The Season Of Thankstaking

 

A few weeks ago…. It became clear that the non-Christian entities out there are out to take away some of the very last customs and traditions that we hold dear to us as followers of God.

Right now…as we speak…Christians are being persecuted by Muslim guerrillas in Africa….Christianity stands to lose the most worldwide OUTSIDE of the borders of the United States that we all help to protect.

Here at home, Angela and I were on our way to one of our Thanksgiving gatherings on that Thursday of Thanksgiving…when we drove by our area mall and witnessed the long lines and people who had gathered to get in on some of the ‘Door-Buster’ sales that the different chain-department stores were offering in order to increase their merchandising bottom-line for the year.

The Thursday of Thanksgiving has traditionally been reserved for a time when we all put things on hold and give thanks to The Lord for the blessing and favor He has brought upon us by various means.

This year however, we find people being trampled and tazed and a general frenzy of activity in place of the wonderful tradition and age old custom of giving thanks for what we have. It would seem that the big merchandisers would have us believe that they are not interested in what we have to be thankful for and are instead more interested in the supplementation of their bottom line because of the tanking economy and the direction that this administration has us going in.

I want to call our attention this week to several passages out of The Book Of Mathew.

I want to start with Mathew 21.

It is becoming more and more obvious….in ANY socioeconomic circle…. That the lines of the “Give and Take” are being re-written. This doesn’t JUST pertain to the big retailers….we see it in many other situations now that the digital-technological lines allow us to view different parts of society that may have been less accessible to us before.

Human beings as a whole are becoming more and more dependent upon STUFF….whereas the society we exist in today dictates that without STUFF….we will fail to evolve…or at least…thrive at a pace that merchandisers would have us believe is MUCH slower than the pace we should be at.

We take.

We take because we have to……to get by….to get done….to get accomplished…to get a title or a status….whatever the reason…it is a longstanding tradition of supply and demand…as consumers we find this role a comfortable one in the society we exist in.

God GIVES.

Jesus was “That mad” in the temple because he believed (and to put it in terms we would understand), ‘You people aren’t getting it are you?!”

Jesus led his WHOLE LIFE giving….. from beginning to end…every word out of his mouth was a lesson that he gave away….every act that he committed was a gift given in teaching people how to live…. He led by example…a life that was filled with giving and not taking…and showed us all that for thirty-some-odd years straight…it WAS possible to give.

I see the Temple that Jesus tore up a LOT like our mega-malls and fashion outlets that populate our landscape today…. Those retailers…..are busy taking…to meet their bottom line and to break out of that profit margin and start to see a return on their investment.

See the thing is….Jesus’ investment…the ultimate and the FIRST REAL lesson in the act of giving…..is in each of us…. We are ALL called…. ALL OF US in WHATEVER capacity we find ourselves in…. NO MATTER WHAT….to be givers you see… God is telling us through Jesus that if we do everything we can in this life to GIVE…that we will reap the ULTIMATE return on investment…which is eternal life with Him.

….think about it….

…..all of those people…. …all of those retailers…. All of that humanity out there…. has it wrong….

THE FIRST WORDS….. out of Jesus’ MOUTH…. In The Sermon On The Mount… four words in context “Blessed are the POOR….” Most of you…my brothers and sisters who follow The Word know that the remaining two words are “In Spirit” ….but see Jesus words it in this fashion to make us STOP….and THINK….

Blessed are the poor…. Really…. Buddy…

Well I think that many of us can tell you….and I know that I can tell you that while I may be considered a rich man by many of my colleagues…..I am POOR IN SPIRIT….and I hope that I always am.

And AS….a “Poor” person I can tell you that part of being poor is the basic and fundamental understanding that I cannot make it through this existence without the basic help and sustenance of another…… or “I can’t do it by myself.”

Nobody can do it by themselves….. only a foolish FOOLISH man believes he has arrived where he is in life by his own means…..or sets his sights on a destination he believes he can reach without the help of the Holy Ghost in his life.

We are SUPPOSED to give……rich or poor…big or small gifts….it doesn’t matter WHAT you have…. Because as “Poor People” we know that the only way to get to where we are going is to seek out The Holy Spirit within one another and through Christ.

Give…… We are supposed to GIVE…. How many countless stories does Jesus tell us about giving away what we have…. These examples come in all shapes and sizes…. Nets of fish, 99 sheep, bodies (Romans 12:1), talents (Mathew 25), widows tithe (Mark 12:41) etc etc etc the resounding and collective unifier is GIVING…..

And you'll know the blessed ones....the ones who are going to make it....their scrolls are FILLED with family, friends.....and ACTS of giving..... not "Hey look at all the cool stuff I took!" (lol)

There’s a REASON….it’s called ThanksGIVING….

Yet we see a societal push to turn it into ThanksTAKING.

See freinds I have found that it will NEVER be enough.....I have a fabulous life, house, job and family.....but above and beyond these things is my families tithing….. Further, one of the ways I give away what I have is here….on this scroll …in the form of my time….. this time could be spent on my family or on the Department Of Defense….great arguments could be made for both of these entities as far as the justification for the time that I spend on each of them.

But when it is all said and done….you are either a believer…..right down to the very shred of your humanity…what makes you a man or a woman….ready to do what it takes to defend the act of giving in a season of taking….and you believe in what you say and you say what you mean when you are determined to be a vein for God’s word…… and you fight for Thanksgiving……knowing that it is far more than a day or a meal…..it’s a state of benevolent servitude you exist in year round.

……use your gifts……give your stuff away…..

It’s how you get big…..

My Best,

Mark

Break yourself fool!!

I think most of us are familiar with the story that The Bible tells in Mark of Jesus & the paralytic.

That is the story of the time that Jesus came to town and everyone knew he was going to be there so everyone crowded into a house and there was literally no place for one more man to fit so this paralytic got a bunch of people to bust off part of the house and lower him down in?

And Jesus healed him…and the paralytic got up and walked out of there.

As the political climate in this country continues to grow more and more acrid, there are a higher and higher percentage of people becoming dependant on the state.  That is, people feeding off the system so much that they are literally bound to wherever it goes and whatever conditions it displays.

Weather it be homeless vets, troubled youth, people who lack job-skills who only know how to kick out kids or the entitlement state that seems to be rising out of this great country that used to be all about getting things done by pulling yourself up by the bootstraps.

I am not really sure what it is going to take for the majority of these misled American’s to get that. Too many people these days are not asking “What they can do for this country” ….Rather as Kennedy said NOT to do, they are asking “What their country can do for them?”

I think that it’s the separation from The Word Of God that has caused society to make a paradigm shift away from these great instances of people overcoming all odds to get what they want accomplished.

I wish more people could put themselves in this paralytic’s shoes…..

Think about it…..back then…being able to move around was EVERYTHING….this guy must have been nearly COMPLETELY DEPENDANT on the generosity of other people to do things like feed him and bathe him and change his clothes.

…..so what changed? What was that spark? What caused him to decide that the DAY Jesus came to town was the DAY he would overcome EVERYTHING….. and convince WHOEVER and WHATEVER he needed to that HE needed to be across town in the same room as Jesus?

That’s a pretty tall order considering everyone was rushing to get a spot next to Him…

But the paralytic prevailed didn’t he? ……he decided that every OTHER day…he could be controlled and held down by his dependence on his physical condition or fate that was dealt him…every other day…BUT NOT THAT ONE…

I think that there have been times in all of our lives that we have felt like we were slaves to the system or dependents of the state. I used to talk about how much my ex is/was dependent on the various men in her life she came across but it also goes for all of us….. I think that there are systems or processes that The Lord puts us through or ties us to initially because he is expecting us to learn how to unleash ourselves from those ties.

I have identified several of these areas in my own life and am doing my best every day to do whatever it takes to make each day the difference in them.

But what is it going to take to get our society to have their own “Come see Jesus” moment and do whatever it takes to DECIDE that TODAY is the LAST day they will suffer under being connected to a system they are impossible to overcome the consequences of?

I wish I knew the answer to that one.

My Best,

Mark

Jesus Day Spa: Free Pedi's

So this week, I want to speak just a little on and in keeping in the same area of The Bible in  Ephesians where we have been focusing primarily on the different roles of the man and the woman within the church-sanctioned family.

We have established the wide area and breadth of true leadership within the home and how it can come from different sides of both the male and the female spectrum.
One of the things that I find truly telling about couples that Angela & I come across, are those individuals who are physically capable of but circumstantially excluded from  Podiatric  care.

I used to have it wrong…used to walk around saying “Remember when Jesus washed the prostitute’s feet?..... isn’t that cool? What a statement!!”

See the thing is, He never did that…..SHE….washed HIS…. And then in the company of His disciples, in some of His last moments….Jesus…The Teacher….washed His STUDENT’S FEET. Including Judas….who was just lickin’ his chops to get his hands on those thirty coins.

He blessed the prostitute when he was chillin’ at the  Pharisee’s house…just eating a sandwich and minding His own business….nope…turns it into a teachable moment and did indeed bless her after she had washed His feet and cleaned the oils and dirt off of them with her own tears and dirty hair.

Therefore, I think we can resolve here on this thread…that Jesus was no stranger to the care and upkeep of His own feet and other people’s.

….and….as it is written in ^{John 13: 14 “}Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”

 Angela and I, have at our disposal, the ability to literally “Make it rain” for our feet. We can afford specialists to come in from Houston, we could send ourselves to some pretty decent local establishments that are really up-and-comers who try extra in order to make a name for themselves…..make no mistake…the AVAILABILITY is there in our lives and I think for many of our friends who follow us on this scroll and on other social platforms.

Sure it’s AVAILABLE…. You can write it off as a line item or relegate it in your mind to something that is included in the “Upkeep” of your wife’s well being to send her to get he mani/pedi’s routinely. Nothing wrong with that….nothing at all.

However, if YOU PHYSICALLY CAN….IF you are paying for it once a week (or whatever regularity you employ) instead of using your own hands….to do it yourself….    Ask yourself this one question….. WHY WOULD YOU NOT? 

Honestly…..why would you not?

Jesus wasn’t asking…..he was TELLING:

^“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”

…and we’re not going to try to sheepishly get out of it by employing some lame ass excuse about how your wife has a fungal infection or an 11^th toe or that her feet smell like Cheeto’s. Everyone’s feet got problems! Doesn’t matter what your schedule says…or the cost….doing it yourself doesn’t cost a thing!.....that’s the BRILLIANCE in the message from The Lord here!

In order to do some things right….you don’t spend money on them….you come down off of your pedestal and you do them YOURSELF.

 Angela is great……what can I say…she’s my blushing, beautiful bride who I could go on and on about…but she could be TERRIBLE….   She could be on my WORST bad list in a day and I would STILL wash her feet at the end of it…no matter what…because JESUS said so.

Besides….all weird fetishes aside….there is some STRANGE STUFF that goes on when you start rubbing on your ladies feet fellas….let me tell you…must be some sort of chemical that is released or SOMEHTING….  You’ll have a friend for LIFE!! Jesus knew what was up…it’s pretty much the most intimate thing you can do with a person besides sex. He knew that….which is why he let the prostiture wash His in the Pharasees house and went OUT OF HIS WAY to wash the feet of Judas. …you try living with the fact that you sent The Light Of The Earth to be snuffed out just after He gave you a DELIGHTFUL Pedi……for 30 pieces of silver.

In conclusion it all comes down to The Word….

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”

God knows His church is made up of imperfection and those who seek the truth THROUGH Him.  AKA…… Gentlemen….and Ladies….he is WELL AWARE of the “Situation” you got “Goin’ on” in your shows and under those socks. It’s imperfect, it’s gross….or maybe not….I’ve seen me some feet in my day…. He KNOWS about your feet because He MADE THEM.

He has set the example for you…in His actions reflected in the scriptures….

It is up to US as His imperfect children that he loves so very much….. to STOP…..and get down there…..    stop what you are doing….and take some time and just wash the feet of the person whom you are equally yolked with…..’What He hath begun…let no man put asunder.”
Get to work.

 My best,

Mark

In it to win it.The Courtside Pulpit

Our daughter Hayley is a natural athlete.

She has the normal aches and pains that any pubescent teen has but she is really only happy when she is in competition. Whether it’s at home with her brother over how much popcorn they each have during movie night..

 

 

 

 

....or something a little more profound...like which forward she's going to pin to the baseline on the paint.

 

Hayley is always up for some competition with a happy heart.

 

Hayley is a refined leader in all ways...

 

 

She is a beautiful child of God and endeavors every day to make the right choices and to be kind and just....a solid and well put together soul coming straight out of the heartland....

Her mother and I beam with pride.....routinely.

That being said...

Hayley is still in that...awkward...shy in social settings phase where she is mortified by being embarrassed by her parents. We’ve all been there haven’t we? : ) Part of the joys of having children and once being them ourselves.

Here on this scroll, we are in the midst of a series in which I have spoken about the surrendering of human attributes that you hold dear in order to facilitate the forward and continued thriving of your family as a whole under the command and steering of God’s plan.

As I have said earlier and whereas, the idea here being that it should not be your intent to give up those things that define you as a PERSON. Rather, it’s the Idea that, if called upon, you periodically (or permanently if that’s what The Lord puts on your heart) surrender those things for the good of the family and submit to God’s will.

Traditionally, my friends in undergrad, and some of them in the graduate schools I graduated from….have been and currently are, HUGE sports fans. Specifically, NCAA College Football…..There is RARELY a time when e-mails aren’t slinging back and forth from some of the most high-command positions within my organization here at the DOD or a variety of texts & taunts from the boardroom’s of the private sectors that keep us running seamlessly……. All……FILLED with sports gossip or some sort of competitive natured trash talking going on.

It’s with this in my heart…that I approach the FANTASTICALLY competitive arena’s that are the junior high auditoriums of the South Texas Breadbasket.

In the fall, it is common knowledge…and a family agreement that I will be wearing Hayley’s jersey….and singing her praises both before and after the game.

During the game?......that’s where I want to focus.

When it comes to the art of “Soccer Moming and Dadding” or any derivative used to explain the function of being fully immersed within the extracurricular athletic and academic activities of your child, there is just as much opportunity for parents to “Get it wrong” as there are those moments that we nail and henceforth cherish forever.

As a male…I can only speak to the attributes that compose the “Dad” or “Father” …everyone knows Hayley calls me “Mark”….but we will use, for discussion purposes the word ‘Dad’ as it is widely accepted as representing the head of the household, which I am….and remember…as in previous posts….that only means the title….whereas Angela….my wife, “Arranges our house” …and is called “Mom.”   So, as a Dad and provider of the family, I am part of a worldwide fraternity and long tested brotherhood. We are expected to show up, we are expected to make those things seamless which might fall apart if not for the intense attention to detail that only Dad’s can provide.

You carry ALL OF THAT….into the game…ON TOP OF your hopes and dreams for your star athlete….. You carry your past, your titles, your accomplishment, your dignity, your pride and your status……. And people see you…. Here in small-town-America…. it’s not like on the coasts, where the over-populous drowns out even the shiniest of stars….Here in Victoria, when an Aeronautical Engineer and one of the area’s lead and most celebrated educational curriculum designers walk in holding hands …….   Well….   As a humble man of God, let me just say that people LOOK at you…and it is here that you have an OPPORTUNITY to minister and deliver the Word Of The Lord.…..

Trust me…. START OFF holding hands…

.....because Satan is out there in their eyes… and NOTHING in this world craps on his plans…WORSE than a well defined and established family unit that exudes excellence….for the entire event……. Satan/they watch to see how you interact with your surroundings and the people around you…they look to see how you interact with each other….they watch to see pretty much everything right down to how Hayden and I play together during halftime on his ipad  …….. you’ll know you did a good job if the ONLY rumor the next day is that “They let their 9 year old drink carbonated beverages”   (ß-- lol TRUE STORY!!! <3 )

It has taken me YEARS….to understand how to LISTEN to what God is trying to do in my life when it comes to HIS ‘Teachable Moments’ (AKA Ministerial opportunities). I am by no means finished BUT….in THIS CASE…. Listening involves being present and in the moment; ‘In-It-To-Win-It’ if you will.

Years past, Angela and I have…. Been pretty animated when it comes to rooting and cheering on our Hayley and her team… From the opposing coaches….to the referees….even to the young ladies taking a hard baseline just because “That’s Lavaca” or “Goliad SON!” …..we have…. been pretty selfish in making a notorious place courtside. People have traditionally LOVED IT and we have enjoyed interacting with them. Looking back I realize that it was in those moments that I was out to showcase more of what I HAD DONE… or what ANGELA & I HAD DONE…within the life of this young Texas Star….. not what GOD has done.

I think that it takes time and a rare and elusive process that is impossible to define (difficult sell to someone who engineers industrial processes right down to the hundred thousandths of a fraction) that you must move through and emerge victorious over…to truly be able to LISTEN and be IN THE MOMENT…courtside or any place else. I am absolutely loving this season as Angela & I show God's Grace from the stands and in life.

When I hit my knees…and it’s a lot…I am ABSOLUTELY thankful for the opportunity to have be able to minister to others and be quiet and trembling before The Lord as Angela & I LISTEN. I hope that I can continue to always ALWAYS minister to others an allow others to draw as much strength from our marriage as we draw from theirs.

I haven’t always been “In it to win it” …at Hayley’s games or other places…. But I will always endeavor to turn this favor of The Lord into those quiet, stolen and teachable moments 

My Best,

Mark

"Signal Our Surrender.......WE SURRENDER!!!"

Clear your mind and try to think of the biggest and most powerful person you know. What qualifies that individual within the boundaries of your mind…..as a successful person. Maybe the person is fictional….like Superman or Captain America or Wonder Woman. Perhaps the person is a historical figure such as Dr. King or President Kennedy or Moses.

Weather that person is a male or a female and weather or not that person lies within the realm of fiction or fact is, for the most part, inconsequential. Whatever the reason and in whichever the context…this person has gained THE MOST power in your world.

I work in the most powerful organization on the planet….The Department of Defense….of The United States Of America. I can tell you that when it comes to power, there have been innumerable written pages, dating back to the dawn of man when we used to scrawl on the walls of caves, dedicated to mankind’s ability and non-ability to deal with power.

In the traditional sense and in this day and age, it is easy and quite fun for all of “us junior constitutional scholars” to rail against whichever entity we believe is abusing power. We assign the words “Abuse” and “Neglect” to those organizations which we believe are going against our values….or degrading those things we deem just….and righteous. Nazi’s, Baath Party, Taliban, Kim Jong Un or Lindsay Lohan.

We are obsessed with power, who has it, who abuses it and how to effect real change on those who might take all of it. But have we ever really stopped to think about what happens when we give up that power. Thomas Keneally wrote of the incredible affect that pardoning a Jewish prisoner had on the Third Reich and how the act of manipulating your power in a way that is somewhat unconventional can be quite empowering.

 

We could spend days here talking about the benefits of a soldier’s ability to befriend the inhabitants of his occupied territory as opposed to ruling/decimating it with an iron fist.

There are certainly situations and discussions to the military aspect of this…..but in THIS scroll….we will speak of this phenomenon of manipulating power in unconventional ways to bring about good…..within the context of raising of children.

The best portrayal of unconventional power manipulation that I have ever seen is a fictional portrayal in a series created by Gene Roddenberry called “Star Trek” ….specifically the sixth movie in the Star Trek Series which was called “The Undiscovered Country.”

 I am not here to explain the entire film to you…nor will I serve to pacify Trek Fans with an insatiable pursuit of correct details about this…..I will however briefly explain why this is relevant because I know that many of you wonder “How I do it?” manage to hold everything with family, aeronautical engineering, lean studies within the DOD’s Blackbelt program and still find time to be “boyfriend / girlfriend” with Angela.

 Here’s How:

At one point in the story…the commander of (arguably) the MOST powerful military power in the universe (portrayed in the film by William Shatner “Kirk”) is quickly, violently and unexpectedly forced to make a decision about what to do with his power.

 He has unknowingly perpetrated a great injustice upon a neighboring vessel and that injustice threatens to destabilize the region as well as the Federation he belongs to. Kirk isn’t 100% certain that he (representing the Federation) is responsible for the injustice…… so the crossroads and moment of truth is presented with great dissonance and buildup.

…..will He choose to protect himself? Will he raise his shields and defend his ship and in turn his Federation until a complete forensic investigation can be undertaken? In times of confusion….I can tell you that the EASIEST thing to do is to protect ourselves….keep those things we know and love safe from harm. It takes great skill and experience to do what the commander chooses here.

In three words: “Signal our surrender.” It blows everyone’s mind (great acting) including his Chief Communications Officer who forces him to repeat himself "WE SURRENDER!" to her before she hails the ship which is preparing to attack the one they are all standing on the bridge of.

And with that…The MOST powerful force around…. COMPLETELY SURRENDERS. This unconventional use of power enables great progress to be made in the understanding of the situation and in the lives of all those involved….without it…..there would had been nothing….no progress…no healing….no communication….only confusion, fear and loss on both sides.

There is a direct correlation between complete surrender and successful child raising that can be demonstrated in so very many ways.

I’m telling you right now…..if you want to raise kids the right way…..YOU MUST SURRENDER EVERYTHING….There is no way around it and there is no way over it....everything that you are familiar with and everything that makes you comfortable.

 If you want this….prepare to be uncomfortable, humiliated, betrayed, lonely, robbed of all of your time and all of your money, ridiculed, bone-tired, emotionally exhausted, angry, peaceful, happier than you have EVER been in your life and if you play your cards right….addicted……all in a day and sometimes in just a stolen moment to yourself.

This flies in the face of all of the social media, empowering sense of self, LGBT communities fighting for marriage rights, the high cost of day care causing the absence of parents who hope against hope that whatever programming their children are watching at home (while mom and dad work their second or ever third job) teaches them to be individuals…..stick up for themselves…..fight for what is theirs and what they have earned and never let anyone take it from them…..all while showing compassion and being the better person.

I can tell you that there comes a point in many people’s lives when they must address the fundamental question which sets them apart from all the rest: Have I lived enough of my life to teach someone else how to live a fulfilling one? You don’t have to have your own blood running around….the kids don’t have to be yours….I don’t care about the sex of the parents….I am talking about PERSONAL sacrifice and surrender.

Are you capable of the absolute surrender that it takes to demonstrate to these young individuals what counts in life and what does not? Because THEY are the ones who will carry your name on long after your bones have turned to dust and your time in the spotlight has long since faded…..off of the car you drive….off of the house you own….off of the skills that you have…..off of the places you have been and the great battles you have engaged in both at home and abroad.

Your name is all that will remain and the stories that go with it. Those stories….I can assure you…..will be DIRECTLY connected with
---------------- > WHAT….YOU…DID….WITH…..YOUR….POWER.<-----------------------

I am roughly (hopefully) half-way through my life on Earth. It doesn’t matter the whip you push, the rocket you ride, the portfolio you diversify or the THINGS you can collect for the small amount of time you are alive. It has taken me the better part of 30 years to discover that of ALL of the power I have collected in my life….on my wall….on my chest….on paper….across the planet…and here at home….the MOST IMPORTANT thing I can do with it is the unconventional, complete SURRENDER of it….. in order to facilitate the growth and nurturing of my family.

I signaled my surrender long ago….LONG ago…to my family and The Lord.

Set the example, tip the spear…then snuggle your kid.

That’s how you get big.

My best,


Mark

 

 

“Hupotasso” If Jesus went to Cal Berkley

There is much to be said about 1^st Peter 3-7. And it is a pretty bold move for The Bible to come off and basically say “Women, submit to your husbands.”

However, when this seemingly off-puting part of The Bible is broken down, it is easy to see why some of the long-standing battles have erupted and maintained within the the rise of feminism and the established Christian church.

Listen ladies, if you just submit to your husbands…everything would be great! Lol So wrong…people have taken this simple translation and perverted it so much that many will not even consider The Bible as a viable form of spiritual worship because of this small and delicate verse.

See the thing is, back when this chapter was being translated, there was no decent translation for the original word which was “hupotasso”  which means “To arrange under” and was therefore written as “Submit to”….what a tragic and unfortunate necessity for such an important scripture.

The intended message was indeed that within the family unit, females…..or ‘Wives” as it were…were to share the responsibility of the family and the home that family resided in. It was not the intention of Peter to say that women were in fact inferior to men and should ultimately make themselves submissive to the whims and devices of just any male. Rather, the instruction was to share the house…to share the life of the family….to make it your systematic goal to get the house in order (house of course being symbolic for ‘life as a family’) in an attempt to align yourself with the life God intends for you.

This is not an argument, you see, of weather or not women should be submissive to men. This is not an argument about who is a stronger person or even the sex of the couple…..although The Bible is quite clear on heterosexual marriage. It is rather a very clear and absolutely accurate signal from God that a marriage should in fact be shared and cherished together. While the suggestion of the man as the head of the household will always ring true in the scriptures and in life, any good and decent man who is worth his weight in salt knows that he cannot get anyplace in life without honoring his wife as his equal for her ability to “hupotasso”, or ‘arrange under’ him those things which he clearly cannot do…and let’s face it…there are a ton of things we men cannot do that the fairer sex can and have been successful at for generations.

My opinions on the perversion of the institution of marriage from what it was divinely sanctioned as…or even blow-hards like Rachel Maddow and other liberal, church and institution destroying anti-Christians are absolutely beside the point. The Bible is very clear that when it comes to a man and a woman in a Christian-Sanctioned-Marriage (which has been the bedrock of the evolution of stable society since the dawn of man)….men and women should share the load…with the man as the head of the household, as it’s representative and spokesperson.....and the woman making those things in order that men are clearly incapable of.

When you step outside those divine lines…you are bound to fail...and trust me...a divinity failure is an ETERNAL BITCH....I have been there PLENTY of times when I have tried to do this life "My way."  There is a reason humanity has evolved since the dawn of man when God set His plan in place. Follow the plan...and you cannot fail.  

Trying to "forge your own way" is not why Berkley’s football team sucks or even why nobody wants to be Chancellor at the school (unless you are an expert on drama….and involved in it yourself) which is most famous for bra-burning and an organization called "Queer Army" (lol) in a state that teaches CHILDREN to be confused as to what bathroom to use or where they should change after gym practice because of rediculous legislation designed to confuse children beginning in middle school.......Berkley's failure and continued marginalization as an institution is clearly because of it's detraction from The Bible.

So...if Jesus DID become a Berkley bear ...lol He's not an "I told you so" kind of deity...but you know He would be smiling on the inside...mingling amongst the misled masses as He watched His Father's work which is the continued failure of the school.... unfold in front of Him.... 

The Bible is quite simple…and doesn’t need to engage in shenanigans as it quietly and quite steadfastly, says what it says and means what it means.

Interpretation is anyone’s right…including silly Berkley in silly California…and fundamental Christians like me in the majority (Conservative) states like Texas….who are not interested in the controversy that The Word Of the Lord stirs up…..just interested in what it says and in ‘savin’ tha drama for your mama’ as it were.

A man gives his name to a woman out of respect at the outset of a marriage….a woman ‘get’s his shit together that he cant…’arranging the house underneath’…and they serve as equals on a team moving forward. Anything that deviates from this iron-clad and proven system of doing things will be doomed to failure.

Count on it.

It’s in The Bible. It’s The Word Of The Lord.

Mark

5 Steps To A Better Holiday Video

1. Understand the significance

So you want to make a video…..nobody cares. To use a meme-based notion: “You mad bro?” Before you travel down this scroll ask yourself the question: Who am I doing this for? If your answer is ANYTHING OTHER THAN “Myself” then you need to take a long and fearlessly introspective look in the mirror. ….are you sure?...... is that really what you want to say?

See the thing is, you are correct in your assumption that there are just as many videos out there as there are snowflakes in the winter or leaves in the fall. No matter how spectacular you believe in your heart that your video will be….chances are that it will fall FAR short of that goal and only really be significant to you and your loved ones. If you can BEGIN this journey by saying to yourself “I am going to do this for my family and I…so that we have a device with which to utilize in the hard times…that will bring us great joy and fellowship”….then you are ready to proceed.

A world-class communicator whom I admire greatly, Terry Crist once spoke of “Poignant Memorials” and the fact that the first and foremost memorial we need to consider is The Last Supper and the fact that Christians like myself partake in memorials all the time….and that they be done to please The Lord. Whereas, we need to understand as Christians that memorials are Biblically encouraged and bring great joy and honor to The Lord who has blessed you with the ability to humbly (but methodically) account for your blessings.

Weather you are doing it as part of your faith or you are doing it as a means to give back to the people and institutions that surround you; you will always be successful if you put OTHERS in front of yourself in your memorializing. Because if you have to call attention to YOURSELF as a badass, weather it be in pictures or in video…..mmmmmmm chances are you aren’t.

2. Employ the right platforms.

In the technologically advanced world we live in, we are often inundated with the latest digital trends and when it comes to movie-making on the web…there are so many applications and platforms that it often causes euphoria. The critical detail to remember is not that spending your money on the most advance gadget will allow you to make your video “far and above’ the next guy’s….that’s not what this is about. Rather, you want to spend your money on something that will be easy for you to LEARN.

Becoming well versed in the platform that you choose will allow you to really show off your novice editing skills and produce something you can take great pride in.

I suggest you purchase a platform that offers a wide range of important features such as: Transitions, stock sound and video, tutorials and an easy to follow user menu. All of these things, while seemingly unremarkable, will show their value when it comes time for you to sit down with it after collecting all the pictures you want to put into it.

When it comes to Windows-based platforms, there is a fine program that comes standard with most of the current and advance operating systems that are fielded today called “Windows Movie Maker” and I cannot say enough about how this platform allows for real-time ease-of-use that is critical for the burgeoning novice. The “Drag-And-Drop” type of film-strip layout makes it clear where your pictures go AND it accepts most musical formats for your music INCLUDING iTunes formats which many proprietary systems leave out and mandate that you pay a small translating price in order to use each song on your project.

While there are a wide range of stand-alone (non OS) systems out there, my favorite by far is Pinnacle Studio’s platforms and services. Pinnacle has got it all from the transitions right down to the templates for intro’s and out-tro’s . It has tips and secrets for the beginner, right along with suggestions for the advanced video editor who is hell bent on putting out something before the holidays (or whatever occasion you find yourself facing).

3. Choose the right pictures

Ahhh pictures…those wonderful portals in time that take us back to a place we have been before while ushering all of the souls we share with, right to its point of origin along with us.

Depending on the source you are using, it is important to remember who your audience is. If you are telling a story about yourself, then remember to chose those shots that primarily reflect you and those influences (weather they be people or things) that have influenced you in the past. This could be a pastor or a bartender, a horse or a motorcycle, a store or the manager etc. The unifying point in this is that each of the pics should have a theme and be connected somehow. For example, a pic of something random like a baby picture could be connected in the same batch with a picture of graduation…thus showing change or progression.

Similarly, a picture of a sibling or a ancestor might be connected to an inanimate object like a chain with a lock on it…suggesting that family is the tie that binds… While these are easy things that any aspiring video maker can come up with at the drop of a hat, what causes the video-maker to NOT begin is the lack of imagination leading to a lack of commitment.

When it comes to social media…the pics are already at your fingertips and are often sorted into fantastic and often chronologically specific groupings. When it comes to Facebook, I suggest looking in your “Timeline” collection. The unique thing about timeline is that it is not an “album specific”….Rather. it is a form of a sentry for your life as it passes by on your timeline. It collects many of the pictures you upload from your laptop/computer which do not qualify as belonging to one of your albums but are interesting enough to make it on your timeline.

Try to do your best to include as many family and friends circles as you can when balancing your family within the filmstrip as forgetting a group or a person, while not your intention originally, may cause that person to become incensed or feel left out….”Touch ‘Em All” is an idea that I try to embrace with each video…and I have made quite a few successful video ventures by embracing this idea.

If you are making a Thanksgiving video as I am this year….or some sort of family-specific “yearbook” type of compilation, I suggest timeline photographs as well as pics pulled from compilations of family outings and family-specific events that showcase all of the OTHER people in your life. I think that often, a mistake that people make is getting too heavily caught up in pictures of themselves. Often, one of the primary reasons people flock to your videos is to be able to participate in all of the fun and interesting things you were able to do…take them those places and show them those wonderful people. I think that if you stick to that ethos, you will find a considerable amount of more hits than if you had not.

4. Choose the right music

Music has been around since the dawn of man…when cavemen used to pound on things to create circadian rhythms that worked them into the frothy, violent states needed to go out and slay beasts that were so massive, there was often little chance they would prevail at all without help.

The Renaissance ushered in the dawn of the discovery that human emotion could be influenced based in no small part to what the brain detected within the melodic and rhythmic combinations some of the first composers were churning out.

What this boils down to for you is that it is ALL ABOUT the music….it has ALWAYS …been all about it and selection of your own “combination of melodic and rhythmic” setting will be crucial.

An established and metered rhythm will allow you to mathematically determine HOW MANY pictures and video’s you will be able to utilize, while the correct timbre of the music will allow you to keep your audience adequately entertained and hold their attention.

Rhythm and timbre come first….after you have adequately addressed these two crucial items…then (and only then) you should address any lyrics that are attached to the music. It is possible to have a piece that is as wonderfully rhythmic as it is melodic….but land it on the “no-go” list because of the song’s lyrics.

Here is/are an example of the lyrics in one of the songs I am using this year:

"Before there was time

There were visions in Your mind

There was death in the fall of mankind

But there was life in salvation's design

And before there were days

And there were nights I could not see Your face

But the night could not keep me from grace

When You came and took my place

~

So I cry holy only begotten Son of God

Ancient of days

I cry holy only begotten Son of God

And sing the praises

Of the One who saved me

And the promises He made

Before there was time"

See, nobody wants to hear about hard times...or even look at pics of your babies with some lame-ass thrash-metal blaring in the background…remember they are watching your video for a reason…giving up the world’s most precious resource (time) to invest in your ability to take them away from their every-day and tell them a story….lyrics are key…they don’t have to tell the story of the pics that are passing by…but they better tell a good story…or your secret reader, who is portraying his or herself as a viewer, will repay you with quickly becoming incensed….and let’s face it, that’s worse than if they had never watched your vid at all.

5. Be methodical and steadfast.

One of the most familiar and prevalent human conditions in the world to day is procrastination. It can bring even the mightiest of men right down to their knees.

Once you have all of the ingredients outlined in the first four steps, stay faithful to yourself and to your faith by endeavoring to work a little on it every day.

Sticking to these five steps will guarantee you put out a product you can be proud of and that will be lauded amongst your family members for years to come.

Here is one that I made years back in which I tried to embrace all of these steps…





..it’s a difficult thing to step back after time has gone by and ask yourself if you adheared to the basic and fundamental guidelines…with any luck…you will nail it….a the very least..you will put out a decent product that you can store in your archives for when it is time to tell your grandkids the story.

Good luck and all the best,

Mark