Spring Break

Well, last week was Spring Break, and we had an awesome time in Colorado! We got to connect with friends and family, and I even got a day in of skiing. It was a fun-filled week, and the boys did well with traveling, staying at different people's houses, and meeting a lot of strange people who talked to them as if they knew them but who the boys didn't recognize.

Update on the family...

Will continues to amaze me with his insights and humor. Watch out Comedy Central, this kid is clever and funny and doesn't use any profanity in his humor. He's gradually becoming a daddy's boy much to mommy's horror. He loves for me to tell him stories, especially "Go Jesus" stories and The Adventures of Will the Wild-Hearted and Blake the Brave (with cameos from Daddy the Daring and Mommy the Marvelous). What are these stories you might ask??? Anytime we tell a biblical story about Jesus or something Jesus is doing present day, we always end with the cheer "Go Jesus!" with all the enthusiasm we can. Will just can't get enough of this Jesus who does amazing things, and daddy is always happy to tell him more "Go Jesus" stories and even to talk with Jesus together. The Will and Blake Adventures are ones I just make up, and they usually involve rugged, manly adventures like wrestling bears in the mountains or fly-fishing (two things I know very little about, but Will doesn't know this yet...shhhhh). I'm getting him ready for life in Colorado...more about this below. Another cool thing Will is starting to pick up on is who God is. It's remarkably difficult to explain God to someone who has no frame of reference and the vocabulary of a 2 yr old. We're doing our best

Blake is going to be our adrenaline-junkie. He is crawling and climbing as fast as he can. The other night, he pulled himself up to standing in his crib all by himself. He's starting to smile and laugh more, and he loves to tackle Will. I don't think Will is quite ready for the hurricane that's about to come through once Blake can walk/run.

Amy is continuing to be a wonderful mom and wife. She takes great care of the boys (including the big one). She is involved with MOPS and just started a class for Seminary Wives that has assignments and homework, so she's excited about that. She goes the extra mile and is very understanding about my school load. We had a great week last week just being together. She's wanting to get involved in the ministry to special needs children at our church, which will allow her to use her special education experience to minister to kids in a Christian environment.

I am heading into a 3-week cave that involves book reviews, tests, and research papers on top of my normal studies. I'm reading Jonathan Edward's "Treatise on Religious Affections", and it's great. If you don't know who he is, he was one of the most popular preachers during the Great Awakening. He's probably most popularly known for his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", which was completely misunderstood and taught poorly in my high school English class. "Religious Affections" is primarily based on the premise that if you truly receive the gospel, you cannot be unaffected by it. It discusses what true and false religious affections are as well. I highly recommend it for those, like me, who struggle at times with apathy in the Christian life. One way to jump start your affections is to read the Gospels (and you might even let out a "Go Jesus!" when you realize that people don't rise from the dead everyday!!!) Outside of school, I'm looking into a church planter internship at our church. I'll give more info later when I have it myself.

About preparing for Colorado...

God is continuing to give us a heart for the Denver Metro Area, and last week confirmed our desire to hear the name of Jesus on the lips of the unchurched in that area. Church planting seems to be our path for now, and I met w/ the regional director of church planting in the area. It was also very encouraging to hear friends and family who live there who are completely supportive of us returning to do ministry there. Hopefully some of them will join us in reaching out to the community and seeing lostness reduced and lives radically transformed. We're still about 2 yrs out, but we're going to continue praying and seeking God on his direction.

Anyone out there who is reading this...I am making a formal challenge to you to pray now about if God would have you join us in the future in Colorado. You may not be a "minister" or have any ministry experience, and that's totally fine. God is calling people of all backgrounds and abilities to join Him in his global purposes. Maybe he's calling you to use your vocation to do missions? Sound crazy? Businessmen, teachers, plumbers, secretaries, real estate agents, salespeople, students, factory workers, engineers, entrepreneurs, etc. all over are leveraging their occupation to help start churches all over this planet. They are using getting jobs in their field in areas that need churches so they can be actively involved in church planting. New churches need people who are working in the community, building relationships, investing in the ministry, and sharing their faith. I hope you'll at least ask God if He wants to use you in this way, even if it sounds unrealistic. It's a whole new way of doing missions, at least as far as I've ever heard. We'd love for you to be part of our team...what do you think?

Sow what!

"I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh...Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation." (Romans 9:1-3, 10:1)

This passage showed up several times in several ways last week for me. Isn't it incredible how God knows how hard-headed and deaf-eared we can be that He shows us things over and over until we listen? I knew God was trying to get my attention.

Evangelism. This word evokes so many reactions. What's yours? For me, I think "Ouch!" This is an area I struggle in. Some people are faith-sharing machines it seems...not me. It would be easy to say I don't have the "spiritual gift" of evangelism, but this is mostly a cop-out for disobedience. Jesus told us to make disciples, and that will probably be difficult if we're not sharing our faith.

I'm kind of an "all or nothing" type person. If I can't do something right, I don't want to do it at all. This fleshes itself out in areas like home improvement projects. When we lived in Colorado, Amy wanted to do things to our townhome like paint or put tile down in the kitchen. Not ever having done this, I was petrified to mess it up. I'm a perfectionist, and if I put one tile down crooked, I would have to see it every day, and that's not a chance I was willing to take. I had a chance to do some tiling with a friend at his house who knew what he was doing, and after months of "encouragement", Amy finally convinced me that we could do it. I consented, and we bought the tile and supplies. It turned out to not be as difficult as I thought, and now I look back on it and think, "Sure, I'd do it again. It's not that hard."

I think this mentality permeates my faith-sharing as well. If I can't share all of the gospel in one sitting, I may never get to see that person again, so I'm hesitant to even start a conversation. I'm realizing that it's not about an all-or-nothing deal. God puts us in positions with friends, family, acquaintances, and perfect strangers and just wants us to share whatever we can in the time we have with them. This is a relief for me. I am not always responsible to cultivate, plant, water, weed, and harvest. I'm just responsible to be available to do the stage of where the person is at that day on their journey to saving faith. One person may need some cultivating; another may need some watering; and still another may be ready for harvest.

Now, back to the scripture above. I know that in order for me to be sensitive to the moments God gives me, I need to have a desire to see people put their faith in Jesus. I'm praying for this desire because it's not natural. God tells us that he will supply all our needs according to his glorious riches...maybe he's not just talking about our financial needs. I need to hurt for the lost people around me, whether I know them well or not. Paul was at the point where he was willing to trade places and give up eternity w/ Jesus just to see his fellow Israelites come to faith in Christ. Wow! I'm not there yet.

Like Amy and the tile, I'm also asking God to keep putting people in my life to "encourage" me to be sharing my faith. I'm also asking Him for a mentor in this area...someone I can watch in action and work alongside in the faith.

Tell the world that Jesus lives. Tell the world that. Tell the world that.
Tell the world that He died for them. Tell the world that He lives again.

We'll tell, we'll tell, we'll tell the world about You.
We'll tell, we'll tell, we'll tell the world about You.

One Challenging Week

It's been a challenging week to say the least. Last Sunday morning, my dad called and told me my grandmother passed away. This was my mom's mom, and we lost my grandfather over Christmas, so my mom has lost both parents in a very short amount of time. My grandmother was in advanced stages of Alzheimer's, and she really hasn't been herself for the past 5-10 yrs. The great news is that she is free now. She was a Christian, and it's encouraging to know that she no longer has a frail body and weak mind. Thank you, Jesus.

Just as we were trying to get everything ready to travel to the funeral, Blake got a stomach bug. As a precaution, I made the trip on my own and Amy stayed with the boys. Subsequently, Blake shared the virus with Amy and Will. I returned late Wednesday night, and I was supposed to have a Greek test on Wed., but my professor let me do it today instead. I was far from ready for the test but gave it my best anyhow. I'm just glad this week is over and as of yet, I'm not sick.

Exciting news for us...we're taking a trip to Colorado! Over spring break, we're going to drive up and spend a week with friends and family. I'm completely psyched about this trip. I'm going to get to ski with one of my best friends(see picture) and reconnect w/ people we haven't seen in 7 months. Woo Hoo!!

One more thing...

I just read this...after my initial post. Amy and I are now attending Northwood Church, and this interview is of the pastor, Bob Roberts Jr. http://www.christianvisionproject.com/2007/01/we_arent_about_weekends.html

Soul-Winner or Disciple Maker?

Heard a good message in chapel at seminary the other day (to view, go to http://www.swbts.edu/events/chapel_archive.cfm and click on Feb. 1, 2007 Chapel video - you can skip to the message which is probably about 30-40 minutes into the video). The pastor talked about the difference between soul-winners and disciple-makers. A soul-winner shares the gospel but doesn't carry on with the new believer once they've become a Christ-follower. (I like the idea of using the word Christ-follower rather than Christian b/c 51% of Americans say they are "Christians" but I imagine a much lower percentage are actually Christ-followers...more about this below).

Jesus, in the Great Commission, called us to make disciples, not win converts. A disciple-maker doesn't just encourage a new believer to go to a class to learn more about the faith or invite them to church with them or get them involved in a program, although these are definitely important steps. A disciple-maker comes alongside the new believer and gets integrally involved with their growth in the faith. I've known a lot of good soul-winners who are terrible disciple-makers, but I don't know that I've known any true disciple-makers who aren't also good soul-winners. I'm tooling around these days with new lingo, not really b/c I want to coin a phrase or pick up the latest fad but more because I think words/terms capture thoughts and using new terms helps us focus on the meaning rather than blindly ignore it b/c we've heard it so many times. Instead of soul-winner, I propose faith-sharer. Who knows, I may change to a different one down the road but this one will work for now. A disciple-maker is a faith-sharer who knows it's a hard road to walk helping a new Christ-follower adjust to new life in Christ and begin to grow. A disciple-maker echoes the words of Paul, "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ." (Colossians 1:28) To say it another way, a disciple-maker works to present new Christ-followers to Jesus as "ready for service".

Now back to the lingo shift to Christ-follower instead of Christian. My brother and I have talked recently about the debate that's existed called the "Lordship Salvation" debate. Basically, some people say that when you can accept Jesus as Savior (forgiver of sin) and that you grow towards making Him Lord (master). I side with what I would consider the biblical position that you can't have Jesus as Savior if you don't allow Him to be Lord. We do not have an a la carte Jesus. Romans 10:9 makes it clear that we must "confess Him as Lord". I was talking to my dad about all of this, and for those who don't know, he was a 41-year old deacon in a Baptist church when he became a Christ-follower as a sponsor at youth camp. Before that, he would have said he was a Christian and others around him would have probably said the same. He realized that he wasn't a Christian and had never allowed Jesus to come in, declare Him righteous, and take control of His life. This conversation causes us to consider ourselves, doesn't it (see 2 Peter 1:1-11 for why this is a good thing)?

If you've made it this far through my ponderings, I congratulate you. So where does all this lead me on a practical level...church planting, of course. As God continues to work on me about the possibility of planting a church after seminary, I want to make sure that wherever He places me, I'll be a disciple-maker. Disciple-making churches typically aren't mega-churches b/c they do the hard work of making disciples rather than record a bunch of baptisms and never see the vast majority of those who were baptized do anything more than casually attend church...if that. Now, this is not to say that if you have a mega-church, then it is not a disciple-making church. (For more on this, watch the video I've mentioned above) I will say, though, that when you start challenging people to become true Christ-followers, this may sift out some who were just buying into a good idea and didn't want to go to hell. If they have no intentions of allowing Jesus to be Savior and Lord, then they will probably bail. Jesus experienced this as well. As he called people to step up to the plate, many walked away. Look at Luke 9:57-62 (notice they call Him Lord) and John 6:60-68. Such is the straight and narrow, I guess. Few walk it, but those who do, they discover the true treasure, Jesus Christ.

Praise be to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope this will prompt you to check out Scripture and bring you lasting joy in Christ.

13 inches of snow in Texas!

Do you believe it? Take that, DENVER!!!!! 13 inches of snow (even longer...I mean "deeper" in some areas)! Just kidding, but it did snow today, which in Texas means that everything shuts down, so I didn't have to go to work. School starts tomorrow, so hopefully it will be safer to drive.

Krispy Kreme & Flux Capacitors

We had a good time together yesterday, and I thought I'd share some photos. As you can see in the first pic, Will got his first opportunity to go to Krispy Kreme Donuts by our house. He loved watching the donut life-cycle (especially the part where the donuts are flipped over to cook the other side). Blake's getting bigger. He's rolling from front-to-back and back-to-front. We have to be careful now because if you're not watching, he'll roll across the room before you know it. He loves to watch and laugh at Will, and Will loves to oblige. This Thursday starts the Spring Semester at Seminary, and it already looks like a lot of reading (maybe more than last semester).

We're getting an ice storm today, which stinks. It's kind of a slap in the face to go on top of the 3 weeks of fresh snow in Denver that I'm jealous of. Even though I know God brought us here in his timing, I wish I could have been there for the incredible sledding and skiing we could have enjoyed. When I kept hearing the news reports about the snow in Denver, all I could think was "Fresh Powder"!

I've read many people's blogs lately, and it seems a lot of them are talking about resolutions. For me, I don't need a resolution, I need a revolution. (Kind of catchy, huh) My life's been in a state of flux lately, and I feel very confused. I want my relationship with God to grow deeper, but honestly, I don't always want to put forth the effort to see it happen. It's like wanting a really good meal and having all the ingredients but being too lazy to get up and make it, so you end up eating grilled cheese and spaghettio's instead. I'm working through this, and a very powerful book (in addition to the Bible) that I've read on the subject has been helpful. It's called "When I Don't Desire God" and it talks about fighting for joy. I highly recommend this book by John Piper. If you've read Piper before, you know that his stuff can be weighty, but to use another analogy, you can't be a body-builder if all you do is workout with fluffy pillows. (I should start collecting these Keithisms...okay, maybe not) Anyhow, I write all this to encourage those of you out there who may be struggling as well. Keep trying. Don't give up.

I've been reading the book of Job. Maybe these verses can tie all this rambling together.

Job's state of flux (Job 29:4): "Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my house,"

Elihu's encouragement (Job 36:15-16): "But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction,"

Job's final words (Job 42:5): "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you."

Blessed!

Ain't God incredible?! He has supremely blessed us and our family. A week before Christmas, Keith's 93-year old grandfather passed away. We weren't planning on going down to SouthEast Texas for Christmas but changed our plans due to the circumstances. My grandfather was not a Christian despite numerous attempts to share the Good News with him. We are saddened that he chose to forfeit the grace that could have been his (read Jonah 2:8). It was hard not to correct people when they tried to comfort us with phrases such as "He's in a better place" or "He's not suffering any more" because just the opposite is true. I know they meant well, but the reality is that he showed no signs of embracing Jesus. Now, I will say that I don't know his heart, and he may have trusted in Jesus in the final moments, but evidence points to the contrary.

You might be thinking, "How can he say God is incredible and then talk about someone dying without Jesus?" The reason I can say that God is incredible is that in spite of grieving over the loss of my grandfather, God allowed all of my family to be together for Christmas, which hasn't happened in years. God knew when my grandfather's final moments would be and how much my mom would be needing her family around her during the holidays after a long, exhausting year, so he orchestrated the events to coincide. A guy by the name of David Crowder once said that when His divinity meets our humanity, it's a beautiful collision.

We had a great Christmas, and I want to thank God for making it happen. The picture above is amazing as well. Who would have thought that you could get 16 out of 17 individuals (including kids and a dog) to look at the camera and smile at the same time. My nephew Tex is the only one not looking, but I have to give him credit...he was consistent...he wasn't looking at the camera in any of the attempts to get this picture to turn out right. I guess he's just making his mark. :)

School starts in 2 weeks. Better start reviewing that Greek. For those curious, I pulled off A's for the first semester!

Oh, to be a Kid Again!

Amy celebrated her 30th birthday this past Sunday. I decided to theme her birthday, so it was "Oh, to be a kid again". I bought some candy from the mall candy store that was representative of our childhood...remember pop rocks, ring pops, wax lips, fun dip, gummy bears, and pixi stixs? She wanted a chocolate chip cookie instead of a cake for her birthday, so I got her a Strawberry Shortcake cookie made at Wal-Mart (which is nearly half the price of Great American Cookie Company). I also gave her a fake newspaper with events from the year she was born. We were going to go to Chuck E. Cheese, but she shot that one down. I also gave her nice things. She got some jewelry, and Will and Blake gave her a gift certificate for an hour massage at massage envy. Amy's parents came up for the weekend, so we hung out with them and put up our Christmas tree. We took Amy to lunch at Mimi's Cafe, which was awesome, as usual.

In other news, I finished my last final today. I'm out of school for a month, so that should be relaxing. I'd like to do some leisure reading during the break, but I'm not sure how much I'll get done. I took Amy to see Handel's Messiah last night, and it was pretty good. Blake is rolling over, and Will continues to do well at potty training.

State Fair, Research Papers, and Fried Oreos

Well, it's been quite some time since our last conversation. Sorry. In that time, we went to the Texas State Fair. We ate fried oreos and fried snickers, and the oreos won out. I even got the recipe online to make them at home, and they're awesome. I missed out on the fried cheescake, but I think it will just give me a reason to go again next year. Overall, we had a good time.

At school, I've had mid-terms and 2 research papers (thus the absence of blogs). Amy and the boys have been wonderful as I've had to be studying a lot. I finished my last research paper this week, and now I'm in the home stretch towards finals. Praise God for Thanksgiving break!!!

If you want to see an amazing story of hope, you need to go to www.swbts.edu/events/chapel_schedule.cfm and go to Wednesday, Nov. 15 to view the chapel video. You can watch the music and announcements if you'd like, but the main thing is the pastor who spoke. Just move the video to about 25 minutes into the chapel service. It will change your life.

Lastly, I hope you like this pick of Will. It makes daddy proud that he loves to wear my Dolphins hat. He's pretty good at form tackling, so we're thinking a scholarship is in order...but then again, basketball season is upon us also.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Half way there

The semester is half over. I had 3 mid-terms this week, and I'm glad they're over. Now it's time to get to work on some research papers.

By the way, this is not Will, but I thought it was a funny picture. We're headed to the Texas State Fair tomorrow!!! Woo Hoo! There's nothing like spending too much money on food and walking around looking at cheap crafts while taking in the wonderful stench of livestock. But, hey, it only comes around once a year! My oldest brother and his family are coming up, so it will be great...not to mention the perfect mid-70-degree weather we'll be enjoying. One other highlight of the fair is that you can get practically anything fried...from oreos to snickers to ice cream to Coke! I'll try to get a few bites and let you know which ones are worth trying. Of the ones I've heard about, fried cheesecake sounds the most tempting.

Life in Cowtown is good. The weather is cooling down. Will continues to master the art of using the potty and continues to be an information sponge. New favorites for him include Buzz Lightyear and Woody. He likes to play cowboy...of which he refers to as Giddy'up, and he likes running through the house yelling "Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!" Blake celebrated his 3-month birthday yesterday. He's smiling and starting to giggle these days. God has truly blessed us by giving us a child who sleeps really well at night. Thank you, Lord, I know it may not be much on the scale of eternity, but it lets me know that you care about the little details of my life.

God has also blessed us with good friendships. There's a guy named Barry who is in every single one of my classes, and we've become pretty good friends. I call it a divine coincidence. We're able to talk about school, life, family, and ministry. His wife, Karen, and Amy have become friends as well, and they have a little girl, Abigail, who Will loves to play with. Thank you, Lord, for giving us meaningful friendships on this journey.

That's all for now. Maybe I'll post some picks of the fair in my next blog.

Family Pics

I haven't posted many family pics in a while, so here you go!

Out of the Cave

I have been buried in a cave here recently, and that cave's name is seminary. I'm so glad for this past week to be over. The short of it...3 papers and a major Greek test. I tell people I've not bit off more than I can chew, but I am having a difficult time swallowing it. The worst part of being so busy w/ work and school--not having time to slow down and be with God. The 2nd worst part is not having time to slow down and be with my family. Amy has been more than wonderful lately. She realizes it's a load and is doing more than most people would in order to help me know it's okay. I'm really struggling in the "quiet time" area with God. I go to chapel 3 days a week, we talk about scripture in class, and I go to church on Sundays. Most people would say, "You've got a lot of God time." Well, I enjoy all of this time, but I also long for simple, quiet moments alone with God to interact with him through his word and prayer. Time seems scarce these days, and I'm getting less sleep than I did any other time in my life, so I'm trying to figure out a way to make time for God. I've tried in the morning, and that's been rather unsuccessful. At night, I'm nodding off. During the day, I go straight from school to work. I'm at a loss. If you're out there reading this, please say a quick prayer for me. Thanks.

On another note, in the midst of my cave experience this week, God has hightened my interest in Church Planting again. It was Church Planters Week at Seminary, and I'm keeping my heart open to what God has in store for us. Some people (like our moms) my get petrified after reading these statements assuming that I'm saying that I am absolutely going into church planting. Rest assured moms, God hasn't said to go yet, but I do warn you that He's done it before and I'll say yes again if He does it again.

Washington DC

Well, I just got back from a 4 day trip for work in Washington, DC. It was a lot of fun, but I didn't get to do as much sight seeing as I'd hoped. I did learn how to use the metro subway system, which is huge for someone who's never had to use a lot of mass transit. The one main place I went in my "free" time was to the WWII Memorial. It's between the Lincoln & Washington Memorials. My grandfather fought in WWII, and as I was there, I just started thanking God for sparing his life during the war so that I could be here today. I saw people there who were mourning and weeping, but for me, it was rather joyful. God, in his sovereign mercy, allowed my grandfather to live through war, which has at it's center people trying to kill other people.

Also on my trip, through the sessions I attended at Sylvan's Annual Conference, God has begun working on me personally. I've always known many of these things, but I'm seeing more of God's changing power in my life through His grace in them. I have a tendancy to be focused on my ideas of what should and shouldn't be done in life, work, circumstances, etc. This tendency helps me be a quick decision maker and a staunch defender of what I see as right and wrong...which are good things. The flip-side of this personality is one of self-righteousness, arrogance, rigidness, and emotional detachment. This permeates the way I manage people at work, the way I treat family and friends, and how I've "ministered" to others. God's bringing back the balance of mercy, compassion, love and admitting that my way isn't always right. Many of you who know me are probably saying, "Duh!", and so am I. I'm not surprised by these personality traits. We all have tendencies which lead to both positive and negative behaviors. We need to daily submit our weaknesses to our great and glorious God, who through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit made possible by the justification through Jesus Christ, transforms our lives and makes us more like Jesus. God describes himself as a gracious and loving God, slow to anger and abounding in love. My heart is to reflect that in my life as well. Please pray for me.

Biblical Theology

Now it's time for Theological thoughts with Keith...the part of the blog where Keith comes out and shares a theological thought (this opening line is much funnier if you've ever seen Veggie Tales). I'm starting to see through my classes that the American church is completely dumbed down spiritually and doesn't even know it. The average church attender sees theology as something pastors and academics debate about but having little relevance to their day-to-day lives. If you're one of these people, Satan has duped you just like the rest of us. As I've been sitting in my classes, I'm realizing more and more..."I wish every Christian knew these things." It's not even like American Christians need to attend seminary to get the things I'm getting. My classes are giving information that's publicly available to anyone who wants to look for it. Things like Church History and Introduction to the Old Testament are all over the web (just be careful where you get your information) and yet 90% of Christians don't even feel like it would be beneficial.

My one quick theological encouragement is something that I've known but don't think about regularly. The bible is one book and should be read as such. You may be thinking, "Duh!" but do you view it this way? When you're reading Philippians, are you thinking about it's implications in light of the Old Testament and it's place in God's progressive revelation of Himself? The bible is not a collection of books. It is a book about God's salvation plan in His son Jesus Christ. Every book points to Jesus. Read the first couple chapters of Genesis and you'll see the foreshadowing of Jesus. Read Malachi and see it pointing to Jesus. Read Leviticus, and in the midst of the laws, see Jesus fulfilling and gaining authority over them. The Old Testament is about Jesus. The New Testament is about Jesus. Are you about Jesus?

Tune in next time to hear Keith say..."Is there anyone out there actually reading my ponderings?"

Overwhelmed, Yet Excited

The title of this blog is the best way to describe my first two days of seminary. The amount of work required (primarily reading) is becoming more of a reality. Yes, I knew it would be hard work and a lot of reading, but now I have to actually do it. Although it's intimidating, I am very excited about what God is going to reveal to me in the process. I don't want to just complete assignments to get a grade to get a degree. I want these assignments to be corridors that open my eyes to see God more fully in the face of Jesus Christ. I'm taking Church History, Biblical Hermeneutics (Interpreting Scripture), Elementary Greek, and Old Testament 1 (Genesis-Esther). This gives me a large sampling of areas where I can be open to God's revelation of Himself. I ask for your continuous prayers on my behalf that I may manage my time well between school, work, family, and personal devotions. And for those who just want to see pictures...here's some of our family. :)

Desensitized

British terrorist plots. Chinese typhoons. Middle East wars. Indonesian earthquakes. Man-made or geological, destruction and evil are everywhere. It's easy these days to be unfazed by things outside our personal sphere. When I surf the net, I'm much more likely to just scan the news headlines and only read the ones that involve sports. I haven't taken the time to really read the stories about the typhoon or earthquake. When I'm watching TV and something comes on about the fierce battles in the middle east, I usually turn the channel. I hardly watch the news, except to watch the weather forecast, because I see stories about pregnant pharmacy cashiers trying to fight off burglars or daycare workers arrested for forgetting a child in a van during triple-digit temperatures and then dropping his lifeless body off at a local park to make it look like he died from heat exhaustion. These stories shake up my "perfect world". I like to be happy, and if being oblivious to pain and evil is the way I have to get there, I guess that's what I do. I even get desensitized reading the Bible. I've heard the stories many times, but there was definitely some pain going on. Jesus actually promised his followers suffering if they truly followed him. I've subscribed to a free publication called Voice of the Martyrs that talks about Christians being persecuted around our globe. I pray that God would remove my calloused heart and replace it with one that feels the pain and joins Him in His mission to help them see that He is all they need...Even when the typhoon hits...Even when the planes blow up...Even when the building shakes...Even when a loved one dies...Even when the pressures of life feel like they're going to crush you...Even when you feel "happy".

2 Corinthians 1:5 "For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

facedown

I got a new CD recently by Matt Redman entitled "Facedown". He also has written a book by the same name, and I read the introduction to it. The premise of the book is grounded in three biblical examples—Ezekiel 1, Daniel 10 and Revelation 7—which all reveal that the worship going on before the heavenly throne is facedown. I've always been a believer that one's physical expression in worship (i.e. standing, hands raised, kneeling, laying face down, closing eyes, clapping hands, dancing, etc) should mirror the posture of one's heart. I try to incorporate this personally, despite the fact that I was brought up in a tradition where physical expression in corporate worship was rare, if not forbidden. Matt Redman makes a good point that most worship services today tend to be good about celebration (clapping, dancing, etc.) but the modern church has a tendency to avoid calling people to true, face-down awe and wonder. When's the last time you saw a congregation bowed low before the Lord crying for Him to pour out his Spirit on the church and the community? We're looking for a church home right now, and this is something I'm looking for...a church who is willing to strip off the facade and get real before God.

On another note, please be in prayer for me, when you have time. I'm battling some gun-shyness with my faith. For some reason, I'm hesitant to talk about my faith with others. I'm not sure if it's from my experience in a spiritually cold place like Denver or if it's a symptom of a greater spiritual ailment. I appreciate you lifting me up when you're facedown before your Friend and King.

Blake Allen Collier

"Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;

toddlers shout the songs that drown out enemy talk,

and silence atheist babble."

Psalm 8:2 (MSG)

Well, our newest addition -- Blake Allen Collier -- arrived today. Amy went in for a regular doctor's visit. She was scheduled for a C-section this Friday, but she was starting to leak some amniotic (not sure if I spelled this right) fluid, so they decided to do it today! This was music to Amy's ears. Blake weighed 8 lbs. 15 oz. and is 19 inches long. Here's a couple of pics.

Happy Birthday

No, I didn't get this stretch limo in the form of the General Lee for my birthday, although that would be cool. I'm not sure it would actually fit in any of the parking spaces in our apartment, nor would it go over too well with some people...especially if the horn plays "Dixie". This pic is another gift from my brother Jay.

Well, We had a false alarm on the baby front the other night. Amy was having contractions several minutes apart, so we went to the hospital. The contractions subsided, so they sent us home. Earlier this week, we did get our C-section due date moved up, so unless Amy goes into labor, we're set to bring Blake into the world on Friday, July 21...which coincidentally falls exactly between my birthday and Will's birthday (both 6 days apart). I promise to post pictures when it happens.

Today is my birthday, and I have to say I think I might actually be getting more mature. According to Amy, this is the first birthday that I haven't had about 10 things that I wanted as a present. I feel like God's changing my priorities and showing me that I don't really need all those things that our culture says I need. He's showing me that He himself should be what I value more than anything on this planet, including some very good things such as health, family, and friendships. That's not to say I don't value these things, but I'm being made more and more aware of my self-centeredness and how I make gods out of God's gifts and worship them instead of the Giver. I always wondered why my dad never really seemed to want things for his birthday or Christmas or Father's Day. I guess he figured out the same thing...the only thing that offers us true, everlasting joy is Jesus, so other "gifts" just pale in comparison. I do admit, that I love getting gifts, and I hope to receive more in the future, but I have a new outlook on them. First of all, they're not expected, and secondly, I don't see them as something I wouldn't be happy without.