Here's the second Harbin Devo I did, simply titled "More":

I don’t know about all of you, but I cannot stand having just a little bit of something when I know there’s more to be had. Call me a greedy pig, but hey, if I’ve got one slice of that coconut cream pie, you’d better believe I want more of it.
I’m like that with God, too. I leave my Bible classes with my head hurting and my soul yearning to know more. I want to know the Bible like I know my own life story. I want to know what God is telling me about who He is and how He works and what He does. I want to know more. I want to be more. I want to have God so amazingly IN MY LIFE that my face shines and my chest is about to explode if I don’t just talk to somebody about how AMAZING and WONDERFUL and AWESOME and HOLY and TERRIFYING our God is.
I know there may be some who spaz out over my saying that our God is a terrifying God… But really, think about it… Yes, God cares for us. Yes, God loves us. Yes, He sent His Son so that He could relate to us on an intimate and personal level. However, Hebrews 12:29 says that our God is a consuming fire. Do I believe that’s the only aspect of God? Not at all, I believe very strongly in the compassionate and merciful side of God. However, I am not at all hesitant to quote Dr. John Fortner and say that God will eat your face off.
In case you can’t tell by looking at me, I’m not a vegetarian. I personally believe that meat is good. Meat is very good. More meat is better.

Hebrews 5:11-14. We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

Sometimes, even on this campus, I feel like I am surrounded by people who still need milk, and aren’t ready for meat. Milk’s good and all, I drank a lot of it as a kid, and it helped me grow into the Herculean figure I am now. But if it comes down to my nourishment for an entire day, if it comes down to what I’m going to choose to get the most satisfaction for my stomach, I’m probably going to take 8 ounces of medium well sirloin over 8 ounces of Vitamin D Whole.
There’s a restaurant that was founded in Nashville, TN, called O’Charley’s. I don’t know if all of you have them out where you live, but in Tennessee, they’re rather popular. The first time I ever ate at O’Charley’s I was somewhere around 12 years old. Now, as you might imagine, the chefs at O’Charley’s did not have a 12-year-old version of Aaron Rushton in mind when they developed the child’s menu. However, my Mom insisted I order something from the child’s menu, for whatever maternal logic took over her mind that night. So I ordered the thing that I thought would get me the most amount of meat. Steak tips. I was thinking “Hey, I can’t get a whole steak, but steak tips ought to be at least a respectable amount of meat, right?” Wrong. I couldn’t have covered a cracker with the amount of meat I got. It was pathetic! I was so mad at O’Charley’s and more than a bit miffed at my Mom for not letting me just order a normal steak…
Why was I angry there? Was it because I didn’t get enough to eat? No, that is apparently not the case. I survived the night, don’t worry. So what was the problem? I didn’t get all the meat I wanted. I didn’t get the heart of the meal to the extent that I wanted it.
A lot of times I feel the same way about God. I don’t get enough. Is it my fault? Partly, yes, it is. But at other times, it’s because we as Christians are scared to go deeper. We’re scared to think. We’re hesitant to do anything more than stand up during “There’s a Stirring”. We’re worried that if we ever let God go into our heads, as well as our hearts, then we just won’t know what to do with ourselves. Christianity is not a religion of ignorant faith. We’ve got a Bible for a reason. We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, our soul, and our strength, yes, but also with all of our MINDS. It is IMPOSSIBLE to wrap your head around all of the Holiness and Majesty that is Yahweh God, but it sure is neat to try. Don’t be afraid to let your mind be part of your faith in God.
Too often, we approach our relationship with God like we approach our relationships with members of the opposite sex. I wonder how many girls have said they want to be “just friends” with God. I wonder how many guys have said they are “not ready for that level of commitment” to Christ. Living for God isn’t like dating your high school sweetheart. Being a Christian isn’t like picking somebody for a function. God is, or rather, SHOULD BE, everything in your life.
I really can’t tell you why, but, for some reason, all throughout high school, my friends came to me for relationship advice. This still happens. Now, while I am more than glad to help out in any way that I can, remember that I might not be the best guy to turn to. I dumped my last serious girlfriend right after the prom. And I don’t mean like the prom was on Saturday and I dumped her on Monday… I mean the prom was on Saturday and I dumped her as we pulled into her driveway. So bear in mind that I’m not exactly the guy to come to for advice based on experience.
However, I know this. Loving somebody with everything you have, with everything you are, and everything you know… That much love for one person is a whole lot of work. There comes a point where not only are you willing to die for that person, you’re willing to live for that person. Dying is easy. I’ll take a bullet for anybody in here. Think about it. I die, then what? Dude, I’m in heaven! Like that was a hard choice. But here’s where it really gets tricky. How many people in here am I willing to live for?
Dying for God really would be a neat thing. To be able to stick to my faith to the point of death, that would be wonderful. By no means am I asking for an elite strike force to come hunt me down or anything, but I am saying that death for Christ would be OK by me. But even better than that is saying that I not only would die for God, but I would live for God.
Living takes more energy. When you’re dead, the only thing you really have to concentrate on is staying in your casket. Not a hard chore. Living is hard. Life is hard. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think how easy life would be if I just didn’t have to do anything. If I could just sit around reading comics and not sinning, life would be wonderful. But, since I do have to deal with people, since I do have to prepare for some way to support myself and my family, since I do have to, regrettably, do more than read comics… I mess up. I break hearts, and I get mine broken. I tell people things they don’t need to hear, and I listen to things I shouldn’t hear. I live.

Luke 14:25-36 "Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is
thrown out. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Do you catch what Jesus is saying here? Look, people, God is it. There’s NOTHING ELSE. I love my parents. I love my sister. I love my cat. I tolerate my sister’s dog. I love my friends. I am all about me some comic books. I really like sitting down, popping in a Led Zeppelin CD, and just drifting off.
But NONE of those things, and I mean none of them, compare to the love I should have in my heart for God. From Mom and Dad to Spider-Man, all that stuff, it’s all pointless. It is all just pointless. It’s not God. Everything in our lives is completely insignificant when compared to the absolute everything that God is. God should be more than just the focal point of our lives; God should be the core of our lives. Everything else stems out from God. Everything else in our lives should be a reaction to who God is and what he’s done for us.
Like many of you, I have spent many a summer at church camp. Several times, I’ve been a counselor at day camp. Day camp out at Camp Meribah is an interesting experience. Here we are, surrounded by kids ranging from 4 years old to 7 years old. None of these children are any higher than my waist. These are itty bitty folk.
Bearing that in mind, imagine what happens when we all load up on the bus and go out to the city pool. That’s right, nobody, including counselors, past the 3 foot rope.
I can’t stand that. I’m standing in the water, wet from my waist down, getting splashed in the mid-torso by a group of five year olds, and I’ve got an army of 7 year old boys convinced that they can drag me under the water if they keep tugging on my right hand. I want to go deeper. I want to go out to the 9 foot and jump off the diving board. I want to get into water over my head. I want to go deeper.
One of the natural effects of being a big guy is that when you jump off of a diving board, especially with the classic big man “dive”, the cannonball, you’re always going to hit the bottom of a 9 foot pool. There’s no escaping that fact.
God’s depth has no bottom. You cannot go deep enough to where you have pondered every corner and aspect of God’s existence. No matter how long you sit there and think about the statement “God is Love” you will never really understand it. Will you have a faint idea? I certainly hope so. Will you grasp it to the point that you can use your understanding to spread the Gospel? I certainly hope so. Will you know all of what and who God is? Never. Don’t be afraid to go deeper.
Sometimes I feel like we’re all scared to think about the deeper theological side of Christianity. Yeah, we get the “three chairs” and “God has a plan” and “Pray to God to increase your stock portfolio like Jabez” and the “Jesus died for YOU” devos all the time. Those are good and well and all, but they don’t really do much more than skim the surface. They don’t get deep. I want the devos that make my head hurt. I want the devos that make my eyes cross. I’m tired of hearing people doing devos comparing God to a Furby, or a Twinkie, or even Tommy Boy. Yes, I’ve actually heard “God is like Tommy Boy”. What is it about “the spiritual voice” that makes us automatically qualify whatever the speaker is saying as being gospel truth? Why is it that just because a guy squints and talks in a throaty whisper, we think he understands the entire Bible? There is a lot of stuff in the Bible, people… And yeah, the Prayer of Jabez is great. Yeah, Jabez got what he wanted. But for some reason, there’s this little voice in the back of my head that says praying for God to increase your stock portfolio isn’t why Jabez was mentioned in Chronicles.
There’s more to it. There’s more to all of it. There’s more to “God is love”. There’s more to “love is patient, love is kind”. There’s more than we’re allowing ourselves to learn because for some reason we’re all too scared to open our minds as much as we open our hearts. We live for that spiritual high we all have after “Singing Under the Stars”, but we tend to shy away from, say, the last half of the book of Daniel, or all of Leviticus and Lamentations. There are kids in my youth group back home who don’t even know what you’re talking about when you mention the Song of Solomon. Some of them can’t BEGIN to tell you who Ezekiel was, or Zephaniah, or Apollos, or Epaphroditus. There is a guy in my youth group who, until recently, did not know that the book of Numbers even existed.
Why don’t they know this stuff? This is Bible! They should know this, at least vaguely! Is it because my Youth Minister doesn’t do his job? Partly, yes, it is. Is it because they’re scared to study the Bible on their own? Partly, yes, it is. But overall, it all boils down to this: we don’t want to put the effort it takes into knowing God more than as a distant Father figure we toss a prayer or two towards whenever we’re having a bad day or when we sit down to eat.
Make sure you’re giving God everything you’ve got. Give Him your heart. Give Him your soul. Give Him your strength. Give Him your mind. Give Him your time. Give Him your effort. Give Him your love. Give Him everything that you have to give. Give Him more than you have to give. Give Him your life.
We often sing the song “Listen to Our Hearts”. And this is a wonderful thing. This song conveys an excellent idea. However… think about it, really. Are you sure you want God looking into your heart, especially during a worship service? I mean, I’m not saying I’m in the throes of a lust fit during church or anything, but goodness, I go off on the most random stuff! How else do you think I’d ever be able to do a devo about superheroes? I’ve been sitting in church wondering where I could go online to get pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope. I’ve been at devos contemplating the best side dishes for a plate of polish sausage. I’ve gone through entire prayers imagining what I would do if I could sprout wings and fly. I’ve tried to remember what was on Cartoon Network the other night while I was passing the Lord’s Supper. That’s not right. Sure, that might just be a sign of Attention Deficit Disorder, but what I think it all boils down to is that I’m not trying to give God everything.
Remember when Samuel anointed David to be the next king of Israel? Remember how Samuel thought that surely one of Jesse’s older boys was going to be king? Remember what God told Samuel? “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Sam 16:7
You can look the part of a spiritual person all you want. And I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with clapping your hands, closing your eyes, raising your arms, ANY of that. There is nothing wrong with any of that AT ALL, as best as I can tell. However, I will simply remind everybody, including me, that Jesus said

“Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14

Make sure that you mean your motions. Reading through the gospels, I get the idea that the people Jesus is the angriest with are the ones who should know better, like the Pharisees and Sadducees. He called them whitewashed tombs! That’s downright mean! But Jesus wants it to be effective. He tells them that since they merely look like they’re doing the right stuff for God, but have no heart in it, they’re worse off than tax collectors and prostitutes. How is it that when we sing “Stand in Awe”, we’re all ready to stand up, but when we sing “Light the Fire”, nobody falls to their knees? Why is it that when “There’s a Stirring”, we all rise up without a problem, but we don’t see a whole lot of bowing down?
Make sure that what you’re doing down here isn’t just for applause. If it is, congratulations, that’s all you get. Make sure that what you do is sincere and heartfelt. Don’t let my opinion of your worship affect how you worship. Worry about God’s opinion of your worship.

Matthew 6:1 Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Matthew 6:5-8 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Don’t show off. It’s pointless, and God can see through it all anyway. Be genuine.
So what do I want? What is it I want to see? How do I think we, as a campus of Christians, can grow closer to God? Give Him more. Give Him more of your mind. Take more. Take in more of His meatiness. Be real. Don’t do anything for looks or for praise, do everything out of a love for God and a desire to please Him. Go deeper. And trust me, you’ll never hit bottom.

Here's the Superhero Devo:

On a rural farm in Smallville, Kansas, young Clark Kent discovered a glowing green crystal that explained why he was blessed with extraordinary powers like flight, speed, strength, really-hot-vision, and see-thru-vision. This glowing chunk of rock told him that he was destined to be the biggest dork to ever put on tights and a cape and become the Last Son of Krypton… Superman, the Man of Tomorrow!
On the tough streets of New York, a young boy named Matt Murdock was involved in a horrible accident that resulted in a radioactive waste material being spilled on his face and eyes, causing him to become completely blind. But now, Matt was blessed with heightened senses of smell, hearing, touch, and a sort of radar that lets him sense everything around him as he fights crime in downtown New York City, known only to the villains he pursues, and to the citizens he protects, as… Daredevil, the Man Without Fear!
In 1941, a young, scrawny, and physically weak patriot named Steve Rogers volunteered for the United States’ Super Soldier program. Too weak to be a soldier on his own, Steve was given an experimental formula that maximized his physical strength, endurance, and abilities. Steve then decided to use his new gifts to fight alongside American troops against the Germans in WWII until a freak accident froze him in a block of ice, only to be thawed out 50 years later. Now, Steve Rogers, armed only with his indestructible shield and fierce loyalty to his country, continues to fight the good fight as… Captain America, the Star Spangled Soldier!
On a field trip to a local genetics research facility, high school student Peter Parker was bitten by a genetically altered super-spider. When the spider bit Peter, the spider’s venom somehow changed Peter’s body’s molecular structure, giving him the comparative strength and agility of a spider, the ability to cling to surfaces and climb walls, as well as a “spider-sense” warning him of any danger before it hits. With these new-found powers, Peter did what any red-blooded American boy would do in the same situation. He tried to make money. Peter became a professional wrestler. One night, Peter had the chance to stop a burglar. Angry and bitter over an incident at the wrestling arena, Peter let the burglar go. He came home to find his Uncle Ben dead. Uncle Ben had been killed by the same burglar. Peter now truly took to heart Uncle Ben’s words: “With great power comes great responsibility”. Peter took it upon himself to don his outfit and patrol the streets and skyline of New York City as… the Wall-Crawling, Web-Slinging, Amazing Spider-Man!
With great power comes great responsibility. Listen to Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God that lives within each one of us, as Christians, has given all of us powers and gifts beyond those of mortal men. We’ve all heard the parable of the talents. We all know that the “talent” in that context is really a sum of money, but follow me on this. Don’t you think that Jesus could also be talking about our actual talents and abilities, in a metaphorical sense? As Christians, we have been given some of the most awesome gifts in the world! I know for a fact that there are people sitting here right now who have the God-given talent of being able to sing like angels. I can’t do that. I know for a fact that there are people here who always know exactly what to say, and even if they don’t know what to say, they manage to pull off a very convincing imitation of the exact right thing. There are people sitting here that can turn your worst day ever into the brightest ray of sunshine you’ve had in a long time. It’s happened to me! There are people here who can simply look you in the eyes, smile, and make your day that much better. There are people here who can spend just five minutes with you and make you laugh until your sides hurt. There are people here who can do ALL KINDS of REALLY COOL STUFF because God gave them that gift.
OK, so we’ve got the idea that “God gives everybody gifts” down. That’s not what I’m here to tell you, you already know that. What I’m here to do is to encourage you to use your gifts, your talents, to the best of your ability and to the best of God’s use.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

There you go, Paul agrees with me. Whatever it is you can do, do it big. Do it well. Do it with every ounce of strength that you have. Do it to please God. Offering your body as a living sacrifice doesn’t mean you poke a knife in your back and set yourself on fire, it means you take what you’ve got and COMPLETELY devote it to God.
Above all the newspaper stories, above all the deadlines, above all of the problems of Metropolis, Clark Kent is always Superman. Above all the missed photo opportunities, above all the science problems, above all the marriage difficulties, Peter Parker is always Spider-Man. Above all the law cases, above all the handicaps, above all the politics, above all the pain, Matt Murdock is always Daredevil. Above all the criticism, above all the loss, above all the hatred, above all the reproach, Steve Rogers is always Captain America. And you know what? Above everything, above humanity, above weak flesh, above mortal bodies, above rank, status, or popularity, above EVERYTHING that might POSSIBLY stand in our way, we are God’s people.
We have been called to make God the single most important aspect of our lives. Nothing else matters. God is IT. If you put all your life’s energy into serving your girlfriend or boyfriend, he or she is still going to die. You are still going to die, and your whole life will have been absolutely insignificant. If you put all your life’s energy into your car, your computer, or your cash, your friends, your family, or your physique, your looks, your love, or your legacy, it won’t matter, and when your span on this earth is only marked by a 3 foot slab of granite, it’s OVER for you. But if you overclock yourself for God, if you push yourself beyond conventional limits in your service for God, if you run the race like you’re in it to win it, if you will let your entire existence become a burning pillar of light pointing unmistakably towards God, then our Almighty Creator and Lord will fill you with so much POWER you won’t know what to do with it. And I’m not talking about “I command the demons that have caused this boy’s acne to come OUT!” kind of power; I’m talking power you can use in your day-by-day life to reach people. I’m talking about REAL POWER FROM GOD that will be an absolutely unmistakable sign that the King of the Universe has got a special interest in your life.
The last thing I want to talk to you about is a secret identity crisis. For some reason, Superman doesn’t think it’s good enough for him to just always run around as Superman, so he sticks with Clark Kent, possibly the lamest secret identity ever. Honestly, if I took off my glasses and came back in a flashy costume with a cape, you’d all know it was me. It’s not that hard to figure out. But, that’s not the point. Superman has a secret identity: Clark Kent. Spider-Man has Peter Parker. Daredevil has Matt Murdock. Captain America has Steve Rogers. Do you have a secret identity?
In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus gives us the famous “light of the world” nugget. We are to be like a light on top of a hill, which can be seen for MILES in every direction. Same thing applies to being superheroes for God.
Every year for Halloween, thousands of little boys across the country dress up as… Clark Kent! Woo-hoo! Nerdy guy that works for a newspaper, shoot yeah! No, that’s stupid. They dress up as Superman, because he’s the hero. Don’t be Clark Kent, don’t be Peter Parker, don’t be Aaron Rushton, don’t be your club brother or sister, don’t be yourself. Be Superman! Be Spider-Man! Be the superhero! Be Christ!

Philippians 1:21 – For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

When Paul died, he gained. There was no more pain. There was no more sorrow. There was no more trouble. There was no more sadness. Everything is eternally cool for him, because he’s with God. That is a HUGE GAIN. But the only reason he gained anything is because he lived his life as a bright and shining beacon for God. His Christianity was not kept hidden. Paul didn’t have a secret identity, and neither should we.
Make it your goal to live such a life that when people see you, they see a superhero. Make it your goal to live such a life that when people see you, they see the ultimate superhero of all time: Jesus, the Christ, Son of the God of Heaven and of Earth. Live your life as a superhero.

This page is for the sole purpose of letting all of you read the stuff that I write, or the stuff that I say, or whatever, if you wouldn't normally have a chance to do so otherwise. Even if you would, and you just want to hear it again... Here it is anyway.

I'm going to put up my Manliness article first.

Manliness charactized by more than rough exterior

There’s something to be said for a guy who carries around knives that can shave the electrons off of an atom.
Usually, that something is “deranged” or “potentially hazardous” or “doesn’t play well with others” or something along those lines… But anyway, you can still say something.
Whatever you choose to say, the something I choose to say about Crocodile Dundee over there is that he’s manly.
There’s just something about a guy who has hot sauce in every room of his house. I’m not making this one up. This is my house. If you’re ever in Bon Aqua, TN, come on down and take the tour. I kid you not; we are a cayenne-friendly family.
What is it about giving yourself ulcers and burning four layers of taste buds off of your tongue that just screams “I’ve got so much testosterone I don’t know what to do with it!”? I don’t know, but I can sure tell you that hot sauce really does go on everything except dessert and cereal.
(However, Kellogg’s and the McIlhenny Company are teaming up next spring to bring us a new “Tabascoberry” Froot Loop, and, depending on market testing, “Jalapeno Happiness”. Not to be outdone, Post Cereal Company is introducing its own line of “‘One Drop Does It’ Louisiana Hot Sauce Pebbles”, with a massive promotional campaign involving the Flintstones and a volcano.)
So what constitutes “manliness”? Where exactly is that oh-so-elusive line between “manly” and “really stupid”? What do you have to do to be able to call Mexican bull fighters sissies just because of their flashy clothes?
If you call the pepperoncini from Pizza Pro “breath mints”, then you, my friend, are manly. If your favorite phrase in the English language is “all you can eat”, and the only French word you know is “buffet”, then you’ve got manliness oozing from every pore. If you can walk off a gunshot wound, without crying, you’re well on your way to standing tall and proud among the ranks of Mandom’s Hall of Fame.
If you’ve ever fantasized killing a deer with your bare hands… If your idea of fishing is swimming with a buck knife in your teeth… If you want your epitaph to list every animal you’ve ever killed…
If you often fantasize more heroic ways to die… If you find inner peace by aligning the bubble on a level… If you plan on naming your firstborn child after a power tool… If your idea of camping is three months in the wilderness with a tarp and a packet of salt… If most of your communication is in grunts and gestures… You just might have what it takes to brace yourself like a man.
But on a deeper level, those of us who have been given the charge of being God’s Men have to live up to a higher level of manliness. We are called to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is our duty within a family to always make sure that Momma and her children have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a bed to sleep in. Protect all women and children, regardless of any harm that may befall you. Be kind to strangers. Don’t be a jerk. Do what you can in each day to make somebody else’s life a little bit better. Commit a random act of niceness. Pray. Live your life as a worshipful sacrifice to God. Make God the single most important aspect of your life. Then, and only then, will you be able to gird yourself as a man and answer the questions of the Most Holy Lord God of Heaven and Earth.
…and thank God every day that all it took was a rib to make our better halves…