Another month of strong sales closed the first quarter of 2008.  Sales and current inventories are at last year's levels, a further indication that the market is finally gaining.  A great deal of this activity can be attributed  to the fire sales of repossessed homes; as a result, the median price continues to decline.   The MLS data is corroborated by the June 19th report from the ASU  Realty Studies of Morrison School of Management.

Chandler, Phoenix and Maricopa County as a whole, registered gains in the number units sold for the last three consecutives months, while their inventories of homes continued to thin out.  In the East Valley Tempe had the greatest rate of absorption with 5.70 months left of inventory, followed by Chandler with 5.78 months, Gilbert 6.3, Mesa 8.54, Phoenix 10.21 and last Scottsdale with 12.54.  

The outlying areas of Queen Creek in the East Valley, Surprise, El Mirage, Youngtown, Goodyear and Glendale in the West, also showed consistent gains despite the ongoing concern about the high cost of commuting.

All the of signs of a recovering market:

The study will commence in the next six to eight weeks and take a year to complete, said Kevin Wallace, MAG Transit Program manager.  Meetings to solicit public input and provide updates will be held as the study develops, he said.  The study will look at what capital improvements are needed, where to site stations and how to tie commuter rail in with buses and light rail.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Our good friend Mike Pickard joked with me the other day that his voice is so bad that it doesn't even qualify as a "joyful noise"! Mike expresses a sentiment that most people share...that he's just not a very good singer by the world's standards. This self-critique can quickly slip into a reticence to sing boldly when worshiping...a reticence that can be disguised as an act of compassion on the people sitting next to you!

Three problems here. One, God likes your singing. Two, the people around you, though they may not know it, need you singing. And three, He commands it.

God commands that you sing. That we are told to sing to the Lord is a Biblical no-brainer. In the Old Testament worship book (Psalms), there are over 75 references to songs and singing. This is our longest book in the scriptures, and is quoted more than 50 times in the New Testament. Pretty impressive...for a songbook! That's right...our theology and prophecy spins out of the singing of the people of God. Who we are, what we believe, and how we are to live is all wrapped up in our singing together.

The command to worship continues into the New Testament. "Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father" (Eph. 5:18-20).  "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Col. 3:16). Or, as Peterson paraphrases in The Message, "Sing, sing your hearts out to God!"

The people need your song. Singing praise is a vertical thing, upward to the Lord. But, it is also a horizontal thing, directed to one another. Did you see that in the passages above? "Speaking to one another in...song" and "admonishing one another with...songs." God uses the Spirit-infused souls and voices to encourage and challenge His church. When you clam up, this means of edification is choked off.

God likes your voice. Our American Idol generation has really done a number on the whole idea of singing in front of other people. We have the tendency to think that Simon, Paula and Randy are in the seats right in front of us, and are about to kick us out of the church if our pitch, vibrato and stylings aren't in perfect order. This idea is reinforced by having only potential Idol contestants serving the body as worship leaders - only polished voices need apply. Then, we take these media-quality musicians, and pump up their volume to a level where it's hard to even hear the people next to us, much less ourselves. Often, if my brothers or sisters near me in church are singing or me with their song, I'd never know it, because I can't even hear them over the din of the production.

God loves our voice...but more than that, God loves the heart behind us. "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Sam. 16:7). A heart that is filled with love for God overflows into songs of praise. A church with a collective heart for God is like a cornucopia, pouring out in not only praise to Christ, but also edifying messages for all of its participants. Personally, I don't want to miss that! So, I commit myself to a) not be critical of others' song, and b) not deny others the blessing of my song.

Let's purge the church of the American Idol demon, and start experiencing genuine worship!

(Tomorrow, we move from "true" to "transforming." Worship should change you. Does it?)

In summary: the finger pointing goes like this

FOREIGNERS: Blame it on CHINA! If they would not have been around we might have been paying attention to what was really going on!

The article, From home buyers to bankers, many blamed for housing crisis, from the Arizona Republic, reports that at the top of the boom in housing in 2005, lenders, buyers, mortgage investors, regulators and others were straying far from usual practices. Unqualified buyers reaching for unaffordable homes, subprime-loan offerings, Wall Street's greed for unqualified buyers, Wall Street's greed for mortgage securities and indifferent oversight created a toxic mix. The article gives a run-down of each player in the crisis, including lenders, borrowers, investors, the Federal Reserve, other regulators, rating agencies, the White House and Congress and foreigners and gives a summary of what happened by each party, their current situation and their next act to ease the crisis.

From home buyers to bankers, many blamed for housing crisis
Russ Wiles - Jul. 19, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

to read the article in it's entirety use the following link

http://www.azcentral.com/realestate/articles/2008/07/19/20080719biz-creditcrisis0719intro.html

Worship, according the scriptures, is a corporate gathering. It is the product of a serious commitment by the people of God. This was glaringly evident in the Old Testament (e.g., "If a man fails to celebrate the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people" - Num. 9:13). The New Testament passage often quoted to emphasize a similar new-covenant conviction is found in Hebrews 10:25: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another."

It can be pretty easy in our self-indulgent culture to blow off contemporary church worship gatherings. This can be especially true for those who attend large churches, where they feel somewhat anonymous on Sundays anyway. If I miss it, will anyone really notice? I'm more of a spectator than a participant anyway...maybe I can just dowload the message later. And with gas prices the way they are, is it really worth the trip? Once our mind goes down this litany of rationalizations, it can be hard to find our way back to the Biblical conviction that we truly need to be there.

But why? Why was Yahweh so adamant that His people physically gather together? I believe some critical reasons are found in the verses leading up to 25 in Hebrews 10.

"Brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb. 10:19-25).

1. When we gather for worship, Jesus is our High Priest! To ignore worship gatherings is to ignore the incredible price Jesus paid to enable this "new and living way" of worship, and demonstrates a real lack of both thankfulness for His sacrifice, and understanding of the value of the experience.

2. We desperately need the heart-sprinkling described here, that will "cleanse us from a guilty conscience." We claim to believe the wonderful reality that we are saved by grace alone ... but, more often than not, we still tend to think that our spiritual performance needs to be at a certain standard in order for God to pleased with us (and for us to be pleased with ourselves). Many of us still spend way too much time feeling guilty. But we're not. We're not. We gather around Christ, who is the priest, the sacrifice, and the curtain all at once. He has made us not guilty by his covenant actions! We desperately need this regular re-sprinkling, because our hearts and minds have a non-stop propensity to swerve from this hope.

3. "Love and good deeds." We all know that God wants these from us, and everyone I know in the body wants to be about these. We need encouragement to see these happen in our lives. But not just a slap on the back, and a "you can do it!" That kind of "encouragement" leads to a guilty conscience because...well, it's not true. We can't do it. Not in our own strength, anyway. No, we need new covenant encouragement -- the kind that reminds us that it's HIs grace, not our efforts, that provides the well-spring of loving deeds.

We're short-sighted. We might pass a doctrinal exam (Grace saves, check. My best works are worthless, check. With God, I can do good things, check). But our hearts drift. When we gather together, in Jesus' name, by the enabling power of His death, burial and resurrection, we bring our hearts, souls, minds and collective strength before Him, and before one another, and have it all re-calibrated according to what is TRUE. True covenant. True cleansing. True empowerment.

God has never given any indication in His Word that you can wing it alone. That's why true worship cannot forsake the gathering, and remain healthy.

1: The gospel should be proclaimed.  2: We should celebrate and reinvigorate the covenant God has established with us.  3: We should do this through reenactment (Word, table).  4: We should read the scriptures.  5: We should pray.  6: We should celebrate the Lord's Supper.  7: We should confess our sins.  8: We should seek reconciled relationships.  9: We should all be together as a church family.  10. We should sing to God and one another.

We've already discussed covenant, re-membering, the Word, prayer, and the Lord's Supper. We could go on and on about these topics (and I would be happy to respond to your questions, by the way!). Today let's move to...

Confession

We in the Protestant tradition shy away from any sort of institutional confession of sin in reaction to the over-institutionalization of the Roman Catholic church. Why should I have to share it with a priest? (You don't). Or with a pastor? (You don't). Or at church, during a service? (You don't, necessarily). Like many aspects of the Christian faith, the principle of confession is vital, but there is a variety a ways we can make it happen.

But, it needs to happen. The primary passage we have that points to confession is James 5:13-20. This is a wonderful, thorough passage dealing with the "shoulds" of the gathered people of God.

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."

The call to confess our sins to one another is tucked into a section that is very much corporate in nature. Prayers, songs, anointings, confession...these all happen together. Simply put - if you hold onto your sins, and only confess them to God directly, you're not dealing with your sins in a healthy way. That's because confession isn't just about exposure, it's about restoration. We confess so that we can see our lives "turned from the errors of our ways." (Interesting - we are always eager to get over our physical sickness, so we're quick to share prayer requests for bodily healing. We are nowhere near as eager to be healed when we're infected with sins. We need to lift each others souls and spirits before the Lord even more than we do our bodies, don't you think?).

How do we do this? It would be awkward to confess our sins publicly before hundreds of people on Sunday. It isn't likely that the pastoral staff will set up confession booths on campus, where you can share, but in secrecy. We offer time at the beginning of each service for personal confession, but what about the "to each other" part? Clearly, Sunday morning's large corporate gatherings are not well-suited for confessing sin to one another. So, the place to do this is in contexts of the church "scattered" - godly friendships, Home Groups, men's and women's groups, etc. (A sure sign that these kinds of groups are growing in relational intimacy is your growing willingness to share in this way).

Finally, a word about the whole idea of confession. Why do we balk at the idea of sharing our struggles? Because we don't want others to think less of us, of course. But, how can we think any less of each other than we already do, theologically speaking? Each of us is "totally depraved" apart from God. Our sins were the reason our glorious Lord was nailed to the tree. We are convoluted, Romans 7 people, all of whom would be totally embarrassed to have our thought-lives projected on a screen for all to see. Since we are all in this boat (and, if you think you are better than this, add pride and self-righteousness to your list of sins), why don't we get over ourselves, get much more used to the idea of our collective fallen-ness, and more aggressively do the work of turning one another from the error of our ways?

Confession of sin if for us, not against us. There is healing there. There is life there. We should do it. You may not know it yet, but you want to do it. Shall we?

- Bill

Se trata de diseñar un asiento o una mesa donde se valorarán las aportaciones innovadoras en diseño/estilismo, pero teniendo en cuenta las especificaciones técnicas del briefing que puedes pajarte de nuestra página web.

Suculento premio de 4.000E y otro de 2.000. Fecha límite de entrega el 15 de septiembre de 2008.

Por lo que a inscribirse en www.andreuworld.com y ¡A diseñar sillas/mesas se ha dicho!

I believe that, according to the scriptures, Christians should celebrate the Lord's Supper. It is not a side-dish to the Christian experience that we can take or leave. It is prescribed by Jesus Himself, and it has been understood through the ages, from the time of the Apostles until now, as an indispensable part of our discipleship.

Communion has been interpreted in many ways through the years. Some believe that the bread and wine literally become the actual body and blood of Christ (Roman Catholic). Others believe in a qualitatively different experience of the presence of Christ among His people whenever communion is celebrated (Luther, Calvin, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglican/Episcopalian, many others). Still others believe it to be simply a reminder, a memory device, which point our heart and mind back to the crucifixion (Zwingli, Anabaptists, most contemporary Evangelicals).

Personally, I believe that the gravity of the communion celebration is what makes it indispensable to our worship. In 1 Corinthians 11, we read these words from Paul: "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep." The first notion I have when reading this passage is that people are dying because of the cavalier way they are taking communion! I can't help bu think that it has to be more than just a memory device.

Second, I find myself wrestling with the phrase "recognizing the body of the Lord." Simply put, we must recognize the body of Jesus when we eat and drink...or there are painful ramifications. So, what does it mean? Catholics would say we need to recognize the literal, "transubstantiated" presence of Jesus. Memorialists would say we must have an internal recognition of the saving impact of Jesus' actual sacrifice.

I confess...I line up with Calvin and the Eastern Orthodox on this one. I do believe in a unique presence of Christ in the celebration of communion, that is made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit. Because of this conviction, I think communion is worthy of our devotion (Acts. 2:42).

- - - - - - - - - -

For further reading...

Communion ... at every service?

I became a Christian in a church that celebrated communion every week. When my ecclesiastical horizon expanded, I became familiar with churches and denominations that only practiced the Lord's Supper monthly, quarterly, and even annually. I also came to understand that Catholic churches offered the Eucharist multiple times daily. So, the simple questions came to my mind. Should we celebrate communion every time we gather? If not, how often should it be practiced?

I make no claim to have a definitive answer, as this is an issue that has been debated at length over the years. Let me offer a few statements of support for some of the stances.

Never: Some leaders of the "Radical Reformation" abandoned Holy Communion altogether, saying that a literalist view of its celebration was theologically flawed from the beginning, and that Jesus was speaking symbolically in the Upper Room - not instituting an ongoing practice.

Yearly: Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper in the context of the Passover celebration. So, when He said "do this in remembrance of me," the "this" to which He is referring could certainly be interpreted as the Passover itself. He could be saying, then, that - in the same way the Jewish community celebrates the Passover annually - we should celebrate the newly-reinterpreted Passover, the Lord's Supper, annually as well. Old school Southern Baptist churches, for example, celebrated communion yearly, in conjunction with Easter.

Monthly: Most churches that celebrate monthly have done so because a) they don't want communion to lose its significance by doing it too often, b) the logistical issues related to communion make it cumbersome on a weekly basis, and c) out of an historical pattern that has evolved through the practice of their denomination.

For example, in different historical seasons, the expansion of congregations was often more rapid than the church's ability to provide ordained ministers to preside over the sacraments. This was true of Medieval Catholic Europe, and of the Western frontier of the USA. Hence, communion would be celebrated whenever a credentialed clergyman could make it to town. In this context, denominations would do well to at least provide the Lord's Supper quarterly. And, as we know, sometimes things birthed out of temporal necessity become long standing traditions.

Weekly: As we do at EVBC, many churches celebrate the Lord's Supper whenever they gather for corporate worship. Some, though, have relegated communion to Sunday nights, or even Wednesday, because there are so many non-Christians attending on Sunday morning, making it more awkward to "fence" the taking of communion for Christians only.

Weekly communion was the practice of the Ancient Church (at its weekly Sunday gatherings), as well as the practiced championed by Luther, Calvin and most reformers.

More often than weekly! In Acts 2:42ff, the scriptures tell us that the members of the early church "devoted themselves to ... the breaking of bread ... Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts." It does not say here how frequent these meetings were. But, it does indicated that breaking bread was a regular part of their fellowship, and that their fellowship was daily in the temple, and also taking place in homes. And, it says that they would "break bread" in these home fellowship gatherings. It would seem that celebrating the Lord's Supper is surely not isolated to all-church gatherings, or contexts where ordained leadership must preside.

Some key figures from history

John Wesley contended that it is the duty of every Christian to receive the Lord's Supper as often as possible, because of its benefits, including giving believers the strength to perform their duty and leading believers on to entire sanctification.

Augustine reported that in his day that the frequency of communion was different in different places. Augustine saw there was no Scriptural rule for the frequency of communion and urged his people to conform to the practice which he finds prevailing in the church to which it may be his lot to come (Epistles 54, 2).

Martin Luther, in his Preface to the Small Catechism, wrote: We are to force no one to believe, or to receive the Sacrament, nor fix any law, nor time, nor place for it, but are to preach in such a manner that of their own accord, without our law, they will urge themselves and, as it were, compel us pastors to administer the Sacrament.

John Calvin believed communion should be celebrated weekly, and was distraught by monthly or quarterly practices. Calvin's was a minority position, however. His desire to see the Lord's Supper observed weekly coincided with seeing the laity receive the cup, and the language of the service to be in the vernacular of the people.

Os seus membros principais são Mónica Ferraz, a vocalista da banda, de treino tradicionalmente jazz, que tem vindo a ser reconhecida como uma das novas grandes vozes da música contemporânea portuguesa, e João Pedro Coimbra, o baterista e principal compositor dos temas da banda.

O álbum de estreia, Mesa, foi editado em 19 de Maio de 2003 pela Zona Música. A recepção da crítica foi excelente e a banda foi logo considerada uma das bandas mais promissoras. O primeiro single do álbum, "Esquecimento", teve um forte apoio de rádios nacionais.

Obtiveram também algum reconhecimento por parte da imprensa musical na Alemanha, Inglaterra, Brasil e Espanha.

Assinaram contrato com a EMI e o primeiro álbum foi reeditado com a inclusão do tema "Luz Vaga", num dueto entre Mónica Ferraz e o vocalista dos GNR, Rui Reininho.

Em Maio de 2004 ganharam o Globo de Ouro na categoria de Melhor Grupo do Ano; e no Dance-Club Music Awards, receberam o galardão de Melhor Disco do Ano; o álbum foi ainda considerado o melhor disco de 2003 para a rádio Antena 3.

O segundo álbum da banda, 'Vitamina', revela uma sonoridade com novos toques rock. O primeiro single, Arrefece, entrou logo nos primeiros cinco de rotação na rádio portuguesa e Vitamina' recebeu críticas muito positivas.

Em 2008 lançaram o seu 3º album 'Para Todo o Mal' cujo primeiro single 'Boca do Mundo' está a ser igualmente bem recebido a nível nacional.

Albuns:

Mesa
Data de Lançamento:
1ª Edição - 19.03.2003
2ª Edição - 20.10.2003
3ª Edição - 19.09.2004

Vitamina
Data de Lançamento:
1ª Edição - 12.09.2005

Para Todo O Mal
Data de Lançamento:
1ª Edição - 12.05.2008

First, it was encouraging to see all the work Luke and Sabrina put into their newly built BIG house in Prescott.  I'm all for closure when it comes to big projects like a house.  That was a very quick Sunday trip up and back from Phoenix.  Then we visited the next morning with my two aunts in Mesa along with seeing my cousin Mike and Maradel for breakfast.  Thanks Aunt Eleanor!!! 

Later we drove south of Phoenix to visit with Laura and Steve at Casa Grande (the BIG house) National Park.  Laura gifted Ken with a senior lifetime pass for the National Parks, he has reached that golden age of 62.  We lingered over many lemonades and Mexican food in Coolidge (close to Casa Grande) and looked and laughed at the great photos Laura took with her fancy camera.  Also, we watched on my laptop some of Laura’s course projects she had accomplished for her graduate studies.  We hope to be able to celebrate her graduation with an M.A. degree in landscape architecture next spring, the Lord willing.

Finally, we stopped in on some friends of ours from over 15 years ago on our way back through Chandler. Todd and Sally are responsible for being OUR matchmakers while we lived and worked in Kazakhstan the summer of 1993.  We have come full circle with being successful matchmakers ourselves after participating in the Houston wedding of two friends of ours who met in Ukraine eight years ago.

So, as they say, a good time was had by us even though some of our visits were on very short notice.  Thanks to all who made our dropping in a fun time after our arduous time of slogging away at our teaching assignments in a foreign land such as Kazakhstan.  It really is WONDERFUL to be home on U.S. soil again!!!

¿Defendiendo la mesa de los argentinos?

La convocatoria de las entidades que representan a los productores agropecuarios triplicó en número a los que llevó Néstor Kirchner frente al Congreso, a pesar de la maquinaria de los intendentes del conurbano, la CGT y todas las agrupaciones oficialistas. Para la lógica aritmética que maneja el gobierno K, la "contramarcha" fue un fracaso.

Autor: López Göttig

Fuente:alberdianos.blogspot.com

With that said, a few summer reminders for you:

HEATSTROKE OPEN - JULY 26th

Here's a great chance to enjoy the full brunt of summer by playing a round of golf with great friends on a great course. Golf, prizes and a lunch - all for the single price of $70. Mesa Area Ministries is hosting this event, so please do what you can to be a part! You can register on line (evbc.org site).

SUMMER BIBLE STUDY - "Genuine Worship"

We've had a great turnout for our first two weeks of studying Genuine Worship together on Thursday nights. The Hartley home is located at 9458 E. Impala Ave. in Mesa, near Crismon & Baseline. Each week will feature a new hallmark of genuine worship, so even if you know you'll have to miss a study or two, please come! If you have childcare needs, contact the Hartleys at 480.986.2850.

4th Seed Blog: 4thseed.wordpress.com

Join our Men's Ministry 4th Seed blog this summer for more on the topic of genuine worship!

HOME GROUP SHEPHERDS MEETING - Saturday night, September 6th

More on this in the days to come...but, Shepherds, please plan to join us! We're encouraging everyone to grab some dinner at The Commons, then join us for a fall kick-off leadership event, featuring leaders from all five of our Areas. Exact time TBD, but rope off 5:00-8:30 (childcare will be provided).

ALSO: If you're interested in Home Group leadership, please contact Bill Hartley at billhartley@evbc.org. New groups will be forming this fall, and new leaders will be needed. Thanks for prayerfully considering this ministry opportunity.

Search Dobson Ranch Homes

Dobson Ranch is a great location to call home due to its proximity to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Maricopa Community College, Arizona State University, shopping at Fiesta Mall, Banner Desert Hospital and major freeways US-60 and Loop 101.

Dobson Ranch is convenient to both the Loop 101 and US 60 freeways. Located in the middle of the community is a library, police and fire department, public utility department complex, as well as schools. Dobson Ranch provides modern amenities including a championship 18-hole golf course with a lighted driving range, putting green, pro shop, and on-site restaurant offering banquet facilities. The community park offers a 17-acre fishing lake (no boating), playground, basketball courts, picnic ramadas and more!

Search Las Sendas Homes

Contact Brandon Hunt with Remax should you have any real estate questions about the community of Las Sendas in Mesa, Arizona.

Las Sendas is bordered by the beautiful Usery Mountains and Tonto National Forest in Mesa's northeast corner. Residents of Las Sendas are surrounded by spectacular mountain and vistas views that are enhanced by the natural desert surroundings. It is not uncommon to see roadrunners, baby quail, geckos and jackrabbits in Las Sendas.

Las Sendas has several amenities that include; a public golf course, club house, pools, hiking and walking paths, parks and tennis courts. The community name 'Las Sendas' means 'The Paths' in English. These trails are spread throughout the 2,400 acre community and coil through large areas of desert flora.

Las Sendas is located in Mesa's Northeast corner. It is situated northeast of the crossroads of Power Road and McDowell Road. The 202 Loop is now provided an easier and shorter commute into downtown Phoenix or Tempe.

Dibujo sin cesar, intentando hallar esa imagen perfecta. Esa que tenga el efecto de hacerme dejar el lápiz sobre la mesa y quedarme tranquilo escribiendo en mi mente sin parar. Miro los dibujos que he trazado y ninguno me termina de gustar, hay demasiadas formas, ideas, y muy predeciblemente ninguna se acerca a la idea que conjuro tener.

Mi mano empieza a temblar y dejo de ser preciso, la imperfección se vuelve el rasgo característico de  cada línea que figuro, falta color, profundidad.

Pasan treinta minutos y sigo dibujando sin hallar solución, empiezo a aburrirme, me desilusiono, hago círculos sin sentido y creo que no lo lograre. Tiro el lápiz lo más lejos posible y arrugo todos los bocetos, los arrojo al suelo, y sin decir más mi mesa queda vacía.

Veo con detenimiento la madera brillante de esta mesa impecable, y sin mucho temor comienzo a rayarla con mis uñas. Al principio solo son rayas aleatorias, que luego toman una forma algo atractiva y supongo que puedo descansar, paso horas dañando la mesa y me parece que ya llegaste. Me paro y me doy cuenta que nunca descanse. Apago la luz y aun así todo queda iluminado, la mesa es indiscutiblemente una imagen perfecta, una utopía que sobrellevo por pocas horas.

[Source: Casey Newton, Arizona Republic, July 11, 2008] -- Light rail charged into downtown Phoenix on Thursday, making a successful maiden voyage into the heart of the Valley.  The trip, which marked the start of the vehicle's testing period in downtown Phoenix, is the latest milestone in the construction of the 20-mile, $1.4 billion system.  "This is such an exciting day," Mayor Phil Gordon said as he exited the train.

Construction on the system is about 90 percent complete and will finish around the end of August, said Rick Simonetta, CEO of Metro light rail.  Next month, the organization will begin training operators for the 50 light-rail vehicles that will travel the route from north-central Phoenix to Tempe and Mesa.  Trains, which are being tested in the East Valley, now will begin downtown tests.

Metro light rail used the occasion Thursday to remind motorists and pedestrians to obey all traffic signals along the line and to be mindful of the trains, which are quieter than other forms of transit and so can take pedestrians by surprise.  The system opens Dec. 27, 2008.  "We're really happy to still be right on schedule," Simonetta said.  "This is just a tremendous milestone."

Famous Dave's was my first real PR job when I started my business. I helped them get exposure for the opening of the Peoria location and been working on special projects for the local owner, John Erlandson for years now. He is one of the most community-minded owners I have ever met. He is SO good to the local charities in town and always does what he can to lend a hand. Famous Dave's may be a "chain" but the owner of the ones in the Valley is completely and totally about the local community. I highly encourage you to support the restaurant and all they do to help the local police, military and other charities in town. This event is a tasty idea for you. Put Famous Dave's on your calendar for Saturday, July 19th!

The Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services and Famous Dave’s are teaming up to help Arizona’s Military families in need.

When: Saturday July 19th, 2008

Where: Phoenix-Area Famous Dave’s Restaurants

Why: $5 will be donated for every order of the Famous Dave’s BBQ Tour

Receive a FREE gift for every BBQ Tour ordered!

The Famous Dave’s BBQ Tour consists of three St. Louis-Style Spareribs slathered in Rich & Sassy Sauce, juicy Georgia Chopped Pork, Texas Beef Brisket, corn-on-the-cob, cornbread muffin, choice of two sides and Strawberry Shortcake.
About the Arizona Military Family Relief Fund:
The Arizona Military Family Relief Fund offers a way to support local families of service members during times of crisis. The fund provides stipends for military families whose loved ones were injured or killed fighting the Global War on Terror. By law, 95% of all donations go directly into the hands of military families in need.

“BEST BBQ 2007 & 2008” - azcentral.com reader’s poll

www.famousdavesbbq.com

Leviticus 8, 9 and 10 (I'm hoping you have time to read these texts)

The story of Nadab and Abihu.Aaron's sons were, because of their family ties, called to serve the Lord at the Tent of Meeting on behalf of the congregation of Israel. This was a tough, demanding job...and let's just say that reviews of their performance were, well ... mixed.

Purpose of their worship: In 9:6, “Moses said, ‘This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.’” And, in 9:23-24, we see that their goal was achieved – the Lord appeared gloriously, as a consuming fire coming out from the tent. “That the glory of the LORD may appear” -- an audacious goal! When we gather together, is the object of our service of worship to God a strong desire for the glory of God to be present to us?

Key to their success: The well-worn phrase from this passage is “as the LORD commanded.” Over and over again, it says that they were faithful to the exacting details prescribed by the LORD Himself. They paid very careful attention to the revelation of God through Moses. Do we pay close attention, so that we worship Him today “as the LORD commanded”?

Precision intricacy: As you read, you can’t help but be taken by just how precise and detailed God had been in his directions…and therefore the priest had to be in carrying them out. “Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Moses also brought Aaron's sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet.” (8:23-24). This was a meticulous process!

The stakes are high: The warning is clear in 8:35. “You must do what the LORD requires, so you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded.” They knew the wages of their failure. This threat, coupled with the fastidious list of detailed commands, makes me wonder if I would ever want to try my hand at their job (actually, I don’t wonder…I wouldn’t want to go anywhere near that job!).

The good: After two chapters, we’re told that Aaron and his sons had done everything just as the LORD commanded them. They really did a great job for the people in ushering in the glorious manifestation of God. We see, though, that neither past obedience nor wonderful ministry successes grant license to disobey in the present.

The bad: “Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” (10:1-2). Their motives may have been wonderful. Why not enjoy some of the fire? And the incense would smell great! Surely God would enjoy this creative offering, yes? No. They were outside the lines of God’s prescription, and as a result immediately lost their lives. What was an absolutely amazing corporate moment with God became an instant tragedy.

God’s reasoning behind the judgment? “Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.” This is not wishful thinking by a God who hopes to be appreciated, and hopes His people have an encouraging worship service. This is an omnipotent sovereign declaring how both He and the people will act. And he will settle for nothing less.

Terrified? Paul tells us in Philippians to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Throughout the Bible, we are told to fear the LORD. This passage has that effect for me – a sobering reminder of how incompatible I am with the glory of God…

…unless, of course, Christ redeems us, purges us our sin, makes us worthy, and adopts the role of High Priest on our behalf! Unlike the Israelites in Leviticus 10, we have confidence that our High Priest will handle the meticulous duties of the worship of the Almighty God with perfection of both heart and hands. With Him on our side, we don’t fear the consuming fire of God. Rather, the Word tells us that, “since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

With Christ, there will be no unauthorized fire. God will be honored. We are saved. Hallelujah!

Ezekiel 47:1-12 - The Presence of God Flooding the World

Often we think of the Old Testament temple as "containing" the presence of God. This vision offered to Ezekiel shatters that idea, and instead paints a picture of the presence of God flooding out of the temple into the land. "I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple...he led me through water that was ankle-deep, ...water that was knee-deep, ...water that was up to the waist, ...a river that no one could cross. He said to me, 'When [this water] empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows...where the river flows everything will live...Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing." God will not to be boxed up in some sort of sanctuary. God's desire is to cause fruitfulness, to heal, to bring life. This presence is wild, powerful, and essential. The question is - are you on the banks watching, or are you in the river - ankle deep, waist deep, or in over your heads? May our worship be "deep end" worship!

Matthew 28:16-20 - The Presence in the Mission

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Meeting God's anointed at the mountain for instructions, filled with a combination of belief and doubt...remind you of Moses and Israel in Exodus 33? Jesus, to whom all authority in the universe has been given, charges us with an intimidatingly bold mission, but gives us hope with his closing words: "Surely, I am with you." Even in my convoluted, on-and-off again soul, God promises to take up residence to empower the mission! May our times of worship re-embolden and re-commission us every time we meet with Jesus!

Luke 24:13-35 - The Presence at the Breaking of Bread

Jesus, walking along the road to Emaus with Cleopas and his companion, somehow went undetected (how this could be so, for two of Jesus' "disciples", remains a mystery to me). But, the text tells us that "When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" A recognition of the presence...not from familiarity, not even from a solid Bible study, but by a divine action ("their eyes were opened" - in the passive, and action done to them, not by them). And, when did this occur? In the context of breaking bread with thanksgiving, a clear reference to the Lord's Supper, our primary New Testament action of corporate worship. May our worship times find us with open eyes to see that He is with us!

1 Peter 2:2-5 - His Presence in the Temple of the Living Stones

"Like living stones, you are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." A house where priests offer sacrifices? This is an obvious reference to the Old Testament temple. But now, we are that temple. When we gather together for worship, we actualize this "house" of God, and He is truly present with us. May our worship carry with it an internal conviction of how irreplaceable each of us are in the constitution of this "house", and a heightened realization of the promised presence among us!

Revelation 5:5-14 - Our Activity Invading the Heavenly Presence

"Then I saw a Lamb...standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders...they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints...Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand...Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them..." In the middle of the extraordinary worship of heaven, our prayers are there, providing a fragrance pleasing to the Lord! Too often we approach our time with God by asking Him to come be with us in our place. Rarely do we stop to meditate on the fact that we are present through prayer in His place! May our worship be blessed by a collective understanding of our involvement in the very presence of Christ in heaven!

"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"

Tomorrow, the next hallmark of worship: Worship that is true.