Oh How Things Can Change, Part 1

So I know that there is a lot to catch up on.  As you may (should) already know, a little more than a year and a half ago my wife and I moved away from all our friends and family so that I may attend a small bible college just south of Atlanta.  I majored in Biblical Studies and Preaching and for the most part really enjoyed my studies.  I made new friends, Faith loved living close to Atlanta and I was learning more about Jesus, the bible and religion every day. 

At first I was thrilled to be there.  God had made things come together in a way where I could see Him leading me to go to Atlanta Christian College.  In addition to my school work, I was given opportunities to preach, and to be completely honest, I loved it.  When I was preaching, I felt that I was doing exactly what God had called me to do.

After I completed my first 2 semesters I started to notice something.  I saw it in myself and I saw it in other students.  We were empty.  We were faking it.  There was all this lip service being given to Jesus but it was mostly empty praise.  I came to realize that by being immersed in a Christian culture is the quickest way to lose your spirituality. 

At school we were assigned bible passages to read, we studied the life of Christ as if he were just another player in world history, and we were told that you had to go to church 2 times a week or we would get a failing grade.  There were so many rules and limitations put on you, you no longer had to rely on God to give you the strength to do the right things, it was a requirement.  I found myself going through the motions.  I only prayed when required to do so, I only read the Bible when assigned, I only reached out to others when the school told me that I needed to.  I was living in a culture so steeped in what we are told Christianity is all about, that it no longer was truly seeking Christ myself.

Now that I am removed from that setting, I find it hard to reconnect to the spiritual strength that I felt before.  I am also quick to notice when others seem to be just going through the motions as I am.  Is this the problem with surrounding ourselves with a strictly "Christian" religious culture?  Do we become so blind and deaf that we can't see Christ reaching out to us right in front of our faces?  Can we stop faking it long enough to admit that we have fallen away, and once again truly start seeking Him again?

These are my thoughts, I am a drummer who is trying to find His beat...Again.

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Thoughts

I have a lot of stuff running through my head right now and I think that getting it down on my blog will be a good way to sort through them.  Some stuff is heavy, some is sorta just fun and light.  Keep an eye out for some posts coming very soon, also look out for some new UFC predictions from Will and myself. 

More to come.....very soon.

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UFC 92

It has been 6 UFC's since I last offered my predictions but the dry spell has come to an end.  UFC 92 looks to be the biggest card in Dana White's history as President of the UFC.  With such a large card on the horizon, I just can't sit back and not give my opinions, so here we go.

First off, I must say that this card is so stacked, there are even a couple of under card matches that would be worthy of airing on the big show during any other PPV.  The best under card match up has to be Matt "The Hammer" Hamill vs. "Riptide" Reese Andy.  These two guys are looking to make waves in a stacked light-heavyweight division. 

Hamill, a former TUF contestant, has shown that he has what it takes to make it in the UFC.  He comes into this fight after losing to Rich Franklin by TKO back in September at UFC 88.  His only other UFC loss came at the hands of Michael Bisping one year earlier at UFC 75.  Hamill is a striker and he is going to be dangerous on the ground where his wrestling background will come into play.  I don't see a KO happening, but if Hamill can get mounted look for a TKO.  Hamill also has the endurance to go a solid 3 rounds and this fight may well come down to a decision.

Reese Andy is somewhat of a newcomer to the UFC.  His first fight inside the octagon was against Brandon Vera at UFC Fight Night 14 where Andy lost buy unanimous decision.  Andy made a name for himself in the defunct IFL with a record of 5-1.  Andy has also proven that he has the endurance to last 3 rounds and has enough of a ground game to be dangerous. 

It is worth noting that neither men have ever had back to back losses and both are coming off a loss.  This is going to be a hard fought contest and it will most likely go to the judges after an exciting three rounds.  This one is going to be close, but I call it for Matt Hamill by split dicission. 

Now on to the main card.

Cheick Kongo vs. Mostapha Al-Turk

This heavyweight bout is going to be stand-up all the way and it's going to be quick.  Al-Turk will be overwhelmed in his UFC debut by a technical showing by Kongo.  Kongo drops Al-Turk early and moves in for the kill.  Kongo wins by TKO easily and continues to move up the UFC Heavyweight ranks.

Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

This is the money match for UFC 92.  Even though it's not a title fight, everyone wants to see Rampage return to the top, and that road starts with "The Axe Murderer".  Don't let Silva's impressive record of 32-8-1 fool you.  Since coming to the UFC, he is a very mediocre 2-3.  He is clearly past his prime but still may hold the cards to a win over Jackson whom he has defeated twice in PRIDE.

"Rampage" Jackson comes into this fight with a much more impressive record of 28-7 with his UFC record being 3-1.  His loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86 put Jackson's life and career into a tailspin and now he is out to prove that he has everything under control. 

Rampage is going to make very quick work of Silva this time around.  We will see a focused, and renewed Rampage tonight.  Jackson by TKO in the first round. 

Want the rest, well, come back in a couple hours to see!

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A repost from my Facebook page

Some friends and I got a chance to play as the warm up band for a local Christian political rally just north of Atlanta last night. Coming away from it, a few things rubbed me a little wrong and got me thinking. Here is something I just wrote out on facebook.

In the last census in 2001, 79.8% of Americans claimed to be christian. When you compare that to a Barna study in 2006 that shows 52% of Americans feel the Bible is inaccurate in its teaching, we see a major problem in the American church. The churches are broken. The church cannot be called on to fix the problems of a nation when it is being ... Read Moredragged down under it's own failures.

I am starting to believe that the American church will not see a spiritual awakening until it is faced with major persecution. The church has played a role in the political processes of most major governments since the 3rd century. Every culture that has seen a major Christian influence has seen a decline in people who truly believe and follow Jesus, and lead other to him.

Maybe its the African and Chinese churches who have it right. The meet knowing that it could always be their last meeting. They are even put to death in some areas depending upon the local governments and yet the church is growing there in ways that we cannot even comprehend, and it is not just in numbers.

American Christians are steeped in the... Read More Joel Osteen Christianity. We have become faithless, we are a mile wide and only mere inches deep. Our faith is never truly tested and our biggest concerns are usually trivial compared to that of Christians throughout history and even today in other parts of the world. The Bible is a book that sits on a bookshelf. We can get one any time we want it, and honestly, to most of us, it holds no real value. We turn to Jesus only when things are stacked against us instead of turning to Him in every aspect of our lives. We as a nation are an inch deep, and prayer in schools, or the 10 commandments in a courthouse is not doing anything to fix it.

Maybe we need some good persecution. Maybe the time is coming that God is going to give Satan the authority over us that he gave Job. Maybe that is what America really needs.

A Whole New World

Last night I stepped into a whole new world, the world of Mac. Yes, I am a new Mac convert. For a little over a year, I have been wanting to make the move to a mac, combine that with my need of a laptop for school, and here I am now with a shiny, new Macbook.

I do have to say, there is a pretty steep learning curve. Most things are so different from the Windows PC's that I am used to. I purchased iWork 08 to use instead of MS Office, and it is VERY different. It's going to take a little time to learn everything, but I am excited.

Off I go, into a whole new world, one small step at a time, and friendly direction will be gladly accepted.