Steven Martin's blog http://www.semartin.net Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:32:16 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.semartin.net/blog/website/becoming-love.html My new perspective of a popular scripture: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)This passage is popular for encouraging people that the LORD will bless them somehow. But it recently struck me that these plans are exactly what we are called to conform our own plans to.This is the very definition of love: plans to prosper and not to harm you . As Paul says, love does no harm to its neighbor .Everything we say and do springs from a motivation. In man, this fountain is corrupt with self-interest. We have plans to prosper and not to harm ourselves. But the Creator God has eternally been this pure, unselfish fount of motivation: plans to prosper others and not to harm others. That is the only motivation worthy of our good opinion. That is the only motivation worthy of a high reputation. That is to say that it is worthy of glory. Consider the value of the motivation to prosper and not harm others. Maybe we should capitalize Motivation To Prosper And Not To Harm Others for the same reasons we capitalize the words Lord and God . Chew on that. I don't say it flippantly without having meditated on it with a love of truth.If I want to be of any use in this, my only shot at life, I will dethrone my self-interested motives and properly estimate the value of (glorify) this pure motive: Prosper Others. Do Not Harm Others. (Maybe all the letters should be caps!)or as Paul said: ...only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs so that it may benefit... So while quoting Jeremiah 29:11 to people may have some encouraging value, it seems far more beneficial to them if my motivations toward them are conformed to the image Jeremiah 29:11 conveys.Suddenly I am thinking of this in light of the following passage:Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:15-17)If I quote Jeremiah 29:11 to someone to encourage them that God plans to bless them somehow, I am in a sense telling them to keep warm and well fed (faith not accompanied by action). If I become Jeremiah 29:11 by personally planning, speaking and acting to prosper them and not to harm them, I have faith accompanied by action.So let me conform to the image of the son of God. Let me become one who plans, speaks and acts to prosper others, to build them up according to their needs. Let me never plan, speak or act with a harmful motive or result. Let me behold the glory (consider and properly estimate the high value) of the Lord, being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another.Perhaps these thoughts wander in different directions. I actually meant to briefly document something akin to the first three or four paragraphs, but it turned into a lengthier contemplation and study (for me). As Bunyan said, He that liketh it, let him receive it; and he that does not, let him produce a better. Blog - Website Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:55:48 +0100 http://www.semartin.net/blog/website/1st-john-2.html Many years ago I began recording my own audio-bible. Among those books I've recorded is 1st John (NIV). I thought I'd share it here. This isn't for distribution or sale.1 John chapter 1 (media/bible/1John/1john_01_NIV.mp3) 1 John chapter 2 (media/bible/1John/1john_02_NIV.mp3) 1 John chapter 3 (media/bible/1John/1john_03_NIV.mp3) 1 John chapter 4 (media/bible/1John/1john_04_NIV.mp3) 1 John chapter 5 (media/bible/1John/1john_05_NIV.mp3) Blog - Website Sun, 10 May 2009 08:22:38 +0100 http://www.semartin.net/blog/website/martin-family-adventures.html I'm not particularly adventurous but sometimes do crawl out from under my rock to see what the sunshine feels like. Here in Southern California, both adventure and sunshine are readily available. So here's a bit of photographic evidence that we Martins do go outside and dip our toes into the cool stream of life now and again. Adventure #1: Jenny Rides Horses With Alicia First we shall chronicle the main event of Jenny's tenth birthday. The young lassie had the desire to go ride horses with Alicia . Sara found a place that was willing to provide the horses and trails. She, Jenny and Alicia then went about this business of climbing atop horses and scampering about the countryside. If you don't believe me, just look at the picture... It's Alicia and horse. Then it's Jenny and another horse. The horses are real. This photograph was not taken out front of [[Kmart]] with coin-operated mechanical horses. It was taken by Sara who was on yet another horse in front of Alicia. It seems possible that Sara was either sitting backwards on her horse or her horse was headed straight toward Alicia at a full gallop. Perhaps this is why Alicia appears to be turning away, grimacing. Who wants to be involved in a head-on collision with a horse? Good thinking, Alicia. As for the birthday, that went off without a hitch the day after the great horse adventure. Well, perhaps there was one hitch. Jenny was glued to the couch with a stomach ailment for most of her birthday. She bore this disturbance with an admirable attitude. Adventure #2: Nina Discovers the Water HoseThis was a good time. I was filling the 12' pool so that Sara could do some high diving and water ballet. There was about 3 inches of water in the pool and I had just finished a harrowing game of solitaire [[Marco Polo (game)|Marco Polo]]. I decided to try [[David Letterman]]'s fun game [[Sketches_on_Letterman#Will_It_Float.3F|Will It Float]]? and so tossed Nina into the murky deep. She soon discovered the water hose and began waving it around. I snapped away with the camera as she and the hose struck various entertaining poses. This shot was one of my favorites...Immediately following the self-inflicted water shot to the face, she dropped the hose and crawled straight for mommy, blinking and coughing.Adventure #3: The Company PicnicSara and I work at the same outfit and each summer they try to rope us into going to the company picnic. This year they lured us in by having the picnic at [[Knott's Berry Farm]], which is about 10 minutes from our house. They provided all the hot dogs, barbecue ribs and Mrs. Knott's chicken you could possibly stomach, then they handed us free tickets and herded us into the theme park. Quinn, Jenny and I followed Sara as she pushed the stroller with an air of conviction such as would lead one to believe she had a clue where she was headed. We soon deciphered that there was no such clue. Climbing aboard the train was mentioned by someone and next thing you knew we were headed off toward some other indistinct target. At last I made the assertion that we needed a map and sent Quinn back to the front gates to fetch one. I followed him at a safe distance and once he'd secured the needed map and spun back 'round for the return trip, I snapped this marvelous photo of the lad... In looking at the picture there and considering the large structure behind Quinn, I have determined that there's no chance I'll ever climb aboard the thing. The choo-choo wasn't open and it wasn't long before we had all determined that it was pretty hot and fairly crowded at Knott's Berry Farm. I knew this would be the case way back when I heard of the sinister plot to have the company picnic at a major theme park in the dead of summer on a weekend. Quinn wanted to go home. Sara was close to agreeing. Jenny still wanted to ride [[Knott%27s_Berry_Farm#Roller_Coasters|Jaguar]]. So we headed for Jaguar and while Quinn and I sat with Nina, who was sleeping in the stroller, Sara and Jenny got in line for the desired coaster. After a great while of waiting I decided to snap a couple of pictures of folks going by on the Jaguar coaster. With picture #2 I scored a hit, capturing the very vessel carrying my wife and daughter. See if you can spot them (hint: they are not the dark complected gentleman sitting up front)... Soon after the Jaguar jaunt we were all clamoring for home and a drink of water that wouldn't set us back $3+. But before we could bolt for the vehicle, Sara, Quinn and Jenny did a bit of shopping in one of [[Snoopy]]'s establishments. I sat outside on a short rock wall, waiting with the still-sleeping Nina. They were in Snoopy's joint for quite the long while. At some point a lady sat down right next to me and began emitting a series of top-volume whistles directed toward someone on the other side of the theme park. This woke Nina up. Immediately following this blessed event a strange toddler toddled over and began climbing on me with affection usually reserved for folks you have at least seen before. It was awesome. It only took Sara and the kids another 20 minutes or so to finish buying whatever Snoopy was peddling. Then it was off to the vehicle and home. Yay. Adventure #4: Steven Runs With the Bulls at Pamplona There really isn't much to tell. Paco was running in front of me and the bulls were getting uncomfortably close. So I reached out, grabbed the bandana tied around his neck and pulled myself past him as I hurdled some other dude. Paco was immediately gored by the bull. You can see this moment captured in the picture. He and I laughed about it later at the hospital as we wondered aloud why we chose to even wear bandanas around our necks in the first place. The red karate belts were his idea all the way though. Check it out, I lifted some guy's wallet as I ran past him... you can see me clutching it in my left hand. I don't remember what that thing is I was clutching in my right hand. Things were crazy for a while there and I can't recall every detail. I probably won't [[running of the bulls|run with the bulls]] again. Looking back, it was a pretty foolish move. That's it for our August so far. Hope yours is going well. Blog - Website Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:02:09 +0100 http://www.semartin.net/blog/website/flying-spiders-blessed-forgetfulness.html Sometimes I think about how blessed we are that God didn't create spiders with wings. I know all too well the horrors of meeting up with wasps and bees, but I think those are benign terrors compared to what we would face if the [[black widow]] and [[brown recluse]] were able to land on our belly button as we're lounging around the pool. So I'm thankful to the Father that he didn't go in that direction.I'm also thankful that he created us with the ability to forget things. Sometimes we may think of our forgetful minds as a negative. I think it's a great blessing. Don't get me wrong, forgetting to open the garage door before you back out is no blessing, but I'm looking at this from a different angle: Imagine if we were constantly mindful of all the stupid things we've said and done in this life? Sometimes the memory of a foolish comment I made in the past comes out of nowhere and lands on my spirit like a ton of bricks. Maybe it's some instance where I thought I could share some wisdom but wound up revealing what a fool I am (Prov. 17:28). Perhaps it was an attempt at humor that I later realized could have been (and probably was) interpreted in a much more dastardly way than I intended. It's those types of memories and much more that come to me now and then and instantly cause me to cringe to the point of wanting to pull my hair out. It reminds me of men in the Old Testament who would tear their garments when something terrible vexed them, or more specifically Ezra when he pulled hair from his head and beard when he got word of the Israelites sin (Ezra 9:3). We make mistakes aplenty. I make more than the rest of you, especially when my mouth is open. So for this reason I am very thankful that we have the ability to forget most of those mistakes. I am also thrilled that spiders, [[scorpions]] and snakes can't fly. Blog - Website Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:44:28 +0100