Walking with Jesus

My brother is a scientific sort of guy, so one of the first thoughts I had after I recovered from hearing this (right after lots of God-praise) was: "I need to post this for Kevin." Of course, even if you aren't Kevin, I want you to listen to this as well. I heard it on the car radio while I was running errands, and it shook me to the core. I actually sat in the parking lot at the recycling center weeping over the goodness of God that we should live in an age when we can hear the praises of creation. The video clip is long, but you'll be glad it is.     Ps. 148:1 Praise the Lord !   Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light ! 4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!   5 Let them praise the name of the Lord , For He commanded and they were created. 6 He also...

Amazing Grace . This movie is one of our favorites. It can be difficult to watch because it is real, but it is also very inspiring. It addresses the 20 year struggle by British Parlimentarian William Wilberforce to end the British Slave Trade. You can read more about his life here . Mr. Wilberforce was also a major force in the general struggle for the reformation of society based on biblical truth. He's one of thos men I look forward to meeting.    Of course, all of the efforts of men and women like William Wilberforce only made slavery illegal (The international trade in slaves in the United Kingdom ended in 1807, but slave ownership was not outlawed until 1833, only weeks before Wilberforce's death.) It is estimated that there are as many as 27 Million (That's 27,000,000 ) persons in slavery TODAY. There are several groups and governmental agancies working to stop this criminal activity every day. Perhaps we should be part of that effort?

Ok, so Olivia already posted this, but I wanted to as well....  

Mark 3     Read it again. There are some real hidden treasures in this chapter.   v.4 - Jesus equates healing with doing good and saving life. What then is to be equated with doing evil and killing? It seems the answer is "not healing." The people kept silent and their doing nothing angered (v.5) and grieved God.     v.11 - The demons knew who Jesus was better than anyone. Make no mistake: Jesus has power and authority. he is no mere teacher of morality.     v.14 - When Jesus calls us, he intends for us to (A) "be with Him" and (B) be sent "out." When (not if ) He sends us out, it is to (1) preach, (2) heal, and (3) deliver from spiritual bondage.     v.27 - What are the "goods" Jesus wants to plunder form satan? Well, we are . Without Jesus, we all belong (legally and spiritually) to the devil.   v.35 - Want to be related to the King of kings? Want Jesus to not only know you, but claim you as kin? Then w...

Ahava and Olivia are featured in today's Abilene Reporter News .   Olivia has the relevant portion of the article in her update today . But, some of you only read my blog, so I wanted to be sure and let you know.   Thank you for your continued prayers and belief for our family.   My daily goal is to trust the Lord, try to focus on praising Him for His blessings, see things from His perspective, and wait upon His providence because He has been so faithful.

I haven't recommended a movie in a while. I've seen some good ones, but just haven't thought about it with everything we have going on now that Ahava is home. However, Olivia and I just watched this movie, and I wanted to encourage you to watch it. It is a story about two childhood friends, reunited by tragedy after several years apart. It is a story about learning to give and to forgive. It is a story about remembering the greatest truth of God's love for us... it is unconditional. 

Two Years...     It's amazing how often I think of you, especially now that Ahava is here. I see you in your sister's face; I hear you in her laugh. The reality of HER makes the reality of YOU that much more potent. I believe you would have made a great big brother. Someday you'll get the chance. Please tell Jesus 'hello' & give Him my thanks. I'm so glad I got to be your daddy.   "Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” 2 Samuel 12:23b

We're keep our Ahava updates going on Olivia's blog. But, I couldn't help but share a few of my favorite pictures from the last few weeks. She is 300 days old today! Happy 300-day Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!!!   This is Ahava! She is doing so great! Yeah, she's got some attitude. (Actually, she's a super sweet little girl)      I can't believe how big she is either. We're so proud of our little miracle.     Just  Beautiful! Thank you, Jesus!!   Start HERE for a good run of Olivia's updates. (click on 'Newer Post' at the bottom of each page)   

[Read Mark 2 here ] Jesus preached the word; (v.2) he used the Hebrew Scripture to tell people who God is. Jesus forgave sins (v.5) and healed (v.12) to show people who God is. Jesus taught them (v.13) and called them to follow his example (v.14) to challenge sinful people with the holiness and love of God. (v.17) Jesus prophesied (v.20) to explain how God was doing a new thing. Jesus clarified (v.25) the errors of tradition to display God's purpose in creation. (v.25) All these things were the Gospel as Jesus lived it. His life was the Gospel: God with us. How then can we say we are sharing the Gospel if we offer less than the Master, less than our very lives? Jesus did not lay his life down only at Calvary, but each step of his journey on the way to that hill. How then can we be satisfied with some future martyrdom [if we even aspire to that and not simply our own comfort] which may or may not ever happen? Is God satisfied with theoretical sacrifice? Or,...

My Christian faith influences every area of my life. If we are honest about who we are before the Lord, then it cannot do less. There are some regular marks of Christian faith in my life, which might be expected in any Jesus follower. These include church attendance, Bible reading, journaling, tithing, and faithfulness in my marriage. However, there are some specific examples of how my daily life is shaped by my faith which may be particularly distinguishing, and I will attempt to illustrate those.   (Of course, let's not forget that I'm still very much a work in progress. I mess up. I fail. I act like a jerk. I'm trying to be like Jesus, I'm not him.) There are some particular beliefs, behaviors, and choices in my life which are motivated by my confidence in the reality of Jesus and my desire to become more like Him. These are my religious parameters for daily living, understanding that ‘religious’ refers only to my efforts to please and glorify God with my ...

I was raised in a culturally Christian home. We went to church fairly regularly (unless we had something better to do). We prayed at my grandmother’s house, before holiday meals, and sometimes after we three boys had gotten into a fight. We were encouraged to be hard-working, moral kids because that’s what God wanted. We went to Sunday school because it was good for us. And, eventually we all made a confession of faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That was about all there was too Christianity in our family. Mission accomplished. Yet, even in my own conversion experience, God was already planting the seeds that would set me apart from the rest of my family and make me a missionary in my own household. I remember the tug of the Holy Spirit beginning to work on my heart the Sunday after my 10 th birthday. We were attending a Bible church, so I knew the gospel. What I didn’t know was whether or not I was prepared to hand the rest of my life over to God. Week after week, I strug...

Music. Song. Worship. It's one of the most powerful communication gifts we have. It's deeper than words, though the words matter more than we realize. It touches us in a place too powerful for us to resist. It sticks in our minds. It comes out with no thought. It shapes us, whether we want it to or not. Why? God created with a word, really with the Word . So, God spoke, right? Did He? That's probably safe enough to say. But, what does it sound like when God speaks? When the Apostle John wrote The Revelation of Jesus, he said, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet ,..." ( Revelation 1:10 ) Then, after the letters to the seven churches are dictated, he writes, "After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me , said, “ Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after t...

The book of Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Philippi, the first European church mentioned in the book of Acts. That story occurs in Acts 16. Paul and Silas had been visiting the churches established earlier when Timothy joined them. From there they wanted to take the gospel further into Asia, but God would not let them go. Instead, the Lord sent them across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia, which is in modern day Greece. They ended up in Philippi, a major city in the region and a Roman colony with almost no Jewish presence. Since there was no synagogue, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and (apparently) Luke went to a place of prayer along the river and shared the gospel with the women who met there. Some of them believed and a congregation of Christ-followers was established. You may remember the story of the slave girl with a spirit of divination who followed along after Paul, crying out, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to u...