people around me to strengthen and encourage me in times of weakness.

Last night I really needed the reminder that God's grace is sufficient. Especially, when relationships get tough it is easy for me to take over and try to do things on my own. I just need to remember "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Advice Corner

When you are looking at buying a house I have a piece of advice for you. AVOID A HOUSE WITH A POOL, unless you really enjoy spending hours trying to figure out stupid and ridiculous issues. I.E. my pool currently has a layer of little particles on the surface that the skimmer is not filtering and the leaf net does not catch it. The little things like that drive me insane.

However, if you like fiddling with things like that or have the money to pay someone to do the upkeep for you enjoy your new house with a pool.

Just my advice.

FYI...on the positive side, the electricity it generates has not been very much at all. My gas/electric bill for last month was under $100 which is a wonderful thing!

Habits

From Oswald Chambers once again. Speaking about habits.

"Love means that there are no visible habits--that your habits are so immersed in the Lord that you practice them without realizing it."

Thirsty Thursday: Perseverance

"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5: 2-5

Perseverance as defined by Mirriam-Webster: to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement.

This is a cornerstone for the Christian faith. The idea that life is not going to be easy, but through Christ we can have faith that it is for our own good we go through trials. It is much easier to just pack it in and give up, but it is so much more rewarding to bust your butt till the end.

Just think about the first line in verse 3 and how that attitude could affect everyone around you. "but we also rejoice in our suffering". That is a life filled with the Spirit that seeks everyday to find a new joy in Christ.

Know that Christ is going to be with us every step of the way. Whether we are in the dumps of life or at the highest high; Christ is steadfast. When we are falling on hard times keep this thought ready, "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope"

Be blessed this Thursday!

More then just Food

Yesterday I had a moment that made me realize how lucky I was to have grown up in a small town. I was in Reedley for lunch and thought I would go to Valentinos for some pizza. I called in my order and by the time I got there they had closed for the afternoon. The door was unlocked, with Martin and Dawn Barcellos [the owners] sitting at a table finishing up their lunch. I paid for my pizza then walked over to shake Martin's hand.

We started talking about me coaching baseball and my frustrations I was experiencing. From there we began talking about the different issues teenagers are facing in today's world and we are glad we did not have to deal with such things at that age. I finally went back to the counter and grabbed my pizza so I could eat and talk.

I love just sitting down with people older then me and just talking about life. As I have grown older I have had many opportunities to talk with people like this and I feel that I am closer to their level [yet I am so far away]. I was raised to respect people and this has turned into them respecting me and sharing life with me. WHAT A JOY!

The sum of this story is I went to just get lunch, but what I got was so much more. I ended up spending more then an hour at Valentinos just talking with Martin and Dawn. What a lunch I got :)

Dissappointed

So I have just updated my security settings on my comments. I am somewhat dissapointed because I would like to allow all to comment. But (all) now means hackers/phishers/spam. I guess that is just part of the digital communication age right?
But I love all your thought provoking comments! Keep them comming!

Peace

Oswald Chambers

I have recently started using a book written by Oswald Chambers in my devotions. The book titled, "Utmost for His Highest" is a wonderful way to think outside of my small scope. The daily entries are simple yet profound at times. I had one of those "I am small" moments today while doing my devotions. The entry for April 9 is titled "Have you seen Jesus?" For most Christians today the answer is probably a quick yes; myself included. Chambers response to this question is quite different. This excerpt says it all:

[You should always recognize the difference between what you see Jesus to be and what He has done for you. If you see only what He has done for you, your God is not big enough. But if you have had a vision, seeing Jesus as He really is, experiences can come and go, yet you will endure "as seeing Him who is invisible" (Hebrews 11:27)]

There are so many things as I look back on the last couple months that I missed seeing Jesus. I think the key is "seeing Him who is invisible" because so much hinges on the fact that Jesus works in the Small everyday mundane things. A small thing from seeing my nephew take his first step and begin his terror being upright and mobile. This could be thought of as simply a natural progression of growing up; but can it be more then that? I think that first step is an amazing example of God's love and beauty. It opens so many new doors for that infant (good and bad) to explore life.

Another example is that fact that I have gas in my car everyday and a house to live in. This entry really challenged me to see God in all things, rather then just when I need God. A question I must ask myself is, what am I going to do with God's blessings in my life? The first step is recognizing them. From that point I must realize that I am simply a steward of God's things. (Believe me, just because I am writing this does not mean I have it figured out. This post is personal conviction I am just expressing in writing. I am striving to work at these things because I don't have them figured out.) With that admission out of the way I can continue.

I would really like to work towards seeing Jesus in every moment of my life. Not trying to over-spiritualize this, but wouldn't that be so joyful to see Jesus everyday!!? To wake up and take that first breath and know Jesus is by my side. When I am driving to work and I see the snow capped Sierra Nevadas, that should remind me of Jesus's love for me.

What it comes down to is, I want to see Jesus!

Blessings!

I am blessed

I don't want to become all sappy for my few readers, but I must reflect on my last few weeks of life and what has gone on.

First of all, this might not be news to my regular readers (andrew), but I am currently dating a lovely little lady. Her name is Brittany and she is wonderful! We met at FPU and have just had a great time hanging out with each other and getting to know more about each other and our crazy families. The irony of this whole thing is I was finally at a point (after almost 2 1/2 years) that I was not concerned about a relationship or anything and all of a sudden Brittany came along. It has been a pleasant suprise that I did not see coming!

On the continuing home front I was super blessed this last week. So I finally got my keys to my house last week and I have been trying to find a cheap fridge and maybe some furniture. Well, God was definately looking out! One of my best friends, Luke, worked with a guy who was wanting to clear some space out of his garage that included a fridge, loveseat, sofa chair and ottoman. I will be honest, I was not expecting this stuff to be that nice. WOW! I was blown away when I saw all this furniture and fridge. It was very nice and he gave it to me cheap which was a blessing to my wallet! Oh and for you girls, the furniture goes with my design idea of my living room!! ;)

So to wrap this all up I would just like to thank all of you that have been praying and looking out for this poor soul. I really appreciate all my family and friends that have truly been a blessing to me!

p.s. There will be a house warming party in the future, but I first need to get situated and get the essentails i.e. BBQ

Really Myspace?

So I logged onto my Myspace page this afternoon to find something rather interesting. After of course getting my eyes to look away from all the suedo porno ads, the latest being "maxim hotties videos", I noticed a link at the top of the page reading: "Amber Alert in your area". I clicked it and it gave a detailed description of the kidnapping.

I am still not quite sure what to think of this yet. Is it a brilliant idea because it is reaching thousands, if not millions of people, or somewhat of an oxymoron. The fact that Myspace has been the focus of debate on paedophiles and now they are posting "Amber Alerts"? Really?

I don't know if any of you out there have noticed this yet on your Myspace, but I am interested to see what you think of this phenomenon.

-Mike

Just a little Welcome

I must preface this blog and say I am not sure how much time I will be blogging during October. I recently started a new job at Fresno Pacific as Admissions Counselor and October will be filled with travel, travel, travel!

With that in mind here we go!

I must start with the elephant in the blog right off and just say how much of a blessing my new job is! Not only am I working with great people at a great University, but I am liking what I am doing. I must say thanks to Luke and Jenn my dear friends that told me about the job opening, otherwise I probably would have never applied and still be working killing mosquitos!
I definately see the hand of God in getting this job. I was getting to a point where the summer was nearing the end and I still didn't have anything solid lined up. I had substitute teaching to fall back on (God bless all you subs!), but that is not something to build a career on. I actually had about 3 days to complete my application and resume before I left to the Dominican Republic for 2 weeks. I got it done with the help of my mother (thanks a ton) reading over it and making corrections. But the rest is history.

I will probably have many updates throughout my travel in LA for all those lovely college fairs! So come back soon for future updates.


-Mike



"Is your faith in Christ enough to raise you above your circumstances?"--Brad Bell (The Well Community Church)