STORY LINES...

The following is from the IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE transcript...

EXTERIOR HOUSE –– NIGHT
MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT –– George stands a moment, stunned. Then he turns and runs out to the sidewalk, until his face fills the screen. His features are distorted by the emotional chaos within him. We see Clarence leaning on the mail box at the curb, holding his volume of "Tom Sawyer" in his hand.

CLARENCE
Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives, and when he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?

For those who don't know, I am a Youth Pastor at Hope Church in Dallas, GA. Our student worship celebration is currently in the middle of a series titled STORY LINES. The focus is about STORY LINES- God's, ours, and others. As I was preparing for the message this week where we will be looking at our own stories and how they might influence others, I thought about this line form the movie.

Interesting.....

We never cold possibly realize all the lives we impact as we go about our daily business. The question then becomes what impact are we making on all of the lives we are touching with our own? How will we be remembered? I love the song by Nicole Nordeman called LEGACY. Here are the lyrics....

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

Probably my most favorite line in the song is "Did I point to You enough..."

One of the two people that have been influential in my thinking about God and Jesus and that all that jazz, is Rich Mullins. He authored a book called AN ARROW POINTING TO HEAVEN. His wanted his life to be just that~~~ an arrow pointing others to heaven. (more about Rich and the other guy later)

God, I need your help if I am going to influence even just one person for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me.

semper reformanda ragamuffin,

sinbad

Amen.

NOW I WANT A BROKEN HEART

Chapter 2....Irresistible Revolution....

Something happened to me this morning at church (the walled one).....

I choose not to divulge it here, but will outside of this medium if you ask me too.....

The result.... a broken and hurting heart.... mine.

I was reminded of a quote by the founder of World Vision.....Bob Pierce.....

"Let my heart be broken with the things that break God's heart."

I've prayed this prayer before..... only not wholeheartedly.

I'm also reminded of another revolutionist and his lyrics..... Derek Webb...I WANT A BROKEN HEART.

i've got faith in the bank and money in my heart
i've got a calloused place where your ring used to be, my love
i've traded naked and unashamed

for a better place to hide
for a righteous mask, a suit of fig leaves and lies

i thought the cattle on a thousand hills
was not enough to pay my bills
and i fell in love with those who proved me wrong
and now i want a broken heart

now there's a great pad lock
on the place where i was free
and i'm feeling bad from swallowing that key
now i work real hard but i mostly call in sick
of a broken back from the ground fighting back at me
i cannot look you in the eye
so i check the knots on my disguise
'cause i fell in love with fashion in the dark
and now i want a broken heart

i've got alibis for every crime
a substitute to do my time
'cause Your heart breaks enough on both our parts

so now i want a broken heart
now i want a broken heart
now i want a broken heart

I find it interesting to think how many times I've had a broken heart from girls or life or situations that didn't go the way I wanted them too. But the times my heart has been truly broken with the things that break God's heart has been far less. Not saying they haven't been there and been incredibly real, there's just fewer of them.

Hmmmmm....may I not be afraid to WHOLEHEARTEDLY ask God to break my heart with those things that break His. Amen and amen.....

May my broken heart allow more of YOU to shine through.

Reformanda....

M"s"C

EVERYTHING....?....!....

Scribed this morning. Been a while. Anyway......

I'm scribing in Luke. Currently in chapter 5. These were some of the verses I was journaling on today....
Luke 5.27-28
27-28 After this he went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, "Come along with me." And he did—walked away from everything and went with him.

Hmmmmm......here's what I think......

(from my scribing journal)
No doubt a tax collector in those days was not only not liked, but rather despised by society. BUT, he certainly would have had a lot of "everything" to walk away from, especially in a material sense. Certainly people must have thought he had lost his mind. What is my "everything" and am I willing to leave it all for The Way? God, help me to loosen my grip on my "everything" and turn it loose so that in it's place I can better grasp YOU and YOUR everything! Amen....

I'm reminded of the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer when he said.....
"When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die."

I'm also reminded of the words of LIFEHOUSE in the song EVERYTHING.

Complete "EVERYTHING" by Lifehouse Lyrics

Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose...you're everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

I especially like the line "Your are my purpose.....You're everything."

May I never lose sight of the fact that all else is "rubbish" compared to HIM.

Striving to let go of my everything,

semper reformanda,

M"s"C

Just in time for Halloween.......

I share with you today a story so horrific, so scary, so bizarre, that you may not want to continue reading......... I call it...
"The Sick and Twisted Tail Of the Toe-doctor Chair Possession"
As most of you know who have been following this incredibly life-changing blog, or who know me in person, almost 3 weeks ago I had to have toe surgery in which they put a pin in one toe and whittled on three other toe knuckles. Well, yesterday was my third followup visit and the doctor was set to remove the stitches. As usual they ushered Linda and me into an examination room and instructed me to wait in the chair. Before long, one of the medical assistants came in and removed my bandages and began cleaning my foot. Now, that in and of itself was scary enough given the fact that my foot had not had a proper bathing in nearly 3 weeks! But I digress. Once the cleaning was complete, the assistant left the room and the wait began. As Linda and I waited and talked about the bad art (in my opinion) in the room, my shoe began to slip off of my foot. So instinctively I moved it towards what I thought was the floor to push it back on. Well.....I hit the control pedals for the chair instead thus initiating the "possession" sequence. First the chair lunged skyward. Then, in panic, I hit the pedal again, this time beginning the tilt-forward sequence. By this time Linda has moved to the pedal and begun a frantic stomping to try and stop the possession. We are both now laughing hysterically. I've gone from about 2 feet high in a relaxed reclining position to nearly 5 feet high in a forward slant. Of course this is when the Dr. decides to make his entrance! The Dr. recognizes the situation for what it is..... a chair possession! He quickly directs a few commands in Latin in the chair's direction and after some violent shaking, the chair returns to it's original position. Relieved, we thank the doctor and get on with the business at hand.....stitch removal. Anyway....that is "The Sick and Twisted Tail Of the Toe-doctor Chair Possession!" told for your enjoyment.

Happy Halloween!

semper reformanda,

Michael "sinbad" Creighton

GIANTS, Dottie, Monkey and TOES.....

This past weekend, Linda and I went to see FACING THE GIANTS. I highly recommend it. IT is one of the rare "Christian" movies that doesn't seem all cheesy. Unfortunately, many movies produced that desire to display a "Christian" theme portray Christians as geeky robots who can't think for themselves. I didn't get that feeling from this one. Plus, the story behind how the movie came to be is nothing short of amazing. You can read about it here. You can find a good reminder of that concept in God's words in Philippians 4.13.

So anyway, something totally cool happened to Linda and me after the movie. We were leaving the theater when Linda noticed a woman who appeared to be in her late 50's on the pay phone crying. We had actually walked outside when Linda brought it to my attention. So we decided to go back in and assess the situation. After a few minutes we approached her and asked if everything was alright. She said "No" and that she could not get her car door to open. I asked if she would mind if I took a look at it and she said sure so we walked out to her car. She told us her name was Dottie and asked what I did for a living and I told her I was a Youth Pastor. Once at the car, I tried the door and it was definitely locked. I then took the key she had given me, stuck it in the door, and it immediately and effortlessly unlocked and was opened. She was amazed and asked how I had done it. I pretty much blamed it on God. Then it hit me. One of the scenes in the movie referenced Revelations 3.7-8 about God opening and closing doors. She went on to ask for prayer for herself stating that her husband had just died in February and that her dog "Monkey" had diabetes and Chron's disease (Huh?). We then prayed for her and went our separate ways.

What a powerful reminder that God can truly open doors others can't and and what He closes, others can't open. Maybe you have a door that you've been trying on your own strength and ability to open or shut, but haven't REALLY sought God about it. What are you waiting for?

On a personal note, I had a pin put in one of my toes and today I had the stitches removed! YIPPEE!!! I can wash my foot!!!!

semper reformanda,

Michael "sinbad" Creighton

The Toe and The Pin

I recently went "under the knife" (sounds dramatic, doesn't it?) to have surgery on two of my toes on my right foot. Bascically, the doctor said that I had probably injured the #2 toe on my foot sometime earlier in life and as a result it had begun to do weird things. It looked like a hammer toe (and was affectionately knick named HAMMY by my friends) and was trying a hostile takeover of the big toe (over-the-top). Not only that, but it was bringing #'s 3, 4, and 5 with it in the process. Sooooo.... the Dr. went in and scraped a little here, ground a little there, and then screwed a pin (the pin is about as long and twice as thick as this line ___________) into the middle joint of Hammy. As a result I have gotten to wear an AIRCAST boot for the past 2 weeks and will probably get to wear it for another 1-1.5 weeks. The point of the story is........

I find it interesting how much of an impact such a little thing as a pin this big ___________ in your little toe can have on everyday life. No, it has not been unbearable pain (there's been almost no pain to be honest) and I haven't been a helpless bum, but it has made a difference in how things do or don' get done. It makes me think about our spiritual lives.....

How often do we let the introduction of something small influence how we live for God's glory. For instance, unforgiveness or bitterness towards someone else. Many times when we feel we've been "wronged" or someone has trampled on our "perceived rights" we let it affect many other areas of our lives. How we treat those we work with. How we treat those we live with. Etc, etc, etc. Maybe it's that one area of your life that the "small voice" has been telling you for a long time to hand over to God. The pin I now have in my toe will remain forever. However those "pins" we have in our lives don't have to. Don't let those small things in our lives keep us from being who we were created to be.

In other words.......

DON'T GET PINNED!

semper reformanda ragamuffin

sinbad

Succumbing to fan pressure.....

Due to increased pressure from fans, I will once again resume posting on the SRR blog.....

Coming soon!

SRR will be returning with ruminations soon. Stay tuned!

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME!!!

I was thinking about a song by one of the early members of the "contemporary Christian" music industry, PETRA. I must warn you before you rush out and buy their latest CD, you might want to spend some time checking them out on their website. Anyway....
The song I was remembering has the line in it that posed the question "When will the world see that we need Jesus?"
As I was checking out the DRUDGE REPORT I ran across this story about a couple who made their 3 year old girl beat up a 5 year old boy. This has to go in the "Just when you thought you'd seen it all!" category. Hmmmm....maybe PETRA was onto something when they penned those lines quite a few years ago.
When I read something like this story, it is just another reminder of the absolute hopelessness of this world without Jesus. I also think back over my life and how misguided my decisions and actions were for so long. I often think of and use the awesome line by the great doctor, Dr. Phil, "How's that working for you?" I pose that question to the life being lived without Jesus in it. Hmmm....
Anyway, I will leave you with this, a prayer from Brennan Manning.....

May all of your expectations be frustrated.
May all of your plans be thwarted.
May all of your desires be withered into nothingness that you may experience the poverty and helplessness of a child and can sing and dance in the joy of God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
AMEN

semper reformanda ragamuffin
sinbad

ONE!

Attended ONE last night. ONE is a multi-church worship celebration in the Cobb/Paulding area. The concept behind ONE is to bring together churches in the area for a combined time of worship/celebration/prayer for students, their schools, and their communities. Steve Fee did an awesome job of leading us in worship and connecting our hearts with the heart of God.

Some verses that were highlighted last night were John 17.20-23

20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (NIV)

20I'm praying not only for them but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me. 21The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind-- just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. 22The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they'll be as unified and together as we are-- 23I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that you've sent me and loved them in the same way you've loved me. (The Message)

Hmmmmm....the concept of ONEness.

When you begin to talk about the concept of ONEness in so called Christian "circles", people tend to get a little uneasy. The "whatabouts" begin to start popping up in our conversations.

WHATABOUT this and WHATABOUT that?

Hmmmm, I wonder why that is?

A few words come to mind.....pride....arrogance.....fear.....trepidation.....apprehension...

Sounds like some of the same emotions Jesus invoked in those He came into contact with. Interesting...

I googled "christian denominations" and the first result led me to the "Christian denominations and sects" portion of the Yahoo directory. Guess how many it listed? Approximately 140.

How do you think the "Christian" world is doing in the area of ONEness? Yeah, me too.

I wonder what God thinks of the lack of ONEness. Yeah, me too.

What if.....
We focused more on those things that UNITE us than DIVIDE us?
We saw others through Christ's eyes?
We began to, as Ghandi would say, "Be the change we want to see in the world"?

What if we kept this in mind each morning as we started our day?

Hmmmm....what if?

semper reformanda ragamuffin
Michael

THAT'S IT!!! I QUIT!!!

24 that is....
In case you have been living under a rock somewhere and aren't sure what 24 is, well let me tell you. It is the most intense, suspenseful, high energy, nonstop action, edge of you seat adrenaline rush of a TV show on prime time right now!
Tonight, I have decided I will no longer be watching any more episodes. My heart simply cannot take it. Not really. But, if you are a 24 fan you know what I'm talking about. See if this rings a bell...
You're in the middle of the show...tension building....Jack's being Jack.....and then a commercial hits and everyone in the room takes in one big gulp of oxygen!
Anyway, if you've not checked it out, do yourself a favor and don't get started. You...........just................can't................stop............

Later.

SPLENDOR SPEAKS...

8:32 AM.....3.19.06.....11 years and a day.......anniversary weekend.....coffee is brewing......Delirious' Live and In the Can is playing through my MP3 player over a 10 year old boom box......sun's rising.

Linda and I came up to my parent's new (still being completed) mt. cabin on Thursday evening to celebrate our 11th anniversary. I've been coming here all my life. I've seen these mountains many times. Yet.....still......it is a powerful display of the splendor of God. Splendor. Now that's not a word used everyday, unless you're Chris Tomlin or David Crowder. Yet it is the perfect word for these mountains in western North Carolina on the southwest side of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The view from the front windows of the house is one of a mountain ridge in the distance. As the sun rises each morning, it is like God is rolling out the day, saying, "Here it is! Another day created for my people....the whole world....to see and experience MY GLORY! Join Me!"

Yesterday,Linda, me and our two dogs, Ginger and Tabor, hiked to The Pinnacle. It is a 3000' summit directly behind the cabin which is about 2175' in elevation. Once on The Pinnacle, you can see in every direction for quite a ways. My question is this....how can you see and experience a sunrise over a mountain or mountain ranges from 3000' (which is really not that high compared to most) and not be moved by Him? For me, it reminds me of my great smallness and His great HUGEness. Yet He loves still.

Check these out...
Psamls 36.6
Psamls 65.6
Psamls 90.2

AWED,
M"s"C
Semper Reformanda Ragamuffin

NOTE: The name for this blog was chosen for it's simplicity yet depth.
Semper Reformanda is latin for "always being reformed". You can read more here about 1/2 way down the page.
Ragamuffin is from Brennan Manning's 1990 book The Ragamuffin Gospel, which defines ragamuffins as "the burdened, the wobbly and weak-kneed, the inconsistent, unsteady disciples... the smart people who know they are stupid... the honest disciples who admit they are scalawags".
For your enjoyment, you can read into it whatever you wish!
I, however, like it.