For years, I worried about being a righteous man. I never measured up to the standards set by my church, my family, and my Bible. I constantly felt overwhelmed by all the ways a person should respond with kindness and love and selflessness. I failed miserably.

For a time, I stopped caring. I surrendered. I accepted the fact that I didn’t measure up, and I quit trying to. These days, I see things a little differently. I don’t try to be a man who is perfect at everything. Now, I try to be a man who excels at one thing. One thing is easier to manage than hundreds.

For me, that one thing is being a husband. I couldn’t have forseen it before marriage, but satisfying my wife is an fairly life-consuming task. I don’t mean to say that my wife is difficult to please. Far from it. Sometimes I think she is just grateful that I’m not a drunk or violent man. Sometimes I really think she must have set the bar fairly low to be so happy with me.

Then I realize that for all my faults, I provide her with one of the things her heart needs most, which is. wait for it. loving attention (sorry - the old Doogie Howser dude is getting to me on How I Met Your Mother). That’s right. I give her my attention. I’m not always the best listener; in fact, I really like to hear the sound of my own logic. But I give her the best of my time always. We spend lunch times together. We spend weekends together. I go with her to the grocery store. We curl up on the sofa and watch television together (except when it’s the Dallas Cowboys or Mavericks).

There are times when I have the opportunity to hang out with a friend or go out by myself. That’s fine. I enjoy it. But as we wrap up our third year of marriage, I am blessed to enjoy spending so much time with this incredible woman. The truth is that she is my best friend. I enjoy her company. It’s actually fun to hang out with her!

My goal in all of this is to establish within her a deep revelation of my love and desire for her. I want her to be confident in my affection. She will not “think” that I love her or “hope” that I love her. She will know it. She will know it more than she will know anything else.

That is my one thing. I may or may not be a righteous man in any other man’s eyes, but I believe that a loving, nurturing husband is a righteous man.

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There’s no reason to duplicate greatness. A copy is a copy is a copy. There is a certain appeal to the layout and approach of a website like GodSpy. First, there are quality photos and graphics which make the homepage seem to be a brilliant display of topical choices. Second, you have the scholarly writing style in most of the articles which lends an air of authority to the writer. Third, you have website navigation, allowing for search of information by topic. Fourth, you have a forum where all intelligent or wannabe intelligent people can go to voice their opinions on matters of faith, politics, philosophy, and culture. Why pretend? I CultureFeast cannot compete with the quantity or genre of writings available on GodSpy. Having multiple contributors plays a rather large roll, let’s not forget. Still, this is CultureFeast, and the goal of this website is to discuss culture in all of its forms at one time or another. This site may not focus on the Renaissance, the Bible, or Hollywood, but each reader is likely to find something of interest within these pages. As the Senior (and currently only) Writer of CultureFeast, it is my hope that you will appreciate the voice behind the topics - the personality, if you will. That is what CultureFeast offers: discussion of cultural topics with personality. It may not always be witty or gritty, but as long as it’s not sh!*$y we’ll be just fine. Opinions are important. Cold, hard, objective, factual evidence is overrated and usually mislabeled. So what is that will make you return? What do you want to know? What do you enjoy reading here?

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I have participated in what is now termed “Harp and Bowl” worship at the All Nations House of Prayer (ANHOP) in Grand Prairie, texas, for the past two months. No single type of spiritual act has challenged me as much as this has. Something about the still and peaceful attitude of worship demands so much more of my focus and attention. It requires a man or woman to be fully engaged. We still sing familiar songs that everyone knows. But those songs are the starting place, not the end. They allow us the ability to begin on a common note, a common idea, and we progress into singing in the spirit. Here, all the singers on the team are encouraged to be bold and sing out in unison with various tongues, melodies, and sounds.

The prayer leader reads aloud a Scripture, which is then sung by a chorus leader. After the chorus leader sings the passage two times, the singers sing out different phrases that relate to the theme of the passage. It becomes a dialogue of the whole group singing to the Lord, elaborating on his beauty, his glory, his majesty, and so on. Each time of worship is different. The spontaneous parts are always fresh and challenging. We must engage the Lord with our hearts in order to follow what the Spirit of God is saying at that time. He leads us into themes which release waves of revelation, refreshing, healing, or peace.

It’s not a perfect model, but I love it for what it offers: enough structure to keep us on the same page without stifling the flow of the Holy Spirit.

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It’s a simple thing, transformation. It’s not complicated. It doesn’t require men and women to become super geniuses and strategists. Shady Grove Church moved to its new location at the beginning of June. I have noticed that this is a season of community building. Families far and wide are moving closer to the new building to participate in the growing community of Shady Grove. God has plans and purposes beyond our ability to track. Highway 161 is being extended from Hwy 183 (Airport Freeway) to Interstate 20. That means freeway access running through the heart of Grand Prairie. It means a freeway exit will be located beside the new Shady Grove building. It means new commerce will emerge to surround some of the freeways entrances and exits.

There is something prophetic about the building of this highway. Something about building a new path for life to flow through this old and pathetic city. South Grand Prairie has been thriving, but the rest of the city has been left to rot for decades. But change is coming. Change is happening. City planners are excited. City officials are invigorated by the promise of growth, renovation, and rebirth. Given twenty or thirty years, Grand Prairie could be a nearly unrecognizable place to live and do business. That is only considering the physical changes on the horizon.

What about spiritual changes? What is happening in this town? The leaders of dozens of churches in the city are crying out to the Lord to bring a revival and a display of His glory to this area. They are praying and interceding for the unsaved, for those who do not know Jesus. Divine strategies and actions are in place that neither you nor I recognize. You can be certain, however, that God has marked Grand Prairie. It is the center of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, after all. We’ll track the changes and keep you informed.

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It occurred to me the other day that I wear different styles of clothing to church based upon my expectation of the service. When I first accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior ten years ago, I began attending church in a t-shirt and jeans because they were all that I owned. I found that I could engage more completely in worship because I had no expectations of being viewed by other people as cool or attractive. I was able to leave my self image at home and participate with total focus.

As I should have expected, that reality did not last very long. I inevitably gained more clothing through birthday gifts and sheer necessity, and Sunday morning church became an opportunity to attract the opposite sex. Honestly, if one is to look for a partner, there is no better place to look than one’s own church or university (as applicable). But the simple truth is that the moment I dressed in nice clothes for church, I knew I would get more attention from people. I expected more attention. I could no longer worship at the front of the sanctuary because I was sure that I was being watched and I worried too much how I looked - if my hair was in place, my shirt tucked nicely and unwrinkled, etc. Even after marriage, self image wasn’t automatically thrown out the window.

Image consciousness morphs a little to make sense (hence the soccer mom image in the nice SUV). We no longer try to send out the message to the opposite sex that we are both available and desirable, but there is still something within us that wants our peers to know we are living a good life. We want their respect for our lifestyle choices and even their admiration for our tastes in fashion, architecture, art, decor, and music. The question remains: What is your primary purpose for attending services? Is it to mingle? Is it to walk the runway? Is it to worship?

There will always be exceptions to every rule. While this is true, most people will always be self conscious in public if they spend too much time and attention preparing their clothes, hair, makeup, etc. No one wants to spend a lot of time getting ready only to have their hair flop over or stick up, or to have their shirt bunch up at the sides. We want what we took the time to make right to stay right. Unfortunately, that means we often are too distracted to participate in corporate worship. How can we really focus on the majesty of God when Guy X or Girl Z two rows back may be wondering why we chose this outfit? I’ve found that for me personally, it’s best to go au naturale… No, not without clothes. I just go to church wearing the same normal clothes I wear each day.

It may be a little boring, but I don’t dress on Sunday to entertain. I need that corporate time in worship. I don’t have time to waste on what other people think of me, and the best way to avoid that problem is dress in such a way as to guarantee I won’t draw attention.

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Today I witnessed what a funeral service should be. I left that service celebrating the life of a wonderful man of God. We shared funny stories, touching memories, and a sense of honor for a man who faithfully humbled himself and served in any capacity needed. I hate funerals. I hate the dismal feelings. I hate wondering if the family feels hopeless. I hate wincing at the words of the pastor as he shares some good intentioned words of pathetic inspiration and “comfort.” To put it plainly, I hate it when people put on airs for anything, including honoring and remembering the dead. I couldn’t believe it when I heard earlier this week that Mike had died. I thought the person who told me was lying. My heart felt like it was being squeezed between icy, thin fingers. It felt to me like the world had lost a brilliant shining light, and was now all the more dingy, dismal, and hopelessly in despair. I entertained the idea that the enemy had won a major battle, robbing all of us of such a man. I thought it was a crime that he of all people should lose his life. I have so much to learn. All those passages of Scripture you memorize over the years do little good if they have not become alive inside your being. Here was a man who literally welcomed a whole new generation of people into our church with his welcoming smile and affirming hugs. I can’t tell you how many Sundays I was comforted by a big hand on my shoulder - Mike Cordova waiting to give me a hug and show me he was glad I was here. Just this past Sunday, in the massive new church building, he walked by and gave me a hug. It’s not that it fills the needs left from my parents. But it’s a feeling of being welcome and belonging that is comforting despite its subtlety. Week by week, month by month, year by year, he made me and hundreds of others believe that kindness can faithfully exist within the masculine heart. Services were held today, June 30, 2006, at the City Life Center of Shady Grove Church in Grand Prairie, Texas. It was a remarkable experience. I cried my eyes out. So many stories of love. People rescued from fire, souls brought to Jesus, children treated with love, and visitors greeted with warm respect. I never truly before believed that a man’s life could have as great or greater impact upon the world after death. But now I know that despite our feeble attempts to explain God or excuse His Will, I have now experienced the life and death of a man ministering to thousands. May God grant me the grace and humility to be like Mike Cordova. And may the Lord richly bless and comfort Cass Cordova and family.

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I grew up in a charismatic church - not Pentecostal nor Assemblies of God - but charismatic nonetheless. I remember sitting in my chair, listening to the elder who oversaw the missions department. He briefly shared his testimony - explaining the life he lived before accepting Christ and the life after. I heard of drugs, hippie lifestyles, and rebellion against authority. I think his goal was to impress upon us that God can radically transform even the “worst” of sinners. He probably wanted everyone to see that if he could be forgiven of his sins, then they were eligible for forgiveness as well.

Maybe I’m just different, but I took a different moral from that story. A seed was planted in mind. An understanding that I could do whatever I wanted to do and still be forgiven of it later. The concept of free license entered my mind. After all, if a drugged up hippie could receive forgiveness and walk in purity, I could also get away with a lot of stuff before “reforming” into a godly man.

You see, when it comes to sharing one’s testimony, Christians think it’s really cool when a brawling, drugged up, alcoholic, blind, lame, deaf, and diseased person meets Jesus and finds forgiveness, healing and restoration.

Those people like to impress the audience with gory details of sin and depravity. The startled looks and gasps of shock on the people’s faces is wrongfully equated with conviction. Those personal testimonies are popular for the same reason that reality shows, COPS, and Ultimate Fighting Championship, and Howard Stern are popular: people like to see and hear about depravity. But the goal of sharing a testimony is to impress upon people that saving grace is available. So why do we focus so much upon the story of our sin?

I wouldn’t avoid those elements, just so you know. Most testimonies should tell of the pain, suffering, and misery of existence without Jesus. The gory details usually take up all of our time and attention and leave room for only scant mention of actual conversion, forgiveness, and life after.

What about abundant life? What about the Kingdom of God? What about abiding in Him? What about “greater works than these” being done by those who believe? What about healing, restoring, prophesying, encouraging, discipling, intimacy, praying, worship, adoring, and submitting?

The depths of the riches of knowing God cannot be fathomed by a simple “I was a sinner and now I’m going to heaven” message. The question remains: HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE?

The Church must not fail to answer this question, both during Sunday services and in the marketplace. Real people want to know about real life. Real life is not a chick flick. The credits don’t roll when we accept Christ as Savior. That is not the end of the story. That is the beginning. That is what people do not know, because that is what people do not hear. THERE IS LIFE AFTER MEETING GOD! THERE IS LIFE KNOWING GOD!

Let’s think about that and discuss it more in detail.

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