Daily Buffet » Boyd Buchanan

A Chance to Renew

Jason — Thu, 27 May 2010 11:09:16 +0000

Last night I think I witnessed the longest soccer game in the history of the world. That’s unofficial, but check this out. After my team, the Bucs, were completed dominated, at least possession wise, for the first 58 minutes of the game, the traditional summer weather pattern produced its traditional afternoon thunderstorms and whamo, we were in a one hour lightning delay. ( On a side note, I thought that maybe I had missed the supposed ‘rapture’ during this part of the game. While the players where pulled from the field, and the rain still a few miles away, I decided to run to the restroom, while everyone just milled around waiting for something to happen. After a rather long line in the restroom, I exited, to see the wind whipping around in circles, the rain starting to fall and to my surprise everyone and everything off of the soccer field. For a moment I thought I was left behind. – oh TMI I know, back to the game)

Before this break, the Bucs were beat. Their faces said it, their body language said it. They were struggling to keep up, but at least they had kept their opponent out of the goal. After the lightning break, they were completely different. They were renewed, focused, determined, and just barely missed several chances to get the ball into the goal. The game continued scoreless for the remaining 22 minutes and the 30 minutes of extra time- which lead to the famed shootout. Fortunately, the Bucs put in 3 while keeping the opponent to only 2, to earn quite an impressive hard earned victory almost 5 hours after the kickoff, that really was the product of a renewing of their focus.

Whats interesting to me is how our days are like this some times, and for me yesterday was. Yesterday, I was being mastered by my insane schedule and the pressure of the world and work. I felt similar to the Bucs – running around, chasing a ball, and having to take a highly defensive posture to survive. However, this is not where we want to be. We want to be living for our master, not being mastered by the world. It times like this that it may be best to declare a lightning break and regroup and refocus. With a renewed mind, you can continue to transform yourself into a champion of life.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:30-31 (New International Version)

First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Jason — Wed, 26 May 2010 10:57:50 +0000

Man, I am stoked today. But before I tell you why, let me apologize for the erratic nature of the feed the last few days, I am not sure what’s up there, but hopefully it will settle down today.

Anyway, I am stoked, its the last day of school, my nephews soccer team is one game closer to wining the Tennessee State Championship ( 3-0 victory last night) and I get to live another day in service to my Lord and Savior – Mr JC.

So lets through out a quick Psalm of praise today:

Psalm 117

¹ Praise the LORD, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.

² For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD.

Its the end of school, but its the first day of the rest of your life, what are you going to do with it?

Magic of Music

Jason — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:58:28 +0000

Tonight my youngest Andrew starts guitar lessons. He has wanted to learn to play the guitar for years, and tonight he will get the chance. Yesterday he was attempting to tune his guitar in anticipation of the evening’s activities. Since the rest of the family was otherwise occupied, he was calling on my services to help him tune it up. There’s one small problem there – I am the one that has the least amount of musicality in the family. Lets just say that on Karaoke night at family functions, well the volume is turned up on the track, and in Rock Band competitions, I do not get the microphone.

And its funny that it’s that way, because I find myself so driven to sing praise, and so inspired by lyrics and so interesting in having music around me. I find that the power of music to keep me moving in the right direction is really amazing.

And so, last night, there I was again at a school concert! This time, the BBS Chorus, with which my sister-in-law, Lori, does an outstanding job in teaching and leading each year. (But that’s a lesson for another day – one of giving your all to bring the best out of others). Anyway, they finished last night with In Christ Alone.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

Its such a well written song, and was presented in a very special way last night. As you can tell the music sticks with me, and it strengthens me. I hope that if you know this song it will become an ear worm for you today and provide you with a little motivation to tackle a Monday with passion and power! In Christ we are free, and we have a freedom that is absolutely amazing to comprehend. We are free, we are safe.

Sing it today, and if you see Andrew, give him a little extra encouragement – maybe one day he will impact people with his music!

¹¹ Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart! Psalm 32:11 (New International Version)

¹ Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Psalm 33:1 (New International Version)

Go Go Joe!

Jason — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:16:58 +0000

A few weekends ago I traveled up the road to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with some local high schoolers and my family to take in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. It’s a great and fun show, and the tunes have been stuck in my head for weeks. There was one part of the movie that has stuck with me. It’s after Joseph has been betrayed the second time ( the first by his brothers, the second by Potiphar). He sits in jail with no hope. No way out. No chance. It’s in this moment that Joseph sings about how he doesn’t matter and that his life is not important. But right there in that same moment, the narrator starts to sing to him “Go Go Joe, Go Go Joe”. In the midst of his despair she starts to encourage him and finishes her encouragement with “We’ve read the book and you come out on top!”. Its a funny line, but a really really powerful line.

That’s the part of Joseph we can relate to. I don’t tell dreams, I don’t have twelve brothers and I dont have a multicolor coat ( oh, well, yes I do…) .. but really, I can relate to feeling at rock bottom, to feeling that you are alone, or that you have no hope. And I caught myself rejoicing in my mind when I heard her singing” We’ve read the book and you come out on top!” It reminded me of my of my favorite Chris Tomlin songs - I Will Rise

There’s a peace I come to know, though my heart and flesh my fail, there’s an anchor for my soul ,I can say it is well, Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed, the victory is won, he is risen from the dead, and I will rise!

Yes!

We have read the book, we come out on top.

²⁴See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵And this is what he promised us—even eternal life. 1 John 2:24-25

²⁶You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29

And if you are not sure what happens to Joseph or if just you want to see a great show, my son and nephews will be in a rendition of “Joseph” along with the high schoolers at Boyd Buchanan this weekend. Three shows – 7 on Friday night, 2 and 7 on Saturday. Come out there and enjoy a great show and rejoice that we come out on top!

Enjoy the day you have been given – its a day closer to the promise.

Snow in Chattanooga!

Jason — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:34:38 +0000

I usually don’t post on Saturday, but its such an unusual event that I thought I would.

Here is what I woke up to this morning:

It appears the government bubble may be broken!

Have a great day and Go Buccaneers!

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped…

Philippians 2:5-6, New International Version

Snow in Chattanooga?

Jason — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:43:50 +0000

I have said for years that the government had been using Chattanooga for some weather control experiment since it NEVER snows here. To the north, to the east, to the south, to the west – oh yeah, they get snow, but not the Noog. Well Paul Barys says the trend may be breaking with this tweet?

PAUL BARYS-Drier weather will move in for the next couple of days. But some snow could start falling early Saturday morning. 3:31 PM Dec 2nd from web

Snow – Maybe!!!

Yo, Ho, we love the snow.

Alright, well lets hope that’s a go, otherwise that State Championship football game is not going to be very enjoyable in the rain and cold. Go Bucs!

Enough talk about the weather. I have always been one to hate James. As a matter of fact I pulled it out of one of my bibles. Not because I don’t believe as some in the past, its just hard. Its practical, it forces you to make your faith move from Sunday morning bible class to the late afternoon meeting where nothing is going your way. I mean look at this fourth chapter, it just tears you up about thinking that:

you are good,
your will is good,
the way you talk about other is good
the way you talk about your life is good

Essentially, he says, when you are doing for yourself – FAIL! But the good news, no the Great news is – when you are doing for God – Success. Like yesterday – submit to Him, trust Him, focus only on HIM – and then life becomes great.

So, I will tape this back in my bible, and I will do my best to focus on Christ in those tough relationships where I think I am more important then the others (why I think that I can’t really even comprehend). What will you do with these words:

James 4

Submit Yourselves to God

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ²You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. ³When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

⁴You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?^[a] ⁶But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”^[b]

⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

¹¹Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. ¹²There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Have a great “snowy” grace filled weekend!