Michael Shipe Blog

Our Church, Crosspointe Church, is three weeks into a series called Practical Atheist. A practical atheist is someone who claims to believe in God, but lives as if he doesn’t exist. Each sermon has a similar gist:

• Week 1 – I believe in God, but I don’t fear Him.
• Week 2 – I believe in God, but I don’t want to go overboard.
• Week current – I believe in God, but I trust in money.

Millie wrote a post about last weeks message which included a very interesting vlog of Penn Jillett, the magician and entertainer. You should take a look at it. I contributed a little to this week’s message with a short video of Jon and I explaining briefly how money can resemble idols in our lives.

Our pastor, Chan Kilgore, did an excellent job covering 1 Timothy 6:6-10;17-10. Here are some excerpts:

• “Has something or someone besides Jesus Christ taken title to your heart’s functional trust, preoccupation, loyalty, service, fear and delight?”
• Idolatry is not one of many sins. Idolatry is at the root of all sin.
• “All our failures to trust God wholly or live rightly are due at root to idolatry”. This is similar to what Martin Luther said in his commentary on Romans, “the Scriptures see into the heart, to the root and main source of all sin: unbelief in the depth of the heart.”

Chan then talked about “near idols” vs. “far idols”. Far idols being power, approval, comfort, control, etc. They are roots in one’s life, They are driving forces. They can work through near idols and “are dealt with mainly by a process of repenting and rejoicing.”

Near idols are more tangible like money, spouse, career, car, Chan’s iPhone, etc. Near idols are good things that need to be detached from far idols. Meaning, if the far idol approval is using your career to supersede Christ, then you must deal with the idol of approval and separate it from your career. The career is not a bad thing, it is a gift form God and should lead you to worship Him, not replace Him as your object of your worship.

“Idolatry leads to additions, severe anxiety, obsessions, envy, conflict, and resentment.”

“The cross creates a counter culture in which money ceases to control us and is used in life-giving and community-building rather than destructive ways. The cross leads us to look to Christ instead of idols to give our lives meaning, purpose, value and significance. It leads us to a radical change of heart. You will become strangely content and outrageously generous.”

I don’t feel like I struggle with making money an idol in my life, however, being several months unemployed, I can see that only a scintilla of trust in money can lead to anxiety, obsessions, envy, conflict, etc.

There is only one Sunday a year like today. Without fail, every year there are a couple families that show up to church at the end of the service with a surprised and confused look look on their faces.

Today is also the kick off to the fortnight struggle so many people go through as they try to remember how to reprogram the clock in their car. Some people just let it be an hour off for 6 months. I got lucky this morning and set my clock on the first try!

Startupnation has a contest going on for entrepreneurs to upload an elevator pitch. People rate the business idea and their business experts bring the best 5 ideas together to present to venture capitalists. So, here is my elevator pitch:

Follow this link to rate it: http://www.startupnation.com/elevator-pitch-2009/contestant/5355/index.php

You can rate it everyday until March 20th.

I follow enough blogs that I’ll go through 100 articles in a day and enough tweets that I’ll see 300 in a day. So when I take a few days off, it really hurts.

The ESPN promo shoot was fun, though most of the time I was bored senseless. But I am glad to be back in the saddle and catching up on everything. I finally feel like I am turning the corner on everything I to keep up on.

This time each year, while Americans are all agog for the Super Bowl, I have a personal realization that I have never missed a Super Bowl save my infant years. The only other cultural even I have attended as consistently is Christmas. Thanksgiving, possibly my favorite holiday, is in third place because I missed it in 2002 and 2003 while I was in Ghana and Afghanistan.

I don’t care much for either team, but I am looking forward to the big game!

I have come to the realization that I sit far too much during the day. This is proven fact by the following natural science. When my chair makes the “this person is finally getting off me” noise, both of my cats stop what they are doing, their pupils widen as they stair at me. The best is when they pause mid-lick with their tongue sticking out.

However, I have not found the solution to this “all the time sitting” scenario my life resembles. A stand up desk might be my solution however, that would require either time or money. Both are a scarcity at the moment.

[Brief pause…]

…Had to chase down my vacuous cat for the second time with the squirt gun for his wanton disobedience of our one rule. Well, the one rule besides litter etiquette.

whoa…it has been a while since I updated this…it is on the list…Maybe my next post will be about how I got a mortgage!!!

Today I’m taking my beautiful friend, best friend, girl friend, fiancée, and soon to be wife out on a date. It has been a while since we’ve gone out on a date, but today is always a good day to start again. I can’t believe we’re 12 days from getting married!!! Better bring your A game

This is a fine looking bunch from the HSLDA Christmas Party.

Quote of the day: