1. Our sins are great, and must be punished.
   

   Why do you cry out over your hurt?
   Your pain is incurable.
   Because your guilt is great,
   because your sins are flagrant,
   I have done these things to you.
   (Jeremiah 30:15 ESV)

2. God loves his people with evelasting love
   

   the LORD appeared to him from far away.
   I have loved you with an everlasting love;
   therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
   (31:3)

3. God comforts, protects, and provides
   

   For the LORD has ransomed Jacob
   and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
   They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
   and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD,
   over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
   and over the young of the flock and the herd;
   their life shall be like a watered garden,
   and they shall languish no more.
   (31:11-12)

4. God establishes a new covenant, and writes it on our hearts
   

   “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD.
   (31:31-32)

5. We repent
   

   For after I had turned away, I relented,
   and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh;
   I was ashamed, and I was confounded,
   because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
   (31:19)

6. God forgives our wickedness forever
   

   And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
   (31:34)

7. God promises never to reject us
   

   “If this fixed order departs
   from before me, declares the LORD,
   then shall the offspring of Israel cease
   from being a nation before me forever.”
   (31:36)

8. God restores (the whole world)
   

   “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when the city shall be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.
   (31:38)

• Most of my acquaintances are in Gothenburg this weekend so it’s been pretty quiet.
• Got to listen to part of the USC game the other day, it sounded like we crushed them.
• Figured out a way to stream ESPN online for freezies.
• Listened to a great talk by John Piper this afternoon on how God is *not* an Egomaniac
• This video by Compassion has me more excited than the new AppleTV. I’ve wondered for a long time why we don’t work really hard to connect churches around the world. Well Compassion is doing it!
• Check out the Goo Goo Dolls. Certainly not new, but nice, relaxed, and solidly musical.
• Join me on Ping. Because who doesn’t want another social network!?

(photo credit: maciekish)

Created a special tab on Facebook for a Chick-fil-A in California. The tab is a microsite, with a tabbed interface that highlights career opportunities, additional ways to get involved with the brand, and the Chick-fil-A story. All this was designed and coded by hand.

I also did the Page’s profile picture, designed so that it shows the CFA logo as a thumbnail, but expands to give a larger presence as well.

How does it work?

The program is 8 months long. The schedule works like this. Hypothetically, on the 8th of September we meet with Scott Harrison from Charity:Water for 90 minutes. We’ve already submitted questions that relate to his strategy and behind-the-scenes operation, and take the time to dialogue with him about leadership. The following week we get together in teams to discuss the content of the previous call and set goals for developing leadership over the next month. This year the lineup is excellent: Francis Chan, Kay Warren, Wess Stafford of Compassion International, Jon Acuff (Stuff Christians Like), Pete Wilson, and 5 others.

Why…

I joined Backstage because I want to enter the workplace ready to lead. Not because I need to be “in charge,” but because I want to help people. Most of the people in the program are pastors, business owners and managers, etc. I also joined the program because to me, anyone who is willing to put down money for increased leadership capability is worth knowing.

Signups are still open.

For the next few days, sign ups will be open as we get ready for our start in mid-September. There are a few spots remaining, so check out BackstageLeadership.org

Sheltered.

Very well meaning people, who are otherwise nice, can’t resist the temptation. “I mean homeschoolers are so sheltered.” Excuse me? I actually got really defensive this summer when a friend said that. Anyway here is my shelteredness:

• I have never watched the Simpsons, MTV, Family Guy, South Park.
• I have watched almost every episode of Leave It To Beaver, Andy Griffith, Green Acres, Modern Marvels, and Bonanza.
• I once hid an Elvis Presley CD to protect my sister from evil.
• To this day, I express frustration and anger by saying: “Honey Mustard!”
• My favorite band was called 4Him for about 3 years, then the Newsboys till I was 15.
• In 5th grade I got laughed out of my new classroom for wearing long socks, short shorts, and reading the Constitution between classes.
• PG-13: In 7th grade someone added “Master” to my last name. I had no idea why.

When I started writing this post, I was going to prove how unsheltered I was. I retract such ideas

So yes, to some extent, sheltered applies here. Though I’m certain I wouldn’t trade it.
Ok, homeschool friends, I need some backup. Prove that you exist in the comments

Crushing Phil Wickham’s “Heaven & Earth” Album. The first song, Eden, is good. Have a listen below.

Just ate lunch with 2 Japanese guys.

I’m feeling so freaking cultural. Last night we had pasta dinner, and I think I was the only American. I didn’t realize this when I got here, but being native English is very helpful. It would be difficult to try to understand someone AND meet them at the same time. Because of that, when meeting people it’s very important to watch out for “excessively complex verbage” (hard words). A lot of times they won’t ask you what you meant, which I can understand. So when I get back to the U.S. I might legitimately be stumbling over words.

They don’t hate Americans. They = everyone I’ve met.

Why is it that there is a stigma against the French in America? Turns out they’re not so bad. And Iranians are really nice. About the Iranians, they don’t have clubs in Iran, so I got to talk to them while we watched the trendy kids dance. We were equally uneasy about thrashing on the dancefloor. It turns out “Achmed” jokes aren’t that funny .