Due to Fox's cancellation of "The O.C.", my family was in search of a new show to watch, so we had been told by many people to watch this show. My wife and I are now addicts of the show "The Office" during the past 4 weeks we have watched seasons 1,2 and caught up on season 3, thanks to Itunes. This show is amazing and painfully funny. Now we must sit and wait out for new episodes to become avaliable, but here is a preview of what awaits!!!
"Why tell this story now? From an objective point of view, David Brainerd was an utter failure: he never achieved stardom; he never made a fat wad of cash; he didn’t possess any special talents or skills; he wasn’t especially successful in his occupation, and the decisions he made in his life ultimately led to his death before he hit 30. If he were around today, there’s a good chance he would be in a medical hospital or a mental hospital, and yet, I find myself relating to him. "
Thinking about missions, maybe going to Guatemala or Algeria? Think you are not "qualified" or spiritual enough to go? Think again, cause the amazing thing about God, is that He uses us, the jacked up to accomplish His purposes of proclaiming His name to every tribe, tounge and nation... David Brainerd is an example of this,read this article then go to Amazon and buy his biography..It will be worth it.
Let me tell you about my Thursday this past week. It started off with a very good men's bible study at my church at 6am (only God's grace has me up that early), it followed with some good talks to people on staff at the church. I had a great talk with our youth pastor about getting our college group together with the youth and serving the community together. I also got to talk to our Worship Leader (Vitamin Z) and we talked about everything from the Lobo Basketball team (where I work) to the emerging church and theology. I then went to the University of NM student union building for a time of reading and coffee, I there met up with a friend and we had a good talk about soccer, ministry and life. My day seemed to be working out just great as I pulled up to the UNM basketball practice complex where my office is located. I started my day off the usual checking emails, working on some video stuff as well as going to some blogs and seeing what people were writing about. One of our assistant coaches came in as I was doing these things and said we needed to do a scouting report film for our upcoming game at Utah (where I currently am), the next thing he said changed everything about the day and my life in some ways.
Coach D told me at 1:45 that day there was going to be a press conference to announce that Coach McKay, my boss and friend was going to be fired at the end of the season. At that moment if felt like a punch had just been landed to my gut, the air was taken away, the room got super small and it was just this surreal feeling. The men that God had used to bring me to Christ were not going to be here next year. The rest of the day was filled with press conferences, meetings and just trying to figure out what the heck was going on. While this outcome was not totally shocking, we were not performing as well as people expected. There was drama this year off the court, and people really never did accept Coach McKay. So the writing was on the wall, but when it actually happened it was still shocking, the timing of it was not expected either.
My mind was filled with thoughts of who will replace him, what will happen to the other coaches, and what will happen to me. While I am not a coach, it is possible still that the new coach will bring in his own person to do video for the team and that means adios for me. At that moment I felt naked, vulnerable and helpless before God, my future was unknown in so many ways now, in short my life was rocked. I sat there filled with anxiety and worry for the rest of the day. The time came finally to leave and return to my church to get ready for The Well, our young adult gathering, in which I am one of the leaders. My mind was such a tornado that I did not feel like doing much, but then our worship leader came and we talked about the night, and soon I was starting to focus more on other things.
Soon people started to arrive and again my mind became filled with worry and anxiety. With my mind racing I decided to step outside and pray and greet people as they came in. As I stood out there I looked up in the sky, there were some clouds and patches of sky and stars. Then the Spirit hit me, and hit me hard. I was convicted of my sin of worry and anxiety. God had me where He tells us He likes us, where we have nothing but Him and Him alone to rely on. A specific scripture was put on my heart:
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on my high places. (Habakkuk 3: 17-19)
This verse just kept pounding in my heart and mind. All I could think was yeah I know it says that, but it is not as easy to do. And it was right then that I realized that, that was the point. It cannot be done on my strength, on my own I cannot rejoice in God, I cannot find joy in God. I am a selfish sinful man that wants to control everything, and I am only concerned in finding joy in stuff, in things, in what revolves around me. As I stood there I realized it is a fight, but a fight that can be won, cause it is not a fight I fight alone, God is my strength, God is my fight for joy. As I stood outside pondering everything the thought of God sovereignty came to mind, that Jesus is the same today and yesterday and tomorrow. God revealed in my heart that it is His strength that brings joy because His strength and His name and His Glory never change. This job is not my hope, a paycheck is not where I find joy, but in God through the work of Christ on the cross is where I am brought by the Spirit to enjoy God and find my treasure. In those 45 minutes I stood outside God had crushed me, convicted me, and then encouraged me and strengthened me.
I would be lying if I said that now I am totally worry-free and I do not at times doubt. What has changed though is the knowledge that, yes it is a fight for this joy, and yes it is His strength that will be my victory in the fight. And the hope that now I see dimly, but then in heaven I will see my treasure face to face.. I will see God, our creator, our sustainer, our judge and redeemer!!
So yes life comes at us fast, whether it be a loss of a job, or it be a report from the doctor that we have cancer and 6 months left, but life never comes at God fast. God is sovereign over all and His hand is what guides bosses hearts, is what allows cancer to grow in us. It is His mercy, love and justice that sent His Son to the cross to atone for our sins and that never changes no matter what in life comes at us.. Amen!!!
Before I was a Christian I remember reading about abortion, while I felt that it was not a good thing I did not think it was something I should think about. When I got to college I fell into the ideology of "It is a woman's body, let her choose". I did not look at pictures of aborted babies or did I read up about the women that suffer regret and severe depression after the procedure. It seemed like a merciful thing to do, for a woman that was not "ready" to have a child, it would not be fair to have a child in those conditions. I mean for me I wanted to drink, hook up with girls and just have fun, and worrying about abortion was the opposite of that.
Then something amazing happened, not of my own accord, but the gospel was presented to me, and God took my heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh. He opened my eyes to who He is and who I am and my desperate need of a saviour, Jesus was that, the only one who could bridge that gap between me and God that I created with my sin. After that it was no longer a Carlos Griego worldview, I did not have that "liberty" anymore! I was God's and could only see through His eyes, although I often wanted to see things in my own sinful way. This included many things, one being abortion. God used John Piper in my life in so many ways, to spark a love of reformed thinking, to think about God's passion for His own glory, to want to read old dead guys like Edwards, Owen and others. What Dr. Piper did for me in the issue of abortion was through the Holy Spirit illuminate my eyes to the truths that we are created in God's Image (Gen 1:26) , we are God's workmanship (Eph 2:10) and we are to help the helpless or needy (James 1:27). And this means more than simply praying for the unborn babies, this means taking action, maybe writing our political leaders, or helping spread information about the darkness of abortion. Dr. Piper sparked a passion to understand more what it meant to be a God Image Bearer and how abortion is not just about the woman's health, choice or convience. It is a controversial subject and one that I think we a Christians sometimes want to skoot around for the sake of peace. We as Christians do not have the freedom to be apathitic or unclear on subjets the bible is clear and passionate about! Remember it is no longer our own sinful, postmodern worldview that we use, but God's Biblical worldview that we must see life through. I think writing to a senator or handing out info. are great to do, I do think that we need to be more biblically founded on our view on this important subject and for more info, go to the Desiring God website here.
Finally here is a picture of the horror and disgust of the murder of a baby from a legal abortion. This is a image bearer of God, who was disgarded like a piece of trash, how tragic...This must make your heart hurt, your soul grieve and your eyes water....It must be stopped, the stakes are too high, millions die a year like this...
Here is a picture of an amazing creation made after God's image, not more than 1 year from being as small as that pic above. This is a image bearer of the King, Sustainer and Creator of the World...How beautiful.
This is my daughter Jordyn Piper Griego, not a planned daughter, at least in my eyes, but a child I love and one God has used to open me and my wife's eyes to the beauty of our Creator!!!
Here is another Great website about fighting abortion, remember as a Christian fighting abortion is not just something we should do, but something we must and are commanded to do!!!!
Now this article shows the sacrifice, and servants hearts some wives have. I think we should read this, and be encouraged of the servant hearts God has put into our wives.... (total tounge and cheek)
So as some know I am a big fan of the UFC. My favorite fighter Tito Ortiz lost to Chuck Lidell on Dec. 30th, and honestly I thought "man no one can beat The Iceman", that was until the UFC signed Quinton Rampage Jackson, a man that has beat Chuck and did so using Chuck's own strategy. So I have here the first fight, fought between Lidell and Jackson a few years back when they fought for the Pride Fighting Championship Org.. Take a look... (It is a MMA fight so it is violent do not view if you are not into it)
