St. Patrick's Day

Since yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would post something with that backdrop. St. Patty’s Day is a fun day. It is not a national holiday, but it is celebrated all across this country by people from every sex, religion, nationality, color, and orientation. It is a day for people to get off from work, put on their green garb, and head down to the local pub for some green beer. It is a time for people to let their hair down and unwind. Some people, by some miracle, even develop an Irish accent when they talk. This may have something to do with the green beer, but I don’t know.
It is also a day for school-aged children to put on green and run around looking for classmates and adults alike not wearing green, and give them a little pinch. Everybody holds on to that little hope of finding a leprechaun and getting his pot of gold.
I even celebrate St. Patrick’s Day because it is a fun day, but also because of my Irish heritage, even if it is watered down over the generations. I still admire the Irish, and I am a little proud to say, “Yeah, I’m Irish.”
But, I wanted to take a little time to share something that was written by the Catholic Church’s Patron Saint of Ireland, St. Patrick himself. It is called ‘St. Patrick’s Breastplate’ or “The Deer’s Cry’. The language may be a little outdated and weird, but keep in mind that it is from the 5th century A.D. I hope you enjoy:

I arise todayThrough a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,Through the belief in the threeness,Through the confession of the onenessOf the Creator of Creation.
I arise todayThrough the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.
I arise todayThrough the strength of the love of Cherubim,In obedience of angels,In the service of archangels,In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,In prayers of patriarchs,In predictions of prophets,In preaching of apostles,In faith of confessors,In innocence of holy virgins,In deeds of righteous men.
I arise todayThrough the strength of heaven:Light of sun,Radiance of moon,Splendor of fire,Speed of lightning,Swiftness of wind,Depth of sea,Stability of earth,Firmness of rock.
I arise todayThrough God's strength to pilot me:God's might to uphold me,God's wisdom to guide me,God's eye to look before me,God's ear to hear me,God's word to speak for me,God's hand to guard me,God's way to lie before me,God's shield to protect me,God's host to save meFrom snares of demons,From temptations of vices,From everyone who shall wish me ill,Afar and anear,Alone and in multitude.
I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,Against incantations of false prophets,Against black laws of pagandomAgainst false laws of heretics,Against craft of idolatry,Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ to shield me todayAgainst poison, against burning,Against drowning, against wounding,So that there may come to me abundance of reward.Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,Christ on my right, Christ on my left,Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,Christ in every eye that sees me,Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise todayThrough a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,Through belief in the threeness,Through confession of the oneness,Of the Creator of Creation.

I came across found this prayer a few years ago after we sang a song in church that contained part of this prayer. It is the next to last stanza of the writing that starts with ‘Christ to shield me today’. A few lines down it talks about what should be our goal as Christians. To be so consumed with Christ that He is before, below, in front, and behind us, on our right and left. To have Him with us when we sit down, lie down, go to sleep, get up, and walk around. When people look at us, hear us, talk of us, and think of us, it is Christ that they see, hear, talk about, and think of. THAT is the relationship we need to strive for. It is when we have that much Jesus in our lives that we can face any kind of trial and tribulation. It may not necessarily always be easy, but we can rest knowing that He is with us always.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If not, sorry. I hope that you had a fun St. Patty’s Day. I did, and it did not involve any green beverages. Instead I was around THOUSANDS of people at the zoo. Wow. But the kids had fun. Take care and be blessed. I love all of you, and I am here for you.
*When I first heard the words of this I went home and started looking for those words until I came across this. I immediately loved it and wanted to know more about the man St. Patrick. I thought I might share with you just a little. Did you know that St. Patrick wasn’t actually Irish? Say what?! I know it’s crazy. He was actually English. He was kidnapped at the age of 16 and sent to Ireland as a slave. He also worked as a shepherd in the mountains. He continued to pray and cry out to God. One day he felt that he was told by God to return to England. So, he escaped, and went home. He then studied in several monasteries. He then began doing missionary work in several places, when he felt he needed to return to the place that was like a prison to him for so long. He returned to Ireland and started sharing the love and story of Christ. He is credited with converting all of Ireland. Now keep in mind that there are stories that he drove out all of the snakes from Ireland. That is why he is also the Patron Saint of people with a fear of snakes. Now, I don’t know if he rid the entire country of snakes, or if he converted every non-believer, but I do know that it had to take a whole lot of love and forgiveness to want to return to the place that probably didn’t hold a lot of fond memories for him, just to minister to the people.
He felt they deserved the same grace and mercy that he did. I probably would have felt like Jonah from the Bible did towards the people of Nineveh. He did not feel they deserved anything but judgment and wrath, God felt otherwise. Eventually Jonah saw the light, it took a lot of convincing, but he saw it. Old Patrick went right in spreading love. We should all have that mentality. Anyways, sorry to keep on, but there is a lot of good stuff around this guy. Take care!
Jason

The Flag and the Bible

*This is a post that I made on MySpace in October of 2007. I hope you enjoy it.*

I used to get a daily Bible study on my e-mail called "Two Minutes with the Bible" by the Berean Bible Society. Sometimes they have some things that make me scratch my head in confusion, but sometimes they have things that hit me like a ton of bricks and make me shout "WOW!!!" Tonight as I was reading this one it really struck a chord in me. I posted it on here for you to read, and then I will add some things at the end. Enjoy and I will talk to you in a second or should I say 'Two Minutes'....get it it's called 'Two minutes with the Bible' never mind...Read on:

THE BIBLE ON THE FLOOR

by Cornelius R. Stam

"...Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name" (Psa. 138:2).
As I passed by my study the other night, I noticed that I had left a Bible lying on the floor next to a chair. In studying I had put it down momentarily to consult a reference book and had neglected to pick it up again.

Now, as I caught a fleeting glimpse of that blessed Book lying there, it bothered me; in fact it bothered me enough to make me go back and pick it up and put it where it belonged.
Then I began wondering why so trivial a matter had troubled me. Was it because I remembered how dad would never allow anything to lie on top of the Bible? Had mere sentiment confused my thinking?

Surely the Word of God is forever settled in heaven and that book lying on the floor was only paper, ink and a leather cover. Or was it? Was it not also the Word of God as given to us? And as such, was it not representative of God Himself? If our country's flag must be treated with honor and respect; if it is sacrilege to treat it as mere cloth, how much more is this so where the Holy Bible is concerned!

No, it was not merely dad's example that came to mind as I saw the Bible lying there: certainly it was not only that. Rather it was a Scripture passage of which he often reminded us; the inspired words of David quoted above:

"Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name."

To be sure God would have us use His Word as a textbook from which to learn His will. It is no sign of reverence for this great Book to leave it lying untouched on the shelf. He would have us use it and study it, perhaps underlining important passages and marking significant connections. But with all this we must never forget to treat it with the reverence and honor due the written Word of God.

Welcome back. See I have had some issue with the way that some people seem to worship the American flag. Now don't get me wrong, I do think that the flag is something to be respected; more what it stands for. It represents the men and women out there who have so bravely put their lives on the line for our freedom. The freedom to wear what we want in public, to write or talk about things we are passionate about, and to worship which ever god we want.
That definitely needs to be respected. But, think about what the Bible represents. Everyone knows what it says: For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16. Yes, those men and women gave their lives so we could live because it was their call of duty. God left the comforts of heaven to come to earth as a man. He walked, sweat, bled, and died for us. Not because it was His call of duty, or He had nothing better to do. He did it because He loves us; because He could not stand the gap that sin had put between us and Him. So He came and died so that we could get back to Him. That is a MUCH better story.

Now don't take this as anti-American or that I am trying to take away from our military. Because I am not!!! Continue to respect the flag and what it is a symbol of. But think about what is between the covers of that Bible, thank God for His word. I hope that you got as much out of this as I did. If you didn't I apologize. If you did then thank God. Again if any of you have questions, concerns, or complaints let me know. If you have any kind of prayer requests or praise reports, PLEASE let me know. Have a great day, and I hope to write again soon. Until then....

Jason

Conformity

If someone were to ask me what I felt was the most powerful song, or the one that speaks the most to people, I would have to say 'Camouflage Soul' by All Together Separate. I know this is kind of a weird way to start out a blog, but hopefully you will see the reason why. If you would like to hear the song you can do a search on the net, or go to MySpace and find them on my own page or on All Together Separate's . If you don't care to listen, here are the lyrics:

Camouflage Soul

Another chance has come and gone

And I allowed my faith to fade into the background

How can I claim to be like your Son

And keep hanging on to what I knowHe died to free me from?

I'm tired of blending in

I'm tired of being one of the crowd

While everyone knows my name

Nobody knows my God

I don't want to be another camouflage soul

'Cuz I've been that way too long

I don't want to be another camouflage soul

I finally realize the danger in sitting on the sidelines

Conformity is failure

I have the disguise to look the part

But I don't want to wear Your cross around my neck

And not have Your peace in my heart

I'm tired of blending in

I'm tired of being one of the crowd

While everyone knows my name

Nobody knows my God

I don't want to be another camouflage soul

'Cuz I've been that way too long

I don't want to be another camouflage soul

I've got a change of heart

And I won't change my mind

I'm ready for a brand new start

Now I've got to change my life

I don't want to be another camouflage soul

'Cuz I've been that way too long

I don't want to be another camouflage soul

Isn't that a good song? Now, you may be asking, "Jason, that was a great song, you DO have an ear for good music, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Well, if you have a Bible handy, (if you don't, no big deal), turn over to Romans chapter 12. Go to verse 2. I have the New Living Translation, so if yours reads differently, don't freak out!

Romans 12:2 says:
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

The New International Version says:
2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

And finally, The Message has the passage like this:
Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

I gave 3 different translations because I like to read how passages can be put into different perspectives. Each person might take something different from each of the different translations. I digress. I think this song and this passage go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Dictionary.com shows the meaning of conformity as:
action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, practices, etc.

You see, when Paul was writing to the Romans, he was telling them not to be like the rest of the world. Paul himself was guilty of this early in his life. He spent his time persecuting the early christians. He was very caught up in the legalistic religion that the Jews were a part of. It took Jesus meeting him on the road to Damascus and renewing his mind for him to break away from the pattern of the time. After that meeting with Christ, he was no longer a slave to the world* and it's laws.
He became conformed to the mind of Christ. He was then in one accord with God. This set him apart from the rest of the world, and he paid for it. He was arrested and beaten because he did not allign with the thoughts of the religious leaders. Despite him spending so much time in prison, he never went back to his old way of thinking. He never took his eyes off of Christ, and the price He paid for him.
I think we as christians need to take this passage and this song and apply it to our lives.The first verse of the song talks about the frustration of knowing that you had the opportunity to stand out, to let God's light shine through you by standing strong in your faith. Instead you let your situation get the best of you, and God is pushed to the back of the room. Like a hunter in the woods with all of his Camo gear on, your faith just becomes part of the scenery. I am 100% guilty of this!!! I work in and have worked in several jobs where it was uncool or not 'manly' enough or something to be a christian. I allowed myself to get caught up in the gossiping (yes firemen do gossip), or the negative talk, crude jokes, or just plain being mean and hateful to people. Even though I don't cuss alot or do alot of the things that people I have worked with in the past do, i don't think I have let my faith stand out. Instead of being the hunter with the BRIGHT orange clothes on, I was a bush in the woods.
When the second verse says "I have the disguise to the look the part, but I don't want to wear your cross around my neck and not have Your peace in my heart." How many of us have, or seen someone, who is wearing a cross necklace or have a christian fish/bumpersticker on their car, and act in a way that would make God shake his head in disgust or flip you the bird because you cut them off in traffic, only to cut the next person off. I think the crosses and the 'WWJD' bracelets, and the bumpersticker/fishes, (I have a fish on my car) are cool. Some of them are even fashionable. Some people who wear the crosses, wear them because they are fashionable. But when we as christians are wearing them as a badge of our faith, we need to make sure that we are showing the true meaning of that cross, or doing exactly what Jesus would do.
Please know that I am not writing this as I look down my nose at everyone around me. I am writing this as I look in the mirror. That is why this blog is called 'Face in the Mirror'. It is a reflection of myself. I hope that others can see themselves in it. It is not my place to see this in others, only myself. My goal is to get to the point where when I look in the mirror, I see the face of Christ.
Do not worry about being different or labeled as weird. Christ and his followers were thought to be crazy or demon possessed. The bible tells us to be in the world not of the world. So if we are different because of our faith, then thank God. I hope this helped someone, it is certainly something I need to hear daily. If there is anything I can do for any of you please let me know. Have a great day and may God bless you more than you can imagine.
Jason
*God paid a high price for you, so don't be enslaved by the world 1 Corinthians 7:23