Pastor John gave a great message on why it matters if we believe in truth and why he believes the Bible is true.
HT: Bethlehem Baptist Church 2012 Women's Conference
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Thank You for 15 Years of Ministry, Pastor Sam!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sow and Reap
A good, thought-provoking blog post about the harvest that's coming and what we're sowing these days...
HT: Femina
HT: Femina
Friday, October 19, 2012
4 Years, 4 Lessons
A few weeks ago I ran into a friend who is engaged to a lovely lady.
"What should I know about marriage?" he asked.
As the Lord would have it, I had just been mulling over the lessons we've learned in these past 4 years of marriage.
So here are the top 4 that came to mind:
1) Don't look too hard at one another; keep your eyes fixed on the Faithful One.
It doesn't take too many days (hours?) of marriage to begin disappointing one another, sinning, misunderstanding, and generally finding that your life partner has a discouraging number of warts (not to speak of the unfathomable sin that you never knew lay dormant in your own soul!).
The "life verse" of our marriage, so to speak, has been 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24:
God is working.
He will sanctify and preserve.
His faithfulness is what we're banking on.
(A related point: Conflict is not futile. Submitted to God, it always serves to draw us closer together in the end.)
2) Wives: Tone of voice matters.
I think my besetting sin in marriage has been in tone of voice.
I may be right. I generally feel a sense of regal self-righteousness and vindicated frustration. I nail the issue dead-on.
But O how often have I delivered my message with harshness, peevishness, disrespect, and irritation.
I have the world's most amiable, adaptable, accommodating husband, so he's open to almost anything I have to say. But when I slap him in the face with my tone of voice, the value of the message is lost, and whatever good thing I thought I had figured out along with it.
But when the Holy Spirit moderates and I am able to communicate with graciousness, respect, humility, good will, and kindness ... he hears, he feels helped, he feels strengthened.
So this has become my prayer for myself:
1 Thessalonians 5:11:
3) Husbands: Work to understand your wife.
Since this was a guy asking, I tried to think of the one piece of advice I'd give to a husband-to-be.
Under the husband's all-encompassing call to love (Eph. 5), I think the most practical, tangible expression of care is a concerted effort to bend yourself to understand your wife.
Reflect on.
Explore.
Think about.
Remember.
Listen to.
I realize it's risky to try to speak for all wives.
But for me, even the worst mistake or blunder or sin has the stinger removed if I can tell that Ben is really trying to think of me.
1 Peter 3:7:
4) Pray and plan together.
One of the most wonderful things about the wedding planning process was an unfolding desire to pray about everything. Every little detail. (And, out of the kindness of God, the outcome was a wedding day beyond what we could have asked or imagined.)
Tasting that grace, we decided early on that we wanted to have regular blocks of time (once a month, generally) to pray and plan together.
It's a little trickier now, with a little munchkin, but those pray and plan times continue to be one of the absolute best things for our marriage and for our life.
Starting off, we just made a list of all the significant areas of life we could think of, and then talk through and pray through the list, hitting some more than others, depending on what the need of the moment is.
We talk about important things, which otherwise would probably be overlooked in the rush.
We pray about lots of things. I cannot imagine how much grace has flowed to us through this.
We look at the big picture of our life and assess what "course corrections" are needed.
We hear one another's burdens, hopes, praises, concerns, and joys.
We remember how big and sovereign and kind and wise and generous God is.
Bottom line: We love one another more, and we love God more.
Psalm 37:5
More lessons have been learned, but there are a few of the big ones in these 4 sweet, hard, fruitful, blessed, challenging years.
(And to outshine my puny 4 lessons, here is a great message: 40 lessons from 40 years of marriage -Dennis Rainey.)
"What should I know about marriage?" he asked.
As the Lord would have it, I had just been mulling over the lessons we've learned in these past 4 years of marriage.
So here are the top 4 that came to mind:
1) Don't look too hard at one another; keep your eyes fixed on the Faithful One.
It doesn't take too many days (hours?) of marriage to begin disappointing one another, sinning, misunderstanding, and generally finding that your life partner has a discouraging number of warts (not to speak of the unfathomable sin that you never knew lay dormant in your own soul!).
The "life verse" of our marriage, so to speak, has been 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24:
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.I don't know how many times we have looked at one another and nearly despaired of coming to a good place in whatever relationship schism we had encountered. But this verse has been ballast in the boat.
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
God is working.
He will sanctify and preserve.
His faithfulness is what we're banking on.
(A related point: Conflict is not futile. Submitted to God, it always serves to draw us closer together in the end.)
2) Wives: Tone of voice matters.
I think my besetting sin in marriage has been in tone of voice.
I may be right. I generally feel a sense of regal self-righteousness and vindicated frustration. I nail the issue dead-on.
But O how often have I delivered my message with harshness, peevishness, disrespect, and irritation.
I have the world's most amiable, adaptable, accommodating husband, so he's open to almost anything I have to say. But when I slap him in the face with my tone of voice, the value of the message is lost, and whatever good thing I thought I had figured out along with it.
But when the Holy Spirit moderates and I am able to communicate with graciousness, respect, humility, good will, and kindness ... he hears, he feels helped, he feels strengthened.
So this has become my prayer for myself:
1 Thessalonians 5:11:
Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
3) Husbands: Work to understand your wife.
Since this was a guy asking, I tried to think of the one piece of advice I'd give to a husband-to-be.
Under the husband's all-encompassing call to love (Eph. 5), I think the most practical, tangible expression of care is a concerted effort to bend yourself to understand your wife.
Reflect on.
Explore.
Think about.
Remember.
Listen to.
I realize it's risky to try to speak for all wives.
But for me, even the worst mistake or blunder or sin has the stinger removed if I can tell that Ben is really trying to think of me.
1 Peter 3:7:
You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow hear of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
4) Pray and plan together.
One of the most wonderful things about the wedding planning process was an unfolding desire to pray about everything. Every little detail. (And, out of the kindness of God, the outcome was a wedding day beyond what we could have asked or imagined.)
Tasting that grace, we decided early on that we wanted to have regular blocks of time (once a month, generally) to pray and plan together.
It's a little trickier now, with a little munchkin, but those pray and plan times continue to be one of the absolute best things for our marriage and for our life.
Starting off, we just made a list of all the significant areas of life we could think of, and then talk through and pray through the list, hitting some more than others, depending on what the need of the moment is.
We talk about important things, which otherwise would probably be overlooked in the rush.
We pray about lots of things. I cannot imagine how much grace has flowed to us through this.
We look at the big picture of our life and assess what "course corrections" are needed.
We hear one another's burdens, hopes, praises, concerns, and joys.
We remember how big and sovereign and kind and wise and generous God is.
Bottom line: We love one another more, and we love God more.
Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD; trust also in Him, and He will do it.
More lessons have been learned, but there are a few of the big ones in these 4 sweet, hard, fruitful, blessed, challenging years.
(And to outshine my puny 4 lessons, here is a great message: 40 lessons from 40 years of marriage -Dennis Rainey.)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Family Pictures Part 1
Many thanks to the wonderful Lawrence Chui for snapping away (in the photographic sense) at our family!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Seeking Order
The past several weeks I have been feeling convicted of a need for a little more order and purpose in my days. Being at home with Victor and working part-time leaves me with more flexibility than I ever had while working full-time, but without a plan the days just seemed to kinda fly by while too many things were left undone around home.
I read somewhere (but can't remember where) that chaos, disorder, and mess are a part of the fall and should be resisted. We belong to a God of order and good design, so just letting things degenerate into hub-bub doesn't reflect His nature. (But I still don't think "cleanliness is next to godliness"!)
So it started with a long list of things I'd like to get done every week or once a month and then breaking down the duties to various days of the week (wherever they seem to fit most logically). There isn't much more schedule than that, but it was enough to help feel more purposeful when Victor woke up and I tried to figure out what to do next.
And that more or less led to wanting better storage, so there would be somewhere to put all the stuff. And, thanks to Craigslist, Ikea, our wonderful Ed, and my dad, there has been some headway in that too!
I realize this is not pristine or highly aesthetically pleasing. But it feels like we're heading a better direction at least.
I read somewhere (but can't remember where) that chaos, disorder, and mess are a part of the fall and should be resisted. We belong to a God of order and good design, so just letting things degenerate into hub-bub doesn't reflect His nature. (But I still don't think "cleanliness is next to godliness"!)
So it started with a long list of things I'd like to get done every week or once a month and then breaking down the duties to various days of the week (wherever they seem to fit most logically). There isn't much more schedule than that, but it was enough to help feel more purposeful when Victor woke up and I tried to figure out what to do next.
And that more or less led to wanting better storage, so there would be somewhere to put all the stuff. And, thanks to Craigslist, Ikea, our wonderful Ed, and my dad, there has been some headway in that too!
I realize this is not pristine or highly aesthetically pleasing. But it feels like we're heading a better direction at least.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Dedication
Dear Victor Albert,
Sometimes it feels like life starts rolling too quickly to keep up. That has been the past week or so.
You came down with a cold last week. Just a normal, run-of-the-mill, sniffly-nosed, coughing, sneezing, droopy variety, but it pressed us pretty hard.
You needed some extra snuggling, and I couldn't do much when you were awake. You woke yourself up coughing, so naptime (i.e. work time) took a hit.
Grammy and Grandad were coming for the weekend, and they were going to keep you overnight on Friday so Daddy and I could go to a bed and breakfast. But you started gagging and choking on the phlegm draining down your throat, so we stayed home to be sure your night wasn't too rough.
When you're sick, I feel like every muscle of my body tenses up, wanting to make you okay. But even just a little cold shows that I'm not sufficient to protect you.
So it was a good weekend for your child dedication.
Together with your parents who love you dearly, and this people who care about the outcome of your faith, I dedicate you to God, surrendering together with them all worldly claims upon your life in the hope that you will belong wholly to Jesus Christ, forever.
It's our privilege and very precious joy to be your parents, Victor Albert. And it's a high calling.
There are five promises we gave our "I do" to in front of the congregation:
May the LORD be your counselor all the days of your life.
Even in the night, may the LORD instruct your heart.
May you always set the LORD before you.
May the LORD always be at your right hand so that you will never be shaken.
May your heart be glad; your tongue rejoice; and your body rest secure.
May the LORD make known to you the path of life, fill you with joy in His presence, and give you pleasures at His right hand forever and ever.
We love you, Victor Albert.
Momma and Daddy
Sometimes it feels like life starts rolling too quickly to keep up. That has been the past week or so.
You came down with a cold last week. Just a normal, run-of-the-mill, sniffly-nosed, coughing, sneezing, droopy variety, but it pressed us pretty hard.
You needed some extra snuggling, and I couldn't do much when you were awake. You woke yourself up coughing, so naptime (i.e. work time) took a hit.
Grammy and Grandad were coming for the weekend, and they were going to keep you overnight on Friday so Daddy and I could go to a bed and breakfast. But you started gagging and choking on the phlegm draining down your throat, so we stayed home to be sure your night wasn't too rough.
When you're sick, I feel like every muscle of my body tenses up, wanting to make you okay. But even just a little cold shows that I'm not sufficient to protect you.
So it was a good weekend for your child dedication.
Together with your parents who love you dearly, and this people who care about the outcome of your faith, I dedicate you to God, surrendering together with them all worldly claims upon your life in the hope that you will belong wholly to Jesus Christ, forever.
It's our privilege and very precious joy to be your parents, Victor Albert. And it's a high calling.
There are five promises we gave our "I do" to in front of the congregation:
- Do you recognize these children as the gifts of God and give heartfelt thanks for God’s blessing?
- Do you now dedicate your children to the Lord who gave them to you, surrendering all worldly claims upon their lives in the hope that they will belong wholly to Jesus Christ?
- Do you pledge as parents that, with God’s fatherly help, you will bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, making every reasonable effort, with patience and love, to build the Word of God, the character of Christ and the joy of the Lord into their lives?
- Do you promise to provide, through God’s blessing, for the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs of your children, looking to your own heavenly Father for the wisdom, love and strength to serve them and not use them?
- Do you promise, God helping you, to make it your regular prayer that by God’s grace your children will come to trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins and for the fulfillment of all his promises to them, even eternal life; and in this faith follow Jesus as Lord and obey his teachings?
May the LORD be your counselor all the days of your life.
Even in the night, may the LORD instruct your heart.
May you always set the LORD before you.
May the LORD always be at your right hand so that you will never be shaken.
May your heart be glad; your tongue rejoice; and your body rest secure.
May the LORD make known to you the path of life, fill you with joy in His presence, and give you pleasures at His right hand forever and ever.
We love you, Victor Albert.
Momma and Daddy
Sunday, October 7, 2012
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