Can Faith be Fearful?

  My youngest brother, Jeb, loves oats in milk with sugar sprinkled on top. Nearly every time he gets hungry he asks me, "can you-can yo... Awex, can you pweez get me some oats, and miwk, and sugar, and a bowl, and a spoon." He's just a little over three and doesn't say much at all, but when he's got a craving he doesn't have any difficulty telling me what it is, no matter how many times I tell him no. 

  Jesus told his disciples to become like little children. It's clear that to "become" is to come "from" some state or another. So what state are we coming from? Do you remember what the disciples were talking about before Jesus said this? They were discussing who would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. They were debating over status, something that was very prominent in that time. So why did Jesus tell them to become like little children?
  In general BC culture children lived under the "seen but not heard" rule with rigid restriction. And yet when jesus came around, they sang openly in the temple and followed close by him without fear of what was culturally prudent. Jesus was telling his disciples to be like that. To love him so deeply that they would never fear or compromise for the sake of their socio economic category.
  I once read that "Christian humility is not meekly admitting we are nothing, it is submitting to gods will and doing everything he tells us to." Put a four year old alone in a dark room and he cries because it's dark. Put a four year old in a dark room with his daddy and he giggles because it's dark. Children trust and have little reservation about being protected but somewhere between toddler and adult we pick up this notion called "status".

  Now let me just say that status is by no means evil, but the fear of status is a very VERY bad thing! What is fear? Fear is saying that you don't trust god with your all. That you think you know better than he does. Essentially fear says that God is not god. Fear of anything but god is the death of faith. If you believe in god, then no one is too cool to be an example to and you're never too old, young, or educated to learn.

  In faith there is no fear. In faith there is no pride. In faith we ask god for our daily bread(oats and milk) and know that he will always do what is best.

~Alex G.

so this is what it's like to be on the blogs... I'd nearly forgotten! You see that horrid monster FB has taken up all of my writing/typing time.
Be that as it may I am here now and today I thought I would share a small quote from my 2008-2009 journal...

4-28-09
"Dear Journal
I have often wondered about that most common opening phrase,"dear journal". It almost seems to make assumptions of intimate familiarity, as of one addressing a letter to friend or family.
This seems strange to me, for a "Journal" can take no secrets or give any of it's own, unless one put the letters and scribbles of my design as somehow "put to the Journals Memory".
Yet, ludicrous as this seems, I shall begin my recall of times past with this most common, doleful, and illogical opening(regardless of it's illogicality, and the implications therein).
At the present I am, of course(and quite necessarily) writing in my journal. My location? Well, I am at our house in Eagle Pt. OR. I am comfortably seated in the kitchen, at (of course), as you have probably guessed, the "kitchen table".
I am in the chair just northwest of the foot of the table(or left of the end, if one be seated at this point).
Whew! Okay, now that I have bored you(My "Dear Journal") with factual, geographical recall, I must need's liven the "rhetorical impartation", if you will, with the chronicling of the significant events of my short life(well at least recent happenings).
On the 15th of April I...Were sorry, but the following contents of this journal could not be disclosed the expressed wishes of it's author. Said journal has been labled "Top Secret", until further notice is given...

Happy birthday kolt!

It is very hard to find time to blog while also trying to keep up to date with face book.
I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTH DAY kolten!!!!!!

Omnibus Homework

How do we know that we truly comprehend and understand the whole truth about the incarnation?

Firstly, every thing we believe must be internally present and externally proved. Jesus said that by their fruits you shall know them. If we believe that theft is unethical than we should not steal. I it pure hypocrisy to say we are compassionate Christians whilst we refuse to stop and see if the old lady on the side of the road needs help.
That said let us define what the "whole truth" about the incarnation is.
When God created the world He did it through speaking the word, and in the beginning the word was with God and the word was God and the word became flesh and descended to the earth it had created for to redeem the object of it's grace. Christ was fully man and fully God. This is called the "hypostatic union". It is the conjunction of the immortal God and the mortal body of a man.
If we are to"incarnate"our thoughts into practical application then we must ask forgiveness of Christ our mediator, have faith in his power to regenerate us and work out our salvation through faith in good works(which we are now able to do thanks to the incarnation)

Notes from church!

I wish I had time to expound but this will have to do for now.

Live in hope, live in holiness, live in fear. People tend to ignore our need to live in the fear of the Lord.
Fear God and conduct yourself accordingly because God is a just judge, visiting the sins of the father on the third and fourth generation, but blessing to a thousand generations.
Gods judgment begins with his people.(Psalm 50:16), those who do not conduct themselves rightly, those who forget God will be torn apart.

You have been ransomed at an infinite cost. Creation cost far less to create than to redeem. The renewal of the world was wrought by the self same Word that spoke it into existence. God had to give His son to buy back what was already his.

We so often set our sights on the perishable rather than the precious. We were ransomed in spite of ourselves, (not because of). We should fear to make the blood of Christ common place.
When we don't understand the price of our sin, we will not appreciate Christs blood.

-Thank you

Wintergrass 2009 was awesome!!!

I am now officially excited by the future, and it's many prospects.
Before I say any more I must confess that Wintergrass was challenging emotionally, with so many great players I felt myself on the verge of jealousy more than once. Despair was also close at hand, however my constant prayer and supplication to the Almighty God of heaven and earth was a great comfort and help.
My grandma was also very kind to me. My Grandma, my mother, and the wonderful musicians I was privileged to meet, were the chisel that God used to shape my character. Thanks to every one for the encouragement.
My passion is to be a first class musician, not just for the name, but rather for what I can do by it. When you have substantial finances you can give to the poor, when you are a big name musician you can inspire other musicians who are less skilled by showing a genuine interest in them. I know the feeling (thanks to Jeremy Garrett, Cassey Driesen, Andy Leftwich, Michael Cleaveland, Darol Anger, Jason Carter, Tashina Clarridge and ok there are more those are just the fiddlers) .

well talk later

-aLeX

p.s. Jakes CD is done now. To Get info about it go to, www.myspace.com/jakedewhirst

Wintergrass 2009 is awesome!!!

Molly Adkins and Martin Stevens(friends of mine) opened up the festival. They did great!









This is me with the academy fiddle and banjo teachers. Jason Carter(left) was very friendly and gave me a lot of insightful instruction. Thanks to Grandma Dot for paying my way to go.

This is me with Ronnie McCoury.

Bye Bye now!