Sunday, October 22, 2006
Monday, October 09, 2006
some thoughts that rattle through my head...
1. We are created in the image of God. Fact (Genesis 1:27).
2. God is a being that has no limits. Fact (Exodus 3:14).
If you cannot put limitations on God and we are beings created in His image, what does that make you think about your potential?
Maybe the answer to that is so magnificent that we could never find it, grab it and put it in our pocket. Not even the biggest pocket in the world. Even the word magnificent is limiting because we can picture magnificent. Maybe there is something so profound at the core of our existence that no human language could ever begin to describe it. Maybe our finite minds are unable to comprehend exactly what God meant when he made us His image-bearers.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them (Genesis 1:27).”
What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Does that mean God has a form or a shape? Is God something tangible that I can picture in my head when I think of what he may look like? The answer is no.
What does it mean to reflect the image of God? Moses asked to see what God looked like and God told him that no one could see Him and still live (Exodus 33:20).
But I don’t think we can limit these questions to only a physical image. I think there may be more to it than that. So what else then? If it’s not a physical image is it an emotional image? There has to be something deeper at stake here.
If we are all created in the image of God and are meant at the core of our existence to reflect God, then everyone, male and female, Christian and atheist, Buddhist and monk, Muslim and Jew, were all designed to look, think, feel, and act like Him. If God is truly limitless and cannot be defined or comprehended, then is it possible that defining the image of God is also the same? Could it possibly be that God, in all of his goodness and glory, wants us to live in His image to the fullest extent even if we never will understand or comprehend what that extent could possibly mean for us as His image-bearers?
There is so much about God that remains a mystery. In this life we can never truly understand all of who He is and everything He has designed us to be. I think the beauty of this is in the life He has given us to live. Every new day is a day worth living in searching and discovering nuggets of truth that reveal more of who God is. The more that is revealed, the more we know what it means to bear His image. The more discovering that takes place, the more we know God’s hand is at work in our life. The more that we see of Jesus, the more we know there is still so much more to be seen.
2. God is a being that has no limits. Fact (Exodus 3:14).
If you cannot put limitations on God and we are beings created in His image, what does that make you think about your potential?
Maybe the answer to that is so magnificent that we could never find it, grab it and put it in our pocket. Not even the biggest pocket in the world. Even the word magnificent is limiting because we can picture magnificent. Maybe there is something so profound at the core of our existence that no human language could ever begin to describe it. Maybe our finite minds are unable to comprehend exactly what God meant when he made us His image-bearers.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them (Genesis 1:27).”
What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Does that mean God has a form or a shape? Is God something tangible that I can picture in my head when I think of what he may look like? The answer is no.
What does it mean to reflect the image of God? Moses asked to see what God looked like and God told him that no one could see Him and still live (Exodus 33:20).
But I don’t think we can limit these questions to only a physical image. I think there may be more to it than that. So what else then? If it’s not a physical image is it an emotional image? There has to be something deeper at stake here.
If we are all created in the image of God and are meant at the core of our existence to reflect God, then everyone, male and female, Christian and atheist, Buddhist and monk, Muslim and Jew, were all designed to look, think, feel, and act like Him. If God is truly limitless and cannot be defined or comprehended, then is it possible that defining the image of God is also the same? Could it possibly be that God, in all of his goodness and glory, wants us to live in His image to the fullest extent even if we never will understand or comprehend what that extent could possibly mean for us as His image-bearers?
There is so much about God that remains a mystery. In this life we can never truly understand all of who He is and everything He has designed us to be. I think the beauty of this is in the life He has given us to live. Every new day is a day worth living in searching and discovering nuggets of truth that reveal more of who God is. The more that is revealed, the more we know what it means to bear His image. The more discovering that takes place, the more we know God’s hand is at work in our life. The more that we see of Jesus, the more we know there is still so much more to be seen.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
good press
Jason Holdridge's album 'Pursue Me' is featured in this month's issue of CCM magazine! Check it out!
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Saturday, September 30, 2006
over the knoll
I have never dreaded a birthday before... not that I'm even really 'dreading' this particular birthday THAT much, but it HAS been in my thoughts more than any other that I've ever had... and only because of the number associated with this one.
October 5: I'm turning 27.
I know that most of you that read this blog are older than I am so maybe you can back me up here (either that, or just shake your head in amusement)... presently, I am 26, feeling good about life, feeling young, feeling like I'm in my mid-twenties... but 27, well, now that's just staring 30 right in the face.
So, we have a huge shift here... mid-tewnties to late twenties... one minute I'll be here, and the next I'll be there... the clock will strike at midnight and it will all be over... my youth will be swallowed up with 12 chimes of the ol' grandfather clock...
when the crap did I get this freaking old?
October 5: I'm turning 27.
I know that most of you that read this blog are older than I am so maybe you can back me up here (either that, or just shake your head in amusement)... presently, I am 26, feeling good about life, feeling young, feeling like I'm in my mid-twenties... but 27, well, now that's just staring 30 right in the face.
So, we have a huge shift here... mid-tewnties to late twenties... one minute I'll be here, and the next I'll be there... the clock will strike at midnight and it will all be over... my youth will be swallowed up with 12 chimes of the ol' grandfather clock...
when the crap did I get this freaking old?
Sunday, September 24, 2006
sneakers
My brother thinks this is the funniest word known to man. I don't know why. He is weird.
I think he finds this particularly piquant for the duality of the word...
for the record, here are the two definitions for 'sneaker' in the dictionary:
1. One who sneaks.
2. A sports shoe usually made of canvas and having soft rubber soles (Perfect for sneaking*). Also called tennis shoe.
*my addition
This leads me to think about who should be wearing these sneakers...
Maybe we should refer to hunting boots as sneakers.
And what about the cunning cat-burglar? If anyone needs a good pair of sneakers, it is most definitely he.
The SWAT team should invest in some as well...
the list could go on...
bottom line: my brother's mind is warped.
But those with warped minds always turn out to be geniuses.
I think he finds this particularly piquant for the duality of the word...
for the record, here are the two definitions for 'sneaker' in the dictionary:
1. One who sneaks.
2. A sports shoe usually made of canvas and having soft rubber soles (Perfect for sneaking*). Also called tennis shoe.
*my addition
This leads me to think about who should be wearing these sneakers...
Maybe we should refer to hunting boots as sneakers.
And what about the cunning cat-burglar? If anyone needs a good pair of sneakers, it is most definitely he.
The SWAT team should invest in some as well...
the list could go on...
bottom line: my brother's mind is warped.
But those with warped minds always turn out to be geniuses.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
AG Silver
Last night I was nostalgic yet again. Many of you can't really understand what this band called AG Silver does to me. The best way that I can properly explain this is by simply saying "they make me happy". For those of you who know me well know that I hate going places by myself, especially social settings like concerts... and it's even worse when I have to drive longer than a half hour to get there... but I knew I couldn't miss this for the life of me.
I was introduced to AG Silver in the fall of 1998. I was a mere freshman in college and thought I'd go check out my friend Dustin's band (also a freshman). From that point on, I was in love.
Now 8 years later, after a hiatus and a new bass player, I am even more in love. Something about this music sends me skyward. I can't put my finger on why, but it happens.
So last night... I'm sitting by myself (but hardly, in a packed Knickerbocker Theater), smiling like a school girl in a pretty new dress, singing every word to every song...
my mind transcends time...
for a few short seconds...
re-living moments from past shows...
in the spring of 2000 I was able to perform a song I had written with them at their Quincerpalooza show... The year they won Aris' hometown rock search I was back stage, doing the 'guitar-hand-off' thing with Chris... Celebration on the Grand... with Dexter Freebish at the old Intersection... too many more to list...
all this floods through my mind rapidly...
just snapshots...
I was by myself, but last night that was okay. There was a theater full of people celebrating the same thing in their own minds, doing their own transcending. It was a beautiful night of music.
AG Silver.
something about them makes me happy.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
yet again....
One year ago on this blog I called a Notre Dame win... UM was ranked 2nd in the nation, and I bet against my Wolverines... and, to my shagrin, I was correct. This year is even a tougher call... Notre Dame is the easy pick for three reasons... They are the number 2 team in the nation while Michigan is number 11 (the most meaningless reason)... Notre Dame has handed it to Michigan the last two years and Michigan hasn't won on the road in South Bend since '94. This has all the makings of a Notre Dame win... the third reason that this is an easy pick is because if I pick Notre Dame to win and they do, then I was right... If Michigan wins, I was wrong, but I'm overjoyed with the outcome despite my err in prophecy...
pickle.
Okay, so here are my keys to a UM victory:
1.) Don't let Brady Quinn beat you. He has, in my opinion, two of the greatest receivers in the nation in McKnight and Samardzija.
2.) Get Hart involved early and establish the run. If ND has a weakness it's their run defense. UM has two solid backs in Grady and Hart which should punish ND's soft defensive line.
3.) Give Breaston 10 touches besides special teams. If you put the ball in his hands, he is bound to make a big play.
4.) Break Darius Walker's leg.
My call today, however difficult this may be for me, is Michigan outlasting the Irish in overtime 38-31. (here's me crossing my fingers)
.
I just realized how hard it is to look at that prediction... I am willing to live with it and take my helmet of shame with me everywhere I go if I am proven wrong...
(sigh)
Monday, September 11, 2006
dreaming of alpacas
This last weekend I went with good friend Aimee to her home town of Olivet, MI. I knew that her family raised these lovely animals called alpacas, but I didn't really know anything about them before I went. As it turns out I got to help wrangle these animals into a pen so they could give them shots... and they hate shots... they were acutally whining audibly about the situation. It was pretty funny. They also have a llama named Vinny. He's like the body gaurd for these alpacas... he didn't like me too much. Everytime I would try to walk up to him he would lay his ears back and cluck at me... I really didn't have anything against him though... On our way home Saturday night I told Aimee that I'd probably have dreams about alpacas and llamas, and I actually did... I don't really remember what the dream was about, but I just remember them being everywhere and all around me and I didn't really know what I was doing there amidst all these animals! Oh alpacas... I'll never be the same. just kidding.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
post one hundred and twenty
2:53 am
.
Tonight my thoughts are held hostage by the past. I am not allowed to sleep until I indulge my memory of every moment I can conjure up. Right now, there is no escape. It is, however, curiously entertaining.
.
Photographs... many photographs... why do I still have these? I don't think I ever could let go. All these years I've known that they were still there waiting for me, but tonight I looked at them. I looked at them knowing full well the danger of what it might stir up.
.
Everything is re-lived tonight in my mind... what-if's loom largely, emotions hang in the balance.
.
I say to myself: 'No. No, that could never work.' But I'm still a hostage to the thought. It's funny how a chain of events can lead me to this entrapment.
.
coincidence? Aw, who am I kidding.
.
Tonight my thoughts are held hostage by the past. I am not allowed to sleep until I indulge my memory of every moment I can conjure up. Right now, there is no escape. It is, however, curiously entertaining.
.
Photographs... many photographs... why do I still have these? I don't think I ever could let go. All these years I've known that they were still there waiting for me, but tonight I looked at them. I looked at them knowing full well the danger of what it might stir up.
.
Everything is re-lived tonight in my mind... what-if's loom largely, emotions hang in the balance.
.
I say to myself: 'No. No, that could never work.' But I'm still a hostage to the thought. It's funny how a chain of events can lead me to this entrapment.
.
coincidence? Aw, who am I kidding.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
there is nothing better than....
a quick-witted remark.
a soft bed, a firm pillow.
coffee & conversation.
self-esteem.
encouragement.
sleeping in.
friends.
music written from the soul.
family.
a back scratch.
being loved like you deserve to be loved.
consistency and dependability.
grace.
laughter.
a shiney, red, new guitar.
the fall.
Africa.
a fireplace in winter.
community.
college football.
fine art.
warm, chocolate-chip cookies.
Bruce-Burgers off the grill.
a long hug.
air guitar.
accomplishment.
a soft bed, a firm pillow.
coffee & conversation.
self-esteem.
encouragement.
sleeping in.
friends.
music written from the soul.
family.
a back scratch.
being loved like you deserve to be loved.
consistency and dependability.
grace.
laughter.
a shiney, red, new guitar.
the fall.
Africa.
a fireplace in winter.
community.
college football.
fine art.
warm, chocolate-chip cookies.
Bruce-Burgers off the grill.
a long hug.
air guitar.
accomplishment.
Friday, August 18, 2006
153 Records newest releases
Jason Holdridge - 'Pursue Me' available now! jasonholdridge.com is also now online.
Joel Yoshonis - 'Scream Silence' due out October '06click here to see the new 153 Records myspace
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Unity 2006
This year, as always, Unity Fest was a ton of fun. Even though I don't necessarily prefer every artist or band that was on stage, the atmosphere and the company is what made it so great. It was good to watch my boyz in TFJ rock it out again. I am always so proud when I listen to them play. I also spent most of my time with the hotties pictured last... (: Good Times... I think my favorite picture is where Joel found his Asain twin.
What a great weekend.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
my new office
So I know I've been working at SLWC for almost 2 months now, but they have been remodeling my office ever since... I'm finally in!!
It's definately very roomy... you should all come and visit me sometime. A new office and a new house in the same day! How did I get so lucky?
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
14801 Herring Drive
My New House in Spring Lake!
My New Roommates!
You're all invited to our housewarming Party on Sunday night, August 13 from 6pm until whenever... don't feel like you need to bring anything, but if you want to bring some munchies or beverages please feel free!!! Call or comment if you have any questions!!
My New Roommates!
You're all invited to our housewarming Party on Sunday night, August 13 from 6pm until whenever... don't feel like you need to bring anything, but if you want to bring some munchies or beverages please feel free!!! Call or comment if you have any questions!!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
new days
Today is a good day.
The sun is shining and there's a smile on my face.
moving on.
moving forward.
I'm excited.
thanks for your prayers and encouragement!
The sun is shining and there's a smile on my face.
moving on.
moving forward.
I'm excited.
thanks for your prayers and encouragement!
Monday, July 24, 2006
untitled
nothing can replace emotion.
like time, once it is spent, you can't get it back.
no wonder I am running out.
I wonder if I'll have enough for when I really need it.
I wonder if I am growing calous and if my heart has taken all that it can handle.
...
I wonder if there is a cure for this ache.
...
I wonder if You are still a just God.
I am on the journey You have called me to be on.
I am living everyday in pursuit of what You have for me.
I empty myself everyday before You.
why won't You bless me?
like time, once it is spent, you can't get it back.
no wonder I am running out.
I wonder if I'll have enough for when I really need it.
I wonder if I am growing calous and if my heart has taken all that it can handle.
...
I wonder if there is a cure for this ache.
...
I wonder if You are still a just God.
I am on the journey You have called me to be on.
I am living everyday in pursuit of what You have for me.
I empty myself everyday before You.
why won't You bless me?
Friday, July 21, 2006
gone
two nights ago she was curled up on my lap as I held her hand.
she kissed me as if I was the only person she would kiss for the rest of her life.
I had a best friend who was also my girlfriend.
there was no one else that I would rather laugh with.
no one else I would rather be made a fool in front of.
no one else I would rather share my fears with.
no one else I would rather cry with.
no one else I would rather discuss my faith with.
no one else I would rather share my life with.
now it's over. I got dumped.
so what do I do with this ocean of love that seems permanently chained to my heart?
this love isn't for just anyone.
it can't be transferred or voided.
I wish it didn't hurt this badly.
I miss her more today than when she was thousands of miles away.
My emotion is spent.
I feel like week-old death.
everything is gray.
God, show me your grace.
she kissed me as if I was the only person she would kiss for the rest of her life.
I had a best friend who was also my girlfriend.
there was no one else that I would rather laugh with.
no one else I would rather be made a fool in front of.
no one else I would rather share my fears with.
no one else I would rather cry with.
no one else I would rather discuss my faith with.
no one else I would rather share my life with.
now it's over. I got dumped.
so what do I do with this ocean of love that seems permanently chained to my heart?
this love isn't for just anyone.
it can't be transferred or voided.
I wish it didn't hurt this badly.
I miss her more today than when she was thousands of miles away.
My emotion is spent.
I feel like week-old death.
everything is gray.
God, show me your grace.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
how did I get here?
For the last 3 days and next 2, I have been and will have been at youth camp with my students. This year compared to last year has been so much different... Last year I was just a leader... this year I am a youth pastor. It is a really weird feeling knowing that I am the one that is 'in charge'. The biggest reality check has been the students who have come up to me and entrust me with their deep secrets, their hurts, their fears, their questions, their struggles and information about their lives that I would have never dreamed of hearing... At these times God takes over in the conversation... It is no longer I that am speaking, but God speaking through me... After a conversation like this with a student, I sit back and wonder how those words ever came to me and out of my mouth... I am amazed how God can use a loser like me to have an impact in these students that I am growing to love so much.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)