Get together

My sister (well, technically my sister-in-law) placed her daughter for adoption with a great family when she was 19. This weekend I got to travel with my sister out to Chicago with my preschool neice and baby nephew. Marta's oldest daughter is 12 now, and we met up with her family (including 3 little sisters that we love!) in the Chitown area. It was so fun to all be together and just hang out. Loved it.

Orphan Care Core Team

I'm proud to be part of one of the coolest emerging ministries in churches acrosss America.

learning from their mistakes

I read Gary Chapman's "Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married" cover to cover today. Great stuff! Although it sounds like a great lead in for a series of marriage jokes, it's for real serious stuff. I'm sure I'll read it again at least once before I get married. I recommend it whether you're already engaged, just wondering if the one you're with might be the one, or single like me and just wanting to have a great marriage one day.

great post on pleasure

Lee Bezotte posted some great thoughts today, especially on the idea that pleasure can be both learned and unlearned. Interesting how this relates to our relationship with God. Check it out: http://www.leebezotte.com/the-problem-with-pleasure/

Pastor John on temptation

So I head to 9am service this morning and our kids pastor speaks on (what else?) temptation. Really good message. Focusing in on James 1 where we're reminded that: 

1. God is never the one tempting us.
2. Unchecked desire leads to temptation, unchecked temptation leads to sin, and that unchecked sin ultimately leads to our destruction.

The key here being unchecked. John (our pastor) urged us to ask God to reveal the reality of our weaknesses. Telling us we must identify and deal with those problem areas or else the enemy will use them to his advantage.

John reminded us of Matthew 4 where Christ is lead into the desert to be tempted. The enemy tries to persuade his to show off his power, to give in to the easy way, even to worship the enemy himself. But Christ always responds with God's truth. Way to go!

Which reminds me of Beth Moore's words: "We're going to have to let truth scream louder to our souls than the lies that have infected us."

no new temptations

I just started reading Beth Moore's "So Long, Insecurity" that my Grandma gave me. In the first chapter, Beth quotes the familiar 1 Corinthians 10:13. Or so I thought. That it was familiar, that is. I was caught off guard as I read:

no trial has overtaken [us] that is not faced by others. And God is faithful.

I've read that passage a million times. Or at least a hundred and two. But the different translation (NET) really made it stand out like a new truth for the first time. I'm not alone. I never will be. I'm never going to face a challenge, a temptation, a struggle so new and different that no one else has never faced it. It's all the same stuff through history, just packaged a little differently.

And God is faithful. Thank You, Father God, and Amen!

thanksgiving is happy, killing them was not

I want to guide my children in the truth as they grow up. For instance, it's great to celebrate Thanksgiving. I love the time with family, the extra time off work, the long weekend. I like celebrating how Native Americans save the Pilgrims in 1621 by helping them fish and cultivate their land. However, I also think kids (as they get old enough to understand) should also know some of the rest of the story.  How we weren't always grateful and great friends with our Native American neighbors. I think we should teach how yes, we are to be thankful. But also how we later mistreated our new neighbors and how that was wrong. Just saying.