Inside the mind of my 3-year-old son

For a class Amy is taking on developing the spiritual lives of children, she had to interview a preschooler. She interviewed Will, and I'm amazed at his answers...some of which are more theologically correct than they first appear. As you read them, remember that he had no prompting and was just answering off the top of his head. These are also direct quotes. Here's the Q & A session:

Q: What is your favorite game?
A: Thomas the train

Q: Do you like to play outside? What do you like to do when you are outside?
A: Yes; paint, play ball, go on my bike

Q: Who is Jesus?
A: God; a preacher

Q: Who is God?
A: He gives me everything I need and houses

Q: What does God look like?
A: Jesus

Q: What do you like to do at church?
A: treasure chest; play; Celebration Zone; worship God

Q: Do you go to Sunday School? What do you do in Sunday School?
A: Yes; color, read stories which are one page

Q: Tell me about your Sunday School teacher.
A: I love them. They teach me how to do things that are right.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do with your dad?
A: Wrestle

Q: What is your favorite thing to do with your mom?
A: Jumping on the bed

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

I was allowed to be part of a private screening for an upcoming move called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. It's a docu-drama featuring Ben Stein (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Win Ben Stein's Money, etc), and they showed it to a select crowd today at the seminary. One of our professors, Bill Dembski - an expert on ID, was interviewed for the movie.

In the movie, Stein interviews scientists from both sides of the Darwinism vs. Intelligent Design debate. His main premise is to find out why Intelligent Design (ID) proponents are discriminated against and why some of them have been fired or discredited for their adherence to ID. It's a powerful film, and I strongly encourage everyone to go see it opening weekend: April 18. The more people who go see it the opening weekend, the longer it will run in theaters for more people to see it. It's been likened to a "Trojan horse of truth dropped in the middle of popular culture."

What I really liked about the film is that it discussed the consequences to the idea of Darwinism: the loss of the sanctity of life. If evolution is true, then life has no purpose or meaning, and, therefore, the killing fields of Cambodia and the Holocaust cannot be considered evil. Abortion, euthanasia, eugenics, etc. are all simply part of the survival of the fittest.

To view the trailer, go to http://expelledthemovie.com/playground.php. You will not be disappointed.

Let the Addiction Begin...again

It's that time of year again...Six Flags opened today! Amy, Will, Blake, and I arrived a few minutes after the gates opened and had a blast! I've been working a lot of extra hours lately, so this was a great day to spend with family...and the weather was awesome - 75 degrees and sunny!

Season passes are one of mankind's finest achievements. I know God is maturing me when we didn't ride one adult ride all day, and I loved every minute.

Will did the parachute drop (see picture) for the first time, which I wasn't sure he'd be up for. He liked it so much, he had to take mommy on it the second time! He also gave high-fives to some of the characters walking around the park, which is a huge step for him. When we left, he was even talking about taking pictures with them next time. I was really proud of him today...he overcame his fear of a big ride and scary individuals dressed up like cartoon characters. He only has an inch and a half more to grow and he can ride the Titan (70-mph steel rollercoaster with an intense drop)!

Lastly, we got a free photo. Now this may not sound like a big deal, but have you seen what they charge for one of these? We rode the log ride (a favorite of ours because all of us, including Blake, can ride it together). They take your picuture as you go down the big drop. (I hammed it up a bit for the camera b/c I know where it takes the picture) Afterwards, we were looking at the picture on the screen at the booth, and the lady running it said it was a great shot. She offered us a free photo if she could use it as a display at the booth. I signed a legal waiver, which I hope doesn't come back to haunt me, and we walked away with a perfect end to a wonderful day.

Hermeneutical Hip-Hop

I wrote an article recently about a fellow student who mixes solid theology with hip-hop. You can read the article here: www.swbts.edu/gospel_hiphop.

You can also watch the companion video that my good friend Adam Covington made:

Surrendered Preaching

In my "Intro to Preaching Class," we read a book by my professor, Steven Smith. This guy can really preach, so I was excited to take his class. He's an expository preacher who thinks boring preaching is a sin (to which I fully agree). His book isn't published yet, but it should be. He talks about how the preacher must surrender to four things:

1. God: "The preacher who is not disgusted with flesh, scared of God, with a healthy fear of His judgment, will allow the medium (persuasive speech) to be the primary message."
2. The text: "Expository preaching is teaching people to read Scripture and motivating them to live it" (Paige Patterson).
3. The audience: "The preacher learns to see in the dark, taking the light to those who cannot see."
4. The task of great preaching: The preacher is responsible to clearly communicate the message of the text to his audience. He is not seeking to be validated or highly esteemed in his preaching. He is simply concerned with helping people understand and follow God.

I wrote this honest evaluation after reading the book:

Why do I enjoy preaching and teaching? Most of the time, it is because I derive some self-worth and value from appearing knowledgeable. I want people's approval. Lord, forgive me for seeking value in a place where I should be hidden. I surrender to You, Your Word, those you want me to teach, and the incredible task of communicating effectively.

All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give.

I will ever love and trust Him. In His presence daily live.

I surrender all. I surrender all.

All to Thee, my blessed Savior. I surrender ALL.

Standing Next to Hitler?

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2:9-11, NASB)

Our church celebrated the opening of its new sanctuary this morning, and the worship was incredible. During the musical part of our worship, a song based on the verse above was sung. As I sang, I got a picture in my mind of being in that mass of people on judgment day.

I don't know if everyone will be mixed together or if they'll be separated into believers and non-believers, but according to this verse, regardless of their earthly decisions, they will fall facedown in front of Jesus on that day. Then I thought, "What if I were standing next to Hitler on that day?" I would be facedown, overjoyed in the presence of the Lord, but he would be facedown in indescribable anguish over forsaking the real King. Part of me hurt for him. Then my mind shifted from Hitler to others in this world who are lost and without hope on that day. Instead of joyfully bowing in honor of the King, the sheer magnitude of the realization of their depravity will double them over.

Makes me want to tell them about Jesus. How about you? It makes me ache for the thousands of people in Colorado who worship the creation but not the Creator. It may not be literal tree-hugging...it could just be hiking on Sundays because it makes them feel spiritual. Regardless, when the mountains melt like wax before Him upon His return, the object of their worship will be made known.

Let's not be selfish. One day, your neighbor will bow...will it be the first time? One day, that stranger you ignored will bow...will it be in joy or anguish? One day, those whom you've despised and rejected will bow...will they shed tears of gratefulness or tears of terror? Think you can't tell them about Jesus? Think they'll never come to faith in Him?

My Savior, He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever, the author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

Shine your light and let the whole world see

Your singing for the glory of the risen King

Promotion + Vietnam + Interactive Bible Reading

Three quick updates about life here with the Cowtown Colliers:

1. I got a promotion last week. I'm now the Associate Director of News and Information. Basically, I will be responsible for managing the writers and building relationships with media personnel to get our stories out. I'll still write and edit, and I'm really excited about the opportunity. Please pray for wisdom, creativity, and time management as I take on this new task.
2. My Vietnam trip will probably get rescheduled to May. God raised the money for me to go in the fastest time anyone's raised it before, but no one else was able to raise the money in time. I asked our leader if we wanted to wait until May so more people could go. It looks like that will be when we go, but I'll keep you posted. It actually works out better for me schedule wise.
3. If you don't have a regular Bible reading plan, I'm in the rotation with three other writers for our church's online Interactive Bible Reading (click to check it out). You can post comments about what God's showing you and everything.

Future Photographer

So the grandmothers were in town this past weekend. Amy's mom let Will go wild with her digital camera. Here's some of the "abstract" photos he shot:

Shred and Re-organize

Last night, Amy and I spent several hours re-organizing our file cabinet. We shredded old bills and forms with personal information. We also cleaned out folders of unneccessary items.

In church this morning, we were singing a song which said, "Come, Lord Jesus, Come." I realized that sometimes I'm satisfied with living my life, and I'm not always anticipating the return of Jesus.

As I began to repent of this, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the reorganizing and shredding from last night. He said He wanted to do the same in me internally. I began to confess sin and ask that he shred it and reorganize my life and priorities.

In His power, I'm wanting to grow stronger and more intentional in my walk with the Lord. As I anxiously await the final coming of the Kingdom at the end of days, I will live in the Kingdom that is now at hand (Mark 1:15)

Humility Begins with Gratefulness

Last night as I was laying down in bed and praying, the Holy Spirit started convicting me of arrogance and pride issues. It's not the first time I've been faced with this aspect of my own depravity, so I repented and started talking to God about why I keep falling into this sin trap.

I walk around with a lot of insecurities, as I imagine almost everyone does. The ways humans deal with their insecurities vary, and my way is to try to overcompensate through humor and sarcasm. I'll say something that sounds arrogant in a humorous way in an effort to try to display some type of self-confidence.

In church today, several of the songs we sang spoke of thankfulness, gratefulness, and surrender. It felt as though God were saying, "Humility begins with gratefulness." When I recognize that everything I have is a gift from my King, then I recognize that self-confidence is not all that important. God-confidence is most important. If I rely on myself and begin to think I'm responsible for my accomplishments, pride begins to swell. When I recognize I'm an unworthy servant who has been adopted into the King's family, I will boast in His richness and grace.

Psalm 34:2 "My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad."

Galatians 6:14 "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whichthe world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

Here's some lyrics from a song we sang today:
I will boast in the Lord my God
I will boast in the one who's worthy
He's worthy!
I will make my boast in Christ alone

Vietnam

Many of you already know that I am planning on taking a 10-day trip to Vietnam with my church planting internship in March. I wasn't sure if I would be able to raise the funds to go, and I also had some problems with my passport. On both, God came through with flying colors!!!

The passport was more of a timing issue. Because I'm going to Vietnam with a religious group, the Visa process takes a little longer. I called the US Passport Agency because my passport wasn't going to arrive for up to 3 weeks, and they said they would put in a request to expedite my passport, but we all know how fast the government can be. Within a couple of days, my passport was in my mailbox!

As for funds, I had to raise $3,000 to go on the trip. I sent out letters to friends and family at the beginning of December and after 3 weeks, I have nearly all of the money! For those of you who gave money, I greatly appreciate it, and please know that your investment has Kingdom rewards.

In each of these areas, God proved both His faithfulness and His plan for me to go to Vietnam. Our church has been working in Vietnam for 12 years now, providing development projects such as water filtration systems, special education training for teachers, and, soon, computer labs for underprivileged schools. I have been part of the team working on the computer labs, which will provide poor children computer skills to help them get jobs.

Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Pray also for Amy and the boys as they will be without me for 10 days (and I without them).

Merry Christmas

We want to wish all of you a merry and meaningful Christmas. I pray that the Savior would be singular in your affections this holy day. May He outshine the gifts and time with family. May he not be a trite reference.

Celebrate the King with me! See him as Matthew, as the King of kings...whom Magi (intellectuals) seek and bow down to. He's the prophesied one; the hope of the nations. He's the Jewish Messiah, desending from Abraham, fulfilling the covenants. He's worshipped by men from the East, representing the nations who will bow at His feet. A jealous king slaughtered children as Jesus' family escaped to Egypt, echoing back to the Exodus, when a crazed Pharoah heard the cries of mourning families as the Israelites escaped from Egypt. He is Immanuel, "God with us."

See him as Luke, as the Good Shepherd...whom shepherds praised and heralded in the streets. He's the champion of the lowly...from an unsuspecting teenage girl to those lowly shepherds. When you hear that He was wrapped in cloths in the manger, think forward to Him being wrapped in cloths after His crucifixion...and remember that those grave cloths were cast aside as He rose in triumphant victory over death! Hear the angelic proclamation, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news (gospel) of great joy which will be for all people." Jews and Gentiles alike are included (Luke 2:32).

Done with school...sort of

The fall semester ended today, and I feel like a free man. I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks without tests and papers. In fact, I'm really anxious about wasting this time.

I'll still be working, which will require a lot of focus and energy over the next two months. We're working on the upcoming seminary magazine, and it's a doozy. It will be our Centennial edition since the school celebrates 100 years in 2008, so it is a REALLY big deal. It's cool to read biographies about some of the presidents, but the whole project is a daunting task. It should have been started months ago, but I've come to grips with the fact that I cannot change that. Please pray for me and our team as we try to tell the legacy of an institution who challenges and trains men and women to bring the radically transforming person of Jesus Christ to a blind and hurting world. Pray for clarity, efficiency, joy, and sanity. Pray that we will be Christlike in the crunch-time and give grace to one another as anxiety rears its head. Pray that Christ will be exalted above the institution. Thanks for praying (even if, like I sometimes do, you prayed this prayer just now because you're afraid you'll forget to later).

I'm hoping to use the break to catch up on a lot of reading for my church planting internship, pray a lot about our future in church planting, spend time w/ the fam, and tell people about Jesus. Please pray for boldness and obedience in sharing Christ with strangers and/or family. I hope to blog a little more also...so stay tuned!

Long Time, No Speak

As you can imagine, the busyness of the semester has stifled my blogging, but I'm trying to get back in the saddle. I'll be working on a paper this week, and that should be the last major assignment before finals begin on Dec. 7. I've meant to post several times but just never seemed to get around to it. Here's a month's worth of things I've been thinking about:

- A new resolution (and it's not even New Year's yet): In church today, I was convicted that passion for God and effectively reaching people with the Gospel will not just magically appear in my life; I must be intentionally committed to spiritual disciplines. My spiritual disciplines have been lacking, and it's no wonder I often feel disconnected from the presence and power of God. I'm surrounded by religiosity at work, school, and church, but it's easy to neglect moments with the Savior here and there in this type of environment.

- Deconstructing Churchianity: There's a gazillion books out there telling people how to do church better. Is it a new model or just resurrecting an ancient one? Should it be a come-and-see church or a go-and-tell church? Have we put so much emphasis on the church that we've reduced it to a building or an organization?

The church is the body of Christ...the people of God. When we focus on the life of the disciple, church takes on a whole new look. I heard recently that in America, we have more mega-churches (congregations of 2,000+) than ever before, but we have fewer people going to church. When we replace Christian maturity with church models, we get faulty people running faulty organizations. Just think, the corporate model of church that we saw in the last decade (pastors functioning as CEO's) has dealt us the same fate as many large corporations: leaders who scandalously fall from grace. This happens when they focus on running the organization instead of personally growing as a disciple. You can see why I'm making the above resolution.

It would be easy to blame it on the fallen leaders, but a less publicized epidemic is with those in the pew (or stadium seating, if you're in a mega-church). My brother told me that a lady at his work actually said this about a co-worker who claims to be a Christian: "She says she is a Christian, but if that's what being a Christian looks like, I don't want any part of it." I'm growing convinced that discipleship generally happens better through a mentor-style relationship than a lecture-style.

- Reaching Generations and the Nations: I think this might be the slogan of our church in the future. Psalm 145 says that one generation will declare the glory of the Lord to another generation. I don't want to be a segregated church, ethnically or chronologically. Paul's charge in Titus 2 captures this perfectly. How do we accomplish a mult-generational, multi-national church? We must make disciples in our "Jerusalem, Samaria, and the utter-most parts of the world."

- Challenges from my dad and others: My mom and dad have been in town a couple of times recently. I love my dad's heart and perspective on ministry. He's old-school in many ways, but that's not always a bad thing. He's not easily caught up in current trends and is a shining example of someone passionate to see those outside the family of God becoming part of our family. He always knows the right questions to ask me that make me think more about future ministry. Thanks, dad!

- Christmas vs. Consumermas: I'm working on an article for our student paper on fighting the gospel of consumerism that's preached during the holidays. There's a humorous take on this in limited-release movie that will soon be out called "What Would Jesus Buy?" It's not a Christian movie, but it's made by the same guy who did "Super-size Me" and is a documentary on how Americans treat Christmas. I'm trying to figure out how to raise my kids to see that Christmas is more than a gift-giving holiday and even more than a holiday for family time. These are good things, and we'll engage in both, but I want my kids, and myself, to recognize the celebration of Emmanuel, God with us, as the central theme of the holiday. Amy and I are trying to find ways that the gifts given to our children and the time spent as a family point to this reality.

- Pictures to share: Working in the communications office at school has its perks, including being able to get a good deal on a photo-shoot with a talented photographer. Kathleen Murray, a photographer in our office, spent some time with our family on the seminary campus and got a lot of great photos. Here's some of the best ones:

The Write Stuff

As you well know, I'm a writer at the seminary. People often ask me about the job, so I thought I'd give you some insight. Most of the time I think the title sounds more glamorous than the job really is. People hear "writer" and they get the idea that I'm some novelist who pumps out brilliant text. In reality, I mostly pump out news releases, write articles for the student newsletters and magazines, and write "copy" for advertisements/marketing material. Even though I'm not writing something with Fabio on the cover, I enjoy it.

At any rate, the job is going very well. I work with some incredibly talented people (makes me feel kinda out of place at times). They're also a lot of fun to work with, which makes the stressful moments a little more manageable. Some things are more interesting to write than others, but that's to be expected. One of my most exciting articles to write was about a Navy chaplain and the 9 salvations his ship saw while on a 7 1/2 month tour in Iraq. (see article and companion video to the article at http://www.swbts.edu/email/20071005.html)

The job feels like a good fit. They keep giving me writing assignments, so that must be a good sign. :) You can always check out what I write if you'd like. Our newest edition of the seminary magazine just came out (my first magazine), and you can read it online at http://www.swbts.edu/swnews/. You can also read news releases at http://www.swbts.edu/pressreleases/releases.cfm.

Continue to pray for us. Working, schooling, internship, etc. eats up a lot of time and energy. I struggle with not having the time I want with Amy and the kids and time to reflect and process what I'm learning. At the same time, I don't want to be in school for 5 years, so I must press on. Pray that I will be efficient with my time and keep my priorities where they should be.

Planting Pontifications and more

As I'm in the mode of church planting these days, things run through my mind off and on. I want to share some of my thoughts lately...really more for myself so I can look back on this in the future to see what God was doing in me...but maybe also for someone else out there. Pardon these ramblings:

God continues to strengthen in Amy and I a desire to return to NW Denver. Every time we hear anything about Denver or Colorado, we grin from ear to ear. For example, how about those Colorado Rockies?? (the baseball team, not the landscape, although they are quite nice as well)

I'm getting seminary credit for the internship I'm doing through our church. As part of the credit, I also have to have a support group of peers who I talk about ministry with. So, I invited a couple of my close friends and their families over for dinner last night. They asked us some really good questions about church planting, such as "How do you plant a church?" We shared our experiences and what we would keep or do differently if we had a chance to do it all over again. It was a really refreshing time because I tend to make greater strides and keener insights when I dialogue about things out loud with people. It's like things that have been sporadically bouncing around in my brain begin to link together in words and sentences, and they suddenly make more sense. I'm looking forward to future meetings like these.

I've been struck lately with a deep concern about the current trend towards church planting. Please don't misunderstand me, I will be the first to say that church planting is one of the most effective forms of evangelism we have today and it's one of the most needed things. I am 100% for church planting. My concern lies in the underlying trendiness associated with church planting (which I'll now start referring to as CP to prevent carpal tunnel). CP is the really cool thing to do now. It's being pushed in most evangelical denominations and for good reasons. There are a lot of young men and women who are jumping into CP with a desire for the glory of God but no foundation. They think (like I did at one time) that it's better to jump right into ministry and not waste time with training and/or seminary.

The danger in this is that many people, enamored by the opportunity to start something exciting in a new place and thinking they won't have to deal with people set in their ways at an existing church, press on towards CP without being called by God to do it. In effect, God may want them to revitalize an existing church, and yet they forsake that calling because it seems uninspiring or boring. I reject the notion that some CP "experts" have that says that we should just let dying churches die b/c it's easier to plant a new one in their place. God, forgive us if we ignore the work You've begun when You want to do more.

So, back to my concern...I'm afraid that scores of people will chase the trendy ministry of CP without counting the cost and in the long run end up costing the Church a double-whammy: abandoning existing churches and burning out and never doing ministry again. CP is extremely hard work, but it is also some of the most joyous work when it's what God has called you to do. This is why I have waffled so much with whether God is calling me to do it. I don't want to do it b/c it's trendy or adventurous. If I do that, you can buy my plane ticket back home for 2-3 years from now when I fizzle from trying to do something in my own power.

We need church planters! We need teams of individuals to lay it on the line and engage communities with no visible church presence for the sake of the Gospel. We need blue collar and white collar workers to transfer jobs or venture into new careers so they can move with a team to plant a church. CP teams do not need to be made solely of vocational ministers. Our views of discipleship have got to change. We have a lecture-style mentality of discipleship which says, "Just buy a couple more devotional books or participate in another Bible study, and you'll be a stronger Christian." My Korean friends are showing me the biblical model of mentorship-discipling. Jesus didn't set up a university to train disciples...He said, "Come, follow me."

I issue a challenge for you to pray right now about the possibility of CP, whether that be from a prayer or financial support aspect or whether that be from a participation aspect. Too bad we think church planters have to be young. Oh, to see middle-aged and senior adults leveraging their spiritual maturity and life experiences for the Kingdom of God instead of trying to figure out a way to spend their remaining years in self-satisfaction. But, in all of this, we must count the cost. (By the way, this is not a plea for you to join us in CP, although we welcome anyone who God calls along side of us. God may be calling you in a completely different direction, and you need to follow that calling).

In addition to the call, I believe church planters must be equipped not just with strategy and networking skills, but also with pastoral skills and preaching skills. It's disheartening for me when I read CP books that never teach church planters how to effectively and creatively preach the Word of God or how to relate it to someone who is struggling with certain issues in his life. They'll tell you how to plan events, reach out to the community, or cast vision, but I haven't read much about how to teach the biblically illiterate in your mission field how to read and understand the Bible. Fortunately, I'm getting great training in how to do some of these things, but like I mentioned before, many church planters skip the training because they're anxious to get their hands dirty. Maybe God will allow me to help train others in some way.

Lastly, here's some facts I heard the last week or so. The U.S. currently has approx. 500,000 international students in its colleges and universities. 70 % of these students have never been invited to an American's house. 80% have never been invited to an American church. Oh what a global mission field awaits us out our back door! It's government-funded missions, and you don't have to leave the country. The mission field is coming to us. Won't you consider seeing how you can befriend an international student or two? They are lonely. They are struggling with the language barrier. They want friendships. They need Jesus. Are you daring enough to at least ask God what you should do about this?

I'm sure this stirred the pot some. Post a comment or two if you'd like. There's lots here to hash out.

3 Minute Testimony

In my contemporary evangelism class at school, we had to write a 3-minute testimony about our life before Christ, our conversion experience, and what has happened since. We were challenged not to use "churchy" words. Here's mine:

I grew up in a religious family. We went to church all the time, and most people would say I was a good kid. The problem was that I was an addict. No, I wasn’t an addict to drugs or alcohol. I was addicted to something more hidden: selfishness and rebellion against God. I wanted to do things my own way. I had a big problem with telling the truth. I would tell lies to cover up my actions and to try to make myself look good. I believed God existed, and I thought I was good enough to go to heaven when I died. I went through all the religious rituals, but nothing changed in my life.

Over time, I learned that I couldn’t be good enough on my own. Even one lie was breaking God’s law, which made me an enemy of God. This breaking of God’s law, which God calls sin, separated me from God and deserved punishment. I couldn’t outweigh my sin with good deeds. I realized that Jesus took my punishment and offered me forgiveness for my sins and a new life. If I accepted Jesus’ payment for my sins, renounced my sinful ways and committed my life to him, I could have a relationship with God and the assurance that I would live with Him forever. So, one night at church, I repented and committed my life to Jesus.

When I became a Christian, my life was forever changed. I didn’t enjoy sin anymore, and I wanted to please God. I started reading my Bible, and it started making more sense to me. Life wasn’t perfect, and neither was I, but I had hope and a genuine joy in my life that I had never experienced. I’ve gotten to know God better, and I have discovered His plans for my life. I have the sense of purpose and satisfaction that everyone’s looking for. I love Jesus and will do anything He tells me to do. Have you ever had an experience like this?

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Overdrive

Well, things are in overdrive. This was the first full week for school, and I started my new job on Tuesday. I like the new job; the office environment is great. I get along with everyone. This week was more of an "easing into the cold water" (see pic of Blake in ice cold river water) week, but I'm pretty sure they're going to push me in next week. My biggest concern is time management, so if you have a couple of moments right now, will you say a prayer for me and my family? Thanks. It's just going to take discipline and flexibility.

I've been challenged lately in my walk with the Lord. As I've been reading from the book of Matthew and some other books for my church planting internship, I've realized that I've been trying to live the spiritual life apart from the Spirit. It has hit me like a brick wall. You'd think I wouldn't be this dumb...after all, spiritual has the word spirit in it! I've been frustrated over the past couple of years with not being consistent in my walk and not experiencing the power of the Lord. It's like I've been running on empty for so long, and I haven't noticed that the plug came out of the socket. The Bible tells us that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is power, freedom, boldness, and wisdom. Without the Spirit, we're no better off than those who don't walk with the Lord. Without the Spirit, my eyes are dull to the Bible...with the Spirit, the Bible becomes vibrant. I've wondered why when a preacher or my professor explains a passage, it explodes with life and depth that I've never seen. It's because they're walking in the Spirit, and the Spirit breaths life into Word. I heard a message the other day, and the preacher explained that in the Bible, Spirit and Word are inseparable. They're as inseparable as breath and speech. (See Gen. 1:2-3; Ps. 33:6; Luke 4:18; John 3:34; 2 Tim. 3:16). "When the word of God is expounded, the Spirit speaks." (R. Kent Hughes)

Here's some pics from our trip to New Mexico:

Summer Update/Big changes in store...

It's been a while since my last post, and boy have we been busy! Here's a brief summary of what we've been up to and some pics along the way:

New Mexico

The day after Blake's birthday, we headed out for a road trip to New Mexico with Amy's mom, dad, and nephew. It was a great trip. FYI, don't go 73 in a 65 in Texas when you're 5 miles from the New Mexico border...just ask my father-in-law. :) In New Mexico, we stayed in Ruidoso, which is a mountain town, and all of Amy's aunts, uncles, cousins from her mom's side got together. We rented a big house right off the river. Will, Blake, and I were adventurous and played in the river. The water was pretty cold, which Will hated, but Blake dove right in...literally!

Will's Birthday/Class Reunion

We returned from the New Mexico Trip on Tuesday, and on Friday, we drove down to Beaumont to see family. That Friday was Will's birthday, so we had a party. There's a lot of birthdays on my side of the family in July & August, so we had a joint birthday celebration (see picture below of everyone blowing out candles...we missed you, Jay). I had my 12-year class reunion...I know it's stupid, and I don't know why my class is this weird. Basically, they missed the 5-year, so they had a 7-year instead, and so now the tradition continues. I'd like to pontificate about life and reminiscing with friends, but I wouldn't have a lot to say. It was nice to see people I haven't seen in 12 years. Some have changed, most have not. I realized that it only takes about 5-7 minutes to get updated on some one's story since high school. Maybe if I would have gone to the bar that night w/ everyone I would have heard more, but a family picnic for a couple of hours suited me just fine. I only have a handful of people from high school that I even remotely keep up with, so it's not that big of a deal.

Family in town

The following week, my oldest brother and his family came up. We hit Six Flags twice and went to the Star Wars exhibit at the Fort Worth Museum. It's so cool to see our kids playing together (see pic below). Also, this weekend, my parents came up to see us. Dad and I went to the bookstore to get some stuff for school and my upcoming church planting internship. We also went to Six Flags last night. Storms rolled in right as we were getting there, so all the rides were shut down, which was disappointing. We decided to go eat dinner and see if the storm would blow over, and it did. The park was practically empty, so my younger brother, dad, and I got to ride all the rides we wanted...multiple times. Will also got to ride a lot of rides w/ his Meme (my mom)...thanks mom for enduring the Mini Mine Train 7 times in a row!

Will's Birthday Party

Last weekend, we had Will's birthday party...2 weeks after his birthday. See the picture below of his cake...Amy did this. We had the party at the seminary rec center and had a pool party. The cake is an ocean scene, complete with graham cracker island and lounging teddy grahams. It was a hit, and Will loved his "Water Party".

New Job

Last but not least, I'm changing jobs! Crazy, I know. It happened really quickly, but it will be a huge blessing. I wasn't really looking for a job, and I got an email from the seminary. They were looking for people to work in their Communications Department. Long story short, I sent my resume, submitted a sample of my writing, interviewed, and a week later, I had a new job. I'll be a Senior Writer, which means I'll write press releases, marketing materials, news articles, etc. for the seminary. It lines up with my bachelor's degree, and I love writing. Through the job, all my tuition will be paid for, and I'll get full medical benefits for me and my family. I'll have to work 40 hours per week instead of the 30 I was working at Sylvan, but it will be worth it as far as I can see. I start on August 28th, just after school starts. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. It's a great opportunity that God has provided, so we'll see where it goes. It was a very difficult decision because I love working for Sylvan, but it was the best decision for my family. Please pray for me and my family as we all make the new adjustments.