Not sure if This is going to work or not. I'm trying to post a blog by testing a message. Here goes.

Posting on purpose...Tweeting to Transform

I have been Twittering and Facebooking for a few years now...mostly just a way to amuse myself and others (I hope). I always enjoy reading what others are up to or are thinking. (Funny how the stuff other people do seems so much more interesting than my stuff...bet they think that too about everyone else.) Well, I updated my Facebook status last night with this: "I have status update block. Can anyone help me?" I got plenty of comments and suggestions about what I should post. Some ideas were silly (which is my style)...some were serious (I can appreciate those as well). But, it made me realize something about these social media "thingys". Twitter and Faceboog and Blogger and all those other sites, are opportunities to lift others up. Whether I post is a quirky statement, a profound quote or a peek into the life of my family...I have a chance to be an agent for good in someone else's life.

But, I also have the opportunity to bring others down and lead them away from faith, hope and courage. It's a choice I make with every character I type, every link I recommend (http://www.biblegateway.com/), every comment I reply to.

Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

In other words...every post I...well...post, every status I update, every tweet I Twitter...I should do it in the name of my Savior and Lord, with an attitude of gratitude...so that others might see Him and glorify my God.

So, the next time you get on Facebook or Twitter, remember that Jesus Christ is the Master Tweeter of your life.

Taco Night

I love the idea of a taco. They taste great! I enjoy all of the ingredients: seasoned beef, cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, tomato, guacamole, onion. It's like a party of flavors that all come together for a taste-bud fiesta! The reality of a taco is not so...festive. I know they make those square tacos now, but normally you go to all the work to construct the perfect taco and then you have to lay it on its side on your plate. ALL the ingredients fall out! And once you take that first bite, it's like popping a taco balloon. The whole thing just crumbles in your hand and falls to your plate in a heap. Ineveitable, you end up making some odd taco salad and you never get the same taste out a taco salad. It's just not the same.

I don't have any profound thoughts on this subject. I am not going to compare the challeneges and frustrations of tacos to any other spiritual point. I just needed to share my feeling about the joys and the sorrows of taco night at the Rasberry's.

Come to think of it...Taco Bell makes some kind of hybrid taco. It's a regular taco, but you put a tortilla around it with a layer of refried beans in between as the sealant. I hope I remember that the next time we have taco night.

Sin is so Ugly...Grace is so Beautiful.

Life is very hard...for everyone. But some have it very, VERY hard. Often it is a result of poor decisions they have made...and continue to make. Sin is the ultimate root of all the "kaka" in this world. It's so ugly and destructive...it's a cancer that never goes into remission. It has to be cut out, aggressively treated and considered enemy #1.

I see my own sinfulness and it's scary. I have a darkness and depravity inside of me that is capable of the most hideous things. It's there, lurking and waiting for an opportunity to attack, to kill with my words, to abuse, to slander, to chew up and spit out anyone and everyone. It's shaking a rebellious fist to God, cursing and mocking Jesus on the cross, hell-bent on destruction. That ugliness, that corruption, that disease is in me and in every person who has ever lived and will ever be born. No wonder this world is so disgusting and utterly vile. No wonder it is so repulsive to Holy God. How amazing is His grace in comparison to the ugliness of this world! How inconceivable that You, Father, would sacrifice Your perfect and sinless Son for such a wretched people...that you would die for me.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind but now I see.

I cannot express the depths of gratitude I have for You, God. I could try, but my words fail. Praise You! Thank You! Bless You! I worship You and You alone. You are God! There is none like You...no one above You! Who am I to even speak to You? To look towards You and have You acknowledge my pitiful life.

Why would the Creator God, beyond my mind's ability to conceive, God of the universe and beyond...why would this God have anything to do with man? We have rejected Your love. We have killed Your Son. We have mocked You and led a rebellion against You. Why do you bother with us? You don't need anything from us. You are resplendent and self-sustaining. You never lack anything or have need. Yet You went so far for us "mudballs." What kind of love is this? I cannot fathom Your love. Apart from You I would cease to be. You chose to reveal Yourself to man...to me...for Your good pleasure. All I can do is fall on my face and wallow in Your grace. Your holiness incinerates me...except for Your grace.

Here we go again

This is my second blogspot. The reason I am no longer using the first blogspot was because I can't find it. I used it so little that it has gone the way of the dodo bird. But I am going to do my best...or at least I will try...to blog more often. I doubt anyone will read this, but, hey...never have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few people. Why not me, right? Well...here we go again.

Random picture of my sister, Kellie and me. I think she was 5 and I was 3.