Willingham Family

Begg on The Christian Life

2010-03-03T06:43:00.001-08:00

We received this e-mail today from Truth for Life. Please take a moment to read Alistair Begg's comments encouraging us to 'run with endurance' and to use our lives wisely for Christ.

Dear Friends,
I recently had one of those moments when I was stopped in my tracks by something someone said. I was in Lima, Peru speaking at a conference for Wickliffe Bible Translators. This afforded me the opportunity to learn about the life and work of a Bible translator. I listened each day to reports from the field, all of which were challenging, but one in particular provided the moment to which I’m referring.
Here is the sentence: “On November 19, 1952, I went down the Amazon in a dug-out canoe with an outboard motor.”
I didn’t hear anything else the man said for some time, because I was trying to process the fact that he and his wife have been committed to the task for 57 years, which is my lifetime. They were beginning their ministry when I was six months old, and they are only now leaving with a sense of completion.
Just when I was silently commending myself for 26 years of service at Parkside, it dawned on me that I haven’t even reached halfway by their standard! Their length of service stands in marked contrast to those who today are offering themselves for “long-term” mission work, long-term being defined as four years.
There are doubtless many lessons to be learned from this story. Perhaps the most obvious is that we need to live with a sense of history and to remember that the Christian life is not a few 100-meter sprints, but a cross country run of obedience that lasts for the rest of our lives. When we view things from this perspective, we will be protected from being unduly unsettled by our disappointments or too eager to raise monuments to our achievements (Hebrews 12:1-3).
In earlier generations, those who were involved in the building of great cathedrals across Europe played their part with the awareness that they would never live to see the completion of the project. Similarly, much of what we share in together through Truth For Life is sowing the seeds of God’s Word. The extent of the harvest will only really be apparent in the light of eternity.
I didn’t check, but I have a sneaking suspicion that my friend in the canoe is living his life in light of Philippians 3:14. I hope that you are as encouraged and challenged by this example as I am.
Warmest Christian Greetings,
Alistair

www.truthforlife.org

Winter Wonderland!

2010-01-29T15:14:00.001-08:00

I know it's us and a thousand other Oklahoma website owners who are posting this exact picture today, but it's just too pretty not to put on-line. In a storm that was supposed to be mostly ice, we're now sitting at 6" of snow and still going strong. It's an absolutely beautiful day!

Kristin snapped this picture as we headed out to our favorite sledding hill. Too pretty.

These two were the best dressed on the hill. Notice Maddox' eclectic mix of hand-me-downs (Anna's bib, Kristin's gloves, Nicholas' boots and her daddy's smile).

Nicholas was full-bore on the hill, mixing it up with some of the older boys.
He concluded that the toboggan was much faster than the old 'American Flyer.'

Numbering Our Days

2010-01-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

We received this thought from Alistair Begg today in an e-mail and wanted to post it for everyone to read.

Such good thoughts....

Teach us to number our days aright,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” —Psalm 90:12

Dear Friends,
Here is a suitable verse for the start of the year of our Lord 2010. Calvin observes that “it is a clear confession that without divine grace we are utterly foolish concerning the plainest things.”

If statistics alone could impress upon us the brevity of life and the reality of death and the certainty of judgment, we would all address ourselves to the issue. The fact is, the message never registers until God brings it home to us. Moses’ prayer comes at a time when thousands were dying annually in the wilderness. One would think that such fearful mortality would have impressed the whole nation. But it didn’t.

Twenty-first century men and women are no different. We walk through graveyards, treading on the dust of our forefathers, meeting long-lost friends at funerals, and yet we do not number our days aright except through some special operation of the Spirit of God.

Perhaps by now you’re thinking that this is a rather gloomy way to begin the year. Not so! This is not a funeral psalm. It is for the living. When we submit our minds to God’s revelation and we consider Him as Creator, Judge, and Savior, then we will learn to be satisfied every morning in His unfailing love. Then we may safely ask Him to “establish the work of our hands.” In brief, we enter 2010 walking with Him and working for Him.

It would be a useful and beneficial exercise to commit this psalm to memory. (Let me know if you’re successful!) When Isaac Watts in the 17th century wrote the hymn, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” it was this psalm which provided its inspiration. When Paul urged the Ephesians to “Be very careful how you live, not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…” (Eph. 5:15), I wonder did he have Moses’ prayer in mind.

Well, here we go! I am so thankful that you are partners with us in prayer and that you continue to give so generously that this message of God’s unfailing love reaches more and more people.

Hoping to meet many of you during the year.

Yours as always,

Alistair

www.truthforlife.org

The Hidden Cost of Compassion

2010-01-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

Kristin and I read this quote today on a blog of a young mom who is battling cancer. In expressing her thoughts, she quoted an entry from the devotional Streams In The Desert.

It was too good to not share again.

From the December 10th entry:

Are there not some in your circle to whom you naturally betake yourself in times of trial and sorrow? They always seem to speak the right word, to give the very counsel you are longing for; you do not realize, however, the cost which they had to pay ere they became so skillful in binding up the gaping wounds and drying tears. But if you were to investigate their past history you would find that they have suffered more than most. They have watched the slow untwisting of some silver cord on which the lamp of life hung. They have seen the golden bowl of joy dashed to their feet, and its contents spilt. They have stood by ebbing tides, and drooping gourds, and noon sunsets; but all this has been necessary to make them the nurses, the physicians, the priests of men… So suffering is rough and hard to bear; but it hides beneath it discipline, education, possibilities, which not only leave us nobler, but perfect us to help others. Do not fret, or set your teeth, or wait doggedly for the suffering to pass; but get out of it all you can, both for yourself and for your service to your generation, according to the will of God.

I think of several Saints whom God has sent our way to comfort us over the past two years. And when I think about them, several have suffered "more than most." As a matter of fact, some of them are still suffering today.

Oh dear God, may you not waste our pain. Please don't waste these trials which you have brought into our lives. Help us not to get lost in ourselves, but instead, to lose ourselves in You. Create in our broken hearts the ability to seek those around us that are hurting and may we sip a cool cup of water together, and remind each other of a day that is coming when you will make all things right.

Beauty Will Rise

2010-01-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

If you've been friends with us for any time, there's no doubt that you know we're big Steven Curtis Chapman fans. His music has encouraged us in so many stages of our lives.

Last year Chapman lost a daughter and through his grief, he wrote in our opinion, some of the best songs we've heard him write. His new album, Beauty Will Rise, has been such a salve to Kristin and me as we've been grieving over the past few months.

If you've recently been through a tough time and need to be reminded that God is in control and is with you every step of your way - please consider buying this album. I just can't tell you how much it's encouraged us.

You can buy the album here.

Year End Wrap Up

2010-01-01T20:26:00.001-08:00

As 2009 came to a close, we wanted to post a few pictures to summarize our year's end:

Maddox turned five in November with her usual style of celebrating life.

Nicholas turned eight in December and continued to grow in his love for all things outdoors.

Kristin and I celebrated our 17th anniversary in December -
more thankful this year than ever that God gave us each other.

And finally... we ended the year as it began -
thankful for all of the little things along the way that make life special.

A Grief Observed

2009-12-22T20:40:00.000-08:00

A few excerpts from C.S. Lewis' book, A Grief Observed:

From pg. 34

You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it? ... Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief.

From pg. 49

Bridge-players tell me that there must be some kind of money on the game 'or else people won't take it seriously.' Apparently it's like that. Your bid - for God or no God, for a good God or the Cosmic Sadist, for eternal life or nonentity - will not be serious if nothing much is staked on it. And you will never discover how serious it was until the stakes are raised horribly high; until you find that you are playing not for counters or for sixpences but for every penny you have in the world. Nothing less will shake a man - or at any rate a man like me - out of his merely verbal thinking and his merely notional beliefs He has to be knocked silly before he comes to his senses. Only torture will bring out the truth. Only under torture does he discover it himself.

From pg. 55

The more we believe that God hurts only to heal, the less we can believe that there is any use in begging for tenderness. A cruel man might be bribed - might grow tired of his vile sport - might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. But is it credible that such extremities of torture should be necessary for us? Well, take your choice. The tortures occur. If they are unnecessary, then there is no God or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary. For no even modestly good Being could possibly inflict or permit them if they weren't.

All Things for Good

2009-12-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

I recently read Thomas Watson's book, All Things for Good. If you're a believer and recently have been through a trial, this book will be medicine for your soul. It will strengthen that which has been shaken by assuring you that all things, are in fact, working together for your good.

There is a great section on the absolute necessity for believers to trust in the Providence of God. From page 56:

Learn to adore providence. Providence has an influence upon all things here below. Observe the happy condition of every child of God. All things work for his good, the best and worst things.

'Unto the upright ariseth light in darkness' (Psalm 112:4). The most dark, cloudy providences of God have some sunshine in them. What a blessed condition is a true believer in! When he dies, he goes to God; and while he lives, everything shall do him good. Affliction is for his good. What hurt does the fire to the gold? It only purifies it. What hurt does the fan to the corn? It only separates the chaff from it. What hurt do leeches to the body? They only suck out the bad blood. God never uses His staff, but to beat out the dust.

Affliction does that which the Word many times will not, it 'opens the ear to discipline' (Job 36:10). When God lays men upon their backs, then they look up to heaven. God's smiting His people is like the musician's striking upon the violin, which makes it put forth a melodious sound. How much good comes to the saints by affliction! When they are pounded and broken, they send forth their sweetest smell.

Affliction is a bitter root, but it bears sweet fruit. 'It yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness' (Heb. 12:10). Affliction is the highway to heaven; though it be flinty and thorny, yet it is the best way.

Comfort

2009-12-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

Believer, just because it's so encouraging.... Heidelberg's question #1:

Q. What is thy only comfort in life and death?

A. That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him

The Christmas Knight

2009-12-02T17:41:00.001-08:00

One of the bonuses of marrying an English major is all of the great books she brings into our lives. Especially children's stories. One night this past week, we all gathered on Nicholas' bed as Kristin read us The Christmas Knight by Jane Louise Curry. What a great book.

It's a story about a well-loved knight named Sir Cleges and his wife who each year gave a Christmas feast to all of their neighbors in their village. As years went by, they began running out of money, but instead of stopping the tradition, they mortgaged their farm to continue the feasts until one day they were forced to sell their farm to pay their debts.

When the Christmas feasts ended, all of their friends one-by-one turned up their noses when they met Sir Cleges in town. And as is often true in life, the Cleges' found themselves alone when their ability to provide the great feasts ended.

The next page is my favorite. It's an illustration of a kind faced Cleges kneeling in the snow beneath a cherry tree with the following words:

On Christmas Day in the morning Sir Cleges went out into the garden and knelt in the snow under a bare cherry tree to bow his head and pray.

"I thank you, sweet Christ Child, that I am poor," he said. "For when I was rich I was proud. I loved the praise my good deeds earned near as much as I loved doing good."

These simple words summarize many chapters in a book I recently read by John Flavel called All Things for Good. Flavel convinces you in his book, that God often times brings great trials into the lives of His children to wean us of excessive love of ourselves and to bring us to a deeper dependence on Jesus and a deeper yearning for Home.

What may appear to be difficulties that unravel our lives - are many times the very things that God uses to bring about our salvation. Though we may not believe it at the time, may we say as Joseph did in his trials, 'Lord, thou hast said that thou wilt do me good' (Gen. 32:12).

I thank you sweet Christ Child that I am poor. For when I was rich, I was proud. I loved the praises my good deeds earned near as much as I loved doing good.

Mercy v. Sacrifice

2009-11-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice" - Matthew 9:13

Our pastor recently preached on a text talking about Mercy and Sacrifice. In his sermon, he touched on a few of the differences between the two. I jotted these down on an offering envelope (sorry, deacons...) and thought you might enjoy reflecting on them:

• Mercy seeks the greatest need. Sacrifice seeks the greatest audience.

• Mercy changes us. Sacrifice hardens us.

• Sacrifice says, "How can I use someone to get something I want?"

• Mercy is a voluntary sorrow - It always looks to serve the greatest need.

Weekly Review

2009-11-07T13:26:00.001-08:00

This weekend was Kristin's 15-year college reunion. At a class picnic today, Nic & Maddox had an opportunity to take "Smitty" a few laps around the round ring where the picnic was held.

On Wednesday, Heritage Presbyterian hosted the fall recitation

for all of the homeschool kids. Maddox recited "The Caterpillar" and "Work," and

Nicholas delivered "The Months" and"Play Ball." All the children did a stand-up job, and the punch & cookies afterwards were icing on the cake.

Last weekend, Nicholas' basketball team had their team pictures taken at the Ford Center. After the picture (and before the OKC Thunder played that night), Nicholas stole a few shots to break in the rims for Kevin Durant.

Finally, last weekend was trick-or-treat time here in the neighborhood. The kids went as their favorite nanny and chimney sweep, Mary Poppins & Bert.

Diseased Sheep

2009-11-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Romans 8:35

I heard this wonderful quote today from the English theologian, Richard Sibbes:

God takes care of poor, weak Christians that are struggling with temptations and corruptions. Christ carries them in His arms. All of Christ's sheep are diseased; and therefore, He takes tender care of them.
- Richard Sibbes (1577-1635)

Did you catch that last line? All of Christ's sheep are diseased; and therefore, He takes tender care of them.

What a needed reminder!

We're not expected to have our act together in order for Christ to carry us. In fact, it's actually the opposite. It's because we need to get our act together (and can't) that Christ cares for us the way He does.

What a blessing! He knows the depth of my sin and struggles - He sees me for who I really am - and precisely because of this, He takes tender care of me!

Prayers of the Broken Hearted

2009-11-04T14:31:00.001-08:00

An encouraging post from Charles Spurgeon. If God has you in a season of a frowning providence, we can be assured that our tears are cherished.

Behold, he prayeth.
- Acts 9:11

Prayers are instantly noticed in heaven. The moment Saul began to pray the Lord heard him. Here is comfort for the distressed but praying soul. Oftentimes a poor broken-hearted one bends his knee, but can only utter his wailing in the language of sighs and tears; yet that groan has made all the harps of heaven thrill with music; that tear has been caught by God and treasured in the lachrymatory of heaven. Thou puttest my tears into thy bottle, implies that they are caught as they flow. The suppliant, whose fears prevent his words, will be well understood by the Most High. He may only look up with misty eye; but prayer is the falling of a tear. Tears are the diamonds of heaven; sighs are a part of the music of Jehovah's court, and are numbered with the sublimest strains that reach the majesty on high. Think not that your prayer, however weak or trembling, will be unregarded. Jacob's ladder is lofty, but our prayers shall lean upon the Angel of the covenant and so climb its starry rounds. Our God not only hears prayer but also loves to hear it. He forgetteth not the cry of the humble. True, he regards not high looks and lofty words; he cares not for the pomp and pageantry of kings; he listens not to the swell of martial music; he regards not the triumph and pride of man; but wherever there is a heart big with sorrow, or a lip quivering with agony, or a deep groan, or a penitential sigh, the heart of Jehovah is open; he marks it down in the registry of his memory; he puts our prayers, like rose leaves, between the pages of his book of remembrance, and when the volume is opened at last, there shall be a precious fragrance springing up therefrom.

Faith asks no signal from the skies,

To show that prayers accepted rise,

Our Priest is in his holy place,

And answers from the throne of grace.

A Quick Catch-Me-Up

2009-09-25T12:26:00.001-07:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.... So since we haven't posted anything for quite a while, we thought we would catch you up on some of our summer happenings through a few snap shots.

To start the summer off, Nicholas played in his spring piano recital.
He also played in his first piano competitions.

In June, we spent a week in beautiful San Diego. We had an absolutely great time visiting some of our favorite places around town and discovering new ones.

After leaving San Diego, we spent several days in Newport Coast where we met up with Kristin's parents and her brother's family. What a great time enjoying all there is to do in this part of Southern California.

While in the neighborhood, we couldn't pass up an opportunity to meet Mickey
(and Mary Poppins, of course...).

Our first year of pitching machine ended in July. The Cubs had a great time as they learned more about one of the best games on earth.

Maddox spent much of her summer playing with 21 of her imaginary friends
(and a few real ones, too).

Without a doubt, we'll forever remember this summer as the year we lost our precious Caroline Claire. The LORD has been so near to us in seeing us through this difficult time. We look forward to the day when we're all together in God's kingdom. Our friend Cindy said it best: "We and our children are truly safe. This child lives but now near Another's bosom."

ACE coming to OKC

2009-04-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals (founded in 1949 by Dr. Don Barnhouse and Dr. James Boice) has announced their B.B. Warfield Memorial Lecture Series this year will be held in Oklahoma City.

On June 5-6, Rev. Iain Murray will speak at Oklahoma City University on the topic of Revival and Revivalism:

The 2009 BB Warfield Lecture Series will focus on Revival and Revivalism with Rev. Iain Murray on June 5 & 6 at the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University. Rev. Murray will present sketches from the great revivals in the history of the Church. Specifically, he will speak on the Puritans, the first and second Great Awakenings in America, and conclude with the Scottish revival of 1838-1839. The Puritans represent perhaps the greatest expression of revival and reformation in England. George Whitefield is perhaps the greatest evangelist ever in America, and his role in the first Great Awakening contains many lessons for us today. The Second Great Awakening in America was a time of controversy over the content of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit. Robert Murray McCheyne and Andrew Bonar are great "lights" from the history of the Scottish Church of the 19th century. With the resurgence of Arminianism in the Church and seeming rejection of Calvinism, is it not proper to suggest that the theology of the Protestant Reformation has been eclipsed? Or are the old truths of the gospel, the supremacy and majesty of God, and the Spirit's sovereign application of the redemption accomplished by Christ still key to the vitality of the Church today?

I'm not sure what is behind the great line of speakers we have been privileged to hear in Oklahoma this year, but it's been wonderful.

Dr. Earl Palmer spoke in February at the Celebration of Faith conference in Tulsa; Dr. Bruce Waltke spoke on behalf of the Whitfield Society in March; and now Rev. Ian Murray will speak on behalf of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals in June. What an opportunity for believers in Oklahoma!

If you are interested in participating in the conference, you can follow this link to register for the event:

http://www.alliancenet.org/CC_Content_Page/0,,PTID307086|CHID810174,00.html

Red Mountain Music

2009-04-13T06:37:00.001-07:00

If you've never listened to Red Mountain Music, take a second to visit their website and listen to a few samples of their songs. They're an incredibly gifted group that sings hymns in the folk style.

You also can download their songs on I-Tunes. Try out There is a Fountain Filled with Blood. It's one of our favorites.

We're lovin these guys!

http://www.redmountainchurch.org/rmm

Edward's Resolutions

2009-03-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

In the January edition of Tabletalk Magazine, there is an excellent article on the young life of Jonathan Edwards (considered by most people to be the greatest Theologian and Scholar America ever produced).

Since this article came out at the beginning of a New Year, it's not surprising that the focus was on Edward's resolutions, and what we can learn from how he lived his life.

Listen to these wise words of the then 19 year-old Edwards on his life's resolutions:

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humble entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake:

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

40. Resolved to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking.

42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to god, which was made at my baptism; which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly remade this twelfth day of January, 1723.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

45. Resolved, never to allow any pleasure of grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all , nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion.

57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as providence orders it. I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin.

67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do abate my assurance.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.

56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

33. Resolved, to do always, what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without overbalancing detriment in other respects.

48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent.

Tough Love

2009-03-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

This week's episode of The White Horse Inn is a must-hear for everyone who is serious about bringing Christ's Kingdom to bear on earth. It's titled, Immorality in the Church, and its focus is on the Biblical instruction of church discipline.

Kristin and I continue to hear heart-breaking stories of friends we have known and loved our entire lives that have hardened their hearts toward the words of God and stubbornly have decided to live their lives according to their own desires. We fear for many of these friends, that God may "[give] them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done (Romans 1:28)."

As heart-breaking as this has been, we probably have been even more shocked by the obvious lack of church discipline that may have been able to steer some of these friends toward repentance and reconciliation to God.

We all have images of what we think church discipline looks like. This week's White Horse Inn talks about what church discipline is and what it isn't. It compares the church in Corinth to the American church today and allows us to learn from the Biblical warning of sin and its consequences. This week's episode is full of helpful information like this quote from Michael Horton:

The goal of church discipline is always absolution and reconciliation. It's not penance. It's not, 'after you've jumped through these hoops, and proved you're really, really sorry, and you've made amends, then you will be absolved.'

There is a difference between repentance - which is changing your mind - and the fruit of repentance. We're always inconsistent in bearing the fruit of repentance. But if you're not repentant, you're not a Christian. If you think you have the right to live how you want to live, and believe what you want to believe, you're not a Christian.

It's a great lesson and well worth the 30 minutes it takes to hear. You can click here to listen to the lesson right on your computer.

It's another reminder for us that the only thing worse than being caught in our sin, is not being caught in our sin. We pray that if, in a season of rebellion, our hearts are hardened in our sin, that our church will love us enough to discipline us and come get us.

Aren't you thankful that we belong to a God who doesn't leave us on our own when we're in over our heads? Our God is a wonderful God, indeed.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Another Sighting

2009-03-17T07:30:00.001-07:00

Now really people.... Look at the picture above and tell me what you see.

Apparently, thousands of people have flocked to the small French island of Reunion, to see this - the face of our Savior Himself, appearing in the wrinkles of a church seat cushion. Pleeeeeeaassssee people!

I sure wish we could link an earlier post we wrote to their website!

So, here goes. From one of the many media sources covering the story:

SAINT-DENIS, Reunion (AFP) — Thousands flocked to a Roman Catholic church on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion Saturday after believers said they saw the "face of Christ" in the pleats of a church cushion.

Church officials limited access to the Jesus-Misericordieux church in eastern Saint-Andre's Cambuston district to a few minutes per visitor as traffic in the area ground to a halt.

Believers and curious onlookers pulled out cameras to take pictures of the cushion attached to the priest's chair.

Antoinette, an 82-year-old parishioner, said the face was a "divine phenomenon" as tears welled up her eyes.

"This church is a holy site," added Lise-May, another worshipper.

"This is not a miracle, it's a sign of God," said parish priest Daniel Gavard.

Evangelical Jungle

2009-03-14T19:31:00.001-07:00

The Christian Science Monitor published a paper in this month's edition titled,

"The Coming Evangelical Collapse."

It was an opinion on how the Evangelical church in America is going to enter into an

anti-Christian chapter in its history, resulting in the collapse of the Evangelical church

as it is known today.

Why is this going to happen? The author cites five main reasons:

1. Evangelicals have identified themselves with political conservatism and the cultural war. They increasingly will be seen as a threat to cultural progress, with public leaders seeing Christians as bad for education, children and society.

2. The Evangelical church has failed to pass on an orthodox form of faith to its young people (knowing biblical doctrine). We have produced a generation of young people who know nothing about their faith, except how they feel about it.

3. There are now three predominant types of evangelical churches in America: consumer-driven megachurches, dying churches and new churches whose future is fragile.

4. Christian education has not produced a generation that can withstand the rising tide of secularism.

5. Even in the Bible-belt, we will find a great inability to pass on to our children a vital confidence in the Bible and the importance of the faith.

The author said Americans can expect "evangelicalism to look more like the pragmatic, therapeutic, church-growth oriented megachurches that have defined success. Emphasis will shift from doctrine to relevance, motivation, and personal success - resulting in churches further compromised and weakened in their ability to pass on the faith."

This article is only an opinion, but I received an e-mail from a missionary friend of mine who also agreed that this author, sadly, makes a lot of sense. We both think that there is getting ready to be a strong persecution against 'Christians' that this generation has never seen. It will be interesting to see how American believers respond.

About 15 years ago, there was a popular book called The Frog in the Kettle. Many of you probably remember reading it. It seems that it's the people in American churches today who find themselves in the soup.

This is why it's so important to make sure that your family is regularly attending church where the Bible is being taught and the gospel is being proclaimed each Sunday. If there is a generation that needs to be saved - It's us!

Have a good Lord's Day tomorrow!

The Best Birthday Present Ever!

2009-03-12T10:14:00.001-07:00

Psalm 113

1 Praise the LORD.
Praise, O servants of the LORD,
praise the name of the LORD.

2 Let the name of the LORD be praised,
both now and forevermore.

3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the LORD is to be praised.

4 The LORD is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,

6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?

7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

8 he seats them with princes,
with the princes of their people.

9 He settles the barren woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the LORD.

A Week in Pictures

2009-03-11T14:03:00.001-07:00

Nicholas started basketball skills class this week. He insisted on wearing his head and wrist bands to class. He looked like a character from The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. The picture above is his best attempt at looking like a tough post player, but for all of you who know him, you know he's fighting back a big smile...

Maddox and I had a Daddy-Daughter date last week. I didn't take a picture of us that night, so I'm borrowing this one from another day. We had a great date and ended up sitting side-by-side on the playroom floor watching her favorite movie, The Sound of Music.

We had our good friends, the Leagues, over for dinner last week. For a hostess gift, they brought their new daughter, Ava Grace, and let Kristin hold her all night long. She may be one of the prettiest babies we've ever seen.

Lastly, in an art class last week, Kristin taught the kids about "wood-cut prints." This is where you carve designs into a block of wood, press the wood into paint and press it onto a canvas for a masterpiece. Notice how their mother has taught them the importance of safety goggles!

Bible Donate

2009-03-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. -Isaiah 55:10-11

An uncle of ours recently started a ministry called BibleDonate.org. It's a place where believers around the world can request a free copy of the Bible to be sent to them through the mail. The requests come from absolutely everywhere around the world (mostly, where Bibles are next to impossible to obtain).

When the website went up, our uncle was overwhelmed by the number of requests that poured in each day. Through word of mouth, he has been enlisting the help of families and local churches to fulfill these requests. Bibles typically are donated by Christian families who have an extra copy laying around their home or are bought and donated.

This request came in this morning by a group of new believers in Ghana. The words are misspelled, but the message comes through clear:

Dear sir,
Greetings of peace, love and joy be with you and your ministry in the name of our risen lord and savior Jesus Christ.
We are writing this letter jointly to testify that the lord is good to us Because He has done a new thing in our lives by saving our souls.We are formerly disbeliver's but when the lord Jesus christ transformed our lives from darkness to light,as a result of listening to bible programes on the radio and Tv stations and we realized we were on the wrong way ,that Jesus is the way, the truth and the live. He is the only way to salvation. We thank God, Because our lives are now no longer the same any more. As new converts, please help as to grow by providing us copies of the complet Bibles to our new church. which is leaded by (name removed).

We are praying for your ministry for God of Heaven to continue to mightily bless you in all your endeavors ... we hope any amount that you will send to us will be a great thing to you when the holy king returns.the bible also says that blessed are the mercyful and for they shall obtain mercy so we pray that the lord will have mercy on you for the mercy you will show us amen.

We are yours in christ thank you Hopping to hear from you soon. GHANA.

Our family wants to send the Bibles that these believers requested and thought others of you might be interested, too. If you're interested, let us know and we'll forward you one of the requests. It's a great thing to do as a family.

Also, if you have a minute, click over to the BibleDonate.org and read some of the requests that have come in. It's amazing how many believers around the world don't have access to a Bible. Let's change that!

Some Spring Gardening

2009-03-04T06:21:00.000-08:00

Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'

" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "
-Luke 13:6-9

I'm getting to the end of John Bunyan's book, The Barren Fig-Tree. Definitely a book for your Sanctification. It's been a journey, to say the least. If you like Bunyan, you really need to read this book.

Page after page forces you to examine the true fruit in your life (not the pretend stuff that you can fool the world, church and yourself with, as Bunyan continually reminds you). There is a chapter towards the end, that not only reminds us of the hope we have in Christ's care for us, but also gives us an incredibly insightful look into the measures that God sometimes uses to bring about fruit in our lives.

'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it.'

Lord, I will loose his roots, I will dig up this earth, I will lay his roots bare; my hand shall be upon him by sickness, by disappointments, by cross providences; I will dig about him until he stands shaking and totering; until he be ready to fall; then, if ever, he will seek to take faster hold.

Thus, I say, deals the Lord Jesus ofttimes with the barren professor; he diggeth about him, he smiteth one blow at his heart, another blow at his lusts, a third at his pleasures, a fourth at his comforts, another at his self-conceitedness.

Thus he diggeth about him; this is the way to take bad earth from his roots, and to loosen his roots from the earth. Barren fig-tree, see here the care, the love, the labour, and the way, which the Lord Jesus, the dresser of the vineyard, is fain to take with thee, if haply thou mayest be made fruitful.

In a generation where self-help, prosperity-focused, man-centered Christianity is rampant (and if you don't believe this, just walk through Mardels and look at the book titles on the best-sellers shelf), it's quite a reminder that the Lord Himself, uses hardships in our lives to 'take bad earth from our roots and to loosen our roots from the earth.' I think of the many times I've tried to thwart God's care for me by preventing this from happening!

Does it not seem true that when we, or friends, experience difficulties in our lives, we're quick to come up with some kind of knee-jerk response to usher them out of the difficulty as quickly as possible. As if hardships are punishments instead of blessings. Oh how shallow my wisdom really is!

Well, as spring is just around the corner, I'm going to reflect on one thing more. As I'm pruning back our Crepe Myrtles (and I mean really pruning them back - you know, so they'll really blossom in July), I'm going to reflect on how the Master Gardener is pruning me and when the cuts are uncomfortable, I'm going to remember the thoughts of my friend, John Bunyan. And I'm also going to pray that the bad earth will come away from my roots - and FAST!

The great thing about all of this is that God is continually at work in bringing about fruit in our lives that is pleasing to Him. He's pruning. He's fertilizing. He's removing the clay. If the end result of pleasing fruit were left up to me, I'm afraid He would be greatly disappointed.

Willinghams go to Washington (well, OKC...)

2009-02-25T13:40:00.000-08:00

This past month was HomeSchool Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol: a day where families could meet with their legislators to talk about issues that affect homeschooling in our state.

This year, there was added emphasis to our visit as two bills were being introduced that could directly affect homeschool families across the state. The first bill sought to require homeschool families to register with their local school districts, while the second bill gave authorities the right to take temporary custody of homeschooled kids who were not in the direct custody of their parents. You can read our response here about why we are opposed to these two bills.

A recent Washington Post op-ed highlights just one of the many reasons we support homeschooling:

"If you want your child to get the best education possible, it's actually more important to get him assigned to a great teacher than to a great school." This
quote is from Bill Gates' January 2009 annual letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a group that has spent billions of dollars trying to improve education. Mr. Gates also notes that overall, only 71 percent of children graduate from high school within four years. His conclusion is that America's schools are doing a poor job.

He went on to say that most of the schools helped by his foundation fell short of their goals in trying to increase college-ready graduation rates.

Both proposed bills were bad legislation that sought only to give public school districts some semblance of authority into the rapidly-growing community of homeschoolers. We were assured by the legislators we spoke with that these two bills were going nowhere.

Fin-n-Father

2009-02-25T07:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I spent the day with my dad helping him with some projects in their lake home at Lake Tenkiller. It was a beautiful day. Would you believe that the Quince and Daffodils already are beginning bloom in Eastern Oklahoma?

As you can tell by the picture, after our work was done, we stole away for some trout fishing in the lower Illinois river. For you non-Oklahomans, the Illinois river is a tributary off of the Arkansas river. You can drop a raft in right where we were fishing and float all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

It was a great day and a reminder that spring is just around the corner!

Palmer on Paul

2009-02-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to go to Tulsa this past weekend with our good friends, Jeff, Ted and Barbara Hoover, to listen to Dr. Earl Palmer. Dr. Palmer was the key-note speaker at the Celebration of Faith conference at the First Presbyterian church in downtown Tulsa.

In addition to speaking around the country, Dr. Palmer serves as the interim pastor of National Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C., and also serves on the Board of Trustees at Princeton Theological Seminary. He's an outstanding teacher. You can learn more about him (and listen to some of his sermons on-line) by visiting his website www.earlpalmer.org.

Dr. Palmer preached from Acts 9, on the life of Paul and how his ministry began. It was a fascinating sermon. He gave a history on the Apostle Paul that I had never considered. It was a wonderful look into this man's life.

One of the most interesting points of the night was Dr. Palmer's thoughts about what Jesus did when he confronted Paul on the road to Damascus.

Dr. Palmer told how Paul was blinded by the glory of the LORD on the road to Damascus. Afterwards, Jesus sent him to a home where the LORD would send a man named Ananias to pray with him. The Bible says when this happened, Paul's sight was immediately restored, he got up and was baptized and began his Christian ministry.

Dr. Palmer talked a lot about why Jesus sent Paul to Damascus instead of restoring his sight Himself and having Paul baptized right there on the road. Dr. Palmer talked about the "inefficiency" of doing this. Why would Jesus send Paul to someone else to be prayed for, to have his sight restored, and to be encouraged? Why the "inefficiency"? Why would Jesus just not restore him right there and right then?

After developing this point for ten minutes, he concluded with a thought for us to consider. Perhaps, Jesus wanted to give Paul something that HE was unable to give - perhaps the only thing HE is unable to give. And that is the ability to be ministered to by another person who has experienced forgiveness.

Dr. Palmer concluded the night by getting us all to consider that this is what we as sinners, have to offer each other - the ability as forgiven persons to minister to another.

It was a great night and well worth the drive to Tulsa. If you enjoy good teaching, take a click over to Dr. Palmer's website and give him a listen. It's well worth the time.

How 'Bout Them Apples?

2009-02-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

This week, I've been reading an excellent, but very sobering book by John Bunyan (of Pilgrim's Progress fame). The book is titled The Barren Fig Tree - The Doom and Downfall of the Fruitless Professor. It's a book that walks the professing Christian through an in-depth examination of his life in response to the profession of his faith. It forces you to take a

very honest look at the fruit of your life through the eyes of God. I think that's why it's so

PAINFUL to read. Not something this sinner enjoys doing...but something this sinner needs

to do more of.

Only half-way through the book, I've already discovered that the true fruit of my life - not the stuff that I can fool my friends with, but the real fruit - the stuff that God sees - is pretty sparce and sour at best. Each time I pick up this book, I end up in prayer afterwards, asking the LORD to forgive me and to bring about fruit in my life that is in better keeping with my repentance. I think one could say that's the mark of a good book.

If you're considering something personal to do this Lenten season that will make Easter more meaningful, you might consider buying this book and reading it through. Though your sin will come glaring through in an uncomfortable way, reading this book will certainly help you realize how much you need to be saved, and what a great Savior you have in Jesus.

You have some professors (professing Christians) that are only saints before men when they are abroad, but are devils and vipers at home; saints by profession, but devils by practice; saints in word, but sinners at heart and life. These men may have the profession, but they want the fruit that becomes repentance.

Barren fig-tree, can it be imagined that those that paint themselves did ever repent of their pride? Or that those that pursue this world did ever repent of their covetousness? Or that those that walk with wanton eyes did ever repent of their fleshly lusts? Where barren fig-tree, is the fruit of these people's repentance?

Nay, do they not rather declare to the world that they have repented of their profession? Their fruits look as if they had. Their pride saith they have repented of their humility. Their covetousness declareth that they are weary of depending upon God; and doth not thy wanton actions declare that thou abhorest chastity? Where is thy fruit, barren fig-tree?

Repentance is not only a sorrow, and a shame for, but a turning from sin to God; it is called 'repentance from dead works' (Hebrews 6:1). Hast thou that 'godly sorrow' that 'worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of' (2 Cor 7:10-11)?

How dost thou show thy carefulness, and clearing of thyself; thy indignation against sin; thy fear of offending; thy vehement desire to walk with God; thy zeal for his name and glory in the world? And what revenge hast thou in thy heart against every thought of disobedience?
- from Barren Fig Tree, pg. 53

The Mystery of Providence

2009-02-16T17:44:00.000-08:00

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
- Matthew 6:26

A little over four years ago, when Maddox was born, Kristin and I were sitting in the NICU at Baptist Hospital when a friend came to visit. We had just learned that our newly born daughter had suffered a hemorrhage in her brain and was going to require surgery. Our neatly wrapped lives were coming undone.

In the midst of our shock and grief, our friend - who was a minister- tried to bring us comfort by telling us that God had nothing to do with what was happening to our daughter. He assured us that God came into the world to redeem the world and that He had nothing to do with bad things that happen to His people.

Like the three foolish friends who tried to comfort Job in his distress, this friend showed a lack of wisdom and would have done better simply by keeping quiet.

What he ended up doing was telling us that God was not sovereign. That God was was not in control of the big things that come our way during this life, much less the little things. And that the stories in the Bible of God's ever-guiding hand, were for the Saints of old and not for us.

Needless to say, the fear we were feeling at that time became much bigger, as the God we sought was being described as much smaller.

And this is what happens when a generation becomes illiterate of the beautiful doctrine of the Providence of God.

They try to replace God by becoming the source of all comfort and control themselves. And, they describe Him as some old sage who spoke the world into creation, but now can't keep-up with how fast it's spinning. What a tragedy.

The 18th century preacher, John Flavel, wrote a wonderful book called, The Mystery of Providence. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this book. It has been an absolute breath of fresh air to a hungry soul who wants to be reminded that God is indeed in control - and He is working all things in our lives (big and small) for His glory and our good.

The Puritans used to say that Providence is a soft pillow for anxious heads. Amen to that. So what happens when difficulties come your way? Strains in your marriage? Your kids have struggles and you lose your job? Do you believe that God is still sovereign in your life?

What about cancer? What happens when God's path leads you down difficult roads that few understand? What about old dreams that appear may never happen? Do you believe that God is sovereign? In everything?

If you've ever had questions like this - I want you to know: The answer is a resounding YES.

If you need a boost of assurance that God has hemmed you in and you are right where He wants you, click over to Amazon and order Flavel's book and be encouraged.

We have a wonderful Savior who rules and controls everything for His glory and our good. And it's especially in the difficult times that this gem becomes clear. If this is you, the Mystery of Providence will convince you that you are in God's keeping. Amen!

Cookie Monsters

2009-01-30T16:23:00.001-08:00

This week, Maddox had her little friend, Areta, over for the day.

Somewhere in the imaginary playland of Betty Crocker, things moved from the playroom to the kitchen. The results were some very interesting sugar cookies with icing. And....they were great.

After a hard day in the kitchen, these two did what women through the ages have done - kicked their feet up with their cookies and milk and watched an episode of "Little House on the Prairie."

Break-Feast

2009-01-30T16:04:00.000-08:00

This week, the kids woke us up to the exciting news that they had prepared breakfast for Mom and Dad - complete with popcorn, dry cereal, soft-boiled eggs and a romantic candle to boot!

You're Doin' Fine Oklahoma!

2009-01-30T15:48:00.000-08:00

This past month, we took the kids to a couple of events at the Oklahoma History Museum. What a great place. We walked through room after room of Oklahoma nostalgia, reading stories about Oklahomans that I heard about when I was young.

If you're an Okie, it's worth the afternoon to walk through the museum and be reminded of all the great folks who have called this place home.

As you can see below, the kids' favorite exhibit was 'Noodling' in the Nature and Wildlife room.

Roll On!

2009-01-30T15:33:00.001-08:00

Our family recently went bowling with some friends, and as you can see, it was a big time with some serious competition. We learned, among many things, that we have a couple of "leaguers-in-the-making" in Nicholas and Maddox. They shunned the bumpers for the grown-up game.

The highlight of the night was watching your friend, Kristin, roll a lifetime high of 166! She blew me out of the water...

Weisens' Missions Experience

2009-01-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

I love this video.

Our friends, Jan and Sheryl Weisen, filmed all of these scenes during the time they served as missionaries in Eurasia. They put this video together to allow people to look into the life of the church in this part of the world.

If you've ever had even a hint of interest in missions, please take a minute and watch this. And remember that all of these scenes you see were filmed through the hand-held camera of a missionary couple. It's unbelievable.

Before starting, you can turn off the background music to our website by pressing the "pause" button on the music player on the left-hand side of this site.

Enjoy!

Recitation

2009-01-19T17:18:00.001-08:00

Last week was the kids' semi-annual recitation at church. This is a special time where they join a group of home-schooled kids in reciting various things from poems to preambles.

Nicholas and Maddox each recited a variety of scriptures they've been memorizing and sang "This is my Father's World."

All the kids did a great job and we were sure proud of them all.

God Built

2009-01-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." Psalm 57:2

Have you experienced a time in your life when things just don't seem to be going as planned? If so, Steve Farrar's book, God Built, is for you.

I just finished reading it and I can't say enough kind things about it. This book has reminded me - once again - that we are not our own, but belong to an unfathomably BIG God, who is in complete control of everything in our lives - both big and small.

God Built unfolds the life of Joseph (and many other Patriarchs) to help us see that when things in life appear to be out of control, in reality, they are perfectly as they should be and are being used to bring about His glory and our good. What a great comfort and reminder.

After reading this book, I've come to realize that our generation has sadly been kept from the Biblical doctrine of Providence - one of the foundational building blocks of our faith.

In John Flavel's book, The Mystery of Providence, Michael Boland writes this great reminder:

"How may we live a consecrated and victorious life? Let us first realize that everything does not depend on us. Let us see what God has done and is doing for our spiritual good. Then we may seek to work out what He is working in us. And what of guidance? Let us learn that, in an ultimate sense, we can never be 'outside the will of God.' "

If you find yourself discouraged about some situation in your life, pick up a copy of God Built and rediscover the wonderful truth that God is in control of everything! Amen.

Pardoning Prayer

2009-01-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

O Lord Most High, we confess that we have often tried to please You with our righteousness instead of pleading the righteousness of Christ. We have tried to cleanse our sins by becoming "better" Christians rather than receiving forgiveness through Your blood. We have constructed idols for pleasure and for ambition, and have not been joyful in Your presence, nor rested in Your accomplishment. We have sought our nourishment in vain activities and in setting our own course instead of trusting in Your daily provision. Merciful Father, continue to purge our darkened hearts with the light of Your gospel. Help us not to fear the cleansing work of Your Spirit, but make us eager for it, delight in it, and rejoice with unspeakable joy that we are being conformed to the image of Your dear Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Welcome Back Weisens!

2009-01-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

Last week we had the privilege of hosting our good friends, Jan and Sheryl Weisen, to Oklahoma City. We became friends with the Weisens during the two years we spent overseas. During that time, we were together with these two on a number of different occasions, and had the opportunity to work with them on a number of different projects.

They very well could be two of the most talented people we know.

We had a great time this week showing them the "high-life" of Oklahoma: Eishens Chicken, Leo's Barbecue and Pops Hamburgers. We love these two and had a great time together.

Kristin, Sheryl and Jan somewhere in Germany

Sheryl, Jan and Randy somewhere in Switzerland

Randy, Kristin, Sheryl and Jan somewhere in Lichtenstein

Sola Fide

2009-01-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Alistair Begg had this incredibly insightful quote to help Believers understand their on-going struggle against sin:

"When you put your faith for your salvation in Christ, you don't BECOME righteous, you're DECLARED righteous."

The Taste of Victory

2009-01-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

You probably have to live in Oklahoma City to fully appreciate this particular post.... But the confetti fell tonight in the Ford Center for the fifth time after the Thunder beat the Knicks.

Sproul & MacArthur on Church Attendance

2009-01-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

Pretenders Beware

2009-01-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

I found this post on RecoverTheGospel.com. It's a section out of Thomas Watson's book, The Godly Mans Picture:

A reproof to such as are only PRETENDERS to Godliness

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:27-28

Here is a sharp rebuke to such as are “glittering dross” Christians, who only make a show of godliness, like Michal, who put “an image in the bed”, and so deceived Saul’s messengers (1 Sam. 19:16). These our Savior calls “whited sepulchers” (Matt. 23:27)—their beauty is all paint! In ancient times a third part of the inhabitants of England were called Picts, which signifies “painted”. It is to be feared that they still retain their old name. How many are painted over with a religious profession, whose seeming luster dazzles the eyes of beholders—but within there is nothing but putrefaction! Hypocrites are like the swan, which has white feathers—but a black skin; or like that flower, which has a lovely appearance—but a bad scent. “You have a name that you live, and are dead” (Rev. 3:1). These the apostle Jude compares to “clouds without water” (Jude 12). They claim to be full of the Spirit—but they are empty clouds; their goodness is but a religious cheat.

Question: But why do people content themselves with a show of godliness?

Answer: This helps to keep up their fame. Men are ambitious of credit, and wish to gain repute in the world, therefore they will dress themselves in the garb and mode of religion, so that others may write them down for saints. But alas, what is one the better for having others commend him—and his conscience condemn him? What good will it do a man when he is in hell—that others think he has gone to heaven? Oh, beware of this! Counterfeit piety is double iniquity.

1. To have only a show of godliness is a God-enraging sin

The man who is a pretender to saintship—but whose heart tells him he has nothing but the name, carries Christ in his Bible but not in his heart. Some political design spurs him on in the ways of God; he makes religion a lackey to his carnal interest. What is this but to abuse God to his face, and to serve the devil in Christ’s livery? Hypocrisy makes the fury rise up in God’s face; therefore he calls such people “the generation of his wrath” (Isaiah 10:6). God will send them to hell, to do penance for their hypocrisy!

2. To make only a show of godliness is self-delusion

It is a horrible mistake to take a show of grace, for grace. This is to cheat yourself: “deceiving your own souls” (Jas. 1:22). He who has counterfeit gold instead of true gold, wrongs himself most. The hypocrite deceives others while he lives—but deceives himself when he dies.

3. To have only a name, and make a show of godliness, is odious to God and man

The hypocrite is abhorred by all. Wicked men hate him because he makes a show, and God hates him because he only makes a show. The wicked hate him because he has so much as a mask of godliness, and God hates him because he has no more. “You have almost persuaded me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28). The wicked hate the hypocrite because he is almost a Christian, and God hates him because he is only almost one.

4. To make a show of piety is a vain thing

Hypocrites lose all they have done. Their sham tears drop beside God’s bottle; their prayers and fasts prove abortive. “When you fasted and mourned, did you at all fast unto me, even to me?” (Zech. 7:5). As God will not recompense a slothful servant, neither will he recompense a treacherous one. The hypocrites’ full reward is in this life: “They have their reward” (Matt. 6:5). A poor reward—the empty breath of men. The hypocrite may make his receipt and write, “Received in full payment”. Hypocrites may have the praise of men—but though these triumphs are granted them, they shall never have the privilege of sitting in heaven. What acceptance can he look for from God, whose heart tells him he is no better than a charlatan in divinity?

5. To have only a pretense of godliness will yield no comfort at death

Will painted gold enrich a man? Will painted wine refresh him who is thirsty? Will the paint of godliness stand you in any stead? How were the foolish virgins better for their “blazing lamps”, when they had no oil? What is the lamp of profession without the oil of grace? He who has only a painted holiness shall have only a painted happiness.

6. You who have nothing but a specious pretext and mask of piety expose yourself to Satan’s scorn

You shall be brought forth at the last day, as was Samson, to make the devil sport (Judges 16:25). He will say, “What has become of your vows, tears, confessions? Has all your religion come to this? Did you so often defy the devil, and have you now come to dwell with me? Could you meet with no weapon to kill you—but what was made of gospel metal? Could you not suck poison anywhere but out of ordinances? Could you find no way to hell—but by counterfeit godliness?” What a vexation this will be, to have the devil thus reproach a man! What will it be to have the devil triumph over a man at the last day!

Let us therefore take heed of this pious pageantry or devout stage-play. That which may make us fear our hearts the more is when we see tall cedars in the church worm-eaten with hypocrisy. Balaam a prophet, Jehu a king, Judas an apostle—all of them stand to this day on record as hypocrites.

It is true that there are the seeds of this sin in the best Christian; but as it was with leprosy under the law, all who had swellings or spots in the skin of the flesh were not reputed unclean and put out of the camp (Lev. 13:6); so all who have the swellings of hypocrisy in them are not to be judged hypocrites, for these may be the spots of God’s children (Deut. 32:5). But that which distinguishes a hypocrite is when hypocrisy is predominant and is like a spreading cancer in the body.

Question: When is a man under the dominion and power of hypocrisy?

Answer: There are two signs of its predominance:

(i) When one serves God for sinister ends.

(ii) When there is some sin dear to a man, which he cannot part with. These two are as clear signs of a hypocrite as any I know.

Oh, let us take David’s candle and lantern, and search for this leaven, and burn it before the Lord!

Christian, if you mourn for hypocrisy—yet find this sin so potent that you cannot get the mastery of it, go to Christ. Beg of him that he would exercise his kingly office in your soul, that he would subdue this sin, and put it under the yoke. Beg of Christ to exercise his spiritual surgery upon you. Desire him to lance your heart and cut out the rotten flesh, and that he would apply the medicine of his blood to heal you of your hypocrisy. Say that prayer of David often: “Let my heart be sound in your statutes” (Psalm 119:80). “Lord, let me be anything rather than a hypocrite.” A double-heart will exclude from one heaven.

Hunting Buddies

2008-12-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

Nicholas and I loaded up after church yesterday and drove to Erick to hunt with our good friend, Don Loyd. This was the last day of a special doe weekend where Oklahoma hunters are allowed to harvest one additional doe before packing up the gear for the season.

If his dad was half-a-shot, Nicholas would be telling you this story while chewing on a fresh piece of deer jerky... but it just wasn't meant to be.

We still had an incredible time.

There is nothing like sitting in a blind with your son in one of the most beautiful places on this earth. The highlight was walking back to the truck at night, holding my son's hand, under the cover of a million stars.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T19:52:00.001-08:00

Tonight, we had a wonderful Christmas Eve service at Heritage where we worshiped the one and only savior, Jesus Christ.

As we tucked the kids in bed tonight, we reminded them of what a great day we have in store for us tomorrow as we celebrate the day that Jesus came to live among us and to save us from our sins.

Merry Christmas!

John 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

It's Christmas Time in the City!

2008-12-23T10:32:00.000-08:00

Silent Warriors

2008-12-23T08:49:00.001-08:00

We read this quote this week on the Truth For Life website:

In the matter of prayer, there can be no doubt that when the books are opened and the record of God’s dealings is made plain, it will be obvious that - to paraphrase Winston Churchill - "Never in the field of [spiritual] conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

My Times Are In Your Hands (Part 4)

2008-12-20T13:55:00.000-08:00

Part 4 of Alistair Begg's reminder that All of Our Times (not just some of them), are in God's Hands:

In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.

But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hands.
- Psalm 31: 1-2,14-15

4) Prosperity should not be the occasion of pride.
A proud or arrogant individual is someone who has never come to grips with providence. The person who delights in saying, "I did it my way," puffs out his chest congratulating himself and is on the wrong end of discovering the doctrine of God’s providence.

The degree to which I boast of what I have achieved is an indication that I have not come to terms with the fact that my times are in His hands. It is an indication that I have not appreciated the words of Deuteronomy 8, which clearly tells me that when I experience wealth, it is the Lord who gives us the ability to produce it, and in doing so He confirms his covenant with us. When the doctrine of providence takes root within our hearts, we begin to say, "My times are in your hands…" and we recognize that prosperity is no occasion for pride.

A Quick "Catch Me Up"

2008-12-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

To prevent a revolt from the grandparents, we thought we should post a few pics of the family from the past few weeks.

The kids sang with the choir on Sunday, celebrating the day that God came to live among us.

Nicholas played in his first piano recital. Fittingly, he played "Jolly Ol' Saint Nicholas."

The guy in the background is Michael Martin Murphey. He and his band played at the annual Cowboy Christmas Ball. Even though we only knew how to two-step (and we kind of faked that...), we had a great time.

We had "Parents Day" at the last gymnastics class of the semester. Maddox showed us all of her tricks.

The end of November brought about deer season in Erick. This is the view from my favorite hunting spot that I call, "Hunting Spot #1."

Lastly, we had a pretty day in November and we decided to head to the lake. After the kids studies were done, we went to the Illinois River and had a rock skipping contest.

My Times Are In Your Hands (part 3)

2008-12-08T15:47:00.000-08:00

From Alistair Begg's thoughts about keeping tough times in perspective:

3) I am being trained in the school of God's providence.
The Christian affirms the truth that God has not abandoned the world He created — that is deism. Nor has He become absorbed by His creation, which is pantheism.

Rather, the Christian believes God is distinct from what He has made, and He is working out everything in relationship to His creation according to His plan. By the same power and divine energy in which He created this universe, He preserves all of His creatures. He operates in all that comes to pass in the world, and He directs everything to its appointed end to bring "…everything into conformity with the purpose of His will and to conform people to the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. As strange as it seems, the Sovereign Creator fashions everything in time and history to this eventuality: He will redeem for Himself a people who are His very own.

What does this mean for us? We are not trapped in the grip of a blind force or being tossed about by chance. It means we are being trained in the school of God’s providence. It means that our times are in His hands.

My Times Are In Your Hands (part 2)

2008-12-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

Part 2 of Alistair Begg's reminder to Christians that in times of great uncertainty, we need to know that our lives are governed and ruled by the LORD Himself. We don't live by chance or blind fate! You can rest in that.

His thoughts come from Psalm 31. This is his second of nine reminders that "our times are in His hands." You can listen to Alistair Begg's sermons by clicking this link: www.truthforlife.org.

Have a good weekend!

2) I am not tossed about on the ocean of chance.
In the movie Dead Poets Society, Robin Williams’ character reports the successes of his past students and tells his current students to do their best in the moment that they have.

In one sense, that is a very fine piece of advice— it is important to make good use of our time. The underlying notion, though, is that we must make good use of our time because yesterday’s time is gone and there may be no tomorrow.

Do you ever get that sense? The Christian must respond by saying, "My times are in your hands. I’m not trapped by blind faith, and I am not tossed around on the sea of chance."

Adam's First Buck

2008-12-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

This good-looking kid is our nephew, Adam. And as you can see, he shot his first buck last week and we couldn't be happier for him.

I'm telling you, this guy is an outdoorsman in the making. He was sitting with his dad in a tree stand, when this nice deer strolled in front of them.

Congratulations, Adam!

My Times Are In Your Hands (part 1)

2008-12-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

We received a wonderful E-mail this week from one of our favorite preachers, Alistair Begg. He sent a note out to all of his listeners to remind them that in times of great uncertainty, we as Christians, have reassuring certainty.

His thoughts come from Psalm 31 and contain nine reminders for the Christian to remember. They were so good that we wanted to share them with you - part one is below. If you've never listened to Alistair Begg, you can listen to him everyday by clicking on his website: www.truthforlife.org.

Enjoy the read, Christian. Your times are in God's hands!

1) I am not trapped in the grip of blind force.
The blind impersonal force has been referred to simply as “nature” for centuries, just as it is today. You only have to turn on the Weather Channel to hear talk of Mother Nature and her forces.

This notion is more profoundly evident in the pantheistic ideas of earth prayers that are frequently propounded not only at New Age gatherings, but unfortunately, also in many church buildings. The idea that we are viewed as individual cells in a single global organism that constitutes the earth. God is not distinct from His creation, but instead, is part of it. Have you embraced this philosophy too? If so, then how do you sleep at night? When you wake up in the morning, what puts a spring in your step? Are you living life trapped, caged by a blind, cold, merciless fate, destined to die and go to an unknown eternal destination?

One of the most distinctive features of the Christian today is the way in which we are able to articulate our view of the world. The believer says, "My times are in your hands, and I am not trapped by a blind force."

Be Strong and Couragous

2008-12-04T08:54:00.001-08:00

The PCA has a quarterly magazine called By Faith. It's very well written and I always enjoy reading it. In the most recent edition, there was an interview with author Gary Haugen about his newly released book, Just Courage. Mr. Haugen was a former Director for the United Nations Genocide Investigations in Rwanda.

As a husband and dad who likes to minimize risk to protect my family, this was a very interesting topic to me.

Q. Why is risk-free living opposed to God's will for believers?

A. I think that many Western Christians believe that if they somehow insulate themselves and their families from the dangers they perceive in the world, they will find security and peace that will bring a deep and real experience of God. But this is not what we find in Scripture. We find that God is calling us to follow Him into the hard things, the scary things, and the dark corners of this world in order to bring His goodness, His truth and His light. And we find that in order to be brave enough to walk with God on this journey, we must choose not to be safe.

Q. How would you encourage believers to live a life of courage?

A. First, do less, and reflect and pray more. At 11:00 a.m., we gather together to pray - every day, in every International Justice Mission office in 12 countries. Over time, we have found that in the struggle for justice, there isn't much meaningful work that is actually going to get doing unless we spend at least an hour every day "doing nothing" - nothing but seeking the God of justice.

Second, search the promises of Scripture and take a risk. As you wrestle with a decision, ask yourself, "Am I being safe, or am I being brave?" And trust Jesus to take care of you so well that it is actually safe to be brave as you follow Him. Take a risk and live as if the promises of Scripture were true -- because they are.

Third, embark on a lifelong journey of spiritual formation and renovation. We do not become brave by sheer willpower. No, the courage God longs to give us comes through doing things that require it, and through reformation of the heart. God does not call us to try to be brave - He calls us to train for it.

Today's Teens - Tomorrow's Adults

2008-12-02T07:42:00.001-08:00

Saw this headline in the news today:

"American teens lie, steal, cheat at 'alarming' rates: study"

When I read it, I wasn't totally surprised. Most in our community would say that our teenage years are the ones filled with more rebellion and self-centeredness than others. But it's these "no-one's-going-to-tell-me-what-to-do" teenage years, if unrepented of, that produce adults who go on to lie, steal and cheat - but with your 401(k) savings, instead.

Not what I believe our founding fathers had in mind when they settled this great land.

There were a few surprises in the article that I found alarming:

Despite no significant gender differences on exam cheating, students from non-religious independent schools had the lowest cheating rate, 47 percent, compared to 63 percent of students attending religious schools.

"As bad as these numbers are, it appears they understate the level of dishonesty exhibited by America's youth," the study warned, noting than more than a fourth of the students (26 percent) admitted they had lied on at least one or two of the survey questions.

"Despite these high levels of dishonesty, these same kids have a high self-image when it comes to ethics."

Some 93 percent of students indicated satisfaction with their own character and ethics, with 77 percent saying that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know."

The independent study properly pointed out that the resulting information "doesn't bode well for the future when these youngsters become the next generation's politicians and parents, cops and corporate executives, and journalists and generals."

The article made me think of one of the lessons in the kids' Polite Moments book I've blogged about previously. With so much biblical wisdom in this little book, maybe we should find a way to get it into the schools' curriculum to help bring some balance in training tomorrow's adults. Better yet, as believing parents, let's make sure we're training our own children.

"I Will Be Back In Six Hours"

Having left you a list of jobs to do, your employer leaves for the rest of the day. Your work while not being watched should be work that pleases the Lord. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Col. 3:23

Do your jobs thoroughly in the order in which you are expected to do them. Your emplyoyer should be able to trust you to work alone because you have endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Heb 11:27 Prov. 15:3

While your employer is absent, you have many unspoken responsibilities. Stay alert as you work, and be aware of what is going on around you. Whereas before you had someone to turn to in time of trouble, now you may be required to make more serious decisions if something goes wrong. Gen 39:4 Be ready to answer the phone, to meet someone at the door, or to take on other responsibilities as necessary. Prov. 25:19

WHO THEN IS A FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? BLESSED IS THAT SERVANT, WHOM HIS LORD WHEN HE COMETH SHALL FIND SO DOING. Matthew 24:45,46

A Portrait in Words

2008-12-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

Jesus just keeps showing his face everywhere. Even today, there were two accounts.

The first comes from Kingsville, Texas where a report says the image of Jesus showed up on a light pole in an alley way.

The second story comes from Palm Springs, where the image of Jesus has shown up on a doggy door. What did the owner do with this pearl of great price? Put it on E-Bay, of course - with a starting bid of $990.

As odd as these "Jesus sightings" seem to me, it does bring to mind a really interesting sermon I listened to last week by one of my favorite pastors, Alistair Begg.

Pastor Begg was preaching on the second commandment:

You shall not make for yourself an idol
in the form of anything in heaven above
or on the earth beneath
or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them;
for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,
punishing the children for the sin of the fathers
to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
but showing love to a thousand generations of those
who love me and keep my commandments

In my simple mind, I always thought this commandment simply prohibited the worship of any carved idol (as in another god). But in reading the Heidelberg Catechism and listening to Pastor Begg, I'm learning that it's much, much more.

Listen to these Catechism questions from the Heidelberg:

96. What is God's will for us in the second commandment?
That we in no way make any image of God nor worship him in any other way than he has commanded in his word.

97. May we then not make any image at all?
God can not and may not be visibly portrayed in any way.

Although creatures may be portrayed, yet God forbids making or having such images if one's intention is to worship them or to serve God through them.

98. But may not images be permitted in the churches as teaching aids for the unlearned?
No, we shouldn't try to be wiser than God.

He wants his people instructed by the living preaching of his Word --
not by idols that cannot even talk.

In G.I. Williamson's commentary on the Second Commandment in the Westminster Confession, he addresses the issue of pictures of Jesus (pg. 292).

The Bible presents no information whatever about the personal appearance of Jesus Christ, but it does teach that we are not to think of him as he may have appeared "in the days of his flesh," but as he is today in heavenly glory, in his estate of exaltation.

Inasmuch as the Bible presents no data about the personal appearance of our Savior, all artists' pictures of him are wholly imaginary and constitute only the artists' ideas of his character and appearance.

And this was a point of Alistair Begg.

How can a created man - with limits to his creativity, understanding and knowledge - capture the essence of God? The artist may render his interpretation of Christ as a compassionate man or a determined man or a loving man or a teaching man. But would any of these pictures be able to describe to the viewer who God is?

The most striking point Begg made in his sermon was his observation that many believers identify themselves as Christians with the symbol that best describes Christ - The Cross. But he goes on to remind us that as absolutely wonderful as the cross is to the Christian, the story didn't begin there and it doesn't end there. Christ, who gave his life for us on the cross, was also present at the creation of the world, and is, as we are speaking, sitting right now at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, ruling the world and interceding on our behalf.

Is there any way that any picture or symbol can properly express our God?

Begg's ending point was a strong reminder that the great "I AM" describes himself to us in words and He's given us a a great book in the Bible to show us what He's like.

A much better view of God, if you ask me, than a light pole or doggy door.

Style Points

2008-11-29T18:58:00.000-08:00

We thought we would add our own style points for OU's consideration in the BCS.

God's Infinite Mercy

2008-11-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret,
but worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

We received this great quote from of our good friend, Shawn Young. It comes from a paper written by the Scottish Reformer John Colquhoun. His paper is titled, "The Difference Between True and False Repentance." If you're interested in reading the entire piece, let us know and we'll E-mail it to you.

"The evangelical penitent looks over the highest mountains that are raised before him--the greatness of his transgressions, the plagues of his heart, the temptations of Satan--to infinite mercy. There he will fly. In that he will hope, though his case seem ever so dark, and though every thing appear to turn against him. And the more lively his hope is, the more humbled and grieved he is for his iniquities, and the more vigorous his endeavours are after new obedience."

Prayer

2008-11-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

We had this wonderful prayer in our liturgy on Sunday.

We prayed this collectively as a church body after having read the 10 commandments together, and then knelt and confessed our sins privately.

Take a moment to pray this prayer with other Christian brothers and sisters around the world!

O God of grace, You have imputed my sin to my substitute, and have imputed His righteousness to me, clothing me with a bridegroom's robe, decking me with jewels of holiness. But in my Christian walk, I am still in rags; my best prayers are stained with sin; my penitential tears are so much impurity; my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin. I need to repent of my repentance; I need my tears to be washed; I have no robe to bring to cover my sins, no loom to weave my own righteousness; I am always standing clothed in filthy garments, and by grace am always receiving change of raiment, for You justify the ungodly. Grant me never to lose sight of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding righteousness of salvation, the exceeding glory of Christ, the exceeding beauty of holiness, and the exceeding wonder of grace! Amen

The Hope in Hope

2008-11-17T15:52:00.000-08:00

Puritan, Thomas Brooks, provides countless thoughts to encourage us struggling believers who at times doubt in our assurance, in his book, Heaven on Earth. One of his pages reminds us of the wellspring of hope we have - in Hope.

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

When Alexander went upon a hopeful expedition, he gave away his gold; and when he was asked what he kept for himself, he answered, Spem majorum et meliorum, the hope of greater and better things.

So a Christian will part with anything rather than with his hope; he knows that hope will keep the heart both from aching and breaking, from fainting and sinking; he knows that hope is a beam of God, a spark of glory, and that nothing shall extinguish it till the soul be filled with glory. Souls that are big in hope, will not be long without sweet assurance. God loves not to see the hoping should go always up and down sighing and morning for want of a good word from heaven, for want of possessing what it hopes in time to enjoy. Hold out hope and patience "a little longer, and he that hath promised to come, will come, and will not tarry" (Hebrews 10:37).

Birthday Bash

2008-11-15T19:44:00.000-08:00

Today, we had a great time celebrating the kids' birthdays in a combined party at Metro Gymnastics.

The day was complete with a lot of fun, a lot of laughter, and a lot of smiling faces.

The Issue of Our Generation

2008-11-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

A couple of really interesting articles today on the not-talked-about-enough issue of abortion.

The first article comes from LifeSiteNews. It tells of a Serbian physician who after having aborted 48,000 babies became one of the biggest Pro Life advocates in the Balkans.

In describing his conversion, Adasevic said he "dreamed about a beautiful field full of children and young people who were playing and laughing, from 4 to 24 years of age, but who ran away from him in fear. A man dressed in a black and white habit stared at him in silence. The dream was repeated each night and he would wake up in a cold sweat. One night he asked the man in black and white who he was. 'My name is Thomas Aquinas,' the man in his dream responded. Adasevic, educated in communist schools, had never heard of the Dominican genius saint. He didn't recognize the name."

"Why don't you ask me who these children are?" St. Thomas asked Adasevic in his dream. "They are the ones you killed with your abortions,” the Dominican saint told him. Adasevic awoke in amazement and decided not to perform any more abortions, the article stated.

Here's the second article – from the AP today:

A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.

"Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote.

"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."

As a reformed Protestant, I don't believe that penance is required to be reconciled to God. We believe that is what Jesus did for us when He died for our sins.

I do, however, agree with the premise that if any of us knowingly supports anything where sin is committed against the Lord, we should examine ourselves before participating in the Lord's Supper, and repent of this sin along with the others we've committed.

Compare These Stories

2008-11-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

Just for perspective, I wanted to post a couple of news articles pulled from the internet today and contrast those against a video that was sent to us by e-mail.

The first article comes from WorldnetDaily. It tells how a group of homosexual activists ransacked a church during their Sunday worship service.

Worshippers at a Bible-teaching church in Lansing, Mich., were stunned Sunday when members of a pro-homosexual, pro-anarchy organization named Bash Back interrupted their service to fling propaganda and condoms around the sanctuary, drape a profane banner from the balcony and feature two lesbians making out at the pulpit.

According to De Leeuw, "Prayer had just finished when men and women stood up in pockets across the congregation, on the main floor and in the balcony.

"'Jesus was gay,' they shouted among other profanities and blasphemies as they rushed the stage. Some forced their way through rows of women and kids to try to hang a profane banner from the balcony while others began tossing fliers into the air. Two women made their way to the pulpit and began to kiss," he wrote.

He cited the Bash Back organization's own announcement of other items members brought into the church, including "a megaphone, noise makers, condoms, glitter by the bucket load, confetti, pink fabric. ..."

As hard as that is to believe, you should read the entire article by clicking this link to read the whole account.

The second article is a video clip from KPSP-TV's news coverage of a rally in Palm Springs in response to California's passing of Prop 8. This new law amends California's state constitution to only recognize marriage between a man and a woman.

You may want to pause the background music on the left side of this website before playing this video.

Now compare those two stories with this video of Nick Vujicic. There is a peace, joy and hope that can only come through placing your entire life in the hands of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

The first two stories just reek of self-centered sin and man's enmity with God when outside of Christ. While the last is actually a lingering fragrance of how God can give hope and meaning in the most overwhelming trials.

Polite Primer

2008-11-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, some friends introduced us to a wonderful book on how to teach character to our children called Polite Moments. It's one of those great books that compliments biblical training and helps to teach our kids how they can better live as Christians in the world.

We liked the book so much, that we actually made it a weekly subject in our schooling. I'm telling you, there is nothing better than hearing your kids talk about how they could have done this or that better to glorify God in their lives. Though we have a long ways to go, I'm grateful that the Lord has allowed us the opportunity to at least begin thinking along these lines.

I thought I'd include one of the pages as an example, in case it's something you might be interested in.

Do Nothing to Draw Attention to Yourself

It is not the purpose of your face and body to be used to get attention for yourself. Attention drawn to yourself is gain for you - and loss for Christ. Phil. 3:7 Your body is to "magnify" Jesus Christ. As others look at you, and see the way that you live (your speech, behavior, and attitudes), they should think more of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:20 John 3:30 Rom. 6:19,20 When you show off, Jesus Christ is not magnified, honored, or glorified. 1 Cor. 10:31 The more you try to exalt yourself, the less use you will be to the Lord. 2 Cor. 12:7-10 Let others say good things about you; consider yourself to be an "unprofitable servant." Prov. 27:2 Luke 17:10 Those who use their faces, voices, and bodies to draw attention to themselves are conforming to the world. Rom 12:1,2

For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. Galatians 6:3

If this is something you might be interested in, you can click here to go to the publisher's website and order a copy for yourself (I think our copy was around $12.00).

Could 82,000 Fans Be Wrong?

2008-11-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

Following OU's Saturday night trouncing of Nebraska (62-28), the computer guys over at the BCS actually managed to drop the Sooners two spots in the polls - from 4th to 6th. Figure that.

As a side note, we were just a few minutes late arriving to the game and by the time we got to our seats, the score was 21-0.

Puritan Prayer

2008-11-03T16:33:00.000-08:00

Pause a moment to pray the wonderful Puritan prayer below - one of the many great prayers in The Valley of Vision.

Holy Lord, I have sinned times without number, and been guilty of pride and unbelief, of failure to find Thy mind in Thy Word, of neglect to seek Thee in my daily life. My transgressions and short-comings present me with a list of accusations, but I bless Thee that they will not stand against me, for all have been laid on Christ. Go on to subdue my corruptions, and grant me grace to live above them. Let not the passions of the flesh nor lustings of the mind bring my spirit into subjection, but do Thou rule over me in liberty and power.

I thank Thee that many of my prayers have been refused. I have asked amiss and do not have, I have prayed from lusts and been rejected, I have longed for Egypt and been given a wilderness. Go on with Thy patient work, answering 'no' to my wrongful prayers, and fitting me to accept it. Purge me from every false desire, every base aspiration, everything contrary to Thy rule. I thank Thee for Thy wisdom and Thy love, for all the acts of discipline to which I am subject, for sometimes putting me into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross.

No trial is so hard to bear as a sense of sin. If Thou shouldst give me choice to live in pleasure and keep my sins, or to have them burnt away with trial, give me sanctified affliction. Deliver me from every evil habit, every accretion of former sins, everything that dims the brightness of Thy grace in me, everything that prevents me taking delight in Thee. Then I shall bless Thee, God of jeshurun, for helping me to be upright.

No Tricks. A lot of Treats

2008-11-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

Children's Catechism #6

2008-11-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

In the Catechism book we formerly used for our kids, there was a question that asked, "How does God reveal Himself?"

Do you know the answer?

I'll give you a hint... The first way is through His word and second has a lot to do with the picture of this beautiful Maple tree we took in our back yard today.

Jesus' Words for You

2008-10-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful thought by Charles Spurgeon. My prayer, for both of us, is that we will spend enough time with Jesus in our Bibles, that we will clearly hear his voice in scriptures and know that He is speaking to us. Solus Christus!

"As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him." Luke 24:15-16

The disciples ought to have known Jesus, they had heard His voice so often, and gazed upon that marred face so frequently, that it is wonderful they did not discover Him. Yet is it not so with you also? You have not seen Jesus lately. You have been to His table, and you have not met Him there. You are in a dark trouble this evening, and though He plainly says, "It is I, be not afraid," yet you cannot discern Him. Alas! our eyes are holden. We know His voice; we have looked into His face; we have leaned our head upon His bosom, and yet, though Christ is very near us, we are saying, "O that I knew where I might find Him!"

We should know Jesus, for we have the Scriptures to reflect His image, and yet how possible it is for us to open that precious book and have no glimpse of the Wellbeloved!

Dear child of God, are you in that state? Jesus feedeth among the lilies of the word, and you walk among those lilies and yet you behold Him not. He is accustomed to walk through the glades of Scripture, and to commune with His people, as the Father did with Adam in the cool of the day, and yet you are in the garden of Scripture, but cannot see Him, though He is always there.

And why do we not see Him? It must be ascribed in our case, as in the disciples', to unbelief. They evidently did not expect to see Jesus, and therefore they did not know Him. To a great extent in spiritual things we get what we expect of the Lord. Faith alone can bring us to see Jesus. Make it your prayer, "Lord, open Thou mine eyes, that I may see my Saviour present with me." It is a blessed thing to want to see Him; but oh! it is better far to gaze upon Him. To those who seek Him He is kind; but to those who find Him, beyond expression, is He dear!

A Rumble of Thunder

2008-10-31T14:08:00.000-07:00

Had the good opportunity to join 19,000 other enthusiasts in welcoming the OKC Thunder into their new home on Wednesday night.

The word on the street is the Ford Center is now being called "The Thunderdome."

Get Out The Vote!

2008-10-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Catholic Church just put out this moving video to inspire their members to not only get out and vote on election Tuesday, but to vote their conscience. It's worth the couple of minutes it takes to watch.

As a tip before watching the video, scroll down this page and on the left, hit the pause button on the music player. This will turn off the background music and allow you the full effect of the You Tube clip.

Get out and vote your conscience!

The Good – no, Great – News

2008-10-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

I love the gospel of Christ. I love when it's told in clarity and simplicity.

I read this brief devotional today from 19th-century preacher Charles Spurgeon. It's a simple reminder of the great news we have in Christ:

"But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck." Exodus 34:20

Every firstborn creature must be the Lord's, but since the ass was unclean, it could not be presented in sacrifice. What then? Should it be allowed to go free from the universal law? By no means. God admits of no exceptions. The ass is His due, but He will not accept it; He will not abate the claim, but yet He cannot be pleased with the victim. No way of escape remained but redemption - the creature must be saved by the substitution of a lamb in its place; or if not redeemed, it must die.

My soul, here is a lesson for thee. That unclean animal is thyself; thou art justly the property of the Lord who made thee and preserves thee, but thou art so sinful that God will not, cannot, accept thee; and it has come to this, the Lamb of God must stand in thy stead, or thou must die eternally.

Let all the world know of thy gratitude to that spotless Lamb who has already bled for thee, and so redeemed thee from the fatal curse of the law. Must it not sometimes have been a question with the Israelite which should die, the ass or the lamb? Would not the good man pause to estimate and compare? Assuredly there was no comparison between the value of the soul of man and the life of the Lord Jesus, and yet the Lamb dies, and man the ass is spared.

My soul, admire the boundless love of God to thee and others of the human race. Worms are bought with the blood of the Son of the Highest! Dust and ashes redeemed with a price far above silver and gold! What a doom had been mine had not plenteous redemption been found! The breaking of the neck of the ass was but a momentary penalty, but who shall measure the wrath to come to which no limit can be imagined? Inestimably dear is the glorious Lamb who has redeemed us from such a doom.

Beach Break

2008-10-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Last week we took the kids to Port Aransas for a fun week of learning at the sea.

The kids spent time with their grandparents learning everything about Pelicans, Sea Shells and Shipping Boats.

Real Sins Require Real Payment

2008-10-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

We had a guest pastor at church a few weeks ago who gave this great quote from Luther.

MY FAITHFUL REQUEST AND ADMONISHMENT IS THAT YOU JOIN OUR COMPANY AND ASSOCIATE WITH US WHO ARE REAL GREAT HARDBOILED SINNERS.

YOU BY NO MEANS MUST MAKE CHRIST SEEM PALTRY AND TRIFLING TO US. AS THOUGH HE COULD BE OUR HELPER ONLY WHEN WE WISH TO BE RID OF IMAGINARY, NOMINAL, CHILDISH SINS. NO, NO.

THAT WOULD NOT BE GOOD. HE MUST RATHER BE A SAVIOR AND REDEEMER FROM REAL, GREAT, GRIEVOUS, DAMNABLE TRANSGRESSIONS AND INIQUITIES. YEA, FROM THE VERY GREATEST AND MOST SHOCKING SINS. TO BE ALL SINS ADDED TOGETHER IN A GRAND TOTAL.

YOU WANT TO BE A PAINTED SINNER AND ACCORDINGLY EXPECT TO HAVE A PAINTED SAVIOR? YOU WILL HAVE TO GET USED TO THE FACT THAT CHRIST IS A REAL SAVIOR AND YOU ARE A REAL SINNER. FOR GOD IS NEITHER JESTING NOR DEALING IN IMAGINARY AFFAIRS. BUT HE WAS GREATLY AND MOST ASSUREDLY IN EARNEST WHEN HE SENT HIS OWN SON TO DIE ON A CROSS FOR OUR SINS.

MARTIN LUTHER

Camping at Wichita Mountains

2008-10-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Nic and I had the opportunity of camping at the Wichita Mountains with some friends from church. The highlights were a challenging hike across a ravine filled with boulders, great food cooked over a campfire, Elk bugling at night and sleeping under the stars.

God's beautiful creation was everywhere and it definitely proclaimed His glory (Isaiah 6).

The Big 4-Oh

2008-10-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Head of our Household is now 40. And although the happenings of the past few weeks have not been conducive to a party atmosphere, we found some ways to celebrate. Even Scout got into the festivities, right before she attacked her party hat.

Happy Birthday, Randy! You are so loved, by so many. Especially us!

Alistair Begg on Persevering Under Trials

2008-09-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't you know it. In God's kind providence during our trial, Alistair Begg just happens to be preaching out of James this month. In addition, our pastor Shawn Young, is preaching out of Psalms. Constant reminders that our Father in heaven has a perfect plan for our lives and that He is perpetually out for our good.

In one of Alistair Begg's sermons, he quoted the Dutch Reformed missionary, Andrew Murray (Christ in the School of Prayer and Waiting on God). Murray had some great practical advice for believers in Persevering Under Trial:

In my experience of trial, I will say this:

1. It is God who has brought me here. It is by His will that I am in this tough spot. And in that fact, I will trust.

2. God will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child.

3. God will make this trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends for me to learn.

4. God in His good time, can, if He chooses, bring me out again, how and when He knows.

Alistair Begg summarized the points of persevering under trials as following:

1. I am here by God’s appointment.
2. I am in His keeping.
3. I am under His training.
4. I am here for His time.

Several of you have asked how you can be praying for us during this time. In addition to asking the LORD to help us get fully back on our feet, I can't think of a more fitting prayer for our family, than the points that Murray noted.

Thank you again for your prayers. We love you all!

Beijing 2020

2008-09-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago was Maddox' first run at gymnastics. In addition to being as cute as she can be, she's having a great time.

Preparing for the all-difficult "jump into the foam pit"

Moving over for her floor routine

Practicing balance on the foam donut

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2008-09-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

Our first year of flag football is underway, with the Jaguars showing some impressive ability to have fun.

Right Side Defensive End and Corner

The pre-game sizing up of the other guys

The post-touchdown celebration

Ashokan Farewell

2008-09-19T18:57:00.001-07:00

Simple, hauntingly beautiful music.

We were driving last night when we heard this beautiful song on the radio. We googled it, and sure enough, it was on You Tube.

The Road to the Celestial City

2008-09-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

A short clip from one of my favorite books, Pilgrim's Progress:

"Who directed you to go this way to have your burden removed?" asked Worldly Wiseman.
Christian answered, "A man who seemed to me to be a very great and honorable person. His name, as I remember, is Evangelist."
"Curse him for his advice!" Worldly retorted. "There's not a more dangerous and troublesome way in the world than the one to which he's directed you. And that's what you'll find if you allow yourself to be guided by his counsel. You have, as I perceive, already met with some trouble, for I see the dirt of the Swamp of Despondence on you. That swamp is only the beginning of the sorrows that follow after the individuals traveling on that path. Hear me, because I'm older than you. In the way you're going, you're likely to meet with Wearisomeness, Painfulness, Hunger, Perils, Nakedness, Sword, Lions, Dragons, Darkness, and - in a word - Death. And you think not? These things are certainly true, having been confirmed by many testimonies. And why should a man so carelessly cast himself away by listening to a stranger?"
"Why, sir," responded Christian, "this burden upon my back is more terrible to me than all these things you've mentioned. No, I don't think I care what I meet with in the way as long as I can also find deliverance from my burden."
"How did you come to get your burden in the first place?" inquired Worldly.
"By reading this Book in my hand (the Bible)," answered Christian.

Be Thou My Vision

2008-09-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
- Romans 11:36

I'm sorry it's been so long since our last post. I know several of you have looked on our site for an update on how we're doing. We appreciate all of your love and prayers during the past few weeks.

To give you a very condensed update, about three weeks ago I was diagnosed with a tumor in my right eye called a choroidal melanoma. Six out of every million people get one, and you're reading a lucky ticket holder right now. Though my tumor was not very big, it was growing in a place around my optic nerve which limited the treatment options. After prayerful consideration - and talking with a lot of gifted physicians - we elected to have my eye enucleated (removed). My surgery was last Wednesday and by God's kind grace, He is helping us get back on our feet one step at a time.

As you can imagine, it's been a whirlwind of a month around here and we're learning all kinds of new lessons. One of the biggest lessons has been learning to trust more completely in the One who who loves us the most.

John Piper wrote an excellent article called "Don't Waste Your Cancer." I won't take the time to re-write the points (you can click the link and read them if you'd like), but the gist has been another reminder that through it all God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

I wish I could tell you that I've been some kind of super-hero in handling this trial. But the reality is I'm a weak and struggling sinner. I think this has been the biggest trial I've ever faced. And for some reason, in the midst of what has probably been my darkest hour, God has chosen to show His compassion and kindness to our family in so many ways.

I've once again been brought face-to-face with the good news of the Bible. That our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. I can honestly say that it's been Christ who has gotten me through. I don't know how those who don't belong to Him handle times like these.

So where will we go from here? Toward the end of October, I get fitted for a prosthetic eye. I'm told that most of you won't be able to tell which eye is my real one and which is not. Until then, we're continuing to look to the One who has gotten us this far and are continuing to ask for His strength, His grace, His healing and His promises to be as true for our family as they have been for all His children throughout history.

If we had to stand before God on our own merits during times like these (or at any time, for that matter), none of us would make it. But thanks be to God for sending us a Savior in His own Son, to pay for our sins. And by simply putting our faith and hope in Him, He promises to never leave us nor forsake us, and especially important, to never count our sins against us. What a comfort.

Please continue to pray for us. We're indebted to the entire Christian body who has surrounded us with prayer and support up to this point. We love you all.

Fidelity

2008-08-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

Christian Men, if you've never read Doug Wilson's book, Fidelity - What it means to be a one-woman man, it's got to be on your 'to read' list this year. It's as straight-shooting a book as you'll find on sins that have sunk many a friend. His chapters on fornication, adultery and divorce will sober you up - and quick. Also, his last chapter is a Q & A with biblical answers to a lot of practical questions.

If you love your wife and kids - and, you believe in the concept of insurance - you probably would appreciate a book like this. Just be forewarned - it's direct and doesn't make man-made arguments around biblical absolutes. It's exactly what we need.

Well-tucked deep in a chapter on adultery, Wilson has a very encouraging paragraph on the importance of having a proper understanding on Justification. It follows a paragraph on what brings us to sin and why we must have a new heart:

The solution is regeneration. We must get the doctrine of regeneration straight in our minds. A tremendous amount of mischief has resulted from confusion at this point. We are not born again because we have repented and believed. Rather, we have repented and believed because God has given us the new birth. If the old heart is capable of repentance and belief, then a man does not need a new heart. He simply needs to continue to improve the old one.

What does God promise the prophet?

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you , and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (Ezek. 26:26-27).

If you are repenting of your sin and believe the gospel - take heart: It is God who has brought this about in your life. And the same God who started this good work will be faithful to complete it!

Wilson goes on to write:

Who will do this? God is the only one who can, and that is something He promises to do for His people.

Jesus calls His followers to a genuine submission to the law of God. If we cannot, then we must cry out for a new heart. If we are believers who have drifted into compromise, then we must confess our sin to Him. He is faithful and just to forgive. Our new hearts enable us to look to Him for all our righteousness. True purity is found only there.

Now that's good news!

For $10.20, you can click here and read the whole book for yourself.

Obligations of Parents (part 4)

2008-08-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

Part 4 of J.C. Ryle's sermon: Primary Obligations of Parents

Train with this thought continually before your eyes - that the soul of your child is the first thing to be considered.

Precious, no doubt, are these little ones in your eyes; but if you love them, think often of their souls. No interest should weigh with you so much as their eternal interests. No part of them should be so dear to you as that part that will never die. The world with all its glory shall pass away; the hills shall melt; the heavens shall be wrapped together as a scroll; the sun shall cease to shine. But the spirit that dwells in those little creatures, whom you love so well, shall outlive them all, and whether in happiness or misery (to speak as a man) will depend on you.

This is the thought that should be uppermost on your mind in all you do for your children. In every step you take about them, in every plan and scheme and arrangement that concerns them, do not leave out that mighty question, "How will this affect their souls?"

Soul love is the soul of all love. To pet, pamper, and indulge your child, as if this world was all he had to look to and this life the only season for happiness - to do this is not true love, but cruelty. It is treating him like some beast of the earth that has but one world to look to and nothing after death. It is hiding from him that grand truth that he ought to be made to learn from his very infancy - that the chief end of his life is the salvation of his soul.

A true Christian must be no slave to fashion if he would train his child for heaven. He must not be content to do things merely because they are the custom of the world; to teach them and instruct them in certain ways, merely because it is usual; to allow them to read books of a questionable sort, merely because everybody else reads them; to let them form habits of a doubtful tendency, merely because they are the habits of the day. He must train with an eye to his children's souls. He must not be ashamed to hear his training called singular and strange. What if it is? The time is short - the fashion of this world passeth away. He that has trained his children for heaven rather than for earth - for God, rather than for man - is the parent that will be called wise at last. (To be continued....)

Did you read the last two paragraphs? I think I should read those every morning. What an encouragement!

White Horse Inn

2008-07-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

If you've ever noticed the left side of our website, you've probably seen a link to a place called the White Horse Inn. While you may have thought this was a link to a great bed and breakfast in Vermont, it's actually a link to one of our favorite weekly radio shows broadcast over the internet.

The original White Horse Inn was a tavern in Cambridge, England where Christians would gather in the 1500's to discuss their concern over wrong doctrine and the direction it was taking the church at that time. From these discussions began what I believe is the most significant revival in modern history – The Great Reformation. The link to the left is a group of pastors who are attempting to carry on this great tradition of getting Christians to think about what they believe and to hopefully, reform our generation in the same way.

Well last week, Kristin's dad was in England on business. Monday he sent us the picture above. It's of him standing in the place of the original White Horse Inn. In case you can't read the caption on the sign, it says:

"Site of the White Horse Inn. Known as 'Little Germany' where Cambridge scholars debated the works of Martin Luther in the early sixteenth century.
A birthplace of the reformation in England."

How cool is that?

Obligations of Parents (part 3)

2008-07-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

Part 3 of J.C. Ryle's sermon: Primary Obligations of Parents

Train up your child with all tenderness, affection, and patience. I do not mean that you are to spoil him, but I do mean that you should let him see that you love him. Love should be the silver thread that runs through all your conduct. Kindness, gentleness, long-suffering, forbearance, patience, sympathy, a willingness to enter into childish troubles, a readiness to take part in childish joys - these are the cords by which a child may be led most easily - these are the clues you must follow if you would find the way to his heart...

Now children's minds are cast in much the same mold as our own. Sternness and severity of manner chill them and throw them back. It shuts up their hearts, and you will weary yourself to find the door. But let them only see that you have an affectionate feeling towards them- that you are really desirous to make them happy and do them good - that if you punish them, it is intended for their profit, and that, like the pelican, you would give your heart's blood to nourish their souls. Let them see this, I say, and they will soon be all your own. But they must be wooed with kindness if their attention is ever to be won... Love is one grand secret of successful training. Anger and harshness may frighten, but they will not persuade the child that you are right. If he sees you often out of temper, you will soon cease to have his respect. A father who speaks to his son as Saul did to Jonathan (1 Sa 20:30) need not expect to retain his influence over that son's mind.

Try hard to keep up a hold on your child's affections. It is a dangerous thing to make your children afraid of you. Anything is almost better than reserve and constraint between your child and yourself; and this will come in with fear. Fear puts an end to openness of manner. Fear leads to concealment - fear sows the seed of much hypocrisy and leads to many a lie. There is a mine of truth in the Apostle's words to the Colossians: "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged" (Col 3:21). Let not the advice it contains be overlooked. (To be continued...)

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)

2008-07-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

I believe that Christian parents and children, Christian families, have a unique opportunity of witnessing to the world at this present time by just being different. We can be true evangelists by showing this discipline, this law and order, this true relationship between parents and children. We may be the means under God's hand of bringing many to a knowledge of Truth. Let us therefore think of it in that way.

From Life in the Spirit in Marriage, Home & Work:
An Exposition of Ephesians 5:18 to 6:9

Scouting Trip

2008-07-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we drove to Hodgen, Oklahoma to pick out our new pet. We were awarded the first pick out of a beautiful litter of Labrador puppies. After playing with them all, we picked our girl.

May we introduce you to the newest member of the Willingham family: Scout (from To Kill a Mockingbird fame). She becomes a permanent member in two weeks.

Festa Junina

2008-07-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last week, we had a really fun time at the Festa Junina party put on by the YMCA student-exchange program. This is an annual holiday celebrated in Brazil. Our exchange students, along with their friends, put together a really fun night complete with food, dancing and fun skits.

Our family with our two girls, Nayara and Mila

Nayara, Tata and Mila holding their honorary citizenship certificates given by the Governor's office

The entire Brazilian student exchange group

Heaven on Earth

2008-07-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a great book called Heaven on Earth. It was written in 1654 by the Puritan, Thomas Brooks. The theme of the book is Christian Assurance - something I'm striving to have more of and am resolved to obtain (making my calling and election sure - 2 Peter 1:10).

In chapter five, there is a great section on weak faith and strong faith. Read what Brooks wrote and be encouraged!

Strong faith and weak faith

In the first place, I shall give some hints concerning strong faith. In the second place, I shall give you some hints concerning weak faith. My design in both is, to keep precious souls from mistaking and fainting. Concerning strong faith, I shall give you these short hints:

(1) The first hint. Strong faith will make a soul resolute in resisting, and happy in conquering the strongest temptations, Heb. 11:3; Dan. 6:10.
(2) The second hint. It will make a man own God, and cleave to God, and hang upon God, in the face of the greatest difficulties and dangers, Rom. 4:18; Ps. 44:16-18. So Job will trust in God though he slay him, Job 13:15-16.
(3) The third hint. It will enable men to prefer Christ's cross before the world's crown, to prefer tortures before deliverance, Heb. 11:3.
(4) The fourth hint. Strong faith will make a soul divinely fearless, and divinely careless; it will make a man live as the child lives in the family, without fear or care, Ps. 23:4; Dan. 3:16. "We are not careful to answer thee, O king; our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, and he will deliver us." Micah 7:7-9.
(5) The fifth hint. Strong faith will make a man cleave to the promise when providence runs cross to the promise, Num. 10:29; 2 Chron. 20:9-11. Ps. 60:6-7. "God hath spoken in his holiness," saith David; "I will rejoice: I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and Manesseh is mine," etc. Though David was in his banishment, yet his faith accounts all his as if he had all in possession, and that because God had spoken in his holiness. His faith hangs upon the promise, though present providences did run cross to the promise.
(6) The sixth hint. Strong faith will make men comply with those commands that do most cross them in their most desireable comforts, Heb. 11:8-9, and 10:34; Gen. 22.
Now, O precious souls! You are not to argue against your own souls, that surely you have no faith, because your faith doth not lead you forth to such and such noble things. Thou mayest have true faith, though thou hast not so great faith as others of the Lord's worthies have had.
The philosophers say that there are eight degrees of heat: we discern three. Now, if a man should define heat only by the highest degree, then all other degrees will be cast out from being heat. So if a man should define faith only by the highest degrees and operations of it, then that will be denied to be faith that indeed is faith, as I shall presently shew.

In the second place, I shall give you some hints concerning weak faith:
(1) The first hint. A weak faith doth as much justify and as much unite a man to Christ as a strong faith. It gives a man as much title to and interest in Christ as the strongest faith in the world. The babe hath as much interest in the father as he that is of grown years. A weak faith gives a man as good a title to Christ, and all the precious things of eternity, as the strongest faith in the world. A weak hand has receive a pearl as well as the strong hand of a giant. Faith is a receiving of Christ, John 1:12.
(2) The second hint. The promises of eternal happiness and blessedness are not made over to the strength of faith, but to the truth of faith; not to the degrees of faith, but to the reality of faith. He that believes shall be saved, though he hath not such a strength of faith as to stop the mouth of lions, as to work miracles, as to remove mountains, as to subdue kingdoms, as to quench the violence of fire, as to resist strong temptations, as to rejoice under great persecutions, Heb. 11:33-35. No man that is saved is saved upon the account of the strength of his faith, but upon the account of the truth of his faith. In the great day, Christ will not bring balances to weigh men's graces, but a touch-stone to try their graces; he will not look so much at the strength as at the truth of their graces.
(3) The third hint. The weakest faith shall grow stronger and stronger. A weak believer shall go on from faith to faith. Christ is the finisher as well as the author of our faith, Rom. 1:17; Heb. 12:2. Christ will use up this blessed babe, and will not suffer it to be strangled in its infancy. He that hath begun a good work will perfect it, Philip. 1:6; 1 Pet. 1:5. Christ is as well bound to look after our graces as he is to look after our souls. Grace is Christ's work, therefore it must prosper in his hand; he is the great builder and repairer of our graces; he will turn thy spark into a flame, thy drop into an ocean, they penny into a pound, thy mite into a million, Mat. 12:20, and 13:32. Therefore do not sit down discouraged because thy faith is weak. That which is sown in weakness, shall rise in power. Thy weak faith shall have a glorious resurrection. Christ will not suffer such a pearl of price to be buried under a clod of earth.
(4) The fourth hint. A little faith is faith, as a spark of fire is fire, a drop of water is water, a little star is a star, a little pearl is a pearl. Verily, thy little faith is a jewel that God doth highly prize and value; and thy little faith will make thee put a higher price upon Christ and grace than upon all the world, Mat. 18:10; 1 Pet. 2:7. Well! remember this, that the least measure of true faith will bring these to salvation, and possess thee of salvation, as well as the greatest measure. A little faith accompanies salvation as well as a great faith, a weak faith as well as a strong. Therefore do not say, O precious soul, that thou hast not that faith that accompanies salvation, because thou hast not such a strong faith, or such and such degrees of faith. A great faith will yield a man a heaven here, a little faith will yield him a heaven hereafter.

Great Exchange

2008-07-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

This week, we've had the privilege of hosting two wonderful foreign exchange students from Brazil- Nayara and Camila. They are here for the summer through a really great exchange program with the YMCA. They are delightful girls and we've really enjoyed being with them.

Camila, Maddox and Nayara

Nayara, Nicholas and Camila

Our friends Larry and Anna Davis of Cafe do Brazil with Camila, Nayara, Thais and Nicholas.

Worth Far More Than Rubies

2008-07-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Kristin subscribes to a really good Christian mom's magazine called Above Rubies (www.aboverubies.org). It's full of great articles to encourage moms in one of the greatest calling on their lives - training their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Kristin was reading this months issue when she came in to share an article she read. The editor had previously posted the question to its readers, "Children in Church? How can you keep them quiet?"

I thought you would enjoy hearing a few answers from some wise moms.

Daily Worship
The biggest blessing we have found is regular, daily family worship! We teach our children to sit and behave appropriately at home! We require our children to sit still and fold their hands during family worship (usually 1/2 hour) and during church (at least one hour).

We also teach our children to be quiet during other parts of the day in short periods. These training times help them in church because they are accustomed to sitting still already. We know it is not easy for children to be still and quiet young. We pray with and for our children, talk to them about the importance of showing our Lord reverence and reward them with lots of PRAISE when they obey! Then we like to give them time to run and be loud (outside) after they have obeyed.

- Heather Tully; Delaware, Ohio

Training Session
We prepared by having "training sessions" at home. We had everyone sit on the couch for say, five minutes, (or a length of time we felt sure they could do) without talking or excessive wiggling. They were to focus on a particular person or object in the room. At the end of the time, we praised them for sitting still and quiet. Sometimes we make it a game to see who can be the most still and quiet. We gradually lengthened the time to simulate the time they would be listening to a sermon.

We don't allow coloring during sermons because we have found that it absorbs all of their attention, and can become a distraction to those around them as they rustle around for certain colors or borrow from their sibling, etc. But, for those who are able, we give a small reward for taking notes of the sermon.

The older children are required to stay awake and keep their eyes up toward the pastor, not fidgeting or slouching. Our littlest ones usually sit on our laps, and become still after a few minutes. We have found that toys lose their charm too quickly, and we end up exhausting and distracting ourselves trying to entertain them. After the music, Grandpa likes to pass mints to everyone, which is something they look forward to.

Teaching this kind of self-discipline means we can also take them to weddings, funerals, concerts, plays, and a myriad of formal military functions, knowing they can act appropriately. As we train our children at home, they will become good ambassadors for Christ to the world!

- Ann Hines; Willow Springs, Missouri

Sit in the Front
I was surprised that no one mentioned this secret for keeping children well-behaved in church. I found it a great blessing when raising our children. Sitting in the front seats, right under the eye of the preacher, and where the anointing is strongest, they were always better behaved.

Many parents sit with their children toward the back of the church thinking it will be easier to keep them in check. However, the back of the church is the worst place. There are many distractions which sidetrack the children more easily. They can also see what everyone else is doing in front of them which add more distractions again.

It might sound a little scary, but give it a try. I am sure you will be amazed at the difference.

Nancy Campbell; Primm Springs, Tennessee

Eliminate the Distractions
It has been our habit, from the arrival of our first child, (a very lively boy to say the least!) to train our children from birth to attend public worship with us as a family. They have all settled easily into a one-day-in-seven routine. Despite having certain patterns for nap, sleep and even feeding times, all our children have adapted to the Lord's Day being different.

I can testify that all the work pays off! My husband and I can sit through two services every Lord's Day, morning and evening, with our five children without almost any distraction. Of course, the process is ongoing; they need to be continually encouraged to apply themselves in worship. But, what a joy and privilege to worship the Lord together as a family.

Jane Dunlap; Lurgan, Northern Ireland

Obligations of Parents (Part 2)

2008-07-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of J.C. Ryle's sermon: Primary Obligation of Parents.

First, then, if you would train your children rightly, train them in the way they should go, and not in the way they would. Remember children are born with a decided bias toward evil. Therefore, if you let them choose for themselves, they are certain to choose wrong.

The mother cannot tell what her tender infant may grow up to be -- tall or short, weak or strong, wise or foolish. He may be any of these things or not -- it is all uncertain. But one thing the mother can say with certainty: he will have a corrupt and sinful heart. It is natural to us to do wrong. "Foolishness," says Solomon, "is bound in the heart of a child" (Pro 22:15). "A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame" (Pro 29:15). Our hearts are like the earth on which we tread: let it alone, and it is sure to bear weeds.

If, then, you would deal wisely with your child, you must not leave him to the guidance of his own will. Think for him, judge for him, act for him, just as you would for one weak and blind. But for pity's sake, give him not up to his own wayward tastes and inclinations. It must not be his likings and wishes that are consulted. He knows not yet what is good for his mind and soul any more than what is good for his body. You do not let him decide what he shall eat, what he shall drink, and how he shall be clothed. Be consistent, and deal with his mind in like manner. Train him in the way that is Scriptural and right and not in the way that he fancies.

If you cannot make up your mind to this first principle of Christian training, it is useless for you to read any further. Self-will is almost the first thing that appears in a child's mind. It must be your first step to resist it.

(to be continued...)

Ryle on Parenting

2008-07-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a really neat booklet on Biblical parenting. Included in the book was a great sermon by the Puritan Bishop, J.C. Ryle. After reading it, I thought I would post sections of the sermon throughout the week for you to read. If you're a believing parent, it will hit you right in the heart.

Primary Obligations of Parents
J.C. Ryle (1816 - 1900)

"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6

I suppose that most professing Christians are acquainted with the text at the head of this page. The sound of it is probably familiar to your ears, like an old tune. It is likely you have heard it, read it, talked of it, or quoted it many a time. Is it not so? But after all, how little is the substance of this text regarded! The doctrine it contains appears scarcely known, the duty it puts before us seems fearfully seldom practiced. Reader do I not speak the truth?

It cannot be said that the subject is a new one. The world is old, and we have the experience of nearly six thousand years to help us. We live in days when there is a mighty zeal for education in every quarter. We hear of new schools rising on all sides. We are told of new systems and new books for the young of every sort and description. Still for all this, the vast majority of children are manifestly not trained in the way they should go; for when they grow up to man's estate, they do not walk with God.

Now how shall we account for this state of things? The plain truth is the Lord's commandment in our text is not regarded. Therefore, the Lord's promise in our text is not fulfilled.

Reader, these things may well give rise to great searching of heart. Suffer then a word of exhortation from a minister about the right training of children. Believe me, the subject is one that should come home to every conscience and make every one ask himself the question, "Am I in this matter doing what I can?"

It is a subject that concerns almost all. There is hardly a household that it does not touch. Parents, nurses, teachers, godfathers, godmothers, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters - all have an interest in it. Few can be found, I think, who might not influence some parent in the management of his family or affect the training of some child by suggestion or advice. All of us, I suspect, can do something here, either directly or indirectly; and I wish to stir up all to bear this in remembrance....

First, then, if you would train your children rightly, train them in the way they should go, and not in the way that they would. (to be continued....)

They Nail it Again.

2008-07-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

Just because it's too funny.

61 Candles

2008-07-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Last night, we celebrated Kristin's dad's 61st birthday. To really celebrate, they hosted a dance party complete with dance lessons from a cousin of legendary crooner and actor, Dean Martin (really).

The birthday boy with his wife and grandkids.

Kristin won the Cinderella Award for her exquisite moves doing the Fox-trot.

"Uncle Jeff" and "Aunt Stephanie" came dressed in their best Tim McGraw/Faith Hill attire. They dominated the line dance, and as you can see, Nic & Maddox were pumped to have a couple of other cowboys in the crowd.

Pelagianism Revisited

2008-07-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Princeton theologian, B.B. Warfield, once wrote in his book The Plan of Salvation, "There are fundamentally only two doctrines of salvation: that salvation is from God, and that salvation is from ourselves. The former is the doctrine of common Christianity; the latter is the doctrine of universal heathenism."

Have you ever strolled down the aisle of your favorite Christian bookstore to see what's available to read? I recently went to a large one here in Oklahoma City to buy a book for a friend on his 40th birthday. I was disheartened to find that historical Christian theology books were limited to only a handful of books (less than two small shelves) in this mega-Christian book store. What I did find were rows of books telling me how "I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul."

It seems that Pelagianism has come back in the 21st Century for another visit.

So what is Pelagianism, and does it really matter that I know? Dr. Michael Horton has a great discussion on this topic in his 30-minute podcast on The White Horse Inn. I predict you'll come away convinced that Pelagianism has affected your view of Salvation more than you realize. You can click here to listen to it on-line.

In addition, Dr. Horton wrote a very good piece about Pelagianism, in the magazine Modern Reformation. if you are a better reader than listener, you can click here to read it.

Giving a brief history on the heresy, Dr. Horton writes:

First, this heresy originated with the first human couple, as we shall see soon. It was actually defined and labeled in the fifth century, when a British monk came to Rome. Immediately, Pelagius was deeply impressed with the immorality of this center of Christendom, and he set out to reform the morals of clergy and laity alike. This moral campaign required a great deal of energy and Pelagius found many supporters and admirers for his cause. The only thing that seemed to stand in his way was the emphasis that emanated particularly from the influential African bishop, Augustine. Augustine taught that human beings, because they are born in original sin, are incapable of saving themselves. Apart from God's grace, it is impossible for a person to obey or even to seek God. Representing the entire race, Adam sinned against God. This resulted in the total corruption of every human being since, so that our very wills are in bondage to our sinful condition. Only God's grace, which he bestows freely as he pleases upon his elect, is credited with the salvation of human beings.

In sharp contrast, Pelagius was driven by moral concerns and his theology was calculated to provide the most fuel for moral and social improvement. Augustine's emphasis on human helplessness and divine grace would surely paralyze the pursuit of moral improvement, since people could sin with impunity, fatalistically concluding, "I couldn't help it; I'm a sinner." So Pelagius countered by rejecting original sin. According to Pelagius, Adam was merely a bad example, not the father of our sinful condition-we are sinners because we sin-rather than vice versa. Consequently, of course, the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, was a good example. Salvation is a matter chiefly of following Christ instead of Adam, rather than being transferred from the condemnation and corruption of Adam's race and placed "in Christ," clothed in his righteousness and made alive by his gracious gift. What men and women need is moral direction, not a new birth; therefore, Pelagius saw salvation in purely naturalistic terms-the progress of human nature from sinful behavior to holy behavior, by following the example of Christ.

I don't know about you, but if my righteousness depends upon my human nature progressing from sinfulness to the required level of holy behavior (perfection), I'm sunk. However, if it depends on my faith in Jesus - who fulfilled the law and lived a perfectly holy life - and my trust that He'll impute His righteousness to me to cover my sins, then according to scripture, I'll be saved.

For the just shall live by faith...

What's in a Word?

2008-07-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

Merriam-Webster is adding more than 100 words to their most recent version of their collegiate dictionary. The popular dictionary's eleventh edition will be released September 1st with words that have gained acceptance in our culture. Though many of the recent words might not make future editions, some seemingly obscure words from the past are still in print:

• Pescatarian (1993): vegetarian whose diet includes fish.
• Racino (1995): racetrack at which slot machines are available.
• Webinar (1998): live, online educational presentation.
• Fanboy (1919): a boy who is an enthusiastic devotee to comics or movies.

Kristin and I put together our list of words that we think should be included in this year's newly released list:

• A'ight: to acknowledge or affirm.
• Props: to give respect that is due.
• Peeps: my people.
• Ka-ching: to answer in the affirmative.
• Wang-chung: to let your hair down and enjoy the ride.
• Izzle: just add it to any word to make you sound cool.

Blame it on the Rain!

2008-07-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

We were all working hard in the backyard when the rain hit...