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....  

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...

Having just completed a marathon NICU experience, I am reminded of some of the other amazing things Olivia has done. One of these was running a 5K a little over a year ago, just before God created Ahava. 5K may not sound like much to some of you (to others it may sound difficult). For my sweet bride, who still deals with Lupus ( SLE ) every day, it was suppossedly impossible. But don't tell her that, because she did it. We drove to Albuquerque, NM and stayed with some of our best friends. We drove, and on that drive we have a tradition we began the year we visited the Grand Canyon : listening to the song NY2LA. I am attaching the video. It's a silly song, but it has a few powerful images, particularly the part of the video with the bridge (about 2 1/2 minutes in). Enjoy.

 Giving. God gave us His SON. Emmanuel GOD WITH US What does it mean? Why would God do this? Why would He... Righteous, Pure, Majestic, All-Powerful, ALL-KNOWING Holy GOD Give us His Son? To rule and reign? YES To show us the way to life? YES To receive our WORSHIP? YES And, what more? None of these things require a lowly birth. Why else? Why else was the BABE born in a manger? Born in the midst of moral accusations... Born in the lowest place... Born in the midst of stink and filth... Born practically alone... Born helpless. GOD Born HELPLESS! WHY? Is it because WE are HELPLESS? Why did GOD give us His SON?  ALL-KNOWING Holy God? WHY? Love? Was it the only way to call us FRIEND? But, was it His birth that made us friends? Did the manger restore the RIFT between God and Men? NO Then what did? Why the Manger If the Manger is not sufficient? Was the Manger simply the first st...

There are those who believe we should pray for our country's leaders. I agree. We should pray for them to know that Jesus is the true King of kings and Lord of lords and then govern accordingly as those subject to His authority. This video shows actual clips of Barak Obama speaking on the Senate floor before he was President. When I saw it, I was very troubled. I believe God has a plan, and that there is no authority given to men except by His grace. However, the fact our country is being led (manhandled?) by someone who believes these things should remind us all to pray. I do not intend to comment on the commentary of the video, only to bring Mr. Obama's words back into the light. I've seen other video where he claims to be a Christian, but if we have learned anything over the past four years, it is that what bold statements are not the same thing aas truthful statements. Please remember to pray for our country. "For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, 'F...

This is one of my favotire worship songs. I almost said "praise song" but caught myself. I guess technically there is a difference. "Praise" is about what God does; it is about God's acts in history, even in our own lives. "Worship" is about who God is, His eternal nature which never changes. Forever and always, YHWH is the Great "I AM". We worship God for who He is. We praise Him for revealing Himself to us. Perhaps, then, this song does both.

Her face keeps drawing my eyes up from the keyboard. She is breathing, really breathing, without a tube down her throat for the first time. 9 weeks and 4 days later. She shouldn't even be here yet. Then again, she really should. She wiggles. She squirms. She sleeps. She sleeps a lot. It's one of the best things she can do right now. She is so amazing. She has no idea. It's hard to imagine how someone so small could have been so much smaller. It's hard to imagine how someone so alive almost wasn't alive at all. It's hard to imagine how someone so suddenly important to our world can barely recognize that there is a world at all beyond herself. I haven't even tried to post in days. There have been too many changes; too much going on in Ahava-land: vent settings, vent changes, amazing growth and weight gain, increases in portions of Mama's milk.... Olivia has posted a couple of blogs, so please read those. She posted the first on Wednesday and the secon...

Hap B Birthday to me! from Bryan Brigham on Vimeo . This is from my nieces for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I loved it! They decorated the backdrop themselves.

...Of course, these are a lot more impressive than ours!