Bailey Christmas 2009

Here is this year's installment of the lighting of the Bailey household. Enjoy.

Abby J

Just in case you missed it. We are having a girl and her name will be Abigail Jaicee. For those keeping track baby loading is now 65% complete.

Cold Calling for the 21st Century

This is from Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,570493,00.html?test=faces

"7. You'll chat with faceless minions

One new trend regurgitates an age-old concept: On sites such as Omegle.com, you can chat with complete strangers. AOL has provided this capability for eons (isn't that what chat boards are all about?), but Omegle.com puts a random spin on it, pairing you safely and anonymously with an arbitrary total stranger. You can chat with some dude in Norway or Japan in less than 5 seconds.

Why the trend is important: Other than the fun factor, Omegle indicates the final piece in the globalization puzzle."

While I am not personally enthralled with this idea it does seem like there are a ton of evangelism opportunities with this.

Halloween Fun

So the Halloween fun as begun! Here are some pictures from tonight's adventures.

Here is sheriff Woody!


Here is the most awesome Bumblebee!


Here we are collecting candy from some nice businesses in Geneva



When we got home we found a package from Nan, Grandaddy and Mema.

Pink is it!

For those of you who have not heard we have been informed by the medical professional that Hershey is indeed a girl. We have long thought this to be true. We have some new pictures that I plan on posting later tonight. We appreciate all of your prayers during this incredibly normal pregnancy.

It is finished!

As I began this post I immediately thought of the great Petra song "It is finished!" Though the song itself has little to do with the post I thought I would share the song with everyone. Don't let the hair and clothes scare you off :)




Now on to the real reason for this post. I wanted to let everyone know that we have an edited version of our prospectus for The Journey. We would love for everyone to take a look at and let us know what you think. We would also love it if each of you would pass it along to others who may be interested in partnering with us. Please prayerfully consider how you may be able to partner with us as well.

The Journey Prospectus.

A Message for Mimi and Papa

Aiden and Anthony wanted to tell you a little bit about the park we visited yesterday. We liked it and think you will like it too.

The theology of eating out

Even in this more precarious economics times many of us seem to be able to find the money to eat out at least every once in awhile. We like to be able to reap the benefits of another's labor. The work of the Kingdom many times works in a rather similar fashion.

Jesus makes this kind of analogy in John 4:32-38. In this passage speaks to the fact that just because we are being allowed to reap the harvest does not mean that it was all us who were responsible for the harvest. So the next time you are at your favorite restaurant I want you to think about how much you are benefiting from another person's labor during that meal. At the same time I want us to consider how much we benefit from others when we reap that which they have sown.

Why did God name the stars?

I was curious as to why you think God named the stars? Posted your ideas in the comments section.

The First Disciples-John 1

The first reaction of the first disciples was to go and tell someone else whom they had meet. They did not have to be told to go and tell, they were so over joyed that they just went and did it. They did not know everything about Jesus and there theology was probably really whack at that point but that did not stop them from sharing what they knew to be true.

We have a lot we can learn from these first followers of Christ. Over the course of the next three years of their lives they would experience extreme emotional peaks and valleys, make tons of mistakes and even fight among themselves. Yet we can see even early on how they knew that they needed to share what they knew about Jesus. Sharing the good news of the Messiah's arrival was of central importance to them. We should dare to emulate the intentions of these men.

They shared the gospel plain and simple. They did allow the lies of the evil to stop them from sharing. They did not allow their station in life to stop them from sharing. They did not allow fear to stop them. They did not allow their lack of theological understanding to stop them. They did not allow their mistakes to stop them. They did allow the fear of the unknown stop them.

I wish I could say those kinds of things about. I hope some day someone will be able to say some of those things about me.

The Open Table

Here is the trailer/intro video for the DVD we will be using for our discussion group on Thursday nights.
Sorry for the lower video quality:)

The Journey has begun

We have started a blog for our church plant called The Journey.

http://thejourneysg.blogspot.com/

Let us know what you think.

Steve Harvey

I was looking at the blog of a friend's pastor and I came across this video of Steve Harvey. I really liked it so I thought I would share it with you. I think the passion and enthusiasm of Steve and the crowd is awesome.

Jesus got angry

One of the greatest tragedies in the American church is how we have taken the fierceness out of Christ. Through our songs, sermons, and actions (or lack thereof) we have made Jesus out to simply be either a peaceful little lamb or a the loving shepherd who really never gets upset with things or his sheep (well some times we do mention that He will correct us but we also seem to make a point about how much He really does not like doing it). These things are true about Jesus but they are not a true representation of Him or who He is.

Most church going people know the story of how Jesus cleared out the temple. I think for most people, including myself until today, would really consider this to be the only time i which Jesus is known to have had any type of passionate anger. The fact is that it is not the only time. In Mark 3:5 the bible clearly states that Jesus got angry. The question for in this passage is why did He get angry. While this may not be the entire answer, I do think what angered Him was their unwillingness to accept the simple truths He was laying before them. I think along with this He was angered because those whom He was specifically addressing where the ones who should have been the most supportive of Him and leading people to Him. They were the ones who should have known the Scriptures well enough to have the faith to simply believe Him at His word. I think He was also angered because these religious leaders had lead His sheep away. They had failed to do that which God had placed them here on earth to do. In the end they had hardened the hearts of the people with their own hard hearts.

So what does this mean for me/us? I think it again places emphasis on the responsibility each Christian has to be faithful to that which God has called them. We each have tasks and things we must accomplish for God. He calls each of us to a time and place for a reason. So what is the reason He has called you to this time and place? Why is your schedule the way that it is? What people does God want to cross your path? Who has crossed your path recently that God wanted you to minister to share and/or share the Gospel with?

Something for you and I to think about today.

Hershey waved hello today

We had a great doctor's visit today. We even got to watch Hershey wave at us.

Something Different.... I think

I just wanted those of you who regularly read my blog to know that God loves you beyond reason. He loves us in ways that we cannot even begin to imagine. No matter what is going on in your life God is there and He has not forgotten you or your situation. Seek Him and a relationship with Him and you will find that His peace will come. Troubles will always be a part of our lives but those who have a right relationship with God are better able to find the joy and peace in all of those situations.

Well I hope each of you has a wonderful day today.

Passionate Love

The book Song of Solomon is no doubt a dialogue between two passionate lovers. It is arguable some of the most sexually suggestive language in the bible and as such many Christians have tried to make in to something less than what it is. Many have tried to downplay the language as not between two actual people but between God and His people. There is truth in this belief about this book but it is not the whole truth.

These passages of Scripture give us some of the most intense pictures of humanities capacity to love and be loved. It shows us the pain of separation and the joy of being found. Along with this I believe it begins to give us a clearer picture of God's love for us. From the whole of Scripture we can see how God desires to be in close relationship with us. We also see, particularly in the Old Testament, the pain God feels when we separate ourselves from Him. It is from this pain that we see some of the most graphic language of the bible. In fact, God many times describes the rebelious Israel as a whore and a harlot who has abondoned their first love (Isaiah1 and Isaaiah 57). This how God sees us when we walk away from Him and begin to follow after idols.

Imagine the pain you would feel if you spouse or lover cheated on you and did it on a regular basis. Would you remain with them? Would you still want to be in a relationship with them? Most of us coupld imagine that it is possible to deal with one instance if adultery but I would doubt that any of us could imagine still wanting to be with someone if they were constantly having affairs. Yet God looks past this and desires to be in right relationship with us. No matter how many times we abandon Him and cause Him intense pain. God wants to be in a close relationship with you today. So what are you doing today to make that happen?

Sugar Grove Corn Boil 2009

We have been looking forward to the Corn Boil ever since we first looked at moving to Sugar Grove. It has been so much fun and the corn has been simply awesome. I wanted to share a few pictures from the first couple of days. Hopefully I will get the battery charged up and take lots more pictures today as we go to the Corn Boil for lunch.

Here is the family in front of the sign telling you were to get that most amazing corn:)


Aiden really loved the corn. In fact, he actually chose corn over ice cream. Don't worry though he ended up having both of them.

Little Hershey

Our newest little one has a heart beat and is currently 6 weeks old. :)

Discipleship and Breastfeeding

There continues to be a lot of discussion in the world of Christianity about the idea of discipleship and how can we as followers of Christ do a better job of investing in people's lives. There are tons of books and resources out there that have provided myself and others some valuable insight into this quandary. With this abundance of resources I think many of us have gotten away from studying (with a specific guidebook) what God's word has to say on this issue. Today I would like to share with you some ideas that are a result of my mind pondering on just a few verses from 1 Peter 2.

The verses from this chapter that really seem to struck a cord were verses 1-3 and even more specifically verse 2. From this verse I began to wonder about the parallels of breastfeeding and discipleship. Here are some of thoughts that come from those wanderings.

• Someone must be willing and able to provide the milk. Not all mothers want to breastfeed and not all mothers can breastfeed. We also know that women who are not the biological mother can produce milk for an infant. The same is true in discipleship. Not everyone is williing to do it (though we should be just like I personally think all mom's should be willing to do it) and not all of us are best wired to do it.
• Not always on a set schedule. Infants do not always eat on a set schedule though some do develop an eating schedule. Many of us have tried to make disciplining someone something that happens when we want it to as opposed to when it needs to (infants eat when they need to not necessarily when we want them to).
• Breastfeeding passes the health and strength from one generation to the next. Breastfeeding typically gives an infant a stronger immune system sooner. The same is true of discipleship. The "older" generation passes it's knowledge and experiences to the "younger" generation. This should allow the "younger" generation to develop a deeper understanding of God sooner than the previous generation.
• Each child is different when it comes to being ready to move on from breastfeeding. As a discipler we must see each person different and understand that some people will take more time to "get it" than others.
• Sometime there does come a point when the mother must be the one to initiate the end of breastfeeding. Many times we must be the ones who sort of force the younger ones to move on to someone else to get their spiritual development. There can be a variety of reasons for this.
• Breastfeeding is mutually beneficial. Mothers bond with their babies through the process and babies receive a variety of incredible benefits. Discipleship relationships are the same way. Each person will benefit and both will be better long term for the relationship.

I hope these all made sense. What do you think? Have any more thoughts on this, if so please share them with all of us.

Ligaments for life

Many people have heard that love is the greatest of all those things that we must seek to find and live with. We see this all over the worldly cultures. We have countless stories of people who are willing to sacrifice anything for love (think Romeo and Juliet). I believe this desire for love is a God given desire and something that He has hard wired in to us, as His creation. Unfortunately, love is like the various other gifts God has given us in that we, through our sin, have developed some screwy concepts about how love is suppossed to be. In many ways we have made love more complicated than it was created to be.

The Bible gives some pretty clear direction on love. We must love God first. We show Him our love for Him by following His commandments. So how do we follow his commandments? I think it begins with living our lives as the incredibly wonderful creations He has made us to be. A major part of this is using those gifts He has given us (1 Corinthians 12). We must use these gifts to their maximum potential and ability. We must also allow others in the church to do the same thing. When we are all doing this then we will act as a single body that accomplishes great things. This body though is not that far different from our own bodies in that it's joints are held together by a series of ligaments.

Ligaments are those strands of fibers that literally hold our joints together. They prevent our joints from bending in ways that would be detrimental to our bodies. The body of Christ is no different. The ligaments (translated unity) that hold us together is our love (Colossians 3:14) for one another. I believe this principle can be applied to our other relationships.

So this Father's Day I would encourage you to show your love for the Heavenly Father by following His commandments. Be willing to follow Him to the ends of the earth and do whatever He wants you to do no matter the cost.

How to best love someone

Have you ever been in that place where you really wanted to be able to show someone that you love them but you just could not figure out the best way to do that?

I know I have been in that place many times. Usually when I started thinking like that my mind goes to thoughts about who that person is and what might appeal to them. This though is really the wrong approach. Our first approach really needs to be a focus on God and His commands (2 John 5,6). This does not mean and that we do consider who this person is and how they receive love but it does mean that we need to always make sure that our hearts are set towards God so that our love for Him and His love for us will overflow into our love for others.

Some may say that many people love with being saved and to a certain extent this is true. We are all create with a certain capacity to love and a desire to be loved. I believe this a reflection of being created in the image of God who is Love. In all reality though it is only when we are madly in love with our Savior that we can truly and fully love someone else.

Today hope you are able to truly love someone.

Do you love food?

Do you love food? Are there certain tastes that just are beyond your ability to truly describe? I really have two foods that I just love to eat. They are my wife's tater tot caserole and my mom's chicken and rice. Did you know that God has this same kind of love for you and me? I know it may sound weird but you can check it out for yourself at Malachi 1:2. So what does this mean for us. Well, I think this gives us hope as we struggle with our intense desire for things. Ths hope comes from the fact that the intense desire itself is not a bad thing but it is where we place that desire that becomes sinful for us. In fact the desire it is a aprt of how God has wired us. So the key becomes focussing that desire on God and the things He desires us to focus on.

I think for so long we have beaten ourselves up for having intense desires for things of this world and our solution has been to try and eliminate our ability to long after anything. Or if we decided we could keep these longs we could only have them for God alone. Neither of these solutions are totally correct. First of all God has wired us to be passionate creatures. Second, while it is true that we should focus a lot of attention on God Himself I am not so sure that it all needs to be focussed on the person of God. I think that if focus entirely on Him then we can easily miss that which He is doing. We must learn to also focus on God's activity here on earth.

I hope that today is a day where we can all learn to focus our "love of food" on God and His work and a little less on the fleating things of this world.

Paul's Passion

Do you have a passion in your life? What are some the things that you really enjoy doing? Is there that one thing you would even if you did not get paid for it?

For many years that one thing has been working with college students. I love doing it. It is one of those things that just gets my energy going no matter how physically sleepy or tired I may be. It is a passion that only god could have created within me. I am thankful for this desire. I think could relate to this kind of deep passion for a particular people group. For Paul I believe it was the Gentiles. Paul's love and compassion for the Gentiles was so deep that he was willing to suffer for them and their salvation.

I hope that today you will be able to do whatever it is that God has placed on your heart. If you do not then take courage in the fact that God has specific plans for this day. Plans that He knew and formed together long before you were even a thought in your parents minds. There is a reason for everything that God does and He will fulfill every promise He makes to you and I.

So no matter what your day holds I would encourage You to seek out God's plan for this day and then turn your actions and thoughts towards that plan.

Workmanship

I know many of you have heard me talk about how God has created each one of us for specific tasks and jobs. Many of you have also heard me speak on how with Christ all of our good works are like filthy rags (menstrual rags). So my thoughts for today may seem redundant but I wanted to share with you what I have been pondering on.

Many years ago while on a mission trip I got in "trouble" for not being at my assigned position to help with our VBS. The reason I was not there is that I was in midst of what I believed to be a rather important conversation with another missionary. To this day I stand by my original assertion that I was were I needed to be and that things went on just fine without me at the VBS. This incident though has stuck with me because of the implications it has for me living in a society that revolves so much around schedules and timing. As I have thought through this incident and others like it I have come to the understanding that God's timing and schedule. I know we have heard this a lot in church but I am not so sure we fully grasp the depth of this statement.

We typically understand this thought when it refers to our desires and prayer request. God's timing in our life goes so much deeper than this. God's plans for us deal with every moment that we are here on this earth. He has something for us to be doing every moment and He is actively involved in our lives all of the time. This means that we must be constantly seeking out those things which He would have us to do. It is only when we are vigilant for His plans that we are able to truly accomplish those good works that He has laid out for us.

So today my friends I would encourage you to be in a constant state of seeking God's plan for you. You never know what His plans are for you each day and you never know how He may use you to change someone's life.

Remembering Your Past

How much f your past do you remember? Do you remember the good times? the bad times? How much of it do you try and forget?

One of my all time favorite movie scenes is when Rafiki whacks Simba on the head to teach him how things are in the past and need to be left there. I think most of us can relate to Simba's problem. We struggle with getting over the hurts and mistakes in our lives. We allow those feelings to hold us captive in the here and now. There was never a part of God's plan. This is not to say that He wants us to forget the past, rather He wants us to understand where He has brought us from so that we can better appreciate where He has us now.

God constantly reminded the Israelities that He had brought them out of the slavery of Egypt.He did this to help them realize that they were not meant to be the slaves of anyone and that He desired for them to be a free nation living in peace and prosperity (Leviticus 26:1-12). This desire was never meant to be limited to the nation of Israel and as such God repeats this theme specifically to the Gentiles in Ephesians 2.

In the end God never wants us to forget our past. He has used it to make us who we are today and without you would not be the special and unique creation that you have become. God also does not desire our past to cripple us. Fro those of us who have accepted Christ we must remember we are living in the year of jubilee. This means that we have been set free from all of those things which have held us in bondage and made us slaves to this world.

So my question for you today is... What part of your past continues to keep you in bondage? Whic things in your past are preventing you from truly living out the joy found in the year of jubilee?

Facebook, Love and Life

My wife has written a great post about her experience during Lent this year. Check it out at http://abailey423.blogspot.com/2009/04/facebook-love-and-life.html

Final Beach Reach 2009 Report

For those of you who have been praying for Beach Reach this year I wanted to let you know the final numbers and some stats. These came from Jason Hayes' blog...

810 participants from 18 states.

Pancakes: Served 12,371 in 12 days
Van Rides: Transported 13,441 people in 15 days
Commitments: 91 First Time Decisions for Christ!
Prayer and Interest: Over 2 million refreshes on www.beachreachlivepcb.com

Thanks for all your prayers and I look forward to giving some live reports from the field next year. If you interested in joining or supporting us for a trip to Florida next year please let us know.

Is it really all that bad in today's society???

Many of us in the Christian and conservative communities have agonized over the moral decay that is seen around us. From this we look to the future with a sense of either dread or hopelessness. We think that the society in which we find our selves living in is one of the most immoral and degraded in history. This is especially true when we look at the sexual immorality that is all around us. The truth of the matter is that this society is not comparably worse than many of the generations that have preceded us.

I am not saying that there has not been so shifts in morality in this country over the last 50 years but I am not so sure our current situation is truly any worse than in times past. For example consider what God says to us about the societies of Egypt and Canaan at the time of the Exodus. God specifically tells His people that they are to avoid certain types of sexual relations (most dealing with incest) so that they are not like those societies around them. To me the fact that God specifically deals with the Israelites on this issue indicates how prevalent the problems were. In other words, incest must have been common in both Egypt and Canaan.

Believe it or not this level of sexual immorality gives me hope for our current society. We know that sense the time of the Exodus there have been many societies and time periods in which God's standards have been sought after by the vast majority of the people. It can happen again in this country and any other society for that matter. God never abandons people and He will always be there for us when we cry out to Him. As Christians if we can begin to move ourselves out of the pews and into the streets and start telling people about Him and His love then our society will begin to change.

Take heart my brothers and sisters for there is always hope with Christ! :)

Day of Personal Atonement

So I have been slowly reading my way through the book of Leviticus. I know for some of you this may sound as exciting as watching paint dry. In truth when I began this process I was no overly excited myself but I thought it might be a near adventure given how much my pastor, at the time, seemed to like what he had been learning from it. I have learned a lot from it and sadly I have not had the time to really share much of what I have learned with you my cyber friends and family. Today is a new day with a few extra minutes before work.

I was reading through chapter 16. In this chapter God essentially outlines for Aaron and the nation of Israel what is to happen on the Day of Atonement. In this chapter the people of Israel are command to humble themselves and rest of this most important of days. This day was intended to be a time when the people would reflect upon God's mercy and grace. This got me to thinking that maybe we should have our own personal days of atonement. For me I have determined that on my rebirthday (day I accepted Christ) that I will spend some, if not the whole, truly reflecting on God's saving work in my life. I am not sure this is something for everyone but it is something that I hope becomes a regular part of my spiritual development.

Disclaimer:I fully understand and acknowledge that as believers in Christ that He fulfills the law and that we are no longer bound by the laws and statues of the Old Testament.

Beach Reach 2009

Most of you know about our adventures at Beach Reach 2008 in Panama City Beach, FL. If not then check out our blog from last year.

Angie and I were hoping to be able to go this year as a family but God has had other plans for us. This does not mean we have been a part of the ministry this year. We have been following along each night with their live blog. If you would like to also follow along you can check out this year's live blog here.

Concept of Ordination

One of the problems I have seen in the American church is this idea that pastors/ministers are the ones who are supposed to at least be doing the lion's share of the work of the church. For the longest time I have seen this as a problem with individual church goers who are either too lazy or lack spiritual maturity. While I still believe this to be true of many people who fill our pews I am beginning to see things in a slightly different way. I hope the following makes sense, it does to me but I know that I do not always communicate what is going on in my brain very well.

My shift in perspective comes from reading about the Ordination of Aaron and his sons that is found in Leviticus 8. In particular, I took some time to read more about the word we usually translate ordination in this chapter. The basic meaning of the word is to set or inlay. To better clarify the word I looked up the word inlaid and one of the definitions is set into the surface of something. As I considered how this might apply to the modern church I began to realize that there are people are called by God to be the spiritual leaders within the body of Christ. As leaders there will be times when we must be the ones doing the majority of the work but that is just part of God's calling on our lives. The calling to be a leader in his church is one that is special and unique and as such comes with a certain amount of special roles and responsibilities.

This is by no means meant to be an excuse for others to avoid doing God's work with the body of Christ. This is more of a reminder for those of us who are leaders to look into our own hearts and minds so that we can move beyond the bitterness that grows from blaming others for not doing their part in helping you. Remember it is not about you, it is about Him. It always has been about Him and it always will be.

It Is Finished

So I have finished my time on 3rd shift with Wal-Mart!!!

As I was leaving the store today I started singing this really cool song by Petra called "It Is Finished." I could not find the song by itself on You Tube so here it is as a part of a medley of songs Enjoy!

The Packing Has Begun

Now that our family has flown back to Texas we have officially started the packing process. So far we have started a box for Goodwill and started the all in important box list. The boys have also started their packing as you can see from the pictures below. The plan right now is to be in Sugar Grove on February 26. My first day at mu new Wal-Mart with will be March 2nd @ 8 am. We look forward to sharing this experience with you as much as possible.

Leviticus and The Lord's Super

For some time now I have been really bothered by the Roman Catholic belief of Transubstantiation. The Council of Trent defined Transubstantiation as ""that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood – the species only of the bread and wine remaining – which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation" Ever since I first heard of this belief I have had this knot in within in me that just did not think that it was accurate or true but I really could not find any kind of relevant Scripture that seemed to refute the belief.

This changed for me the other night when I was reading Leviticus 3. In this chapter God is outlining some of the sacrifices that must be made and at the very end He tells the people to not eat any fat or any blood. This just seem to click to me. My thought how could transubstantiation be true when Jesus said He came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it. This command to not eat blood was meant for as ordinance for all generations. Therefore Jesus did not remove this command and it would make no sense for the wine at the Eucharist to become blood in any way beyond a symbolic nature.

So I would like to encourage you just as my pastor encouraged our church this week. Take some time and read Leviticus because there really is some neat stuff in it. :)

Guilt

Guilt can be defined as "a feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc., whether real or imagined."

I would say that all of as some point in our lives have felt some level of guilt over our actions (or inaction). In some ways guilt can be a good thing in that it can move us to wards a greater empathy for those whom we have hurt. It can also be a powerful force in moving us towards changing the way we act. On the other hand it can also be one of the most debilitating forces. It can lead a person to places where they are unable to do anything because they allow themselves to be consumed by their guilt. So why is that some times guilt can be a powerful force for good in our lives and other times it can be a powerful force for bad?

I wish I had the perfect answer to this question but I do not. What I have learned though is that the Lord's working in our lives has a lot to do with it. To get a better understanding of the interaction between guilt and God I would suggest you take some time and read Psalm 38. In this psalm we see a person whose live feels overwhelmed by their guilt. They have so much guilt that they do not seem to think that they can even continue on with their life. In the end though the writer figures out that he must wait upon the Lord for his deliverance from this pain. This is not an easy answer for guilt but I think it is a great starting point for us as we begin to deal with our guilt.

A part of waiting on God is to seek His guidance in how we are to change our lives, thoughts, actions, etc.. so as to avoid those things which caused our guilt in the first place. In other words, we need to be proactive in our response to guilt. If we truly desire to be out from under the control of guilt then we to literally do something about it.

I am not sure where you are in dealing with guilt. You may be in that place where you are fighting some strong urges to just give up on it all and allow those feelings of guilt to dictate your life. You may be in the process of moving forward with your guilt or you may not even be dealing with guilt (though you probably will some day). No matter where you are today I suggest you seek the Lord's great and infinite wisdom and allow Him to be the controlling force in your life.

Prayer Request..

Hello Friends!

I just wanted to let you know about a special prayer request I have for all of you. I spoke to one of the Wal-Mart Stores near Sugar Grove about transferring. They are looking at having an opening that would be very similar to the job I had last time I worked with Wal-Mart. If this were to work out it would be a wonderful opportunity. It would mean day time hours, a promotion that would cancel out the overnight differential I currently receive and I think it would be a lot more fun than the job I have now! The position they are considering to create would be ICS Team Lead for 2nd shift. It will be at least a week or so before the personnell manager is able to speak to the store manager about me and this position.

Along with this we do have a meeting with the DOM and IBSA on the 30th about the opportunities in Sugar Grove. We would continue to ask for you to pray for wisdom and guidance. We are also specifically asking God to open and close doors to show us the right path.

The light at the end of the tunnel is not a train......... its Jesus!

A friend recently reminded me of one of my more infamous catch phrases for my students. In honor of this I thought I would share a song that in many ways better express my little saying

God's Wrath on America????

If you have ever thought that God has ever truly poured out his wrath upon the US then you have a rather finite understanding of what it means for God anger's to burn against a country or people. The amount and severity of the destruction described in Lamentations 2 gives us a rather clear picture of what happens when God pours out His wrath. I do not think we have ever seen this kind of total destruction. Let us hope that we never have to experience God's wrath in this way.

Remember that God has not abandoned the people of this country. He is still with us and desires all of us to follow after Him.

Uniqueness

Did you know??

1. That President Obama's inauguration was only the 55th such event (not including those due to presidential deaths/resignation/impeachment)
2. Only .0000078% (7.8 X 10-8) of all Americans who have ever lives have ever taken the Presidential Oath of Office.
3. Only .0000000094% of the population has ever been exactly like you.
   

Most people know that according to our DNA no two people are like. Sadly, fewer and fewer realize that Scripture has always taught us this same basic principle. We see the uniqueness of man's creation in the early chapters of Genesis, in Psalm 139, and in Jeremiah 1. I hope that you will take comfort in this incredible fact. God loves enough to not only create you but to make you 100% unique.

Abandoned

The book of Lamentations is one the most passionate books in all of Scripture. Contained with in its pages are some of the deepest expressions of sadness, bitterness and horror that has ever been written. The vast majority of us today cannot even begin to understand the level of distress found in these pages because our cultural and religious context is too far removed from those of the ancient Hebrews. The fact of the matter is though that what we see in the book of Lamentations is a series of poems that systematically and passionately express the feelings of at least one Jew (traditionally believed to be the prophet Jeremiah) about the complete destruction of Jerusalem. As we read these words what is that we can learn or apply to our modern context?

As I have read through chapter 1 one of the themes that jumped out at me is the idea of abandonment. It is repeated over and over again in this chapter that Jerusalem has nobody that she can turn to in the hour of her greatest need. The reason for this is that those whom she called her friends where basically friends of convience and not the kind of Godly friends she should have had. In the end Jerusalem had to learn the hard way about whom she could always rely on. In the end the only whom we can all rely on is God Himself. This is not to say that we should not trust others or that God does not surround us with people to support us and being sources of encouragement. What this means is that we should be so depended on them that when they do fail us that our entire world is destroyed. If we get to that point with people then we have essentially made them into idols and have placed them between us and God. God will not stand for this and eventually He will remove this people, friendships and relationships from our lives.

So are you one of those people who feels abandoned by God? Does it feel as though you are all alone in this world? IF you are then let me assure you of a couple of truths that I know. First, God never abandons His children, though it may seem like it sometimes. Second, Christ himself dealt with these same feelings when He cried out on the Cross "Why have You forsaken me?" Third, it is not wrong to feel as though You need to have people in addition to God. God created us as social beings and as such there is a part of us that needs to be around others, its just how we are made. Fourth, seek after Him and be willing to fully accept whatever it is that He shows you and provides for. We must learn to be content in the places and situations that God places us. If we are seeking after Him with everything that we have (mind, body, soul, etc..) then He promises to answer us and show us his way.

3 Year Old Wii Sports Master

So our soon to be 4 year old has quickly started mastering two of the games on out new Wii Sports.

This is Aiden's first par which he got with a chip-in from just off the green.

Next he moved on to bowling.

Yes you saw that correctly. He bowled a 139 with 3 strikes in a row (frames 6-8).

The he moved back to golf just to prove his last round was not a fluke

Notice this time he got a birdie on hole 1 and a par on hole 3.

Next on his list of games to master are tennis and baseball. I figure at this rate they will be mastered by the end of the week! :)

Unsettled

Have you ever had one of those days when you just feel unsettled and you can't seem to put your finger on why?

Today was one of those days with me. In the past I used to just allow myself slip into a sort mini-depression and just waste the day away. What I have learned is that these days are usually ones in which God is really trying to get a hold of me and He keeps me unsettled until He gets His message across to me. So I was able to get away to a quiet place here in town to try and spend some uninterrupted time with the Father. As I have sat here reading His word and listening to praise and worship music I have started to come to some realization and I thought I would share them with you.

First, I must be the example. If I want my wife, my boys, my sheep and others to act in a certain way then I must be willing to be their example. I have been especially thinking about this in terms of worship. There are so many times that I just want to worship God without abandon yet something stops me. There seems to be this sense that people are watching and that they may not approve. I know in my head that it shouldn't matter but for some reason it does. I do not want my boys especially to ever be at this point. I desire them to worship God without regard for those around them. I want them to have such a deep and passionate worship. For this to happen I must be willing to be worship this way myself. I have been reading through some of the Psalms lately and so many of them simply say that we must Praise Him!!!!! There is no limit to the ways we can praise Him and there is no limit for the reasons why we should praise Him! So why don't I? Why don't I find more ways to praise Him?

Second, I must do things differently. I must change. Yet how is the question that remains for me this day. Maybe God will show me but the message that I am hearing from Him is that I must change. I must run towards Him in such a way that I have never done so before. I must rely on Him in ways that I cannot see now. I must rest in Him in some way that is new and different. I must find more ways for me to become less so that He can truly become more within me and my life.

Well my friends there is yet another small glimpse into my usually bright and shinny world. I hope you have enjoyed your stay. Y'all come back now ya hear!

Tagged

So my wife tagged me on her blog and I decided to play along.
These are the instructions she gave:
1. Go to your photo folders and open the 4th folder.
2. Choose the 4th photo.
3. Explain the photo.
4. Tag 4 other people!


In this picture we were setting up the Christmas decorations and I think Anthony was trying to be a Superman/Santa superhero or he might just have been cold.

I am not sure who to tag but lets try Kelly, Holly, Amber H. and Amber C.

Sinking Sand

A friend of mine wrote a great pose and I wanted to share it with the world. So here you go.

Denise's Sinking Sand Post

One Question

Why do you think God named the stars (See Psalm 147:4)?

New Ministry Update

Many of you have been praying diligently for us as we are seeking God's direction and His new place of ministry for us. In light of this I wanted to give you an update on some things.

First, we are moving closer to finalizing the place and job description for our next ministry assignment. We are at the point where we are trying to make sure that all of the various people who will be involved in the ministry are on board and are looking in the same direction. What this boils down to is that we hope to have a firm placement place and ministry within the next couple of weeks. Of course, God could always change things.

Second, Angie and I are looking at going to MSC Support School in Atlanta. This is something we really need to be able to do as soon as possible but there are so many details to work out for us to be able to attend this school I am not sure how it is all going to happen. Some of the specific issues we need worked out are:

1. Finances. We need money for travel, lodging, food and school registration.
   
2. Me to be able to get off from work
3. Aiden's birthday is the day after the school and so planning something for him could be potentially stressful
4. Other scheduling conflicts and issues

Angie and I value the prayer support that so many of you have given us over the years. We look forward to rejoicing with you when we see how God will answer the prayers of His people.

Depression

Depression is one of those things that churches have traditionally swept under the rug and hoped it would just go away. Sadly it was said or thought by many in churches that if a person was truly born again and had a solid relationship with God then they would never be depressed. Thankfully this trend has started to change and many churches are starting address depression in honest and real ways. In doing this I hope that we will always seek after Scripture when we seek to deal with the issue of depression.

While it may sound trite and overly simple prayer is still one of the greatest weapons in the fight against depression. There is no greater prayer in Scripture about depression than that of Psalm 142:7. If you are someone who deals with depression then I would encourage you to make this prayer become a part of your battle.